The economical sports car

The words economical and sports car don’t usually go together, sports cars are all about power and speed and very little to do with fuel efficiency. Turbo and supercharged engines are what make sports cars, not diesel or hybrid technology. But times are changing; at recent motor shows we have seen a flurry of hybrid sports cars that offer high performance whilst sipping on fuel.

In my eyes Peugeot was one of the first mass manufacturers to produce every day diesel cars. The Peugeot 306 and 406 were great ambassadors for diesel engines and how they can be refined for passenger cars. Till this day the 406 is seen as a highly fuel efficient and practical car and a firm favourite with cab drivers.

Peugeot has taken the same initiative with its sports cars, in 2010 Peugeot released the RCZ – a 2 door sports coupe. Initially the RCZ was only meant to be a concept car, but it received positive reviews and captured the imagination of the public, so Peugeot put it into production.

The RCZ comes with two engine choices; both have plenty of power and offer excellent fuel efficiency. For once you can get a sports car with decent performance as a diesel, the RCZ comes with a 2.0 turbo diesel engine that has 154 bhp. There is a 1.6 litre petrol that is also a turbo and comes with 197bhp.

For this year’s Children in Need appeal Peugeot will be auctioning off an RCZ to help raise money for the charity. Peugeot is supporting the charity in many ways; the RCZ auction is just one of the events.

The new Civic and the Type R

Honda has been making the Civic since 1973, initially it was a small compact car but now it has evolved into a medium sized car. The Civic is built here in the UK at the Honda Swindon plant, and available as a 3 or 5 door hatchback as well as the 4 door hybrid saloon. The latest generation, the ninth is due to go on sale from 2012.

The European Honda Civic will be available as a hatchback and come with a 2.2 litre diesel engine as well as the Honda IMA hybrid power train. The ninth generation model range will also include a new Type R variant.

The Type R is rumoured to be the first ever Honda road car powered with a Turbo, it will be the fastest Type R produced to date. The Honda Type R has quickly been embraced in the UK; it has a cult like following much like the Golf GTI. The previous Type R was short lived as it had to be scrapped due to new emissions regulations, hence why the new one has a turbo. By adding a turbo the Civic Type R will have more torque lower in the rev range, so a higher gear can be used more often to boost efficiency. Stop-start technology is also likely to be fitted to help keep CO2 emissions down.

It has not been confirmed yet but apparently the new Type R will have 210 bhp, it will be able to do 0-62 mph in 6.5 seconds and have a top speed of almost 150 mph. like the Focus ST the Civic Type r will only be available as a 5 door hatchback.

VW Golf Cabriolet wins its first award

The new Volkswagen Golf has only been on sale since last month, but already it has won an award. At this year’s Scottish Car of the Year awards it was named “Open top Car of the Year”. The Golf Cabriolet has joined the VW EOS which is a hard top retractable convertible; the new VW Beetle Convertible is due to be available next year.

The front end of the Cabriolet is more or less identical to the Golf hatchback, but at the rear the Cabriolet gets the GTI LED taillights. The fabric roof opens in 9.5 seconds and it can be operated at speeds of up to 30 KPH.

At the moment the VW Golf Cabriolet comes with a choice of six engines, 4 petrol and 2 diesels. The petrol range consists of a 1.2 litre that has 103bhp, a 122bhp or 158bhp 1.4 litre and 2.0 litre with 208bhp. The two diesel units are the 1.6 litre with 103 bhp and the 2.0 litre with 138 bhp. All engines come with either five and six-speed manuals or six and seven-speed DSGs.

The Scottish award will no doubt not be the last award for the Golf Cabriolet, but it’s good to get the first one under the belt! The judges at the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers were very complimentary of the cabriolet and said, "Scots love to make the most of the sunshine as quickly and as easily as possible, so our winner has to have a fast moving roof. It also needs to keep the weather at bay on those rare occasions when the sun doesn't shine in Scotland.”

So it seems the new Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet is the car to have for next summer if you live in Scotland.

