2017 Porsche 911 Turbo Packs More Power

Porsche has slowly been introducing updated versions of its 911 family, with most of the cars now featuring turbocharged engines—previously a bragging right of the actual ‘Turbo’ models only. However, to ensure that the 911 Turbo models still reign supreme, they’ve been given a power boost that sees them encroach on supercar territory.

For the 2017 model year, both the 911 Turbo and 911 Turbo S stick with twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter flat-six engines but now output registers at 540 horsepower and 580 hp respectively. That represents a 20-hp bump in power for each compared to the previous model. Torque, meanwhile, registers at 523 pound-feet in the Turbo and 553 lb-ft in the Turbo S (with overboost).

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Modifications made to the engine include new intake ports in the cylinder heads, new fuel injectors, and higher fuel pressure. There’s also a new dynamic boost function that improves throttle response by maintaining the boost pressure even when the driver lifts off the gas pedal slightly. This ensures that the engine is always on the boil during spirited driving.
With a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, all-wheel drive and the Sport Chrono Package all as standard, the Turbo S will now sprint to 60 mph in just 2.8 seconds, 0.1 of a second quicker than before. The Turbo will achieve the same feat in 2.9 seconds. The respective top speeds are 205 mph and 198 mph.

Beyond extra power, the Turbo S provides a few extra benefits over the Turbo. Items include an anti-roll system, carbon-ceramic brakes, two-tone leather seats, 18-way adjustable seats, carbon fiber interior trim, LED headlights and unique side mirror caps. New options for both the Turbo and Turbo S include lane change assist and a front axle lift system.

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In the cabin, the cars get the sports steering wheel from the 918 Spyder supercar. This features a rotary dial that allows you to switch between the Normal, Sport, Sport Plus, or Individual modes for controlling dynamic settings such as the shift times, throttle response and suspension damping. A black button in the center of the dial turns everything to the max.
Source: http://www.motorauthority.com

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Volvo looks for S90 to shake up premium large sedan market

GOTHENBURG, Sweden -- Volvo, best known for SUVs and station wagons, is taking aim at the premium large sedan market with the new S90.

The Swedish brand released images and details of the new flagship sedan at a press event here today.

"With the launch of the XC90 we made a clear statement of intent. We are now clearly and firmly in the game," Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson said in a statement. "With $11 billion of investment over the past five years we have not only reimagined what Volvo Cars can be -- we are now delivering on our promise of a resurgent and relevant Volvo Cars brand."

The S90 will compete against premium sport sedans such as the BMW 5 series and Mercedes-Benz E class.

The sedan is loaded with high-end equipment. Volvo says the S90's City Safety collision avoidance system has been upgraded to offer a world-first function: large animal detection. The feature can recognize an elk or moose, day or night, and provide brake support to avoid a crash.

The sedan also offers semi-autonomous driving technology that gives steering assistance to keep the car in its lane at speeds up to 81 mph (130 kph) even if there is no car in front.

The S90 will also be offered with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain.

The S90 replaces the slow-selling S80 as Volvo’s flagship sedan and it will have a public debut at the Detroit auto show in January.

The S80's U.S. sales rose 2.2 percent through November to 1,711 vehicles while Volvo as a whole saw U.S. sales surge 18 percent over the 11 months to 60,705 vehicles.

Volvo styling chief Thomas Ingenlath said in the statement that the S90's design aims to "exude leadership and confidence" and to bring something new to a "rather conservative segment."

Production of the S90 will being in spring 2016, a Volvo spokesman said. The company will start taking orders for the car in select markets shortly after its Detroit debut. The spokesman declined to name the markets.

U.S., China sales

The majority of the S90's sales -- an estimated 80 percent -- will be new customers largely because the S80 was not a big seller, Volvo head of sales and marketing Bjorn Annwall told Automotive News Europe on the sidelines of the event.

When asked where the sedan will sell most units, Annwall said, "Clearly we expect the U.S and China to be the biggest markets for the car."

Volvo has run clinics in both countries to get consumer feedback. Annwall said car buyers in both markets appreciated the S90’s fit and finish while U.S. customers really liked that the car can nearly drive itself on the highway.

The S90 is the second model to be based on Volvo’s in-house developed Scalable Product Architecture. The first was the XC90, which last month helped Volvo achieve global sales of 49,055 vehicles, the highest monthly total in the automaker’s 88-year history.

IHS Automotive forecasts that Volvo will build 29,001 S90s next year and expects global output for the sedan to grow to 65,357 by 2020.

Volvo has undergone a resurgence since China's Zhejiang Geely Holding Group bought the brand from Ford Motor in 2010 in $1.8 billion deal.

The automaker had its best sales month ever in November with volume up 26 percent. Sales through November increased 5.3 percent to 441,002 and the company expects its full-year volume to approach 500,000, which would be an all-time high. Volvo aims to further boost global sales to 800,000 vehicles by 2020.
Source: http://www.autonews.com

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2016 BMW 3 Series Fails to Earn IIHS Top Safety Pick+ Award

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently tested the refreshed 2016 BMW 3 Series and was unable to award the sedan its coveted Top Safety Pick (TSP) or Top Safety Pick+ (TSP+) awards. One requirement for TSP and TSP+ consideration is an “Acceptable” or “Good” rating in the small overlap front test. The 2016 3 Series, however, earned a “Marginal” rating in that test.

