Are you ready for Gumball 2015?

The Gumball 3000 Rally is a point-to-point road rally. It's no Mille Miglia, but instead a hedonistic party on wheels for the world's one-per-centers with a love of fast cars and a whole lot of money to burn.

Before you're even considered for the entry list there's a £60,000 fee to cough up. That kind of price draws a particular crowd: playboys, rappers, F1 drivers, sheiks, Silicon Valley millionaires, and people made of a silicon valley. It's a smorgasbord of thick-walleted types, and this year Top Gear is joining the party.

We've grabbed a drive with Guess jeans - who've entered three Dodge Vipers, complete with models as co-pilots - to give you a feel of what the Gumball's like from the inside.

Why? Because the public perception of the Gumball has been, it's fair to say, ‘mixed' since the rally's inception in 1999, and we're interested to see where it stands now.

The Gumball is the brainchild of British designer, former racecar driver and entrepreneur Maximillion Cooper.

Back in the late Nineties, Cooper invited 50 of his closest friends on a 3,000-mile journey from London to Rimini, Italy and back. With fast cars and names like Guy Richie and Kate Moss on the guest list, it was an uber-exclusive event envied by many. The cars were fast, the names were big, the parties were bigger and the overall attitude was ‘frankly, my dear, we don't give a damn'.

From there, the Gumball's fame swelled quickly. When the Jackass crew took part and released the footage as an MTV special, it was one of the music channels most-watched programmes.

But as it became ever bigger, the Gumball angered many who saw the drivers as irresponsible, glorifying intemperance and seemingly above the law. That was brought to the wider world's attention when the 2007 Gumball 3000 rally was cancelled after two British drivers were involved in a fatal road accident in Macedonia.

That tragedy forced the Gumball to change, the organisers claiming it has matured and morphed into a ‘lifestyle brand' with a rally attached. Has it? That's what we're here to find out.

This year's route sees us leaving Stockholm, Sweden for Oslo, Copenhagen and Amsterdam before the vehicles are flown via Antonov, and the humans via a chartered ‘Gumball Air' Jet, to Reno, Nevada.

There the nomadic party pack and exotic cars will continue on to San Francisco and Los Angeles before rolling into the neon-lit geographical embodiment of the Gumball: Sin City itself, Las Vegas.

Over the years a slew of celebs have joined the Gumball, including Matthew McConaughey, Jenson Button, Damon Hill, and, er, Martine McCutcheon.

But the glitterati competing this year would send the picture editor of the back pages of OK! magazine into a tizz. Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton, DJ deadmau5, freestyle skiing champion Jon Olsson, as well as the staple members of the ‘Gumball Family' - The Hoff, Tony Hawk, Xzibit etc - are all on it.

Due to the unique way Top Gear organises things - i.e not at all - we're going in to the whole event completely blind. We've just got a plane ticket to the start, hotel for the first night and a return flight from Vegas in six days time. Anything could happen between now and then, and we could be clinging on the transaxle of a trailer to Vegas for all we know.

Oh, and if you think we've forgotten about the cars, we haven't. When they hit the grid, we'll round them up into a big ol' gallery for you. So look out for that.

We'll try to speak to as many eccentrics, celebs and Fortune 500 CEOs as we can, and get any questions you've got answered. So tap us up in the comments below and we'll try and get them answered. But bear with us, as things are known to get a bit crazy round here...

post from sitemap

First drive: Alfa Romeo 4C Spider

What’s this, then?

The Alfa Romeo 4C Spider. A quite gorgeous, 237bhp opportunity on wheels.

Opportunity for what, besides a suntan?

For the 4C to redeem itself. We love the little Alfa's looks, and the back-to-basics thinking that brought us a £45,000 creation featuring a carbon monocoque and unassisted steering. But the result has, so far, been a wayward and polarizing disappointment.

Richard Hammond drives the Alfa 4C coupe

You'd imagine Alfa would've been strung by criticism of the 4C coupe's stiff ride, droning exhaust, fiendish turbo lag, penchant for tramlining and bizarrely inconsistent steering weight. And the god-awful steering wheel itself, come to mention it.

It's been 18 months since the Alfa 4C exploded onto the scene and, to our dismay, got nowhere near a Lotus or Porsche dynamically. Plenty of time for a chassis rethink.

And a de-roofing...

There's more to the 4C Spider than an unhappy meeting between a 4C coupe and a hacksaw. Note the all-new, Ferrari-esque rear deck, featuring buxom buttresses and a curvaceous vent slicing into the engine cover.

Rear visibility nukes the claustrophobic hard-top's, and the even more dramatic (if slightly less elegant) side profile sprouts carbonfibre transmission-cooling intake. Best of all, the windscreen pillars and header rail are now fashioned in exquisitely finished carbon.

Wallpapers: Alfa Romeo 4C coupe in Italy

Apparently, when the Spider was unveiled in Detroit, Italian carbon fetishist and part-time hypercar-maker Horacio Pagani strode onto the Alfa stand and congratulated his compatriots on the 4C's weave. That's high praise.

Besides new alloys and a slightly less idiosyncratic radio, the only other tweak is new headlights. One-piece clusters are fitted to all 4C Spiders, finally ridding the 4C of its most controversial aesthetic feature - the fussy, cheap-looking bug-eye lights.

Hurrah! What else?

Up front, beneath that hawkish bodywork, the windscreen structure has been anchored into the tub with extra reinforcements. The chassis weight has only increased by 8kg, but the Spider is actually 45kg heavier than the coupe 4C, mostly because of extra equipment.

Triple test: Alfa 4C coupe vs Porsche Cayman vs Lotus Exige S

Standard air-con, a sliding passenger seat and even the natty new headlights add kilos, so the Spider's kerbweight rises from 895kg to 930kg. That's about what a supercharged Lotus Elise weighs - but over 130kg less than a Lotus Exige Roadster and the same amount again less than any Porsche. The 4.5sec 0-62mph claim and 160mph v-max survive undented. Game on.

How does the roof work?

Well, it's not a push-button Audi TT-style job, and neither should it be. That'd be completely at odds with the 4C's lightweight ethos, so instead you get a DIY fabric tent that fits in the engine-aft boot, or the option of Aventador-style carbon targa panels.

The 7kg roof clips in with a fumble but feels securely tied down once you've busted your fingernails. Roof stowed, we were blown away by the refinement. Some wind-tunnel noise has led Alfa to create a spoiler lip across the rood header rail, deflecting the hurricane above over the top of the cabin, leaving the occupants cocooned. And not tone deaf.

How does it drive?

Well, the steering is better. Obviously we need to drive it in the UK to be sure, but we found some substitute shoddy Italian roads on this first impression. The Spider didn't forget where it was being steered or charge off down the road following camber.

Review: Alfa 4C driven in the UK

Alfa says it's made detail changes to the steering and front suspension, with the Spider's benefitting from slightly more front-biased weight distribution pressing the front tyres down. It's split 40:60 front-rear, versus the hard-top's 35:65.

Company insiders also whispered the Spider handles a little bit better because the 4C is Alfa's first hand-built car in a long while, and, basically, they've had some practice and started building it properly.

Is that it?

The rest is largely as you were. Inconsistent steering weighting, a general lack of feel through the elephantine steering wheel, rubbish flat seats, and a bizarre combination of lazy, laggy throttle response and a twin-clutch gearbox that likes to be at ten-tenths to behave.

The 4C is frenetic where a Boxster flows, but Alfa insists the car is ‘finished' and this is how it intended - and how the owners it surveyed prefer the car.

That's the 4C Spiders on big wheels and ‘race pack' suspension, anyway. The 4C is more spec-sensitive than a Nando's menu.

How so?

Alfa also brought along a basic car, wearing tiny 17/18-inch wheels, comfort-spec suspension, and fitted with the much-more mature standard exhaust. It was even right-hand drive, and it's easily the sweetest 4C I've driven.

The steering effort was far more predictable and manageable, and the car was barely deflected or camber-led. At last, it's a 4C you can enjoy driving, rather than constantly managing its flaws in an effort to steer clear of your neighbour's front garden.

So the base-spec 4C is the best?

Yes - though buyers apparently don't pay a blind bit of notice to that, and mostly option their cars in the loudest, brashest specs.

And though the Spider gets more kit as standard, the £59,500 base price is rather steep - right in the firing line of some serious metal which isn't ruined with a mere tick of the options list...

post from sitemap

First drive: Lamborghini Aventador SV

• Next steps

  Book a test drive

  Order a brochure

  

What's this, then?

The Super Veloce, or ‘super speed', is a faster version of the Aventador. Which means it's faster than a very fast thing. Faster in every respect, too: more power, less weight, much more downforce.

So it goes, stops, and grips more than the car that has already put on some pretty insane performances on the occasions we've had it on a track.

How insane?

Well, there's that very bonkers video of it on the Nurburgring Nordschleife at the hands of a Pirelli test driver who was in its development team. He comes home (just) in under seven minutes (just). A 'normal' Aventador is reckoned to be at least 20 sec slower.

How did they do that?

It's up to a headbanging 750bhp, and the V12's rev limit is now 8500, with a loud new exhaust so everyone knows it. But the extra horses are only a part of it. Some 50kg has been carved out.

And once you're above 60mph or so, there's a truly significant amount of downforce. The tyres are specially developed super-sticky Pirellis on bigger rims. How does 355/25 21 strike you for a set of garden rollers?

The pushrod suspension now has adaptive dampers, the superior magneto-rheological kind. And most controversially of all, there's active steering.

Any more details?

Here are the pass notes from the car's launch at this year's Geneva Show.

How does it feel?

Mad. Crazy fast. Lamborghini's V12 really is one of the wonders of the mechanical universe. Its epic hunger for speed is utterly naked. Its connection with you is nerve-meltingly vivid, going as it does without the bubble-wrap of turbos or electrical enhancement or a torque converter transmission, or even in this case much sound deadening.

