The all petrol engine line-up for the mid-life refreshed range still includes the 20i 184hp, 28i 245hp, 35i 306hp and the 35is 340hp variants. All models include BMW’s award winning EfficientDynamics technology to improve fuel economy and braking energy regeneration. Prices range up to £45,795. All Z4’s have a six-speed manual gearbox as standard with drive to the rear wheels. Customers can … [Read more...]
Roadtests
Weekend roadtest: Jaguar XJ6 3.0 Portfolio
All you would expect from Jaguar in a modern package is to be found in the XJ Portfolio, but there is also a surprise. You may think that such a long wheelbase version would require a big engine to power it, but the truth is that the 3.0V6 is well up to coping with all you ask of it. The new engine is a derivative of the bigger 5.0V8 series but it’s more economical and less polluting and you … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Ford Fiesta ST
Ford has a new pocket rocket in the nimble Fiesta ST. Using a specially tuned 182ps 1.6 litre four-cylinder engine made in Bridgend, South Wales and a new six-speed close ratio gearbox, the three-door only Fiesta ST develops 20pc more power and fuel economy than the previous version. It has a top speed close to 140mph and does the 0-62mph increment in under 7 seconds while it can deliver … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Peugeot 208GTi
Peugeot has launched its time machine, the 208GTi. 30 years after the debut of its original 205GTi the idea of a sporting family car has been turned into a subtle slingshot that blends performance with panache and a car which is lighter, more economical, environmentally cleaner and out performs its previous 207GTi stablemate. This latest version to join the 208 series uses a 200bhp version … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Mitsubishi ASX is now less taxing
Fed up with the weather, fed up with the fast deteriorating condition of our roads, fed up with paying too much in running costs for even a family sized car and fancy getting better value for money motoring? The answer could be to be buy one of the latest generation of capable but less taxing ‘crossover’ cum soft SUVs. For little more money than a well equipped C-segment family hatchback, the … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Maserati GranCabrio Sport
Britons have a legendary love affair with sports cars and few are as all-consuming as that for the Maserati GranCabrio Sport. The head-turning 2+2 GranCabrio is the open-topped version of the coupe Gran Turismo and the Sport is the more powerful of the available engines. The Maserati GranCabrio Sport is a big, traditionally engineered Italian sports car with a beefy V8 up-front and driving … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Volkswagen Golf GT 1.4TSI ACT 5dr
The latest Volkswagen Golf is in its seventh heaven. Not only is it the seventh generation model in the highly successful series over 34 years and 26 million sales, but it brings the latest engine technology into play, and that means giving you half an engine if necessary in the version tested. It is the first model in the Volkswagen group on UK roads to have active cylinder technology, which … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: SEAT Leon 3rd generation
Image by Matt Vosper The new SEAT Leon sees the biggest launch in the company’s history for a decade and blends the latest engineering with cutting-edge style which has been a signature of the Spanish brand. In showrooms this month, the five-door Leon pitches into the C-segment and it will be joined in July by a three-door SC unveiled at the 2013 Geneva motor show and later this year a … [Read more...]
New Skoda Octavia delivers surprises and sophistication
The name is the same but the new Skoda Octavia is a whole new ball game. The first in the Skoda range to be developed on the latest modular platform from parent Volkswagen Group, the Octavia is bigger inside with an extended wheelbase to provide more room but its also 100kg lighter. This not only reduces fuel consumption because it allows smaller engines to be used, but it also improves the … [Read more...]
Weekend roadtest: Audi A3 Sportback 1.4TFSI
Image by Matt Vosper If you want to spend wisely when selecting a new C-segment five-door hatchback, it’s going to be hard to better the “real deal” that is the Audi A3 Sportback, says David Miles. In his presentation of the all new longer wheelbase car to the UK media this week, Jon Zammett Head of PR for Audi UK said, “The new A3 Sportback is designed for technology literate people, the … [Read more...]