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| Cayenne V6 - a fine piece of engineering. |
The third variant of Porsche's third model is a 3.2 litre V6 Cayenne with 250 bhp and a few less goodies than you find on its big brothers the Cayenne S and the Cayenne Turbo. Power then is similar to that of the company's Boxster, but of course the weight is very different, resulting in a very un-Porsche like 9.1s 0-60 time.
But we'd argue that there's no reason on earth why a massive SUV should attempt to accelerate as quickly as a roadster, so on reflection performance is perfectly reasonable for the car's class. There seems to be a belief that it can't be a proper Porsche if it doesn't accelerate like a bullet, but perhaps the new Cayenne's strengths lie elsewhere. Let's all just accept this for the very fine engineering that it is, and not blame it for being a little bit different to the rest of the cars in the Porsche garage.
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| TVR Sagaris |
Blackpool based TVR seem to have gone completely bonkers with their latest creation - a wind tunnel honed version of the T350. The Sagaris is wider which is fine, but it has also been given a host of bodywork 'refinements' to provide optimum stability. These take the form of holes in the wing to prevent pressure build ups, and a mass of spoilers and fins placed at seemingly strange parts of its body.
If it all works then many of them could find their way onto other models of TVR and could set a trend for other manufacturers to follow. Right now, the Sagaris looks ahead of its time. We look forward to seeing whether it's a trend that others will follow.
The Sagaris goes on sale in June 2004 at a price of £50,000. This is about 33% more than a regular T350, but could be a small price to pay for all that research, and the right to own one of the strangest cars ever made. You'll either be at the leading edge of a fashion wave, or else you'll have something that will remain very unique.
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| New Peugeot 407 in the Spring |
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Peugeot's new 407 is going to be difficult for some people to accept. It's looks are quite radical with an awesome big grill mounted low down on the car's front spoiler, with a more traditional look for the rest of the car. Few would argue that it's different, and we all complain when all cars look the same; but the designers appear to be getting criticism in some quarters for daring to stick their necks out quite so far.
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| Facelift and new engine for S Type Jag |
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Jaguar's S Type has benefitted from a facelift which also introduces some of the interior styling features of big brother XJ. And it also moves into the Diesel sector with, from April, the option of a 2.7 litre bi-turbo V6. The new engine produces a reasonable 204 bhp, and a whopping 324 lb ft of torque which should give it the performance to match the best of the German oil burning competition.
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| GM reveal some stunning concepts |
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GM have, not surprisingly, revealed a number of great concepts at the Detroit motor show. But the pick has to be the Chevrolet Nomad, a car that offers 210 bhp through the rear wheels, and yet is not much larger than a Mini. No doubt, this is America hitting back at the massive success of the small BMW, though ironically, the new Chevy is built on an Italian platform, and was designed in the British Midlands. Nevertheless, it could be exactly what the US manufacturer needs to stave off the small European and Asian imports that have taken so much of its market share over the past 20 years.
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| Porsche Boxster 550 |
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Porsche's new Boxster S Anniversary Edition is now being widely advertised in the motoring press. The car, which gets a 6 bhp uplift to 266 bhp and lots of extras, retails in the UK for £41,903 which is a pretty good price if you add up the value of just those extras that you could add to a regular S, never mind the ones that you can't specify, such as the beautiful Carrera Silver paintwork.
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| Honda S2000 uplift |
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The Honda S2000 upgrade appears to have brought a little more refinement to this lovely sports car. No changes were necessary to the brilliant 240bhp VTEC engine, so the refinements have concentrated on minor styling revisions and some effort to improve the car's handling. Previous models have been brilliant cars in the right hands, but a significant number of owners have had spins, particularly in slippery conditions; a fact that Honda were keen to address. The new model feels better and hopefully addresses the issues, making this little rocket a bargain at its price which is over 20% less than that of the cheapest Porsche Boxster.
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| Ford Freestyle shows the way forward |
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At the 2004 Detroit Motor Show, Ford revealed the Freestyle, a new crossover vehicle that blends the best features of the SUV 4x4 and Estate models. Built on the chassis that will be used for future Jaguar and Volvo models, the Freestyle also hints that similar vehicles will be launched in other markets, including the UK where the seven seater car will no doubt be popular.
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| New Ford Cosworth for 2005 / 2006 |
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There are reports that Ford's RS team are planning on reviving the Cossie brand with a very very hot Focus that will probably get four wheel drive and well over 200 brake horse power. With stats like that, the new cossie should be good for 0-60 mph in about six seconds which puts is pretty quick by the standards of the average hot hatch.