Rebirth of the NSX

Lately there have been a lot of model launches for cars that are eco-friendly or that have amazing technology. It has been a long time since I have been able to report on a launch of a super car, well here it is! Honda has announced that the new NSX is definitely under production. Autocar recently reported that Honda's R&D chief Mibe Toshihiro has confirmed that work is underway to produce a new sportscar in the mould of the iconic Honda NSX. 

The rumour is that the new NSX may be ready for sale as soon as next year, but being 2011 it will not be a conventional supercar, no, it will be a hybrid powered supercar. According to Mibe Toshiro Honda is now in a position to look into hybrid supercars, “We are now at a point where we can consider the next generation of electric and hybrid vehicles. President Ito has already mentioned a new NSX, and we have looked at that in the R&D department. It would be an interesting project - electric or hybrid vehicles can be fun as well as economical. More than that I cannot say.”

The old NSX was produced from 1990 up until 2005; it is a mid-engine rear wheel drive car. It has a 3.0 litre V6 petrol engine with Honda’s VTEC technology. After 12 years of production in 2002 the NSX received a small facelift, the major difference being non pop up head lamps for 2002 onward models. 

The NSX remains as one of my favourite supercars! The new model has got me very excited; hopefully Honda will do a good job on it and put something out of the hat!

Famous Ford models

As part of Ford’s centenary year celebrations a road show was set up to tour the UK throughout August. During the tour Ford would visit car dealerships and motoring events to showcase Ford’s History in the UK over the last 100 years.  The tour came to an end in September but five of Ford's most memorable vehicles featured on film and television were on display as the Elstree Studios in London. 

The cars included the:

• ·         Ford Anglia 105E from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• ·         Pink FAB1 from Thunderbirds
• ·         James Bond’s Ford Mondeo from the 2007 film Casino Royale
• ·         Ford Granada as seen in The Sweeney TV series
• ·         Dr Who’s yellow Edwardian vintage car

 These models were on display to demonstrate the part Ford plays in UK history, including our TV and Cinema. Ford as a car manufacturing plant has played a massive part in moulding the UK motor manufacturing industry. Many unions, regulations and rights were put together by people involved with Ford.

The Ford plant in Dagenham played a crucial part in gaining women equal opportunities in the work place, as highlighted by the film “Made in Dagenham”. Personally I think the biggest contribution Ford made to the UK was the Cosworth range; the Escort Cosworth and Sapphire Cosworth are my favourite. 

In the current Ford range the Focus is pioneering driver aid technology, to minimise the chances of an accident as well as minimise injury caused in an event of an accident. At the 2011 Businesscar awards the new Focus was awarded the “Techie” award and at the 2011 Auto Express Awards the Focus won the Special Award.

The most powerful Jeep ever produced

The most powerful Jeep ever produced

The Jeep Grand Cherokee has been in production since 1993, it is a medium sized sports utility vehicle (SUV). Over the years the Cherokee has built a strong reputation, people refer to it as being robust and a “proper” 4x4 vehicle that can handle all types of terrain. 

The current model was launched in 2010; the new Jeep grand Cherokee has the classic Cherokee look with a modern and sleek touch added to it. The Cherokee has always been renowned for its luxurious interior, the new model does not disappoint. As well as the supple leather trimmings and wood panels the new Cherokee also has state of the art electronics.

Engine wise the Grand Cherokee comes with a choice of 4 engines, one of which is a diesel. There is a 3.6 litre V6, a 5.7 litre Hemi V8, a 6.4 litre Hemi V8 and a 3.0 litre V6 Diesel. Power in the petrol range starts from 290 bhp for the 3.6 litre and goes all the way to 465 bhp in the 6.4 litre. The Diesel unit comes with a respectable 188 bhp.

At this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show Jeep unveiled the range topping Grand Cherokee SRT8, it is the fastest Jeep ever produced by the manufacturer. The high performance SRT8 uses the new 6.4 litre HEMI V8 engine, producing 470bhp and 630Nm of torque. The new Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 can do 0-62mph in 4.8 seconds and go onto a top speed of more than 155mph.

The new Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 will go on sale the first quarter of 2012, so keep your eyes out for a monster of a car!

