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Feb 28, 2006

Renault Clio RS

Today, Renault has announced the new generation Clio RS (Renault Sport).

The hot hatch version of Clio family became world famous since the 1993 Clio Williams, which was based on the first generation Clio. It started the idea of "small hatch, big power". In 2000, the RS version of Clio II took this idea to a new level. Thanks to a 172 horsepower 2-litre 16V engine and very lightweight body, it ran neck to neck with Honda Civic Type R, which carried more power but also more weight. In 2004, the engine was upgraded to 182hp. Clio started taking the lead in the European hot hatch market.

Now, following the Clio family entered the third generation, the RS is also renewed. First, you must note that like all Clio III, the Clio RS has gained a lot in size and weight. For example, it is 18 cm longer, 13 cm wider, 7 cm taller and runs a 10 cm longer wheelbase, no wonder its kerb weight jumped from 1090 kg to a hefty 1240 kg !

To compensate the weight, Renault Sport fettled its 1998 cc 16V engine. Higher valve lift, larger intake manifolds which generates ram effect, a continuous VVT system (instead of the old discreet system) and 11.5:1 compression (instead of 11.0:1) increased its maximum output by 15hp to 197 hp. This is now occurred at 7250 rpm. Max rev is raised by 300 rpm to 7500 rpm, proving the new engine is more eager at the top end.

With 197 horsepower, the Clio is now just 3 horsepower short of Honda Civic Type R. This is especially impressive considering it generates far superior torque - 159 lbft at 5550 rpm, with at least 147 lbft from 3000 to 7000 rpm ! this is definitely a new record for a naturally aspirated 2-litre four-pot engine. You know, the old Civic Type R achieved only 139 lbft at 6200 rpm, while the old Clio's 147 lbft was already class leading. It is worth praising that the engine achieves superior power and torque simultaneously.

Nevertheless, 15 more horsepower and 12 lbft more torque might be not enough to offset 150 kg, so Renault also upgraded the 5-speed gearbox to 6-speed. Now 0-62 mph is claimed to be reduced by 0.2 second (6.9 versus 7.1 sec), although the previous figure was usually found conservative. Strangely, top speed claim is lowered by 4 mph to 135 mph, probably due to the increased frontal area (wider and taller).

The new Clio RS is still sold at a bargain price, so it continues to go without a limited slip differential, unlike Civic Type R. However, to reduce torque steer, Renault adopted a similar approach to the Megane RS - a double-axis front suspension geometry which decouples the steering from the engine induced forces. To compensate for the additional suspension components, some of them (e.g. control arms and pivot carriers) were made of cast aluminum. Besides, the front sub-frame and bushings are strengthened.

Both front and rear suspensions got stiffer springs and dampers with new valving, along with thicker anti-roll bars. In addition to wider tracks - 48 mm front and 50 mm rear, wider 215/45 tires, handling should be improved. To deal with increased weight, braking system got larger discs and, up front, 4-pot Brembo calipers.

Outside, the Clio RS has different air intakes compare with the regular car. In particular, it added a hot air extraction outlet at each side, behind the front wheels. This not only improves engine cooling, but also reduce aerodynamic turbulence. At the tail, a racecar-like diffuser is added under the tail to generate up to 40 kg downforce at high speed. To make space for the diffuser, the twin exhaust pipes are separated and located at either side of the diffuser, while the spare wheel has been deleted.

From the factory information, the new Clio III RS seems promising, but its increased size and weight may also take some of its nimble character away. We need to wait for the first report to see whether it match its predecessor for the fun factor.

The car will be produced at the ex-Alpine Dieppe plant alongside Megane RS. Renault plans to produce 10,000 units annually.

Model	Clio III RS	Clio II 182
L / W / H / WB (mm)	3991 / 1768 / 1484 / 2585	3811 / 1639 / 1416 / 2485
Engine	Inline-4, dohc, 4v/cyl, CVVT	Inline-4, dohc, 4v/cyl, VVT
Capacity	1998 cc	1998 cc
Power	197 hp / 7250 rpm	182 hp / 6500 rpm
Torque	159 lbft / 5550 rpm	147 lbft / 5250 rpm
Transmission	6M	5M
Suspension (F/R)	strut / torsion-beam	strut / torsion-beam
Tyres (F/R)	All: 215/45R17	All: 205/45R16
Weight	1240 kg	1090 kg
Top speed	135 mph (c)	139 mph (c)
0-60 mph	6.5 sec (c)	6.3 sec (Autocar)

Feb 28, 2006

New Civic Type R: aggressive look, same engine, downgraded suspension

This is the new Civic Type R in concept form. The production car is still a year away, but expect will be almost identical to this one. With those aftermarket-like skirts, air dams and spoilers, doesn't it look like a Mugen version?

