Love For Cars

Love For Cars

Volkswagen threw a lot of cash at their new Mk6 Golf, with extensive sheet metal changes and an all-new interior. But not every carmaker has their resources: Skoda's efforts to freshen up the Octavia for 2009 are a little more modest. In comes the new corporate face, adopting new light clusters and a grille that stretches across the bonnet, while at the rear there are new tail lamps. Inside, the Octavia gains a new steering wheel, classy new instrument panel graphics and the option of a new touch-screen sat nav. The big changes are under the bonnet. Say goodbye to the old 1.6 petrol, replaced by a turbocharged 1.4 and a 158bhp 1.8 turbo from the Superb. Both are available with the recent seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. The diesels are less impressive. With the exception of the sporty range-topping vRS, the range is stuck with the old pumpe duse engine, rather than the smooth and refined new common-rail diesel.

That aside, the Octavia is as impressive as ever, offering near-Passat space for Focus money - but are the mild tweaks enough to keep it at the front of the pack? Skoda has consistently remained one of the darling brands of the JD Power customer satisfaction surveys, and the 2008 survey is no exception. Out of 100 cars the Octavia was fourth, with Skoda second only to Lexus as the brand with the most satisfied ownership. Inside the Octavia doesn't cosset as well as the Golf. The plastic steering wheel doesn't give you the impression of a budget Audi, but everything feels constructed with a typically Germanic feel of solidarity, so there's little to complain about. The decision to stick with the old pumpe duse diesels, rather than VW's new common-rail engines, means that the 2.0 TDI is a little noisy under the bonnet. There's also less flexibility throughout the engine, although a remap has addressed some of these issues.

Perhaps surprisingly, performance has not suffered: the diesel offers 0-62mph in 9.6 seconds and onto 129mph, which is normal for this class. Handling is impressive. The nose felt well-planted in a bend, even at speed. When the front tyres do eventually relent, the nose gently pushes forward but coming off the throttle helps neutralise the understeer. The last time the Octavia was crash-tested by Euro NCAP, it received four out of five stars for adult occupancy protection - a decent result back then. Unfortunately, five stars is now the class norm. All is not lost: the Octavia now comes with additional standard safety equipment, so it may receive that coveted fifth star next time it's tested. It's just a shame that life-saving ESP is only a 拢365 option. An alarm and immobiliser are fitted as standard. Here's where the decision to stick with the old diesel engine hurts. The 2.0 TDI averages 51.4mpg and emits 145g/km of carbon dioxide, putting it into VED band C and the 20% Benefit-in-Kind company car tax bracket. But that's no worse than the 134bhp Focus TDCi - proving Skoda's old engine is still a contender. Disappointingly, the less powerful 103bhp 1.9 diesel fails to slip into the lower VED band B, with its 130g/km CO2. The new turbo 1.4 petrol averages 42.8mpg and emits 154g/km of CO2, meaning it slips into VED band D while company car users pay 18% BIK tax. Impressive for a petrol. Ride comfort is impressive, especially for those who plump for the SE trim.

On test the Golf sprinted from 0-60mph in 6.8 seconds, trailing the MINI by four tenths. The less powerful GTE was also slower in gear than the Countryman, although it only trailed the MINI by two tenths from 30-70mph through the gears. The DSG box shifts quickly, but it can sometimes be a bit clunky when coming to a stop. It鈥檚 not the only flaw. The firmer set-up also means the GTE suffers in terms of ride quality compared with more normal Golfs. However, it鈥檚 no worse than the MINI here, and although both these cars are on the firmer side, the damping is plusher than the Mitsubishi鈥檚, which tends to crash over imperfections. Apart from the firmer edge to the ride, the GTE is refined. There鈥檚 some road noise, but it鈥檚 no worse than in the MINI, while the engine isn鈥檛 as coarse as the Outlander鈥檚 when revved. Testers鈥?notes: 鈥淕TE gets five driving modes, including e-mode, hybrid, battery charge and GTE. The Outlander PHEV has proved a real sales success. When it launched, price parity with the diesel model and attractively low running costs ensured the Mitsubishi became Britain鈥檚 best-selling plug-in hybrid.

