Showing posts with label Cars Reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cars Reviews. Show all posts
Ariel Atom V8 review - on the road
Or perhaps that, when looking for a performance rival for the Atom V8, we ended up at the McLaren F1 and Bugatti Veyron Super Sport? That’s how fast the Atom V8 is and, perhaps obviously, it would be even quicker were it not for the fact that we test all of our cars with two occupants on board.
When you’ve got four-digit horsepower and a 1995kg kerb weight, as the Bugatti does, an extra occupant doesn’t make much difference to its straight-line performance. The Atom V8’s flyweight 650kg, though, meant that there was some discussion about which of our staffers should sit next to our road test editor while he pushed some pedals and pulled the appropriate levers. Ariel has seen 0-60mph in the two-second bracket on the road, but with two people on board it hit 60mph in a creditable 3.0sec.
The Atom V8 has a launch control system that gives extremely consistent results. From a standing start, the V8 passed 60mph in 3.02sec precisely in each of two directions. It takes 5.7sec to reach 100mph, after which the Ariel’s aerodynamics start to take control. The Veyron Super Sport is just 0.7sec quicker than the Atom to 100mph but reaches 150mph 6.3sec sooner.
Nonetheless, the Ariel is a scintillatingly fast car, but not in the same way as the Veyron, or other modern supercars. You’re acutely aware of its lack of inertia. There’s no build-up of relentless thrust; you just think yourself down the road. The V8’s in-gear figures aren’t as fast as the quickest sports bikes, but the feeling is similar. A prod of throttle adds 10mph or 20mph; lift off and it quickly decelerates. It has an enviable straight-line agility that most modern cars can only dream of and a gearshift so fast that you’d swear it was a twin-clutch unit. It’s utterly thrilling and addictive.
Ariel admits the handling on early Atoms was a bit twitchy on the limit. But the Atom 3, on which the V8 is based, is now a very well sorted sports car, with excellent steering and a well resolved balance of ride and handling. Compared with the ‘regular’ Atom, the V8’s spring and damper settings are stiffened in its standard, factory-fresh set-up, so as to be better on a circuit than on the road. However, it’s very adjustable. The dampers adjust three ways, the springs four ways.
On a bumpy road, the regular settings can leave the Atom skipping around a bit, particularly on the lightly loaded front. However, this is still a good road car, with some compliance and decent enough ground clearance, so you’re never conscious that you’re driving a track refugee.
Also, one of the joys of this car is that you can play around with the settings and tyre pressures to suit your favourite road or track, or find a generic set-up that suits it best. And the Atom is very communicative; through the seat and the steering wheel, you feel every millimetre of what’s going on beneath those tyres.
The tyres themselves, though, do present a problem. They’re Toyo Proxes R888s, because softer specialist tyres of the right size don’t carry a high enough speed rating to match the Atom V8’s 170mph (limited) top end.
The Proxes are designed for heavier cars than the Atom, so it’s hard to get any heat into the lightly loaded fronts. (At the rear, 475bhp does the hard work for you.) Dropping the front tyre pressures partially resolves it, but there’s some steady-state understeer to work through.
The steering itself is brilliant, with terrific road feel through the suede rim of its wheel, which gives 1.7 turns between locks. It stops well, too. There’s no ABS, but the pedal gives good feel and there’s solid retardation and even very effective front/rear brake bias adjustment.[via : Autocar]
VW Tiguan 2.0 TDI review
Volkswagen’s facelifted Tiguan compact SUV, deliveries of which will begin in the UK in September, and which we’re testing in the UK for the first time. And it stands out as one of the more talented all-round road cars available of its type.
Although they’re cracked up to be seriously multi-talented, you often have to compromise on quite a lot when buying a £25,000 SUV. You can have a voluminous seven-seater, but it’ll probably come from a budget brand and with a slightly agricultural driving experience. You can have one from a premium brand, but it might be quite small and only have two driven wheels. You can have one from a more blue-blooded 4x4 brand, but you’ll have to settle for relatively low spec.
And within that rather confusing market, the Volkswagen Tiguan has become a bit of touchstone: the go-to-option for all-round breadth of ability. Oft-criticised for its ‘lightweight’ Golf-derived underpinnings, it’s actually the Tiguan’s civilized and efficient Golf-family engines and relatively modest dimensions that make it so uncompromised. Few others in the class combine the Tiguan’s car-like performance, handling, ride, refinement and efficiency, after all. And even fewer come with such a flexible, well-equipped and well-appointed cabin, with decent capability as a tow car or occasional offroad tool, or with a badge as desirable as VW’s.
What’s it like ?
The new Tiguan gets a Touareg-inspired face and a new array of petrol engines. Economy and CO2 gains have been made across the whole range, and there’s a new more offroad-oriented Escape model too with more outright mud-plugging capacity.
We tested the volume-selling 138bhp 2.0-litre TDi version, with 4Motion four-wheel drive and in SE trim. Even with four driven wheels, the car squeezes into VED road tax band F for a £130 tax disc, and returns better than 40mpg on the motorway, thanks to VW’s Bluemotion Technology package, which includes automatic engine stop-start.