As before, the Type R is built in Honda's UK plant based on the European Civic hatchback. Compare with the 5-door, it got a lower roof, wider tracks while losing the rear doors. Fans of the Type R may be disappointed that it uses the old car's 2.0 i-VTEC engine, rated at the same 200 hp. (That is also the same as the American Civic Si) Honda provides no other details at this moment, but I believe it will be slower than the old car because the new Civic got heavier. Moroever, the torsion-beam suspension could have adverse effect on its handling.

Feb 28, 2006

Ford Focus Coupe-Cabriolet

Last year shown as concept car in the name Focus Vignale, now it appears as Focus Coupe-Cabriolet production car. Built by Pininfarina, you might think it share the same 3-piece retractable metal roof with sister car Volvo C70. No, the Focus must be sold at cheaper price thus it adopts only a 2-piece folding roof like rival Peugeot 307CC and Renault Megane CC. This explain why it comes with a very long tail and very limited headroom for rear passengers. On the plus side, the long long boot contributes to 500 litres of luggage space when it is not used to store the roof.

While the C70 is powered by 5-cylinder (turbocharged or not) engines, the Ford can only rely on some bread-and-butter four-cylinder engines from the Focus range, such as a 100hp 1.6 petrol, a 145hp 2.0 petrol and the 136hp 2.0 turbo diesel, the latter shared with Peugeot 307CC. As the conversion is likely to add 200 or so kilograms to the kerb weight, any brisk performance would be doubtful. Unless it fail to reach the sales target of 20,000 cars per year, Ford is unlikely to add the Focus ST's 220hp 2.5-litre 5-pot turbo engine to the CC, because that would have overlapped with Volvo C70 T5.

Unlike the Volvo sister car, it will be built at Pininfarina's plant at Turin, Italy. That will fill the space left by the late Ford StreetKa.

Feb 28, 2006

Mercedes new CGI technology

CGI, stands for Stratified-Charge Injection Gasoline, is the equivalent term to "direct gasoline injection" in the dictionary of Mercedes-Benz. Until now, Mercedes has been using CGI direct injection in only one engine - the 1796cc four-cylinder M271 family engine in C200 CGI. That was introduced well back in 2003. Why was it not followed by more engines? this has been a mystery in the past few years. Now I understand: Mercedes has been concentrating on perfectizing the technology before bringing it into mass production. Now the goal is finally achieved, and it is introducing a new direct injection technology in the new CLS350 CGI.

Look at the figures first: the existing 3.5-litre V6 of CLS350 produces 272 horsepower and 258 lbft of torque. With the addition of CGI, it becomes 292 hp and 269 lbft. Simultaneously, EU combined fuel consumption is dropped from 27.9 mpg to an estimated 30.3-31.0 mpg.

Well, from the figures you can't see any special. In fact, this engine uses a new kind of direct gasoline injection technology - common rail and piezoelectric injectors, very much like the latest diesel technology. A high pressure pump fuel the fuel rails with high-pressure fuel, then piezoelectric injectors actuate injection to combustion chambers. A piezoelectric injector is made of ceramic and metal alloys which change its state when subjected to electrical impulse. It is much more fast-reacting than conventional mechanical injectors. As a result, it can precisely control the shape of the fuel spray, and even allow multiple injections during one combustion cycle to optimize combustion efficiency.

Direct injection engines save fuel by running at stratified (lean burn) mode. This is only workable at light load, because at full load the engine needs to switch back to rich mix of fuel to increase power. Now Mercedes said the new CGI technology can extend the lean burn mode to higher rpm, thus reduce fuel consumption. In the CLS350 CGI, it still operates in lean burn mode at speed of 75 mph.

In Europe at least, the CGI V6 will replace the existing 3.5 V6 for CLS350. It seems that sooner or later all other Mercedes V6 and V8 engines will switch to CGI as well.

