Inside Lane Magazine: Issue 32 "Frankfurt 2011"

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Issue 32

2011 Frankfurt Motor Show

Frankfurt 2011

Hello folks, Tyler Heatley here (Inside Lane Editor-in-Chief) and welcome to issue 32 of the magazine. Doesn’t time fly!

It is that time of year again and the 2011 Frankfurt motor show looks to be one of its very best. It’s all here including the much anticipated launch of the all-new Porsche 911, Ferrari’s 458 Spider, what could become Ford’s new Capri and much more.

What are you waiting for?

defender of the realm

67 years later and the Land Rover Defender is still going strong. The British workhorse hasn’t really changed over this vast span of time but the world around it has greatly. This begs the question, does the worlds best 4X4 need to change because of its environment? In another few years, when the car is 70, will the world still love the old brute? Today Land Rover has preview the Defenders future.

Named the DC100 Concept, it embodies the future direction of the Defender. 2015 is when its true successor shall surface but this is our first look at what direction is being taken. Keeping the iconic Defender square stance, the DC100 is designed to be just as rugged as todays car. A successor not a redefinition. Land Rover says it “builds upon essential elements of the Defender’s character and allows us

7-Heaven

Peugeot HX1

People carriers are not cool. Not in

and a 95BHP electric motor for the

any sense of the word, not in any

rears. Pure electric range is pegged at

shape or form. These boxes on

18.6 miles but combined consumption

wheels are the last resort for parents

can be as good as 88MPG. The

with large families as space tends to

electric motor can be charged directly

be at a premium with more than three

by plugging it into a charging station or

children. Peugeot however intend on

a wall socket. For a people mover it

giving some hope to this market.

sure looks good and even has front and rear swan doors! We hope to see

This is Peugeot’s MPV concept, a

the HX1 in production in some form or

vision of what a people carrier from

another one day.

the French manufacturer will look like in 2020. Named the HX1, it is powered by a 2.2 litre HDi for the front wheels

“Is it B-Coz I’m Blue?”

New B-Class

Well that didn’t take long did it? Just 24 hours after a leaked image of the next-gen B-Class emerged we find our inbox to be full of OFFICIAL details and images. Was the leak a deliberate move by Merc to build up to the launch? It can’t be ruled out… So here we are the new MercedesBenz B-Class.

The all-new car comes in a rather attractive package for an MPV. The well sculpted body lends itself to the description of sleek as opposed to the roundness found on the previous model. The car is bigger in every dimension meaning that this very premium cabin benefits from even more space. From launch there will be two 1.6 litre petrol engines (121BHP/147lb-ft of torque or 154BHP/ 184lb-ft of torque). Interestingly with both of these engines maximum torque will be available from just 1,250RPM. Two 1.8 litre diesels will also be offered (107BHP/189lb-ft or 134BHP/221lb-ft). All models come with a six speed manual but Merc are offering a 7 speed dual clutch affair as an option.

Expect to see the new B-Class in showrooms in April.

I’ll Be Back...

AUDI’S NEW A2

Today Audi have their fingers in many

back to its predecessor in terms of

pies. Think of a segment of the

design, this new car carries all the

market they are pretty much there in

modern-day styling distinctions of its

one form or another. 4X4’s, soft-

production siblings. This biggest

roaders, luxury saloons, luxury

change is that this car is to be all-

coupe’s, hatchbacks and even

electric and will compete directly with

supercars. However, six years ago

BMW’s i3. With underpinnings shared

Audi withdrew from the small car

with the A1, the new A2 is due to go

market with its A2 leaving Mercedes’

on sale in 2013.

A-Class to gobble up sales. But now in SHOCKING revelations the A2 is

For now this is just the concept, but

back.

its where everything begins.

The boxy four-seat concept keeps the originals aluminium spaceframe to reduce weight. Though echoing

DS5

Citroens revitalized DS range is doing remarkably well. The DS3 was a triumphant little hot-hatch collecting many awards and bringing a smile to everyones face who drove it. The DS4’s design was something to be admired as it brought elegance and luxury to its class. Now Citroen has announced the DS5.

Using the same HYbrid4 drivetrain as Peugeot, the DS5 is the first proper hybrid from the French company. Powered by a 2.0 litre diesel engine and an electric motor, this car has emissions under 99g/ km. Driving at under 37MPH also allows you to run in full electric mode saving the world one polar bear at a time. Inside, Citroen say the new interior has been inspired by the world of aviation.

