Redline
BMW i3 now a better sport BMW has revealed a sporty addition to its i3 electric car range, with a more driver-focused i3s variant set to join the local line-up as part of a wider mid-life update. Boasting a power boost of 10kW/20Nm over the standard i3 for total outputs of 135kW/270Nm, the i3s shares the
same battery tech as its existing siblings, with the extra grunt liberated through a redesigned and optimised drivetrain and motor controller. Sports suspension, a 40mm wider track, wider 20-inch wheels and tyres, and exterior styling tweaks also feature.
OCTOBER 2017
RS reimagined Renault reveals a twist to the hot Megane plot IS THIS a case of tearing up the formula for what was one of the world’s best affordable driver’s cars? To fans of the outgoing Megane RS hot hatch, its replacement is virtually unrecognisable. The Megane family dropped the three-door bodystyle when the new-generation model launched last year, and the top-tier RS will now be strictly a five-door proposition – though with fatter guards measuring 60mm wider at the front and 45mm wider at the rear, it’ll stand apart from gardenvariety Meganes. Other paradigm shifts include the availability of a six-speed dualclutch automatic transmission
for the first time, as well as a manual, while Renault’s 4Control four-wheel steering hardware, introduced on the Megane GT in 2016, also slips onto the Renault Sport’s spec sheet. Hydraulic bump stops are said to aid on chassis tr m e friendly S a As for from an t turbo 1.8 that’ll be e 110, with g at 6000rp at a stou e between 0 and 5000
Those figures put the Megane RS 22kW and 10Nm behind that other hyper front-driver, the Honda Civic Type R. However, one crucial number is yet to be announced – the Megane RS’s kerb weight. If it can undercut the Honda’s 1393kg e n h R e of e b
four-wheel steering will confer an agility advantage over other hot hatches like the Type R, i30 N, and updated Golf GTI. Expect Renault’s new scorcher to drop into Australian showrooms in early 2018. T
LEFT: WE LOVE THE CENTRAL TACHO; HAPPY TO PASS ON THE DCT AND EMBRACE MANUAL LABOUR
Kia’s ‘extended hot hatch’ remix Just when you thought every possible bodystyle had already been invented, Kia delivered this concept at the Frankfurt motor show, describing it as an “extended hot hatch”. The concept sports distinctly Stinger-esque proportions, with swollen wheelarches and a forwardset front axle that hints at a reardrive (or at the very least, AWD) layout and athletic aspirations.
22 wheelsmag.com.au
However, those traits will likely disappear in the journey to the production line. “Reworked and reimagined for a new generation of driver, it puts forward a bold vision for a potential member of the Cee’d family”, said Kia’s press guff, referencing Kia’s Euro-market hatchback that was briefly sold here between 2013 and 2015 as the Pro_Cee’d GT warm hatch.