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Accessories & Tech News

Long live the manual gearbox!

Subaru BRZ

It’s a fact of the modern automotive world that the manual gearbox is fast becoming the poor cousin of the double-clutch transmission.

Lamborghini has put a cross through the manual box and worse, the purist’s supercar—the Porsche 911 GT3—is available exclusively with PDK. The same is happening at the cheaper end of the market, too. Even the model name of the new Clio RS 200 EDC (efficient double clutch) tells us there’s no manual here.

The end is nigh.

Steve Sutcliffe from Autocar has taken a look into this phenomenon and found that, in the UK at least, the manual ‘box still lives large. A whopping 75% of all new cars sold in the UK last year was fitted with a “proper” transmission. Unsurprisingly, the US is in complete contrast with just 7% of new cars having a manual. We expect Australia is somewhere in the middle, with slushboxes and dual-clutch transmissions forming an overwhelming majority.

Autocar went to the manufacturers seeking answers and while mostly predictable, to do with gear change efficiency and fuel economy, here’s a couple of the more intriguing replies (use the source link below to check out the article in full)…

Ferrari chief of engineering, Roberto Fedeli: “Greater integration with all the vehicle’s other electronic control systems – E-diff, F1-Trac, high-performance ABS, magnetorheological suspension – allowed by the DCT has given us even more advantages, not least the ability to build a car that is supremely agile yet controllable on the limit, as well as being more frugal.”

Porsche head of GT car development, Andreas Preuninger: “The ‘simply add lightness’ philosophy to make a car faster, especially the past three GT3 generations, just does not apply any more. Nowadays, systems that add extra speed over-compensate their extra weight very clearly. Purism and performance are no longer inextricably linked. Indeed, they turn more and more into opposites today.

“It’s also vital to note that we built a 991 GT3 with a manual gearbox and ran it during development alongside prototypes with the PDK – and in all cases, both emotionally and empirically, the PDK came out on top. And that’s why we built the car this way.”

Whatever the future holds, we’ll always prefer changing gears by ourselves, no matter how much slower it might be.

[Source: Autocar]

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Accessories & Tech

Win Bathurst 1000 from the comfort of your lounge

Gran Turismo 6 including Bathurst

The inclusion of Mount Panorama, Bathurst, as an official Gran Turismo track is only a few weeks away. The release of Gran Turismo 6 is scheduled for 6 December and if this preview is anything to go by the gamers among you are going to be happy.

And if you don’t want to wait until December, well get yourself an Xbox One on 22 November, along with Forza Motorsport 5, and get cracking!

There’s a preview of both waiting for you after the break. For now, though, Xbox is only giving us an interview with Andy Priaulx and Mattias Ekstrom, who both raced at Bathurst last weekend.

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Accessories & Tech MINI

MINI reveals F56 driver assist technology

MINI F56 driver assist systems

Ahead of its mid-November launch MINI has released information on the driver assistance technology to be found inside the all-new F56 model. In doing so we get a small preview of the car’s interior, at least the central screen in which much of the technology is viewed or accessed.

For the first time MINI will feature a head-up display. This will be projected onto a small folding screen in front of the driver, rather than on the windscreen as seen in similar systems.

Other technology includes collision and pedestrian warning with city braking function, speed limit info, traffic sign memory and no passing info, video-based speed and distance regulation, park assist, rear view camera and digital headlight assist.

Much of this technology relies on inbuilt cameras interpreting signs on the side of the road and filtering it into the driver’s in-car viewing. We wonder how accurate or useable these systems will really be.

More detail and pictures can be found after the break.

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Accessories & Tech Porsche

Michelin rides the Porsche 918 gravy train

Porsche 918 Spyder

When you’re a part of history you want the world to know all about it. Sometimes when you’re bragging about your special talents that can be tiresome. But other times, even though the viewer knows they’re being sold a product, the content of the message excuses the otherwise cynical intent. This video is one such instance of that.

We all know the Porsche 918 Spyder lapped the Nürburgring in 6 minutes 57 seconds. An amazing lap, we’re sure you’ll agree. What you probably didn’t know is that time was all down to the specially developed Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres. Well perhaps not, but Michelin would love it if you thought that was the case.

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Accessories & Tech Audi

Audi releases A3 augmented reality user manual

Audi A3 augmented reality user manual

Audi has announced the release of an augmented reality smartphone app for its new 8V A3 which can be used to replace the traditional user manual. It looks pretty cool, simply point your phone to a feature you want explained and before you know it the app provides you with the info. There’s a brief video for you after the break which shows the app in action.

We’re not entirely convinced the app will work as quickly and as smoothly as shown in the video, but we’ll be happy to be proved wrong. Given this release follows the successful rollout of a similar app for the A1, perhaps this 21st century user manual will be better than we anticipate.

