#combined with the overal noise level of driving on the autobahn and the heat = perfect headache conditions

[umilily]

picture of a very aesthetic cake i ate while on a very bumpy road.

[robertkstone]

2020 Bentley Continental GT Convertible First Drive Review

Woolf Barnato would have loved the 2020 Bentley Continental GT Convertible. Heir to a South African diamond fortune and savior of financially troubled Bentley in 1925, Barnato spent the 1920s racing hard and partying harder. And one of W.O. Bentley’s fast and muscular machines was never too far away, be it on the track at Le Mans, or on the driveway of his country home, Ardenrun Place in leafy Surrey, England. The new Continental GT Convertible is Barnato’s kind of Bentley, combining raffish soft-top elegance with continent crushing power and speed.

The $236,100 Convertible is, of course, the inevitable encore to the $214,600 Continental GT Coupe we recently tested in W-12 form; an encore that, ironically, has arrived even before Americans have had the opportunity to sample the first act. The folks at Bentley don’t talk much about it, but the shift to the all-new MSB platform has clearly stretched to the limit the capabilities of the 1000-strong engineering and development team at Crewe. That, and last-minute changes to emissions regulations that have forced a comprehensive test and certification program, mean deliveries to U.S. customers of both versions of the new Conti are not likely to start until the second half of this year.

But, as with the Coupe, the Convertible, which is expected to account for 70 percent of Continental GT sales in the U.S., is worth the wait.

The Continental GT Convertible shares powertrain, suspension, and brakes with the Coupe. That means the new 626-hp W-12 under the hood driving all four wheels via the Porsche-designed eight-speed twin-clutch transmission, along with three-chamber air suspension, 48V active anti-roll system, and the world’s biggest steel brakes—16.5 inch rotors up front, clamped by massive 10-piston calipers.

In terms of design, the aluminum front panels and doors, and lush, leather-lined interior are identical with those of the Coupe. At the rear are new quarter panels and a new deck that swallows a soft-top in just 19 seconds at speeds of up to 30 mph. Unseen is the extra bracing to compensate for the lack of a roof, and the powered Z-fold mechanism for the soft-top, both of which account for a 372-pound increase in weight over the Coupe. Even so, Bentley claims the 5,322-pound Convertible has the same top speed as the Coupe, though its extra mass means it’s a tenth of a second slower to 60 mph. Just think about that for a moment: The Continental GT Convertible does 207 mph, and 0-60 in a Bentley-estimated 3.7 seconds (though a 12-cylinder coupe tester hit 60 in 3.3 seconds). We are talking about a luxury boulevardier that’s as fast as a Porsche Carrera GT. Extraordinary…

Credit goes to that herculean, twin-turbo 6.0-liter W-12 under the hood, designed, developed, and hand-built in Crewe. In addition to its 626 horsepower at 6,000 rpm, its peak torque of 664 lb-ft arrives at just 1,350 rpm, and is maintained all the way to 4,500 rpm. Punching the gas pedal in the Continental GT Convertible is like opening the floodgates on the Hoover Dam, unleashing a relentless surge of thrust, the twin-clutch transmission’s lightning quick shifts scarcely interrupting the rush to the far horizon. The Bentley feels indomitably quick on the open road, crushing hills and compressing passing zones with insouciant ease.

It feels remarkably adept for a car of its size and mass in the corners, too. The steering doesn’t quite have the communicative delicacy of the closely related Porsche Panamera—you get the sense it’s masked by artificial inertia dialed into the system to give it old-school Bentley meatiness. But there is much more initial front-end grip than in the previous-generation Conti, and it remains more responsive to steering inputs through the corner. The 48V active roll system, which utilizes e-motors capable of generating almost 960 lb-ft of torque to twist the front and rear anti-roll bars against the cornering forces, keeps the big Bentley astonishingly composed through the corners, regardless of whether the car is set in the Comfort, Bentley, or Sport drive modes.

As you’d expect, Sport mode switches the spring and damper rates to their stiffest settings, adds more meat to the steering feel, and amps up the exhaust rumble. But it also allows no more than 20 percent of the torque to be sent to the front wheels to give the chassis a sportier balance. In Comfort and Bentley modes (Bentley mode so named because it’s the default mode, and the one Bentley engineers believe best represents the optimal setup for the car) not only are the spring rates softer, and steering efforts lighter, but the active all-wheel drive will channel almost 40 percent of the torque to the front wheels when needed.

