Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Test Drive - Unleash the Beasts
Sometimes the things you crave will kill you.
The Audi RS5
Take for example the Audi RS5. Ever since I saw the A5, I envisioned it, or a version of it, to be my future ride. I still think it is one of the most beautiful cars on the road, and the S and RS versions only add to the greatness of what Audi has achieved.
But now having driven the RS5 super beast, I know that if I ever owned it, I would either be in jail or in a ditch - the temptation is too great.
That's a hand-built 4.2-liter V-8 engine delivering 450 hp at 8,250 rpm and 317 lb-ft of torque from 4,000 rpm, revving to 8,250rpm. Yeah, yeah... all the spec talk doesn't mean a damn to me either - it's all about how it felt. Let's just say, in dynamic mode, in any gear, at any speed, when you hit the gas there is no delay. The rear squats down, and with no hint of strain, you're a bullet.
The stretch of highway at hand had a speed limit of 100kph. Most highways in Sweden have a set maximum of 110kph, a few places 120kph. All meaningless in a car such as this. Everything happens extremely fast, so in about one and a half seconds you're from 50 to 100. By third gear you're already at the speed limit, with 4 more gears to go (7 speed dual clutch). The thrust is immediate as this Audi has the Quattro system of course, so you also get the sense that if you crash, it will definitely be all your fault.
The mistake - we drove this car first.
The Audi A8 V12
Second up was the 500hp A8. I opted not to drive this car. Listed at 1.4 million Swedish kronors (starting price) I really didn't want to come home and tell the missus that I had a slight accident and that we have to sell the house. Since the waiting list was long for this one, we only had it for all of 10 minutes. But it was enough for me to know that I would never drive such a thing - I sat in the back.
The Audi RS3
A Pocket Rocket - this little one was no joke. The same RS treatment, but in a small package, and again the performance was ridiculous. However, the delivery of all that power (turbo charged, 5 cylinder producing 340Hp) was not so immediate as there was (about) a half second delay for the turbo charger to spool up. The reward however was a kung-fu kick to the chest, and your ass firmly planted in the seat.
This is the car that would get young people killed.
The pricing for all of these cars are outrageous (450,000sek and up), but I'm only saying that because I can't afford any of them. However, while all Audis are expensive, you could justify the pricing on the RS variants.
What you're paying for:
Super performance
Understated beauty and elegance
Exterior and interior quality, fit and finish
Out-of-the-box aggressive styling
Power
Safety systems to handle that power
Not Tested
We ran out of time. We saw but could not get our hands on the Audi TT RS
or the V12 Diesel Q7
All in all, it was a hell of a (too short) ride. About 10 years ago I was fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time to drive a Mercedes SL55 AMG. I didn't have anything to compare it to (I am not a test car driver, and the only car I ever owned outright was a 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix GT with 200hp) but I didn't need any point of reference. It was the same kind of animal. Extreme performance in a car that could be a daily driver.
On this day the RS5 was king, and this particular car we drove had but one fault - the bright red colour. The car is so beautiful that the 'look at me!' red was unnecessary.
This car is the equivalent of someone walking around the streets of Malmö butt naked - of course people are going to look.
The Audi RS5
Take for example the Audi RS5. Ever since I saw the A5, I envisioned it, or a version of it, to be my future ride. I still think it is one of the most beautiful cars on the road, and the S and RS versions only add to the greatness of what Audi has achieved.
But now having driven the RS5 super beast, I know that if I ever owned it, I would either be in jail or in a ditch - the temptation is too great.
That's a hand-built 4.2-liter V-8 engine delivering 450 hp at 8,250 rpm and 317 lb-ft of torque from 4,000 rpm, revving to 8,250rpm. Yeah, yeah... all the spec talk doesn't mean a damn to me either - it's all about how it felt. Let's just say, in dynamic mode, in any gear, at any speed, when you hit the gas there is no delay. The rear squats down, and with no hint of strain, you're a bullet.
The stretch of highway at hand had a speed limit of 100kph. Most highways in Sweden have a set maximum of 110kph, a few places 120kph. All meaningless in a car such as this. Everything happens extremely fast, so in about one and a half seconds you're from 50 to 100. By third gear you're already at the speed limit, with 4 more gears to go (7 speed dual clutch). The thrust is immediate as this Audi has the Quattro system of course, so you also get the sense that if you crash, it will definitely be all your fault.
