Innholdsfortegnelse for 02/07/2014 i Autocar

LIKE US, PRESUMABLY you think the British Grand Prix can’t come too soon. Silverstone is a high point of the motorsport calendar; it’s the home GP for many of the teams and one of the drivers’ favourite circuits. We also have the potentially delicious spectacle of Lewis Hamilton fighting to put his 2014 title bid back on track in his own back yard. But while Lewis grabs the headlines, let’s not forget his former team-mate, Jenson Button, who now has far more F1 seasons behind him than in front. It’s going to take a miracle for JB to triumph on Sunday, but his enthusiasm remains undimmed. Read our interview with him on p48. It’s hard to deny what a formidable competitor Jenson is and what a terrific ambassador for motorsport…

Fiat used the Goodwood Festival of Speed to showcase its new range-topping Abarth model. The 500-based 695 Biposto is powered by a 187bhp 1.4-litre T-Jet petrol engine. Abarth says the two-seat 695 Biposto is the most powerful road-going model that it has ever made. The car weighs just 995kg, according to Abarth, resulting in a power-to-weight ratio of 188bhp per tonne. Abarth is also claiming that the 695 Biposto has a 0-62mph time of just 5.9sec. The 695 comes with four-point harnesses, Brembo brakes, 18-inch OZ wheels, Exteme Shox adjustable dampers, a titanium rear anti-roll bar and a digital data logger. A seven-inch touchscreen is also standard.…

AUDI RESEARCH AND development chief Ulrich Hackenberg has revealed further details of the German car maker’s plans to have a plug-in hybrid version of each of its key models by 2020. Hackenberg was speaking at the launch of the A3 Sportback e-tron (driven on p34), which he described as “a benchmark for other plug-in hybrids”. He said Audi had decided to prioritise plug-in hybrids over other forms of alternative powertrains, because “they meet all of our customers’ expectations”. He revealed that Audi is developing two plug-in hybrid powertrain families. Future models based on the MQB platform would be offered with a plug-in hybrid powertrain mirroring that of the A3 e-tron. This features an electric motor sited between a transversely mounted 1.4 TFSI petrol engine and a specially developed six-speed dual-clutch…

ROAD DEATHS IN the UK fell to a record low last year. A total of 1713 people were killed in 2013, down two per cent on the fatality rate in 2012, while the number of people seriously injured dropped by six per cent year on year to 21,657. This was despite an overall increase in traffic of 0.4 per cent between 2012 and 2013. The statistics, released by the Department for Transport, also revealed that 46 per cent (785) of the road deaths were among the occupants of cars, 19 per cent (331) were motorcyclists, 23 per cent (398) were pedestrians and six per cent cyclists. The DfT said the one per cent rise in motorcycle deaths was the first increase since 2006. Encouragingly, the number of child fatalities on…

VOLVO HAS ANNOUNCED that it is joining the Open Automotive Alliance, members of which will adopt Google’s Android operating system in their future models. The Android Auto system will connect a smartphone seamlessly to the car’s touchscreen to give a “continuous user experience”. It will also allow for future innovation in terms of mobile services and in-car apps to be used by a wide range of new models. It is hoped that the integration of smartphones will reduce the number of drivers making hand-held calls and texting while driving. As well as Volvo, the Fiat-Chrysler combine has joined the Alliance along with the Volkswagen Group, the Renault-Nissan Alliance, Honda, Hyundai-Kia, General Motors, Mazda, Suzuki and Mitsubishi. BMW remains conspicuous by its absence from the list. Volvo say apps including Google…

HAVING FIRST UNVEILED its Continental GT-based race car, the GT3, at the Festival of Speed last year, it was only apt that Bentley chose Goodwood to show off its road-going version, the GT3-R, for the first time. The new car takes the title of fastest-accelerating Bentley road car yet, able to reach 60mph 3.6sec. That’s thanks in part to a retuned version of Bentley’s twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine, which now develops 572bhp alongside 516lb ft of torque. It’s coupled to an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission, also tuned to have shorter gearing than other models. Company bosses describe the car as Bentley’s “most dynamic road car” yet. Despite weighing 100kg less than the GT V8 S, the GT3-R still offers the kind of luxuries a Bentley customer would expect. That’s why…