The DS5 goes on sale spring 2012.

I’m sorry, no arguments... This IS the best looking car in the world.�

Alfa Romeo has a way of building cars like no other manufacturer. The way they feel to drive is unique to the mark but for the past few years Alfa has been without a flagship. Sure, their hatchbacks are great but where is the pure soul of the brand?

The gorgeous Alfa Romeo 4C concept promises to be just that when it goes into production next year. The Concept has taken on a few tweaks for Frankfurt.

Now being displayed in stunning silver, this work of art is set for a 2012 launch and will be powered by a 1.7 litre turbocharged engine. Thanks to carbon fibre and aluminium the car will weigh less than 850KG meaning its 200BHP+ will get it from 0-62MPH in under five seconds. Revised suspension has been implemented in the form of a double wishbone set-up.

This car is something we are very excited about. Next year can’t come soon enough!

UP!-TO-DATE The supermini is an ever popular and ever growing segment of todays market. The little cars that bound around our cities often offer good value, great economy, and in many cases a good drive.

Competition levels in this class are high but VW think that for their new car the only way is UP! The VW Up!, yes the exclamation mark is part of its name, is the realization of several concept cars before it. Arriving in Europe in December the little car is powered by a 1.0 litre 3 cylinder engine producing either 59 or 74BHP dependent upon what variant you choose. Seating four, the Up! comes with a new collision avoidance system that will automatically stop the car before a collision under 18MPH. There are three trim levels available; the Take Up!, the Move Up! and the top spec High Up!

For goodness sake!

Motor shows are seen as different opportunities dependent on the manufacturer. Some will use the show to launch a new model, others to preview a new design direction. Some, however, attend just to throw a spanner in the works. Enter Citroen and a van that has been designed using hallucinogenic monkeys.

This is the Citroen Tubik Concept, a van that was created simply because the French company was bored.

The bare aluminium skin and tubular body do make the Tubik look like something from the future. Inside it resembles a lounge from a club in 1964 more than anything with plush purple sofas and psychedelic lighting. It’s interesting but a complete waste of time in our eyes. Citroen, stop building quirky concepts that will never make it to market and hurry up with that cheap sports car you promised us!

You Won’t Like Me When I’m Angry!!!

The SLK has always been a strong seller for the German manufacturer. Luxury, a metal folding roof and a good range of options made it perfect for those looking to turn heads without looking to “buy the farm.� However, it was the AMG variant that impressed most and with this next-generation SLK getting lukewarm reviews, can Mercedes turn up the heat?

Here it is, the SLK 55 AMG. Sporting the same angry look as its bigger brother, the SLS AMG, the 5.5 litre V8 roadster at least looks the business. Limited to 155MPH, the new SLK has a goliath 415BHP and 398lb-ft of torque. It is no surprise that 0-62MPH is achieved in 4.5 seconds. AMG has worked their usual magic over the car with tweaks to the suspension and gearbox.

The new SLK 55 AMG goes on sale next year.

2012 Porsche 911

“It is still undoubtedly a 911, but this all-new car ups the stakes”

We have had the spy-shots, we have had the teasers, but now it is time for things to get all official before Frankfurt. Ladies and gents, this is the new Porsche 911. Showing the biggest evolutionary step in the cars history, the new model is more curvaceous than its predecessor. As the car is playing nice with the camera we can see that it is lower and wider than the previous machine.

The cars new aluminium-steel structure makes for a significant weight saving of 45KG over the old model. Powered by a 400BHP 3.8 litre boxer engine (Carrera S) or 3.4 (Carrera) Porsche claims that the car will do an astonishing 32MPG! Factor in the optional PDK gearbox and 0-62MPH can be done in 4.1 seconds.

Prices start from £71,449 for the Carrera and £81,242 for the Carrera S. The all-new 911 hits showrooms this December, just in time for Christmas…

The Capri

We Pray

For

There have been whispers for years that Ford are to bring back the British Mustang. Excitement is not a good enough word! The Capri was and still is one of the coolest cars on Earth. The car is still a few years away but Ford’s new design concept paves the way for this legends return.

This beautiful shape is the Evos Concept and it previews Fords future design language. The angular grill and wide stance are pure attitude yet the curvaceous rear is very elegant. Fords designer says it is designed “not to provoke, but to seduce.” The cockpit is pure spaceship with sculpted surfaces and USS Enterprise styled digital dials. Double swan doors complete this fantasy.

