Automobiles Review

Category: Car Makes

Car Makes

  • Lotus Carlton Voted Favourite Vauxhall Of All Time

    The 176mph Lotus Carlton super-saloon has been voted the UK’s favourite Vauxhall in a poll of 630 owners ran by the website vauxhalldriverscentre.

    The results – which also included votes for the favourite Vauxhall from the last five years – were gathered over a single month and put the Lotus Carlton in first place ahead of the Calibra and Cavalier.

    The Lotus Carlton was a technical tour de force for Vauxhall and garnered immense press respect for its power, performance and dynamics. Officially, the fastest four-door production car in the world when it was launched in 1989, the Lotus Carlton’s twin-turbocharged, 377bhp engine powered the car from 0-62mph in 5.4 seconds and all the way to 176mph.

    1992 Lotus Carlton

    Favourite model from the last five years was the current VXR8’s wild predecessor, the Monaro, which entered UK showrooms in 2004. Branded ‘…a true rear-wheel drive muscle car for enthusiasts’, the Monaro combined a fiercely competitive price with plenty of standard kit and a 5.7-litre V8 engine. A year later, a VXR version received the 6.0-litre engine from the Corvette, making it the fastest car Vauxhall had ever produced. The VXR8 and Astra Sports Hatch came in second and third respectively.

    Monaro VXR versus Lotus Carlton

    Running second overall to the Lotus Carlton as favourite Vauxhall of all-time was the Calibra, with its class-leading Cd figure of just 0.26. Based on the Cavalier’s chassis, the Calibra wowed buyers and media alike at the Frankfurt Show in 1989 with its swooping lines and four-seater capability. Four-wheel drive and turbocharging enhanced the package in later years, with a total of 40,000-plus cars being sold in its six-year production run.

    97 Calibra SE9

    The Vauxhall Drivers’ Centre website was created exclusively for Vauxhall owners, adding value to their ownership experience with on-line technical support, special offers, event information and an enhanced level of general information about the Vauxhall brand.

  • Toyota iQ: Smallest And Safest

    It is a common assumption that the smaller the car, the more vulnerable driver and passengers are in an accident. The new Toyota iQ – the world’s smallest four-seat production model – is proof this need not be the case, providing an unprecedented level of active and passive safety protection for an A-segment model. (more…)

  • New Bravo 2.0 Multijet: More Power, Less Fuel, Lower Emissions

    Fiat has just extended its popular Bravo mid-size hatchback range with the introduction of a more powerful yet more economical and lower emissions engine, demonstrating the Group’s commitment to the production of increasingly environmentally-friendly cars.

    The 5-door Bravo range will now benefit from a new 165 bhp 2.0 MultiJet unit which features a diesel particulate filter (DPF) and is type-approved to Euro 5 standards, ahead of the 2009 deadline. (more…)

  • Nissan Releases New Fairlady Z

    Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. announced the release of the all-new, fully redesigned Fairlady Z sports car, which goes on sale today at Nissan dealers nationwide. In the nearly 40 years since the first-generation S30 model debuted in 1969, the Fairlady Z has earned a reputation as one of the most desirable sports cars in the world, with approximately 1.7 million units in global sales to date. (more…)

  • Jeroen Bleekemolen wins new 911 Carrera

    On the occasion of the Essen Motorshow, Jeroen Bleekemolen was honoured for his superior title win of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup. At the Porsche Centre Essen, the 27-year-old Dutchman received a new Porsche 911 Carrera as the prize for winning the world’s fastest international one-make series. (more…)

  • Lightweight Design – It’s an Art: The Audi ASF Design Principle

    Most manufacturers’ cars have grown heavier as the years have gone by. This isn’t true of Audi. Quite the opposite: more than ten years ago the Audi A8 and the Audi A2, with their aluminum bodies, put a stop to this never-ending spiral of increased weight. Since then, Audi has developed this pioneering weight-saving technology more and more. Today ASF (Audi Space Frame), as it is now known, is used for four Audi models: the TT, TT Roadster, R8 and A8. (more…)

  • The new MINI Convertible

    The driving pleasure and individual style that are MINI’s signatures have been tapped to create the next-generation MINI Convertible. With its evolutionary design and increased functionality, specially tuned suspension, powerful, efficient engines and enhanced safety technology, the latest version of the four-seat convertible raises the bar. (more…)

  • Two Flexifuel (E85) Volvo models launched in Thailand

    Volvo Car Thailand presented the Volvo C30 1.8F (Flexifuel, E85) and Thailand’s first and only locally produced Flexifuel car the Volvo S80 2.5FT at Bangkok Racing Circuit 26th November. The Minister of Energy, Dr. Wannarat Charnnukul, and the CEO’s of PTT, BCP, Mitr Phol, PetroGreen and the Ethanol Producers Association were amongst many other VVIP guests. (more…)

  • Jaguar Supports The world’s Leading Designers At The RSA Royal Designers For Industry Awards

    Jaguar is joining forces with the RSA* to celebrate the work of some of the world’s leading designs at the 2008 Royal Designers for Industry Awards**. The partnership is a natural fit for the brand following critical acclaim of Jaguar’s stunning new design language developed under Design Director, Ian Callum. Both the XK sports car and the award winning XF make a definitive statement – design at the very heart of Jaguar’s philosophy to build beautiful, fast cars desired the world over. (more…)

  • Vauxhall Corsa Gets Top Marks From Adi’s Examiners

    The Vauxhall Corsa has been voted Britain’s Training Car of the Year for a fourth consecutive time, polling nearly half of all the votes cast by driving instructors and road safety professionals who read adiNEWS. (more…)

  • Holden’s Award-Winning VE SS Ute Makes it Two in a Row

    GM Holden’s VE SS Ute has claimed the 2008 Drive Car of the Year’s Best Ute Award for the second year running. The ute won the award for its car-like driving dynamics, high-performing engine and competitive pricing. (more…)

  • BMW Confirms High-Performance, Super-Frugal 330d Sedan For Australia

    BMW will bring an acclaimed new generation 3.0-litre diesel engine to Australia in 2009. Deliveries of the new BMW 330d Sedan are expected to commence in the second quarter. The 330d uses a new generation all aluminium high output turbocharged 180 kW six-cylinder engine that develops a substantial 520 Nm of torque. (more…)