Inside Track: On Launch

From Valencia with the Volvo XC60

Wed, 24 Sep 2008 10:09:36 GMT

Peter Burgess writes from the Volvo XC60 launch:

After several weeks stuck behind the screen of my Apple Mac, it’s time for a trip into Europe for an international car launch. This is an important one, not least because the Volvo XC60 is on my list of cars to judge for the World Car of the Year Awards.

Also to the point is that SUVs have built up such a bad reputation of late. But Volvo is bullish. Not only does the XC60 count as downsizing (well, compared with the XC90 – see picture, XC60 on right – Discovery and X5 it does), it’s kinda affordable, in a £25k+ context.

As part of car launch hell, Volvo shoved us on a coach for 30 minutes from Valencia airport before arriving at a test facility where we could see the “City Safety” concept in action. Claiming a “World First” (but my mate Simmie reckons Honda has already done it better in Japan) all XC60s will apply the brakes for you when things get critical.

And on the test track, it does! At speeds of less than 15kph (9mph) the radar will stop you hitting then car in front. It waits until the last possible moment, resulting in a very severe piece of braking, but it’s very effective in those situations where lots of shunts occur.

From 15 to 30kph (9 to 19mph) it also works but won’t stop the contact, just reduce the impact. Seems a shame, though, that it can only spot other cars, not pedestrians, and the car in front needs to be nearly fully lined up.

Still, City Safety is a great idea. It’s also an idea that no one I have spoken to had the courage to try out in for real in Valencia traffic!

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Links:

BMW beats Audi

Revealed: new Volvo XC60 4x4

World Car of the Year Awards

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California dre... Actually, let's not use that 'line, eh?*

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 15:50:55 GMT

cj hubbard writes:

Got back to Standsted Airport following the Audi A6 launch. Standing on the bus next to former contributor Kyle, when he pointed out the Ferrari flag hanging vainly in search of breeze outside the business terminal.

Odd, we thought.

Then we were ushered through a rather plush side entrance, taking us away from the main lounge. Also odd. But not unpleasant.

Then, the car park. Which was filled with quite a selection of newly minted Ferraris and Maseratis. I brought my major mental facilities online. Something is clearly going on here, I deduced.

Then this story broke.

And so, everything makes sense.

*Most used headline for the future Ferrari California launch? Go on, guess what it might be...

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Links:

Ferrari California launch

Audi A6, revised in the usual fashion

First drive: Audi A6 (2008 onwards)

Ex-F1 world champion fined three points for speeding (the car look familiar to anyone?)

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BMW beats Audi

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 09:16:12 GMT

Richard Aucock writes:

Inter-German car manufacturer rivalry knows no bounds. CJ may have thought his Audi press pack was thick, but at the same time, in another part of Germany, I was being weighed down by BMW. Here's what faced me as I walked into my hotel room.

That towering booklet on the left is the thickest press pack I've ever seen. Yes, the new 7 has a lot of new tech, but even so, this was crazy. Each journo had one. It weighs a tonne. Had BA been warned about this extra homeward-bound flight load? I flicked though. It's nearly 300 pages long. I set aside an hour and still couldn't get half way through. It's now by my bed. Expect revelations from it to follow. And to illustrate how dense it is, here's a visual...

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Links:

BMW fitness revelations

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BMW fitness revelations

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 08:56:06 GMT

Richard Aucock writes:

Getting up early for a jog really does help you discover a place. The BMW 7-Series launch (coming soon on MSN Cars) was based in Dresden, that beautiful and rebuilt district of the former East Germany. So I kicked myself out of bed and went exploring.

I discovered the renovated Neumarktsquare. The bewildering Frauenkirche. August The Strong.

The lines of early-doors 7-Series, pencilled in for mags Autocar and Auto Express.

Oh, and the UK-plated Mercedes S 320 CDI, discreetly hidden around the corner.

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Links:

Audi A6, revised in the usual fashion

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Audi A6, revised in the usual fashion

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 08:09:43 GMT

cj hubbard writes:

Picture: Audi

Audi international launches are usually... chaotic.

This is not, however, due to any failing on the part of the UK press office.

