Pussy Galore
Pussy Galore
Pussy Galore
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iSelect’s<br />
Issue 3 ● July 2009<br />
MOTOR MONTHLY<br />
<strong>Pussy</strong> galore<br />
Jaguar’s XFR is simply the Cat’s whiskers<br />
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Editorial<br />
GoAuto Newsroom<br />
PO Box 18<br />
Sandringham<br />
VIC 3191<br />
(03) 9598 6477<br />
newsroom@mellor.net<br />
Editor<br />
David Hassall<br />
dhassall@mellor.net<br />
Production<br />
Luc Britten<br />
Chris Harris<br />
Sub-editor<br />
Ron Hammerton<br />
Contributors<br />
Marton Pettendy<br />
Byron Mathioudakis<br />
Terry Martin<br />
Ian Porter<br />
James Stanford<br />
Philip Lord<br />
Advertising enquiries<br />
Sally Mellor<br />
(03) 9598 6477<br />
0425 700 904<br />
sally@mellor.net<br />
iSelect’s<br />
Issue 3 ● July 2009<br />
MOTOR MONTHLY<br />
Grand heft auto<br />
Z4 stacks on 200kg,<br />
but is it worth the weight?<br />
Compare, Select and Save<br />
Blown like the wind<br />
Awesome new supercharged<br />
375kW Jaguar XFR roars in<br />
Czech out the RS<br />
Latest performance Octavia<br />
gives Skoda some street cred<br />
Up and Atom!<br />
Ariel goes ballistic and claims title<br />
of the world’s fastest production car<br />
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Hit and Swiss<br />
Leblanc supercar is really<br />
just one track minded<br />
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\\ DRIVEN: BMW Z4<br />
Grand heft auto<br />
Z4 stacks on 200kg, but is it worth the weight?<br />
By MARTON PETTENDY<br />
BMW’s Z4 has grown up, in more ways<br />
than one. So much so that perhaps it<br />
should be called the Z5, because the<br />
latest generation represents even more of a<br />
quantum leap over the first Z4 than the latter<br />
did over the original Z3.<br />
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But, proving that not even BMW can build<br />
a folding hard-top convertible that’s anywhere<br />
near as light as a soft-top, the new Z4 is<br />
almost a staggering 200kg heavier, with the<br />
new Z4 sDrive35i topping the range in twinclutch<br />
M-DCT form at a very unroadster-like<br />
1600kg.<br />
Throw in a slightly less powerful 2.5-litre<br />
entry-level engine and the base Z4 is a tenth<br />
of a second slower to 100km/h than its<br />
predecessor.<br />
Although the six-speed auto version<br />
improves marginally, it is also significantly<br />
thirstier – hardly something to crow about<br />
for a car-maker whose mantra has become<br />
EfficientDynamics.<br />
With no replacement yet for the M<br />
versions, the new Z4’s headline act is the<br />
additional sDrive35i variant, powered by the<br />
225kW/400Nm twin-turbo direct-injection six<br />
from the 335i.<br />
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Despite also being almost 200kg porkier than<br />
the M Roadster, the Z4 35i is virtually as quick<br />
and more than two litres more efficient per<br />
100km. Mind you, as an auto, it’s also priced<br />
within $10,000 of the M at more than $120,000.<br />
The rest of the Z4 Roadster range (the<br />
single body replaces the previous convertible<br />
and coupe options) moves up in weight and<br />
price, too. At base 2.5-litre level, it is $6700<br />
more expensive at $86,200, while the 3.0-litre<br />
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at $98,100 is a whole $8000 pricier than the<br />
convertible it replaces. And that’s before you<br />
factor in a plethora of expensive options.<br />
However, commensurate with its weight<br />
and price increase is the added safety, security<br />
and refinement of a fully integrated, poweroperated<br />
folding aluminium roof.<br />
It takes a relatively lengthy 20 seconds to<br />
open (during which time one must hold down<br />
the awkwardly positioned roof button) and<br />
cannot be operated on the move like some<br />
convertible roof systems, but it does it in<br />
virtual silence.<br />
