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Monday, Nov 9
Ditching GTIs is a bold move from Peugeot
So Peugeot is to abandon not only the GTI badge, but the concept behind it. Put another way, and if Peugeot is to be believed, it has designed its last hot hatch. Technorati Tags: Peugeot 205 GTI, Peugeot RCZ, Peugeot, hot hatch, GTI, Ford, VW, coupe
Friday, Nov 6
Size matters for the BMW X1 and Skoda Yeti
I can’t quite get over the size of the X1. It’s barely taller than a Scirocco and even looks dainty – in a kind of stretched wheel base way – compared to a VW Golf. But this lunchtime, it was positively dwarfed next to the 5-series GT. Technorati Tags: BMW X1, BMW 5-series GT, Skoda Yeti
Wednesday, Nov 4
VW Scirocco: coupe or hot hatch?
One band of staffers points out that the Scirocco has to be a coupe, purely because Volkswagen already has the three-door Golf GTI. “VW itself says that the Scirocco is a coupe,” they say. “And what would be the sense in having two three-door hot hatchbacks in your model range?”
Sunday, Oct 18
Skoda's credit crunch limo
Skoda Superb estate 1.4 TSI first drive Only the long-wheelbase Audi A8 offers more room, not the standard A8 or VW Phaeton, he told me. To put this into perspective the 3.2-litre V6 SE LWB A8 costs £56,180. The V6 Superb, which has the 3.6-litre V6 and four-wheel drive, costs £26,885.
Friday, Oct 16
What car for £1000 of fun?
The one and only time I ever had a press car for more than an hour was when a magazine had a Seat Ibiza GTI going spare. Compared to the stodgy Mk3 Golf it was a light, responsive bundle of fun. Then there are BMW Compacts and 318is, both of which fall in budget and which add the fun of being are rear dr...
Wednesday, Oct 7
Britain's booming supermini class
The Japanese have given us the fun Nissan Micra and the more mature Toyota Yaris and Honda Jazz, while Hyundai has also launched the i20 this year, which represents excellent value for money. Renault, Citroen and especially Peugeot have also been making cars in this class which have been c...
Wednesday, Sep 16
Frankfurt: some you may have missed
The other notable statistic is the £23,695 price a top-spec Vauxhall Astra will cost you. You’ll be able to make your own mind up on that figure, but the word ouch came to my mind when I read it. I just hope for Vauxhall’s sake the car can be a success and justify that cost. Even if it is “more dynamic...
Tuesday, Sep 15
What's your Frankfurt top five?
The Mercedes SLS took a bit of a kicking on our forums and seems to have had less time in the limelight than it should. I’m not even a huge fan of Mercedes sports cars if a Porsche is an option, and retro touches often seem contrived, but the SLS is a gorgeous and refreshingly different take on the...
Tuesday, Aug 4
Premium Sustainability
This eventually led to specialist urban cars such as the Mercedes A-class, Audi A2, Smart and the 90mpg VW Lupo 3L. Cars are faster, more powerful, more luxurious and heavier than they have ever been. Only the widespread adoption of modern diesel engines has improved overall economy.
Thursday, Jul 30
The weird world of Kizashi
The styling is acceptable but if this is to be pitched as a sports saloon only, where’s the drama of the concept? I can’t help thinking that if I lived in the US and wanted a car that looks like a VW Jetta, I’d buy a VW Jetta with the 2.5-litre five pot instead.
Wednesday, Jul 29
The rise and fall of Wendelin Wiedeking
More incredible still, Wiedeking's introduction to das-boot, was administered to him personally by none other than “Herr Volkswagen” himself, Ferdinand Piech, the 72 year old grandson of Porsche’s founder, Ferdinand Porsche. As they say in the movies, you couldn’t make it up if you tr...
Monday, Jul 27
Synergies are the solution
In a note warning that VW should not pay too much for its takeover of Porsche, Bernstein reveals that the Cayenne SUV generated half of Porsche’s earnings. Apparently, Porsche carried out much of the R&D work for the Cayenne-Touareg-Q7 family and VW paid for the capital costs of produ...
Friday, Jul 24
Counting the days to the Audi A1
Like all car fans, I love a good drool over a supercar. There’s always a bit of excitement when you read about a car such as the Lamborghini Murciélago SV or Ferrari California. Technorati Tags: Audi A1, Audi, Goodwood Festival of Speed, Mini JCW, BMW 1-Series, Audi A3
Thursday, Jul 23
Wiedeking was a victim of his own success
Andrew Frankel blog: the future is still bright for Porsche VW set to takeover Porsche Porsche boss quits; VW merger is on Technorati Tags: Porsche, Wendelin Wiedeking, VW, Porsche 911, Porsche Boxster, TVR Griffith, Porsche Panamera
The future is still bright for Porsche
How will Porsche fare under VW? If the other companies under its wing provide reliable evidence, just fine. VW money and direction have transformed Bentley and Lamborghini while Audi’s rise seems more relentless than ever and Skoda is no longer a bad joke but a serious player. It has also su...
Wednesday, Jul 15
The premium hatch is back
BMW’s new 5-series GT is also a few weeks from launch and the company is said to be committed to a smaller, 3-series, based version. Mercedes has also shown a fastback concept based on the new E-Class. Technorati Tags: Audi A5 Sportback, premium hatch, BMW 5-series GT, BMW 3-series, VW Golf G...
Wednesday, Jul 8
The ultimate Porsche 911?
I doubt there are many people who walk away from driving a 473bhp Porsche 997 Turbo wishing that one of the world’s fastest supercars had more power. Technorati Tags: Porsche 911, Porsche 997, GT2, GT2, Porsche 911 Turbo, Sportec, VW Golf GTI, Bugatti Veyron
Monday, Jul 6
Artega GT could rival the Porsche Cayman
The GT features a 3.6-litre VW engine, a DSG dual-clutch gearbox and packaging so compact that it almost looks as wide as it is long.
Friday, Jul 3
Electric dreams - and nightmares
I’ve seen the same happen with some hybrids. At the moment there’s a whole bunch at a West London car supermarket, a triple AAA battery’s throw from the congestion zone, which were all underpriced and not yet sold. I’m slightly tempted to buy a really cheap Prius and run it until something exp...
Monday, Jun 22
In search of Volvo's character
Apparently, Volvo is emphatic that it should tune its chassis for a safety-first feel. I wondered if that was really compatible with the company’s desire to climb into the true premium market, providing competition for BMW, Mercedes and Audi.
Thursday, Jun 18
The new Vauxhall Astra in the flesh
It’s hard to believe that just a few years ago the three-door version of saloons in this class were referred to as “poverty models” or “Post Office versions”. I always thought GM Europe was a bit behind the game with its styling, ecliped by the engaging but brash sportiness of Ford, and the mo...
Tuesday, Jan 13
Driving VW’s stillborn Elise
I spent a very happy few moments at VW’s German test facility, Ehra Lessien, threading this one-off concept between cones, marvelling at the willingness of its little diesel engine and the sophistication of its DSG transmission. The stage is set then; over to you, Wolfsburg.
