Car and Driver - USA (2019-10)

60. CHARTING THE CHANGES. CAR AND DRIVER. OCT/2019

Alfa Romeo
—
Minor trim changes: Giulia,
Stelvio
Unchanged: 4C Spider

New Cars

for 20 20

Audi

—

A4: Along with light exterior

restyling, the A4 model line

uses a new touchscreen info-

tainment system in place of

its control-knob-based units.

We expect the A4’s 188-hp

and 248-hp inline-fours to be

virtually unchanged. Ditto the

S4’s 349-hp V-6.

—

A5: The A5 and S5 receive the

same updates as the A4 later

in 2020. The RS5 carries over

unchanged.

—

A7: If you can’t shake the

images of Country Squires

and Vista Cruisers when you

look at the RS6 Avant, you

may be more interested in the

new RS7. It’s mechanically

identical to the RS6 wagon

but with two times as much

wedge in its profile view. As for

the resurrected S7, it’ll use the

same hardware as the new S6.

Can you put a price on beauty?

We say no, but Audi says the

S7 costs $10,000 more than

its three-box brother. An A7

plug-in hybrid is also in the

TLX: The model is largely
unchanged, but Acura says
that this PMC Edition, at
select dealers now, is special
because it wears the same
Valencia Red Pearl paint as the
NSX and is hand-built at the
same plant as that supercar.
If that doesn’t sound special,
then the $50,945 price (a base
TLX is about $34,000) for
this loaded V-6-powered TLX
really won’t impress you. Acura
is building only 360 of these
PMC Editions, so they’ll be
rare. What’s more significant
about the PMC Edition is that
Acura has hinted that future
vehicles from its Performance
Manufacturing Center will be
more than just paint-and-trim
specials.
—
Unchanged: ILX, MDX, NSX,
RDX, RLX

Aston Martin
—
DBS Superleggera: A 211-mph
Volante (which is Aston
Martin–speak for convertible)
joined the 715-hp V-12-powered

coupe earlier this year. It’s

supposedly the brand’s fastest

droptop ever.

—

Rapide: The gas-powered

Rapide is dead, but the

nameplate lives on in the

brand’s new electric four-door,

the Rapide E. The Porsche

Taycan–fighter arrives this

year with a 65.0-kWh battery

and a pair of electric motors

on the rear axle that generate

a combined 604 horsepower

and 701 pound-feet of torque.

Aston is making only 155 for

this beta test.

—

Valkyrie: If you happen to

be one of the 150 billionaires

who shelled out over 3 million

greenbacks for Aston’s wild

hypercar, we’ve got good news:

Your street-legal F1 car, with

Aston Martin DBX: Few details are available on

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its hybrid-assisted 11,100-

rpm 6.5-liter V-12 packing a

combined 1160 horsepower,

might be headed your way

soon. Deliveries begin at

the end of the year. If you’re

around Ann Arbor, stop by.

We’ve got a C/D T-shirt and

hat for you.

—

Vantage: This intriguing

coupe is now available with

carbon-ceramic rotors, which

shave 53 pounds. In other

expensive-option news, for an

extra $27,000 over the price of

a regular Vantage, buyers can

choose the AMR, which gets a

dogleg seven-speed gearbox

and loses 44 pound-feet of

torque. Only 200 will be built,

so collector appeal is likely to

make the premium a worth-

while investment.

—

Minor trim changes: DB11

As we stand here at the precipice of what may prove to be the roaring ’20s,

we invite you to dive into our compilation of next year’s new cars, trucks, and

SUVs. Jump in, the water’s warm. Suspiciously warm.