High performance Volvo S60 R

High performance Volvo S60 R

We all know Volvo as the Swedish car manufacturer that produces some of the safest cars on our roads. Volvo is at the helm of producing ground breaking safety equipment and driver aids for cars around the world. The Swedish brand is lesser known for its high performance models, purely because that is not an area Volvo has ventured into in the past.

However, discretely the Volvo S60 R Design has been created to rival many high performance executive saloons. Due out in the early part of 2012 the S60 R Design has 321bhp and 354lb ft of torque. It will have four wheel drive and an automatic six speed gearbox. Changes to the 2012 model compared to its predecessor include changes to the chassis, strut brace under the bonnet and ‘monotube’ dampers. 

The S60 R design will be joining the Volvo S60 which has been on sale since 2010; it has quickly built a reputation of class, elegance and drivability. The S60 comes with an array of engine options consisting of four petrols and 3 diesels. The petrol range is made up of a 1.6 litre with a T3 or T4 turbo, a 2.0 litre and a 3.0 litre. The diesel line up is made up of a 1.6 litre, a 2.0 litre and a 2.4 litre.

The new S60 and the S60 R Design are being targeted at a younger demographic, not your typical Volvo owners or drivers. The S60 range is therefore in competition with the Audi A4, Mercedes C Class and even the BMW 3 Series.

The fastest open-top Golf in history!

The fastest open-top Golf in history!

Volkswagen re-introduced the Golf Cabriolet in September this year, it made a return after being absent in the line-up for nearly 9 years. The new soft top Golf is smaller than the VW EOS and has a fabric roof compared to a hard top retractable. The soft top on the Golf opens in an impressive 9.5 seconds. 

Volkswagen did a lot of work to get rid of the roof on the Golf, modifications include reshaped sill sections, diagonal bracing bars in the front and rear under body, boxing-in of the space between rear sub frame and spare wheel well, and enclosure of the bottom of the engine bay. And there I was thinking it was a simple roof chop!

The Golf Cabriolet has already been voted Open-top Car of the Year at the 2011 Scottish Car of the Year awards. It collected this first award within the first month of going on sale, there will be many more to follow.

This summer VW presented the Golf R Cabriolet at the Worthersee tuning festival in Austria. The R Cabriolet has the same engine has the hard top model, producing 266 bhp via a turbo charged petrol engine. It can do the 0-60 sprint in less than 6 seconds and has a top speed of 155 mph – making it the fastest convertible Golf to be ever produced. 

The R model differs from the normal Golf Cabriolet, it comes with a ‘sports chassis’ and sits 25mm lower than the standard Cabriolet and it has 19-inch Talladega alloys. The Golf R Cabriolet uses 17-inch internally ventilated brake discs and special blue high-performance brake callipers to  make sure the car stops!

Also at the show was a GTI version of the cabriolet, more on that later!

New Range Rover due 2012

New Range Rover due 2012

The current Range Rover model has been around for 11 years now; it has had many refreshes in that time to keep it looking modern. But the time has come for an all new Range Rover; the fourth generation will be a step away from the BMW engineered third generation. The third generation model did wonders for the Range Rover; it put it on the map as a luxury 4x4 or SUV as well as a very able off road machine.

If you are thinking of trading in your used Land Rover then the new Range Rover is going to be available from next year. These are rumours, but insiders from Land Rover have provided enough information to assume that new Range Rover will take inspiration from the new Evoque. In order to look more young and sporty the Range Rover has ditched many of its classic design cues. 

The interior of a Range Rover is very up market as it is, but the new model will take it a step further and bring it closer to Bentley standards. The interior will have more room as well; rear leg room is improved by 125mm, allowing the rear cabin to compete against the most upmarket luxury cars. This increase in space has been possible thanks to a new pressed aluminium monocoque. The new aluminium platform is slightly wider and around 25mm longer than the third generation car.

The current engine range will remain for the new model, but there are rumours that a new V6 petrol may be added along with a hybrid power train.

