While you can't buy a long
wheelbase car in the UK, and the sloping roofline pinches rear headroom, there's still room for two adults in the back — although the LWB S63 feels much bigger.
Not exact matches
For now, BMW plans to sell only the long -
wheelbase (Li) version of the
car in the U.S., mirroring Mercedes» decision to skip importing the standard -
wheelbase S - Class.
«The new AMG GT race
car will have several advantages over the SLS - it has a shorter
wheelbase, it's lighter, and more aerodynamically efficient... But the
car is still
in development so there's a lot to find out.»
The
wheelbase change goes hand -
in - hand with a brand - new chassis; Hyundai says no chassis parts from the old
car carry over to the 2015 Genesis.
Lengthwise, the new A8 sits halfway between the current standard - and extended -
wheelbase models; the A8 also has grown
in width, to become the widest
car in its class.
Just fractionally lower and shorter
in length, the new
car's only significant dimensional changes are
in width - where it's 2.9 inches wider - and
in wheelbase.
It also stays flat during high - speed cornering and feels very composed; the Mk10 has a longer
wheelbase than the old
car, and it shows
in this respect.
The Rolls - Royce Ghost appeared
in a 2010, a short -
wheelbase sedan designed to be less stately and more personal, a
car for people who understand that a Rolls - Royce can be something to drive, not just something to own.
In the snugness of its cabin, its taut feel, and its urgency, the V8 Vantage reveals itself as a sports
car pure and simple: light of weight, short of
wheelbase, and long on power.
Just as
in the GT - S though, a measured application of the throttle can quell the understeer, rotating the
car progressively — thanks to its long
wheelbase — back towards the apex.
The 2015 Subaru Legacy rides on the same 108.3 - inch
wheelbase as the 2014
car but grows 1.6 inches
in length and 0.7 inch
in height.
All is forgiven, though, when you're wafting along
in supreme comfort on the highway or carving into a series of corners, at which point the 760i feels so much more responsive and alert than the long -
wheelbase car.
Currently another China - only project, the long
wheelbase i5X offers three rows of seats, a very popular option
in the world's biggest
car market.
Because the S - class is essentially a chauffeur - driven
car in the all - important Chinese market, Mercedes designed the new luxury sedan first as a long -
wheelbase model (W222) and then worked on the short -
wheelbase (V222) variant.
(They'll especially love this
car in China, where they'd probably welcome even a long -
wheelbase Fiat 500.)
The
car seen here is likely the standard Volkswagen Tiguan, although the automaker has confirmed it will make a special long -
wheelbase, three - row model
in Mexico for the U.S. market.
This is the understeer that most people comment on after an initial drive
in this
car, but on second acquaintance you find that it's not wash - out, scary understeer, it's telltale and workable, an invitation to play with the balance of the short
wheelbase and use the throttle and steering to adjust grip throughout the corner.
By having the clutch and the differential (or the torque converter and the differential,
in cars equipped with an automatic transmission) swap positions, there was a gain of a precious six inches
in length, which was devoted to pedestrian protection, crash performance, and
wheelbase extension.
The only
car that currently fits the criteria is the Volvo S60 Inscription, a long -
wheelbase version of Volvo's sedan that's built
in Chengdu, China.
Because the X7's
wheelbase is longer, and BMW head of sales and marketing Ian Robinson told Autocar that the
cars have very little
in common under the skin: «If you put both
cars next to each other, the resemblance is small
in terms of
wheelbase and so on... We're not going to just extend the
wheelbase; it's a complete new panel cell.»
This
car is also shorter
in length and
wheelbase compared to the new S - Class sedan.
Measuring 165.1 inches
in length on a
wheelbase of 93.4 inches, the Fiero has a relatively spacious cabin for a mid-engine
car.
In an effort to get the longitudinally mounted engine to fit better, the production version of the NSX was lengthened over the 2012 concept by 3 inches (the
wheelbase is 0.7 - inch longer), and the
car is also widened by an inch.
The A5 sports a slightly longer
wheelbase when compared with the outgoing
car, but the side profile remains as handsome as the older coupe, thanks
in part to dramatically short front and rear overhangs.
The 2006 - 15 Mazda Miata's
wheelbase is 2.5 inches longer than the 1990 model's, and the
car has grown 1.9 inches
in overall length and 1.8 inches
in width.
Up to a speed of 60mph the wheels are turned
in the opposite direction to the front wheels, increasing agility by effectively shortening the
car's
wheelbase.
That may make us sound vain, but
in actuality, this long -
wheelbase XJ is a noteworthy
car.
The new
car is 4.2 inches longer than the» 08 - ’13 Sigma CTS, including a 1.2 - inch bump
in wheelbase, and is an inch lower and slightly narrower.
