All New KIA

Have you ever thought about the BMW M3 E30 and concluded that the car would have been much more impressive with a six-cylinder engine? A pointed, balanced and refined engine like the S50 of the BMW M3 E36, which developed 321 atmospheric CV. If so, you are not alone. And someone has carried out your wettest dreams, transforming a BMW M3 E30 into one of the most interesting hybrids of recent times. A hybrid that has recently been sold in the United States for a whopping $55,000. as you hear it

It is a very high price for a modified BMW M3 E30 and it is also an affront to the most purists of BMW. A price that reflects how careful its mechanical transformation has been, the aesthetic taste with which it has been executed and the enormous dynamism that the German youngtimer has gained. Let’s start with the most important: its 195bhp 2.3-litre S14 has been replaced by the brilliant 321bhp 3.2-litre S50 of a BMW M3 E36, associated with its six-speed manual gearbox, transmitting all its power to the rear axle.

The BMW M3 E30 of your screens was recently sold in Bring A Trailer for $55,000.

Pay attention to the paint on its valve cover, identical to the one that covers the body of the car. The exhaust manifold has a ceramic coating and the radiator is a Fluidyne with greater cooling capacity. The undercarriage was modified with first level components, such as Brembo brakes, Bilstein shock absorbers with H&R springs, a Supersprint exhaust or 17-inch Forgestar wheels, shod with Hankook Ventus V12 EVO sports tires. Both the stabilizers and the suspension arms, including the turret bars, are elements added later.

This car is well built, speaking in Christian. In addition to being well armed, he appears to have been lovingly transformed. Check out the Recaro sport seats with Takata harnesses, or the installation of a roll cage in the space dedicated to the rear seats. Steering wheel, instrumentation and some interior panels have been completely renewed, and now they boast a fantastic appearance. Outwardly, it not only stands out for its yellow paint.

Sacrilege or genius? Would you have done this with a BMW M3 E30?

It has been installed a body kit coming from a BMW M3 Evolution II – some parts are replicas – and both grille and optics have been darkened. Finally, the headlights are now xenon. The car was converted 14,500 kilometers ago, and its original mileage is unknown. However, it is in perfect mechanical condition. In truth, you want to practice sacrilege with an original M3 E30, and transform it into this high-flying M3 “E306”, capable of giving a scare to many high-performance cars, both on the street and on the circuit.

I have to admit that, in the process of preparing this article, I was tempted to choose a headline in which I defined the SUV that we are going to talk about as a true low-cost premium SUV. And I will also admit that I have omitted that headline, because it seemed too daring to talk about a product that is very far from the price range that most buyers who find ourselves in the process of deciding to buy a new car can access.

But if we analyze it carefully, we will see that this car complies to the letter with what one expects from a low-cost product or, rather, from a smart purchase. Mercedes-Benz decided to create an SUV with a very attractive price for its size and, above all, the space it offers. An SUV that is able to accommodate up to 7 passengers and with a 570 liter trunk in 5-seater configuration.

And if we analyze the Mercedes-Benz range, or the alternatives of its rivals, we will discover that to find an SUV of its size and space, the alternatives will be at least €10,000 more expensive.

The Mercedes GLB is an SUV that can accommodate up to 7 passengers, with a 570-liter boot in a 5-seater configuration and a significantly lower price than other high-end SUVs of its size.

A 7-seater SUV and a large trunk from €43,424

The Mercedes GLB is available from €43,424. Being significantly larger and more spacious than a Mercedes GLA that starts from €40,897. Consider that other premium SUVs of its size are significantly more expensive, such as the Mercedes GLC that starts at close to €60,000, and the Audi Q5 and BMW X3 that are close to €55,000.

Depending on the version chosen, the third row of seats – which is optional – has an added cost of between €1,140 and €1,232. It is also important to highlight that This SUV has diesel and gasoline engines between 136 CV and 306 CV. Its biggest handicap being the lack of micro-hybrid engines with which it could have an ECO label. Although it is true, Mercedes has an EQB that is electric and, therefore, has a Zero Emissions label.

Its biggest advantage, a very reasonable price for its size, its biggest drawback, the absence of micro-hybrid or hybrid engines and therefore versions with an ECO label

Premium 7-seater SUV for €379/month, under what conditions?

