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New Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 Priced From £155k In The UK, Nearly £16k More Than 751HP Taycan Turbo S

Two months ago, Mercedes unveiled the AMG EQS 53 at the Munich Motor Show as the first electric vehicle to wear the AMG badge. Now, the German automaker has released pricing for it, and it’s about what you’d expect for a range-topping high-performance EV sedan.

The EQS 53 will start at £154,995 (equal to around $208,000 at current exchange rates) in the UK, or 55% more than the base EQS 450’s starting price of £99,995. It’s also more expensive than the current flagship Porsche Taycan Turbo S that’s rated for 761PS / 751HP and kicks off from £139,280 (about $186,900).

For that money, you get a dual-motor AWD drivetrain producing 649 hp (658 PS / 484 kW) and 701 lb-ft (950 Nm) of instant electric torque. Upgrade to the AMG Performance Package with the Night Edition that pushes the starting price to £163,900 (around $220,000) though, and that same drivetrain produces 751 hp (761 PS / 560 kW) and 752 lb-ft (1020 Nm) of torque.

The former enables a 3.8-second sprint to 62 mph (100 km/h) with a top speed of 137 mph (220 km/h), while the latter allows for 3.4 seconds to 62 mph with a top speed of 155 mph (249 km/h). The range is the same for both, with a WLTP-estimated 358 miles (576 km) on tap from the car’s 107.8 kWh battery.

Standard features on all variants include the 56-inch Hyperscreen, an AR heads-up display, Nappa leather upholstery, a Burmester® surround sound system, a Parking package with Active Parking Assist, and 360° camera, Driving Assistance Package Plus, AMG sound programs, AMG-specific bodywork, and an AMG steering wheel.

Included with the Night Edition are 21-inch AMG alloy wheels, a flat-bottomed sport steering wheel, and sport pedals. Upgrading to the £8,995 AMG Performance Package (which is only available with the Night Edition) gets you carbon-ceramic brakes, AMG Dynamic Plus boost for Race Start, the AMG Sound Experience, the AMG Driver’s Package with increased top speed, AMG TRACK PACE, and AMG carbon-fiber interior trim.

Finally, serving as a counterpart to the bold Night Edition is the more subtle Touring specification, which comes with 22-inch AMG multi-spoke alloy wheels and elegant ambient lighting in the cabin. On top of that, you can opt for the £2,995 Rear Luxury Lounge package (only available with the Touring), which outfits the multi-contour rear seats with black Exclusive Nappa leather upholstery, power reclining, luxury headrests, neck and shoulder heating, comfort armrests, separate climate controls, an MBUX tablet, wireless charging, and additional USB ports.

The 2022 Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 4MATIC+ is currently on sale now, with the first UK deliveries expected to arrive in April 2022.

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2022 Audi RS 3 Starts From £50,900 In The UK, Launch Edition Limited To 96 Units With Higher Top Speed

Full UK pricing and specifications have been announced for Audi’s new RS 3 Sportback and Sedan. The RS 3 saloon is priced from £51,900, while the five-door hatchback (aka Sportback) is a touch cheaper, starting at £50,900 ($70,300).

The latest generation RS 3 is powered by a turbocharged five-cylinder 2.5 TFSI motor producing 394 hp (294 kW / 400 PS) in the UK, which is slightly less than the 401 hp (299 kW / 407 PS) model that is set to be offered to customers in the U.S. Torque is 500 Nm (368 lb-ft), sent to all four wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch S-tronic transmission.

The RS 3 is currently the fastest compact production car around a lap of the Nürburgring, setting a time of 7:40.748. With performance at its heart, the RS 3 can sprint to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 3.8 seconds, with a top speed limited to 155mph (249 km/h) for most versions.

Read: The Fastest Compact On The Nurburgring Is Now The 2022 Audi RS 3 Sedan

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For those wanting more kit than the standard car, the RS 3 “Carbon Black” adds £4,650 ($6420) to the base price and includes darkened Matrix LED headlamps, five-spoke 19-inch matt black alloy wheels, a gloss black front spoiler as well as a carbon fibre finish to the exterior mirror housings, rear spoiler, side skirts and engine cover.

The highest spec RS 3 offered to UK customers is the RS 3 “Vorsprung.” Priced from £58,650 ($81,000) the flagship features different alloys with “graphic print,” an electric boot lid and a 360-degree camera.

Sitting between the Carbon Black and Vorsprung price-wise is the faster “Launch Edition.” The Launch Edition will be limited to just 96 units in the UK, and although it features no changes to power output or acceleration, simply includes a speed limiter set slightly higher, cutting in at 174 mph (280 km/h). Priced at £56,900 ($78,600) for the Sportback (£57,900/$80,000 or the saloon/sedan), the Launch Edition features additional standard kit such as the Driver Assistance pack, Adaptive suspension with Drive Select and Audi’s Comfort & Sound pack. A glass panoramic roof, heads up display, electric front seats, phonebox lite, sports exhaust, red brake callipers and a gloss black finish to various interior and exterior elements is also included.

An additional pack that will raise the RS 3’s speed limited to 180 mph (290 km/h) is the “Dynamic” pack. It includes adaptive suspension with Audi Drive Select, RS ceramic brakes with brake callipers in gloss anthracite grey, and Audi’s RS sport exhaust system. The Dynamic pack adds £5,500 ($7,600) to the price of a standard RS 3 and £5,000 ($6,900) on Carbon Black & Vorsprung versions.