Feb 28, 2006

Rolls-Royce 101EX

Compare with last year's 100EX convertible concept car, this year's Rolls-Royce 101EX Coupe is a rather lazy job. No more interesting claim (although we didn't believe) of V16 engine, now it returns to the reality of V12, the same as Phantom. The 101EX is of course a short-wheelbase, 2-door coupe version of Phantom, as its look implies strongly. Still called a concept, I have no doubt it will enter production in 2008, or sooner. Rolls-Royce beat Maybach last year in the super luxury segment, but selling only 796 cars was far from breakeven. It will need to add both a coupe and a convertible to increase sales.

Feb 28, 2006

Saab Aero-X concept

In the past few years Saab was not lack of concepts, but which one was turned into reality? just when its future is in doubt, GM uses a new Saab concept car to give us hope again. The Aero-X is said to be previewing the design direction of future Saab models. But without its own engineering independence, how can it realize such designs? say, how to apply the design theme of Aero-X to the next generation 9-5, based on Opel Vecta platform without altering the hard points?

Perhaps this concept car has more political meaning than real usage. It keeps the faith of Saab's employees, fans and dealers alive.

Feb 27, 2006

Porsche 911 GT3

After 911 Turbo, Porsche has renewed the 911 GT3 into 997 iteration. From the appearance, you can easily distinguish the new GT3 from the old car as well as from the regular Carrera or Carrera S. Its bumpers and spoilers are clearly function-oriented - sadly, more like the works of tuners. However, its unique central exhaust is difficult to be copied by tuners, so this should be the trademark of the car.

Aerodynamic drag coefficient is now reduced by a point to 0.29, thanks to a new rear spoiler and smoother underfloor panels.

As before, the GT3 is the basis of Porsche's track car, so compare with 911 Turbo it emphasizes on lightweight and sharp handling. At 1395 kg, it gains only 15 kilograms from the old generation, comfortably lighter than the 1585 kg 911 Turbo. Even compare with the considerably less powerful Carrera S, it is still 25 kg lighter.

Power continues to come from the 3600cc flax-six derived from the old GT1's unit instead of the road-going 911's engine. Like the last two generations, it has titanium con-rods, lightweight pistons and valvetrains to achieve extra power through high rev. The sharp throttle response of the naturally aspirated engine should be more attractive to keen drivers than 911 Turbo.

Compare with the old GT3, the new engine improved mainly in breathing, for example, larger diameter throttle butterflies (up from 76mm to 82mm), improved Varioram intake manifold, optimized cylinder heads and a lower back-pressure exhaust by larger volume silencer. This lifts its maximum rev by 200 rpm to 8400 rpm. Maximum power increased from 381hp to 415hp at 7600 rpm, while max torque increased from 284 lbft to 299 lbft at 5500 rpm. The amount of increment is amazing for such modifications, especially considering the old engine was already good for 106 horsepower per litre. The flat-six now produces 115 horsepower per litre, beating even Ferrari F430's V8 (114hp per litre) !

When we talk of power to weight ratio, it returns 298 horsepower per ton, very close to the new 911 Turbo (303 hp / ton) and comfortably ahead of the 3.8-litre Carrera S (250 hp / ton). If you take handling and braking into account, the lightweight GT3 must be in a league not even the Turbo can match.

Like the new 911 Turbo, GT3 is equipped with 350mm ventilated disc brakes as standard, with 6-pot front and 4-pot rear calipers. 380mm PCCB ceramic brakes are offered as option. New to the car is the PASM adaptive dampers. Porsche said in normal mode the stiffness of damping is about the same as the last GT3. Judging from the stiff setting of the old car, we can assume the sport mode is only reserved for track use.

Benefited by the more powerful engine and a reworked 6-speed manual gearbox (with the last 5 ratios lowered), the official claim of 0-62 mph is reduced from 4.5 to 4.3 seconds, while top speed is lifted from 190 to 193 mph. 0-100 mph takes 8.7 seconds. It's not as quick as Ferrari F430 though.

Feb 27, 2006

Koenigsegg CCX: no world breaker

Although Koenigsegg hinted its new CCX would be a contender for the world speed record, it is not. Now the official details show it is only a US Federalized version of the CCR, thus top speed remains at "more than 395 kph" (245.4 mph), slower than Bugatti Veyron's 252.95 mph record.