This car will never make production but it sure bodes well for our British bulldog.

Topless Model...

The Ferrari 458 Italia is a masterclass in engineering the perfect supercar. It is beautiful, it is powerful and it handles better than just about anything else on wheels. The prancing horse in the 458 has produced yet another jewel for their crown. But when are Ferrari going to take a tin-opener to the 4.5 litre V8? Well now is as good a time as any.

This is the much anticipated Ferrari 458 Spider and boy, it looks every bit as good as its hard-top counterpart. Armed with a metal folding roof, this drop-top can complete its metamorphosis in 14 seconds bringing the sunshine to that Italian cockpit.

Interestingly the metal roof is 25KG lighter than a fabric top would have been due to its aluminium construction. The overall weight is only 50KG heavier than the Italia.

Powered by the same 4.5 litre V8 with 562BHP this car will still do 0-62MPH in 3.4 seconds.

The Cat That Got The Cream

Watch your back Aston!

Jaguar, though paid for with foreign money these days, is still a British icon. Back in the day their sports cars set a

Jaguar C-X16

benchmark not just for British manufacturers, but the world over. Today though the XK is highly praised, the big cat is better known for its luxury saloons. Well now Jaguar is aiming to restore its former glory‌

Taking the fight to Aston Martin at

electronically limited to 186MPH.

home and the Porsche 911 abroad,

Paired with its own F1 inspired KERS,

this is the C-X16. The muscular

the new Jaguar can run on an all-

sculpture that sits before you is a two-

electric mode below 50MPH. The snug

seat sports car powered by

cockpit harks back to the Jags of old

supercharged 3.0 litre V6 engine.

yet in the most modern of ways.

When this cat pounces with its 375BHP and 332lb-ft of torque,

Making production next year the C-

0-62MPH can be vanquished in just

X16 is expected to cost around

4.4 seconds. Top speed is

ÂŁ50,000.

A Civic Duty

Hatchbacks in europe are big sellers for every manufacturer that produces them. Ford has the Focus, Renault the Clio and Honda their Civic. With the Jap’s signing off the final variation of the current Civic its time to look at what it coming next. Honda has to get this right especially with its predecessors design being such a huge success. So here it is, the 2012 Honda Civic.

Taking on a much more bloated appearance the new Civic adheres to the current trends for hatchbacks.

The darkened grill and aggressive angular lights do separate it from the crowd, but the overall design is nowhere near as revolutionary as the previous model. Keeping the “blended wing” (split rear windscreen if you don’t speak Honda), the appearance from the rear is rather funky we have to admit. Inside the car has grown up a lot with the use of brushed aluminium, yet still retains the 1990’s sci-fi speedometer.

A solid start but lets be honest, it’s the Type-R we are all waiting for.

“First the luxury car segment... And then the world!”

Volvo; safe, reliable,

hence the name, and they

comfortable, but some might

Designed to compete with

firmly believe in the companies

say boring. Fantastic cars but

Mercedes-Benz and BMW in

new aspirations.

they do tend to lack a sense of

the luxury limo department, the

occasion. Well Volvo are now

Concept You takes on a new

Can Volvo take on the

attempting to redefine their

design direction for Volvo. Long

Germans at their own game? It

brand taking a risky move into

sloping body lines define its

will take a hell of a lot of work

the luxury sector. This is due to

shape whilst inside the cabin is

that is for sure.

their new Chinese owners who

pure craftsmanship. The

see future cars from the brand

interior also lacks many buttons

being premium in nature. This

and instead favors touch

is showcased in the Concept

sensitive panels. Designers say

You.

the car is built around “you”,

DBS Carbon Edition

No one builds a sports car like the British, and no

and this car looks even more intimidating than the

one builds a car like Aston Martin. The net result is

original. Those gorgeous diamond-turned rims are

a line-up of machines that are charming, involving

exclusive to this edition and we think that Aston has

when driven and engineered to perfection. Each car

got the design of the DBS’ new shoes spot on.

really does promote that Aston character and the

Carbon fibre rear lamps and smoked lights are also

range topping DBS is no different. With a

on the options list as well as some carbon trinkets

magnificent V12 under the bonnet this Carbon

for the cockpit.

Edition is the icing on the cake.