Although our pictures show a top-spec 5hs, it鈥檚 the 拢31,805 Kotu model we test to see if it still has what it takes against newer rivals. The Outlander PHEV鈥檚 powertrain operates in a narrower window than either of its rivals. Due to the car鈥檚 1,845kg kerbweight the 2.0-litre petrol engine feels strained, while the boost from the battery and electric motors isn鈥檛 as noticeable. The single-speed CVT automatic gearbox isn鈥檛 as responsive as the transmissions in its competitors, either. This setup meant we couldn鈥檛 record any in-gear times, but the Outlander accelerated from 0-60mph in 9.0 seconds. As well as being the slowest car, it鈥檚 also the worst dynamically. The high centre of gravity and slow steering mean it doesn鈥檛 handle as sweetly as the VW or MINI, and it doesn鈥檛 deliver as much comfort. The chassis isn鈥檛 as well set up because the car isn鈥檛 as composed as its rivals over bumps. Once the battery has been depleted the naturally aspirated engine doesn鈥檛 feel as punchy as its turbocharged rivals, while the fuel economy dips further due to the heavier body.

Love For Cars

Love For Cars

The Touareg: Volkswagen鈥檚 new Soft- roader A luxury car that I would put right up there with Range Rover, as a proper off-roader. On test was the V6 Sport, effectively the base model with a splash of chrome and some big alloys鈥?well if this is base specification it is extremely well appointed. This particular car was fitted with the optional navigation system and leather interior, but even that aside it wants for nothing. The 3.2-litre, V6 is technically related to the 3.2-litre engine found in the Golf R32, the Touareg鈥檚 six-cylinder unit has been modified in several key areas to aid its off-road abilities and performance. Modifications include a revised oil pump with an altered intake, a sump redesigned to cope with steep inclines, and a revised belt drive. The four-valve-per-cylinder engine, has two overhead camshafts and features continuous inlet and exhaust camshaft timing control to ensure high torque levels throughout the engine speed range. Maximum torque is 225 lbs ft (305 Nm) at 3,200 rpm and the rated power output of 220 PS is produced between 5,400 and 6,400 rpm.

The transmission is the 4XMOTION system which delivers its power to the front and rear axles via a transfer box and a central differential, featuring a continuously adjustable and automatically operated multi-disc clutch, which performs the differential lock function. Under normal driving conditions - a dry road with even grip and constant engine power - the four-wheel-drive system provides a 50:50 distribution of power to the front and rear axles. In conditions where a wheel begins to lose traction, for example, as a result of aquaplaning, the centre differential鈥檚 multi-disc lock increases the flow of power - up to 100 per cent - to whichever axle has more grip. The differential lock is automatically regulated by engine torque and wheel slippage, with the driver having manual override via a console mounted switch. Manually lockable front and rear axle differentials are optional items. My first impression of the vehicle is its size.

It is wider than most, including the X5 and M Class and the lower roof line emphasises this. This makes it incredibly stable off-road but on the down side means it does not sit in the ruts but just runs the edges. On road the standard steel suspension gives a taught ride. The six speed gearbox, designed for the V10 diesel to handle the huge amount of torque, is used across the range. With three driving options it offers something for all driving styles. Leaving the tarmac way behind you and venturing into the unknown the Touareg continues to shine. With a two speed transfer case the Touareg walks away from the X5 or the Freelander and steps firmly on the toes of the Range Rover. The 4XMOTION system allows optimum levels of traction. Selecting 鈥楲ow鈥?results in activation of the automatic central differential lock, which continuously checks for loss of traction and adjusts front/rear power distribution accordingly.

There is also the facility to manually lock the centre diff and the optional lockable axle differentials which were not on the test car. Once in Low and driving in 鈥榤anual鈥?mode the V6 had a few surprises in store鈥?Most auto鈥檚 won鈥檛 move without throttle at this point, the Touareg crept around at idle, exactly what you need. The shape of the front makes it difficult to see the (hypothetical) corners but it is still easy to place with such engine control as is usually reserved for diesel and manual transmission. Volkswagen designed the vehicle with pedestrian safety in mind and the resultant 鈥榥ose鈥?does restrict its off-road ability, though by no more than many of its rivals. Underneath most components are tucked up into the floor pan giving a flat underside. The most vulnerable items being the rear exhaust box, which forms the limit of the departure angle, and the front spoiler which, whilst flexible and able to take a knock, is easy to catch. The steel sprung model has respectable but not stunning wheel articulation but the electronic differential control system ensures that drive is distributed to the wheels with traction ensuring you can keep moving with only two wheels on the ground. With all electronics and even the front headlights sealed from water the Touareg will wade to 500mm, I suspect that much deeper than this and the watertight seals will cause floatation long before the water damages anything. In conclusion, Volkswagen may be one of the last major manufacturers to enter the 4x4 market, but they haven鈥檛 done the job half-heartedly. The Touareg is firstly a luxury car and aimed at this market, but it is also a very capable off-road vehicle. It makes no pretences, it just does the job to a level far beyond that which most of us will require.