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| Porsche Boxster reaps yet another Award |
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Porsche's Boxster and Boxster S Roadsters have picked up the 'Best Sports Car' title in the 'Automobile Magazine' 2004 awards. At a time when competition in this sector is increasing, the fact that 50% of the votes went to the Boxster is pleasing for the company. Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart are also about to release the Boxster 550 special edition model to celebrate the 50 years since the Porsche 550 Roadster was launched. Porsche have also announced that since the Boxster's release in 1996 (in 2.5 litre guise) over 150,000 have been sold. Six and a half thousand of these arrived in North America in 2003 to make up a significant percentage of the 30,000 Porsches sold in the USA and Canada last year. This was the highest total for seventeen years, and the second highest ever in the history of Porsche Cars, a result largely due to the massive success of the Cayenne SUV; Almost 50% of the Porsche Vehicles sold in North America were Cayennes, and by December that figure was even higher. Despite its 'Best Sports Car' status, the number of Boxsters sold declined in December relative to the same period last year.
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| The Year of the Car |
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2004 has been named 'The Year of the Car' by GM, Ford, Chrysler and other major motor manufacturers at the opening of the Detroit Motor Show. All the traditional North American motor companys are on the offensive to take back the initiative from Toyota, Honda and Nissan and other Asian and European marques. There is hope that the buying public's perception of the local manufacturers is finally turning toward the American models which have improved dramatically in quality over recent years. The stakes are high, but cars like the Pontiac G6, Ford 500 and Chrysler 300 are out to prove that America can make the best cars in the world.
more Toyota stories ...
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| Britney auctions Mazda RX-8 for $40,000 |
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Britney Spears has recently raised $40,255 for The Britney Spears Foundation by auctioning her silver 2004 Mazda RX-8 on eBay. The car was used to film the Me Against The Music video and had only clocked up 9 miles before going to auction with Britney's signature on the bonnet. Despite 130,000 hits on the eBay page only 6 bids were received in total.
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| Front-Mid configuration could be here to stay |
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The front mid engine layout which is suddenly becoming popular with a number of manufacturers looks like it could be a popular design of the future. Hailed by some as a new invention, it really isn't; the rear transaxle has been used on a number of Porsches and other marques over the years. One reason for the resurgence of this design is that it allows for better balance than a front engine config without the impracticality of a traditional mid engine layout. More importantly, the moving back of the engine provides better crash protection for pedestrians as it's easier to have a soft zone at the front of the vehicle with the heavy, solid engine moved slightly further back. Expect to see the design on many performance cars, including a host of Alphas over the next few years, and of course the new Ferrari 612s. On the negative side, the design results in a longer bonnet, which looks great, but which might result in more collisions at those blind junctions where drivers need to nose out to see whether the road is clear.
more Porsche stories ...
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| Mazda RX-8 Hit, but not with the Company Car drivers |
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Mazda's RX-8 is proving a big success, with plenty of people getting on the list to own a very sporty car for not a lot of money. For £22,000 you get a car that handles superbly, drives nicely, and looks great. And it's capable of 0-60 in 6.2 seconds on the way to its top speed of 146 miles per hour. The engine is as smooth as you can imagine and it weighs only 1400Kg. But reports are that the fuel efficiency of its Wankel rotary engine isn't all that it might be, which leads of course to a high CO2 emissions figure. So company car drivers will pay a heavy premium if they choose the little Mazda, particularly if they opt for the 'free' fuel that's on offer from many firms. All of which is bad news if you're Mazda, but great news for low mileage private buyers; you can be fairly certain that the rep brigade aren't going to be snapping them up in large numbers, so you should get that exculsivity you're looking for. The one caveat to this is that some company drivers are still restricted to four door cars, and the RX-8 will therefore qualify for many car lists which are otherwise lacking any sporty looking cars, so that might just tempt a few company drivers to pay the company car tax premium for the RX-8.
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| Project Gotham Racing goes Live |
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Microsoft's recent update of their brilliant racing game "Project Gotham Racing 2" now features XBox Live capability. The new game which features over 100 cars including 11 Ferraris, 10 Porsches and an assortment of cars from dozens of other manufacturers, raises the bar for console racing. Once you've mastered the basics, you can race to open up new tracks and cars until you eventually get them all. This means you can race a Cayenne, a Boxster, and several different 911s around the Nurburgring; something you've previously only dreamed of (we expect!). But the real star of the upgrade is XBox Live which allows you to race instantly against complete strangers, or set up tournaments against your mates. But beware - this will take over your life if you let it; This game is worth buying an XBox and a subscription to XBox Live on its own.
more Porsche stories ...
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| Lamborghini Gallardo knocks us for 10 |
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Audi's reinvention of the Lamborghini brand is completed with the launch of the awesome Gallardo. At a stroke they've created a useable supercar that's actually refined and practical. With a 0-60 time of 4.2 seconds thanks to clean lines and a 40 valve V10 Engine, the Gallardo is without doubt the real thing. And it handles superbly (as you would expect). Lambos may still be the province of the rich and famous, but at least those who phpire to them can expect comfort and practicality as well as raw power, which can't be said of many of the pre Audi cars. And it now comes with the option of an excellent paddle change which is said to be better than those produced by Aston Martin, Porsche and even Ferrari, who were previously the benchmark for such devices.
more Porsche stories ...
