Audi E-Tron FE05

Audi has unveiled their newly-developed e-tron FE05 Formula E racer, scheduled to end up with Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler as well British squad Virgin Racing for the upcoming 2018-2019 Formula E season. This season is the most innovative one yet, as for the first time since the series was launched in 2014, drivers will only use one car per race thanks to batteries that can now last the entire 45-minute race distance. Thus, the mandatory car change has been eliminated. This new-generation e-tron FE05 racer comes without a rear wing, where downforce is generated by a large diffuser at the rear. In this new season, teams are permitted to run 250 kW (340 HP) motors in qualifying, while race output is capped at 200 kW (272 HP). Also new are the so-called activation zones where drivers can temporarily access a higher power mode, worth 225 kW (306 HP). Meanwhile, fans will still be able to support their favorite driver by casting their vote online via 鈥淔anBoost鈥? giving drivers a temporary power boost worth up to 250 kW (340 HP), same as in qualifying. In a straight line, the e-tron FE05 can accelerate from zero to 100 km/h in 3.1 seconds and max out at around 240 km/h. Round one of the 2018-2019 Formula E season kicks off on December 15th in Saudi Arabia.

The AMG C 63 Coupe鈥檚 pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The 911 doesn鈥檛 offer pre-crash pretensioners. Using vehicle speed sensors, smart airbags in the AMG C 63 Coupe deploy with different levels of force or don鈥檛 deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The AMG C 63 Coupe鈥檚 side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The 911鈥檚 airbags don鈥檛 have smart features and will always deploy full force. The AMG C 63 Coupe鈥檚 optional lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. The 911 doesn鈥檛 offer a lane departure warning system. The AMG C 63 Coupe offers an optional Surround View System to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The 911 only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn鈥檛 help with obstacles to the sides. To help make backing safer, the AMG C 63 Coupe鈥檚 cross-path warning system uses wide-angle radar in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The 911 doesn鈥檛 offer a cross-path warning system. The AMG C 63 Coupe鈥檚 driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The 911 doesn鈥檛 offer a driver alert monitor. The Mercedes AMG C 63 Coupe weighs 427 to 1018 pounds more than the Porsche 911. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

Audi's evergreen S models are a varied bunch. Bookended by the athletic S3 and muscular V8-powered SQ7 TDI, the firm鈥檚 sporty S cars come in all shapes and sizes. Yet despite the industry turning its back on diesel, Audi thinks the fuel still play a part in, of all places, the performance car market. As such, its latest S6 and S7 models have ditched their high-revving petrol engines in favour of an electrically assisted six-cylinder TDI. It鈥檚 a compelling proposition, and one that will surely still appeal to plenty of European buyers. The stats make for interesting reading: 344bhp, 700Nm of torque, quattro all-wheel drive and a 600-mile real world range. In S6 Avant guise, you also benefit from the standard car鈥檚 generous 565-litre boot. The S6 TDI uses a lightly modified version of the brand鈥檚 familiar V6 diesel engine, mated to a 48-volt mild-hybrid system and electric compressor. It鈥檚 a very similar set-up to the one used in the SQ7, albeit with two fewer cylinders and lower maximum power output.

While it might lack the old model鈥檚 V8 soundtrack, Audi has installed a sound generator to assure you and your passengers that this isn鈥檛 one of the firm鈥檚 humdrum S line models. It feels wholly un-natural however - we quickly switched it off using the car鈥檚 complex drive mode menus. By effectively eliminating turbo lag, the S6 picks up instantly; plant your right foot and the Avant surges forward, building speed like Usain Bolt on a 200m World Record run. It never thumps you in the back like the old petrol engine did, but there鈥檚 no arguing that the way this car accelerates (0-62mph takes 5.1 seconds) could leave many a modern hot hatch for dead. But the set-up is only as good as the gearbox that feeds it, meaning it can feel a little lethargic at times. Pulling away from rolling junctions or slow corners in third can catch the car out - in manual mode it won鈥檛 kick down either, leaving you frantically scrabbling for the left paddle, desperately searching for a lower gear.

It鈥檚 a shame, really, because our car鈥檚 four-wheel steering set-up makes the S6 incredibly agile - much more so than S cars of old. It鈥檚 an intuitive, progressive and natural-feeling system, as it should be, and allows the car to take a much tighter line than you might expect for an estate measuring almost five metres long. Yet this car is arguably better suited to faster flowing roads and German autobahns. Here, the S6 excels; few cars are quite as capable at effortlessly swallowing three-figure distances in such impeccable refinement. Our test model featured the optional double-glazed front side windows, though in our experience that could be considered a little excessive. Our long-term A6 Avant 40 TDI was a supremely quiet cruiser, and we expect the S6 to be no different. Of course, the cabin comes trimmed some of the finest materials. Up front there鈥檚 a set of supportive, electrically operated heated seats wrapped in Valcona leather upholstery - and quality doesn鈥檛 suffer for those in the back, either. The standard kit list is worthy of the Avant鈥檚 estimated 拢62,000 list price, boasting everything from four-zone climate control and keyless go, to Audi鈥檚 dual-screen MMI Navigation Plus infotainment system. The 20-inch wheels give it presence, sure, but remove the badges and you鈥檇 be hard-pressed to pull this car apart from its standard S line or Black Edition siblings. Some might lament the S6鈥檚 delicate design, but to others its stealth styling will only add to its under-the-radar appeal.