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Audi’s entry-level R8 sports car will wield a twin-turbocharged V6 engine

Rumors of a turbocharged Audi R8 are resurfacing, this time with more details. Reportedly the entry level R8 will get a much smaller powertrain than both the old 4.2-liter V8 and the new 5.2-liter V10.

Due in 2-3 years, the new “starter R8” will use a 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V6 with around 450 horsepower. While that’s significantly less than the current 540 HP R8 V10, it’s a good bit more pep than the old 4.2-liter V8’s 414 horses.

The move to downsize and turbocharge motors has become commonplace among performance automakers. Porsche will turbocharge almost its entire 911 lineup within the next couple years and even Bentley has put twin-turbocharged V8’s on offer as an alternative to the classic W12.

Improvements in turbocharger engineering have rendered power delays almost negligible and have opened up a world of performance and efficiency gains for automakers who must stretch to meet more stringent fuel consumption and CO2 emissions regulations. An added bonus is that more sales can be made in China where massive vehicle taxes are levied on large-engined cars.

Audi’s V10 will likely remain in rotation for several more years, but output (presently at 610 HP for the R8 V10 Plus) will likely level off and instead weight reduction from lighter compound construction materials will be employed to improve performance over time.

Elsewhere in Audi’s lineup, we can expect to see smaller turbocharged motors trickle into performance models like the S4 and RS4.

Miles Branman
Miles Branman developed a passion for cars early on thanks to a neighbor’s collection of rare and exotic vehicles. What…
The Ghostbusters have a new ride in Frozen Empire, courtesy of Mercedes Benz
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Later this month, the Ghostbusters will be back on the big screen in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. And while three generations of the team are coming together, there is a big addition to the crew: The ECTO-Z. At an event in New York City, Mercedes-Benz officially unveiled the Ghostbusters' new ride, which is a customized Mercedes-Benz Sprinter that follows in the footsteps of the iconic ECTO-1 from the first three films.

Given the larger size of the second and third-generation Ghostbusters team, it was only natural that they would need a vehicle that could carry all of them to the scene of a haunting anywhere in NYC. As for the name, it comes from original team member Dr. Winston Zeddemore, as played by Ernie Hudson. Ghostbusters: Afterlife established that Zeddemore is now the financial backer of the Ghostbusters and the de facto leader of the team.

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Everything points to Apple TV+ making a change you’re not going to like
Is an ad-supported tier coming to Apple TV+?
The Apple TV Plus Logo

It turns out that TV worked pretty well under its old model. According to a new report from Business Insider, Apple TV+ may be the latest streaming service that's set to introduce an ad-supported tier and charge those who don't stream with ads a premium fee to access their great shows and movies.

At this point, the report is still speculation, but Apple has made several recent hires in the advertising space that seem to suggest the direction they're planning to take. The company recently hired former NBCUniversal ad executive Joseph Cady to serve as executive vice president of advanced advertising and partnerships, a move that comes following the company's hiring of another former NBCUniversal executive, Jason Frum, who joined Apple's video ad sales team.

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From Gilda Radner to Ali Wong, these are the best female comedians of all time
These women from all generations will make you laugh out loud
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Hot take: I don’t care for straight male comedians. It’s not that they’re not funny, they’re just … I don’t know, boring? Maybe that’s reductive of me, but I never seem to leave a straight male comedian’s set feeling particularly inspired. And though some may argue that it’s not important for a set to "inspire" its audience, I’d actually argue that the opposite is true. For me, I want to see a comedian use humor to address real issues and say real things about the world, even if they do it in a completely goofy way.

Therefore, I tend to prefer female and female-identified comedians. They’re sharp, tough, and have often seen shit that makes their comedy feel raw and true. Undoubtedly there are male comedians who do this, too, but to a much lesser degree, in my very humble and very personal opinion.

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