This week’s manufacturer news
AUDI – Ordering is now open in the UK for the new A1. Pricing starts at £13,145 on the road for the 1.2 TFSI SE manual, going up to £18,280 on the road for the 1.4 TFSI S Line S Tronic. Deliveries are expected in late 2010.
INFINITI – Has announced pricing for the new FX diesel. Prices start at £44,235 on the road for the FX 3.0d GT, going up to £50,815 on the road for the FX 3.0d S Premium. Orders for the FX diesel are open now.
SKODA – There will be a new Greenline variant introduced to the recently facelifted Fabia Estate and Roomster ranges. The Greenline II will be available with a new 1.2 TDI CR 75ps start/stop diesel engine that boasts CO2 figures of 89g/km (Fabia) and 109g/km (Roomster). Fuel consumption is expected to be 83.1 MPG for the Fabia and 67.3 MPG for the Roomster.
First driving impressions – Saab 95 – Trollhattan, Sweden
We went up to the factory in Sweden to have a first drive in the all new Saab 95. This was a place that we thought we’d never visit again, as the company was declared bankrupt in February. Everyone, including Saab senior management, thought that was it for the company as Koenigsegg pulled out of the deal to buy Saab from General Motors. Then with backing from a number of organisations and with a rescue finance package put in place, the Dutch company Spyker came to the rescue and bought the company.
The 95 was going to be built at GM’s plant in Russelsheim, Germany, but this had to be changed and Sweden got their new flagship back for production. This change of country for the production meant that the factory had to be re-equipped and set up for the new 95 and this has inevitably delayed the launch schedule. Engineers and those responsible for its launch had to move home very quickly and relocate to the small town of Trollhattan, which is about 90 minutes drive north of Gothenburg, where the closest airport is located. So everything was hastily, yet carefully re-arranged for an unexpected change of plan, and Plan B now seems to be on track. Around 90% of dealers worldwide have signed new agreements with the ‘new Saab’ and most of these dealers will be dealing directly with Sweden, as most importers have now gone and each country will have a local Saab office. The UK is one of the few that will still have a stand-alone importer.
The 95 is going into the market to compete alongside some well established players such as: Mercedes-Benz E Class, BMW 5 Series, Jaguar XF and the car Saab has used as the benchmark, the Audi A6. However, there are other competitors that Saab should not forget about such as: Honda Accord, Volvo S80 and the new Volkswagen Phaeton. Also, if the customer wants legroom and value for money, then don’t forget the Skoda Superb.
The Saab 95 is a large four door saloon car that measures 5,008mm in length in comparison to the A6 at 4,927mm. Saab was very keen to point out at every opportunity during the day that it is a premium car, but it is the public who decide this with their money. A manufacturer simply cannot make a bold statement such as this without any foundation. The previous 95 that was on the market for over ten years was never in the premium league, but for some reason Saab seem to think that this one is.
We drove a couple of cars for around two hours in the countryside amongst some spectacular scenery in both front wheel and all wheel drive versions and you couldn’t really tell them apart as they both drove very similar. The front wheel drive was fitted with a 2.0 litre T petrol engine that produces 220ps and the all wheel drive had a 2.0 litre TTiD twin turbo diesel engine that produces 190ps, with a CO2 figure of 159g/km. A 2.0 litre TiD 160ps engine will also be available with a CO2 of just 139g/km and this will be the one to have. A 1.6 litre T 180ps petrol will also be available at launch, but with a CO2 figure of 179g/km, it will hardly be on many buyers’ lists.
The early pre-production cars we drove seemed to be well put together, but there was nothing exceptional or outstanding about them. The interior is typical Saab with hardly any surprises; everything is functional and everything is in the right place. Using their aircraft heritage, they have made the speedometer look and work like an altimeter. This is very clever but was it necessary? The fit and finish is good and materials used up to the standard you would expect. Rear leg room is more than adequate but provides no more than any of the German brands.
Saab has gone into a sector of the market that is in decline and dominated by the German premium brands. They are going to struggle to make headway with the 95 against such good competition, but there are still many buyers who want a different type of car this size and from a manufacturer that is not renowned for building large saloons, it is almost a niche product. Prices are expected to start around £26,500 when it goes on sale in September.
