CarMadMike

Ah yeah the S65 :hmmm: They do sell them over here AFAIK, I just didn't think there was that big a jump in price between the 63 and 65 but that isn't the case, it's huge :eek: I like that the Maybach is a trim level rather than a standalone, Merc never had the balls to make Maybachs cray and out-there, so this is a good compromise. But yeah, DB11 or Dawn please.

Limited production makes it more logical I guess, they can charge a hell of a lot for that but then they risk of encroaching on the Rolls Royce Dawn, which instahoes and rappers and even people with class would much rather own. Rolls Royce Dawn costs £264k in the UK, the current S63 Coupe costs £130ish. Where will this fall? If it falls around the £180 or more then I think people would be stupid to not just get the Dawn as they can obviously afford it. After all, would you rather have a almost 200k car that looks like a £25k C-Class, or a baller Rolls with that huge grille up front? :p Edit: Forgot the Bentley Continental GT, which I guess this rivals. I do think I'd still have the Bentley but that's a lot more subjective than with the Dawn. The Maybach will be a better car though, but the GT is nearing the end of its product cycle so the Merc should thrash it tbh. Edit 2: I'd have the DB11 cabrio that is no doubt in the pipeworks. The cabrio will do away with one of the most questionable design parts of the DB11, its C pillar. Yes please.

I'm curious about this one :hmmm: The main reason someone would want a Maybach is for the comfy out of this world back seats usually, no? I do think this will be impressive but it does raise a few questions. Does this not now undermine the purpose of other S-Class cabrios? They're statement cars, and the biggest statement is having the most expensive one.

I don't think it is about that, I think it's more to do with the Golf's proximity to the Audi A3. This is stylish and completely up to date, and you can option it out quite highly. If they made it too desirable then it would eat into A3 sales. :hmmm:

VW were always a bit behind when it came to doing an R-Line type model for the Golf, it was dying out for stylish (well, for a golf) alternatives to base engines. It might have tried it with different trim lines previous to now, but not to this extent. This has to be one of the most subtle exterior changes I've ever seen, obviously new wheels and new r-line bumpers but the rest :shrug: The interior is looking good.

Even though it's contest #79 we still have people saying they've accidentally voted for the wrong picture or that they didn't realise they got 3 votes. By allowing people to retract their vote it helps sort out the messy side of voting. And consequently, by hiding who is winning it means people aren't retracting their vote so that they then win themselves :nods:

Don't say that, he'll fire us all :leaves:

Some good shots this week, It was a tough choice between 6 pics, but I managed to get it down to 3 :hmmm:

I like it, simply because we were looking at Mitsubishi L200s and Nissan Navaros a few years back as I wanted a pickup because i'm a redneck alpha male but they were too agricultural and unrefined. In all seriousness, I do think this is a valid niche and I'm waiting to see the production X-Class before truly judging it, but initial impressions are good.

Is that so bad? I'm the same, blank buttons wind me up, I completely understand it.

Great theme, it's good to see the logic behind the cars used, some fantastic shots as well, I haven't seen one yet that wouldn't be fantastic as the banner image.

I know what the difference is :cheeky: I just don't think it is offering that big a difference other than for pure aesthetic reasons :shrug: Basically, I don't know why they're bothering, usually different body types of the same car offer a very different practical purpose whether it is a coupe/cabrio/sedan/estate, this seems like a fair bit of work for a small percentage of extra luggage, when most estates offer a vastly bigger amount of space to their sedan counterpart :hmmm: I might be wrong, this is just what i've interpreted from the photo. Even though I'm not sure why they're bothering, I'm glad they are, it looks amazing, and if that is the only reason why they're doing it, then jesus, that's not very German-like is it :p

Other than rear headroom, what exactly are you gaining from having the wagon exterior? It's not much bigger so even though the boot will have a higher capacity, i'd be shocked if it is a massive difference. That said, it looks amazing, and I'd have the wagon every single time. :drool: The next Audi A7 better up its game, I've always loved them but this looks better tbh.

There was me thinking my original post might inspire some mature intellectual debate on the future of motoring :p

That's my point, people might not be expecting it to 'un-retract' :p

You'd probably want to be careful where you lie on the bonnet if it's a bed, that spirit of ecstasy might catch some people by surprise.

I only quickly looked at this concept when it was first unveiled, Mr Moto Man does a good job of highlighting what the concept is all about. The luggage rack at the side is rather stunning, though how much space would there be up front for the engine realistically? They're saying this is a car for 2040, 23 years in the future so drivetrains might be packaged very differently by then. That said, I'm sure the tech in this car would be feasible way before then, it's just whether society will be ready for it. The one side entrance is also rather stunning, imagine turning up to a red carpet in that :eek: Obnoxious? Yes, but isn't almost any Rolls Royce? The rear bench/autonomous driving thing does look rather good too, after all a Rolls is meant for you to be driven in. The front wheels are actually functional, I'm not sure just how functional, how do the brakes get cooled? But when I first saw the concept I didn't realise that it actually worked to an extent. The concept isn't perfect and I'm not 100% sold on it even though there are many separate things I do love, but it did raise a few questions and I think that it is a very successful concept car because of it.

Yup you can quite easily identify where the difference is. I wonder if there is a real difference among car companies as to paint quality etc, Whether a A6/E/5 series all have the same quality or whether there are cars out there in that price bracket who have really high quality paint but the company doesn't get much credit for it? :shrug:

Richard Tipper on Twitter: Rolls Royce paint quality :eek:

You went for the Sportback? Is it the 1.8T? S-Line? That colour? If so, nice choice :) Congrats, finally moving on from the Golf (albeit force-ably) after years of saying you would :cheeky:

I think i've nailed it with this configuration, took forever but :drool: I love it, I think it's rather classy which is surprisingly hard to achieve with such levels of customisation. It'd go rather nicely with the Dawn i've specced here: Configurator showroom - Page 14 | turboduck forum

This is the sliding deck for those that haven't seen it before:

Hamilton is 26 points behind Rosberg with 3 races left, meaning if he retires from the race on Sunday in Mexico and Rosberg wins the championship will be over with 2 races left. Hammy would need 51 points when only 50 would be available. This isn't that unrealistic a scenario either really. The championship is Rosberg's, I've gotten over the disappointment of him getting it but it doesn't change how underwhelming the end of this F1 season will be.

A few new cars have been released this week: VW Atlas images from Autocar | Car News and Car Reviews This is beyond MEH. It's just so bland, it's meant to be quite muscular but nah, it dull as anything. Thankfully it won't be coming to Europe. 2017 Mini Countryman images from Jalopnik - Drive Free or Die I can see what they're trying to do, make it look more mature and less toy-like. Not 100% sure i'm a fan but I'm not repulsed either, that interior looks rather amazing though the lighting is a bit OTT.