Every twitch of your toe gets action - big action, right now. So think through the consequences before you ask.

Six-and-a-half litres is enough to bring massive mid-rev torque, so you can tackle corners a gear higher than you first expect. Then as the dial goes clockwise, the thrust amplifies even more. There's no sudden peak or kick-point: it just goes and goes, excitement rising but precision and proportionality intact.

I'm at the Barcelona F1 circuit. Any track like that usually makes a road car feel meek. But the Lambo manages to stamp its impression even here. You're never at full throttle for long. Even the pit straight is consumed as a series of quick chattering bites through third-fourth-fifth.

And yes, the V12 sound echoing off the grandstands really does tingle like the heyday of F1 power.

How does it compare to the regular Aventador?

You know what? I never drove the standard car and came away thinking, 'What this slug needs is more poke'.

A 10 per cent increase in high-rev power-to-weight ratio and a 3 per cent improvement in torque-to-weight, with the same gearing, was never going to be transformative. But hey, I'm not complaining. Anyway, other changes are much more significant.

Which ones?

The chassis, and in particular the steering. I really was sceptical about this. Every active steering system ever built has robbed you of any realistic feel of the road.

But, miracle ahoy, Lambo has cracked that. The wheel rim nibbles and goes light as the front tyres wash into slight understeer. It weights and unweights over cresting corners. It guides you to get the best from the tyres and scolds you when you don't.

There's still a good old hydraulically assisted rack, and your hands have a direct link to it. That's the good news.

Less convincing is the system that interposes itself to change the steering ratio. It moves the rack to add to, or subtract from, your input. And it's unpredictable in your first miles. Its map changes with speed, but not only with speed.

Also with - deep breath - steering angle, rate of steering angle change, inputs from the ESP sensors about cornering load and slip, and the position of the three-way strada-sport-corsa (road-sport-race) switch.

Its main job is to greatly reduce steering input in tight bends, as well as to make the car more stable at big speed. It does, but it made me feel uncomfortable.

And because it's so direct in tight bends, the car's dartiness was amplified by my hands' nerves.
Still, eventually I settled into it, stopped trying to second-guess it, and started to revel in the sense of agility it brings. But I was never quite convinced of the need. The SV is in any case the most agile Aventador ever.

How so?

Less weight, less understeer, more grip everywhere. There is still a little early understeer, but that's right and proper for a road car as it makes you feel secure. The tiniest lift or momentary unwinding of steering lock will cancel it.

Then the SV's gumballs build massive grip, and in fast corners there's aero to help you. We refer the jury once again to that 'Ring video. The SV's big yellow instrument cluster actually includes a g-meter, bigger than the (tiny) speedo. But you've got to be pretty sure of your cornering lines before you pay it much study during a fast lap.

Thing is, you don't need a g-meter. The whole car is telling you what it's up to. You feel the front tyres working, the weight of the engine when you lift, the bulging effort of the rear wheels as you lean on them out of a corner. It all feeds back to you.

And it does it well before you hit the grip limit. This - and not just its sheer theatrical presence and towering poke - was always what made the Aventador so captivating on the road as well as the track.

Even the SV's test drivers and engineers told me it's best to stay inside the limits because when this thing goes, it really goes. So I kept the ESP on. In corsa mode it lets the car squirm a fair bit anyway.

And on the road?

Good question. Today its minders wouldn't let it out of the captivity of the circuit. It'll be noisy on the street, that's for certain-sure. Not just from the new four-pipe exhaust, either.

Absent much of the cabin insulation, there's more (good) engine thrash from behind and more (bad) gravel rattle and tyre hum from below. But I don't fear for the SV's ride. The springs have been only marginally stiffened over the regular Aventador and the new adaptive dampers are, in their relaxed mode, more supple.

The rocket-capsule cockpit architecture is inherited from the standard car, but one-piece shell seats, new instruments and a view of the carbon bones of the car make it more special.

Does it look as bonkers in the flesh?

Cast your eye over all those blades of newly crafted carbon fibre around the periphery of the car, not to mention the acreage of voids set into them to admit and exhale and direct gales of air.
See too the cartoon-size wheels. But then the rest of it, the faceted body and radically raked glass and scissor doors and immense girth and snake-hip height, that's all inherited from the standard Aventador.

Makes the standard Aventador look a bit tame, right?

I'm not so sure. Yes, the SV is extraordinary, and yes, in the hands of a banzai expert it can pelt round a track at a hypercar rate. But if I'm honest, on today's (albeit brief) experience with the SV, I'm left with one abiding impression. Which is what a life-changing event it is to be exposed to an Aventador. Any Aventador...

post from sitemap

Yellow fever: it’s the BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage

"Our Hommage cars not only demonstrate how proud we are of our heritage, but also how important the past can be in determining our future," Adrian van Hooydonk, BMW's group design boss, says.

This 3.0 CSL reboot is certainly TopGear.com's kind of determinator. Even if that's not an actual word, it somehow fits this latest in BMW's pre-Villa d'Este concours specials.

Last year saw the gorgeous Mini Superleggera, and before that we've had an M1 reboot and the unashamedly retro 328 MM. BMW has an enviable back catalogue, but this year they haven't bothered rummaging too deeply to conjure up a surefire crowd-pleaser, and arguably the year's best concept car so far.

The original 3.0 CSL - better known as the ‘Batmobile' - was an endurance racing legend, of which only 1265 were built between 1972 and 1975. Men with big facial hair and names like Hans and Dieter monstered them round Spa and the Nürburgring, ripping through an atmosphere that was equal parts oil, strong lager and sausage.

Richard Hammond drives the BMW 3.0 CSL 'Batmobile'

These days, a good CSL will set you back close to £250,000, and it's become a staple of the high-end classic car market.

A bewinged and tweaked version of the pretty CS coupe, the Batmobile wasn't all mouth and no trousers. In fact, it was about very skinny trousers because, then as now, stripping out weight was a great way to go faster.

So the CSL had an aluminium bonnet and door skins, and used thin-gauge steel panels elsewhere on its body. UK cars kept niceties like electric windows and bumpers, but the 765 left-hook CSLs ditched more or less everything.

So even if the 2015 homage is a piece of showstopping eye candy, BMW is keen to join the weight-saving dots back to the original. This time it's all about carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP), a material the company has become expert in across recent M cars, its i cars, and a technology that'll underpin this autumn's all-new 7-Series.

That'll be lovely, we're sure, but it won't be (I)this(I). The CSL hommage brilliantly manages to lift the signature bits of the original, and allows them to simmer alongside our favourite parts of the i8.

Check out the fat, wraparound front wings, the little aero blades on top a clear nod to the Seventies car. The carbon side elements suck what little excess visual weight there is clean out of the car's silhouette.

The rear three-quarters are clearly i8-inspired, and the way the rear wing is integrated into the body compresses 40-odd years of design in one act of sublime genius. A full-length LED strip ties it all together.

It's expressly not just a slavish update of the old car, as head of design Karim Habib says. "Some of the parallels are not immediately obvious. We wanted people to sense the family resemblance rather than see it straight off."

BMW is currently being coy about whether there's an M4 under here somewhere, an i8, or a new mix of both. In fact, it won't say anything, in a most likely doomed attempt to stop the entire car universe demanding that they build it immediately.

But there's definitely an eBoost hybrid six-cylinder under the bonnet, vented by a huge carbon fibre deflector and the angriest, sharkiest set of kidneys ever seen on a Bimmer. The headlights are laser jobs, which chuck out illumination in an X shape. There are 21-inch bi-colour alloys, with control blades on the wheel rims. Like the i8, the CSL hommage is also all-wheel drive.

The cockpit continues the CSL/i8 mash-up. It's pretty minimal in here, with only a central eBoost charging display interrupting the wood strip that runs the full length of the cockpit, another conspicuous nod to the original. Everything else is housed in a central display on the steering column.

A pair of crash helmets are mounted in the transmission tunnel, and instead of rear seats you get what BMW describes as covers for the eBoost energy accumulators. There's some fancy 3D reflector light trickery going on, too. And a fire extinguisher, with red anodised nozzles.

Unless the CSL turns out to be a steaming mess of mangled expectations in the flesh, there really is only one, inescapable conclusion. This car has to happen.

post from sitemap

Meet the lovely Zagato Mostro

DB4. V12 Vantage. Raptor. TZ3 Corsa. TZ3 Stradale. Vanquish. Z4. Italian design house Zagato has kicked out some of the motoring world's most astonishing cars, and today, we can add another one. Ladies and gentlemen, please be upstanding for the Zagato ‘Mostro'.

It's a limited edition, coachbuilt car that'll make its debut at the upcoming Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, and pays homage to the 1957 Maserati 450 S Coupe Zagato ‘Monster'. It also celebrates Maserati's centenary, and we can't think of a better gift.

That 450 S, Zagato explains, was built for racing first, and then converted to the road, and so it goes with the new Mostro. It's a track special that's road-legal, and features a ‘MonoCell' carbon fibre chassis (that's a McLaren term, but it's unclear whether Zagato has borrowed a Woking-built carbon tub: if so, it's undergone some pretty serious modification), coupled to some steel tubing to accommodate the cabin and the subframe.

The bodywork is made entirely of carbon fibre, and up front - but behind the front axle - sits a dry-dumped, Maserati-sourced V8 engine. No power output is given, but we can assume it'll get at least 460bhp.

This engine is hooked up to a semi-automatic six-speed gearbox, driving the rear wheels. There's double wishbones at the front and rear, with a pushrod spring and shock set-up. 19-inch wheels sit over ‘large' disc brakes.

