mid-life – All about car

Audi has given the Q7 a major makeover with new styling and upgraded kit to bring it in line with the rest of its SUV range – with every engine featuring electrified technology. The five or seven-seat SUV will go on sale in September with a choice of two 3.0-litre diesel engines, producing 228bhp and 282bhp respectively, and a 335bhp 3.0-litre petrol engine. All three units are mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox and a 48V mild-hybrid electrical system, which allows coasting for up to 40 seconds with the engine switched off. Those will be followed soon after by a plug-in hybrid petrol version – technical details of which are yet to be disclosed – and the hot SQ7, which features the same 429bhp 664lb ft 4.0-litre twin-turbo mild-hybrid TDI engine used in the new SQ8. The revamped Q7 features an updated design to bring it in line with Audi’s other SUV range, including a new-look grille and new standard LED headlights. The rear features a new chrome strip that runs between the rear lights. While it sits on the same platform as before, the new Q7 is 11mm longer at 5063mm, although its wheelbase of 2994mm remains unchanged. Audi has put a major focus into the car’s interior to match the rest of the range, including the latest version of Audi’s twin touchscreen MMI infotainment system, featuring a main screen of up to 10.1in. Audi’s Virtual Cockpit system is standard, with an optional head-up display available. In five-door form the Q7 has 865 litres of boot space, rising to 2050 litres with the seats folded. The new Q7 is available with optional electromechanical active roll stabilisation and all-wheel steering to boost handling, along with standard steel spring or optional air suspension. The SQ7 version has gained unique design touches including a revamped grille and chrome exhaust pipes, along with 20in wheels and upgraded brakes measuring 400mm at the front and 370mm at the rear. Carbon fibre-ceramic brake discs are available as an option. The revamped Q7 is due on sale in the UK in October, priced at around
Origin: Audi Q7 SUV mid-life update brings new engines and styling

Major anniversaries and milestones in the automotive world are celebrated in any number of ways. You can market Champagne like Bugatti did, or turn an old race car into vinyl records like Porsche, or you can do what most automakers do when the occasion is grand enough and release a special edition. And in the BMW family, one of the members is celebrating a relatively significant birthday this year: The M5 is turning 35. To honour the beginning of what would become an iconic car for the brand, BMW has christened a dark and dashing special edition: the M5 Edition 35 Years. The anniversary car is based on the M5 Competition, with the same 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 engine making 617 horsepower and 553 lb.-ft. of torque. That grants it the same sprint time of zero-to-100 km/h in 3.3 seconds; and top speed of 200 km/h, which it hits after 10.8 seconds. But BMW Motorsport GmbH got BMW Individual to make sure people would be able to tell that this was no ordinary extraordinary M5 Competition saloon. Well, some people. The Edition model comes in a special matte finish called Frozen Dark Grey, with grey 20-inch alloy wheels and brake calipers in gold or high-gloss black. The interior gets black leather seats with contrast beige stitching; select surfaces finished in a shimmering “aluminum carbon structure gold anodized,” and door sills and a centre console engraving that reads “M5 Edition 35 Jahre,” or “35 Years.” We’re just going to say it: middle age looks good on the M5. The production run will total just 350 examples, with 35 allocated for the United States. BMW Canada says it’s still working out its distribution strategy on this side of the border, but that it’s likely we’ll get at least a few. We’d put our money on 3.5
Origin: BMW welcomes the M5 into mid-life with the M5 Edition 35 Years