New Cars - Tuesday, April 22, 2008 7:19 - 0 Comments

Astra VXR Nürburgring Edition: now with Vauxhall badges

There’s no shortage of automakers which claim the vaunted Nürburgring Nordschleife as their own stomping ground. Along with the likes of BMW, Porsche and Aston Martin, to name but a few, GM’s European subsidiary staked its claim last year with the Opel Astra OPC Nürburgring Edition. Now Vauxhall, its British counterpart, wants to be part of the club, too. But rather than create its own performance model, Vauxhall’s big news is that it has essentially taken the OPC Nürburgring and slapped on the shiny new griffin logo and called it its own.
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New Cars - Sunday, April 20, 2008 7:12 - 0 Comments

Porsche unveils the Cayenne Turbo S

Porsche says that Asian and Eastern European market demand for ridiculously high performance SUVs has resulted in a new addition to the Cayenne range. After a brief respite following the introduction of the current-gen Cayenne, the Turbo S moniker returns. With it comes more power, more torque, newly-available features, and a commensurate cost of entry. 2009 Porsche Cayenne Turbo SUpdated engine management and a new exhaust system raise peak output to 550 horsepower and 553 lb-ft. Channeled through a 6-speed Tiptronic S gearbox, that’s enough to rocket Stuttgart’s new über-ute to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds and give it a top speed of 174 mph. Reining in those horses becomes even easier if buyers pony up for the optional, massive ceramic composite brakes (16″ front / 14.5″. rear), now available on Cayenne for the fist time.
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New Cars - Friday, April 18, 2008 7:09 - 0 Comments

Official - It’s the 2009 Audi Q5

For months now we’ve seen spy photos and heard speculation about Audi’s new Q5 CUV. Now, we finally have the official news on the latest entry from Ingolstadt. Unlike its big brother the Q7, the Q5 doesn’t share an architecture with a VW model. The Q5 utilizes the same underpinnings as the A5 coupe and A4 sedan/wagon. That means the Q5 has a longitudinally mounted engine rather than the transverse powerplant found in the smaller VW Tiguan. While we were in Germany to drive the new A4, Audi invited us into their design center in Ingolstadt to check out their new virtual reality design system and have a look at the Q5 in the metal, prior to its official coming out party in Beijing.
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New Cars - Friday, April 18, 2008 0:39 - 0 Comments

Official: Opel Insignia revealed

After a few leaks and an assortment of GM-sponsored “spy shots,” the Opel Insignia is here. Take note. Aimed to compete in Europe with the Ford Mondeo, Honda Accord, Mazda6 and Citroen C5, the Insignia is set to replace the aging Vectra and could come Stateside sporting a Saturn badge. The sleeker, sexier Insignia takes a few cues from the GTC concept that helped to inspire the new sedan, with a taut fascia, muscular stance and deeply drawn side blades that extend from the front fenders to run parallel with the side sills. The old V-bar has been nixed in favor of a wider grille, complimented by a pair of intake ducts and the new Vauxhall logo.
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New Cars - Friday, April 18, 2008 0:30 - 0 Comments

Mercedes-Benz GLK revealed ahead of Beijing debut

The new Mercedes-Benz GLK is set to make its debut at this weekend’s Beijing Motor Show but the first images and details of the car have already been leaked. The compact SUV was first previewed at the Detroit Auto Show back in January in concept form and as expected the final production car remains almost identical to the original show car. Designed to go up against the BMW X3 and upcoming Audi Q5, the new GLK shows a dramatic improvement in quality over Mercedes’ previous SUV models despite being an entry-level offroader. Pictured here is the U.S.-spec GLK350, which is set to go on sale early next year as a 2010 model.
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New Cars - Wednesday, April 16, 2008 10:04 - 0 Comments

Citroen C3 Turns on the style

IT’S another small car design masterclass from Citroen! Supermini buyers are set to be spoiled for choice as the French giant is putting the finishing touches to its distinctive new C3. And as these exclusive Auto Express pictures reveal, this is a great-looking three-door. Back in Issue 991, we showed you images of the 2CV-inspired five-door C3, but that model appears pretty conservative next to the outlandish newcomer.  Taking a similar approach to the C4, designers aim to make two distinct versions of the C3 to appeal to very different groups. The practical five-door will offer a more conventional body, while the three-door is intended to tempt younger buyers. In Issue 1,007, we showed you the revised C2 – but Citroen bosses have already decided that this model does not have a long-term future.
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New Cars - Tuesday, April 15, 2008 7:31 - 0 Comments

Revealed: 2009 Opel Insignia

Images and details of Opel’s all-new Insignia sedan have been revealed ahead of its embargo lift planned for later this week. As predicted the car picks up a number of design cues from last year’s Opel GTC concept and it appears to have a more upmarket look than the outgoing model. There’s a lot of significance riding on this model because this is the car that will be sold in the U.S. as the next-gen Saturn Aura and it may even make it to other markets where GM cars are sold such as Australasia and South America. The car replaces the current Vectra sedan and is set to go on sale in Europe this October. It will be available with a range of diesel and petrol engines starting with a base 1.6L turbocharged engine and topping out with a new 250hp 2.8L petrol V6.
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New Cars - Monday, April 14, 2008 9:10 - 0 Comments

Volkswagen Golf GTI Pirelli

The Volkswagen Golf GTI Pirelli is back, 25 years after the original. And the good news is this GTI gets the same power tweak as the Edition 30 Golf we raved about when we drove it last year. The 2.0-litre turbo engines gets 227bhp in Pirelli trim, up from 197bhp. That drops the 0-60mph time by 0.4 seconds to 6.8 and ups the top speed by six points to 152. What else should I know about the VW Golf GTI Pirelli? Let’s start with the meaning of the Pirelli tag. It means that the new-design 18-inch wheels are wrapped in Pirelli rubber, 225/40s to be precise - and the full horror of the special edition wardrobe has been thrown at the cabin.

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New Cars - Sunday, April 13, 2008 8:12 - 0 Comments

VW Passat CC driven

No, the VW Passat CC isn’t a folding tin-top elder bother for the Eos… Nomenclature connotations of Coupe/Cabriolet are entirely misleading. CC first stood for Concept Coupe when the show car was revealed and, as the real deal hits the streets in summer 2008, actually stands for, um, Comfort Coupe. Only in Germany…VW has done to the Passat exactly what Mercedes did to the E-class, the difference being that the latter acquired a standalone badge - the CLS - whereas this new VW must struggle through life burdened with all the attendant baggage of the Passat name. Personally, I’ve always found the Passat saloon to be an entirely worthy proposition, but I seem to be in a minority amongst my peers.
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New Cars - Saturday, April 12, 2008 7:50 - 0 Comments

Caterham Superlight R500 final specs revealed

Caterham has finally revealed the whole story on its new R500 Superlight, and trackday enthusiasts will be salivating to get their hands on one if it drives like its stat sheet reads. Playing up the strengths of the Lotus Seven on which it’s based, the newest Caterham brings a balanced mix of power and handling to the table. Tipping the scales at just 506kg and pumping 263hp to the rear wheels via a 2.0L Duratec four-pot mill, the R500 Superlight is super quick. Blasting from 0-60mph in just 2.88 seconds, a sequential-shift six-speed gearbox is available as an option to push your racing dreams even closer to reality. With a power-to-weight ratio of 520hp/tonne the R500 Superlight will keep right on going past 60mph to 150mph top speed.
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