In his recent reporting on the Bugatti Chiron, which could pack 1500 horsepower, hit 288 mph, and have swing-up doors, Automobile Magazine’s Georg Kacher stated that the Veyron successor has been delayed until 2016, and with the Veyron’s 450-car run just about finished, a very limited run of speedsters based on the model could be built to “keep the workforce busy.” That is, of course, to say nothing of funneling millions upon millions of bucks into Bugatti’s coffers.
The report provided no hint of what sort of modifications would be made to the car to turn it into a speedster. How much might the windshield be chopped for Speedster duty? Would it have an occasional-use roof panel? Would it use the Veyron name? Will Bugatti replace all the hair lost when owners inevitably perform top-speed runs? Nor did the report give an estimate of how many millions of dollars such a thing would cost.
Predictably, when we inquired, Bugatti was mum on the topic, with spokeswoman Manuela Hoehne stating, “These are speculations we do not comment on, as we, in general, do not participate in speculation about future products.” So we’ll just have to take Kacher’s word for it.
We sure hope he’s right, as the idea of a Veyron speedster sounds like the stuff of legends—although Bugatti already has cars based on those—and perhaps the most desirable and collectible of all the variants.
Although Subaru excels at building quirky sporty cars, including 2 of the best low-buck fun machines available—the BRZ and the new-for-2015 WRX—the company has struggled at times with the formula for its less exciting Legacy sedan, which, along with the Outback wagon, receives a refresh for 2015.
Our first-drive review covered the basics of the new car, including praise for the Legacy’s mid-size capaciousness and the stability provided by the standard all-wheel-drive system. But now we’ve strapped our test gear to a top-shelf 3.6R model for a closer look.
The Beat of a Different Drummer
The Legacy competes in one of the largest and most hotly contested segments in the market, a battleground that requires continuous improvements of its combatants just to keep up the fight for customers. Subaru’s position here is a unique one; it opts to carve out a niche for itself based on roominess, comfort, and standard all-wheel drive.
Compared with our long-term 2010 Legacy 3.6R, which had the same 256-hp 3.6-liter flat-6, our 2015 test car is 157 pounds heavier due to it being slightly larger in every dimension except wheelbase and height, as well as packing more sound-deadening material to quell road noise. That’s a minimal weight gain for an already hefty car, but the pairing of a continuously variable transmission to the flat-6 (CVTs were previously limited to 4-cylinder models) in place of the old 5-speed automatic degrades the car’s driving experience and puts a dent in whatever modest fun the previous 6-cylinder Legacy offered.
Looking at Taillights
With the sprint to 60 mph taking 7.1 seconds and the quarter-mile passing in 15.5 at 94 mph, the new car is 0.7- and 0.5-second slower than our 2010 long-termer. The CVT features paddle shifters and does an admirable impersonation of a conventional automatic, working through 6 simulated “gears” and keeping the droning to a minimum. But it still feels weak and rubbery from a standing start. What’s more, the new car merely matched our long-termer’s 22 mpg, which is at the low end for mid-size sedans with higher-powered engines.
The only competitor in that bunch that is slower to 60 mph than the Legacy 3.6R is the equally fresh 2015 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T, which takes a full 8.0 seconds to do the deed. Even the Mazda 6—184-hp inline-4, 6-speed automatic, 3294 pounds—bests the Subaru to 60 and loses by just a tenth in the quarter. The quickest car in the class, the Honda Accord V-6, is a rocket by comparison, covering the zero-to-60 sprint in just 5.6 seconds.
The rest of the drive in the new 3.6R, as well as the Legacy’s tidier-yet-generic styling, neither excites nor offends. Ride quality is decent at the expense of more body roll than we’d prefer, and the new 18-inch Goodyears produce less grip on the skidpad than our long-termer’s 17-inch Bridgestones, 0.79 g versus 0.82. The Legacy’s steering is light yet weights up slightly at higher speeds, but it’s always tight-lipped about what the front end is doing. At least the big car rotates more smoothly in corners now with the addition of Subaru’s brake-based torque-vectoring system. Admittedly, performance stats are hardly paramount for a family sedan, but we expect more from the makers of the WRX and for the 3.6R’s $ 32,585 as-tested price.
The Outback of Sedans
All 2015 Legacy 3.6Rs come standard in Limited trim at $ 30,390, which includes 8 airbags, 18-inch wheels, leather seating, a 12-speaker Harman/Kardon audio system with a 7.0-inch touch screen, dual-zone climate control, blind-spot and rear-cross-traffic alerts, lane-keeping assist, and more. The lone option on our car was a $ 2195 package that bundled a sunroof, navigation, and keyless access and start. Along with being well equipped, the revised interior is handsome in its simplicity and dotted with solidly functional ergonomics, making it a pleasant place to pass the miles.
Subaru definitely played it safe with the Legacy’s latest redesign, which often is the norm in the high-volume world of mainstream sedans. But as a smaller company, Subaru would serve the Legacy well by leveraging a tad more of the zing found in its cult models. Rethinking the CVT would be a good place to start, because it only lowers the bar for the 3.6R. As it stands now, the Legacy 3.6R feels more like a sedan version of the Outback than a true competitor to mid-size stalwarts such as the Honda Accord and the Mazda 6.