If you don’t like any of those configurations, there’s Custom mode. After a bit of experimentation on the superb roads through the hills between Marbella and Seville in Spain, we programmed Custom mode to keep the powertrain in Sport mode for optimal throttle response and chassis balance, the suspension in Bentley mode for the best all-round ride and handling compromise, and the steering in Comfort mode to take as much of the weight out of the system as possible. Thus configured, and with the transmission in manual mode to allow precise control via the paddles on the steering wheel, the Continental GT Convertible is strikingly fast and confidence-inspiring on roads that would get your pulse racing in a Porsche 911.

Everywhere else, just leave it in Bentley mode, and let the transmission do the thinking. With power and torque to spare, the Continental GT Convertible delivers effortless performance on demand, whether cruising around town, or hustling BMWs out of the fast lane on a German autobahn.

Roof up? Or roof down? It doesn’t matter. An effective wind-blocker and a discreet vent under the front seat headrests that can direct warm air to the back of your neck, plus a heated steering wheel and heated armrests, mean you ride comfortably unruffled even when that gorgeously executed interior is open to the elements. When raised, the new soft-top, available in black, blue, claret, and gray, as well a beige that is a contemporary interpretation of traditional British tweed fabric, cuts noise levels by 3 dB compared with that of the previous car, making the new Convertible as quiet at speed, says Bentley, as the previous generation Coupe.

If a recent 500-mile round trip that saw the new Continental GT Coupe better 22 mpg is any guide, the Convertible not only has the manners, but also the range of a proper grand tourer. The W-12’s cylinder deactivation system means it runs on six cylinders while cruising on light throttle, and a smart coasting feature shuts down the engine and declutches the transmission when you lift off the gas. Hit the brakes, and coasting is immediately cancelled to ensure you get the benefit of engine braking. It’s clever, effective, and utterly seamless—the only way you can tell what’s happening is to check the tach.

Weaknesses? Our tester was fitted with the optional 22-inch wheel/tire combo that’s part of the $12,755 Mulliner Driving Specification, and although the Bentley-spec Pirelli P Zeros���275/35 R22 front and 315/30 ZR22 rear—feature noise reduction technology, they still roar on coarse tarmac and patter over broken surfaces. Like the Coupe, Continental GT Convertible is smoother, quieter, more refined on the standard 21-inch wheels and tires. Save the money and stick with those.

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[robertkstone]

2018 Volkswagen Tiguan First Test: Is Bigger Better?

This ain’t your uncle Gerhard’s cute little people mover.

Built in Mexico with the American market in mind, the 2018 Volkswagen Tiguan has gotten so much larger—gaining 7.3 inches of wheelbase and 10.6 inches of overall length—that it has actually jumped clear out of the compact SUV segment.

The redesigned VW Tiguan’s dimensions are now more in line with a Toyota Highlander than a Toyota RAV4. It also means it now comes in a three-row, seven-seat configuration (not that the third row has much to recommend it, but more on that later).

Unfortunately, all this added size means more weight, and the Tiguan has gained 373 pounds in base trim. The problem is that this two-ton package (when the driver is in place) is propelled by an overwhelmed 184-hp 2.0-liter turbo-four engine. And despite its 221 lb-ft of torque being routed through a strong eight-speed automatic, the Tiguan’s engine rarely feels comfortable when pressed at speed.

At the Tiguan’s media introduction in Denver, some automotive journalists forgave this crossover’s underpowered ways, assuming the high altitude sapped the Volkswagen’s strength. But Motor Trend testing—as well as a weeklong loan cruising the Oregon coast—showed that the Tiguan lacks motivation at sea level, as well.

The powertrain is not weak, per se. The eight-speed’s short gearing in lower gears, combined with the quick thrust of torque, gives it fair off-line performance (8.6 seconds in our 0-60-mph test). But its 45-65-mph passing run of 4.5 seconds is middling at best, as if the engine and transmission are caught unaware by the sudden request.

Once up to speed, however, the VW’s autobahn charms are in full effect, with the suspension delivering a refined, no-fuss composure at 100 mph on the high-speed oval. The delicate sensitivity of the suspension suffers, however, when the roads turn bumpy and grumpy. Over washboards and Belgian blocks, drivers suffered significant jostling, with technical editor Frank Markus noting that the Tiguan “sounds a bit like it was coming apart” as the suspension quickly reached the top and bottom limits of travel.

There also was general disappointment in the Tiguan’s handling abilities. I felt that the front end wasn’t informing the back end that it was initiating a turn. As I took it around corners, the back end of the vehicle still felt like it was awaiting orders. This of-two-minds feeling made an iron-stomached passenger quite queasy on twisty passages.

