NICE, France McLaren calls this car their GT. Gran Turismo in official parlance. Gentlemans tourer in colloquial English. Pace with grace in specific intent.But one never does escape genealogy, does one, carbon fibre tubs as telling in sports cars as DNA is in humans. And McLaren is a Formula One-cum-supercar company so, despite having 570 litres of cargo capacity a fact much boasted about by the companys public relations staff, by the way this GT is still, at heart, a supercar.That means that, despite having carved out enough space for a small golf bag, the GTs turbocharged engine is still behind the driver, its chassis is still a carbon fibre MonoCell and its oh-so-powerful brakes are still ginormous carbon ceramic discs fitted with massive six-pot calipers.In other words, its a McLaren. That means a screaming, twice-turbocharged V8. Oh, it is subdued in its Comfort mode, Paul Chadderton, McLarens global product communications spokesperson again taking great pains to point out the GTs adjustable exhaust system that allows, he says or, more accurately, implies the GT to do a fair impression of a Camry. I dont be thinking so! Oh, the 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 pumps may be down a couple of ponies on the 720S but it is still a raucous, all-hands-on-deck supercar. One hundred kilometres an hour flashes by in an incredibly rapid 3.2 seconds, 200 klicks in just 5.8 seconds more and, were my attitude towards French jurisprudence just a little more cavalier, I could have floored the GT to the dark side of 325 km/h. Its a McLaren, for gosh sakes, and just because the turbocharging has been turned down a tick (partially compensated for by having the compression ratio raised to 9.4:1), its 612 horsepower and 465 pound-feet of torque only have to power but 1,538 kilograms. Chaddertons admonishments notwithstanding, the GT is just plain super, just the thing when the first hole is still some 20 klicks away and your tee time is in ten minutes.And dont worry that youre not going to make it because the road is snaky. Again, though this be the touring McLaren, it rides on an all-but-identical MonoCell II carbon-fibre tub that supports the entire Sport Series of McLaren road rockets. As for the changes that render it all but identical, the T (for Touring) version of the Monocell II simply gains a little rear upper superstructure that houses the new rear cargo area that separates the GT from, well, the rest of Wokings lineup. For all intents and purposes, the GT is simply a slightly-softened Sport Series McLaren (which nobody is decrying as anything less than super). Torsional rigidity is identical, the centre of gravity is just a tad higher and, because the engine is in exactly the same place, mass distribution remains very well centralized.That means, from the vantage of the super twisty mountain roads above Nice, that the GT is still either a pretty darn super car or has learned to tour very rapidly indeed. Chadderton says that the suspension still a cross-linked Proactive Chassis Control system has been softened. And perhaps in the Proactive Damping Control systems Comfort mode there is a greater degree of civility to the ride. But, toggled into Sport or Track mode and crushing the optional carbon ceramic discs going into yet another hairpin, it is preciously difficult to see where touring ends and super begins. Roll is all but absent, the hydraulic steering precise and the front 225/30ZR20 Pirelli PZeros grip French macadam like a Trump handshake on, well, a French president. In other words, its a McLaren supercar. What is different is that the GT boasts some 420 L of cargo space in the rear trunk (the rest, amounting to the aforementioned 570 L total, is in the de-rigueur-for-a-supercar small front cubbyhole). For some context here, both the 570 L total and even just the rear 420 L capacity is more than a Mercedes S-Class Coupe (400 L) or C-Class sedan (357 L). Thats enough for one bespoke-for-the-GT golf bag and a couple of roll-ons. Theres also a neat little net thingie so your laptop doesnt get heaved into the windows when youre pulling 1.0 g through French hairpins. McLaren even cools the cargo space it is sitting right above a very hot exhaust system, after all with ducting and heat reflection material so that your Titleists dont get spongy.That said, all this practically seems a little exaggerated. Said large trunk space again, 420L in a car with its engine aft of the seats is extremely oddly shaped and its storage capacity not nearly as commodious as the numbers might indicate. Indeed, despite the GTs trunk being technically larger than the aforementioned S-Class Coupe, theres no way in H-E-double-hockey-sticks that you can pack as much stuff back there.while McLaren has
Origin: The McLaren GT is all about the trunk
trunk
Three family-oriented sedans with cash in the trunk
