Two hypercars, three years apart. The Bugatti Divo follows the form and function of the older Chiron (they even share the same drivetrain). Consistent with Bugatti’s practice with its creations in recent years, both cars are named after race drivers: Albert Divo of France and Louis Chiron of Monaco, respectively.
The Chiron came out three years earlier than the Divo
While these twin terrors sport the familiar Bugatti styling and demonstrate astounding performance on the tarmac, they do have notable differences beyond age. What distinguishes the Divo from its predecessor? Let’s find out.
BUGATTI Chiron 0-400-0 km/h in 42 seconds – A WORLD RECORD #IAA2017
Bugatti Divo: World Premiere
Chiron vs Divo: Exterior
Below its streamlined V-shaped hood, the Chiron’s fascia sports a pair of quad-LED headlamp arrays on either side of the horseshoe grille, resting above air intakes recessed into the front bumper.
The Chiron's quad-LED array (top) has been replaced by LED strips on the Divo (bottom)
Meanwhile, the Divo features a reworked façade. The wider grille rests on top of a larger front splitter which terminates at two vertical fins on both sides.
The intakes are menacingly larger, and the headlamps are more elegant LED strips, followed by louvers over the front wheels. Massive air vents on the hood add to the Divo’s more aggressive look.
The Divo has a sharper-looking profile with the large side skirts and smaller air intake
The sides of the Chiron are dominated by the C-shaped air intake, a design element it inherited from the Veyron. It’s certainly stylish, but the curves somewhat fall in conveying that sense of speed.
This has been rectified on the Divo, where the curve terminates much higher at the door, and the side skirts are more prominent than ever.
Without the door handles to mar the profile, the sleekness of the profile has been heightened. There’s even a large NACA air duct on the roof, diverting air straight into the engine.
A large rear wing is one of the Chiron's trademarks
At the rear, the Chiron sports a wide, retractable wing. An elegant LED light bar serves as the taillamp, placed over air vents on either side of the body. Two exhaust outlets at the center are flanked by large air diffusers.
The Divo's backside is angrier and more pronounced
All these have been redesigned on the Divo, which now has a bigger spoiler that’s 23 percent wider, resulting in an additional 90 kgs. of downforce on top of the 366 kgs. the Chiron makes. The taillamps are now LED clusters that look more sinister, and larger rear diffusers bookend a set of four central tailpipes.
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Chiron vs Divo: Interior
The cabin is largely the same in terms of layout and capacity, with the interior design and control placements on the Chiron carried over to the Divo for the most part.
A luxurious interior is par for the course on the Chiron
The seats have been slightly redesigned to offer more lateral support, and larger shift paddles are located behind the steering wheel.
The center console armrest has been upsized, although the storage compartments there and on the door panels from the Chiron have been removed.
Some changes on the Divo's interior include Alcantara material and fewer storage spaces
While the Chiron wrapped its occupants in luxurious leather material, the Divo replaces this with Alcantara. The two-tone palette breaks the color monotony, with bright highlights on both the driver and passenger seats. Thinner insulation material was also used.
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Chiron vs Divo: Performance
Both the Chiron and Divo are powered by the same 8.0L W16 engine quad-turbo behind the cabin, which makes almost 1500 hp and 1,600 Nm of torque.
Even the 7-speed dual-clutch transmission driving all four wheels is identical, the largest ever fitted on a production car. Although both accelerate to 100 km/h from a standstill in 2.4 seconds, the Divo’s top speed is locked at 380 km/h, compared to 420 km/h on the Chiron.
Both the Chiron and Divo use the same 8.0L W16 quad-turbo
What’s unique to the Divo is how it uses all that power. While the Chiron was built for speed, the Divo emphasizes maneuverability.
Some 77 lbs. were shed from the Chiron’s curb weight in making the Divo, and the aerodynamic bits contribute to 1,005 kgs. of downforce, 198 more than on the Chiron.
Although it's more suited to the tracks, the Divo is still heavier than its rivals
The Divo’s chassis is 35 kgs. lighter which, coupled with a reworked suspension, results in a higher lateral acceleration of 1.6G. Bugatti says that the Divo clocked 8 seconds faster than the Chiron on the Nardo test track in France.
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Chiron vs Divo: Price and numbers
Only 40 examples of the Divo are expected worldwide, and every single one has been spoken for, to the tune of US$5,800,000 (Php 294,611,000).
Meanwhile, the Chiron has a relatively more affordable price tag of US$2,998,000 (Php 152,283,410), with less than 100 units available to complete its planned sales of 500.
You might still have time to save up for a Chiron
Which of these two will be the hypercar of your dreams? Lusting after cars? Indulge your senses with Philkotse.com.