Drive Wire: January 8, 2016
A diesel Range Rover, the Chevy Bolt, semi-autonomous Volvos, perfect coffee, and snowy drifts.
Hey guys, it’s Christina Thompson and this is Drive Wire for Friday, January 8th.
The reputation of diesel engines took a hit in 2015 with the ongoing VW scandal, but that hasn’t stopped range rover from introducing the new TD6. The iconic British SUV will use a diesel V6 that makes 245 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque. The TD6 will get a mild upgrade in fuel efficiency, getting a combined EPA rating of 25 miles per gallon. The big trick here is that you can’t tell it’s a diesel – the TD6 uses everything from a sound dampening firewall and other features to tone down the traditional diesel rattle. The bad news - it starts at around $87,000. The worse news – no telling if it will survive the next round of pollution standards. If it’s the last hurrah for the diesel, though, it’s a good one.
Chevrolet has unveiled the Bolt, and it’s what we expected it to be - a hatchback-crossover electric vehicle with a 200-mile range. Chevy is doing everything they can to reassure everyone about that range, emphasizing how the navigation picks the most efficient routes and even noting that the Bluetooth system is a low-power-draw module. If the range is as advertised, the Bolt could be the Prius’ first serious American competition with a price tag expected to be around $30,000.
In CES news, Volvo caught everyone’s attention when they debuted the semi-autonomous driving “Pilot Assist” mode for highway driving that will be standard on the 2017 S90 sedan. The system will allow the S90 to accelerate, decelerate, come to a complete stop and steer on roads with clear lane markings at speeds of up to 80 miles per hour. The S90 goes on sale later this year.
If you’ve ever dreamed of making the perfect cup of coffee at home, you might want to check out the Auroma One. The Auroma is a completely customizable coffee system that works with a dedicated app to learn your preferences. Once everything is dialed in, Auroma one will grind, brew, and serve your perfect cup of joe. There’s still time to get in on the Kickstarter and invest in what may be the pinnacle of before-noon technology.
In today’s ridiculous video, a good old winter drift session. For five flawless minutes, Fredrik Sørlie drifts through the snowy forests of Norway with a James Bond-esque aerial tail. We usually say don’t try this at home, but…..if you have snow, you know what to do with it.
That’s it for today’s edition of Drive Wire. For more, be sure to come back to thedrive.com, and follow us @thedrive on all your favorite social media platforms.