On the last three Fridays of every month, Graeme Fletcher combines manufacturers’ incentives from Unhaggle.com with resale value, dependability and overall ratings to find you the best deal for your money in new cars. This week, we look a trio of affordable sedans. The hot deals are on the 2019 Hyundai Elantra Luxury, Kia Forte EX Premium and Volkswagen Jetta Highline.2019 Hyundai Elantra Luxury 2019 Hyundai Elantra Handout / Hyundai Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price: $24,099 Hyundai Canada Incentive*: $3,000Unhaggle Savings: $250 Total Savings: $3,250 Mandatory Fees (Freight, Govt. Fees): $1,845Total Before Tax: $22,694The sixth-generation Hyundai Elantra gets a refresh for 2019. Along with sharper styling comes more standard equipment. The cabin has decent materials, leather seating, a lot of amenities and a straightforward layout with the buttons and controls being logically placed. The seven-inch infotainment touchscreen works with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and displays the back-up camera with its dynamic parking guide.The rear seat has room for a pair of adults, although those pushing six feet will find headroom at a premium. Out back is a nicely squared-off trunk with 407 litres of cargo space.The Elantra Luxury arrives with forward collision warning with auto-braking; blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert; and lane-departure warning with keep assist as standard equipment.Elantra arrives with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine that makes 147 horsepower and 132 foot-pounds of torque. It drives the front wheels through a six-speed automatic transmission. The engine is civilized and works well with the automatic. Interestingly, the 2020 Elantra, which is on dealer lots now, replaces the automatic transmission with the intelligent variable transmission (IVT) found in the Kia Forte.The Luxurys powertrain combination delivers a run to 100 kilometres an hour of 10.4 seconds and a posted average fuel economy of 7.4 litres per 100 kilometres.The Elantra has a smooth highway ride and it is comfortable about town as long as the road is reasonably smooththe rear suspension tends to protest a little if the road deteriorates mid-corner. The steering is pleasantly light at parking lot speeds and firms up nicely on the highway. For those that want a little performance, Sport mode not only ups the responsiveness of the engine and transmission, it puts some extra weight in the steering.The Hyundai Elantra Luxury arrives with a combined Unhaggle discount of $3,250 and a pre-tax sticker of $22,694.2019 Kia Forte 2.0 EX Premium IVT 2019 Kia Forte Handout / Kia Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price: $25,065Kia Canada Incentive*: $3,000Unhaggle Savings: $250Total Savings: $3,250Mandatory Fees (Freight, Govt. Fees): $1,825Total Before Tax: $23,640The 2019 Kia Forte sedan has been fully reworked for 2019 and now features Stinger-influenced styling and a lot of new features. The cabin is classy and logical in its layouteverything above the steering wheels central cross-bar is about information; below is all about the control side. The format puts everything in the right place. The touch-sensitive eight-inch infotainment system follows this logical lead and it works with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.The rear seat is, for the compact class, generous in its accommodations. Theres good headroom and surprising legroom. Behind is a 434-litre trunk. The deck lid automatically pops open when the smart key is detected.The Kia Forte EX Premium arrives with advanced forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, lane-departure warning with keep assist and a driver attention warning systemif it picks up on a drowsy/inattentive driver, it suggests they take a break.The Forte shares its engine with the Hyundai Elantra. The 2.0-litre four pushes 147 hp and 132-lb.-ft. for torque through the front wheels and an intelligent variable transmission. The latter differs from most continuously variable transmissions in that it uses pre-set ratios under both moderate and hard acceleration, which dispenses with the usual droning racket. Whenever possible, however, it adopts fully variable ratios to improve fuel economy.The combination delivers a run to 100 km/h of 9.8 seconds and a posted average fuel economy of 6.9 L/100 km.The Forte holds a flat attitude through a corner and feels stable at highway speeds. It is also one of the quieter rides in the segment. As with Elantra, mid-corner bumps unsettle the rear suspension. The steering is nicely weighted across the operating range. If needed, Sport mode adds yet more weight and a sportier driving feel.The Kia Forte EX Premium has a sticker price of $23,640 after the combined Unhaggle discount of $3,250 is applied.2019 Volkswagen Jetta 1.4 TSI Highline 8 Tiptronic 2019 Volkswagen Jetta Derek McNaughton / Driving Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price: $25,495Volkswagen Canada Incentive*: $1,500Unhaggle Savings:
Origin: Three family-oriented sedans with cash in the trunk
Man found in trunk of car heading to auction
A close-up of a classic Buick at an auction.Getty Images Police say a man was found in the trunk of a car that arrived to be sold at a Pennsylvania auto auction. Northern Lancaster County Regional Police Chief David Steffen said the man is being treated at a hospital and is expected to be released. He isn’t identifying the man or the nature of the treatment or his injuries. Workers who were inspecting the vehicle found the man Thursday at the massive Manheim Auto Auction facility, about 130 kilometres west of Philadelphia. Steffen said that “somehow this guy got in the trunk of this car.” His agency is investigating. A woman answering phones at the auction business referred questions to
Origin: Man found in trunk of car heading to auction
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