At the time of writing this article, Mercedes-Benz had an offer with a financing plan for €379/month that is not for the most affordable Mercedes GLB, but for a Mercedes GLB 200 d, diesel, with automatic transmission and 150 HP of power, equipped with AMG Line, Night and Advantage packages and with the third row of seats. With this offer, Mercedes-Benz offers a financing price of €49,628, and €51,892 in cash.

The financing plan of €379 per month is 48 installments (a minimum stay of 24 months), with an entry of €15,444.67, an opening commission of 2.99% (€1,022), TIN 8.85% , APR 10.29% and final fee of €27,105. The total amount owed is €46,319 and the total price paying in installments, including interest and commissions, now amounts to €61,764.

This financing plan is also a multi-option, so that at the end of the credit the customer is offered three possibilities for his third installment: pay it and finally acquire the car, change the vehicle for another Mercedes-Benz, or simply return it. The condition that Mercedes-Benz offers to subscribe to this multi-option financing plan is to drive a maximum of 20,000 kilometers per year.

If we analyze the Existing alternatives in the Mercedes-Benz range, and in that of its rivalswe quickly realize that to find another premium SUV with 7 seats, or with a comparable boot, we will need a much higher budget than we would to buy a GLB:

Much has been said these days about the revival of the legendary Hummer brand by GMC as an electric vehicle, with up to 1,000 CV of power and all the exuberance that it is supposed to have, the same thing that was experienced 28 years ago. in a distant year 1992 in which AM General was almost forced to commercialize the H1, a vehicle for civilian use that was practically the same Humvee seen in Operation Desert Storm. But, What was that first HUMMER turned into a military car with a license plate like?

When you create a need without knowing it

At the end of the 70s it was clear need for the US army to renew its old Jeepwhich even dated from the Second World War (1939 – 1945), carrying out a public contest in which different proposals were presented by companies such as Chrysler Defense either AM General and his HMMWV (High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle) or high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle, better known as humveewhich premiered during the invasion of Panama in 1989, although when it really rose to fame was in the Gulf War a year later, and also thanks to a certain Arnold Schwarzenegger. Thus, this Humvee perfectly responded to all the demands of the US army, and those of other countries, granting great flexibility, since there were over 30 versions (ambulance, troop transport, vehicle with missile launcher, communications, with more or less shielding…).

All of this led to a certain public (those with wealthier portfolios) They demanded a 4×4 with the same aspect that they saw on their televisions launching missiles in the Middle East, since it was a way to stand out from the other SUVs of the time, and AM General took advantage of the opportunity that was presented to them by launching what we know as Hummer H1 for civilian use in 1992. During the 14 years it was for sale, it had various bodies (hard and soft top convertible, pick up and another completely closed one known as “Alpha Wagon”), as well as several engines, all of them consisting of a V8 turbodiesel with a minimum displacement of 5.7 litersThe most common being the 6.5-liter V8 with 205 HP of power and 597 Nm of torque, associated with a 4-speed automatic transmission and with an average consumption between 14 and 20 liters per 100 km.

In general, this 4×4 with a rough external appearance, weighing almost 2.5 tons on the scale and that It stands out more for its enormous width (2.2 meters) than for its length (4.69 meters).proportions that make it look even wider, it sold really well in the last five years of the nineties, coming to be marketed throughout its life more than 11 thousand units, a figure that, on the contrary, is far from the 280,000 for military use. Nevertheless, inside it was full of luxury on all four sideswith high-quality leather upholstery and the most advanced multimedia equipment for the time, although despite its size, it only had four seats!

From there, common sense prevailed with the birth of H2 in 2002a model completely developed for civilian use under the umbrella of General Motors, who bought the Hummer brand from AM General in 1998, arriving in 2006 as a Europeanized version of smaller dimensions, the H3, but maintaining that characteristic image of the brand, and most important of all, its unbeatable skills off the asphalt. However, it did not land exactly at the best moment, since only a couple of years later the famous economic crisis that we all lived through, and which ended up exploding as a result of the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers, left no room for a vehicle that still lacked moderately practical sense, and General Motors was forced to shut down Hummer in 2010.

There was a time not so long ago when car manufacturers knew no limits when it came to designing engines with an ever-increasing displacement and number of cylinders.. We can understand it as the golden age of motorsports knowing how the industry works today, but yes, Mercedes wanted to create an 18-cylinder S-Class, with 8 liters and up to 680 hp to mark distances with all its competition. The basis of that bizarre idea would be the Mercedes S-Class W140one of the most advanced sedans of the moment and origin of the current concept of luxury saloon where the objective is always to serve as a technological showcase.