With its “Route 66″ operation in Spring 2009, Renault Trucks combined 2 legends: the brand flagship “King of the Road” Renault Magnum and the famous Route 66 which crosses the United States from Chicago to Los Angeles. In the autumn of the same year, at Le Mans, Renault Trucks presented a Magnum decked out in the colours of Route 66 for the duration of the 24 hour Truck Race. As a result of the public’s enthusiasm and the interest generated by this vehicle, Renault Trucks decided to launch in France a Magnum “Route 66″ restricted edition with specific exterior decoration, exclusive upholstery and superior equipment. A Magnum created to blend the excellence of Renault Trucks with the American dream.
The “Route 66″ restricted edition asserts itself as the clear option for lengthy haul assignments. It will delight the several enthusiasts of decorated trucks and the American dream – which everything about this distinctive automobile evokes. First of all, the exterior decoration with its metal grey colour, common of American tanker trucks, the winged Route 66 logo on the doors, the particular “Diamond Brite” aluminium rims, chrome plated radiator and air tank, and much much more. Everything in fact, to make sure that this Magnum attracts even more attention than usual on our roads! The dream goes on inside the cab, with its exclusive anthracite grey upholstery fabric and a red Route 66 logo echoing the exterior decoration. In terms of equipment, the Magnum Route 66 is fitted with the quite greatest offered to make swallowing up the miles as pleasant as achievable – even if they are French kilometres. This consists of the Optidriver+ gearbox, the Excellence Pack with a CD MP3 Bluetooth radio, below-bunk refrigerator, Multipass cab and swivelling passenger seat. On the mechanical side, the Magnum Route 66 is obtainable as a 4×2 tractor with a DXi 13 Euro 5 engine and 3 ratings for consumers to pick from: 440 hp, 480 hp or 520 hp.
A legendary truck and a legendary road… practically 20 years following its very first appearance on the marketplace, the Renault Magnum has pushed back its limits at the extremely heart of the United States on the famous Route 66. From 3 to 13 April 2009, it made its mark on history by becoming the first French truck to cover this route. All the way from Chicago (Illinois) to Los Angeles (California), it swallowed up 3,620 km of asphalt as it passed by way of the most celebrated towns in the United States, carrying 2 drivers specially selected for this incredible challenge. Additionally, Renault Magnum has won fantastic favour among lengthy haul transporters for its onboard comfort and also its efficiency. It travels throughout Europe from north to south and has turn out to be the reference motorway car, specifically in Spain, as well as playing a main part in the process of opening up Eastern European markets. And in the US, from the fantastic industrial metropolises around the Wonderful Lakes proper via to the east coast through Las Vegas, Route 66 offered a true challenge to France’s “King of the road”.
The Old Continent and this “New Frontier” nation each use environmental requirements to control site visitors, but these regulations are, of course, different! The US 07 Requirements are just as stringent as the European Euro 5 Requirements, in a country where oil is reputed to be in abundant supply. A correspondence therefore had to be established between the 2 requirements, one thing which Renault Trucks engineers had in no way been asked to do before! Because of technological differences, the upkeep of European mechanical units meeting the Euro 4 standard was not attainable in America, since AdBlue, the additive necessary for the SCR depollution technology chosen by Renault Trucks, was not however obtainable there. To supply its vehicles with the day-to-day assistance they would need to have, Renault Trucks France had to take along a supply of the major normal components topic to put on or breakage. In the end, 3,600 km of Route 66 covered in 7 days have been no more than a stroll in the park for a automobile made to supply the exact same performance with flawless reliability for far more than 100,000 km a year.
The 3 Renault Magnums came to book their passage on a transatlantic vessel amongst Le Havre and Baltimore. This was all about the passion of transport, specifically for drivers. Sitting proud behind the wheel of a piece of machinery that weighs more than 40 tons tends to make you 1 of a choose band of truckers from a distinct globe, with its own codes and a unifying passion for the road and trucks. Renault Trucks is there to aid its drivers on the road through its repair garage ne2rk and its help vehicles which come to drivers’ aid 24 hours a day, as effectively as in the course of Grand Prix truck racing events and via a buyer relations programme primarily based on the Truckdriver’mag magazine and website. It was in reality Truckdriver’mag that organised a draw to pick the 2 winners for this operation during the 24-hour Le Mans truck race in 2008: Eric Mortiz and Jean-Patrice Bullot. Throughout this unique adventure, they had been assisted by the brand’s demonstrators in France, driving experts who assist customers every day to get the most out of their vehicles. Aboard these 3 Magnums which crossed the 8 States of Route 66, drivers, customers and personnel, all passionate about trucks and about the Magnum, lived the most memorable journey of their lives with each other. Beside them, an whole firm, plus its distributors and repairers, followed this unprecedented adventure with emotion and pride. Through them, the whole of the French transport world rejoiced to see the French flag flying for a whilst in the land of Uncle Sam – in contrast with the heckling it at times gets at house. It was a moment of grace for Renault Trucks and the French haulage market in common, proving to the rest of the planet that it and its hauliers see a lengthy way beyond issues and national frontiers.