Costing £186,582 in coupe form and £196,581 as the Volante, we already know that this car is worth

SO, whats new with the brute? Well that fantastic “Flame Orange” paint is a new option along with a “Ceramic Grey”, pair those with a blacked-out grill

every penny.

Be it hatchbacks, saloons, luxury long haulers and even 4X4’s, BMW and Audi are engaged in multiple fights to the death. These two titans match each other blow for blow and so both, in the bigger picture, are evenly matched. But there has always been something that BMW has that Audi could never quite match… The M3. The super coupe is the stuff of legend but now Audi want to knock the halo off the top of BMW’s head with the 2012 RS5.

The new model is leaner and meaner in every way in comparison to its forefather. The naturally aspirated V8 produces a mammoth 450BHP that give the car enough boot to do 0-62MPH in just 4.6 seconds! A few whiskers faster than the M3’s 4.8. More aggressive design work has been applied to the RS5 making its stance something representative of the devil. Inside Audi really have worked some magic as the interior appears just as aggressive as the exterior.

What you got BMW? Your cards have been marked.

RS5

Lamborghini Gallardo 570-4 Super Trofeo-Stradale

With the newly baptized Aventado

that glorious V10 howl this car will

raging in full view of the

do 0-62MPH in 3.4 seconds.

automotive world, its little brother

Some of you may be thinking “well

cant help but feel a little left out.

thats not an improvement at all!”

The aging Gallardo is getting on a

True but remember that huge

bit and with competitors well and

downforce inducing rear wing does

truly armed with their next-gen

add a lot of drag.

models, we wait with baited breath for Lamborghini’s next move. For

Just 150 units will be produced

now the Gallardo is staying but

making this rare bull quite the

reinvigorated with this new special

collectors item.

edition.

Named after the one-make race series, the Super Trofeo-Stradale is a hardened beast. With a reduction in weight, 570BHP and

As far as hot-hatchbacks are concerned Ford produce some of the best in the business. Good value, great thrills and the wife can fit all her shopping in the boot. With the new Focus becoming adopted by families all over the world its time for the blue oval to reveal the production variant of the all-new Focus ST. Hold tight, things are about to get spicy!

Amidst the new bumpers, spoilers and general ASBO inspired clad sits a 2.0 litre, four-cylinder, 247BHP engine. “Can you smell burning rubber yet?” The pumped up Focus also gains in the torque department, producing a fantastic 265lb-ft. Better yet, if owning a dog was the only thing stopping you from buying the last ST, fear not as this 2012 model will be sold with the option of being an estate. Spot on Ford! Thus far you have done no wrong.

Prices have yet to be announced but one thing is for sure, we can’t wait to take our turn behind the wheel.

ST unning

With Ford’s launch of the ST performance badge globally, and not just in Europe as before, the new Focus makes for a prime representative. But what about the little Fiesta? We have been waiting for a variation of this car with some added chili powder since its launch. Now the wait is over as Ford, at last, unveil the Fiesta ST. The cars new bodywork is pure attitude and you can’t help but feel if it were a dog it would be a Jack Russell; the sort that bites your ankles and relives itself in your shoes. Matching the bigger Focus ST for aggression, what has the blue oval done under the skin?

Powered by a 1.6 litre petrol engine producing 180BHP, it ticks many boxes. All of Ford’s tinkering amount to a 0-62MPH time of under 7 seconds! Now that is a hothatch!

Though Ford stress this still a concept car we would be very surprised if it didn’t make it to Europe’s roads at least.

ST ella

IT RETURNS...

Lotus EXIGE

The Legendary Colin Chapman had a famous

acceleration is not far off that produced by

phrase that he tagged to all of his cars, racers

some of Italy’s finest. Changing more than just

and road goers alike. “Add lightness!” Lotus

the engine, Lotus have gone to town with a

are currently undergoing a transformation from

redesigned body to match the new cars grunt.

sports car manufacturer to luxury supercar

Front splitter and fixed rear wing ensure that

maker, but this all takes time and so today we

this car is as nimble as that annoying insect

are stuck in the middle. To help bridge the gap

you can never quite swat.

Lotus has unveiled the new Exige.

The new Exige hits the roads later this year.

The name returns after euro emissions laws killed off the much loved featherweight.

Weighing in at just 1,080KG and powered by the Evora’s mighty 3.5 litre V6, the cars