Thanks to a massively larger rear<br />
window and longer side glass, which now<br />
incorporates two small rear windows that<br />
can be independently opened, all-round<br />
vision is vastly improved. Impressively for a<br />
convertible, the rear three-quarter blind spot<br />
is no worse than in many coupes.<br />
Styled inside and out by female BMW<br />
designers, the Z4 not only moves up in weight,<br />
but also size and therefore interior comfort.<br />
The two-seater cabin is still cosy and cosseting,<br />
but there’s noticeably more head and shoulder<br />
room – even if the driver’s seat feels too high<br />
and its seatback bolstering is a tad too narrow<br />
for the, let’s say, wide-backed among us.<br />
The extra body length also increases total<br />
boot space to 310 litres, but with the sizeable<br />
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hard-top stowed it shrinks to just 180 litres,<br />
which is barely enough to store a couple of<br />
backpacks.<br />
With the roof down, wind buffeting in<br />
the cabin is acceptable up to 120km/h, even<br />
without the dealer-accessory wind buffer, and<br />
normal conversation can also be had.<br />
It also has the best Z4 interior yet. Entirely<br />
functional and ergonomic, there’s a little more<br />
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storage space via fold-out door pockets and<br />
rear bulkhead compartments, while the circular<br />
design theme is broken only by the optional<br />
flip-up dash monitor, which brings a new level<br />
of iDrive-operated technology to the Z4 but is<br />
so large it looks out of place.<br />
The Z4 continues to offer a poised, intimate<br />
driving experience. On a crisp Victorian<br />
morning with the roof down and the exhaust<br />
Z-blooded: Three-litre straight-six Z4 feels as<br />
fast as ever, despite stacking on the kilos.<br />
note reverberating against roadside cuttings,<br />
it still delivers a truly invigorating roadster<br />
driving experience.<br />
No manual or even 2.5-litre versions were<br />
available during the extensive launch drive, so<br />
we can’t say if the base sDrive25i lives up to<br />
its zesty predecessor, but in 3.0-litre automatic<br />
guise the Z4 has lost little of the performance<br />
or agility of the model it replaces.<br />
Gone is the twitchy, elastic steering, replaced<br />
by a more linear (but still electric) system that<br />
is suitably responsive and communicative,<br />
but still not as alive in your hands as other<br />
hydraulically-assisted BMW models.<br />
The 3.0 seems as quick as ever, despite<br />
its larger overall size and mass, and delivers<br />
superior stability and roadholding, though the<br />
revised independent rear suspension still tends<br />
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to clunk over big road bumps and dips.<br />
Attached to an all-new chassis that feels<br />
even more rigid than before (although the roof<br />
did rattle on the odd occasion in our test car),<br />
the firm, short-travel suspension performs an<br />
impressive compromise in terms of ride and<br />
handling, ironing out nasty road obstacles<br />
better than before, but we can’t help thinking<br />
how much better the ride would be without<br />
run-flat tyres.<br />
The top-shelf 35i is not only considerably<br />
quicker again, but used less than 1.0L/100km<br />
more fuel than the 3.0. It also offers pushpull<br />
toggle shifters on the steering wheel as<br />
standard, but when mated to the M-DCT<br />
twin-clutch gearbox the twin-turbo inline six<br />
produces all the effortless drivability of an<br />
auto with all the pure, unadulterated fun of a<br />
manual.<br />
The grown-up Z4’s extra space, comfort and<br />
refinement will be welcomed by some, if they<br />
don’t mind paying the similarly inflated prices<br />
– which still undercut the Mercedes SLK.<br />
Perhaps the M version will change things,<br />
but we like our roadsters raw and, as it stands,<br />