The mistake - we drove this car first.
The Audi A8 V12
Second up was the 500hp A8. I opted not to drive this car. Listed at 1.4 million Swedish kronors (starting price) I really didn't want to come home and tell the missus that I had a slight accident and that we have to sell the house. Since the waiting list was long for this one, we only had it for all of 10 minutes. But it was enough for me to know that I would never drive such a thing - I sat in the back.
The Audi RS3
A Pocket Rocket - this little one was no joke. The same RS treatment, but in a small package, and again the performance was ridiculous. However, the delivery of all that power (turbo charged, 5 cylinder producing 340Hp) was not so immediate as there was (about) a half second delay for the turbo charger to spool up. The reward however was a kung-fu kick to the chest, and your ass firmly planted in the seat.
This is the car that would get young people killed.
The pricing for all of these cars are outrageous (450,000sek and up), but I'm only saying that because I can't afford any of them. However, while all Audis are expensive, you could justify the pricing on the RS variants.
What you're paying for:
Super performance
Understated beauty and elegance
Exterior and interior quality, fit and finish
Out-of-the-box aggressive styling
Power
Safety systems to handle that power
Not Tested
We ran out of time. We saw but could not get our hands on the Audi TT RS
or the V12 Diesel Q7
All in all, it was a hell of a (too short) ride. About 10 years ago I was fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time to drive a Mercedes SL55 AMG. I didn't have anything to compare it to (I am not a test car driver, and the only car I ever owned outright was a 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix GT with 200hp) but I didn't need any point of reference. It was the same kind of animal. Extreme performance in a car that could be a daily driver.
On this day the RS5 was king, and this particular car we drove had but one fault - the bright red colour. The car is so beautiful that the 'look at me!' red was unnecessary.
This car is the equivalent of someone walking around the streets of Malmö butt naked - of course people are going to look.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Robert Glasper Experiment
I cannot get over this performance.
CLICK HERE - Robert Glasper Experiment
At first, it just seems too abstract and too weird; the drummer, Chris Dave, seemingly just randomly beating away on his drums, and the singer, Casey Benjamin, with his keyboard-altered vocals making him sound like a fish out of water suddenly finding a voice.
But then you catch onto the rhythm, and then next thing you know, at 6:55, here come the lyrics to the Nirvanna classic, Smells Like Teen Spirit.
Then the transformation happens. They hit a groove that is both Jazz and Hip Hop, and the fact that it is live only adds to musical roller coaster you just ended up on. At 9:40 they dive into a full-fledged musical ass-whipping. Chris Dave becomes possessed, and then all 4 of them are gone into another world. At 11:30, I found out after asking, they do a polyrhythm of sorts as you notice the beat is abruptly interrupted and then continued but from a different point of the rhythm.
I'm telling you, this has nothing to do with whether or not you prefer the original song, or if you think this cover sounds too freaky - it's the madness in music that calls to us all, and if you feel a little of what I felt after looking at this, then welcome to the group of the mere 293 people who felt the same way on Youtube. The others were fortunate to see it live, and I can only imagine what that must have felt like.
Robert Glasper Experiment - check 'em out.
CLICK HERE - Robert Glasper Experiment
At first, it just seems too abstract and too weird; the drummer, Chris Dave, seemingly just randomly beating away on his drums, and the singer, Casey Benjamin, with his keyboard-altered vocals making him sound like a fish out of water suddenly finding a voice.
But then you catch onto the rhythm, and then next thing you know, at 6:55, here come the lyrics to the Nirvanna classic, Smells Like Teen Spirit.
Then the transformation happens. They hit a groove that is both Jazz and Hip Hop, and the fact that it is live only adds to musical roller coaster you just ended up on. At 9:40 they dive into a full-fledged musical ass-whipping. Chris Dave becomes possessed, and then all 4 of them are gone into another world. At 11:30, I found out after asking, they do a polyrhythm of sorts as you notice the beat is abruptly interrupted and then continued but from a different point of the rhythm.
I'm telling you, this has nothing to do with whether or not you prefer the original song, or if you think this cover sounds too freaky - it's the madness in music that calls to us all, and if you feel a little of what I felt after looking at this, then welcome to the group of the mere 293 people who felt the same way on Youtube. The others were fortunate to see it live, and I can only imagine what that must have felt like.
Robert Glasper Experiment - check 'em out.
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