MOTORS
Edited by Mike Torpey
S E T O N S S A P RS3 Audi takes to the Alps with new
by MIKE TORPEY
A
LPINE terrain doesn’t get much more testing than the Turracher
Hohe. This is the famous pass high in the Gurktaler Alps in southern Austria where Audi presented the first four-wheel drive quattro prototype to the company’s board of management back in the winter of 1978. At the end of a series of gruelling sessions on the steep and snowy road, the big cheeses wore even bigger smiles – they had hit on a winner, and so the iconic Audi quattro was born. Their decision moved the German company from being a relatively anonymous European brand to a position on the automotive map.
● Turn to Page 8
8
pages of new & used motors
2
HELLO, LEXUS, MY OLD FRIEND
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The sound of silence with the CT 200h
2 MOTORS
Friday, June 24, 2011
★★★★
MOTORS 3
Friday, June 24, 2011
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★★★★
Dr
4 MOTORS
Friday, June 24, 2011
★★★★
MOTORS
QUIET REVOLUTION: The new Lexus CT 200h is the centrepiece of the company’s plan to attract younger customers Info from Lexus Liverpool, Rimrose Road, Bootle. Tel: 0151 934 7666
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MOTORS 5
Friday, June 24, 2011
★★★★
Lexus CT 200h SE-i Hybrid
roadtest
The sound of silence road
TEST
with MIKE TORPEY
T
HE Quiet Revolution is gaining momentum – and it doesn’t mean turning down the volume on your in-car hi-fi system. That’s because the sound of silence auto maker Lexus refers to, endorsed on screen by pop superstar Kylie, is something completely different. It is the centrepiece of the Japanese company’s plan to attract younger customers and the ‘quiet’ bit refers to the qualities of its gateway model, the CT 200h. This is the first full hybrid car to be launched in the premium compact arena and, given that it is up against conventionally powered rivals like the BMW 1-Series, it has to be an exceptional performer. Power comes via a 1.8-litre petrol engine combined with a 60kW
ATTENTION TO DETAIL: The Lexus CT 200h electric motor, between them generating 134bhp of punch. The figures – fantastic fuel economy of a Combined 68.9 miles per gallon, okay acceleration, low emissions and zero road tax – certainly stack up, so the smart touches are what will make the difference. In the case of the CT 200h there are plenty. Push the start button,
engage the CVT gearbox and the Lexus pulls silently away on electric power with little more than a whisper. And it can stay that way for more than a mile provided you don’t go above the 28mph limit at which the petrol engine cuts in – and out again when you come to a halt in traffic thanks to the Start/Stop system. In normal driving conditions the
power switches automatically between the engine and motor for optimum efficiency, but there are also Eco and Sport settings selected via a rotary knob that alter throttle response and steering. The dashboard illumination changes too, blue turning to red when in Sport mode and the hybrid system indicator becoming a rev counter. But then attention to detail is a hallmark of this car. The fit and finish is typically Lexus, sound insulation excellent, comfort assured – in the test car’s case with a soft fawn leatherette upholstery – and interior space sufficient for five. The floating sat-nav mouse is like the controller for a computer game and the electric windows even slow down for the last few inches to minimise the sound of them closing. My only criticism would be that the car could do with a bit more punch. That said, this environmentally friendly hatchback – you don’t pay any road tax – challenges you to drive more efficiently. It has loads of kit even in entry grade SE-I spec, is attractively styled and both different and responsible enough to attract the audience Lexus strives for – just like Kylie.
SpecCheck MAKE: Lexus MODEL CT 200h SE-i hybrid ENGINE: 1,798cc, 16v petrol POWER: 134bhp PERFORMANCE: 0-62 in 10.3 secs, top speed 112mph ECONOMY: 68.9mpg Urban, 70.6 Extra Urban, 68.9 Combined CO2 EMISSIONS: 98g/km BiK RATING: 10% INSURANCE: Group 15 (1-50) PRICE: £23,485 on the road WHAT’S HOT: Style, space, fuel economy WHAT’S NOT: Needs more punch RATINGS (out of five):
LOOKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . EQUIPMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RIDE AND HANDLING . . . . . . PERFORMANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . VALUE FOR MONEY . . . . . . . . .