ANDREW FRANKEL A 650S BUILT by McLaren Special Operations sounds like it should be a 1000bhp, radar-proof, skunkworks stealth fighter of a supercar, rather than a run of 50 cosmetically enhanced standard cars retailing for £252,500 or £272,500 for coupe and spider versions. I can’t say I felt the 4kg reduction in unsprung mass of its lighter wheels, nor any additional downforce from its modified rear diffuser as it belted up the hill. No matter. Truth is I’ve never driven a more impressive road car up that hill. Landed in the timed supercar shootout, I drove relaxing within my button-backed Chesterfield comfort zone and still emerged seventh out of 22 starters. A professional racing driver would have been top three. Briefly I regretted such a defensive approach, at least until…

NISMO’S ENGINEERS HAVE completely altered the GT-R’s set-up, both in the hardware and fine-tuning of the suspension and in the software that operates the 4WD system. And it was all done to make the car as fast as possible around the Nürburgring. The 4WD system now sends much more torque, much more quickly, to the rear axle. As such, to get the best out of the Nismo’s chassis you absolutely must turn the traction control off — as long as it’s dry. So lively has the rear become that, with the TC on, most applications of full power when cornering will engage the system and you’ll lose the throttle momentarily. Yet with the system switched off the car feels deliciously neutral, oversteering under power only when you give it an…

FIRST VERDICT Slick, quick, ultra-efficient alternative to a conventional A3 SO GOOD Performance/economy mix Overall mechanical refinement Uncompromised premiumness NO GOOD It’s quite expensive Small boot Inevitable weight penalty TESTER’S NOTE Electric ‘whine’ — or ‘tram noise’, as Audi’s R&D boss calls it — has been all but eliminated. TD THE HYBRID CAR’S image has undergone a transformation in recent years, but this car, the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron, is set to have perhaps the greatest impact yet. The e-tron is a plug-in petrol-electric hybrid version of the regular A3 Sportback. It is powered by a 148bhp 1.4 TFSI engine and a 99bhp electric motor, which produce a combined 201bhp. Allied to a peak torque figure of 258lb ft, a six-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and a kerb weight of 1540kg,…

“The ‘hypercar’ is a lie. It is a concoction of the sports car industry, in cahoots with the motoring press, intended to make the current crop of million-pound über-exotics – LaFerrari, McLaren P1, Porsche 918 Spyder and so on – appear intrinsically superior to their older equivalents. But there’s nothing innately superior about a 220mph car that happens to have batteries and electric motors. Those on the uppermost rung of the performance ladder are ‘supercars’. Nothing at all below that level can be described as such. End of.” That’s one side of an argument quite commonly had between car-literate mates these past few years. An appealing tack to adopt, too, because it seems to reveal a simple truth hidden away behind the PR-spun apparent complexity of the modern car-making world.…

How much does this car look like the Aston Martins of the future? “Well, we’ll never make a car just like it, but there are definitely design elements we’ll use in the future, though probably not exactly as you see them here. Those light blades on the tail could have a future, for instance.” What do you think is the commercial value of a project like this? “It builds brand awareness in the next generation. The young may not be able to afford an Aston, but hopefully they’ll grow up wanting one. Players will want to race with the coolest car in the game. It’s our job to provide it.” Does it feel funny, designing a car that won’t drive? “Not at all. Gran Turismo 6 is very much part…

Grand prix racing isn’t supposed to produce certainties. The laws that govern this most sophisticated of sports are framed to promote such variability in driver-teampowerplant-chassis combinations that predictability is a small risk. Yet this year, it hasn’t worked. Those who predicted serial wins for Mercedes’ powerplants have been right seven times out of eight, and even the recent Canadian win for Red Bull’s (Renault-powered) Daniel Ricciardo was achieved because one Mercedes driver’s brakes failed and the other’s engine had an unprecedented power loss. Powerplant performance has been this year’s big differentiator. The availability of Mercedes power is the reason why previously underachieving Williams made life so hard for Ferrari and Red Bull last time out. Under such circumstances, who’d bet against another Merc-powered victory this weekend in Britain? At Brixworth,…

Toyota’s x-touch multimedia set-up isn’t standard right across the Aygo range — only on high-end x-pression trim, and in the x-cite and x-clusiv special editions — but you can buy it as an option on all but the entry-level trim, and it’s worth having. It does all of the basics well, connecting to your phone via Bluetooth and streaming media from there particularly well, giving you the option to browse tracks and playlists and presenting you with nice, large menu icons. But that’s not all it does. Provided your smartphone is compatible, the MirrorLink function displays your phone’s screen on the seven-inch display and allows you to select and browse compatible apps from that display. You can catch up with email and social media without touching your handset, which is…