More important than the tech detail is that it looks truly stunning. "The final design of the Mostro is not nostalgic," explains Zagato, "but rather iconic."

Zagato says the proportions of the Mostro mirror that of the lovely 450 S: that huge bonnet, small, rounded tail and "significant stylistic purity". The doors are delicious, too, opening upwards in a decision "dictated by the shape of the carbon fibre cell."

As mentioned, it's a limited edition car: Zagato will be building just five, and all have been accounted for. There's also no mention of price, but as you can't buy one, that's probably a moot point. They'll all be finished and delivered by the end of 2015, however, so if one of you lucky five is reading this, erm, get in touch? Please?

post from sitemap

First drive: 2015 DS 5

A facelift to the DS5? Should we file under ‘nothing to see here'?

Au contraire, mes amis. Bear with us. First, it's not the Citroen DS5. The Citroen nameplate is nowhere to be seen. This is the first car in Europe where the DS nameplate is born as a marque by itself, the third brand of PSA: Peugeot, Citroen and DS. As such it's the DS[space]5.

That must be the feeblest trick in the book of desperate marketing wheezes. Old car, new grille, new name: huzzah. Do they really think they'll fool us?

Your cynicism would normally be justified. We felt the same before we drove it. But guess what? The changes might be small, but they transform the car.

How's that possible with a new chrome grille?

We'll come to the cosmetics later. First the suspension. The DS5 in its Citroen days was always an intriguing and handsome design with a lovely interior. But it was unbuyable because of an awful crashy and shuddery ride, bad enough to pervert the steering as well as subvert your comfort.

Not now. It's nicely supple and placid at all speeds. It floats a bit over big fast undulations but that's a small price to pay. The steering is oddly springy around the centre but has really rather nice old-fashioned feel at the grip limit because it's hydraulic. The column doesn't chatter over bumpy sections like it did either.

I was expecting them to tell me it had new subframe mounts and bushes, new springs, all sorts of changes. But no. All they've done is change the dampers. Nothing fancy or adaptive, just a well-judged passive design with 'pre-loaded valves'.

And they raised the ride height a smidge. That's it. Brilliant tweakery.

So that's the main objection sorted?

While the engineers were at it, the drivelines received some love. The head-tossing robotised manual box has gone, replaced by a proper auto option. And nearly all the engines have had a makeover for Euro 6 with significant CO2 cuts and economy improvements, at least in the official tests. The 150bhp diesel is just 104g/km, which is very good. Less good: its performance is no better than middling. And it's a bit vocal, which is noticeable in an otherwise quiet and civilised car. The 1.6 petrol suffers the same faults.

Anything else?

Indeed. Citroen has ditched the dim-witted old satnav in favour of a quicker-thinking touchscreen-based system, with additional connected apps and smartphone linking (mirroring is Android-only at the mo, but then Apple CarPlay ain't that good yet. And anyway all connected apps in all cars go phut unless there's good 3G or 4G signal, and along most roads there isn't).

And the facelift itself?

Well, the new nose features a bigger cross-hatched grille and its winged chrome surround, plus LED dipped beams that swivel for corners.

Something similar will be seen across the board for DS. That implies facelifts are on the way for the Citroen DS3 and DS4, turning them into the DS 3 and DS 4. Then by 2020 all these cars will be replaced, and three more DSs - two of them crossovers - will be added. That'll make a range of six.

Can I buy one?

If you have £26k and up and wait until July. The changes to the DS5 give you permission to get one. The original DS5 was a highly desirable car, but its dynamics were a deal-breaker.

The new DS 5 might not be class-leading dynamically, but it's plenty good enough not to repel you. And the desirability and uniqueness remain intact.

post from sitemap

Mansory’s S63 Coupe out-torques a Veyron

In what kind of world does a 900bhp, two-ton coupe classify as ‘sensible’? In Mansory’s world, that’s where.

The name Mansory should be familiar to regular readers, the tuner somewhat notorious for applying lurid styling packs to Ferraris and Lamborghinis (among others) and throwing wanton amounts of extra power at everything from G-Wagens to golf carts.

Bearing all that in mind, then, this resketching of the Mercedes S-Class Coupe is positively subtle.

In the eyes of the sane, though, it ought to be anything but. The S63 AMG Coupe's 5.5-litre biturbo V8 engine has been boosted from 577bhp to 888bhp, the equivalent of gaining a Golf R.

Torque has risen by a similarly spectacular margin, hiked from 664 to an electronically limited 960lb ft. For reference, a Bugatti Veyron has 922lb ft. Needless to say, then, this is no slouch, with a 3.3sec 0-62mph time and 186mph top speed.

Aesthetically this is restrained ground for Mansory, which says a lot given those humongous 22in alloys, flared wheelarches and aggressive bumpers. Demand wilder carbon addenda and gaudier colours, though, and we're sure you'll be obliged in exchange for a sufficiently large cheque.

Equally, Mansory already makes an S-Class saloon with much plumper performance figures, and has already eked out similar power for the significantly flasher S63 Coupe Diamond Edition, if your marbles are suitably missing in action.

In a world of 205mph M5 estates and Brabussed 6x6 pickups, how much is too much?

post from sitemap

First drive: Porsche 911 GT3 RS

• Next steps

  Book a test drive

  Order a brochure

  

New 911 GT3 RS? It's going to be rubbish, right?

Well, if you're hoping to transport six people to the seaside or follow a mountain goat up an Alp, then yes, the GT3 RS is genuinely rubbish. But if you care about driving, however...

Come on, out with it

...it's properly full on. Senior. Major league stuff. But then you look at what's been done to the GT3 RS and it's hardly surprising. It has 80 per cent of the downforce of a GT3 Cup racing car, carbon body panels, placky windows, a magnesium roof (just to save 1.1kg high up on the car).

The GT3 RS has the wheels and tyres from the 918 Spyder, the same seats, steering wheel and brakes, too. It's adopted the Turbo body which yields two major benefits - wider tracks to aid grip and side air intakes which cause less turbulence and have more ram-air effect into the engine.

So more power?

Of course: 492bhp at 8,250rpm and 339lb ft at 6,250rpm from a 4.0-litre flat six. It's the same engine as the standard GT3's 3.8, but the stroke has been lengthened by 4mm, so power climbs 25bhp and 11lb ft.

Gains, but not huge ones - and the engine actually revs 200rpm less. You don't notice. It's utterly spine-tingling right at the top end, not massively torquey low down, but above 5,000rpm it piles on speed, ripping round the last chunk of the dial.

Wind the window down and the induction noise from the rear arch intake is awesome. There are titanium conrods and the crankshaft is made from V361, a super-high purity steel that's remelted multiple times in a vacuum to remove impurities. It's also used in the 919 LMP1 car.

The aero looks pretty wild...

The whole car looks pretty wild. I've never seen a car with closer tyre clearances or wheels that pack out the arches in such a Hulk-like manner. Those tyres are 265s at the front and 325s at the rear - apparently getting them to fit was one of the project's biggest challenges.

The GT3 R looks utterly intent, dedicated to nothing other than dismantling treacherous racetracks with total focus and peerless disdain. And it now produces more downforce at 125mph than the last gen GT3 RS did at 186mph.

See those slats above the front the front wheels? They vent the high pressure air that builds up in the wheelarch, increasing front downforce and allowing the engineers to then give the rear wing more angle to balance things out.

End result? 345kg of downforce at 125mph.

I assume it feels pretty glued down, then?

It does. Match downforce with those fat front tyres and you've got a steely-eyed car with astonishing turn-in grip. It feels more locked on line than any other 911 I've driven. Any.

How is it on the road?

To start, you just have to accept that you will never, not in a month of Sundays, get close to the GT3 RS's limit on public roads. Never.

That's a slight disappointment - you always know that you're only scratching the surface of what it can do, but that's just encouragement to take it to a track to find out what happens beyond...

No, the real surprise is how little compromise the GT3 RS requires over the standard GT3. Maybe the polycarbonate rear windows let more noise through and the wider Turbo body does make it feel broad on narrow roads, but it rides tolerably, the engine is perfectly well mannered and the PDK gearbox happily hacks about.

For me, this makes the standard GT3 near perfect - it's the first Porsche Motorsport car that you really could happily use every day and indulge some of the GT magic on special occasions.

But, and I don't think this is just me, with the old GT3 RS I really enjoyed the compromises it forced on you. Yes, it had a manual gearbox, and that's a big part of it (pulling a paddle is only ever going to be charmless in comparison), but the fabled Mezger engine was chuntery and guttural and lumpy at low speed. It needed to warm itself thoroughly. It had charisma to spare. It felt like a proper racing car.

The new one? The sophisticated new drivetrain means it's lost a bit of that. Mechanical rawness has given way to a more controlled release of energy.

Such is the modern way, right?

It is, so I shouldn't bemoan what was never going to happen. And measured against modern standards the engine is stellar: instantly responsive, purposefully tuneful, gains volume and hardness and momentum as the revs rise. Just lacks the last degree of passion.

So let's move on to the track, because that's where the GT3 RS belongs. I totally don't object to this car having a PDK gearbox. It feels so well matched to the engine and the shifts are mesmerically good - 95 milliseconds, apparently - on the button every time, no lag.

And when a car is as fast as this, can pulverize corners so efficiently, it's better not to have to worry about third pedals and dog-leg shifts.

Remind me how fast it goes round the Nurburgring?

Under 7.20. ‘Under' because that time, set by Timo Glock on only his third lap out, was on a partially wet (not just damp, apparently) track.

I drove it at Bilster Burg. It's like a mini-Nurburgring, the sort of place that you struggle to believe people are allowed to design and build in this day and age. There are flying crests, massive compressions, tortuous cambers, tightening radii, flick-flacks, one blind faith cresting right hander that still had me swallowing my teeth on lap ten.