The CCX retains the 806 horsepower engine of the CCR. It gets a new front and rear bumper to comply with the requirements of US safety regulation, as is the addition of rear glass window. Other changes include a new side skirts to enhance downforce, 50 mm more headroom and the first carbon fiber wheels which save 3kg per wheel. It also features ceramic brakes, saving another 2 kg each corner.

Feb 27, 2006

Lotus VVA concept hints new Proton ?

Is this a new Proton ? Lotus Engineering said the APX concept car (stands for "Aluminum Performance Crossover") is a feasible prototype close to production. Yes, from the detailed construction of the car we see it is obviously not just a show car. From the styling, especially the V-shape grille and rear hatch, it has strong indication of a Proton. Is it designed for Proton ?

Lotus said it is the first example of its VVA (Versatile Vehicle Architecture) technology, which uses aluminum extrusions and stampings connected to die-cast aluminum nodes by rivets, adhesives and flow-drill screws to form a stiff structure. This architecture allows construction of very different cars, from front-engined SUVs to mid-engined sports cars, using the same production toolings, thus save tremendous production costs for low volume production up to 30,000 cars a year. This is especially suitable to produce niche vehicles. In fact, the next generation Lotus Esprit to be launched in 2008 will adopt the VVA technology.

The APX prototype is a 5-2 seating 4WD crossover between SUV and MPV. It is powered by a Lotus-developed 3.0 DOHC supercharged V6 mounted longitudinally. The V6 is another production feasible demonstration. Lotus developed it as an engine family consisting of 2.2-litre, 3.0 litre naturally aspirated form and 3.0 supercharged form. It doesn't use very sophisticated technologies, for example, no mentioning of VVT or direct injection etc. No wonder Lotus claims it is easy for manufacturing. In the 3.0 supercharged form, the V6 pumps out 300 horsepower and 265 lbft of torque, allowing the 1570 kg APX a good performance of 152 mph and 0-60: in 5.0 seconds. It also returns a remarkable fuel consumption of 32 mpg.

Lotus made it clear the V6 can be offered to any manufacturers interested in it, but it will not be destined to its own cars. This mean the new Esprit will seek engines from a mass production manufacturer. The main reason is still cost problem. After the failure of its own 3.5 twin-turbo V8, Lotus is not going to produce engines for itself anymore.

Feb 27, 2006

2006 WCOTY finalists announced

Last year, a panel of various international automotive journalists elected Audi A6 as the first ever World Car of the Year. This year they are gathered again to determine the 2006 WCOTY. Here below are the 10 finalists they chose:

BMW 3-series
Honda Civic / Civic Hybrid
Land Rover Range Rover Sport
Lexus IS
Mazda MX-5
Mercedes M-class
Mercedes S-class
Porsche Cayman S
Suzuki Swift
Volkswagen Passat

The winner will be announced on April 13 in New York auto show. Which one will you put your money on?

Feb 22, 2006

Geneva Show: a big time to supercars

Wow, next week's Geneva show will be a big time for supercars. At the entry level, Porsche will show its new generation 911 Turbo (480hp) while Mercedes CLS63 AMG (514hp) will make debut as well. In the middle range are Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 (640hp) and Ferrari 599GTB (620hp). On the top, Koenigsegg will unveil its secret CCX to challenge the speed record of Bugatti Veyron. Until now nobody except Koenigsegg itself knows the technical details of the CCX�c. I can't wait any longer !

Feb 22, 2006

Murcielago upgrades to LP640 !!

Lamborghini has released the first pictures and details of the facelifted Murcielago. It is called "LP640", which implied its 640 horsepower output. (Remark: note that this breaks the tradition of Lamborghini, in which the number following LP indicated engine capacity) The upgraded big Lambo has a heavily redesigned V12 displacing 6.5 liters (up from 6.2). New crankshaft, cylinder heads, camshafts, intake and exhaust means the engine is almost new. Horsepower increases from 580hp to 640hp at 8000 rpm, while max torque inches up from 479 to 487 lbft at 6000 rpm. With the new V12, LP640 can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds, or a reduction of 0.4 second. This is partly contributed by the addition of Ferrari-style electronic launch control.