Mileage 11,930 The great British holiday: surely one of the toughest tests for any car, often involving a long journey, unfamiliar and sometimes challenging terrain and a car loaded to the rafters with luggage. Our Qashqai faced such a test on a 660-mile trip from London to the Lake District and back for a week away. With bags, golf clubs, three passengers and a dog on board, the Qashqai was well and truly weighed down, but I was impressed with the Nissan’s performance on the winding roads around Lake Windermere. Here, I was thankful that we’d opted for a diesel Qashqai rather than a petrol model. The 1.6 dCi engine is a strong performer, even on steep inclines, and torque arrives low down in the rev range. It’s also economical,…

“I ’ve not seen one in ages,” admits John Millett, from Renaultsport specialist R Sport Ltd, Wimbledon. That is hardly surprising, given that we’re discussing Renault Sport Spiders. They sold in tiny numbers. Officially just 96 right-hand-drive cars were built, but the word is some of those went back to Renault’s Alpine Dieppe production facility to be converted to left-hand drive for sale in Germany. Millett used to see more, when at Radbourne Racing he supplied cars and parts for the Sport Spider Cup. The close-racing, single-marque race series catapulted names such as Jason Plato and Andy Priaulx into the limelight — both showing utterly dominant performances in the series. Even having the Sport Spider do its simple interior is accessed by cantilever front-hinged doors, which were not only dramatic…

Porsche engineers are hard at work on a new sports car family that will span four models — from a four-cylinder turbocharged Boxster to a mighty eight-cylinder supercar that will directly target the Ferrari 458. The as yet unnamed flagship model — thought to be carrying the development tag ‘988’ — finally addresses the long-held concern of many Porsche engineers: that the company cannot adequately compete with eight-cylinder Ferraris with the classic six-cylinder engine used by the 911. There’s no clear news on the shape of the 988, although it will have strong shades of the 918 hypercar about its styling and in detailing such as the headlamps. Expect a long rear deck, too, because of the mid-mounted flat eight engine. The recent engine failures that stopped production of the…

MORE EVIDENCE OF the advanced nature of Porsche’s new-generation boxer engines seems to have emerged in a patent that was published on Christmas Eve last year. Although it is filed under the name of famous Swedish ball bearing manufacturer SKF, the patent was recovered by an internet search using ‘Porsche’ as the key word. The patent details a new kind of crankshaft that uses roller bearings instead of plain bearings between the crankshaft itself and the connecting rods. The underlying reason for this innovation is the ever more onerous legislation demanding increased fuel efficiency. Reducing friction in the drivetrain is one area being pursued by many car makers, with camshafts running on roller bearings one of the technologies already being launched. However, this patent, which seems to be for a…

US COMPANY DETROIT Electric says it will build its new SP:01 two-seat electric sports car in the UK. The SP:01 will be the world’s fastest production electric vehicle, the company says, and it will be made at a new facility in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. Detroit Electric says the SP:01 has a top speed of 155mph and a 0-60mph time of 3.7sec. It will go on sale in Europe and Asia later this year, before being launched in the US “soon after”, the firm says. A prototype SP:01 was first shown a year ago and helped the firm to “secure additional investment”. Since then, Detroit Electric says the car has undergone “extensive further development, heralding significant changes to enhance its aerodynamic performance and improve interior comfort and quality”. The EV is…

Ford is promising “a more responsive, balanced and refined driving experience” from the revised Focus ST, which will also get a diesel engine option for the first time. The 2.0 TDCi diesel engine in the Focus ST — which was unveiled during last weekend’s Festival of Speed — produces 182bhp at 3500rpm and 295lb ft from 2000-2750rpm. The car’s maximum speed is 135mph and it can sprint from 0-62mph in 8.1sec. It returns a claimed 64.2mpg on the combined cycle and emits 114g/km of CO2. Ford’s 2.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine produces 247bhp at 5500rpm and 266lb ft from 2000-4500rpm. The maximum speed is 154mph and the car can cover 0-62mph in 6.5sec. Fuel efficiency is put at 41.5mpg by Ford and it emits 158g/km of CO2. Both engines use a…