It's a sadistic place to launch a car. The GT3 RS was better around there than I was. Much better. So fast, so composed, so shockingly stable at high speed and utterly, totally wonderous under braking. It dismantled Bilsterburg, and in the process reminded me that a GT3 RS is a very serious driving device indeed.

How so?

You need to have your game face on if you want to go fast in it. You absolutely have to be confident, you can't show it any weakness.

Back out of the throttle mid-corner and the GT3 RS will move around, will punish your indecision with a slow exit and your heart in your mouth. Instead you need to trust it, trust the amazing front end grip, keep turning, stay on the throttle - then you have perfect balance and the RS fires out the far side, squatting heavily on that back axle, afterburners in full effect. I'm not sure much could stay with it.

Grip is colossal, and you can, once you get brave, play with the balance - small, carefully measured adjustments only though, please. It takes time to fully appreciate, but like all good cars, it's one that communicates brilliantly, and leaves you wanting more, makes you want to learn and improve. Doesn't suffer fools, though.

Are there any electronics involved in the chassis?

There's torque vectoring across the rear axle, PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management) and four-wheel steering. It's the way these are so deftly integrated into the driving experience that's a real achievement.

The car moves so naturally, so predictably, and even though the steering doesn't have a tremendous amount of natural feel (only because I'm comparing it to the old 997-gen car), it's so good in other areas that you don't notice. You feel the forces come back from the front axle and those fat tyres, the weighting is spot-on, the gearing and even the smaller diameter of the 918-sourced steering wheel.

And the chassis never stops letting you know exactly what's going on. I don't think there's another company out there that spends more time or effort honing its dynamics to the last nth of a degree. It really does feel like all those little tiny changes - everything from the sticker-for-a-badge to the titanium conrods - have added up to a very, very complete package.

Is it fun then?

Hmm, tricky one. The Cayman GT4, well that's pure fun, but this one's so full-on, so grown up that it's a bit beyond easy-going entertainment. Massively rewarding, quite draining, with limits that are off the charts. Too much, maybe. After my first stint around Bilster Burg I got out of the car and had to have a stern word with myself. It's that sort of car.

I don't know where Porsche can take the GT3 RS from here - this feels like about the limit for a road car. And yes, I know a 918 is faster still, but it has a broader remit; it's a hybrid, a convertible, a piece of street theatre. The same applies to the drama and stridency of the 458 Speciale. But a GT3 RS - even one as visually striking as this one now is - has no fallback position. It's all about the driving.

And yes, the driving is very impressive - the 991 GT3 RS is undoubtedly the most secure, tied down, outrageously fast and agile 911 I've ever driven, but I can't help but think it's a bit of a shame you have to be going so fast to get your kicks. Hell of a thing, though. Properly full-on.

Specs: 4.0-litre naturally aspirated flat 6, 492bhp, 339lb ft, 0-62mph in 3.3sec, 0-124mph in 10.9sec, 193mph max, 22.2mpg, 296g/km CO2, 1420kg

post from sitemap

First drive: 2015 DS 5

A facelift to the DS5? Should we file under ‘nothing to see here'?

Au contraire, mes amis. Bear with us. First, it's not the Citroen DS5. The Citroen nameplate is nowhere to be seen. This is the first car in Europe where the DS nameplate is born as a marque by itself, the third brand of PSA: Peugeot, Citroen and DS. As such it's the DS[space]5.

That must be the feeblest trick in the book of desperate marketing wheezes. Old car, new grille, new name: huzzah. Do they really think they'll fool us?

Your cynicism would normally be justified. We felt the same before we drove it. But guess what? The changes might be small, but they transform the car.

How's that possible with a new chrome grille?

We'll come to the cosmetics later. First the suspension. The DS5 in its Citroen days was always an intriguing and handsome design with a lovely interior. But it was unbuyable because of an awful crashy and shuddery ride, bad enough to pervert the steering as well as subvert your comfort.

Not now. It's nicely supple and placid at all speeds. It floats a bit over big fast undulations but that's a small price to pay. The steering is oddly springy around the centre but has really rather nice old-fashioned feel at the grip limit because it's hydraulic. The column doesn't chatter over bumpy sections like it did either.

I was expecting them to tell me it had new subframe mounts and bushes, new springs, all sorts of changes. But no. All they've done is change the dampers. Nothing fancy or adaptive, just a well-judged passive design with 'pre-loaded valves'.

And they raised the ride height a smidge. That's it. Brilliant tweakery.

So that's the main objection sorted?

While the engineers were at it, the drivelines received some love. The head-tossing robotised manual box has gone, replaced by a proper auto option. And nearly all the engines have had a makeover for Euro 6 with significant CO2 cuts and economy improvements, at least in the official tests. The 150bhp diesel is just 104g/km, which is very good. Less good: its performance is no better than middling. And it's a bit vocal, which is noticeable in an otherwise quiet and civilised car. The 1.6 petrol suffers the same faults.

Anything else?

Indeed. Citroen has ditched the dim-witted old satnav in favour of a quicker-thinking touchscreen-based system, with additional connected apps and smartphone linking (mirroring is Android-only at the mo, but then Apple CarPlay ain't that good yet. And anyway all connected apps in all cars go phut unless there's good 3G or 4G signal, and along most roads there isn't).

And the facelift itself?

Well, the new nose features a bigger cross-hatched grille and its winged chrome surround, plus LED dipped beams that swivel for corners.

Something similar will be seen across the board for DS. That implies facelifts are on the way for the Citroen DS3 and DS4, turning them into the DS 3 and DS 4. Then by 2020 all these cars will be replaced, and three more DSs - two of them crossovers - will be added. That'll make a range of six.

Can I buy one?

If you have £26k and up and wait until July. The changes to the DS5 give you permission to get one. The original DS5 was a highly desirable car, but its dynamics were a deal-breaker.

The new DS 5 might not be class-leading dynamically, but it's plenty good enough not to repel you. And the desirability and uniqueness remain intact.

post from sitemap

Watch a man drift with his feet

Here at TG, we've got serious respect for professional driftmeisters. Doing monster skids at silly speeds with limiters bouncing off the red line and a cabin full of tyre smoke isn't easy at the best of times. But let us introduce you to dorifotu kingu extraordinaire, Bartek Ostalowski - a genuine helmsman who does massive, world-class slides using just his feet.

After a car accident in 2006, doctors were left with no option but to amputate both of Ostalowski's arms. But through dogged determination and skill we can't quite comprehend, this hasn't hampered his efforts to become a professional drift pilot.

Thanks to a modified R34 Skyline and quicker feet than Michael Flatley, Bartek is currently shredding tyres in the Polish drift leagues.

How? Well, the car's fitted with a bespoke semi-automatic gearbox so Bartek can use his shoulder to nudge the cogs back and forth, his right foot hopping between the accelerator, brake and foot-operated handbrake as his left foot takes care of steering duties.

Watching Bartek's onboard footage is truly mesmerising. Drifting is a dark art, requiring supreme balance of throttle, steering inputs and timing to equal slithery sideways. To nail it so spectacularly with only half the conventional complement of limbs is ambitious, but most definitely not rubbish.

Click the video above to watch Ostalowski doing stuff with his feet that the rest of us can't do with arms and legs combined.

post from sitemap

BMW M6: now with 592bhp

Good news for those of you who like competition, and indeed packages: BMW has replaced the old ‘Competition Package' for its M6 family with a new ‘Competition Package' that provides lots more, um, competition. In a package.

Fittingly, the first thing to get more competitive is the engine. With the new pack installed, BMW's 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 produces a rather more substantial 592bhp (600PS), around 40bhp above the standard M6. Torque is also up from 501lb ft to 516lb ft.

As such, the M6 will now do 0-62mph in just 3.9 seconds (or 4.0s for the M6 cabrio), go from 0-124mph in 11.8s (0.6s quicker than before) and top out at a limited 155mph, or 189mph with the right box ticked.

BMW has applied some chassis tweakery too. The springs, dampers and anti-roll bars are all stiffer, the active M diff now has its own control unit for better traction, the steering has a more ‘direct' mapping, and the dynamic mode is "focused even more intently on delivering sporty handling".

There's also the not-so-small matter of the new 20-inch light alloy wheels, stickier tyres, and black chrome quad exhausts. You'll be able to buy the new Competition Pack from July 2015, though no mention has been made of pricing.

592 horses from the factory is impressive. But if you still want more, G-Power can rustle up something from the last-gen M6. Something with 987 horses...

post from sitemap

Muscle out: it’s the 2015 Chevrolet Camaro

This is the all-new Camaro, the sixth generation of Chevrolet's pony/muscle car. And if, Euro-types, you're already prepping the traditional array of ‘oversized, overweight, over here' jibes, hold on a tick.

Because, though it might look like a gentle evolution of the current car (no terrible thing, in our book), the MkVI Camaro is all-new beneath the skin, and out to bust your muscle car preconceptions.

For a start - and like the Ford Mustang, its longtime rival - the Camaro has embraced downsizing. It'll be available not only with a naturally aspirated 3.6-litre V6 making 335bhp and 284lb ft, but even a turbocharged, 2.0-litre four-cylinder, which produces 275bhp and 295lb ft of torque while offering an (American-cycle) 30-plus mpg.

Yep, that's a Camaro with a turbo four, albeit one capable of delivering a sub-six-second 0-62mph time. Rioting may occur in the USA's more traditional communities, we fear.

But if you're the sort of good ol' boy who regards anything less than eight cylinders as a bit fey, fear not: in top-spec ‘SS' form, the Camaro will also benefit from GM's 6.2-litre ‘LT1' V8. That's the engine found in the new Corvette, albeit with some 20 per cent new componentry.

Here, that V8 makes 455bhp and 455lb ft of torque, making the new SS the most powerful Camaro ever. No official word on acceleration figures, but expect a 0-62mph time somewhere in the four-second region.

