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CAP Blog > CAP Blog > Martin's Blog
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Apr
7
Written by:
Martin Ward
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
CITROEN – Has announced the introduction of the Airdream+ on the C3, C3 Picasso and C4. The Airdream+ derivative gains, on all three ranges, rear parking sensors and a connecting box which consists of Bluetooth and a USB socket. The C3 Picasso Airdream+ gains electric rear windows and electrically adjustable heated door mirrors. The C4 Airdream+ gains automatic digital air conditioning. Prices start at £14,590 on the road for the C3 Airdream+.
 KIA – Has unveiled a new D sector saloon car at the New York Motor Show called the Optima. There will be a choice of two engines available in Western Europe: a 2.0 litre CVVL petrol and a 1.7 litre VGT turbo diesel, both available with a choice of 6 speed manual or auto transmissions. The Optima is expected in 2011, with pricing to be confirmed at a later date.
PEUGEOT – Has announced the replacement of the 1.6 litre HDI 110 diesel engine with a new Euro 5 compliant 1.6 HDI 112 on the 207. The new engine also comes with a 6 speed manual gearbox, replacing the 5 speed. It will go on sale this month.
VOLKSWAGEN – Has announced that the Passat CC will receive a fifth seat, along with some additional standard equipment. The base model now receives RNS 310 satellite navigation and Bluetooth touch adapter, and the GT receives the same as the base model plus Nappa leather, front and rear parking sensors and cruise control.The base model and the GT receive a price increase of £515 and £1000 respectively.
Test car – Toyota iQ 2
 The iQ is a clever little car and when launched in 2008, it did turn heads and questions were asked as to what Toyota were thinking about when bringing this car to market. I drove it for the first time in Madrid and we all thought that it was the wrong place to test drive a new car for the first time in a built-up area and in heavy traffic. However, the iQ proved itself beyond any doubt and on the motorways in Spain it felt so stable and solid.
It has been eighteen months since I last drove the smallest Toyota on the market, so will it be as good today in the UK as it was in the middle of Spain? I have been using the iQ for a few days now and it is just a pleasure to drive; it is so nimble and easy to park as it has a tiny turning circle.
 Toyota originally described the iQ as a two seat car with a good sized luggage area but it can also be a three seat car with a small luggage area, or an occasional four seat car without a luggage area; this is probably the best way to sum this car up. If anyone thinks that just because it has four seats it is a full four seater, then they are mistaken. It is a part time four seater and an almost full time 2 seater. I would not want to go very far in the rear but if you did have to travel a short distance with passengers, then at least you have the extra two seats there just in case.
There are no real competitors for the iQ at the moment; the Smart Fortwo would probably come closest in this sector, but it only has two seats. However, if you want a slightly larger car for less money, there is the Toyota Aygo, Peugeot 107 and Citroen C1, but many would argue that these are too large to compete and are not really city cars. In reality, they do the job every bit as well and are only marginally larger. They do have a rear seat that is useable and a boot that can be used at the same time as carrying four people.
 The iQ is powered by a 996cc petrol engine that produces 68bhp. It goes from 0-62mph in a leisurely 14.1 seconds, has a top speed of 93mph and an all-important CO2 figure of 99g/km. The official combined fuel consumption figure is 65.7 MPG but we only managed to achieve just over 50 MPG. Most of this was during urban driving and I’m sure that on a long run at sensible speeds, it would easily achieve over 60 MPG.
The length of the iQ is only 2,985mm so it fits into the tiniest of parking places. The price of the test car is £10,995 on the road, but prices for the base iQ start from £9,995 on the road.
This baby car from Toyota is great fun to drive. It is comfortable (in the front), is good on fuel and has a low CO2 figure. It looks expensive on first sight, but is not over-priced for the level of specification and quality.
Test car – Volkswagen Scirocco R DSG
This new derivative is the most powerful, fastest accelerating Scirocco ever produced and has been developed by VW’s special project wing. The basic Scirocco R is fitted with a 2.0 litre TSI four cylinder petrol engine and is coupled to a six speed manual gearbox. The version we tested has a six speed DSG which costs an additional £1,300.