Details are still scarce, but we know other modifications include optional ceramic brakes and a new gearbox. However, the viscous-coupling 4WD system is retained.

As seen in the photos, the LP640 gets more aggressive bumper, intakes and aero kit treatment. The side intakes are especially enlarged to cool the hotter engine. Optionally, customers can order a glass engine cover to let his guests view through the mighty 640 horsepower V12.

Feb 22, 2006

FIA proposes big (and very good) changes to F1 rules

You may remember 3 years ago I wrote an editorial F1 to the wrong direction. In that article I pointed out the current F1 technologies were far removed from the real world. While the automotive world was focusing on low emission and low fuel consumption technologies, F1 was competing in a completely different environment. As a result, F1 technologies were no longer applicable to road cars. I therefore proposed FIA to ban refueling, to impose fuel limit and tighten tank size each year to drive the development of fuel-saving technologies that eat no horsepower.

Now FIA president Max Mosley is proposing a similar rule for the F1 racing from 2011. In the proposal, Mosley wants to give all cars a specific amount of fuel for each race. The teams are allowed to use whatever of engines, of whatever cc, whatever no. of cylinders�c basically, there is no rules for engines anymore. The teams are free to design their engines to make use of the limited fuel to achieve the best performance.

"All kinds of motors will be allowed," Mosley said, "but every car will get an equal amount of fuel. So it will be based on (fuel) consumption. Who wins will be the one who uses (the fuel) best."

Whether the engine manufacturers will support this proposal is yet to be seen. However, if it get the greenlight, it will undoubtedly accelerate the development of green technology that will be more easily transferred to our road cars. It will also make F1 racing more interesting because of the diversified engine technologies used by different teams. Let's hope it will be approved.

Feb 21, 2006

BMW twin-turbo straight-6

BMW is officially unveiling the long-rumoured 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight-6 ! This engine will be first used in the 3-series sedan and new 3-series coupe, dubbed 335i and 335Ci respectively to reflect their performance level instead of engine capacity. This is BMW's first turbocharged petrol engine since the 745i turbo of 1980. In the past quarter century, BMW insisted naturally aspiration was the only way to deliver the instant throttle response it required. As turbo technology improves, while its 3.0 straight-6 started losing performance edge over its larger capacity rivals, BMW is lured back to the turbocharged camp.

Codenamed N54, the new engine is based on the current R6 3.0 straight-6. However, it has the magnesium-aluminum block replaced with conventional aluminum alloy to handle higher thermal stress. The Valvetronic and Double-Vanos are retained. Direct injection is added to the straight-6 for the first time (previously only featured in the V12 of 760Li). This help cooling the combustion chambers and is especially suitable for a turbocharged engine.

To eliminate turbo lag - a deadly sin to BMW, it employs two very small turbochargers, each fed by 3 consecutive cylinders, to boost a relatively low pressure. The result is a modest power gain - 306 horsepower (DIN) compare to the 258 hp standard engine and 265hp engine used in 130i and Z4. However, as all other LPT (low pressure turbocharged) engines, the emphasis here is torque: increased from 221 / 232 lbft to 295 lbft, and this is available from 1500 rpm to 5800 rpm. Best of all, the 7000 rpm redline is unaltered by the turbo conversion.

According to BMW's own testing, the 335i sedan can sprint from rest to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds, an improvement of half a second from 330i. While its max power matches the current (engine) class leader Lexus IS350, its widely accessible torque should put it in the lead. For comparison, the Toyota engine produces 277 lbft at 4800 rpm. I also expect the BMW engine to return lower fuel consumption. The new engine bridges the wide gap between the 258hp 330i and the forthcoming 400hp M3.

Feb 21, 2006

Industry News

Smart Roadster to be sold to Project Kimber

DaimlerChrysler announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding with UK consortium "Project Kimber" (previously tried to bid for the assets of MG Rover) to sell the production right of Smart Roadster. Last year DC announced it will stop production of the Roadster / Roadster Coupe later this year. If a final agreement is reached, Project Kimber will purchase the intellectual properties and production toolings of the Roadster and Roadster Coupe, though it will sell the car as another brand, probably one of the ex-MG Rover's marques, started from 2007.