When the 12 cylinders became a symbol of power and status, Mercedes wanted to go further with 18 cylinders.

The move from the W116 series to the W126 series was not as dazzling as expected, and Mercedes opted more for a deep redesign than for a new generation. For this reason, the Mercedes S-Class of the W140 series, immediate successor to the W126, opted from the outset to be a car loaded with technology and solutions that could overshadow its competition. And at that point, installing a large displacement V12 was a clear symbol of power, but by then Mercedes would no longer be the only one to offer 12 cylinders, BMW and Jaguar were already at that level. In fact, by 1987 BMW would have already experimented with an equally outrageous idea: the V16-powered BMW 767iL.

Thus, starting from a Mercedes S-Class that could be purchased with 6, 8 or 12-cylinder engines, the time had come to look further afield. The idea of ​​creating a new engine was born then, an engine never seen before in a car of the brand, but which would be possible thanks to other engines already available from the manufacturer. Starting from a concept that Volkswagen would later also use in its beloved W engines, Mercedes decided to combine 3 inline 6-cylinder engines to create a W18 engine with 3 independent rows of cylinders at 75.5º angles.this engine would be referred to internally as the M 216. This engine would hit the streets in two variants, a “conventional” 490 hp and 750 Nm and a second option powered up to 680 hp and 800 Nm.

Mercedes’ first W18 engine would have been sold in two flavors: 490 and 680 hp

As an important note, this arrangement of 3 benches is the “original” in the W engines, and in fact the first steps of the Volkswagen Bugatti in this sense were based on this formulaHowever, when evaluating costs, the Volkswagen Group opted for the option of reducing costs by combining VR (narrow angle V) engines to give life to mechanical W12 from two VR6 or W16 from two W8 which, in turn time, they were born from combining four VR4.

The project began to take shape to assess its possibilities, designing the first sketches and manufacturing the first prototypes of the engine to try to receive the green light from the directive. But there was no luck, Mercedes was already working at that time on the V12 that would come to this dayalso counting on the help of the then AMG preparer. And inevitably the first W18-powered Mercedes was ever bornan ambitious and risky project, but not so far-fetched if we take into account the global success of the S-Class W140 and the growth that the range experienced with the arrival of extended wheelbase (V140 SEL) and limousine (Pullman ).

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25 years ago one of the first BMWs was manufactured outside its native country, it was the Z3 produced at the North American plant in Spartanburg, and which responded to the roadster segment by the Munich firm more than 40 years after that mythical 507, designed precisely for the American market and which almost brought the German brand to ruin. However, the Z3 would become a winning hand with almost 300 thousand units manufactured.

Inspired by the 507 of the 50s

The lines of the Z3 were created by designer Joji Nagashima inspired by the 507 of the 50sas can be seen in its very long bonnet, a very short rear and a driving position practically on the rear axle, all wrapped up in contained dimensions of 4,050 mm in length, a formula that years later would be repeated by a muscular car Z4 with the intrinsic stamp of Chris Bangle, its side gills being the most characteristic elements of this first roadster of the modern era.

The Z3 was not characterized by great refinement or excessive luxury, it was only focused on providing the best driving experience, although it is true that it has a slightly more GT character than a Miata. However, at the beginning was heavily criticized for resorting to a rear suspension scheme based on the previous E30 3 Seriesin addition to the poor performance of its four-cylinder engines with powers of 114 and 143 hp.

BMW listened to the criticism and its response was not long in comingin April 1997, just two years after the start of Z3 production, fitted it with the 193PS 2.8-litre six-cylinder (M52B28), as well as coming up with an astonishing Z3 M roadster that used the S50B32 of 3.2 liters and 321 CV of the M3 E36, both versions receiving a specific set-up, even more radical in the M. In 1999 the range of engines would be restructured taking advantage of a small facelift with new optics and a more muscular rear. As an access engine, a 1.9-liter four-cylinder engine with 117 CV would emerge, giving way to six-cylinder versions with 150, 170 and 231 CV, with the 325 CV M being the top of the range again.