Nissan is just one of 28 vehicle manufacturers asked to create their virtual vision of the perfect supercar to be featured in the Gran Turismo 6 video game. The first of these models was Mercedes’ AMG Vision Gran Turismo, revealed at the LA motor show late last year, and at the Festival of Speed Nissan revealed its own concept car. Dubbed the Concept 2020 Vision Gran Turismo, the futuristic-looking model is officially described as a “vision of what a high-performance Nissan could look like in the future”, but to many the Concept 2020 also shows a strong indication of how the next GT-R could look. The firm’s design manager, Darryl Scriven, was quick to respond to such rumours, telling Autocar: “I can’t talk about GT-R, but I can say the…

Work has already started on the new AMGbased engine for the new family of Aston Martin cars, a company insider revealed at a pre-Goodwood event in central London. Autocar understands that a reworking of the V8 engine will encompass “both hardware and software changes”. The new Aston Martin engine is based on Mercedes-AMG’s new twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8. This unit uses twin turbochargers mounted in the ‘V’ of the engine. This version of the engine is good for 479lb ft of torque from 1750rpm and 503bhp. However, according to the source, Aston engineers have already firmly established its own performance parameters for the unit as well as its “unique characteristics”. The latter will include hard-to-define areas such as throttle response, induction and exhaust noise and the tuning of the turbochargers. Mercedes-Benz…

FIRST VERDICT A luxury GT from the top drawer: fast, surefooted and ultra-refined SO GOOD Immaculate cabin isolation Sharpened, engaging handling Flexible, torque-laden engine NO GOOD Tight for big adults in the back Lacks the outright desirability of the exotics TESTER’S NOTE Mercedes calls this new two-door the quietest car that it has ever built. That’s easily believed. GK THE S63 AMG coupé is, for now, the most powerful variant of Mercedes-Benz’s CL successor, the S-class coupé. It aims to provide stiff competition for the likes of the Aston Martin Vanquish, Bentley Continental GT and Ferrari FF. Power comes from the same twin-turbo 5.5-litre V8 petrol engine used by the CL63 AMG, which this model replaces. With 577bhp, it has 6bhp more than the CL63 ever offered and 129bhp more…

FIRST VERDICT New-shape baby Peugeot fares well but fails to threaten class leader THERE ARE FEW surprises in store in the new Peugeot 108 just after you’ve sampled the near-identical Toyota Aygo and Citroën C1 city cars, both of which are made in the same factory in the Czech Republic. Apart from some dealer differences, your own brand prejudices and styling variations, this is the same as the car in this week’s road test (p54). So here’s the bottom line. The 108 is a decent little car. It’s agile and light to steer, not least because it weighs less than most in its class. But the VW Up thrashes it for mechanical sophistication and the Fiat 500 is cuter. This is one of those cars you buy because you like…

McLAREN INSIDERS STILL won’t confirm it, but rumours abound that we might see a closer rival to the 458 Speciale in the not too distant future. If it happens, the 650 ‘GTR’ is likely to be a slightly different prospect from the 12C GT Sprint track-day car that Woking experimented with last year. Road legal this time, it won’t be intended as a competition car, won’t need a rollcage and therefore is likely to take the 650S’s dry weight down below 1300kg, bringing the true advantage of that carbonfibre tub to bear for the first time. Big power gains over the 650S’s 641bhp aren’t likely but won’t be necessary, given how much weight can be saved. The car’s new-found edge will come instead from a proper competition-specification passive chassis. Although…

During almost a decade of service, the first-generation Aygo has proven itself a fine starter car for Toyota. Built in a joint venture with Peugeot and Citroën, the snappily styled, modestly priced model has become a popular fixture of the city car class – particularly in the buoyant secondhand market, where the brand’s reputation for reliability and dealership transparency has probably done it no harm at all. Although age had caught up with it, the final edition of the previous Aygo arguably suffered as much from the maturing of the segment around it. MODEL TESTED 1.0 x-clusive • Price £11,695 • Power 68bhp • Torque 70lb ft • 0-60mph 13.9sec • Fuel economy 48.8mpg • CO2 emissions 95g/km • 70-0mph 52.6m • Skidpan 0.87g More recent entrants such as the…