On the winding road at the test track, Markus got tire squeal at speeds as slow as 40 mph, which triggered the comment: “Lots of understeer and overly light steering. People might need to be reminded that this is a German car.” Meanwhile, SUVOTY guest judge Gordon Dickie—a suspension engineer par excellence—found understeer was evident until snap-oversteer seemed in the offing. Not a great combination.

Being an SUV in shape and purpose, the Tiguan is equipped with an optional 4Motion Active Control system—with all-wheel-drive modes for Snow, On-Road, Off-Road, and Custom Off-Road modes. On-Road mode also allows the driver to select between Eco, Normal, Sport, and Custom modes.

  The Tiguan handled our silty, hilly off-road course with aplomb, regardless of which drive mode was selected. About the only complaint was that the Tiguan’s skinny tires tended to tramline within rutted passages. But the excellent hill-descent software meant crawl speeds down steep downhill passages were reassuringly controlled. There are even menus within the virtual cockpit screen to show a compass and the vehicle’s steering angle. In short, it’s more than competent in the crud.

Inside, the Tiguan provides a dressy interior, if you’re into the whole acres-of-black-plastic gestalt. International Bureau Chief Angus MacKenzie feels it’s “built-to-price … cost-cutting is evident. The forms and details are nice, but some of the plastics are hard.” Dickie found the driver’s seat cushion too short and lumbar support to be poor. And editor-in-chief Ed Loh’s pet peeve is a mesh sunroof shade that let in too much blazing desert sunlight.

The instrument panel feels like a budget version of Audi’s virtual cockpit, in all the best ways. But although the infotainment interface is clean and integration with Apple CarPlay is prompt, its voice recognition might as well have been set on German, for all its misunderstandings of the spoken word. It gets less intelligent when the air conditioning creates a gray noise backdrop. I ended up yanking the USB cord and dictating notes directly into my iPhone instead. (BTW, the air conditioning works great, even in 100-degree desert heat.)

Countering the gray noise was a thumping 480-watt Fender audio system, which everyone thought was crisp and sharp—save for the ears of Detroit editor Alisa Priddle, who felt the speakers’ performance did not deliver the premium sound she expected.

Being a second-row passenger in a Tiguan is a blissful experience, with multiple recline angles and gobs of legroom with the seats slid back against the stops and decent space even when slid forward. There’s excellent visibility outward, and should you choose to be an introvert, there is a USB port and 12-volt outlet.

About that third-row seat—even with second-row seats slid forward, the third row is essentially useless, using up all your cargo space while providing a passenger area inadequate for anything larger than a fox terrier. Grown adults and even taller children will require learning the Gomukhasana and Natarajasana poses to extricate themselves. Besides, with third-row down or in the five-seat trim, the cargo area is cavernous.

Here’s the kicker: A five-seat version is only available for the Tiguans with 4Motion all-wheel drive, and you have to ask for it. Seven seats are standard on front-drive Tiguans, and there is not a delete option to get a five-seater. Pick your poison.

In the end, it’s about value for money. With a starting front-drive base price of $26,245 (and $39,245 as tested in seven-seat AWD SEL Premium trim), the Tiguan dances between the compact and midsized SUV price ladders. Also, shoppers should know that a stripped-down version of the old Tiguan (called “Tiguan Limited”) is still on sale at VW dealers, so you also have the option of going smaller and cheaper (starting at $22,860) if you want. But it’s old school and old tech.

There’s an adage, “Don’t ask questions if you don’t want to hear the answers.” By getting substantially larger and pricier, the Tiguan has put itself in competition with a new, more capable, and more luxurious class of vehicles. And those vehicles are going to ask a lot of questions of Volkswagen.

2018 Volkswagen Tiguan SEL Premium 4Motion BASE PRICE/TESTED PRICE $38,450/$39,245 DRIVETRAIN Front-engine, AWD, 7-pass, 4-door SUV ENGINE 2.0L turbo DOHC 16-valve I-4 TRANSMISSION 8-speed automatic CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) 4,083 lb (54/46%) WHEELBASE 109.8 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 185.1 x 72.4 x 66.3 in 0-60 MPH 28.3 sec @ 0.58 g (avg) QUARTER MILE 16.5 sec @ 81.5 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 134 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.77 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 28.3 sec @ 0.58 g (avg) EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 21/27/23 mpg ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY 160/125 kW-hrs/100 miles CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB 0.83 lb/mile

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