MSN Cars's profileInside TrackPhotosBlogListsMore  |  Tools Help |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Inside TrackThe online diary by the people behind MSN Cars
|
November 06 A good week for German mega saloons Dan Trent writes: Funny lot the Germans. They make a big fuss about being sensible, rational types and yet when it comes to cars the evidence very much points to the contrary. Exhibit A) a bright orange über M3 costing ... £100K. And hot on its heels we have this, exhibit B) a C63 AMG with, as Mercedes calls it, 'a shot of SLS'. This, it seems, is a bunch of engine upgrades nicked from the reworked AMG 6.2-litre V8 fitted to the new Mercedes supercar - which we'll be driving next week by the way. Anyway, a lightweight crank, new con-rods and forged pistons have enabled AMG to tickle another 30hp from the C63's engine, bringing power to a stonking 487hp. This is proper, old-school tuning, the kind AMG made its reputation with back in the day. And what a coincidence Mercedes announces this the same week BMW reveals it has done the same with the M3 eh? Other goodies for this Performance Pack Plus include bell-mounted brake discs and red calipers and a carbon fibre boot spoiler and - hopefully - the limited-slip diff you get as part of the normal Performance Pack. Make mine an estate please. And, in case you needed reminding how good the standard C63 is, CJ's video roadtest can be found below. Turn it up loud... Dan --- Links: Why Mercedes has got it right with the SLS M3 GTS --- Share It
Nissan goes viral…Richard Aucock writes: NISSAN is a Top Gear Live regular. Not that live show goers would know it: yup, in Clarkson speak, it’s Datsun. Much to the bemusement of the audience’s younger members. Mind you, unlike in previous years, there was no opportunity for them to officially ogle the GT-R in the crush of the Earls Court MPH Show displays. No, this year, Nissan has gone viral. Taken its show outside, under the heading ‘More Balls than Badge’.
Why? Well, said our mate at Nissan, it’s because the indoors bit is not distinct enough. Nissan’s out to build its brand, and it’s hard to stand out when you’re crushed in with other makers and car dealers. Even if it's GT-Rs and brightly-coloured 370Zs you're showing. Hence, the move outside.
Certainly got near-universal attention from everyone entering and, particularly, leaving the show. Plus all the folk heading to the Tube station, not to mention thousands of passers-by every hour. Oh, and the pedestrians. And the cyclists. And, etc. Pretty smart move by Nissan, we reckon. Except for one thing. The onset of autumnal cold weather means quite a few staff may well be off with chills next week. Best get the sickness cover ready, guys… --- Share It
November 05 Audi driving dayIan Dickson writes Audi, like most manufacturers, holds regular catch-up events around the country for journalists to get reacquainted with its products. I attended one a week or so ago set in the stunning location of Walton Hall, Warwickshire, a beautiful stately-home-cum-manor-hotel that Audi took over for the benefit of its launch. Sadly, I was too busy to stay the evening, but I did make full use of the impressive fleet of new Audis at my disposal. Here are my thoughts ahead of official road tests due on the site soon. Audi A5 Sportback
Cynical at first about this car – why buy one over an A4 I wondered? But in the metal it’s got serious presence. I went straight to the boot first and the hatch makes it hugely more practical than an A4 saloon and more pleasing on the eye than an A4 Avant. I tested first the stop-start 2.0 TDi. Makes a lot of sense this car with low emissions and fuel bills, handy if you commute regularly in heavy traffic. It’s a punchy engine too, using the latest common rail diesel technology to extract 170bhp and 54.3mpg. I also had a spin in the 3.0 TDI, heading near £50k with a load of options, but a lovely machine indeed and very nicely appointed inside, though I found the centre console not constructed of the highest quality materials…
Audi TT RS
Looks mean the new TT-RS and when you start it up sounds absolutely fruity. Very fast, too, the 2.5-litre five-cylinder mated to a six speed manual ‘box getting it to 62mph in 4.6 and on to a limited 155mph. In gear shove is amazing; proper throw you back in your seat kinda stuff, but it feels very heavy and you can’t exploit the performance so it’s very much a point-and-squirt machine – extremely quick cross-country but not rewarding enough for some. Audi R8 V10
Highlight of the day driving this. Had a brief shot in one back in May around Millbrook test track, but this was my first proper drive of the V10 on the road. This has to be the world’s easiest supercar to drive quickly – some might call it boring – but it’s a real sense of occasion dropping down into it and thumbing your way through the Lambo-style open-gate gearbox. The attention you get is unbelievable, too – definitely one for the ‘if I win the lottery’ list. Audi S3