Knut Simonsson, Executive Director of Saab, told us that they have got to lower costs and get more fixed costs. He also said that they are talking to other brands, including premium brands, to open up opportunities for supply of platforms and engines.
First driving impressions – Alfa Romeo Giulietta, Balocco, Italy
The Giulietta name is not new for Alfa; the original, which had a 1,290cc engine, was introduced in 1954 and was produced until 1965. It was restyled in 1959 and 1961, and the TI model had a new uprated engine that produced 74ps. Around 132,000 of these were sold in 11 years. The Giulietta was re-introduced in 1977andran until 1984. The last model was 4,210mm in length and was a firm favourite with the Italiano Polizia.
We drove the latest version of the Giulietta in Balocco, which is home to Fiat Group’s test track located around 50km from the company’s HQ in Turin. The cars we drove were pre-production models so they were not quite up to full production quality, but they were pretty good. The new Giulietta is a five door hatch that will be in direct competition with Ford Focus, Mazda3, Vauxhall Astra, Peugeot 308 and Audi A3, but the car Alfa has used as the benchmark is the Volkswagen Golf. The Alfa measures 4,350mm in length compared to the Golf at 4,200mm.
There will be four models available: Turismo (20% of sales) which has steel wheels with covers as standard, Lusso (50% of sales), Veloce (20% of sales) and the top-of-the range Cloverleaf (10% of sales). There will be a 1.4 litre petrol engine with a choice of two power outputs: 120hp (CO2 of 149g/km) or 170hp MultiAir (CO2 of 134g/km) and a 1.75 litre petrol that produces 235hp with CO2 emissions of 177g/km. There will also be two diesel engines available: a 1.6 litre JTDm-2 that produces 105hp (CO2 of 114g/km) and a 2.0 litre JTDm that produces 170hp (CO2 of 124g/km). All engines will have start/stop as standard, which helps to reduce fuel consumption and emissions.
The rear doors have concealed handles that are very similar to the Seat Leon and these make the car look more like a coupe. The styling is very sporty and it looks great from every angle. It is a refreshing change to see a C sector hatch that has character and stands out in a crowd. It is every bit an Alfa; it will appeal to a wide audience who want the practicality, but want something a little bit different.
We were assured by the management and product team responsible for bringing this new car to market that quality has improved and that it has been doing so for a couple of years. The MiTo and Fiat 500 have proved that build quality has improved dramatically and that customers who would never have considered a car from Fiat Group are now buying them in their thousands. They are having very little, if any reliability problems, so the new Giulietta should follow in the same footsteps. However, during the presentation at Balocco we were told that there is a lot of new technology in the car. This includes a new floor pan and new components that have been specially designed and heavily engineered for the Giulietta. All these new parts in one new car working together for the first time; this is something that most manufacturers don’t generally choose to do. The usual procedure is to test things slowly a bit at a time. I asked Matteo Beneddato, who is Head Of Product for the Giulietta, what they had done to improve quality and reliability. He told me that a lot more testing was now being carried out for longer and in more extreme conditions. The all new platform architecture is the base for many more new vehicles from Fiat Group and other brands. He said that weight reduction was a necessity and that they had saved 31kg on the chassis alone.
We drove a few cars around the test track, with a variety of engines and specification. All cars have Alfa’s D-N-A system, so the chassis and engine setup can be changed. D is for a Dynamic drive, N is for Normal and A is for All-Weather. For a quicker get-away, you have to select Dynamic, as Normal restricts acceleration but does save fuel. The Alfa handles superbly; as you would expect given that it is built by an Italian sports car manufacturer with years of racing heritage. It went into any corner at any speed and it just stuck to the track as if it was on rails. It felt very safe and solid. The brakes were also very good; there was no brake-fade at any speed and the whole experience made me feel as if the car I was driving was much more than just a regular hatch.
We then took the cars out onto the open road and this is where the car really belongs. It’s fine to have the opportunity to drive it at high speeds on a private track in a safe, controlled environment, but cars like this live on normal, everyday roads and it was in its element. It was as good in heavy traffic as it was at high speeds being thrown into corners. The start/stop system is not the quickest I have ever driven, but it is by no means the slowest either. There is very little vibration during shut-down or start-up. It did attract quite a lot of attention from the local Italians.