Audi dealers in the UK are currently taking orders for the new RS 3, with the first deliveries expected in November. It competes head-on with the Mercedes-AMG A45 S which starts at just over £51,000 ($70,500), going up to £57,000 ($78,800) for the A45 S Plus.

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New Nissan Qashqai Premiere Edition Heads To The UK From Under £30,000

Unveiled almost a month ago, the new generation Nissan Qashqai, which will arrive in America as the 2022 Rogue Sport, is about to launch in the United Kingdom, with the carmaker announcing pricing and specs of the Premiere Edition.

Slotting between the N-Connecta and Tekna grades, the 2021 Qashqai Premiere Edition is the launch version of the compact SUV. It comes from £29,270 (equal to $40,718) for the manual gearbox model, and £31,790 ($44,223) when ordered with the Xtronic continuously variable transmission (CVT).

Customers can also opt for the personal contract (PCP), for a £323 ($449) monthly payment for the manual transmission model, with 3.99% APR, £750 ($1,043) Nissan deposit contribution and £5,000 ($6,956) customer deposit, over 37 months with an annual mileage of 10,000 miles (16,093 km).

Video: 2021 Nissan Qashqai: Let’s Take A Tour Of The Popular SUV’s All-New Third-Gen

The Qashqai Premiere Edition is available with two-tone color options, in New Blue, Pearl Grey and Pearl White with a Black roof, or in Black with a Grey roof. It features integrated roof rails finished in matte silver, 18-inch alloy wheels, LED matrix headlights and upgraded ProPilot with Navi-link on the automatic models, while manual versions get the ProPilot with Drive Assist.

A new 9-inch infotainment system, 12.3-inch TFT digital instrument cluster, 10.8-inch head-up display, wireless charging pad for compatible smartphones, Apple CarPlay, four USB sockets and panoramic roof are part of the equipment list.

Powering this spec is an upgraded version of the 1.3-liter turbocharged petrol engine, which has mild-hybrid technology that can boost torque under acceleration for up to 20 seconds. It produces 138 HP when ordered with the six-speed manual gearbox or 156 HP mated to the CVT.

Deliveries of the 2021 Qashqai Premiere Edition will kick off this summer.

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Toyota UK Sends Off The GT86 With A Short Video Full Of Drifting

The Toyota GT86 story has officially ended in the United Kingdom, with the automaker selling the last unit and concluding an almost nine-year period of pure fun.

The project was first discussed back in 2005, when Toyota and Subaru were looking to make a car that would symbolize the strength of their alliance. They decided to build a sports car and the following year, they started working on it, guided by Toyota President Akio Toyoda’s statement of “if it’s not fun to drive, it’s not a car”.

Review: 2020 Toyota 86 Hakone Is Just As Good As The Road It’s Named After

Designed to be “simple and fun”, with a naturally aspirated engine, rear-wheel drive and ordinary tires, and with a name that harked back to the AE86 Corolla, the GT86 debuted in production form at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show. It packed a 2.0-liter boxer engine supplied by Subaru and used in the previous-gen BRZ as well, making 200 horsepower, and a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic transmission. The GT86/BRZ twins went on to win several awards, including Top Gear magazine’s Car of the Year.

Over the years, the GT86 was homologated for GT4 circuit racing and rallying, and it became more popular with its entry in several video games. In 2015, a fleet of cars was wrapped in heritage liveries to celebrate Toyota’s racecars of the past, and they paid a similar tribute to their Le Mans racers three years later. The automaker continued building up the hype by helping a blind driver achieve his dream of driving on a racetrack, and then put drifting champ Fredric Aasbo in a tuned 1,150-hp car to scorch tire tracks in the shape of a giant ’86’ logo that could be seen from space.

Toyota sold almost 7,500 units of the GT86 in the United Kingdom. However, the affordable sports car project won’t be shelved, as its successor is currently in the making.

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2021 Honda CR-V Hybrid Arrives In The UK With Subtle Updates For More Refinement

Honda is introducing the new 2021 CR-V Hybrid to the UK market, which has been updated aesthetically to better fit with the company’s latest electrified model range and has been retuned in other areas.

The 2021 CR-V will be available in the UK only as a hybrid starting from December, which is when the first examples of the Japanese SUV will begin showing up at dealerships around the country with prices starting from £30,180.

The updated 2021 CR-V Hybrid features new blue-ringed H badges and Honda’s latest ‘e:HEV’ lettering to signify the electrified powertrain under the bonnet. Other updates include the new 18-inch wheels across the range, standard privacy glass from the SE models upwards, and wireless smartphone charging for the range-topping EX.

Under the skin, the only revisions are about some tweaks to the suspension, which has been retuned for “more linear handling responses” and to provide improved ride compliance. Furthermore, the variable-ratio electric steering has been refined to offer better low-speed maneuverability.

The hybrid powertrain remains unchanged, featuring a 2.0-liter i-VTEC petrol engine running on the Atkinson cycle combined with two electric motors for a total of 181 HP (184 PS). Honda’s innovative fixed-gear transmission claims to offer higher levels of refinement compared to CVTs, as well as better efficiency.

The 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) sprint comes in 8.8 seconds for the FWD version (AWD: 9.2 seconds), while top speed is set at 112 mph (180 km/h). CO2 emissions are rated from 151 g/km for the FWD models and 161 g/km for the all-wheel-drive ones.

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