The grown-up hot hatch. The S3 errs on the side of the Golf GTi in that it is very civilised but remarkably quick, especially with the self-shifting DSG gearbox. Compared to a Focus RS or even an ST, fast Megane or Civic Type-R, it doesn’t feel particularly exciting – it’s isn’t a cacophony of engine noise, a fight to the red line or an arm-wrestling torque-steer fest - but this is what the S3 is all about – middle class B-road fun. You won’t wear a baseball cap in here! Looks great in RS blue, too and, now in my early 30s, is the hot hatch I would want sitting on my driveway. Or maybe I’d take the cheaper Golf… it’s a tough call! Share It
Nissan Race AcademyIan Dickson writes
Pictured left to right: Tom Collyer, Chris Lunn, Nigel Swan and myself You may recall almost a year ago a team from MSN Cars won a Nissan GT Academy Playstation event (if you don’t, you can read all about it here). Well, the prize – as well as gaining a nifty little cup for the trophy cabinet (which has currently only that on display) – was exclusive places at the next Nissan Race Academy. This is where 370Z and GT-R owners go to learn more about the Nissan performance cars they have just bought. So, along we went one cold Friday to Silverstone, myself, Nige Swan, Chris Lunn and our work experience chap, Tom Collyer. We didn’t really know what to expect, just that we would be taking part in a series of driving events. Nige and me were paired up, and our first driving challenge – after a hearty BBQ lunch cooked on the front of an old 911 (got to hand it to you Nissan, that is inspired!) our first experience was the timed run.
Set up on two parallel courses, we were thrust into two GT-Rs and, after a three-second count down, had to drive around a cone course as quickly as possible. I was reasonably quick, but stupidly didn’t come to a complete stop at the final cone gate and added precious seconds to my time, though on my third go did post a 26.22 – second quickest of our group but alas, only the first two timed runs counted. Nige was on the ball, though, sprinting around the track – and stopping - in an impressive 26.36. After that it was time to tackle the main Silverstone circuit in first a 370Z and then a GT-R. An instructor sat alongside to point out our failings but welcomed us to push as hard as we wanted. Which we did. The 370Z is a blinding car on track, very well balanced and easy to provoke if you’re feeling hairy-chested, but the GT-R is in a league of its own.
It’s a heavy car this, but you wouldn’t know it, the steering very direct and turning the nose in with absolute precision. Then when you get the lock wound off you can just nail the throttle and the car just erupts forward. Our man Chris found it so hard on his constitution he threw up.
Then the instructors climbed behind the wheel and had an informal race – well, I say informal, but they were bloody serious about it; my instructor was just millimetres off the bumper of the car in front as we speared down the straights at well over 140mph. Coming back to the virtual race we won last year for a moment, we got to ride with the lucky chap who won the Nissan/Playstation Race Academy where would be racers had to post their best times on Gran Turismo. Luca Ordonez won the event and went on to race professionally for Nissan in the Dubai 24 Hours earlier this year.
He took us out in his 350Z for a few brief laps of the track. If he was an amateur last year, he certainly isn’t now. Like a true racing driver, he was using the weight transfer of the car to point it into corners and was on top of any oversteer in an instant. Very impressive driving! Ending the day, we went down to the skid pan in a 370Z to smoke some Yokohamas. Our instructor is an ex-rally racer and made drifting around cones look easy – but as ever, it isn’t and Nige very nearly blew the tyres he was enjoying himself so much.
Tom, our workie chap, had this to say about the day: “Every event was different ensuring you could hone your driving ability on certain styles and areas of car control. My favourite event was the autocross course where you could be let go with no instructor in the car to watch over you…and your every mistake. It’s also taught me to drive a lot smoother. Driving around Silverstone South circuit felt like a great privilege, knowing what other racing greats had been on the same tarmac as I had. The GTR was a complete beast, but a tame one at that. The fact it was so composed hid how fast you were really going and gave me the added confidence to push.” If Top Gear needs a new Stig, perhaps they should give Tom a call – he had the best score of the four of us on the day! Share It
November 04 Don't give up the day job Dan Trent writes: You may well have read me boasting of my new J-turning and handbraking into parking spaces skills in my story about the Get The Drift stunt man training day. But it didn't all go so smoothly. Here I am attempting to drift an MX-5 around a steadily tightening spiral into a parking space. And failing miserably. Note the change in mood from goofy grinning to full-on diva strop and eventual giving up and handing the controls to the instructor to complete the humiliation. Damn he makes it look so easy! This, you'll appreciate, did nothing to improve my mood. Clearly I need practise. Clearly I need to go and buy an old MX-5... Or borrow CJ's. Dan --- Links: Drive like a stuntman Mazda MX-5 Mk1: oh no, this is going to be expensive CJ's MX-5 --- Share It
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