[Via engadget]

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Accessories & Tech Porsche

This is one angry sounding 911

Porsche 911 with HMS exhaust

It’s rare that we highlight aftermarket goodies here on AUSmotive, not because we don’t love a bit of post-factory indulgence, mainly because there’s just so much out there we simply don’t have the time to keep up to date. However, this video we could not let slip.

The car is a Porsche 991 911 Cabriolet and it’s been fitted with an HMS exhaust. And it sounds insane! The only shame of this clip is that there’s a bit of distortion about three quarters the way through. When you hear it you won’t be surprised there’s distortion, either.

If only all cars sounded as good as this! Eleven: turn it up…

[Thanks to Marko for the tip]

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Accessories & Tech Toyota Video

If you had to drive a Prius you’d be hacked off too

Toyota Prius

This story is more than a little disturbing. You think of big multi-national banks getting hacked. You think of your computer picking up a dodgy virus. But how many of us have ever thought about our cars being hacked?

Andy Greenberg from Forbes recently met up with a couple of geeks to show us what it’s like to drive a car that wasn’t really in his command:

As I drove their vehicles for more than an hour, Miller and Valasek showed that they’ve reverse-engineered enough of the software of the Escape and the Toyota Prius (both the 2010 model) to demonstrate a range of nasty surprises: everything from annoyances like uncontrollably blasting the horn to serious hazards like slamming on the Prius’ brakes at high speeds. They sent commands from their laptops that killed power steering, spoofed the GPS and made pathological liars out of speedometers and odometers. Finally they directed me out to a country road, where Valasek showed that he could violently jerk the Prius’ steering at any speed, threatening to send us into a cornfield or a head-on collision.

The only saving grace, at this stage, is the hackers have to be in the car with you, with a cable connected to the car’s main ECU in order to get that level of control. However, in a test done back in 2010 remote access was gained to an unnamed make of car through its cellular connection and Bluetooth function. Scary, hey!

It was also interesting to read that Toyota already tests their cars to ensure they’re not vulnerable to a wireless attack. Maybe they, and all manufacturers, might need to up the ante?

[Source: Forbes | Thanks to Aaron for the tip]

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Accessories & Tech News

Forza 5 ready to answer GT6 challenge

Forza 5 promo

Just a week after the media launch for Gran Turismo 6 this new video has emerged previewing Forza Motorsport 5. The challenge is on and the detail in this video is quite special in parts. Game on!

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Accessories & Tech Porsche

VIDEO: Porsche 911 GT3 technical highlights

Porsche 911 GT3

Porsche has reeled out its very serious voiceover man to talk us through some of the technology found in the new 911 GT3. It’s all very serious sounding and there’s fancy graphics and everything.

Just remember: reaching the limit is one thing, staying there is another.

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Accessories & Tech News

OFFICIAL: Gran Turismo 6 coming soon

Grand Turismo 6 screen grab

The next version of Sony Playstation’s volume selling driving simulator game, Gran Turismo 6, was previewed at a press gathering at Silverstone yesterday. The official word is GT6 will be in stores in time for “the holiday season.” That translates roughly to our spring, we expect, so September some time.

Set to feature over 1200 cars and 33 tracks, including Mount Panorama, it will be the biggest and most complex iteration of Gran Turismo yet.

In their own blog Sony says:

GT6 for PlayStation 3 will see many enhancements, improvements and additions to the game. bringing new levels of authenticity to ‘the Real Driving Simulator’. Features revealed today include stunning new tracks and cars and a much over-hauled user interface. There’s also a new engine which will improve game operation. Meanwhile we are set for expanded connectivity with other devices and increased social and community functions.

[Source: Playstation]

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Accessories & Tech BMW

Look, it lights up like a Christmas tree!

BMW M Performance steering wheel

BMW has produced this video to show off its M Performance steering wheel. The small display at the top of the wheel can scroll through a number of settings, including a quarter mile drag function.

On the one had we think this wheel is pretty damn cool. But on the other, well, you’d look like a bit of a knob having one of these in your 3 Series saloon, don’t you think!

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Accessories & Tech Mazda

VIDEO: Mazda explains its i-ELOOP technology

Mazda i-ELOOP video

Over the next little while you’ll be hearing a lot about Mazda’s new Skyactiv i-ELOOP technology. In Australia our first look at this new tech will be in the 2013 Mazda6.

The i-ELOOP name doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue easily, but it is a simple and clever way to ensure that no power from the car’s alternator is lost. To do that energy is sent to a specially created capacitor. It also uses regenerative energy to power the alternator, freeing it from its reliance on the engine. One of the main benefits of this concept is reduced fuel consumption.

It’s a little bit nerdy, really, and if it all sounds a bit like witchcraft, then watch the video after the break.