And here's the best bit: all three engines will come with a six-speed manual as standard. Yep, that's a Camaro with stick shift, y'all, though an eight-speed auto is admittedly optional.

It should sound tasty, too: both the V6 and V8 employ switchable mechanical sound resonators that funnel induction noise from the engine bay into the cabin, with the louder setting described by GM as an ‘aggressive track mode'. Happy birthday, ears.

Oversized, then? Afraid not. The MKVI Camaro is 6cm shorter, and a couple of centimetres narrower and lower than its (admittedly not tiny) predecessor. For Euro reference, it clocks in around 12cm shorter than a BMW 6-Series coupe, and a fraction lower too.

Such downsizing comes courtesy of a new platform: while the old Camaro sat on GM's ‘Zeta' architecture, the new one uses the lighter, smaller ‘Alpha' platform that also underpins the Cadillac ATS.

That new platform helps rebuff any ‘overweight' claims, with the new Camaro weighing in some 90kg less than the current generation.

Which ought to spell good news for the whole going-round-corners thing, as should multilink MacPherson strut front suspension and a five-link independent set-up at the rear. The Camaro SS even gets the option of GM's ‘Magnetic Ride Control', the active, magnetorheological damping also found on the new Corvette.

"The driving experience is significantly different," promises the appropriately named Aaron Link, the Camaro's lead development engineer. "Immediately, you will notice how much lighter and more nimble the Camaro feels.

"The feeling increases when you drive the Camaro harder - it brakes more powerfully, dives into corners quicker, and accelerates faster than before."

That's fighting talk, but the Camaro looks to have the hardware to back up its lofty ambitions. The new interior includes a pair of eight-inch hi-def screens, and a very European-sounding Drive Mode Selector, allowing the driver to tailor throttle response, engine noise, steering weight and traction control to their heart's delight.

It may not be oversized or overweight, but it will be over here. And by ‘here', we mean, of course, the UK. The MkVI Camaro will land in the US late this year, making its way to Europe in early 2016 - and yes, GM sources have confirmed to Top Gear that it'll reach the UK as well, though only in left-hand drive.

But if the C7 Corvette is anything to go by, the new Camaro could be a cracker, even with the steering wheel on the wrong side. No word on prices yet, but expect it to be bemusingly affordable.

This, or the new Ford Mustang?

post from sitemap

This is a 231mph, 987bhp BMW M6

Cars capable of exceeding 200mph are pretty rare, while those with a v-max beyond 220mph exist in truly rarefied climes. Past 230mph, and you're into the top tier of hypercar territory.

But here is just such a car: G-Power's 231mph 'G6M V10 Hurricane S'. It's a modified, last-generation M6, and the most powerful car G-Power has ever built.

For a firm that bats out 800bhp M5s before breakfast, that's quite a claim. This one has been specially commissioned by a buyer in the UAE, but G-Power is now offering the monster pack to interested buyers.

What you're getting then, is a solid 1001PS - that's 987 real horses - of metallic, V10-engined firepower. There's also 664lb ft of torque on offer, which, with a taller final drive, helps the M6 to a top speed of 231mph. Considerably more than the standard, 507bhp last generation M6 on which it's based.

That 5.0-litre V10 gets a thoroughly revised G-Power SK III supercharger strapped to its banks, a cold-air intake system with ‘Ram Air' effect ducting, bigger water, oil and charge air coolers, and an revised ECU.

Then there's the racing, lightweight titanium exhaust system to reduce back pressure (stop giggling), and a noise said to echo a "subdued Formula One soundtrack". Oxymoron alert!

Despite those big numbers, however, what's surprising is the acceleration. 0-62mph is said to take 4.3 seconds, 0-124mph takes 9 seconds, and it'll sprint from standstill to 186mph in 21.5 seconds. Fast, yes, but 987bhp fast? We suspect seriously long gearing is to blame.

Either way, to safely deploy this whopping horsepower without nuking yourself, there's a fully adjustable coilover suspension setup and gargantuan 400mm vented ceramic brakes. They're stuffed inside lightweight, 21-inch forged alloy wheels, wrapped in Michelins.

You'll notice there is some external modification, too. A wider body kit with many extensions and protrusions and vents and slats and so forth. Some of it is said to offer aerodynamic improvements. Other elements, not so much. That is all we shall say about the bodywork.

Inside, there is much leather, a pair of carbon fibre race seats, lots of carbon fibre around the dash, a recalibrated 400kmh speedo, some diamond stitching, Alcantara headlining, and a G-Power plaque integrated into the roof LED light bar. This also has the owner's name on it, for additional class.

This particular car was transported by air to its new owner in the UAE, following a 'rigorous testing process' completed to the company's satisfaction (which presumably went 'find runway, plant right foot, hang on for dear life, stop').

Price? On request. Expect many zeroes involved, and the donation of your E63 M6. So, thoughts please: bonkers good, or bonkers bad?

post from sitemap

The ultimate Golf? It's VW's 395bhp hybrid GTE

This is the Volkswagen Golf GTE Sport Concept. It has just been unveiled at the 2015 Worthersee meet, and is a rally-car engined, 395bhp, Nürburgring-honed monster.

Volkswagen has form in knocking out wild, one-off Golf concepts, and this new GTE Sport certainly lives up to its barmy predecessors. Lets start at the bottom and work our way up.

Top Gear drives the one-off, 500bhp Golf GTI concept

It features the 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine from the Polo R WRC car; an engine that has helped Volkswagen claim the WRC crown twice. It's slotted up front under that long, swooping bonnet and packs 295bhp, and is backed up by a pair of electric motors.

One of these electric motors has been positioned up front, inside the housing of the six-speed dual-clutch gearbox, while the second sits on the rear axle. Yep, it's an all-wheel-drive Golf. Both motors produce an equal 113bhp, but unequal torque: the front motor kicks out 243lb ft, the rear 199lb ft.

Total torque stands at 494lb ft, and Volkswagen assures us that wherever possible, the concept runs purely on electricity, up to a range of 31 miles.

Things get more interesting when you choose not to run purely on electricity, which we suspect would be EVERYWHERE. This is because when you select the ‘GTE' mode, you get the full, banzai, 396bhp. That means 0-62mph in 4.3 seconds and a top speed of 174mph.

Meet the 192mph GTI Roadster for Gran Turismo

Volkswagen reckons that this drivetrain is good enough to go racing, too. "The boost effect is so strong that the drive unit would also perform well if used in professional touring car races," we're told. Oh yes. The figures certainly back it up: 0-31mph takes 1.8 seconds, 0-81mph takes 6.5s, and 0-124mph takes just 15.9 seconds.

The drivetrain isn't the only nutty thing about this concept, though. That wild two-door bodyshape is built almost entirely from lightweight carbon - just like the Veyron, and just like the VW XL1. We're told the striking front is an indication of where the next generation of sporty Golfs could go - all streamlined headlights and air inlets and crossbar - while the side profile is all about those amazing C-pillars. Just look at them.

Even these, say VW, could make production, reaching "a degree of perfection that allows it to leave the show car stage", which sounds mighty fine to us. There's aero stuffed in there too, directing flow to cool the rear brakes, which we assume are of a beefy nature.

The rear is massively wide too, and to cap it all off, VW has whacked on a set of upward-hinging doors. These gullwing doors swing forward and take a bit of the door sill and roof with them, framing fat 20-inch wheels.

This is a W12-engined Golf

It's a strict two-seater inside, with racing buckets and five-point harnesses, a Knight Rider-special steering wheel, three transparent instrument displays and much carbon fibre.

"The concept car breaks down traditional barriers between road and motorsport vehicles," says Volkswagen, casually mentioning that this particular concept has been ‘balanced for the Nürburgring north loop'. Hands up who'd like to see a production version?

post from sitemap

First drive: 2015 Audi Q7

The Audi Q7. Remind me?

Yes, the first Q7 had become an irrelevance. It was nine years old, built on an outdated and heavy platform, was huge outside but cramped inside, and rode like it had concrete springs.

So the new one's got to be better?

Yes. And it is.

What have they done?

Started more or less from scratch. The new Q7 is the first car to use the VW Group's 'MLB Evo' platform components.

It's got aluminium suspension, a body that's largely aluminium too, and a whole lot of other weight-saving in the powertrain, cooling, exhaust, electrics, seats, whatever. Makes you wonder why it was so chunky before, but anyway they have taken more than 300kg out of it. That means it's the lightest big seven-seat SUV.

The least fat among a bunch of very fat things, then.

You mean it's no athlete?

No. It feels big and imposing when you drive off, and heavy as you haul it down from speed, and a bit lumbering in tight bends. It's not that you can't hustle it along. It's actually pretty tidy when you do, at least on the optional £2600 adaptive air suspension pack.

You've got variable torque split for the standard quattro drive, and even optional four-wheel-steer to keep it on course. But the steering is numb and needs a lot of twirling, even with the £1100 4WS box ticked, so we wouldn't tick it.

And critically there's no sharpness or feedback and little fun to be had.

So why's it so much better than before?

Because the old one felt even heavier. A lot. But the main thing is, admirably, Audi hasn't tried too hard to disguise the Q7's nature. It's not pretending to be sporty.

Its character is leisurely and refined, and it feels like a big comfy social means of transport. The ride is pliant, the suspension and tyres quiet. It's a wafter.

So it's slow?

Not slow, just relaxed. The 272bhp diesel V6 is a peach. Very quiet, full of torque and happy to rev. Its performance numbers match a pretty lively hot hatch, even if the feel is very different - it's a rapid gathering of momentum rather than a sudden leap forward.

That's the first engine into the UK, arriving in August. Shortly after is a 218bhp version of the same. It's noisier much of the time, because you have to work it harder and use lower gears.

