|
|
CAP Blog > CAP Blog > Martin's Blog
|
|
May
5
Written by:
Martin Ward
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
This week’s manufacturer news
 AUDI – Has announced the introduction of the R8 GT. It will use the V10 FSI engine from the existing model but with an increased output of 560ps and a 0-62 time of 3.6 seconds. It is 100kg lighter than the standard R8 and has a top speed of 199mph, making it the fastest Audi road car ever produced. Priced at £142,585 on the road, the R8 GT opens for ordering this summer, with first deliveries expected in spring 2011.
 FIAT – Has announced the introduction of a new 500 special show car called the 500 thousandth, which celebrates the production of 500,000 Fiat 500 models. Fiat 500 users, and anyone who has a specific connection with the car, have had the opportunity to apply online (from 3rd May at www.fiat500.com) to have a designated space reserved on the bodywork of the car for their photograph to be displayed. The Fiat 500 thousandth will feature in forthcoming events and international motor shows.
VOLKSWAGEN – Has announced that orders are now open for the new Polo GTI. The GTI has a 1.4 litre TSI petrol engine that produces 180ps and goes from 0-62mph in 6.9 seconds. It is available in both three and five door versions, and comes with DSG transmission as standard. First deliveries are due in July.
Test car – Alfa Romeo MiTo 1.4 litre MultiAir Cloverleaf
 The MiTo has been quite a success story for Alfa Romeo; it certainly has caught the imagination of the British and European public. Everywhere I go I see these cars, in a variety of colours, being driven by all sorts of people, from the very young to the elderly, male and female; it is a car for all.
The quality in the MiTo has improved over most other Alfa models and this car really was the re-birth for the Italian company. The MiTo saved them from potential disaster, as Alfa has suffered more than most with reliability problems up until very recently and are often the butt of many jokes. Hopefully the MiTo will have changed that forever.
 Alfa Romeo have spent an enormous amount of time and money ensuring the new breed of cars are every bit as good as their main competitors and the interior quality is a vast improvement in terms of fit and finish and materials used. The dashboard looks sporty, with pronounced lines running across it that work very well and look good, but above all it is well made, having been installed without any gaps so that no rattling can be heard from the dash when the car is in motion. The one disappointment interior-wise is the steering wheel column cover; it is made out of a cloth material and does look cheap. It was perhaps a very late after-thought, as it looks as if the engineers and designers found themselves with a gap and somehow had to find a quick solution to fill it.
The engine fitted to our test car was the new 1.4 litre MultiAir petrol engine that produces 170hp and goes from 0-62mph in 7.5 seconds. There is a small lever near the gear stick that enables you to change the drive mode to Normal, Dynamic and All-Weather. In Normal mode the car does seem to be a bit sluggish and it doesn’t seem to want to set off at traffic lights with any great determination. At busy road junctions where you need that guaranteed power, it just isn’t there and it does not give you any confidence. However, if you select Dynamic mode, the power noticeably increases as the engine settings are adjusted giving the car a higher speed response and an over-boost function. There is a warning in the driver’s handbook stating that this function should be used for a short time only, being particularly useful when maximum performance is required when overtaking for example. It also says that when Dynamic mode is used, the steering may shudder during acceleration, but this is typical of a sports setting. Dynamic mode cannot be engaged at speeds above 70mph. The All-Weather mode gives the driver more control when braking, in coordination with VDC. A slight pulse on the steering wheel tells the driver to make a better manoeuvre (no, I didn’t understand this either, or feel it in the steering wheel). The engine has a standard response in All-Weather mode and the VDC and ASR are calibrated for maximum safety. I decided to leave the car in Normal mode for most of the time and I just selected Dynamic when I knew I needed that little bit of extra power.
The Mito was fitted with start/stop, which works in exactly the same way as other manufacturers’ systems. When the car comes to a standstill in ideal situations, you take it out of gear, take your foot off the clutch and the engine shuts down. As soon as the clutch feels the slightest bit of pressure on it, the engine fires up instantly. You then put it back into gear and move off. In the Alfa it is very smooth and seems to be a good reliable system with no vibration.
For a small car it is comfortable, with seats that are supportive and contoured. The two rear seats (it only has two seat belts) are just about adequate for adults, with head room being slightly restricted for the average size person, but two children should find that there is more than enough room. The boot space is remarkably roomy and larger than I would have expected for a small three door hatchback.
 The exterior styling is just so clever; it looks great from every angle and is all in proportion. The best view of the car is looking directly at the front, as it is just so typically Alfa and so reminiscent of those glory days all those years ago when an Alfa Romeo was the car to be seen in. That was when its race-winning accolades hit the headlines and not its reliability problems.
The handling is not brilliant but it is good and this doesn’t really matter anyway as the vast majority of drivers will buy the MiTo for its design, not for its performance and stability programmes. The brakes are good and the car does feel very safe and solid though.
The fuel consumption didn’t seem too brilliant either. You would think that a 1,368cc petrol engine with the new technology fitted would be in excess of 50 MPG. The official combined figure is 47.1 MPG, but according to the on-board computer it achieved an average of 33.2 MPG around town, and this increased to 41.5 MPG on a long run. This was a bit disappointing. The CO2 emissions figure is 136g/km.
The price of the car we tested was £17,885, which is quite a hefty price to pay. My choice in the MiTo range would be the 1.3 litre JTDm 95bhp diesel which costs £14,815 and is much better value.
Test car – Volkswagen Polo 1.2 litre S A/C 70ps three door
 The latest generation Polo that was launched last year was only available initially as a five door, then later in 2009 the three door went on sale. The current Polo, like all previous Polo models, is an evolution and not a revolution, and shares similarities with the Golf in this respect, as this has not changed dramatically either over the many years it has been on the market. However, every model has always been an improvement over the previous one and the new Polo is no different. Despite the Polo being available for all these years, I still found that pedestrians still admired the car with interest as I drove by.
 The Polo three door is an attractive small hatch and Volkswagen has been brave in keeping it simple, unlike Ford with the new Fiesta, which really was a revolution in styling. It has to be said though that both the Manufacturers’ design teams got these models bang-on right, even though they differ in terms of how they followed on from their predecessors.
The test car we had was the S, which is the base model in the range, but had air conditioning fitted as standard. It is priced at £11,145, which sounds a bit expensive for a small three door hatch but in reality, when compared to similar vehicles from other manufacturers, it is good value and with guaranteed built in quality, high residual values and the all-important VW badges, it scores very highly in all departments.
 The 1.2 litre three cylinder petrol engine produces 70ps, although it is available with a 60ps engine also. The 70ps goes from 0-62mph in14.1 seconds and has a top speed of 98mph where permitted. It doesn’t feel slow at all, despite these figures, as it is a perky little engine that always feels as if it has enough power, even when cruising on the motorway and up some of these unforgiving hills we have up here in the North of England.
Engine, wind and road noise intrusion is minimal in the cabin and the seats are comfortable; it is one of those cars you just feel at home in the second you get into it. VW has managed to keep everything simple in this car, so that anyone will know exactly where all the controls are within minutes of using them.
We could not test the fuel consumption as the Polo did not have an on-board computer, but the official combined figure is 51.4 MPG, and I suspect the truth is not far behind this easily achieved figure. The all-important CO2 emissions figure is 128g/km.
The new Polo is a very capable, well built car, which has a distinctive image and looks to be good value for money. The three cylinder engine has more than enough power and it is quiet and refined. The new Polo is yet another good all-rounder.
Tags:
|
|
|
 |
|
| |