Love For Cars

Love For Cars

Volkswagen threw a lot of cash at their new Mk6 Golf, with extensive sheet metal changes and an all-new interior. But not every carmaker has their resources: Skoda's efforts to freshen up the Octavia for 2009 are a little more modest. In comes the new corporate face, adopting new light clusters and a grille that stretches across the bonnet, while at the rear there are new tail lamps. Inside, the Octavia gains a new steering wheel, classy new instrument panel graphics and the option of a new touch-screen sat nav. The big changes are under the bonnet. Say goodbye to the old 1.6 petrol, replaced by a turbocharged 1.4 and a 158bhp 1.8 turbo from the Superb. Both are available with the recent seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. The diesels are less impressive. With the exception of the sporty range-topping vRS, the range is stuck with the old pumpe duse engine, rather than the smooth and refined new common-rail diesel. That aside, the Octavia is as impressive as ever, offering near-Passat space for Focus money - but are the mild tweaks enough to keep it at the front of the pack?

Skoda has consistently remained one of the darling brands of the JD Power customer satisfaction surveys, and the 2008 survey is no exception. Out of 100 cars the Octavia was fourth, with Skoda second only to Lexus as the brand with the most satisfied ownership. Inside the Octavia doesn't cosset as well as the Golf. The plastic steering wheel doesn't give you the impression of a budget Audi, but everything feels constructed with a typically Germanic feel of solidarity, so there's little to complain about. The decision to stick with the old pumpe duse diesels, rather than VW's new common-rail engines, means that the 2.0 TDI is a little noisy under the bonnet. There's also less flexibility throughout the engine, although a remap has addressed some of these issues. Perhaps surprisingly, performance has not suffered: the diesel offers 0-62mph in 9.6 seconds and onto 129mph, which is normal for this class. Handling is impressive. The nose felt well-planted in a bend, even at speed.

When the front tyres do eventually relent, the nose gently pushes forward but coming off the throttle helps neutralise the understeer. The last time the Octavia was crash-tested by Euro NCAP, it received four out of five stars for adult occupancy protection - a decent result back then. Unfortunately, five stars is now the class norm. All is not lost: the Octavia now comes with additional standard safety equipment, so it may receive that coveted fifth star next time it's tested. It's just a shame that life-saving ESP is only a 拢365 option. An alarm and immobiliser are fitted as standard. Here's where the decision to stick with the old diesel engine hurts. The 2.0 TDI averages 51.4mpg and emits 145g/km of carbon dioxide, putting it into VED band C and the 20% Benefit-in-Kind company car tax bracket. But that's no worse than the 134bhp Focus TDCi - proving Skoda's old engine is still a contender. Disappointingly, the less powerful 103bhp 1.9 diesel fails to slip into the lower VED band B, with its 130g/km CO2. The new turbo 1.4 petrol averages 42.8mpg and emits 154g/km of CO2, meaning it slips into VED band D while company car users pay 18% BIK tax. Impressive for a petrol. Ride comfort is impressive, especially for those who plump for the SE trim.

Both the company forms indebted to a British soldier known as Ivan Hirst because he has remained credited to save the business after the world war remained over. Beneath April 1945, KdF-Stadt, and also the factory remained highly damaged, remained found by the Connected States and they will handed this to the British. Volkswagen factory after that controlled under the handle on Hirst. At first, Hirst solutions to use which plant as a uniform vehicle care. After all this country has been is actually used with regard to uniform purposes, both the tree can be recorded as one form of battle reparations. Hirst after that it might be green fresh paint factory, and then he screen it to the corporate of the British Army. After that, both the British Army had agreed to be able to rebuild the plant through deploying 20,000 soldiers beneath September 1945. Hundreds of at first cars produced are usually given alone members and also for that German Submit Office. Such British soldiers are entitled to bring these people towards the VW Beetle was provided to England when they will were mobilized to try back presently there.

