A ‘sneak peek’ and quick drive of the fourth-generation Mazda MX-5, some seven months before it becomes available in the UK. There could be any number of
reasons we’re invited to drive such an early car. Usually they’re cynical reasons: a carmaker wants to build customer anticipation, garner feedback, or
try to steal some headlines from a rival product. But I don’t think any of those applies here. The impression I get is that simply every engineer, designer,
manager and administrator who has been involved in the development of the new MX-5 is so unbearably excited that they simply couldn’t keep it to themselves
any longer. Like the owners of a new puppy, they just wanted to show it off.Read More ...
This is the latest high-performance variant of Nissan’s distinctive and popular crossover, the Juke. It supersedes the Juke Nismo and benefits from a host of
upgrades, including a more powerful engine, a reinforced body shell, retuned suspension, steering modifications, bigger brakes and numerous cosmetic tweaks.
Both two- and four-wheel drive versions of the 1.6-litre turbocharged Nismo version of the Juke continue to be offered, with a six-speed manual or CVT respectively.
The manual now comes with an LSD as standard, while the CVT has gained an extra ratio in its 'manual' mode - bringing the total to eight - and its torque vectoring
system has been tweaked to bring the rear of the car into play more often. Read More ...
There weren’t many bonafide fans of the previous RS3 in the Autocar office, and you’d struggle to find anyone who thought the car justified its prodigious price tag.
Audi sold them nevertheless, and the early word on the new model - delivered by a passenger-seated Matt Prior - is that quattro GmbH hasn’t proven entirely deaf to
the initial criticisms. Subsequently, as we approach the car’s official launch date, that ride-along has morphed into an early Finland-based squirt around Audi’s winter
proving ground. The bullet points remain the same: this is a modestly lighter, cleverer and faster brand of RS3, albeit still exclusively (for now) in the Sportback mould.
Responsibility for each of these things lies, respectively, in the MQB platform (a 55kg saving) Read More ...
This is the latest version of Skoda’s Fabia estate, a car that is designed to offer a spacious and practical interior in conjunction with affordable running costs and a compact
footprint. It’s based on the recently launched third-generation Fabia hatchback, so uses elements of the previous Fabia’s platform and some from the more modern MQB platform
used in a number of Volkswagen Group cars including the current VW Golf. As well as more modern underpinnings, the new Fabia estate also benefits from a wider range of equipment,
a new-generation engine line-up, improved aerodynamics, slightly improved interior space and reduced weight. Read More ...