For example, while Audi international may have laid on just two RS6 saloons for God knows how many journalists, managed to find a part of Germany where - to paraphrase a highly placed executive insider - "there aren't any corners", and served up the 2.8 FSI engine in a state of tune that's not actually available for sale here, the UK team did its best to redress the balance by providing an enormous amount of supplementary literature.

Look at the size of that ringbound press document. You could literally beat somebody to death with it.

Annnyways, regarding the cars. Be glad we don't get the 190ps variant of the 2.8. Sounds nice. But it's sloooow... Absolutely no idea why you'd have one of those over the excellent 2.7 TDI.

Picture: Audi

The RS6 saloon on the other hand is fast. My driving partner and I both saw an indicated 250kph easily on lightly trafficked stretches of autobahn. That's 155mph. Usually the limiter - even on an RS Audi - but our 6 had the optional upgrade to 280kph (178mph). Yo.

Picture: Audi

Then there's the Q17 V12 TDI. The most powerful diesel passenger car in the world. But I'll save the details of that for the first drive...

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Links:

The wheels on the bus...

Proving things don't always go right on a car launch

First Drive: Audi RS6 Avant (2008 onwards model)

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Coffee shot, Italian style

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 07:57:13 GMT

Richard Aucock writes:

Had to take a picture of this. Italian coffee. Proper style. I'm in a transport caff, there's about two mouthfuls of coffee in there - but dare you drink it in one go! It's head-blowing stuff, and has to be sipped like spirits. Once you click, it's lovely. But check out the size of the sugar bowl - four times the volume of the (plastic) cup! Yes, it's an Italian lesson in relativity. And caffeine hyperactivity control.

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The wheels on the bus...

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 07:46:08 GMT

Richard Aucock writes:

I write this sitting (at the back of, naturally) a bus. In Italy. En route from Milan, where we landed, to Turin, where there is also an airport. The journey is going to take two hours. Welcome to an Italian car launch.

More on the car will follow. I’ll tantalise you by saying I know already it’s gong to be massive. It’s the time-absorbing logistics that’s preoccupying us at the moment. Everyone is filling time as they see best. The guy next to me is typing. Hey, I'm typing.

The chap in front, Neil McIntee, is asleep.

Anthony Ffrench-Constant is choosing music.

Other guys are chewing the fat. Shooting the breeze.

Must get back to the work. Just one thing. The ride quality of this Iveco Daily bus is, shall we say, pretty lively. My own fault, I suppose, for sitting right above the rear axle. But if there are any typos in this, I can only apologise. My computer is cycling up and down on my lap at 300Hz, the screen is a blur and hitting the right key is very much a process of lucky asdsssssssshot…

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Proving things don't always go right on a car launch

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 06:52:11 GMT

cj hubbard writes:

The Nissan launch I attended last week was an interesting one. Both cars may have been crossovers, for example, but their competence levels differed dramatically. Nissan also chose to use the installed satellite navigation systems instead of the traditional 'route book', which was a great way to demonstrate how out of date the Murano's "top of the range" Nissan mapping system actually is. And it's not especially clear in its instructions, either. Curious decision.

Anyways, more to the point, a Qashqai+2 I was driving broke down.

This has never happened to me before on a launch. A sudden whooshing noise at 4,500 rpm, followed by a sudden loss of power and increasingly lumpy running. Probably, my driving partner and I decided, it was better to stop. Even though we were only 6km short of our destination. The lack of warning lights on the dash suggested something mechanical, but with no idea what we called the Nissan emergency number, and awaited our rescue.

This took nearly an hour - despite my clear instructions about which route we were on, and the short distance we were from the base location. But never mind. We could enjoy the scenery, while doing our best to hide from the rain under the tailgate (it not being an especially good idea to sit in a stationary car on a busy road).

You're probably more interested in what had happened to the car.

According to the on site engineers, somehow the 2.0-litre diesel engine managed to blow a clip connecting a pipe to the turbo. All of about two minutes to fix, and up and running for the next day.

Nissan was unable to tell me whether this was an isolated incident, but it wasn't something the team there had come across before (otherwise I imagine the clips would have all been double- and triple-checked). The Qashqai+2 is a good, nearly great, car, and its smaller brother the regular Qashqai appears to have few reports of reliability issues.

