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CAP Blog > CAP Blog > Martin's Blog
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Jun
16
Written by:
Martin Ward
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
This week’s manufacturer news
 FORD – Is to offer 19” WRC-style white alloy wheels as an option of £500 to mark the end of production of the Focus RS hatch.
MCLAREN AUTOMOTIVE - The sports car company, McLaren Automotive, has announced its partners in the UK retail network as: Rybrook Holdings Ltd in Birmingham, Jardine Motors Group in London and Sytner Group in Manchester. These three automotive retailers will begin selling the up-and-coming MP4-12C model in spring 2011 under the names McLaren Birmingham, McLaren London and McLaren Manchester. The global debut for the new MP4-12C will take place at the Goodwood Festival of Speed next month.
 VAUXHALL – Has announced that the prototype Ampera is to undertake a 170 mile test journey from Luton, Bedfordshire to Ellesmere Port in Cheshire. The Ampera, which is due to go on sale in the UK in early 2012, has an electric motor combined with a petrol-powered generator. Electricity drives the wheels using a 16KWh lithium-ion battery with a range capacity of approximately forty miles. A petrol-powered electricity generator will then assist once the battery energy has depleted, providing a total range of around 350 miles. The test run is due to take place on 22nd June.
 VOLKSWAGEN – Has unveiled the new look Jetta in Time Square, New York. The length of the Jetta has increased by 90mm to measure 4,644mm and the wheelbase has also been extended by 70mm to 2,648mm to improve rear legroom. The 1.2 litre TSI 105ps petrol will be a new addition to the range, along with the following engines: 1.4 litre TSI 122ps petrol, 1.4 litre TSI 160ps petrol, 2.0 litre TSI 200ps petrol, 1.6 litre TDI 105ps diesel and 2.0 litre TDI 140ps diesel. Bluemotion technology will also be available on the 1.2 litre TSI petrol and 1.6 litre TDI diesel. The new Jetta is expected on sale in the UK in early 2011.
First driving impressions – Porsche Cayenne Hybrid, 4.8 Turbo and Diesel, UK press launch, Lyndhurst
It is difficult to believe that the Cayenne has been on the market since 2003 and since its launch seven years ago over 280,000 have been sold worldwide, with 14,000 of those going to UK customers. Like so many others, I can remember the outcry from the Porsche fraternity, the press and the dealerships who gasped when they saw this large 4x4, as it was such a break with tradition. Many said that Porsche had gone mad and it would never sell, but the figures have proved everybody wrong, all except for the Porsche people in Stuttgart. It has been a huge success and it still remains Porsche’s best selling car worldwide.
 The all new Cayenne doesn’t look all that different from the current car at first glance but upon closer inspection, the differences become a lot more apparent. It has a completely redesigned exterior, with the front end being noticeably sleeker and lower, much like the Panamera. The whole of the exterior has, like many of its drivers, had some extensive cosmetic surgery and it does look much prettier for it.
The wheelbase has been extended by 4cm and the overall length of the car has been extended by 4.8cm. Most of this room has been given to the rear passengers, probably because the lack of legroom in the current car had been previously criticised. The rear seats now slide back and forth individually to allow even more legroom or more luggage space if needed. The seats can now also recline by 160mm to provide more comfort.
The cockpit has also had a complete redesign so that it now resembles the Carrera GT and the Panamera. All the controls are in the right place and after just a few minutes of studying them, you find that they are all easy to use and understand. Admittedly, on first sight the controls do look as if they belong in an aeroplane as there are so many buttons, but the clever layout and simple instructions make everything clear within minutes.
Despite the car’s increase in length, it has actually lost some weight. It is now around 185kg lighter, with 63kg being lost from the powertrain, 66kg from the chassis and suspension, 111kg from the body and 10kg from the electrics. The car’s fuel efficiency has improved by up to 23% and the emissions have reduced by 26% due to all this weight loss.
 We drove two new cars from Lyndhurst in the New Forest to the Goodwood track near Chichester, and then back to Lyndhurst. The first car we tested was the 3.0 litre V6 diesel that produces 240ps, goes from 0-62mph in 7.8 seconds and has a top speed of 135mph, which we obviously couldn’t test on the M27. I was surprised at just how quiet and refined this engine was, as there was hardly any noise in the cabin and it is certainly quick. It does not lose any of its Porsche credentials by being diesel-powered either. It felt rock solid and really comfortable; it’s the sort of car that you could happily sit in for hours on end.
The official combined fuel consumption figure is 38.2 MPG. I reset the on-board computer and during the one hour journey it achieved 34.3 MPG, with all of this being done at motorway speeds. The diesel engine is coupled to an 8 speed tiptronic gearbox that is ultra-smooth. It also has a start/stop system fitted as standard that operates efficiently and smoothly. The cost of the Cayenne diesel starts from £44,178, which when looking at the amount of standard specification, the level of quality and those all-important Porsche badges, does make it look like remarkable value for money.