In spite of the large wheelbase of the car this is a nimble and powerful full size sedan that can be a smooth luxury ride and with the push of a button in the sport mode can really pull ahead and offer an incredible ride through the winding canyon roads to the open highwa
In spite of the large
wheelbase of the
car this is a nimble and powerful full size sedan that can be a smooth luxury ride and with the push of a button
in the sport mode can really pull ahead and offer an incredible ride through the winding canyon roads to the open highwa
in the sport mode can really pull ahead and offer an incredible ride through the winding canyon roads to the open highway.
The extreme alignment that's meant to help this short -
wheelbase, rear - engine
car track straight and true means that the helm is always alive, writhing
in your hands.
UK - specification
cars will all be supplied
in long -
wheelbase form, and equipped with air suspension as standard - which includes an Alpine Sport + mode to lower the
car by 20 mm.
Most important
in a Lotus, grip, balance, and steering feel are phenomenal
in the 410 and the ride is better than ever, still pinch - yourself surprising
in a
car so flingable and performance focused, and with a relatively short
wheelbase.
Summon its power reserves and the fully revamped twin - turbo V - 12 with 563 horsepower and 664 lb - ft that comes on full at 1,700 rpm emits a satisfying, muted roar and hustles the
car from 0 - 60 mph
in around 5 ticks for the short
wheelbase model.
Once you factor
in the calm ride motions on the freeway that come from a heavy, 4,079 - pound
car that rides on a long
wheelbase and P215 / 55R -17 tires, plus fairly responsive handling thanks to a low center of gravity, the Mirai seems very much to be a next - gen EV.
Its predecessor, the SCR 4.2, was an engineering feat; Ruf took a 993 shell elongated the
wheelbase, but kept the overall length of the
car the same, then added radiators up front to cool the water - cooled 4.2 - litre Mezger flat - six
in the back.
The Golf Mk 7 platform derived from VW's new MQB modular architecture has given the new
car a longer
wheelbase (2.1 inches longer) that now measures 103.6 inches, and this
in conjunction with more sophistication has made the GTI feel calmer and more poised on the highway, much like the Golf R.
We wanted a
car with enough back seat room to double - date
in comfort (we're
in our athletic 60s), and a long
wheelbase for thrice - a-year 960 - mile round trip to our second home.
A longer version is also available
in the Q70L, with an extended
wheelbase that creates more rear seat room, but my test
car was a normal -
wheelbase Premium Select Edition featuring dark chrome exterior trim, dark bumpers, a deck - lid spoiler and special wheels.
In the long -
wheelbase car, the engine's 340 hp and 332 lb - ft of torque motivate a relatively svelte 4364 pounds.
When the NSX was new, the Honda engineers were quite concerned about the
car's straightline stability, as the combination of a 58 percent rearward weight distribution and a relatively short 99.6 - inch
wheelbase (the 1997 Corvette C5 with its 104.5 - inch
wheelbase had not yet made a long
wheelbase respectable for sports
cars) seemed to promise lots of excitement
in the corners.
The Altima, with its relatively long
wheelbase, has always rolled a lot
in the front as it heeled around a corner, and while this strategy delivers cornering grip, it makes the
car seem ponderous.
But because the Crosstrek is, as it always has been, basically a jacked - up Impreza with more serious four - season tires and fender cladding, not an SUV on a compact
car platform and its own blown - out «tophat,» it turns out to be a «tweener, with just a 1.2 - inch increase
in wheelbase, 0.6 - inch increase
in overall length, and 0.9 - inch wider body compared with the model it replaces.
With back - seat perspective so critical to these
cars, BMW has stretched the 7 Series about an inch longer than the last long -
wheelbase model to offer the most rear - seat legroom
in the class.
At speeds up to 62mph the rear wheels turn
in the opposite direction to the front wheels
in cornering, effectively shortening the
car's
wheelbase and making it more agile.
The large
wheelbase made this a very stable
car in the turns and switchbacks
in the mountains and had no troubles with the snow / ice of Minnesota or Colorado.
Smart still runs a staggered tyre setup to mitigate its short
wheelbase and rear - engined layout - the front tyres are 185 - section to the rears» 205 — but there's more front grip than
in the old model and indeed more than most traditional city
cars.
«Because of the short
wheelbase you can change from understeer to oversteer
in a snap second,» he says, but adds that the
car is very adjustable, very open to suggestion: «You can do ten laps and have ten different experiences at the same corner.»
In the case of the Infiniti M, choosing the «L» treatment lengthens the
car's
wheelbase grows by 5.9 inches to provide more rear legroom.
We looked at two
cars, the gray and dark - blue normal - length Phantom, likely to be owner - driven
in many countries, and an impressive purple extended -
wheelbase sedan that was more agreeable to our eyes because the exterior refinement is more easily appreciated by an observer not distracted by the color break.
In China, many drivers seem to want long -
wheelbase versions of
cars.