An unforgettable Z3 Coupé and James Bond’s car

However, the Z3 roadster is known to be the car driven by famous British spy James Bond in the moviegolden eye in 1995, thus falling the responsibility of promoting this new model on the figure of the actor Pierce Brosnan. This gave rise to the manufacture of a total of 100 limited units edition 007 (when initially the forecast was 20) for the American market. However, this special edition would not be the only one throughout its seven years of history, as BMW Individual made it possible to enjoy others, although without a doubt, the most common. Sports Editionwith 17-inch wheels, a self-locking differential, a 15 mm lowered suspension and M sports seats, it is already palatable enough for any petrolhead.

For the end I wanted to reserve the special BMW Z3 Coupea car of which only 18,000 unitsand that has aged like good wine, since it was a model that at the beginning it was very undervalued in the second-hand market and that it was possible to acquire for only a few thousand euros, but that over time has been able to appreciate as it deserves. We can find this Z3 Coupé with the 2.8 and 3.0-liter versions of 192 CV and 231 CV, in addition to their corresponding M versions with 321 and 325 CV.

With The 4×4 market is booming, more and more brands are being encouraged to launch their own SUV, especially in an electric key as well demonstrated by the new Hummer EV, the Rivian R1S or the future Mercedes EQG. And now it is Audi who wants to join this party, considering the possibility of launching an all-electric SUV that becomes the best 4×4 Audi has made to datealso serving to give a new vision to the quattro all-wheel drive.

The Volkswagen group is working on different approaches to address its total electrificationone of the most interesting being the one related to the purchase of the Scout brand in 2021. This acquisition by the German group seeks to put a specialized off-road firm on the streets, focused on the American market and doing so with large SUVs, SUVs and pick-ups that will be on the streets from 2026.

However, this ambitious bet could end up benefiting other brands in the group, such as Audi. According to recent statements by Marc Lichte as Audi’s head of design to the British media Coachin Ingolstadt they are considering new ideas for what will be their SUV range in the future, highlighting the intention to create an electric SUV capable of competing directly with the Mercedes G-Class and Land Rover Defender in their respective electric versions.

Scheduled for release in 2027this model would not be manufactured from the MEB+, PPE or SSP platforms, but rather would be built from the new platform that is being developed for the relaunch of Scout. We are therefore talking about a large Audi, equipped with a chassis of longitudinal members and cross members, with a new generation of the system of quattro all-wheel drive equipped with up to 4 independent electric motors and with a clearly premium approach as the Defender and G-Class defend well.

In the absence of Volkswagen deciding between Magna and Foxconn for the manufacture of the entire range of Scout, the selection of one of these companies would be made considering the manufacturing plans for the new electric SUV from Audi, thus achieving a production of 150,000 cars a year, 50,000 of them corresponding to Audi’s 4×4.

The Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato is a supercar designed to have fun off the asphalt and for this, it needs tires capable of performing on any surface. The person in charge of providing footwear to the Italian SUV is Bridgestone: the same one that has made the first off-road tires with Run-Flat technology intended for such a vehicle.

It is not the first time that the two brands have joined forces: in the past they have done so to create specific compounds for models such as the Lamborghini Huracán STO, EVO and Tecnica. In the case of the Sterrato, the wheels are key to achieving the maximum possible performance: which is why Bridgestone has designed custom-made tires. They are so exclusive that they will be exclusive to this model: if you were thinking of buying them for your SUV, forget about them.

All-rounder with Run-Flat technology

When Lamborghini turned to Bridgestone for a unique solution, the British manufacturer shaped the Dueler AT002: the world’s first off-road tires with Run-Flat technology, specifically designed for supercars. They are available in two sizes: 235/40 ZR19 for the front axle and some of the 285 series, wider, for the rear.

Bridgestone has used, for these tires, a proprietary blend of polymers that provide optimal grip. They also have a special shoulder (the part that joins the sidewalls and the tread) to offer greater grip on gravel and mud.

The tread pattern It’s designed for high-speed performance, but at the same time offers good off-road bite. And if the Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato suffers a puncture, the driver will be able to continue driving for 80 kilometers at 80 km/h thanks to Run-Flat technology. And they do all this while maintaining the low profile of the tires that supercars are usually equipped with.

fun in the snow

With this configuration, Bridgestone’s Dueler AT002 tires can drive at a high pace on asphalt, providing stability and leaving the road without problem because, thanks to its off-road capability, the Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato will have no difficulty take on challenges on mud, gravel and demanding terrain.

And for those looking for fun, too, in winter, Bridgestone provides the Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato a set of snow tires: the Blizzak LM005, which are the same size and are part of the optional equipment.