CRUISE IS BLISS Martin Pallister (Your Views, 18 June) would indeed find the cruise control on his seven-year-old car as useful as a chocolate fireguard because it does not have any means of following traffic at varying speeds and only runs at a set speed. I use the cruise control on my new Volkswagen Golf GT 140 ACT DSG all the time because the radar distance control is wonderful on motorways, especially on the speed-controlled road works sections, and even in town. Using the cruise control set at 70mph on the motorways on a journey of 550 miles resulted in 54.5mpg — not bad for a 140bhp petrol engine. HPN Robinson via email SNOOZE CONTROL With regard to Martin Pallister’s letter, he should try the M1. All the average speed…

We’ve already racked up an easy 2200 miles in our i3, and it’s safe to say that it has slotted into my life more seamlessly than I could ever have imagined. As well as being a delight to drive around London, the i3 has made light work of several longer out-of-town runs, including a 200-mile round trip to Cambridge to visit friends who’ve just bought the magnificent 1972 Citroën DS pictured above. The DS was a ground-breaking car when it was launched in 1955, and you could argue with some conviction that, nearly six decades later, the i3 is, too. Two-thirds of that mileage has been done under battery power alone, in bursts of 75-80 miles between recharges, but the presence of the range extender under the boot floor is…

A quick check to see if the car has been resprayed is to look at the rear jacking points. There should be two fluorescent orange triangles there; if they’re not visible, the car has had a respray. Check the headlamp housings carefully, as the glass is very difficult to come by, a polycarbonate replacement pair costing around £220. A new windscreen won’t see much change from £1000, either, so check for any cracks. The suspension should be firm; if there’s any movement, wandering or the tyres touch the body then it’ll need overhauling. The dampers can be overhauled for £180 a pair, while balljoint kits are available for around £100 a corner. The cambelt should be changed every five years or 72,000 miles, so ask when it was last done.…

Going under the radar for under £3k IF YOU JUST want cheap transport and are looking to blend in on French motorways without a second glance from the gendarmerie, you can’t go wrong with a Citroën Xsara five-door hatchback. Launched in 1997, the Xsara — like many Citroëns and Peugeots of that period — was a pleasure to drive thanks to a low kerb weight, engaging handling and a smooth, limber ride quality. We found a well presented 2004 Xsara 1.6 HDi manual with only 53,000 miles under its belt. It’s got air conditioning, electric windows and mirrors and a CD player and is advertised by a left-hand drive specialist for a reasonable £2495. However, this being a 10-year-old Citroën, look out for excessive wear of the brake discs and…

PORSCHE FIRST USED horizontally opposed eight-cylinder engines in the late 1960s. A 2.2-litre flat eight was used in the company’s 907 Le Mans racer, and in 1968 the 907 Longtail became a legend by finishing the Daytona 24-hour race in a one-two-three formation. Also in 1968, the 907 won the 12-hour race at Sebring and the Targa Florio and came second at the Monza 1000km and second and fourth at the Nürburgring 1000km race. In Longtail form, it finished second in the Le Mans 24 Hours. It was no surprise that Porsche’s Ferdinand Piech, brilliant engineer and boss of the company’s race programme, decided to experiment with fitting the 2.2-litre flat eight to a road car. As it happened, Porsche had just launched the oddball targa-roofed, mid-engined 914, originally a…

Toyota has revealed the production form of its upcoming hydrogen-powered car. The FCV will go on sale in Japan next April and will arrive in Europe and the US in summer 2015. The guide price for the car in Japan is about £42,000, although Toyota says the showroom price for Western markets has yet to be decided, partly because it does not know what, if any, government subsidies will be available for the FCV. Reports from Japan say the FCV has two hydrogen fuel tanks and a range of about 440 miles. The FCV’s fuel cell stack develops the electrical equivalent of about 135bhp. In Japan, sales of the FCV will be restricted to Toyota dealers in the areas of Japan that already have a hydrogen refuelling infrastructure. Toyota says…

WORK ON VAUXHALL’S all-new Astra is well under way ahead of its expected unveiling in autumn 2015. The new five-door hatchback is believed to be smaller externally than the current model, but interior space is likely to have been improved, partly thanks to what appears to be a particularly long wheelbase. The new model, which is based on a fresh reworking of the global Delta platform, is also said to be lighter than today’s car, perhaps by as much as 100kg on average. The new Astra will retain its ‘tuned’ torsion beam rear suspension, rather than the more sophisticated and expensive multi-link set-up used under the Ford Focus. The reduction in weight makes the new Astra well suited to Vauxhall’s new family of frugal three-cylinder and four-cylinder turbocharged engines, which,…