Still, I thought you ought to know.

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Links:

First drive: Nissan Qashqai+2 (2008 onwards model)

View from: Nissan Murano coffee stop

VW's gone to Iceland

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VW's gone to Iceland

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 19:45:00 GMT

Dan Trent writes:
Volkswagen. Iceland. The connection? Blown if I can figure it out but it makes for a change from the usual Spain/Portugal/south of France launch locations. And perhaps conscious that the new Golf doesn't actually look that different from the old one VW decided to compensate by throwing the mother of all launches. First striking thing was the sheer number of hacks attending - a Boeing 737 full! Then there was the fleet of Phaetons to take us from the airport to the, ahem, 'Golf Pavilion' launch HQ. Snigger not, for this was a giant prefab building built especially for the event on a bleak Icelandic mountainside, nestling among the hills on black volcanic ground surrounded by steaming, sulphurous peaks. Blimey.

And don't get me started on the roads, or the scenery. Mind blowing to say the least. In fact, rather than witter on here is a random selection of images to give you a flavour of the event. Oh, and the car isn't bad either...

Dan

Links:
New Golf first drive

The Golf launch HQ, specially built for the event - blimey!

Another view of the 'Golf Pavilion' and the bizarre lunar landscape setting.

Ever wondered what VW did with all those unsold Phaetons? Here's your answer...

Explosive Icelandic landscape simply breathtaking, not just because of the sulphur!

Lost? You will be if you try and read the world's most confusing road sign!

Chelsea tractor, Icelandic style. This was one of the more restrained examples!

Gulfoss Falls was worth a 6am start from Reykjavik.

The sunrise on the journey there was pretty special too.

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BMW gets a mooove on

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 17:32:35 GMT

Dan Trent writes:
I'll get onto the cows in a minute. But first of all look at this:

This, ladies and gentlemen, is one of the world's busiest airports at peak morning rush hour today. Deserted. Specifically the Heathrow Express station beneath it but given the pedestrian/traffic/aeroplane based mayhem above ground an absolute oasis of calm. The infamous T5 I was accessing via the train seems to have sorted itself out too and was very slick indeed.

But to the reason for my trip - the facelift 3 Series launch in Munich. Nice that BMW has chosen to show off the changes to its key model on its home turf too. The quaint Bavarian surroundings and homely hotel are a mile away from the faceless corporate golf resort type places most launches are staged in. But the contrast from the modernist, efficient surroundings of BMW's media fleet pick up centre here...

...to the distinctly rural Bavarian sights on offer on the test route are certainly dramatic!

Yes, all you city dwellers, those really are cows, walking along a fairly main road and taking their sweet time about it I don't mind saying. Makes a change from the M25 at least.

Dan

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It's all grey and red in Portugal

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 07:14:44 GMT

cj hubbard writes from the Twingo Renaultsport launch:

A matched selection of hot hatches lurking in the dim florescent glow of an underground car park is possibly the best restorative tonic for the numbing fatigue of international air travel. The Renault Twingo Renaultsport looks good, no?

Drives pretty well, too - but more on that in the full first drive early next week.

Renault knows what journalists want. So, not only are all the cars in especially photogenic shades to please the snappers, they are all in fact identical - barring the division between the standard 'sports' chassis (above) and the £650 optional Cup settings. Telling the two apart made easy by the Cup's included and very tasty 17-inch alloys and the choice of bright red paint.

So, no bun fight here - we will all get the chance to drive both.

I've got a Cup waiting for me this morning, having already spent yesterday driving the standard car. Notes from the roads in Portugal - random pedestrians, slow moving and overstuffed hatchbacks, and coach and tanker drivers who are obviously keen fans of The Italian Job...

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Links:

It's not an estate!

First Drive: Fiat 500 Abarth

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It's not an estate!

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:51:48 GMT

Richard Aucock writes:

Whatever you do, don’t call the Volvo V50 an estate. I did, and the product man corrected me in a flash. Goodness, you’re thinking. Bit touchy, aren’t they? That’s just what I thought, at first. He clocked the slightly puzzled expression, though, and explained.