 The R produces a massive 265ps and to ensure that most of this power goes onto the road, it is fitted with a XDS electronic cross-axle traction control system. Unlike the Golf R which is fitted with the 4MOTION 4WD system, the Scirocco R only has front wheel drive. During the time I had the car, it rained most of the time so with wet roads and all that horse power, it was difficult to keep the car in a straight line. Even when setting off at traffic lights I had to be very careful with being gentle on the accelerator because if too much pressure is applied, then all you end up with is wheel spinning. Out on the open roads it was a similar story; there was just too much power for two wheels and at times I did feel a little nervous in it. I’m sure that in better weather with dryer roads, it would have been a lot more fun to drive and the handling would have surpassed its great looks. However, safety is paramount and I just did not get the benefit of all that engineering work that VW has put into the car.
It certainly is a quick car and for a 2.0 litre engine, the power is fantastic. The R DSG goes from 0-62mph in 5.8 seconds. It has a CO2 emissions figure of 187g/km and has a combined fuel consumption figure of 35.3 MPG, but our test car only managed around 28 MPG and that was the result when driving it fairly steady.
 The exterior styling has been changed just enough so that you can see a difference in terms of appearance and it does have some unique styling features. To set the R apart from the other models, it has new front bumpers complete with LED running lights, a trio of deep air-dams, xenon lights with gloss black grille elements, gloss black door mirrors, sill extensions and 18” five spoke ‘Talladega’ alloy wheels, housing gloss black ‘R’ calipers. At the back it has a roof mounted spoiler, twin exhaust pipes and a smoked rear light cluster.
 The interior has also been enhanced to give it a sporty look and feel. It has new sports seats that have ‘R’ logos embossed on them, a new three spoke black leather sports steering wheel with contrasting stitching, piano black trim with silver highlights and revised white backlit dials with electric blue needles, which are unique to the ’R’ models.
The cabin has enough room for four adults but the small rear windows do make you feel a bit closed in and anyone who suffers from claustrophobia may not feel happy being sat in the back. However, the best place to sit is in the front of this very stylish coupe. The price of the test car will be £29,805 on the road from April, or £28,505 for the manual.
First impressions – New Ford Focus, C-Max and Grand C-Max, Ford European HQ, Cologne
The cars we went to look at in Cologne were the same ones that we saw at the Geneva Motor Show at the beginning of March, so there were no surprises. However, we were not allowed to take cameras or phones into the design centre, so the photos used below are from the Ford Geneva Motor Show website. Viewing these cars in Cologne gave us a chance to have a good look at them, rather than just watching them on a turn-table under bright show-lights, as was the case in Geneva. We were able to sit in them and take a closer look at the quality and styling changes made to the interior.
 The Focus and C-Max are very different to their predecessors, with the Grand C-Max (pictured left) being an all new derivative. It has seven seats as standard and rear sliding doors that allow easier access to the rear. The second row centre seat can be easily folded down so that just two individual seats remain. This provides the two passengers with more shoulder room and makes the second row much more comfortable. When in the upright position, the third row of seats are just about adequate for two adults, but this means that luggage space becomes limited. However, with the rear seats folded down, the boot area becomes huge.
 The C-Max has completely changed in terms of design. This five seat car is a practical, versatile people carrier that looks very modern.
 The star of the day was the all new Focus hatchback and estate, which goes on sale early next year. It certainly drew the crowds in Geneva and it had the ‘wow’ factor at Ford’s HQ. The design team has certainly done a great deal of work on the Focus and it looks brilliant from every angle. It has gone from the ‘job-car’ to a car that is now very special and almost too good as the rep-mobile. Volkswagen has always played safe with the Golf and stayed with evolution, whereas Ford has been brave and created a revolution; both are probably right in their thinking and strategy.
The original Focus was launched in 1998 and was a car for Europe, but the new Focus is going to be a ‘world-car’. Production will take place at three different plants and it will be sold in Europe, Asia-Pacific, North America and Africa; a truly international development. Ford expect to sell around 1m units per year.
The estate version is also a stunning looking car; it is bound to be a success and the leader in its sector. It too looks stylish, it has some very clever design lines and it has gone from being the plain old load-lugger to a distinctive, attractive, versatile sports wagon.
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