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6 MOTORS
Friday, June 24, 2011
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MOTORS 7
Friday, June 24, 2011
ECHO Motoring
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8 MOTORS
Friday, June 24, 2011
★★★★
MOTORS
cover story
Back to our routes Audi shows off new RS3 on the Alpine roads that shaped the first quattro UR WE GO: The RS3 on the famous Turracher Hohe in Austria where the original Ur-quattro was put through its paces over 30 years ago Pictures: BARRIE MILLS
● From Page 1 The initial plan was to build 400 cars but the quattro became so sought-after that more than 11,000 had been sold by the time the model finished production in 1991. The original’s success led to other derivatives and, to date, some 3.5 million quattro models have been sold. These days the marque’s highest performance models carry the RS prefix, which stands for racing sport, and are created by Audi’s private subsidiary Quattro GmbH. Latest addition to that thoroughbred stable is the RS 3 Sportback quattro, and hot hatch fans can expect practicality with a knockout punch from this rather understated muscle machine when it hits the streets next month. We’re talking the sort of wallop you would expect from a supercar, but at a fraction of the price. This is the first time Audi has
THE new RS3 quattro comes from a proud lineage of four-wheel-drive performance Audis, writes BARRIE MILLS. When the producers of the time-travelling TV cop show Ashes to Ashes chose to make an early quattro one of the stars – spawning detective Gene Hunt’s catchphrase “Fire up the
POWERHOUSE: The Audi RS3 pinned the RS badge on a compact class model and the lucky few – only 500 cars have been allocated to the UK, and all have been sold in advance – who shell out the £39,930 tab are certainly in for a treat. Under the bonnet is the same
quattro!” - they put the spotlight back on a car that revolutionised motorsport in the 1980s. To make the link even clearer, Audi launched the UK model of the RS3 in Austria on the same roads where the original quattro – known as the Ur-quattro, from the German word for original or ancestral – was first shown to the Audi board back in 1978. The prototype four-wheel-drive system made short work of the slippery winter conditions and the impressed 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbocharged engine found in the fiery TT RS sports coupe. It delivers a hefty 335bhp and is capable of blasting to 62mph in just 4.6 seconds and on to an electronically limited 155mph. In addition to the quattro all-wheel drive is a seven-speed S tronic transmission with steering wheel-mounted paddle shifts, though the twin-clutch gearbox is so slick that you rarely need use them. I drove the RS 3 on a four-hour route from the picturesque lakeside town of Velden through the Nockberge mountain range, taking in that historic Audi proving
board members duly commissioned the car to go into production. It went on sale in 1980 and besides being a hit as a road car, became the first car to take advantage of a change in world rally championship rules that allowed four-wheel-drive for the first time. In doing so, it rewrote motorsport history, with four-wheel-drive becoming essential for any championship winning car thereafter. Since that first model, the quattro name - like the RS badge ground en route. It confirmed that prospective owners are getting serious value for money in a car that combines everyday practicality with ample space for four, reasonable luggage capacity and the facility to lower the rear seats for extra flexibility. Savage performance and glue-like grip is allied to a bass-heavy engine note made to sound all the better by pressing the Sport button, which opens a sound flap in the exhaust and sharpens the throttle response. There’s the potential for an average 31 miles per gallon, something made possible through a
- has graced the rear of some of Audi’s most exciting models. From cars like the 1993 Avant RS2, which could accelerate from 0-30mph quicker than a McLaren F1, to the V10-powered RS6 of 2008 and the V8 RS5 of 2010, quattro transmission has been a key part of Audi’s performance heritage. Where BMW sets great store by its rear-wheel-drive chassis, Audi believes that four-wheel drive provides a better solution to real world performance driving problems. combination of a system that recovers energy as the car decelerates and the use of light materials like carbon fibre-reinforced plastic. It also helps keep CO2 output down to 212g/km. Audi’s high performance engineers have been hard at work with this car, which has a 25mm lower chassis than the standard A3 Sportback, a wider track and is shod with 19-inch alloy wheels., Standard wheel finish is a titanium look, but a black finish with red rim inserts is available as an option – eyecatching and something most buyers will go for.