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CAP Blog > CAP Blog > Martin's Blog
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May
19
Written by:
Martin Ward
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
This week’s manufacturer news
ALFA ROMEO – Has added two new engines to the Brera coupe and Spider convertible ranges. The engines are: 1.8 litre turbo 200bhp petrol and 2.0 litre JTDM 170bhp diesel.
BMW – An even quicker M3 will be offered in the UK from February 2011. The M3 GTS has a 4.4 litre (4,361cc) engine that produces 450hp, goes from 0-62mph in 4.4 seconds and has a top speed of 190mph. The M3 GTS has been designed for club sports racing events but is also street legal. Prices will be announced nearer to its on sale date.
LAND ROVER – Will introduce a 2WD option on the new compact Range Rover (codenamed LRX) in addition to the 4WD. The 2WD will have a CO2 emissions figure of 130g/km and will go on sale in 2011.
By the end of 2010 Land Rover will be testing the first diesel hybrid prototype called the 'range e', which is being developed using a Range Rover Sport platform. The test vehicle will use the existing 3.0 litre TDV6 diesel engine, featuring a ZF 8 speed automatic transmission. The goals that have been set are: to achieve a range of twenty miles using the electric motor only, a top speed of 120 mph and emissions that are less than 100 g/km.
NISSAN – Has announced pricing for the new electric vehicle, the Leaf. The Leaf is a five door, five seat hatch car that will initially be built in Japan and then eventually in the UK at Nissan’s plant in Sunderland. The price of the Leaf in the UK will be £28,350, less the proposed government’s subsidy of £5,000, leaving a balance of £23,350 for the customer to pay (providing the new government honour the previous government’s plans). The price includes the battery, air conditioning, satellite navigation, rear parking camera and a quick-charge socket. First deliveries are due in February 2011.
First driving impressions – Mazda6 facelift, Calafells, Spain
 It is very difficult to make an excellent car even better, but Mazda has achieved this with the new Mazda6. The current car has only been on the market for two and a half years, but Mazda has decided to make some fairly major changes to the car. The majority of the four hundred modifications and improvements are under the skin and out of view.
 The fit and finish of the interior, as good as it was, has now been made to look and feel even better. There is now more detailing around the switches, with more chrome present to give it a premium touch and feel. The haptics have also been improved, as all switchgear is now of a much higher standard. The seats in particular feel softer, even though a harder wearing fabric has been used.
Mazda chose Calafells, about 50 miles south of Barcelona, as the base to launch the facelift 6. The roads in this area are spectacular and you can really test the car’s suspension and handling. The engineers have worked long and hard in improving all aspects of the chassis and this was evident during our test-drive. The ride is much more comfortable, the revised electric steering improves straight line stability and it feels more positive when cornering. The suspension has also improved as it has revised bushes and dampers; this has not only helped to give the car a smoother ride, but it has also reduced noise in the cabin.
 The exterior has received only a few minor changes, but when you put these all together it does freshen the car up and improve its overall styling. When you see the new car in isolation it is difficult to spot the changes, but put the current car and the new one together and it becomes obvious as to where the design changes lie. The front and rear lights are new and it has the new Mazda ‘family face’. The new Mazda6 also receives lighter alloy wheels in a new design.
We predominately drove the revised 2.2 litre diesel engine that produces 129ps. Mazda refer to this engine as ‘standard power’. There is also the ‘mid power’ 163ps and the ‘high power’ 180ps. However, we concentrated on the 129ps five door hatch that has CO2 emissions of 138g/km, goes from 0-62mph in 10.9 seconds and a combined fuel consumption figure of 54.3 MPG. We did not get the chance to test the MPG figure on the German registered vehicles. The revised engine has improved CO2 and fuel consumption by around 5% in comparison to the outgoing car. The 129ps diesel engine is not available on the estate version, which is a shame as I’m sure that this combination would be a popular choice.
The standard power diesel engine certainly seemed to have plenty of power. It was sufficient in any driving condition, whether it was going up some of the mountain roads or cruising on the motorways. It was more than adequate and you have to wonder if any other engine would be worth having in this range.
Four trims will be available when it goes on sale later this month: S, TS, TS2 and Sport, with prices starting from £16,995 for a 1.8 litre petrol S hatch, and up to £23,445 for a 2.2 litre diesel 180ps Sport estate. The one to have is the 2.2 litre 129ps diesel TS Hatch which costs £19,115. It looks like really good value for money and has a reasonable level of standard equipment that includes: alloy wheels, cruise control, trip computer, dual-zone air conditioning, leather steering wheel and gear knob, electric front and rear windows and steering wheel radio controls.
The Mazda6 is a very stylish car; it looks great and has loads of appeal. The new facelift model builds on this highly appealing design and it still stands out in a crowd. Even though improvements have been made to the new 6, it doesn’t suddenly make the current car look dated as the changes are relatively minor.
First driving impressions – Aston Martin Rapide, Gaydon
Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford sold Singer motor cars from their garage in Kensington, London. Lionel also raced Singer cars. He decided that he could build a better, quicker car himself and produced his first home built car. He raced mainly at the Aston Hill Climb in Buckinghamshire, and when he combined his name with the race location, a new name in the motor industry was born.