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| Porsche 911 GT3 RS |
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Porsche have once again trumped their own card with the 911 GT3 RS, which improves on the already brilliant 'Ordinary' GT3. Many will prefer to stick with their GT3s which already offer a great drive and a reasonable amount of creature comforts. But for the ultimate Porsche thrill (this side of a Carrera GT anyway) the GT3 RS does away with niceties, and lightens a number of components in order to pare 50KG off the GT3's weight, and a tenth of a second off its 0-60 time (4.6 seconds for the GT3 is down to 4.5 for the RS). Available only in white, with Red or Blue wheels and graphics, the car costs a whopping £84,000 which is almost £11,500 more than the GT3. But we don't expect Porsche will have any trouble at all selling every single 911 GT3 RS they can make; for many enthusiasts, this will be the most 'Real' Porsche for years. Many will also stump up the extra £4,500 for PCCB (Porsche Ceramic-Composite Brakes) which will give the car a stopping power to match its handling and performance.
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| Mercedes SLR finally on the road |
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After four years of expectation, the Mercedes McLAren SLR is now a reality. The awesome production version, which retains much of the 1999 Vision concept car's futuristic styling is finally available. Verdicts on the new car are mixed, with some feeling that it's too much of a compromise compared with competition such as the Porsche Carrera GT and the Ferrari Enzo. But all design is after all a compromise, and this marriage of Mercedes and McLaren promises to deliver a car that has the power of a supercar and the comfort of a GT. We're expecting it to be a very popular choice, with a long, long waiting list. Concerns about the car's advanced braking system may be valid though. Where Porsche have fitted the ultimate stopping power to the Carrera in their Ceramic brakes, Mercedes have chosen a unique electronic brake control for the SLR. This has has left most testers bemused and critical of the lack of feel offered by the system.
more Porsche stories ...
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| 2003 Reliability Survey Results |
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We've just seen the amazing results from this year's Which reliability survey; the figures indicate the German Marques have been entirely pushed out of the 'Best' category by the Japanese manufacturers such as Honda, Hyundai, Lexus and Mazda. Audi, BMW and Mercedes all make it into the average category, as does Porsche which is new into the charts. Mercedes had the biggest decline of all the makers in the survey, but is still two places above Porsche who are renowned for their build quality and reliability. VW who traditionally have sold on their reliability were second from bottom, behind Vauxhall, and just above Volvo, putting them way behind their sister cars from Audi, Seat and Skoda. But we're slightly sceptical about the results for several reasons. Many manufacturers' numbers were based on returns from one, two, three or even four thousand owners, whereas only 38 Porsche owners had replied. We think that you're more likely to get a fair result from a larger sample, and you're more likely to return the form if you have some problem with your car that you want to make a deal of. Add to this the fact that owners of Mercedes, Porsche, BMW, Audi and other prestige marks have high expectations that lead them to complain about the smallest detail and you have to question the results a little. Our final concern with the findings is that they seem to believe that reliability and build quality are exactly the same thing. We'd argue that just because in their survey the Toyota Celicas had 100% reliability records, and the Audi TTs had 75%, that doesn't automatically mean that the Celica is built to a higher quality. The Celica is the biggest surprise for us personally. We have a 2001 Celica 190, on the fleet and it's been to the dealer four times this year for the same problem, three times to diagnose it and once to fix it. We were impressed to hear that Toyota were so concerned by the problem that numerous photos had to be taken for analysis as the car was stripped down, and these were to be sent for analysis with the faulty parts. However, the third diagnosis visit was a three day job, and then the work couldn't be done for weeks because, the dealer told us, there was a shortage of parts because so many cars had the same problem; once the parts were available the work was supposed to take 3 days, but in fact the car was in the garage for almost three weeks, and we had to keep phoning the dealer to find out what was happening - another parts shortage apparently. Eventually the car was returned fixed and well, but we wish we'd been asked to take part in the survey!
more Porsche stories ...
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| New Big Cat for 2004 |
2004 will be a good news year for fans of the classic Jaguar XJ. After years of model-revisions, next year will see an entirely new car. As you would expect, the new XJ will feature all the latest technology and refinements associated with a top name, but the look is still simple, elegant class. The new car will be bigger in all dimensions, giving a much more spacious feel. At the same time, the interior will retain that timeless britishness with leather and wood-trim that makes the Jag a unique driving experience.
The new Jag body is aluminum-based which will strengthen the chassis, while at the same time improving its power weight ratio significantly. The engines will be Jaguar V8. With the variants being a standard 4.2 producing 294bhp or a supercharged version that produces a spectacular 390 hp. The car will feature a 6-speed auto-transmission.
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