The hot Mercedes-AMG version of the recently launched GLB compact SUV will be revealed at this year’s Frankfurt motor show. The GLB 45 4Matic, to which Mercedes’ high-performance arm is currently putting the finishing touches, is due to go on sale early next year to rival the Audi RS Q3. It has previously been spied undergoing development work. The AMG division has kicked off testing of the GLB 45 on public roads some 12 months before its planned showroom debut. The GLB 45 is differentiated from standard versions by its reduced ride height, larger brake discs, multi-pot calipers and four tailpipes, as opposed to the twin-exit arrangement of the less powerful GLB 35 4Matic prototypes we’ve seen previously. The GLB 45 is among a number of new Mercedes-AMG models set to run a newly developed four-cylinder engine based on Mercedes’ turbocharged 2.0-litre ‘M260’ unit. Also due to appear in the A45 4Matic, CLA 45, CLA 45 Shooting Brake and GLA 45, the new powerplant is claimed to develop 382bhp in standard guise and 416bhp in a higher state of tune. In the GLB 45, the new engine will be mated to an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and a new four-wheel drive system developed in a partnership between AMG and Austrian engineering specialist Magna Powertrain. It uses electrohydraulic actuation instead of the electromechanical operation of the four-wheel drive system by transverse engine models built by AMG up to now. Among the developments incorporated on the new four-wheel drive system is a rear differential featuring two separate clutches. They allow it to apportion up to 100% of power to each of the individual rear wheels in a so-called drift mode that AMG sources have revealed to Autocar will feature on all upcoming 45-badged models. The GLB 45 is set to crown the upcoming GLB line-up when it goes on sale in 2020. It will be positioned above the GLB 35, which runs a milder 302bhp turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and is set to form part of the initial GLB line-up that’s planned to be launched in early June. The GLB is the eighth member of Mercedes’ compact car line-up. In standard guise, it offers the choice of either five or seven
Origin: 400bhp+ Mercedes-AMG GLB 45 SUV set for Frankfurt reveal
400bhp+
New 400bhp Audi RS Q3 Sportback hits the road in new shots
Audi’s seventh SUV range addition – the new Q3 Sportback – is due to be revealed late tonight, and our spy photographers have caught the hot RS variant testing. The Range Rover Evoque and BMW X2 rival will be revealed to the world in the first images and details ahead of an expected Frankfurt motor show public debut in September. We’ve seen the standard variants in disguise several times, but the RS Q3 Sportback has now been captured with less camo. Identifiable by its dual oval sports exhaust tips, Audi Sport logos on the brakes, and the air intake, grille and wheel styling, the RS Q3 Sportback is expected to use an all-new 2.5-litre five-cylinder petrol engine that produces up to 400bhp. As with the previous spy pictures, the new shots show the style-focused, coupé-SUV design of the new machine, which is based on the latest-generation Q3. The front-end design shares much with the recently launched Q3, but it has a distinctly lower roofline and a sloping rear windscreen that meets a squarer tailgate. Audi exterior design boss Andreas Mindt previously said the Q3 Sportback was “a bit more than a coupé version of the Q3; to my eyes, a lot more”. He confirmed the designers had finished the styling last year, and that it had one feature in particular to really set it apart from other Audis. The German firm previously confirmed the Q3 Sportback would be produced in 2019 at its plant in Győr, Hungary. It will be part of a growing line-up of style-led SUVs, spearheaded by the electric E-tron and range-topping Q8. The Q3 Sportback will sit on the same MQB underpinnings as the second-generation Q3. It is scheduled to arrive in showrooms towards the end of 2019 at a base price of around £28,000. With the Q3 having grown in size in order to provide space in the range for the Q2, the Sportback looks set to be larger than its closest rivals. Audi insiders have revealed to Autocar that it will be at least 4500mm long – slightly longer than the Q3. Plans for the Q3 Sportback were originally revealed by Audi in the form of the TT Offroad concept, which first appeared at the 2014 Beijing motor show. Inside, the Q3 Sportback is set to benefit from a range of developments already under way at Audi and parent company Volkswagen for inclusion in the next generation of MQB-based models. These include full-HD instrument displays, gesture control functions, a 9.2in touchscreen, wireless smartphone charging and the latest connectivity features. Among the engines earmarked for the Q3 Sportback is a new generation of 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol and diesel units and updated versions of today’s 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines. The new line-up will also feature a petrol-electric plug-in hybrid Sportback E-tron model with an electric-only range of up to 31 miles, as prescribed by China’s green vehicle
Origin: New 400bhp Audi RS Q3 Sportback hits the road in new shots
400bhp+ Mercedes-AMG GLB 45 SUV begins testing
Mercedes-Benz’s AMG division has kicked off testing of the new GLB 45 4Matic on public roads some 12 months before its planned showroom debut. The new Audi RS Q3 rival is differentiated from standard versions of the upcoming GLB by its reduced ride height, larger brake discs, multi-pot callipers and four tail-pipes at the rear, as opposed to the twin-exit arrangement of GLB 35 4Matic prototypes we’ve seen previously. The GLB 45 is among a number of new Mercedes-AMG models set to run a newly developed four-cylinder engine based on Mercedes-Benz’s turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder ‘M260’ unit. Also planned to appear in the A45 4Matic, CLA 45, CLA 45 Shooting Brake and GLA 45, the new powerplant is claimed to develop 383bhp in standard guise and 416bhp in a higher state of tune. In the GLB 45, the new engine will be mated to an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and a new four-wheel drive system developed in a partnership between AMG and Austrian engineering specialist Magna Powertrain. It uses electrohydraulic actuation instead of the electromechanical operation of the four-wheel drive system by transverse engine models built by AMG up to now. Among the developments incorporated on the new four-wheel drive system is a rear differential featuring two separate clutches. They allow it to apportion up to 100% of power to each of the individual rear wheels in a so-called drift mode that AMG sources have revealed to Autocar will feature on all upcoming 45-badged models. The GLB 45 is set to crown the upcoming GLB line-up when it goes on sale in 2020. It will be positioned above the GLB 35, which runs a milder 302bhp turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and is set to form part of the initial GLB line-up that’s planned to be in early June. The GLB will become the eighth member of Mercedes-Benz’s compact car line-up. Previewed at last month’s Shanghai motor show by the Concept GLB, it measures 4634mm in length, making it just 18mm shorter than the recently facelifted GLC. In standard guise, it will offer the choice of either five or seven
Origin: 400bhp+ Mercedes-AMG GLB 45 SUV begins testing
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