CARtoday.com brings you details of three sport saloons that are raising pulse rates at the Paris Motor Show… Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG, Volvo S60 R and Audi S4.
CARtoday.com brings you details of three sport saloons that are raising pulse rates at the current Paris Motor Show… Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG, Volvo S60R and Audi S4.
Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG
DaimlerChrysler is billing the E55 AMG, which made its debut in Paris recently, "the world’s fastest four-door production car”.
The E-Class flagship receives a detuned version of the supercharged 5,5-litre V8 engine first unveiled in the SL55 AMG. The three-valve-per-cylinder engine develops 355 kW at 6 100 r/min and 686 N.m torque at 2 650 r/min – up by 91 kW and 165 N.m over its predecessor’s engine, Mercedes-Benz claims.
The manufacturer further claims that the E55 will accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in 4,7 seconds. The Stuttgart projectile’s top speed is limited to 250 km/h.
The E55’s suspension and brakes have been upgraded to handle the extra power. Styling changes include a new front bumper with a deeper spoiler, chunkier side sills, new rear bumper and four chromed oval tailpipes.
AMG’s new 18-inch double-spoke alloy wheels are standard.
Volvo S60 R
Volvo will shortly introduce a version of its S60 sedan meant to compete with performance icons like the BMW M3, Mercedes C32 and Audi S4. The new 224 kW Volvo S60 R is equipped with Servotronic steering, uprated Brembo brakes, Haldex all-wheel drive and a high-speed adaptive suspension.
The S60 R is powered by a 2,5-litre turbocharged five-cylinder engine that reportedly develops 224 kW at 6 000 r/min and 400 N.m torque at 2 100 r/min.
Volvo claims the S60 R will sprint from standstill to 100 km/h in less than 5,5 seconds and hints the car could even get into the high fours. Top speed is electronically limited to 250 km/h.
The Four-C suspension (Continuously Controlled Chassis Concept) uses seven electronic sensors to discern what the balance of the car at speed and adjusts damping in four millisecond intervals, Volvo engineers say. The Four-C system has three settings: comfort, sport (default) and advanced sport.
Furthermore, the Haldex all-wheel-drive system adjusts torque distribution front and rear for maximum performance depending on driving conditions.
The S60 R will go into production in December.
Audi S4
Audi AG unveiled the V8-engined flagship of the A4 range, the S4, in Paris last week. The S4, which will be available in saloon and Avant guise, features understated styling and subtle badging.
The S4 is differentiated from its A4 siblings only by the sportier stance, the fully painted bumper with large air ducts, xenon headlights with contrasting titanium-coloured inner housing and polished aluminium door mirrors.
But there is nothing understated about the performance of S4’s 4,2-litre powerplant. The engine develops 253 kW at 7 000 r/min and 410 N.m torque.
The power-to-weight ratio of the new generation S4 has been improved considerably compared with its predecessor, Audi claims. This characteristic has reportedly been “improved from 5.9 to only 4.8 kilograms per horsepower”. Equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox, the S4 is claimed to sprint from zero to 100 km/h in 5,6 seconds and zero to 200 km/h in 20.6 seconds.
The new S4 further features quattro permanent all-wheel drive. The car will become available in right-hand drive (RHD) for the UK next April. There is no indication yet whether it will be coming to South Africa. A decision is expected in the New Year, Audi South Africa spokesman Johan Wagner said recently.