In 1947 David Brown bought the company and kept it until 1970. David Brown was more used to making tractors in Huddersfield than building exciting sports cars. He used his initials on the badges of his cars and so the DB series was created. A long line of DBs were built over many years, with the DB5 probably being the most famous and desirable. The DB9 is the last in the line and it is difficult to imagine any more DBs. The DB has always been a two door coupe or convertible; Aston Martin cars have never had four doors, until now.
 The Rapide is the marque’s first four door sports saloon, but to call it a four door is strictly not true, as it is really a five door hatch. It has four very comfortable seats; each one individually sculptured, surrounding you in perfect leather. The rear seats have a large centre console that acts as both a stowage space and an arm rest. The interior is quite luxurious, as most of it is covered in full-grain leather accompanied by a walnut facia trim. The whole cabin oozes perfection and craftsmanship. This Aston also has rear folding seats at the touch of a button and this provides a load area of up to 886 litres. This isn’t just an elegant sports car; it also doubles up as a small van!
 The exterior design is still every bit an Aston. The styling has by no means been compromised just because it has four doors; it looks fantastic from every angle and really turns heads. There will of course be the traditionalists who think that this is not a real Aston and should not have been created. These same people will be horrified if and when the Cygnet comes: a new city car that is based on the Toyota iQ and could cost upwards of £30,000. However, Aston Martin has to survive and they have to build cars that will sell. Tradition is one thing, making profit is another and compromises have to be made; much in the same way as our new government has been formed.
The Rapide is built at the Magna Steyr plant in Graz, Austria, where quality is assured. I have been to this plant many times and every time I go I am amazed at the level of commitment and how dedicated they are to all the manufacturers they produce cars for. Aston Martin’s engineers are permanently on-site working hand-in-hand with the Austrians; they have a complete understanding of each other and work in perfect harmony. Despite Aston Martin engineers being there, it is generally an Austrian chief engineer who puts his name to the car. He is generally the one who puts on the all-important plaque in the engine compartment to say that it has passed all its tests and is road-ready.
It is under the bonnet where the real treat lies and despite these days of us all wanting to go green, the Rapide does absolutely nothing for the environment. Its 6.0 litre V12 engine produces 477ps, goes from 0-62mph in 5.2 seconds and has a top speed of 184mph. It has a combined fuel consumption figure of 19 MPG and a CO2 emissions figure of 355g/km. The six speed ‘Touchtronic-2’ automatic gearbox is rear mounted on the transaxle and is operated by a shift-by-wire system. This makes it very smooth and helps give the perfect weight balance for the car. The car has to stop with all this power, so the Rapide has brake discs that are made from two materials: cast iron and aluminium. This means that the former provides heat resistance and the latter has weight-saving properties, giving the car increased braking performance.
 Driving the Rapide is just like driving any other modern Aston Martin, a delight. Despite having two full size seats behind you, it still feels like a super sports car and doesn’t lose any of its characteristics. This five door hatch is every bit an Aston from front to rear.
Driving a new Aston Martin is like getting a new puppy; you don’t know how it is going to behave or how well you are going to get on with it. You have to get to know each other and this takes time. Over time you both begin to trust each other and you feel confident the more you know it. However, if you do anything wrong, it will try and bite you at every opportunity if you don’t treat it with respect. You do have to train the Aston and fully understand its capabilities to know how far you can push it.
And the price for this exotic five door hatch? £140,000.
Test car – Volkswagen Touareg 4.2 litre V8 TDI
It’s hard to believe that the Touareg has been on the market since 2003, but even after seven years the current model still looks fairly fresh and the new is even more stylish. The new Touareg has had a major make-over, with numerous improvements and changes. The exterior is not obvious until you put the old one alongside the new one. VW sent a German registered, left hand drive version for us to have a look at.
 The sector that the Touareg sits in, the C-SUV, has seen some fairly heavy drops in sales in the past three years. In its peak years of 2006/07, a total of 60,000 were sold each year, but last year this figure dropped to around 40,000 and predictions show that this will possibly fall again to as low as 20,000.
The new 4x4 will be available with a choice of diesel engines and one petrol engine. The diesel line-up will be: 3.0 litre V6 204ps with start/stop (199g/km est.) which is due in November, 3.0 litre V6 240ps with start/stop (195g/km) which is due in August and 4.2 litre V8 340ps (239g/km) also due in August. The petrol engine is a 3.0 litre TSI 333ps with hybrid technology (193g/km) and this is due in October.
The front end has been designed to have the family face and it is very similar to the new Golf and Polo. It has some crisp lines and does look much better. The changes over the outgoing model go beyond new styling. Standard examples of the new Touareg will feature 8 speed transmission on the majority of models, start/stop technology on some models, touch-screen satellite navigation and leather upholstery. In addition, a choice of advanced new options can be specified including high beam assist (this automatically dips the headlights when it senses oncoming traffic), side assist (to warn of vehicles occupying blind spots), adaptive roll compensation air suspension and air conditioned massaging seats.
 The new Touareg has grown in size by 43mm to 4,795mm, with most of this room being given to the rear seat passenger. The interior has also been improved with higher quality materials used throughout and the cabin does feel like a more luxurious place to sit. All the seats are extremely comfortable and the high driving position does provide a good commanding view of the road ahead.
The TDI V8 engine was very smooth and because it was coupled with the 8 speed automatic gearbox, it made for a very pleasant, quiet drive. However, the engine to have would be the 3.0 litre V6 240ps with start/stop.
The new Touareg is to be built in Bratislava in Slovakia. Pricing and full specification is expected to be announced in mid June.
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