Is it full of tech?

Indeedy. Audi is making a huge fuss about that. Tick all the 'driver support' boxes and there are times the Q7 will more or less drive itself. In traffic it'll keep its lane and follow the car in front. Same on a motorway, though it beeps at you after 15 seconds or so if you've actually had your hands off the wheel.

This self-steering self-accelerating self-braking stuff comes included with the air-suspension pack, so it's not bad value. Self-parking is available, of course, and self-steering when reversing with a trailer or caravan.

Then there are the safety aids: early-warning and later emergency braking for vehicles or pedestrians or cyclists who stray into your path, autonomous braking if you turn across a junction in front of an oncoming vehicle, warnings if you park and open a door into a passing vehicle, or when you back out into a road when something's coming, et cetera.

There's more. Night vision. Brilliant matrix LED headlights that shine around other cars. An economy aid that encourages you to lift off early when the nav knows there are junctions or speed limits further ahead than you can see.

Then there's the entertainment and information: crowd-pleasing net-connection hardware and removable linked tablets in the rear. Basically, it's a suite of tech that brings the VW Group more or less up to the latest from Mercedes, BMW and Volvo.

Is the Q7 still huge?

Yes, but slightly less so, on the outside. And actually there's more room inside now. It's still a seven-seater. The standard-fit third-row chairs fold electrically, and they're more than tolerable for anyone under about 5ft 6in.

Does it look any better in real life than the photos?

It's boxy and bland, more of a big tall station wagon than a crossover. It has amazingly little road presence.

Prices?

A smidge over £50k for the basic 272bhp SE, and £53,835 for the S-Line pictured. The 218bhp engine will be a couple of thousand less.

Where else will this new platform go?

Well for a start there will be a high-end 'coupe-style' Audi Q8 spun off the Q7. But like the transverse-engined MQB, the longitudinal MLB-Evo is amazingly versatile.

All longitudinal-engined Audis bar the R8 will get it. That means this autumn's A4 - though it has lighter chassis parts, we're told. Then the next A5, A6, A7 and A8 and Q5. More big SUVs: the VW Touareg, Porsche Cayenne and Bentley Bentayga.

The Lambo Urus too if it's confirmed (the Italian Government is offering fiscal incentives for Lambo to build it, as a job creation scheme). And there's the next Bentley Continental and Spur, and VW Phaeton. And probably other stuff I've forgotten. A Ducati or a Scania maybe? Who knows...

post from sitemap

Mad Max Fury Road: behind the scenes

Fans of gratuitous explosions, unlikely stunts and outright vehicular warfare, step forward. You'll be wanting to watch the video below.

Mad Max: Fury Road hits cinemas today, kick-starting the post-apocalyptic desert motor-gang franchise in quite epic style. The $150m orgy of car-chase destruction, starring Brit Tom Hardy in the title role opposite Charlize Theron and Nicholas Hoult, is essentially the ultimate car chase film.

It's a two-hour, unrelenting battle between freakish muscle cars, armored big rigs and a jump-happy monster truck. Now and again, a conversation even threatens to break out.

This behind-the-scenes video features commentary from the film's Oscar-winning director George Miller, and Colin Gibson, who TG caught up with earlier this week to discover the secrets of the 130 vehicles dreamt up to star in Fury Road. As you'll see, he might have overdone things a tad...

post from sitemap

Super-rare Merc CLK DTM AMG for sale

In 2004, to celebrate its involvement in the Deustche Tourenwagen Masters championship - that's the DTM - Mercedes-Benz wheeled out the beguiling CLK DTM AMG. It looked excellent. It was bloody fast. And all 100 units sold out.

So in 2006, Mercedes decided to build another limited run of these astonishing cars, this time with the roof lopped off. Enter one of the most exclusive Mercedes-Benz AMG models in the world, the CLK DTM AMG Cabriolet.

Here's one that's popped up for sale in Saudi Arabia, featuring just 9,400km on the clock, and resplendent in metallic white.

Why should you care? Because at the time of its launch, Merc told us it was the fastest open-top four-seater in the world. It certainly had the minerals: underneath sat the old 5.4-litre supercharged V8, producing a heady 582bhp and a similarly thunderous 590lb ft of torque.

All that was somehow harnessed by a five-speed automatic and delivered to those fat, 20-inch, 285-section rear tyres to record a 0-62mph time of just 4.0 seconds, only two-tenths down on the CLK DTM AMG Coupe's time.

Top speed? Limited to a mere 186mph, lest your head gets lopped off in the turbulence. Probably.

The bonnet, doors, front wings, flared rear arches, front and rear aprons and spoiler were all made from lightweight carbon fibre composites. It had adjustable suspension. The front and rear tracks were widened. The rear suspension was re-engineered to feature new spring links and hub carriers, as well as stronger drive shafts, and it featured a limited-slip diff and retuned ESP, too.

There were bigger, stronger AMG composite brakes, lightweight alloys (19s up front, 20s at the back), AMG carbon fibre bucket seats inside, leather and Alcantara upholstery, carbon fibre interior panels and an AMG steering wheel.

It cost a whisker under £200k when it was brand new, and just 100 were ever built. What's it worth now? Well, this example carries a ‘Price on Request' sticker, so your guess is as good as ours. But you need it, because above all the stats and the rarity, it just looks excellent.

Check the listing here. Still more valuable than that Picasso painting, we suspect...

post from sitemap

First drive: Tesla Model S P85D

What's this, then?

On paper at least, it's Car 2.0: the end of internal combustion motoring as we know it.

The P85D is, in effect, the performance version of Tesla's Model S. It's a four-wheel drive, all-electric saloon making - ready for this? - 691bhp, with a 0-60mph time of 3.2 seconds and a potential range of 300 miles between recharges.

Such big numbers are all wrapped up in a family-sized five-door hatch with, potentially, seven seats - the standard five, plus a pair of optional rear-facing chairs in the boot - and a price tag just under £80,000. Whatever your motoring question, the P85D aims to be the answer.

So how is it in reality?

Brain-rewiringly quick. Even that bruising - and entirely believable - 0-60mph stat doesn't capture the manner in which the P85D picks up off the line. There's no wheel-spin, no traction control stutter, no driveline shunt. With its full 686lb ft of torque available from standstill, the instant you mash the throttle, the Tesla simply hooks itself into the tarmac and Millennium-Falcons off down the road.

Twin test: Tesla Model S vs Maserati Ghibli

It's more akin to the acceleration from, say, a bullet train than a full-bore start in any conventional production car. The experience is all the stranger because, bar the whoosh of wind and rumble of tyres, that vicious thrust is accompanied by the sweet sound of nothing-at-all. Under heavy acceleration in the P85D, the loudest noise in the cabin is the inevitable stream of giggly expletives emerging from the mouth of the driver.

But perhaps the Tesla's neatest trick is being both other-worldly yet entirely normal. Resist the urge to cause lasting damage to your internal organs with bout after bout of acceleration, and the P85D potters like, well, like a big, sensible family hatch - riding nicely, swooshing along quietly.

What about corners?

We tried the P85D on track, where it proved far, far more competent than a big electric hatch has any right to be.

With an electric motor on each axle, the P85D can effectively vector torque to whichever end can make better use of it, meaning impressive traction from some pretty sensible road-biased rubber.

Road trip: BMW i8 from UK to Sweden

At the limits of grip, the P85D offers a little tyre squeal, but by and large keeps itself impressively under control, resisting terminal wallow despite its 2.2-tonne kerbweight. That's thanks, at least in part, to the Tesla's low centre of gravity: with the 85kWh battery pack tucked down below the occupants' feet, this is, effectively, a much lower, lither car than its family saloon silhouette (and kerbweight) suggests.

And as soon as you spot the exit of the corner, simply mangle the throttle again and that bow-wave of torque hurls you at the next apex. It's not quite driving as we know it, but it's mighty addictive all the same.

And no, the P85D doesn't offer the fingertip feedback or on-throttle adjustability of the very finest performance cars, but you get the feeling that's simply a case of Tesla hooking up a laptop and tweaking a few lines of code. There's more to come from this car.

I still want a V8...

Of course we all love the noise, the craftsmanship, of, say, the naturally aspirated screamer from the Ferrari 458 Speciale, but there's no denying the e-motor is an inherently more elegant engineering solution to the turning-energy-into-movement challenge: fewer moving parts, no messy multi-gear transmissions nor differentials.

And the Tesla is addictive, compelling, in its own right, if a trifle less dramatic in the audio stakes. If such things concern you, it's a whole lot greener than your standard 600bhp-plus super-saloon, too - assuming, of course, you source your electricity from a renewable source.

Will I actually manage 300 miles on a charge?

Driving the P85D in Full Stig mode, we didn't get close to that quoted range, but then again you won't get close to the Lambo Huracan's official 23mpg on track either. Those who have driven the P85D on road more than us reckon the 300-mile range is far from a distant pipe-dream, making this one of the first electric cars you could contemplate for cross-country rather than merely urban motoring.

So it's really that good?

Top Gear, as you'll know, is not one to blithely embrace the latest, shiniest fad, particularly when it comes to alternative fuels. But the P85D truly feels like a paradigm shift in motoring, the point at which the electric car moves from interesting theory into petrol-pummeling reality.

No, a £79k super-saloon isn't, in and of itself, the solution to all the wider world's motoring woes. No doubt the electric car isn't quite the finished article yet, but consider this: as battery technology improves, the Model S and its offspring will get lighter (and therefore even quicker), and capable of going yet further between charges.

Tesla's rate of improvement, from the original, fast-but-flawed Roadster of 2008 to the P85D, is jaw-dropping. This car asks some pretty serious questions of conventionally fuelled performance machines. Whatever follows might just render them all but redundant.

post from sitemap

Video: a secret stash of old BMWs

Meet ‘The Collector'. If he wasn't so genuine, so nice and so damn proud of his enviable stack of BMWs, he'd be easy to dislike.