Performance is well up to class standards, making the Tiguan easy to drive and feel quite fleet of foot on the road. The car’s ride is a little firm, and more reactive than some SUVs. It’s certainly easy to understand why many owners christen their cars ‘Tigger’ – the VW certainly feels springier than most of its type. But the Tiguan steers and handles very tidily indeed, with strong grip, quick responses, well-contained body roll and little understeer. That being the case, it’s easy to accept the modest amount of choppiness in the car’s dynamic demeanor over undulating surfaces.
Although the Tiguan still isn’t as accommodating as some for the money, it’s as practical as a Toyota RAV4 in most meaningful measurements, and a good deal more so than a Ford Kuga or BMW X1 thanks to rear seats that slide and recline as well as folding flat. Headroom up front is as good as almost any SUV. Material quality and fit-and-finish inside the cabin are both consistently good, and standard equipment on our SE spec test car included dual zone climate control, a DAB radio, tyre pressure monitors and self-steering park assist.
Should I buy one ?
It may seem a little middle-of-the-road compared to some compact SUVs, but VW’s Tiguan would make a growing family’s perfect first time 4x4.
It’s got 80 per cent of the capabilities of any SUV, but doesn’t come with drawbacks like poor fuel economy, cumbersome handling or average refinement.
Put simply, it’s a car that still drives like a car - and yet it’s also all the 4x4 you’re ever likely to need.
Volkswagen Tiguan 2.0 TDi 4Motion SE
Price: £25,645; Top speed: 116mph; 0-62mph: 10.2sec; Economy: 48.7mpg; Co2: 150g/km; Kerbweight: 1655kg; Engine type, cc: 4 cyls in line, 1968cc, turbodiesel; Power: 138bhp at 4200rpm; Torque: 236lb ft at 1750-2500rpm; Gearbox: 6-spd manual.[via : Autocar]
Saab 9-3 SportWagon review
Yes, yes, I know: a first drive of a car that has been around for longer than some of the showrooms from which it is sold. But despite being in its ninth year, the 9-3 has been given some minor, but worthwhile, tweaks.
From a shopper or fleet manager’s perspective, significant among the changes is that the range has been simplified. There’s no more Turbo Edition/Vector Sport/Linear SE and the like; now there’s just SE and Aero, which is far more straightforward.
On SE models, such as our test car, come a new design of alloy wheel and new ‘ice block’ headlight treatment, grille and bumpers. Plus it now says ‘Saab’ instead of having the Griffin badge at the back. Not a lot, then.
Inside, there are some changes to seats and trim, plus some additional equipment for the £24,120 you’ll pay for this model. Which, given that it delivers 158bhp and still, to my eyes, looks fairly classy, leaves the Saab appearing conspicuously good value next to, say, a similarly powered Audi A4 or BMW 3-series.
What's it like?
The question is, of course, whether the 9-3 can still cut any mustard on the road. And let’s be honest, regardless of how many tweaks it gets on the way, nine years is a long time for a car to be on sale in this business. In the compact executive segment, in fact, it’s virtually unheard of.
But, as I settle down into it – on a driving seat that proved too high and too close to the dashboard for several of our testers – I think it’s not all bad. The quality of construction and materials is okay, although the green-on-green displays are looking a bit tired and pixelated. Things have moved on here in quite a big way.
The engine – a twin-turbocharged, 1910cc diesel – spins into life with a bit of a clatter. It’s not Vauxhall Insignia loud, but most diesels from a couple of classes below comfortably leave it behind.
Still, the gearshift is positive enough and all the pedal weights are progressive and natural. The steering is light, too, and the 9-3 is an easy car to get along with in that respect – quite Swedish. While some German car makers like you to feel the engineering and weight behind the controls and load them with heft, the 9-3 strokes along very easily.
Less relaxing is some turbo lag and high gearing. At least it means this 9-3 returns a quite creditable 119g/km of CO2, which makes it a compelling draw alongside some of competitors in the 130-140g/km bracket. But at anything under 2000rpm the 9-3’s motor is unresponsive, and because it’s geared generously for good cruising economy and low noise levels, you’ll often find yourself dipping a gear lower than you’d like. Even on a motorway I found myself dropping down to fifth if the traffic slowed at all. Typical third-gear roundabout exits call for second.
Despite that, the 9-3 isn’t unpleasant to drive. The alloys are stylish and leave their tyres wearing a 45 profile, which is almost generous these days, so the town ride is compliant.
Motorway ride and stability are also good and wind noise is low, while the steering remains light but reassuring around the straight-ahead.
That compliance means the 9-3, despite the SportWagon title, isn’t going to drive around the outside of too many other estate cars. It’s not a particularly engaging steer, so there’s not much to be gained by driving enthusiastically. But you know what? I think that’s okay.
Should I buy one?
I warmed to the 9-3 far more than I expected to. It feels compact and straightforward, slightly out of its time but pleasant to be around and not unlike a Seat Exeo in some respects: smaller than the newest cars, but no worse for it.