The small overlap test simulates a direct, 40-mph crash at the vehicle’s front corner. According to the IIHS, the 2016 BMW 3 Series poorly maintained its structure surrounding the driver, especially at the lower portions near the legs. The institute claims the severity of the intrusion required the brake pedal to be cut off in order to free the crash dummy’s right foot.

Otherwise, the 3 Series did a relatively good job at protecting the crash dummy’s torso and head, earning high marks in those areas. The sedan’s front crash prevention also performed well.

The institute says the 2016 BMW 3 Series features suspension revisions to better control wheel movement and cabin intrusion during small overlap front crashes. BMW says it revised the front suspension’s geometry, while the front struts now feature upper anchor points with five bolts, up from three bolts in the previous version.

Midsize luxury cars with TSP+ ratings include the Infiniti Q50, Lexus ES 350, and the Volvo S60. Many of the 3 Series’ main competitors, including the Lexus IS, Cadillac ATS, and Mercedes-Benz C-Class, still need to go through the institute’s small overlap front test.

Source: IIHS, BMW

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Check For iPad Pro What's New

Apple introduced its new flagship 12.9-inch iPad Pro at its fall media event on September 9. As Apple's largest mobile device, the iPad Pro offers 78 percent more screen real estate than the 9.7-inch iPad Air 2, Apple's previous flagship tablet, which it also takes design cues from.

The iPad Pro measures in at 6.9mm thick and it weighs 1.57 pounds, which is just a half-pound heavier than the iPad Air 2. It is available in Gold, Silver, and Space Gray, like the rest of the iPad lineup.

Externally, the iPad Pro looks like a giant iPad Air 2, but its internal hardware puts it on par with desktop-class machines. With its light weight and its enormous touchscreen, the iPad Pro is a unique device that combines a new class of applications with touch-based input methods and portability.

On stage, Apple CEO Tim Cook described the iPad Pro as the "most capable and powerful" iPad Apple had designed yet, replete with advanced technologies and innovations. The iPad Pro is powered by a 64-bit A9X chip with a built-in M9 motion co-processor. Compared to the A8X in the iPad Air 2, the iPad Pro is 1.8 times faster at CPU tasks and twice as fast at GPU tasks.

The iPad Pro's display has a resolution of 2732 x 2048 at 226 pixels per inch, for a total of 5.6 million pixels, more than any other iOS device. To drive all of those pixels, the iPad Pro uses technology from the 5K Retina iMac, plus display elements designed to give it the best possible contrast ratio, uniform color, and brightness.

For the first time in an Apple display, it uses a variable refresh rate to preserve power when static images are on the screen. The iPad Pro has "all day" 10-hour battery life despite its massive screen.
Source: http://www.macrumors.com/roundup/ipad-pro/

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What To Know Before Buying iPhone 6s

Apple announced its ninth-generation i Phones, the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus, at a media event in San Francisco, California on September 9, 2015. The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus can be summed up beautifully with a single quote from Apple CEO Tim Cook: "While they may look familiar, we have changed everything about these new iPhones."

Available with the same 4.7 and 5.5-inch Retina displays, the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus have the same exterior design as the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, but much of the hardware inside, from the camera to the processor, is new and improved. Core technologies like the touchscreen and the vibration engine have been updated, and the new devices are even constructed from an entirely new material.

The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus are made from a 7000 Series aluminum alloy, which is stronger and more durable than the 6000 series used in the previous-generation iPhones. Apple's also updated the devices with stronger glass, made using a dual ion exchange process. One of the biggest changes is the introduction of a new aluminum finish in Rose Gold, which accompanies the traditional Silver, Space Gray, and Gold color options.

A new second-generation Touch ID module makes fingerprint detection twice as fast, and the 64-bit A9 processor in the two devices is 70 percent faster at CPU tasks and 90 percent faster at GPU tasks than the A8 processor in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. A built-in M9 motion co-processor enables new features, such as always-on "Hey Siri" functionality.

With the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, Multi-Touch has been expanded to encompass a third dimension through a 3D Touch feature, and Apple is calling this "the future of Multi-Touch." In addition to recognizing a tap, sensors in the i Phones can also recognize pressure, enabling a range of new shortcut gestures that Apple's calling the "Peek" and "Pop." A new Taptic Engine provides tactile feedback whenever the pressure-based gestures are used.

Most of Apple's "S" year upgrades include camera improvements, and the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus are no exception. Both devices have a 12-megapixel camera with some internal improvements to preserve color accuracy and speed up auto focus. The iPhone 6s Plus has Optical Image Stabilization, while the iPhone 6s does not.

With the improved camera, 4K video at 30 FPS is supported, and the iPhones can capture 63 megapixel panoramas. There's a 5-megapixel front-facing Face Time camera with a True Tone Retina Flash feature that lights up the display of the iPhone just before a photo is captured.

The most novel camera-based feature available for the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus is Live Photos, a feature that captures 1.5 seconds of movement before and after a photo is taken to display short animations and sound when a 3D Touch gesture is used on an image. Live Photos is designed to add a sense of vitality and life to still photos.
Source: http://www.macrumors.com/roundup/iphone-6s/

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