But in the video above, he makes that an impossibility. For starters, the California-based chap doesn't want his name or face to be aired, claiming he's 'not a show-off'.

His collection comprises 45 BMWs built between 1960 and 1988, and not just the tasty, tricoloured M Division stuff either: there are plenty from the more prosaic ends of each model range, too.

"We're looking at preservation," he says, "finding cars that have been unmolested."

The cars all look gloriously original - keep an eye out for a fleeting glance of an old-school M6, and pore over the doubtless very valuable E30 M3 in the closing frames - and Mr Collector even keeps all the original keyrings of the cars he acquires, declaring them an important part of previous owners' history.

The most intriguing car the video sheds light on? His 700 RS racer, one of only two built, and far and away the curviest BMW you're ever likely to see. If the seeds of jealousy are threatening to germinate, then let our nameless friend assure you he buys these cars for entirely the right reasons.

"I buy the cars because I want to enjoy them - not just from a visual perspective, but for driving them." Top gent.

post from sitemap

First drive: Mini John Cooper Works

• Next steps

  Book a test drive

  Order a brochure

  

Ah the Mini Cooper John Cooper Works. How very Cooper.

Not so much. It's actually the Mini John Cooper Works. Still a big name for a small car though. Even if it's the most powerful production Mini ever.

How powerful?

The engine is from BMW's new 2-litre family, like in the current Cooper S. Previous Minis never went beyond 1.6, so it has a good start. For the JCW its turbo and pistons are special, there's a larger intercooler, and better water cooling too. The exhaust system is fatter and less restrictive through most of its length. This is no simple chip job. Net result is 231bhp and 236lb ft in a car of just 1205kg.

What do those numbers mean?

It's a terrific engine. First and lasting impression comes from the noise, a keen baritone that goads you when you're accelerating but dies away at a cruise. You're not bothered by lag, but the red-line is a disappointingly low 6500rpm - not that you'll see that on the idiotically tiny rev-counter. That's why you need the exhaust noise, so your ears can gauge the rpm. Even so, you'll probably be shifting up early because the mid-rev torque is so generous.

Gimme more numbers.

OK, it makes 0-62 in just 6.3 seconds, Mini says. With the optional six-speed auto, which I tested, shifts are faster and there's launch control, so that comes down to an impressive 6.1 seconds. The autobox also cuts a barely credible 22g/km from the CO2 figure, dropping it from 155 in the manual to 133. In fuel economy that means 42.2mpg for the manual and 49.6 for the auto. Real world it's hard to believe the gap would be so great.

What about stopping it?

Ah yes, there are vast new brakes, with special venting ducts in the car's front face. They feel terrific: very strong, progressive and of course resistant to fade even on a track, where I did a few happy laps.

And the chassis?

Not vastly different from the Cooper S, apart from the brakes. The spring and damper rates are as per the Cooper S's sports chassis option. And that means firm. Especially if you specify the wheel upgrade from 17 to 18 inches, which comes with the Chilli pack. Thus equipped, I'd go for the adaptive damper option, a conspicuous bargain at £240.

Put those dampers in sport and you've got an overly-bumpy road machine, but in the normal mode they soften the edges and allow you to tackle a lumpy road with some commitment. Sport mode is for smooth roads and tracks, really. Anyway, as road car it's very chuckable and agile.

Despite that strong engine, it finds pretty good traction, without much torque steer. Maybe it could use a bit more initial sharpness in the steering, though you'd probably have to pay for that with extra kickback. Basically, corners are just a hoot. The DSC system lets it slither about quite a bit before intervening, and this really is a car that's prone to squirrelling and nudging its rear end outward, like a Fiesta ST. And all the time you know just what's going on.

How do I recognise the JCW?

The front and rear bumper/apron units are entirely new. The front one has big intakes which incidentally leave no room for fog lamps, but there's ample compensation in the form of standard LED headlights as well as the daylight running rings. The back lower apron it looks like a diffuser around the twin central pipes, though there are no claims that it works as one. The sill covers and roof spoiler are bespoke too. Inside there are superbly supportive suede-effect seats and as you'd expect a whole lot of red splashes and JCW badgery.

Money?

It starts at £23,050. That's steep for a car this small, but considering the performance, fun and depth of engineering it's not scarily greedy, and you just know the buyers will make merry with the options: two levels of navigation, head-up display, driver aids, higher-fi, trim and paint. It's a special little thing but we wouldn't lavish so much more on it.

post from sitemap

It’s the fastest street-legal Viper ever

It's street-legal, but you'd better have your brave pills to hand. This is the 2016 Dodge Viper ACR, built for a racetrack near you, and featuring numbers big enough to warp time itself.

We caught our first glimpse of this hardcore Viper ACR at SEMA last year, but now we have some actual details. It's billed as the ultimate track-honed Viper, built to "dominate road courses around the world".

And as with any self-respecting track car, the upgrades over the ‘standard', 8.4-litre, V10-engined Viper cover the aerodynamics, the chassis and the rubber. First up is something called the ‘Extreme Aero Package', and it is quite extreme.

There's a detachable extension for the front splitter, four dive planes, a new SRT bonnet with removable louvres, a rear carbon diffuser, and one of the most excellent rear wings in existence: a fully adjustable effort standing 1.8 metres wide.

"During on-track testing," Dodge tells us, "development engineers have experienced nearly one tonne of downforce at a top speed of 177mph." In fact, this new aero pack offers up three times more downforce than the Viper Time Attack 2.0.

There are new adjustable, aluminium Bilstein racing shocks, a 3-inch ride height adjustment, stiffer front and rear springs, 1.4 degrees more negative camber, stickier, low-profile Kumho tyres apparently good for a 1.5-second-per-lap advantage, a specially tuned stability control system, and bigger Brembo carbon ceramic brakes.

The engine is the same 8.4-litre V10, here producing 645bhp and a handy 600lb ft of torque. In this ACR, it gets new tips to reduce pressure on the side exit exhausts. It's matched up to a six-speed manual, driving the rear wheels.

Dodge has kitted out some ACR-themed trinketry inside, too, and there's also the option of customising your Viper to beyond normal human comprehension. There's no word on price just yet, but the hand-built ‘American Club Racer' is slated to go on sale later this year.

The ultimate in American muscle? Or just too much?

post from sitemap

TG on ice: the full video

Yesterday, we treated you to a deliciously smooth, slow motion video of TG magazine's ice-based extravaganza, for which we took a select group of supercars, hot-hatches and, erm, a Nissan Juke with tracks to a frozen Swedish lake for a spot of light drifting and the best reindeer stew south of Lapland.

Well, now you've seen the slow-mo, it only seems fair we show you the proper video, complete with much noise from many cylinders and yet more snow.

And once you've had a watch, find out how the contenders fared on the ice using the links below:

TG on ice: Lamborghini Huracan vs Bentley Continental GT3-R
TG on ice: Nissan GT-R vs Jaguar F-Type 4WD vs Porsche 911 Turbo
TG on ice: Audi RS3 vs Mercedes GLA 45 vs Subaru Impreza WRX STi
TG on ice: BAC Mono vs Nissan Juke Nismo RSnow vs TG's Hyundai i10 rally car
TG on ice: BMW i8 from the UK to Sweden

post from sitemap

First drive: Mini John Cooper Works

• Next steps

  Book a test drive

  Order a brochure

  

Ah the Mini Cooper John Cooper Works. How very Cooper.

Not so much. It's actually the Mini John Cooper Works. Still a big name for a small car though. Even if it's the most powerful production Mini ever.

How powerful?

The engine is from BMW's new 2-litre family, like in the current Cooper S. Previous Minis never went beyond 1.6, so it has a good start. For the JCW its turbo and pistons are special, there's a larger intercooler, and better water cooling too. The exhaust system is fatter and less restrictive through most of its length. This is no simple chip job. Net result is 231bhp and 236lb ft in a car of just 1205kg.

What do those numbers mean?

It's a terrific engine. First and lasting impression comes from the noise, a keen baritone that goads you when you're accelerating but dies away at a cruise. You're not bothered by lag, but the red-line is a disappointingly low 6500rpm - not that you'll see that on the idiotically tiny rev-counter. That's why you need the exhaust noise, so your ears can gauge the rpm. Even so, you'll probably be shifting up early because the mid-rev torque is so generous.

Gimme more numbers.

OK, it makes 0-62 in just 6.3 seconds, Mini says. With the optional six-speed auto, which I tested, shifts are faster and there's launch control, so that comes down to an impressive 6.1 seconds. The autobox also cuts a barely credible 22g/km from the CO2 figure, dropping it from 155 in the manual to 133. In fuel economy that means 42.2mpg for the manual and 49.6 for the auto. Real world it's hard to believe the gap would be so great.

What about stopping it?

Ah yes, there are vast new brakes, with special venting ducts in the car's front face. They feel terrific: very strong, progressive and of course resistant to fade even on a track, where I did a few happy laps.

And the chassis?

Not vastly different from the Cooper S, apart from the brakes. The spring and damper rates are as per the Cooper S's sports chassis option. And that means firm. Especially if you specify the wheel upgrade from 17 to 18 inches, which comes with the Chilli pack. Thus equipped, I'd go for the adaptive damper option, a conspicuous bargain at £240.

Put those dampers in sport and you've got an overly-bumpy road machine, but in the normal mode they soften the edges and allow you to tackle a lumpy road with some commitment. Sport mode is for smooth roads and tracks, really. Anyway, as road car it's very chuckable and agile.