Love For Cars

Love For Cars

This is not the second-generation Superb from Skoda, but the third. The first appeared back in 1934, complete with running boards and huge proportions. Based on the Volkswagen Passat platform, it offered huge levels of comfort, a great drive and fantastic build quality, living up to is name. It underwent a facelift to come into line with the new Skoda 'look', but it was largely unchanged - until now. The new Superb is a dramatic reincarnation - not just on the outside but in the interior too. Skoda is proud of the fact that this car is all-new, not just a Volkswagan Passat with Skoda body panels and switchgear. 6cm longer than the Ford Mondeo. Almost 1,800 Superbs were sold in the UK last year, but Skoda is hoping this update will capture the imagination of those who just want something a bit different. It's a busy marketplace full of class acts: the Mondeo, the Citroen C5, Mazda 6 - and that's before you even consider the imminent arrival of the Insignia, Vauxhall's Vectra replacement. So, can the Superb muscle its way through the family car throng and take on the heavyweights?

Prices have not been finalised but they are expected to be competitive, ranging from 拢15,500 to 拢24,000. It's got a good platform and, with Skoda's increasing reputation for reliability, it must be a consideration for those who want a solid, classy, family four-door. Skodas are generally very reliable and that is reflected in customer satisfaction surveys. Each year the Czech brand is right up there in the league tables and in 2008 Skoda finished second in the well-respected JD Power Customer Satisfaction Survey. There's little to suggest that there'll be many issues with the new Superb. Everything feels solid, and the cabin materials are of high quality. Although Skoda boasts that this car is 'Skoda' from top to bottom, a lot of the interior equipment looks like it has come from a VW parts bin. The door panels and the controls on the doors are straight out of the Passat and the dashboard design on the Superb looks remarkably similar.

There are six engines available, three petrols and three diesels. Petrols include a 1.4-litre 123bhp, a 1.8-litre 158bhp and a 3.6-litre V6 which produces a hearty 256bhp. The entry-level petrol comes in six-speed manual only, but the 1.8 and 3.6 come with the DSG automated manual. The 3.6 is four-wheel drive only. On the diesel front there are 1.9-litre 104bhp, 2.0-litre 138bhp and 2.0-litre 168bhp units. The 1.9 features a manual five-speed gearbox and the higher-powered diesels come with six-speed manual or DSG transmissions. The new-seven speed Direct Shift Gearbox (DSG) available with the 1.8 is new in the Superb. Unlike previous DSG gearboxes, the clutches are dry and this helps reduce friction, with the knock-on effect of reducing fuel use and lowering CO2 emissions. We tested the 2.0-litre 138bhp diesel DSG and the 1.8-litre 158bhp petrol six-speed manual. Both cars offer just enough grunt to pull the1,500kg kerbweight, but there is little between the two in outright performance. The DSG gearbox on the diesel felt slow to respond on kickdown: the 0-60mph sprint takes an ambling 10.2 seconds. The Superb, though, is not about high energy - it's almost regal in its power delivery.

You feel that it's telling you it's not going to compromise its dignity with a lot of noise and action. It's hardly nimble and again you can feel the weight of the car when entering corners. That's not to say it lacks grip: you get just enough traction to make you feel confident about cornering at reasonably high speeds. Turn-in is keen and the steering is perfectly weighted. The brakes also feel solid and dependable. And that's what this car is: solid, dependable and unflustered. It's not engaging, but it's not totally dull either. It's not as driveable as a Ford Mondeo, but you do feel more relaxed behind the wheel. The Superb is a great cruiser, with little road, engine or wind noise coming through to the cabin. It is quite serene and you'll feel relaxed after a long trip on the motorway. Standard safety equipment includes seven airbags: dual front, dual side, dual front curtain airbags and a driver's knee airbag.