“To us, we sell the archetypal estate already – the Volvo V70. It’s a type of car that people know us for, that defines us. It’s not just an estate – it’s a Volvo estate.”

“Therefore, how can we call the V50 an estate? Can you get a washing machine in? No – therefore, it’s not a Volvo estate. And thus, to us, not an estate.”

Instead, it’s a Sportwagon, or a more practical hatch version of the S40 saloon. Now, this may sound like marketing hype to you, but as he went on, we actually found the words of our man quite admirable. The idea of a Volvo estate is clearly something they hold onto dearly; yet, instead of diluting the concept by shrinking a V70 and trying to trade on its image and brand association, they’re instead shying away from the association.

It would be far easier to market the V50 as a smaller estate, but Volvo realises customers who have an idea of what the Swedish load-lugger should be would see this as a fraud. So, they don’t do it.

We respect that. Even if we did have to look up ‘Sportwagon’ to see what the official name for the V50 actually was…

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Jeep Cherokee: let's off-road!

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:04:54 GMT

cj hubbard writes:

Nope, that isn't a new Jeep Cherokee that's been accidentally introduced to a hedge. But a shot that illustrates the severe nature of the downgrade into the first off-roading escapade on the new Cherokee's launch - a river crossing.

Or at least, we were told it was a crossing. It was actually a several hundred metre riverbed rock crawl. Gladly there were plenty of chaps standing around in the thick of it to direct us away from the really deep bits.

Including this fellow, who turns out to be Nick from the press office. Apparently, with warm socks and decent waterproofs, this is surprisingly comfortable. I'll take his word for it.

After another on-road stretch we arrived at the serious off-road section, based at the Bala 4x4 centre in Snowdonia National Park.

Not much of a challenge for a Cherokee - even after the rain and on road tyres. So upping the bet, Jeep had laid on a caravan.

This was all in the name of demonstrating the Cherokee's impressive Hill Descent Control system, which comes with the automatic gearbox and even works if you accidentally knock the car into neutral.

But as you can see, the experts on hand also weren't afraid of getting the caravan's feet wet.

We were the first batch of journalists through the launch, and already the poor little Rambler was looking a little worse for wear. (Hidden at the top of one of the climbs was another caravan - shredded by experimentation even before the journalists arrived. Thank heavens, by all accounts, for eBay.)

My driving partner and I obviously had to have a go. It's the weirdest thing, travelling literally over the countryside with nothing but a caravan filling your rearview mirror.

The Jeep didn't seem to mind, though. Given 339lb ft of torque and a maximum towing weight of 2,800kgs it shrugged off this little 'van's hindrance. Even through the water - as you can just see in the image below.

I was driving with Andy Goodwin. He's part of the Auto Trader online team, and also a former coursemate of mine at Coventry University - so it was great to catch up. He snapped some of the pictures above while I was at the wheel.

He also got to have a go at some impromptu sheep hearding - still with caravan attached. I guess they're used to it up here, and didn't seem especially bothered.

The whole event was brilliant fun - and kudos to Jeep for coming up with such an imaginative way to demonstrate the new Cherokee's prowess. But one thing is definitely for sure - with over ten cars, a large group of grinning motoring journalist, and acres of muddy countryside, I really wouldn't want this job at the end of the day:

The full Jeep Cherokee first drive will be up on the main MSN Cars site soon.

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Links:

Trains are rubbish

Camping in the car

Excess all areas: the Audi TTS

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It's not just trains...

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 10:21:07 GMT

cj hubbard writes:

Polished off the trains are rubbish blog, and then went and did something else. Came back, put away the laptop, and found this lurking behind it on the hotel room table:

Seems I'm not the only one struggling to make connections.

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Trains are rubbish

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Trains are rubbish

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 17:45:29 GMT

cj hubbard writes from the Jeep Cherokee launch:

Jeep very kindly arranged train transport from Hemel Hempstead to Hartford in Cheshire so I can attend the launch of the new Jeep Cherokee ("Current Cherokee owners won't recognise the interior of the new car" according to the press pack).