Many will want a new Giulietta for its design and Italian flair, and there will be many who don’t want one because of the negative stories from the past. I can understand both points of view.
Prices start from £16,995 for a 1.4 litre petrol Turismo, but the one to have is the 1.6 litre JTDm-2 Lusso which will cost £19,045. It represents value for money.
Production starts in Italy in June, with first deliveries due in the UK on 1st September. Alfa Romeo UK expect to sell around 6,000 Giulietta models in 2011.
Ford S-MAX – UK press launch, Yorkshire
Since its launch in May 2006, Ford of Britain has sold over 50,000 S-Max models in total and it has proved to be a huge success for them. This ‘sporty’ seven seater is sold alongside Ford’s other 7 seater the Galaxy, but despite them both being capable people carriers, they do aim at quite different audiences. The Galaxy is most definitely the workhorse; they are used by taxi companies, as chauffeur vehicles, for airport transportation and they are also generally driven by employees. The S-Max is usually driven by the owner and has been chosen as a large family car. It is for those who want style with practicality and a car that has plenty of space, but is compact enough to park in a supermarket or multi-storey car park.
The S-Max is a great looking vehicle and the new one that has just gone on sale has improved greatly over the original. This fresh new look is made up of just a few but significant design changes. The S-Max now gains a strongly sculptured bonnet and a new front end with a bolder trapezoidal grille. It has a new lower front bumper (with LED running lights on Titanium and Titanium X Sport) and a new chrome strip surrounding the whole glass area. The tailgate has also been redesigned and a horizontal satin chrome bar runs between the tail lights and the new S-Max logo.
The interior hasn’t received many changes but improved materials throughout make it feel more like a premium car. New seat materials have been used and the comfort has been improved on all 7 seats. The cabin noise has been reduced due to a few small modifications, but these all add up to provide a quieter ambience. The windscreen is thicker and there is now more sound-deadening and insulation material.
The S-Max will be available with Ford’s new, highly efficient 2.0 litre 203ps EcoBoost petrol engine. The first natural reaction to the fact that Ford has put a 2.0 litre petrol engine in a car like this is one of wonder or concern. Currently 96% of all S-Max models are sold with a diesel engine, so why would anybody want a petrol unit? Ford say that with the new engine they expect sales of petrol engines to rise to 10% and diesel to drop to 90%. The EcoBoost engine still has a high CO2 emissions figure at 189g/km, but it is a huge improvement over the 2.3 litre 161ps engine it replaces, which has a CO2 of 225g/km. I drove this new high-powered petrol version and whilst it is quick, it has a combined fuel consumption figure of 34.9 MPG, so it is hardly economical or particularly green.
I also drove the new 2.0 litre Duratorq TDCi 163ps diesel and this engine would have to be anyone’s first choice. The combined fuel figure is 49.6 MPG and the CO2 emissions figure is 152g/km. It is so quiet, has more than enough power and is a delight to drive. It is available with either a 6 speed manual gearbox or a highly efficient Powershift 6 speed automatic.
The original S-Max looks as fresh today as it did when it was first launched and this facelifted version is now even better. It is a pleasure to drive and being sat high up in the driver’s seat, you feel as if you are in a very commanding position. If there are children on-board, they too can look over walls and hedges to see more of the surroundings, so this will no doubt keep them entertained for longer. When all three rows of seats are being used there is very little luggage space, but when the third row is folded flat into the floor, the boot is cavernous. All seven seats, including the slightly smaller third row, are comfortable and are easy to stow away to create extra cargo space.
The S-Max is a good looking, versatile car and with prices starting at £20,645 on the road for a 2.0 litre 145ps petrol Zetec 5 speed manual, it does look like good value. However, the one to have would be the 2.0 litre TDCi 163ps diesel Titanium 6 speed manual which costs £24,495 on the road. The most expensive S-Max in the range is the 2.0 litre TDCi 163ps diesel Titanium X Sport Powershift auto that is priced at £29,495 on the road.