The front passenger airbag can be switched off if you want to fit a baby seat. The rear seats feature Isofix child seat fasteners. There's a gamut of safety systems on offer. Anti-Spin Regulation (ASR), Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) and anti-lock brakes are standard on all models. There's also remote central locking, an alarm and remote tailgate unlocking. There is a 'Greenline' version of the Skoda - another ecology-conscious variant that promises good fuel economy and low carbon dioxide emissions. This uses the 1.9-litre diesel engine and includes a diesel particulate filter. There are three trim levels to choose from: S, SE and Elegance. A series of touch-screen audio and sat nav systems are on offer in the three trims. This incorporates a dual receiver for improved radio reception and all come with MP3 functionality. The sat nav is DVD-based and includes a 30GB hard disk (10GB for storage of maps and 20GB for music). Optional extras include adaptive front lights that move in line with the direction you are travelling and automatic parking assist that will park the car automatically in tight spots. Other options include tyre pressure monitor, hill-hold assistant, maxi-dot trip computer, multi-function steering wheel, parking sensors, heated seats, Bluetooth connectivity, 17" and 18" alloy wheels and full leather upholstery. Interior space has been increased. The centre console has been slimmed down so there's 19mm more knee space for the driver width-wise - useful for long-haul trips. The Superb also offers more bootspace: with the rear seats up there's 565 litres and with the seats folded down there's 1,670 litres on offer. This represents an increase of more than 100 litres over the old model and it beats the Ford Mondeo, which offers 540 litres with the rear seats up and 1,460 litres with them folded down.

Love For Cars

Love For Cars

Audi TT, but even that car feels a little staid when compared with the 2008 Audi R8. The R8 holds the pavement as only a low-slung car with all-wheel-drive and massive tires can. Then Audi throws in its magnetic damping technology to keep the suspension tuned for whatever kind of road you are driving on and puts the engine in the middle to balance the car. All of this combines to let us take the R8 around corners at speeds we wouldn't think possible. For cabin tech, the R8 is well equipped with Audi's standard navigation, Bluetooth, and stereo module, all controlled through its multimedia interface. Although there is a lot to like about these components, we still have our usual litany of complaints for Audi, from its difficult destination entry to some quirks with the audio system. As we've seen a few cars with hard drive-based navigation systems, DVD-based navigation, used in the Audi R8, seems slow.

Test the tech: R8 and M3We must have cured lepers in a previous life because our karma was working overtime, as evidenced by the 2008 Audi R8 and the 2008 BMW M3 Coupe arriving in our garage the same week. Although we felt a head-to-head competition between these two cars wouldn't be appropriate, we decided to take them both on a sport drive over some excellent twisty roads north of San Francisco. We had two drivers swapping cars and noting the differences. As a bonus, we had taken the 2008 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet over this same route the week before, giving us a further point of comparison. The Audi R8 and the BMW M3 square off next to Tomales Bay. For the first part of our run, we drove across the Golden Gate Bridge and turned off the freeway at Lucas Valley Road, which afforded us some easy turns, and time to get used to the cars.

The trip out of the city was made difficult by the R8's R tronic transmission, a sequential manual gearbox with an automatic mode rebranded from Lamborghini's e-gear transmission. In fact, the R8 is based on the Lamborghini Gallardo platform, getting the same chassis and sharing 15 percent of its parts. With the R tronic in automatic mode, there are huge power drops between the first three gears, causing serious lurching. Pushing the Sport button below the gearshift, which changes the shift points, mitigates this behavior and manually shifting the transmission can virtually eliminate the lurching. Overall, the R8 isn't fun to drive in traffic or at low speeds. On the other hand, the BMW M3, with its six-speed manual transmission, was perfectly comfortable to drive in congested areas, and made it easy to creep along at 5 mph when necessary. Fortunately, the R8 can also be purchased with a six-speed manual transmission. Driving further north, we got onto long, winding roads with very few signs of civilization. At speed, the behavior of the R8's transmission smoothed out considerably, and the advantages of its fast shifts became apparent.

We had left the automatic mode long ago in favor of the manual shifting, which could be accomplished by a tap on the steering wheel paddles or pushing the big metal shifter up or down. Attacking a corner, we would shift down to second or third gear, then put on the power, and the R8 followed our line through the curve almost perfectly. We noticed a little understeer coming in to the corners, forcing us to turn the wheel a little more than we would expect in a car like this. Also, we were a little surprised at the wheel-mounted paddle shifters, which looked similar to what we saw in the Volkswagen R32 and the Acura TL-S. We would expect them to be anchored to the steering column in a real high-performance car, so their position doesn't change while cornering. A turn like this won't bother the R8 one bit. Unfortunately for the BMW, the Audi R8 made the M3's handling feel cumbersome. After feeling the R8 grip the corners and follow through perfectly, the M3 felt big and unwieldy, partly because of the higher center of gravity and seating position.