The big puller

The big puller

The Volkswagen Touareg is a mid-size crossover SUV; it has been in production since 2002. The Touareg is the product of a joint venture between VW, Audi and Porsche. All the Volkswagen Group brands wanted to create an off road vehicle that could handle like a sports car. Other by products of this project are the Audi Q7 and the Porsche Cayenne. 

The first generation Touareg was available from 2002 right up until 2010, when the second generation model was introduced. The first generation model held the record for the heaviest load towed by a passenger car, pulling a Boeing 747 as part of a marketing campaign. In 2007 the first generation model received a facelift that consisted of a new front end design – in line with other new VW models. 

The second generation model has been available since 2010; it builds on the success of the previous model and introduces new technology. The 2010 Volkswagen Passat has the latest technology including "glare-free high beam" – a first in the automotive world. Other new technological advancements include:

·         Adaptive cruise control with Stop & go function

·         Lane departure warning system: Lane Assist

·         Blind Spot Monitor: Side Assist

·         Area View with four cameras

·         Adaptive Air Suspension with continuous damping control (CDC) and Adaptive Roll Compensation

The Touareg is available with a choice of four engines, including a petrol-hybrid. In the diesel range there is a 3.0 litre diesel with 237 bhp and a 4.2 litre with 335 bhp. The petrol range includes a 4.2 litre FSI with 355 bhp and a hybrid 2.0 litre supercharged model with 328 bhp. My personal favourite has to be the hybrid, but the small diesel is also very popular.

The fastest ever VW Beetle

The fastest ever VW Beetle

The new VW Beetle has been around since 1997, it was re-introduced after phenomenal public response to the concept car.  The new Beetle looks very similar to the classic model but this one has the engine at the front rather than at the back. This year Volkswagen announced that the current model will cease production and a new Beetle model was launched.

The newest Beetle looks similar to the first generation of the new Beetle, but it has a lower roof giving it a lower and sporty stance. The high waistline means the windows are narrow and look awesome. Size wise the new model is 12 mm lower than its predecessor and is wider by 88 mm. A convertible model will follow in 2012. The high performance version, called New Beetle R, will follow later in the year.

The Beetle R is being dubbed by VW as the sportiest Beetle ever; it has customised front and rear sections and rides on 20-inch alloys. No official performance figures have been released but it is expected to have similar power to that of the Scirocco and Golf R – 261 – 266 BHP. 

Looks wise the high performance Beetle has flared wheel arches and redesigned front and rear bumpers, which are 30mm wider than the normal Beetle. The front bumper, which is designed as a motorsport-inspired splitter, features three air intakes – the middle one that channels air to the engine and the outer two that cool the brakes. The bonnet has air vents for extra ventilation and engine cooling.

The Kahn RS300 Cosworth Range Rover

 The Kahn RS300 Cosworth Range Rover

Over the years Afzal Kahn and his team at Kahn designs have taken a keen liking to the Range Rover, they really enjoy working with one the best luxury SUV vehicles in the market. Kahn Projects have a created name for themselves for being a young British team who enjoy keeping a vehicle’s originality whilst still making it bespoke and unique.

Afzal Kahn’s attention to detail, the simplicity and the bespoke nature of the cars coming out of the workshop are capturing the imagination of many. Most of the cars that roll out of Kahn Projects are not affordable for the working class – bespoke built cars cost a lot of money. Kahn designed cars tend to be sold to footballers, celebrities and the filthy rich!

The latest Range Rover model to undergo the Kahn treatment is the Land Rover Kahn RS300 Range Rover. The guys at Kahn have kept it clean and simple making it look like it came out of the Land Rover factory with all this kit. The bespoke car is in essence an 8 piece pace car that retains the original Range Rover's decorum and also accommodates Cosworth's heritage.

The 8 piece body kit consists of Cosworth vented front and rear wheel arch spats with integrated air dams, led daytime running lights in front air dams, Cosworth front grille with 3D mesh and exhaust side vents all add to the unique yet simple bespoke look.

As with all Kahn Project cars the inside is truly bespoke, the customer can specify exactly what materials and colours they want to use.