Despite that strong engine, it finds pretty good traction, without much torque steer. Maybe it could use a bit more initial sharpness in the steering, though you'd probably have to pay for that with extra kickback. Basically, corners are just a hoot. The DSC system lets it slither about quite a bit before intervening, and this really is a car that's prone to squirrelling and nudging its rear end outward, like a Fiesta ST. And all the time you know just what's going on.

How do I recognise the JCW?

The front and rear bumper/apron units are entirely new. The front one has big intakes which incidentally leave no room for fog lamps, but there's ample compensation in the form of standard LED headlights as well as the daylight running rings. The back lower apron it looks like a diffuser around the twin central pipes, though there are no claims that it works as one. The sill covers and roof spoiler are bespoke too. Inside there are superbly supportive suede-effect seats and as you'd expect a whole lot of red splashes and JCW badgery.

Money?

It starts at £23,050. That's steep for a car this small, but considering the performance, fun and depth of engineering it's not scarily greedy, and you just know the buyers will make merry with the options: two levels of navigation, head-up display, driver aids, higher-fi, trim and paint. It's a special little thing but we wouldn't lavish so much more on it.

post from sitemap

First drive: 2015 Skoda Superb

• Next steps

  Book a test drive

  Order a brochure

  

What's this, then?

It's Skoda's new Rolls-Royce rival, the third-generation Superb.

Rolls-Royce rival?

Indeed. See, apart from the Phantom and Ghost, the new Superb is - to our knowledge - the only car to secrete not one, but two umbrellas within its doors. It is, quite simply, the most rainproof car you can buy for the cash. If you and a passenger want to stay dry on the walk from driveway to front door, it's this or a Roller.

Helpful. So does the Superb resemble a Rolls in any other way?

Size. Though admittedly not quite of Phantom LWB dimensions, the Superb is vaster than ever before: 3cm longer and 5cm wider than its really-not-very-small predecessor, with more space inside too.

It's customary in reviews of big cars to note there's ‘room for one six-footer behind another', but in the Superb you could likely squeeze another in the rear-seat footwell for good measure. It's truly cavernous inside, a cabin in which you could lose a small child for several weeks.

The boot is commensurately vast, too, measuring 1,760 litres with the seats folded. And that's just the hatch version: the Superb estate arrives in a couple of months to cater to those needing to ferry a family of African elephants on a regular basis.

Larger it may be, but the Superb is lighter than its predecessor too. Employing the VW Group's MQB underpinnings, it has shed some 75kg.

So it's big. Anything else?

Big, and stuffed to the rafters with many technologies. Skoda has thrown the full suite of VW Group goodies at the new Superb, offering everything from a tailgate that opens with the waggle of a shoe, through lane- and park-assist to adaptive damping and an on-board telly.

Of course you won't get such lavishness as standard on the base models, but it's there if you want to splash out.

Tell me of engines.

All very sensible, for the most part. Diesels start with a 118bhp 1.6 TDI, and rise to a 187bhp iteration of VW's familiar 2.0-litre turbodiesel. Even that fruitiest diesel officially returns 61mpg and 119g/km of CO2, propelling the Superb to the upper echelons of the little-used road-tax-band-to-wheelbase ratio.

Petrols won't make much of an appearance in the UK, but nonetheless there are plenty available. There's a 1.4-litre TSI making 123bhp, or a 148bhp version of the same engine equipped with cylinder shut-down, effectively becoming a two-cylinder under light loads.

Need more power? There's a 217bhp 2.0-litre turbo petrol, capable of getting from 0-62mph in about seven seconds. Incongruously, but rather pleasingly, you can even have your Superb with four-wheel drive, and the 276bhp 2.0 TSI from the top-spec Seat Leon Cupra. Obviously we had to try this one.

And how was it?

Rather cheery, in a future-resale-disaster sort of fashion. For such a grand barge, the range-topping Superb hustles along at quite the rate, that hot-hatch engine a better match for the big Skoda than you might expect.

Though it's hardly a feelsome sports-beast, it'll get round corners without trouble, only belying its sheer length in the fastest, knottiest bends. The six-speed DSG generally does its job immaculately, but occasionally gets into a spot of bother on downshifts.

Even so. If, say, you're looking for an all-weather, family-ferrying alternative to the Audi RS6 on half the budget, this could just fit the bill.

But no one will buy that one, will they?

No.

So how are the Superbs people will actually buy?

Equally nice, and rather less resale-disaster-tastic. Though it can't quite match the (admittedly rather pricier) Mercedes S-Class for unruffled, whispery progress, the Superb does a fair impression of a top-drawer German limo, wafting along serenely and generally making a decent fist of keeping the outside world at bay.

Get too enthusiastic and you'll discover plenty of tyre squeal and not much in the way of feedback, but that's not really what the Superb's about. It's about spiriting away many miles with minimal stress, especially with the (optional) adaptive damping left in its softest mode.

On that note, we'd advise steering clear of the biggest alloy options, as we suspect big-wheeled Superbs could tend towards the clunky on bad British roads.

How much does it cost?

A surprisingly reasonable amount of money for such a lot of car. Despite its dimensional swelling, the new Superb is, spec-for-spec, a fraction cheaper than the outgoing car, with prices starting at £18,640 for the basest petrol, and rising to over £34,000 for the all-the-trimmings 4WD version.

Option wisely, and - short of a panel van - there's not much out there that offers such sheer volume for your cash. That the Superb looks tidy, goes nicely and offers plenty of tech only sweetens the deal. And just think how much you'll save on annual umbrella expenditure...

post from sitemap

First drive: Vauxhall's prototype Astra

• Next steps

  Book a test drive

  Order a brochure

  

Messy wrapper. What's inside?

You know perfectly well because you've clicked on the title of the page. But see this thing on the road and you might not guess it's the new Astra. It's smaller than the current one and better proportioned. We'll see actual images of it on June 10.

Did you say smaller?

Custom and practice across the car industry is for each generation of any given model to grow. But the current Astra went too far, and is longer and heavier than the class norm. Vauxhall and Opel are taking an axe to it.

Weight down, too?

Yes. The new car is 49mm shorter than before, but only 23mm shorter in the wheelbase. And it's lower. But they managed to find more cabin room. It's more than class-competitive in the back seat. All versions are at least 120kg less. Actually if you go for the top-spec diesel auto you'll save a whopping 200kg, because they've replaced a heavy 2.0 biturbo diesel with a lighter 1.6.

How does it feel?

I drove a couple of prototypes, heavily disguised on the outside and over the dashboard. But the engineers said they perform to spec, and I was driving on roads I know well in Bedfordshire. Vauxhall also brought along a current Astra (not a bad car at all) for comparison.

Right from the off, the weight loss transforms the car. There's an all-new 1.4 turbo engine replacing the current 1.4T. At 145bhp, it makes 5bhp more than the old one. But it feels like 25 extra, because the car squirts ahead with notable conviction at all parts of the rev dial. It's a quiet and refined engine too if a not especially tuneful one. While no firm figures are available yet, apply that minimum 120kg weight loss to the old 1.4 and we're now looking at a 1240kg car, around 85kg skinnier than an equivalent Focus.

Surely the Astra now seems light and tinny, though?

Light, certainly. In no time at all you notice the newfound eagerness into tight corners, and if you push hard you find an impressive resistance to understeer. The steering is progressive and manages a bit of feel. It's well planted, not showing the lightweight wobbliness of, say, a Citroen C4 Cactus.

The ride is taut and has a fairly high natural frequency but it softens things off well enough and has enough travel to do a good job over big bad bumps. Much like a Focus really. The tyres and suspension are quiet too. Wind noise is also low, which is a surprise given the amount of extra cladding the car is wearing today. Bodes well for the production machine.

How did they do it?

This Astra's platform is basically all new. It's made predominately of advanced steel, helping weight and strength. And smallness helps cut weight too. But there's more. They examined many details of the package to make sure there was enough room inside while paring away the kilos. It's all about fitness for purpose. For instance, under the bonnet they made no provision for that bulky 2.0 biturbo diesel, nor for the 'HiPer' strut suspension used on the VXR (the current three-door VXR isn't that old, and lives on).

They didn't have to put in reinforcing girders and strong chassis parts for the Zafira, because the Zafira replacement will instead be on a Peugeot platform. And there's no bracing for a cabrio version, because there'll be no new Cascada on this platform either. Nor a crossover.

So the max wheel size is down, and many of the chassis parts lighter, including the brakes which are smaller - on this light car they feel perfectly adequate to me. The rear seat has a simple folding action. The base of the windscreen pillar moves backward, saving the complexity of a window ahead of the door, and actually improving visibility.

The range?

Just two bodies will be offered, the hatch and the estate. The engine range is modern. Elderly power units have been a problem with the current Astra. The new one will have nothing more than two years old under the bonnet.

There'll be the brilliant little 1.0 three-cylinder from the Corsa with 95bhp, the related 1.4 tested here, and 1.6 petrols up to 200bhp. All diesels are from a new family of 1.6s. I tried one of those in another prototype, a 136bhp job, and it really is very civilised too.

Any new gewgaws?

Adaptive intelligent LED headlights are on the options list, a brilliant (pun intended) piece of kit that's unique in this class. And Vauxhall will be rolling out its OnStar connected concierge service across all models.

I used to drive an Astra...

You're not alone. This is the seventh generation, and Vauxhall calculates that a quarter of today's British drivers have owned one or had one as a company car. The first generation (also sold in the UK as an Opel Kadett, fact fans) was more than competitive against rivals like the - gag - Allegro and Escort.

But by the time of the second and third it was a pretty shoddy drive versus the improved competition. It clawed its way back to average and then pretty good, but maybe this is the one that finally tackles the Focus and Golf head-on. We'll need more miles, and a good look at the styling and interior quality before were anywhere near a judgment on that. But early signs are positive.

post from sitemap