Renault’s Mégane hatchback has been marked down to just three stars in the latest Euro NCAP crash test results because “the text informing the driver of the status of the rear seatbelts was not available in all languages”. Euro NCAP admitted that this minor issue was enough to lose the Mégane a whole star, despite the car scoring 83 per cent for adult occupant protection. Renault is said to be addressing the issue “very soon”, which means a retest is likely in the next few months. The move has highlighted the increasing importance placed by the Euro NCAP crash tests on such small details as well as on various new types of electronic assistance, such as speed limitation devices. However, there is increasing evidence of friction between Euro NCAP and…

TOYOTA LOOKS SET to introduce a lightweight, track-focused special edition of its GT86 sports car next year. This prototype model, spotted performance testing at the Nürburgring, features what looks like a carbonfibre bonnet with dual air intakes, likely to aid cooling to the car’s 2.0-litre flat four engine. A carbonfibre roof and bootlid can also be seen, along with a large, fixed rear spoiler. Toyota could conceivably introduce this lightweight model as a limited-run special edition. Expect a price tag well above that of the current top-spec GT86’s £33,110.…

STEVE CROPLEY BIT OF AN exhilarating job, to be strapped into the most powerful production Porsche Cayman yet offered and asked to sling it up the hill on the first day of Goodwood. This is the new GTS, complete with 336bhp flat six engine, 177mph top speed and a 0-62mph capability of 4.6sec. A nice Porsche bloke explained that he configured this one as a driver’s car — with a 20mm lower chassis (not the usual 10mm) and a proper manual gearbox. I’ve always liked the Cayman, but this was the best one I’ve been in, with a routine black interior and silver exterior but distinguished by black badge scripts and two black central exhausts. There’s also a new front bumper with a hint of 959 about it. You can’t…

NIC CACKETT Before letting you into one of its cockpits, the RAF will insist you empty your pockets. The reason being that it’s really rather inconvenient if your Carlsberg keyring falls out and lodges itself in some vital nook or cranny midway through a barrel roll. I’m not so sure the Ariel Atom 3.5R shouldn’t come with the same warning. Certainly at the start line of Goodwood’s fishbowl of a hillclimb, a spirited (but not full-bore) start results in the instant, unchecked migration of a morning’s worth of pocket bumf. In this new Atom, Ariel has extracted 350bhp and more than 240lb ft of torque from its supercharged 2.0-litre Honda engine. The result, shuffled through the optional — and heinously expensive — Sadev six-speed sequential race gearbox, is apparently capable…

JAGUAR SHOWED OFF the first fruits of its Special Operations division, the F-type Project 7, alongside racing examples of the D-type, the car that provided the inspiration for the new limited-edition machine. The manufacturer is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the D-type this year, and two of the Jaguar Heritage Trust’s significant D-types were in action: an original 1954 D-type prototype and a 1956 ‘Long Nose’ model, the latter driven by Bruno Senna. The ‘7’ in the name of the new car denotes Jaguar’s seven wins at the Le Mans 24 Hours since the early 1950s. Up to 250 examples will be built, and regular Jaguar dealers will sell them at £135,000 each. With an electronically governed top speed of 186mph and a 0-60mph sprint time of just 3.8sec, this…

FIRST VERDICT Ride quality apart, it’s everything you’d expect and then some SO GOOD Phenomenal turn-in precision Chassis is as good as it gets at this level Grip levels are ridiculous on new tyres and suspension NO GOOD Ride quality is non-existent on most UK roads Cabin is starting to feel somewhat dated TESTER’S NOTE This is a toy for special occasions. It would drive you mad as an everyday prospect. SS WHERE DO YOU start when describing a car like the £125,000, 591bhp Nissan GT-R Nismo? It does so many things that can fry your mind – metaphorically, mathematically and physically, often all at the same time – that you can’t help but be overwhelmed by it, at least to begin with. Perhaps the most amazing thing about the…

