Archive for category Car Reviews
New Fiat Panda 2012 Review (First look)
Posted by Bruce Jamieson in Car Reviews on October 3rd, 2011
The last couple of cars I have had a first look at were, shall we say a tad exotic. They were not exactly run of the mill everyday vehicular transport for the masses. So this time around I thought I’d tell you about the new Fiat Panda instead! The last Panda was a massive success for Fiat; single-handedly rescuing Fiat from building awful stuff like Stilo’s, that broke all the time, and taking them back to their roots of building simple honest fun little cars.
Fiat Panda 2012 First Look Review
The third generation of the Panda will hit the streets early in 2012 and from the pictures it is still recognisably a Panda, albeit slightly more bloated than the last one. It’s lost its angular edges, now sporting a rounder, chubby, smiling face. This theme continues along the car with big chunky wings and doors. However Fiat still manages to encompass those trademark flared Panda wheel arches. Round the back the Panda is still very flat, but now embraces Fiat’s design identity of a large black bump strip. This unfortunately makes the Panda look a bit like one of Fiat’s Doblo vans from behind. Never the less the car as a whole looks like it’s ready for the rough and tumble of the urban jungle if you will.
The bigger outside dimensions also mean that the Panda has grown on the inside too; however, this also has something to do with the clever packaging and design of the interior. The new car features incredibly skinny seat backs… how very interesting you might think, but they allow plenty of leg room for 3 back seat passengers. It’s very dull yet it’s very clever things like this that make the Panda so ingenious. For instance have you ever wanted to carry a long plank of wood but find your normal car is a bit too short? Not to worry, with the Panda you can fold the front passenger seat flat to carry one. Either that or use the back of the seat as a make shift table. Keeping on the interior note the new Panda will feature plenty of tech. Which is a far cry from the original panda, I would know, my dad owned one. The new one is the equivalent of bringing an ipad to a medieval jousting event. Tech includes, electric everything, power steering that can be switched to be uber light for city driving. It also has stop/start and auto emergency brakes that come on at anything up to 20mph if you’re about to hit a tree. The Panda can also be spec’d with a big panoramic sunroof if you so wish.
New Fiat Panda 2012 Review
Engine wise, the new Panda is available with Fiat’s excellently frugal Twinair two cylinder petrol engines, with either 64bhp or 84bhp in turbo’d form. It is also available with a 1.2 litre petrol (68bhp) and a 1.3 multijet diesel (74bhp), still both good in their own right.
To conclude then, the new Panda is bigger, rounder and cleverer than the old one. It also happens to be a million miles away from the 80’s original in terms of simplicity. However, times have moved on and it seems as if the Panda will continue to solidify Fiat’s growing reputation for funky, practical and frugal little cars. It’s basically a Fiat 500 for slightly less image conscious and slightly more practical people.
First Look: Mercedes Benz B-Class
Posted by Bruce Jamieson in Car Manufacturers, Car Reviews on August 17th, 2011
Recently Mercedes Benz announced their New Mercedes Car, the B-Class. The car has been heavily under wraps so far with regards to what it looks like but Mercedes have been kind enough to release a picture of the B-class’ interior before the car is fully unveiled this coming September at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
Mercedes Benz B-CLASS
The B-class is being touted as the ‘Baby Benz’ with Mercedes deciding to go with a smaller model. People are eagerly anticipating the car and what it will look like and if the interior is anything to go by, well, it’s set to be truly stunning.
From the small picture you can already see several lovely details when it comes to the interior, the beige leather seats and arm rests compliment the black interior perfectly with the air con units that look like truly fantastic and the rest of the, what looks like polished metal looks fantastic. The main stand out in the interior though has to be the navigation system. Unlike most modern cars the navigation system doesn’t sit in the dashboard it looks more like it is docked in there and the actual system looks like an iPad in design. With regards to the navigation system Mercedes have given a small slither of information on that aspect of the new car describing the design as “first-class” with the “ornamental frame with galvanized surface contrasting with the piano black front panel”.
Probably the most major thing that people with a keener eye noticed was the navigation system showed Google’s home page on it in one of the pictures. Although it’s still just a rumour from a picture it could suggest that wireless internet may be a feature in the new car and it is strengthened by the fact that several recent high end cars have been looking into wireless internet.
Overall though from what little information we have on the new B-Class it seems sensible enough to begin to get excited about what it could bring and what it will look like come September. Speculation aside though, there’s not too long until we finally find out all the information on the B-class and lets hope the final product is as brilliant as its first impression.
Jaguar XKR-S Review
Posted by admin in Car Reviews on July 15th, 2011
In building this car, Jaguar made it very clear exactly what they wanted to do and that is very simple; to create (in their own words) “The fastest and most powerful production sports car Jaguar has ever built”. Jaguar promised a lot with this build, ‘adrenaline pumping performance’, ‘exceptional handling’ and ‘superior driving dynamics’. They certainly won’t be holding back on the marketing speail, but in reality, does the new Jaguar XKR-S make the cut?
Jaguar XKR-S Review
Looking at the car it is easy to see this Jaguar is primarily focused on speed. The lightweight aluminium frame means that not only does this make this car extremely zippy, it also makes it more economical on fuel. Combined with razor sharp handing for precision steering and acute responses, with improved balance, all the tweaks have been made with a focus on fast. The engine itself is a supercharged 5.0 litre V8, the most powerful engine in any mass produced Jaguar. The top speed of the Jaguar XKR-S is a whopping 186mph and it can reach 0 – 60 in just 4.2 seconds. The sports exhaust not only powers these lightened speeds but creates that satisfying growl that all executive car owners want to hear. All together, changes to the rear body of the car are said to produce a 26% reduction in lift, meaning that the Jaguar XKR-S will stay grounded and smooth even at hurtling speeds. With all of that extra supercharge, Jaguar had to too incorporate an improved breaking system. It would have been irresponsible not to! The 20 inch alloy wheels and increased tyre thickness with double piston front callipers and sliding rear callipers result in improved grip and precision.