I'd have driven, except for the boss' advice that the car journey to this part of the world is never an especially pleasant one (hell(o) M1 and M6...). Anyways, off I trot via Watford on the Virgin Pendolino - no doubt doing my carbon conscience a world of good, assuming Virgin's froggy adverts are to be believed.

All is going swimmingly (ha ha), albeit the public address system has a rather obtuse habit of cutting out during announcements - not so much breaking up as severed into chunks by some kind of audio butcher's cleaver. Whole chunks of communication, just... gone.

Then we stop at Nuneaton, and there's a longer announcement; although as per previous form, we the passengers are treated mostly to weighty slices of poignant air. However, my carriage was in the midst of being graced by the catering cart, and, after the all the interior lights go out, the two lads handling it are able to translate the silence for anyone who cares and hasn't already resigned themselves to being late.

It turns out that the train 'needs to be reset'. Like a computer.

Apparently, the driver has been gallantly struggling with all sorts of faults since setting off, and is now attempting to cure them with a last resort. I guess switching it off and switching it back on again is better than getting out and thumping it, but for some reason I thought we were beyond this sort of thing these days.

I've no idea why. After all, similar things frequently have to be done with cars - software updates, and the like. Catering Cart Lad Number One duly informs us that this will take about ten minutes - and it does. All is well, and we're on our way.

Except that ten minutes is enough of a delay for me to miss the connecting train at Crewe. I can then scarcely believe it when I discover there isn't another train to Hartford for an hour.

Hartford is nine minutes away on the rails. I duly sit and wait, and amuse myself by counting the numerous trains departing Crewe for such exotic locations as London Euston and Liverpool during this time. A local station, it seems, doesn't get a look in. This is public transport, right? Does this actually make any sense?

Of course, had I been on one of the further travelling trains, I'd almost certainly be cursing if I had to wait while my supposedly high speed conveyance had to stop at every single station between my starting point and destination. Such is the flexibility of human conviction.

And, to put matters in to perspective - and prove that I'm just a whiney old motoring journalist - upon arrival at the lovely Nunsmere Hall Hotel, the woman who checked me in grinned and responded to my tail of woe by pointing out that it was better than the seven hour delay she had recently suffered at an airport. Caused in this particular instance by an entire engine falling off the plane she was due to depart on, just prior to boarding.

So: in practically any instance, things can always be worse.

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Links:

Ahead of schedule on the 911 launch (oh, lucky Ian)

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Harewood hillclimb in the new Grande Punto Abarth

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:30:19 GMT

Peter Burgess writes from the Fiat Grande Punto Abarth launch:

You can’t beat the roads of Yorkshire for testing out a new hot hatchback, but throw in great weather and the chance to take a car up the world famous Harewood hillclimb and it’s a day to savour.

I set off at 9am this morning in a white Grande Punto Abarth from Harrogate for a blast via Otley, Pateley Bridge and West Tanfield on a very roundabout route to Harewood. The Abarth may have ‘just’ 152bhp, which sounds distinctly average next to the 207s, Corsa and Clios, but it’s all very accessible when you tread on the throttle and the turbocharger does its business. You’ll get the full SP next Monday in our full first drive of the car.

But it’s hard to hold back on the Harewood experience. The hillclimb has been there for decades, but recently extended to actually start on a downhill section before winding its tortuous way through tight hairpins and between farm buildings to the very top. The Punto tackles it with confidence, and even though you can’t switch off the ESP stability system, it’s very soft in its application. Drive the hill right and the Punto simply hunkers down, the tyres grip hard and it turns in sharply.

The steering isn’t the best, without much feel even though there is plenty of weight, but you get used to it. Harewood was also the only chance to try the Grande Punto Abarth with the Esseesse pack which adds 30bhp, some lovely white alloys and a set of suspension and brake mods. It’s noticeably faster up the hill, as it should be for another £3.5k, but the experience was over before I knew it, so final judgement on that will have to wait.

Finally, did you know that the Esseesse tuning pack is shipped over from Italy in special Abarth wooden crates for the dealers to fit to your car? Incredible.

Peter

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Links:

A very quick drive in the Audi TTS

First Drive: Fiat 500 Abarth

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