FIRST VERDICT A genuine premium alternative with the refined new T5 petrol engine THE T5 ENGINE driven here is the most powerful petrol variant in Volvo’s new, expanded four-cylinder Drive-E range, and having already been impressed by its D4 sibling, we’re expecting good things from this 242bhp 2.0-litre unit. Admittedly, this will be no long-distance motorway cruise. Our circuitous test route instead includes the famous hillclimb course at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Having been impressed at how quiet and refined the engine seemed while waiting in line at the start, I’m also surprised at the surge of acceleration that arrives as the marshal gives us the green light. This car can reach 60mph in a claimed 6.3sec, faster than a 1.8 TFSI Audi A3 quattro or a BMW 118i…

A crack Aston Martin design team has just spent a hectic six months creating a radical 800bhp mid-engined supercar called DP-100, knowing that it will acquire worldwide fame from the instant that it is launched at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed – but, in reality, it will never carry a passenger or turn a wheel in anger. Designed on the proverbial blank sheet of paper, the car is a virtual-only GT racer created for the hugely popular Gran Turismo 6 game. The game’s creator, Kazunori Yamauchi, has invited a small group of car companies and ‘cool brands’ to create new products and launch them within the game over the next 12 months. The proposed twin-turbo V12 Aston is one of the first out of the blocks, ready to be…

Before signing a deal with PSA Peugeot-Citroën in 2001, Toyota had not built a bona fide city car — preferring instead to leave smaller domestic models to its subsidiary, Daihatsu. Following the success of the Yaris supermini, the B-Zero project was aimed at meeting the demands of European urbanites, with the Aygo and its French-badged sister cars being produced at a new joint facility in the Czech Republic. The model was launched in 2005 and received subtle, largely cosmetic facelifts in 2009 and 2012.…

HOW TOYOTA CLEANED UP Toyota’s dinky three-cylinder petrol engine has been a long-standing feature of the Aygo and has received several updates to ensure that it keeps pace with European emissions standards. The latest iteration is no different and has undergone another overhaul intended to improve performance without dramatically impacting on the car’s bottom line. Superior economy was the main target, with particular attention paid to the unit’s thermal efficiency. The compression ratio is now marginally higher and Toyota has fitted a new cylinder head with a built-in exhaust manifold to improve exhaust gas recirculation. Engine oil distribution and faster heat-up have been aided by the addition of a piston jet and a twin-tank oil pan. The latter also contributes to reduced internal resistance, the reason why the engineers have…

Simon Paterson (Your Views, 18 June) asks whose idea it was to turn Lancia into a sort of Italian Rover. The answer, of course, is Fiat’s. But its intention was exactly as Mr Paterson proposes: to turn Lancia into an upmarket Italian competitor for Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. For sporting cars, it already owned Alfa Romeo, and Fiat was making mass-market cars. Lancia, meanwhile, had a history of making expensive cars, so which other of its marques fitted the bill better? Unfortunately, Fiat forgot about the wonderful Italian history of making beautiful cars and made a range of complete dogs’ breakfasts instead, then wondered why they didn’t sell. Norman E Hawkes Hessle, Yorkshire…

Let’s not dwell on it, but the Civic Tourer is quite pricey, or at least our Civic Tourer is, in top-level EX Plus trim. We’ve already covered what that brings in terms of toys, but the bottom line is that there’s so much of it that the only option available is a pair of ‘driver assistance safety packs’ — the imaginatively tagged Pack 1 and Pack 2. Our car has neither, but the other day a Civic hatch turned up sporting Pack 1, which includes blind spot information, lane departure warning, traffic sign recognition and Honda’s forward collision warning and ‘City-Brake Active’ systems. Are they worth the £780? They might be right up your street, but I’m not a big fan of such kit. I find that after a few…

Tidy 206 for under £3k This left-hand-drive 2006 Peugeot 206 1.4 LX has only had one owner from new. The tidy three-door manual hatchback has covered 83,000 miles and comes with air conditioning and electric windows. The dealer is asking £2795 for it. Call 07718 088855 Classic Merc 500E is a safe bet Buy a classic Mercedes-Benz 500E safe in the knowledge that values are only heading upwards. We found a “stunning” example in rare factory white with two-tone leather interior and 47,850 miles on the clock. The dealer wants £18,000. Call 020 8992 7778 Track-ready GT3 RS for £88k The 997 Porsche 911 GT3 RS is one of the greatest driver’s cars of all time and is cheaper with the wheel on the left. This 2006 example comes in…