Despite this, the Jaguar XKR S is ultimately designed for the everyday driver, so overall driving performance was also on the agenda. Handy technologies like a reverse parking camera, which sends pictures from the read of the car to the 7inch touch screen in the dash, along with the active Jaguar Drive Control System which can be changed and adapted according to weather conditions and road surfaces means that this car has been optimised for maximum driving ease and comfort. All new cars are kitted out with the ultimate driving gadgets and this Jaguar is no exception, including a portable audio interface which gives full control of MP3 players, phones and Ipods and any other storage system which can easily be connected and used to play your music through the Bowers and Wilkins 525W sound system. Did you ever think that a car needed surround sound? Well if not, then this Jaguar is probabaly not the one for you, as it features a state of the art Dolby surround sound system to ensure that every passenger benefits from optimum sound quality throughout the car. This would be needed though, as there would be a lot to compete with from the sound of that beastly exhaust.
Not only this, but the driver can easily change and control gears from a one touch panel system on the steering wheel. You would be forgiven for thinking that this car is merely a technology toy than a comfortable and practical vehicle choice, however you would be wrong. The ‘active damping’ system is acutely designed to constantly monitor the cars movement. So if you are cruising sensibly on the school run, the Jag will soften the suspension to maximise on comfort. On the other hand, however, if you are hurtling down the German autobahns at breakneck speed, the system will automatically increase suspension firmness and grip.
The Jaguar XKR-S is an excellent example of modern motoring innovation and results in the perfect combination between an ideal executive car and the wannabe racing drivers dream.
BMW M1 Coupe Review
Posted by admin in Car Reviews on June 14th, 2011
BMW’s 1 series has always been a car to cause great debate ever since its release in 2004. From criticisms about its small boot, cramped rear legroom and flame surfaced design to it’s almost pseudo BMW facade, i.e. just bought by people who actually couldn’t afford the 3 series. BMW’s smallest model has not had an easy time. However with the release of the coupe version things started to look more promising and reviews became increasingly complimentary. Now with the imminent release of the 1 series M coupe (or M1 Coupe), have BMW turned its baby from the ugly duckling into the greatest M car of the last 25 years? The ultimate turning the frog into the prince fairy tale?
BMW M1 Coupe Photo of front
Let’s begin with everyone’s favourite topic, the BMW M1 facts and figures. It has 335bhp, does 0-60 in 4.9secs and has a maximum torque figure of 369lb ft. A figure that could indicate that BMW have shot themselves in the foot, as this car’s big brother the M3 only manages 295lb ft of torque. These numbers are thanks in part to a 3 litre twin turbo charged straight six feeding power naturally to the rear wheels through a 6 speed manual. Yes you read that correctly this new M car actually has a manual, not some flappy paddle nonsense.
BMW Series 1 M Coupe photo in motion
The M1 Coupe looks like it means business; it’s all taught, muscular and aggressive. So much so that it looks like it wants to take you outside for a fight. The coupe shape has been significantly widened, firstly to accommodate those wide 19 inchers, and also because it’s got the rear diff and suspension set up stolen straight from the M3 out the back. This coupled with BMW’s already brilliant reputation for making sublime handling cars means it should be pretty handy when you need to change direction. The only criticism of the new car is that it sits quite high, do not get me wrong the car still looks excellent, it could just do with being more hunkered down. Making those wide wheels fill the arches more will add the finishing touch to this cars mean road presence.
The M coupe harks back both in dimensions and appearance to the classic E30 and E36 M3’s of the 80’s and 90’s. The question is whether it will live up to the reputation those cars have among keen drivers and BMW purists alike? Personally I think this cars release will add some much needed credentials and muscle to the 1 series range. However only time will tell if it becomes an iconic M car.
VW Beetle 2012 ‘First look’ Review
Posted by admin in Car Reviews on May 17th, 2011
Back in 1998 people didn’t have a lot of choice when it came to buying a truly unique and different, averagely priced new car. That was until Volkswagen unveiled the new Beetle to the world of course, sure it may just have been a MkIV Golf underneath but who cared when it looked like a slightly tubby throwback to “the peoples car”, and the hippies best four wheeled friend.
The new VW Beetle was the first retro inspired car to make it to mass production, however over the past decade it has lost out to new retro rivals. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that I am talking about the new Mini and Fiat 500. So can VW entice buyers back to its original retro ride with the release of the new, new VW Beetle in 2012?
Volkswagen Beetle 2012
All this is fabulous and it does look excellent but has VW still missed the mark with its new Beetle. For starters it’s likely to be big, like the Golf so can’t really compete with the Mini and 500 who sit in the small city car niche. Secondly is it really that cool? Fair enough it looks good in a sleek Scirocco kind of way but is it cool in a Mini and 500 cutesy retro kind of way? I personally do not think so; it’s still all so boring and Germanic almost ordinary looking. Its new guise may have manned it up a bit and there certainly isn’t space for a flower in the dash anymore but only time will tell if it can steal some retro themed sales away from those irritatingly cool little rivals.
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