That Saab needs a replacement is a given (see above for the latest shenanigans on that score). In the meantime, the 9-3 continues, off the pace but not totally out of contention.
Saab 9-3 SportWagon SE 1.9 :
Price: £24,120; Top speed: 140mph; 0-62mph: 8.7sec; Economy: 62.8mpg; Co2: 119g/km; Kerb weight: 1740kg; Engine type, cc: 4 cyls, 1910cc, twin-turbo diesel; Power: 158bhp at 4000rpm; Torque: 266lb ft at 1800-2500rpm; Gearbox: 6-spd manual. [via - Autocar]
Hyundai i40 1.7 CRDi Estate
We appear to have spent a large number of time using Hyundai’s i40 already, to begin with out of the country with it as an early prototype, then within the UK with two potential chassis set-ups It has been attention-grabbing to trace its development, but now it has arrived in finished form, previous to happening sale in September.
Evidently, Hyundai is feeling lovely assured about it; it’ll take on the Ford Mondeo and Volkswagen Passat wagons head on. Prices get started at a sturdy 18,395 and our check automobile was once the range-topping 1.7 CRDi diesel manual Premium. It comes very well provided but will retail at 24,395, which gets you right into a tidy version of all its competitors.
What's it like?
Certainly, the i40 Tourer appears to be like the part. See it next to an i30 estate and it looks a lot more dynamic, showing simply how far Hyundai has come even in the past three years.
It’s somewhat well finished inside, too. There are a few neat pics and layout touches, even as fit/finish is good, however the materials still path those of the category best. The door pulls and door-skin plastics are more difficult than the dashboard plastic (common practice but something I can by no means quite fathom), while dashboard switches and column stalks are at the shiny side. The Mondeo, Passat and Peugeot 508 are nonetheless beforehand of the i40 here.
Room in the again is first rate and there’s a very respectable boot, competitive with a Mondeo wagon’s in total volume, regardless of the i40 being usefully shorter (at 4.77m as opposed to 4.83m long).
The Hyundai’s 1.7-litre diesel turns out quieter than in the closing i40 we tried, almost definitely to be expected from a full manufacturing variant. The gearshift is relatively slick and throttle reaction is fine. With 134bhp, it’s never going to be a fast car, however it gets alongside neatly enough, with a huge unfold of energy and no discernible vulnerable spots.
Curiously, while lower-spec trim ranges with this engine get stop-start to chop their CO2 output to 119g/km, the Premium version doesn’t, so it is left with the 134g/km output.
When we remaining tried an i40, the firm’s engineers were still determining between two different chassis set-ups. It feels to me like they went for the extra mature of the two settings. The i40 feels considerable round town, riding with a slightly flat frame and permitting floor imperfections to be heard greater than felt.
The steerage is a touch odd, even though – heavier than it needs to be. Presumably that is to provide the i40 a premium feel. Trouble is, it doesn’t relatively determine like that. Instead, it just feels sticky and overtly weighty. It robs the i40 of any dynamic feel. It’s worse still on a motorway.
Sure, the body continues to be composed – and noise ranges are impressively low – but, seemingly, just about all assistance goes from the steering, so it’s vastly heavy. This is supposed to present a feeling of straight-line stability. To an extent it does, but a more overriding feeling is one among deadness and woodenness.
That’s a shame, as a result of somewhere in the construction process there was extra agility in the i40’s chassis – not completely appropriate, perhaps, but no doubt parts of it could were value holding on to. It means that whereas the i30 entered its magnificence with one of the most most impressive ride, steering and agility characteristics amongst its peers, I don’t reasonably see the i40 doing the similar thing.
Should I buy one?
Still, it’s aggressive – neatly into the higher part of the class – and there’s a powerful case to be made for it on its apparatus levels. Less than we’d have expected and hoped, though, when it comes to dynamics and pricing.
Matt Prior
Hyundai i40 1.7 CRDi Premium Tourer
Price: 24,395; Top speed: 124mph; 0-62mph: 10.6sec; Economy: 55.4mpg (combined); CO2: 134g/km; Kerb weight: 1495kg; Engine: 4 cyls, 1685cc, turbodiesel; Power: 134bhp at 4000rpm; Torque: 240lb ft at 1250-2750rpm; Gearbox: 6-spd manual
BMW 1-series M Coupe
But if we used statistics alone to judge merit, we’d now rank Damon Hill a better driver than Sir Stirling Moss. It is not as simple as that. There was no need to go squeezing the extra out of the direct-injection, twin-turbo six because the engine already existed under the bonnet of the Z4 sDrive35iS, a car from which BMW has curiously removed the elite ‘M’ status. This makes the 1-series M Coupé the first M-car ever to use the same engine as a non-M model. Some will see this as sensible pragmatism, others perhaps as the thin end of the wedge.
As described over the page, the suspension is largely that of the M3, while an electronically controlled, mechanically locking limited-slip differential replaces the open differential used by the 135i. Also helping to keep the car under control are brakes borrowed from the M3. Huge, drilled discs sitting inside those fine-looking 19in rims give the 1-series M Coupé a great sense of purpose.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.JPG)
