Under the hood, the upgraded Brio gets the same 1.2 - litre SOHC petrol engine, which has been tuned to deliver
slightly more power and torque - up from 87bhp and 109Nm to about 89bhp and 110Nm.
Not exact matches
It boasted an extra 20bhp, lifting peak
power to 296bhp,
and though peak
torque was
slightly down, it had a flatter
torque curve, so it felt
more muscular through the rev - range.
Engaging the VXR 60/40
torque split gave a
slightly more neutral balance post (missed) apex under
power but it all felt somewhat scrappy
and not helped at all by the completely synthetic - feeling helm that refused to signal, in any way, the incipient front - end break away.
The BMW has the
slightly better
power - to - weight ratio (265bhp / ton plays 255), but the Audi counters with
more torque and four - wheel drive.
Accompanying the monstrous
power output is a faintly ridiculous 1047 lb ft of
torque, which Brabus limits to a
slightly more tractable 811 lb ft.. It's available from a meagre 2100rpm; to help transmit such easily accessible
torque, Brabus also upgrades the tyres of the 800 Roadster, providing a useful
and perhaps necessary 305 - section rear footprint.
Thanks to minor detail improvements, this engine now produces
slightly more power at 313hp
and an extra 30Nm of
torque to make a peak of 630Nm at just 1,500 rpm.
The forthcoming Focus RS
and Volkswagen's Golf R both have gobs
more power and torque, albeit at a
slightly higher starting price, but then so does the cheaper Focus ST.. The JCW has size on its side, though,
and the resulting
power to weight ratio makes for a city car that can squirt out of bends
and away from stoplights with as much alacrity as far
more powerful sports cars — up to a certain speed.
At the rear wheels, the XR8 slammed down an impressive 359.3 kW / 573.3 Nm —
more power and only
slightly less
torque than Ford's official (non-overboost) engine outputs.
Meantime, 5kW
more peak
power (now 343kW at 7000rpm, while
torque remains the same at 520Nm at 4750rpm) from the Ferrari - built naturally - aspirated 4.7 - litre V8
and a recalibrated six - speed ZF automatic transmission are claimed to make the GranTurismo
slightly quicker than before.
For any reader of this website, the most important part of the refresh is the addition of the i3s, a
slightly sportier iteration of the all - electric eco-box bearing a little
more power (up 184 horsepower
and 199 pound - feet of
torque compared to the regular i3's 170 horsepower
and 184 pound - feet of
torque) as well as a lowered, stiffer suspension,
and more aesthetic aggression.
The extra
torque makes itself felt despite a
slightly lower
power - to - weight ratio,
and effectively the Cruze feels
more powerful than the Jetta TDI most of the time.
Renault used the June 17 2011 record attempt to promote its new limited edition model which comes with
slightly more power (from 184kW to 195kW)
and torque (from 340Nm to 360Nm), lower suspension
and the aforementioned Bridgestone tyres (instead of Michelins).
Power levels were
slightly boosted, giving the four - cylinder 10
more horsepower
and five
more pound - feet of
torque.
The previous generation 1.6 - liter four - cylinder engine has been re-profiled to offer
more mid-range
power and peak outputs are
slightly down at 130 horsepower
and 119 lb - ft of
torque.