Whilst at Goodwood I drove the monster of the range around the track, the Cayenne 4.8 V8 Turbo model. This large 4x4 car goes from 0-62mph in an amazing 4.7 seconds. Not too long ago, the quickest 911 would achieve 0-62mph figure in 4.5 seconds, so for such a large car to be just a fraction behind the 911 is a major achievement for Porsche. The 4.8 litre engine produces a massive 500ps and has a top speed of 172mph. The professional drivers at Goodwood managed a staggering 150mph on the back straight and were able to slow it down enough to go around the ‘Shell’ right-handed corner. I drove fairly steadily but could still feel the underlying power that this car wanted to unleash. However, it is a car that you can still feel safe in and it can be docile when you want it to be. The cost of the Turbo is £81,589.
 We drove from Goodwood back to the New Forest in a vehicle that uses Porsche’s latest technology. It is the one that they want as their ‘green machine’, the Hybrid. It has a ‘Hybrid’ badge on each of the front wings, so it is plain to see that the driver is trying to do their bit for the environment.
The Hybrid is powered by a 3.0 litre supercharged V6 petrol engine that produces 333ps and is coupled to an electric motor that produces an additional 34KW (or 47ps). It has a smooth 8 speed tiptronic gearbox which seems to work perfectly with this engine. This engine-transmission combination will also be seen shortly in the new Volkswagen Touareg.
The car is started in the normal way by using a key in the dashboard. The petrol engine fires up, you put it into drive and away it goes; it is absolutely no different to any other petrol or diesel-powered car. An action that Porsche describe as ‘sailing’ can be achieved in this car. This is can be done when you are on a motorway or going down a hill; the engine will cut out, the rev-counter drops to zero and it works at speeds up to 97mph. You can be doing 97mph on a motorway (where permitted), take your foot off the accelerator and the engine will stop, but the battery is still being charged by means of recuperation.
 If there is enough power in the battery, then the Cayenne will set off in electric mode only. Porsche say this can be effective at speeds up to around 20mph and only for a few miles, but the car I drove only managed to get up to 12mph for around one mile before the petrol engine took over from the electric motor. However, it did prove that the car will run on electric power, if only for a short distance and at low speeds, but this is ideal for saving fuel in low speed town driving.
The Hybrid’s official combined fuel consumption figure is 34.4 MPG, but the on-board computer gave very mixed figures. Around town, driving very steadily and trying to use the electric power as much as possible, it achieved an average of 37.9 MPG. Driving at motorway speeds gave us an average of 19.1 MPG.
The Hybrid is expected to achieve around 15% of all Cayenne sales in the UK. The price of the Hybrid is £57,609.
Porsche certainly do have an unexpected success story with the Cayenne and the new one will just reinforce what a great job they have done over the past seven years. The new Hybrid technology will attract more customers, but while it is currently exempt from the London congestion charge, this is likely to change early next year when the rules are amended.
Test car – Skoda Superb estate Elegance 2.0 litre TDI 170ps CR
For a large, long distance load lugging car, you really couldn’t get any better than the Superb estate. Skoda certainly knew what they were doing when they called it the Superb.
 The estate version of the Superb looks enormous at first glance, but it is no larger than any other D sector estate such as the Mondeo or Insignia. The designers have cleverly moved the front wheels forward and the rear wheels backwards to create an exterior design that looks low, sleek and long. The engine has also been moved forward and this means that the interior is larger, thus providing more space for occupants, especially for people in the rear seats. The amount of rear legroom in this car is exceptional; it really is like no other car, except for maybe some of the premium long wheelbase limos, where the generosity of space in the rear is second to none. When you sit in the back of the Superb, in either the hatch or estate, there is an unbelievable amount of legroom and you can really stretch out. Even people with the longest of legs would not feel cramped or feel as if they were short of room; it really is a comfortable place to sit for a long time. The front seats are also very comfortable and despite being sat quite far in front of your rear passengers, the cabin is so quiet and the acoustics so good that any conversations between the front and the rear are very clear and you do not have to raise your voice to be heard.
The quality throughout this car is brilliant; fit, finish and materials used are better than expected. It is obvious to see that Skoda is a part of Volkswagen Group, as many of the switches and controls are taken directly from other Group manufacturers and this can’t be a bad thing. Long gone are the days when Skoda quality and reliability were a problem. Skoda now offer cars that are every bit as good, if not better than most of its direct competitors.
 The test car was fitted with a 2.0 litre TDI common rail diesel engine that produces 170ps, goes from 0-62mph in 8.8 seconds and has a top speed of 137mph. The official combined fuel consumption figure is 48.7 MPG, but we achieved an average of 44.6 MPG during the time we had the car, with most of the journeys being made around town or on the motorway. I thought the fuel consumption was a great result for such a large car. The CO2 emissions figure is 151g/km.
The cost of this very practical, reliable and well built estate car is £24,795. The Estate range starts at £17,720 for a 1.4 litre TSI petrol.
The downside to the Superb for many people is still the fact that it has those green Skoda badges on the boot, bonnet, steering wheel and wheels.
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