Feb 16, 2006

Mercedes CLS63 and CLK63 AMG

Following the introduction of AMG's new 6.3 V8 engine, CLS55 and CLK55 AMG has been replaced by CLS63 and CLK63 AMG respectively.

To CLK, the new 4-valve per cylinder V8 brings a huge enhancement to output - horsepower surges from 367 hp to 481 hp, while max torque increases from 376 lbft to 464 lbft. Moreover, its long-serving 5-speed automatic is replaced by the 7G-Tronic.

CLS63 gets the same engine and transmission, but the V8 is rated at 514 hp and 464 lbft, probably due to less restricted exhaust allowed by its larger engine compartment. However, compare with the output of the old supercharged 5.5 V8 - 476hp and 516 lbft, the new engine does not overwhelm the old one. Anyway, the 7-speed gearbox helps to reduce 0-60 time to 4.4 seconds, or an improvement of 0.2 sec.

Feb 14, 2006

Porsche 997 Turbo is launched !

One and a half year after the debut of 997 Carrera, Porsche is finally ready to launch the top-of-the-range 997 Turbo. Outside, the evolution from 996 to 997 Turbo is mainly limited to the tweak of air intakes, spoilers and the return to traditional circular headlights. Drag coefficient is unchanged at 0.31. Aerodynamic lift is reduced slightly, but you cannot see this.

Measure more detailedly and you will find the new Turbo gained 22 mm width. Despite of using aluminum doors, it got an extra 45 kg kerb weight. Now it stands at 1585 kg (DIN), some 135 kg more than the all-aluminum Ferrari F430, but still comfortably lighter than other grand tourers like BMW M6 and Aston Martin DB9.

Of course, every time Porsche allowed weight increase must accompany with even more power gain. The new Turbo has its 24-valve water-cooled boxer engine remains at 3600 cc, as is the Variocam-Plus variable valve timing and lift system. What's new is a pair of variable geometry turbochargers developed by BorgWarner (which acquired KKK some years ago if my memory is correct). It is said to be the world's first VTG turbo for petrol engines, whose exhaust gas is much hotter than diesel engines thus require specially-developed, heating-resisting turbine. The variable exhaust vane geometry makes better use of the exhaust flow regardless of rpm, thus improve turbo response, reduce turbo lag and increase power.

As a result, the 3.6-litre twin-turbo engine pumps out 480 horsepower at 6000 rpm, 60 horses up from the standard 996 Turbo, or just 3 horses down on the current GT2. The new engine is also much more torquey and flexible. It produces 457 lbft from 1950-5000 rpm, versus the old car's 413 lbft / 2700-4600 rpm. If this is not enough, an optional Sport program offers a 10-second overboost of 0.2 bar, taking the max torque to a mighty 501 lbft !

Porsche says the 997 Turbo equipped with 6-speed manual gearbox can accelerate from 0-100kph (62mph) in merely 3.9 seconds and 200kph in 12.8 seconds. Quite unbelievably, it claims the car with 6-speed Tiptronic S transmission is even faster, taking 3.7 seconds and 12.2 seconds only. As for top speed, it returns the same 310kph (193mph). Strangely, it is a conventional automatic transmission with torque converter instead of a DSG dual-clutch gearbox, so how could it manage faster performance?

Now what about the chassis? the 997's body is expected to boost higher stiffeness than 996, although Porsche provides no figures. The 22mm extra width should bring higher stability, as is the reshaped bi-plane rear spoiler. However, most important is a new 4WD system which replaces the outgoing (passive) viscous coupling with an (active) electronic-controlled multiplate clutch. PTM (Porsche Traction Management) program determines the amount of torque needed to transfer to the front wheels. This should enhance grip, stability and reduce undesired understeer.

Braking power also received upgrade. Come standard is a set of 350mm diameter ventilated discs all round (old car: 330mm) with monobloc 6-pot front or 4-pot rear calipers. Of course, 380mm PCCB ceramic composite brakes again are offered as option. They save 17 valuable kilograms from the unsprung weight.

So, the new 911 Turbo should be noticeably faster and better to handle than the outgoing car. Surprisingly, it also successfully reduced fuel consumption by 10%. Now the manual-shift Turbo returns 22 mpg on EU combined cycle, while the automatic returns 20.7 mpg.