BMW has headed too far away from the<br />
lightweight roadster concept in an effort to<br />
emulate its fiercest foe, the SLK. MOTOR<br />
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By DAVID HASSALL<br />
BRITISH sportscar specialist Ariel’s<br />
next model promises to be the fastestaccelerating<br />
production car in the<br />
world – and will cost more than three times as<br />
much as the iconic Atom 300.<br />
Ariel’s website last month revealed that the V8-<br />
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Ariel Atom 500 //<br />
Up and Atom!<br />
engined Atom 500 would cost “at least £100,000”<br />
($A203,000) and be released “shortly”, but that<br />
production will be limited to just 25 units.<br />
Power will come from a normally-aspirated<br />
3.0-litre V8 engine developing 500 brake<br />
horsepower (373kW), enabling the Atom 500 to<br />
race from rest to 100km/h in about 2.5 seconds.<br />
The four-valve V8 ‘atmo’ engine has a narrow<br />
75-degree V angle to ensure it has the compact<br />
dimensions necessary to fit it behind the driver<br />
in an east-west configuration. Ariel also claims<br />
that the engine has a unique camshaft drive<br />
arrangement to reduce engine size and weight.<br />
The 500 started life as a one-off project<br />
Ariel goes ballistic and claims title of<br />
the world’s fastest production car<br />
with Russell Savory’s RS Developments in<br />
2007 using the Savory-designed 2.4-litre<br />
supercharged five-valve alloy V8 that is<br />
now fitted to the recently-announced and<br />
conceptually-similar Caterham Seven Levante,<br />
which is priced at £115,000 ($A233,000).<br />
However, Ariel’s new production V8 has<br />
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been developed by American engine designer<br />
John Hartley and, like the Savory V8, is<br />
apparently based on a pair of Suzuki<br />
Hayabusa four-cylinder superbike<br />
engines.<br />
Weighing in at just 500kg, the Atom<br />
500 boasts a remarkable power-toweight<br />
ratio of 1000bhp per tonne,<br />
which is about double that of the<br />
mighty Bugatti Veyron – the fastest<br />
car in the world.<br />
The engine alone<br />
reportedly accounts for<br />
about $60,000 of the<br />
500’s purchase price<br />
while the six-speed<br />
sequential gearbox<br />
provided by French<br />
racing transmission<br />
specialist Sadev (replacing<br />
the regular Atom’s six-speed Honda Type R<br />
manual) is said to cost $22,000.<br />
Ariel said it is also investigating the<br />
possibility of providing an optional paddle<br />
shift arrangement for the Atom 500.<br />
The racecar-like platform is the same as that<br />
used for the company’s regular Atom models,<br />
which are powered by the four-cylinder<br />
2.0-litre engine from the Honda Civic Type<br />
R, but available in normally-aspirated 245bhp<br />
(183kW) and supercharged 300bhp (224kW)<br />
forms.<br />
The supercharged Atom 300, which sells<br />
in the UK for £30,000 ($A60,900) and<br />
accelerates from 0-100km/h in about 2.8<br />
seconds, was the subject of a now famous<br />
review by Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson, in<br />
which his cheeks blew out like a dog’s while<br />
hanging out a car window.<br />
As well as having unique suspension, brakes<br />
a n d<br />
aerodynamics,<br />
including carbonfibre<br />
wings, the Atom 500<br />
comes with adjustable traction<br />
control and launch control.<br />
Ariel director Simon Saunders<br />
said the even more hardcore 500 project<br />
was an experimental departure from<br />
what the company normally produces.<br />
“Our aim is to build the ultimate road legal<br />
track day car,” said Mr Saunders. “Our motto<br />
has always been ‘Go fast – have fun’ and the<br />
Atom V8 is certainly going to do that.<br />
“With a predicted 0-60mph (96km/h) time of<br />
under 2.5 seconds and 0-100mph of less than<br />
six seconds, the Atom 500 V8 promises to be<br />
one of the fastest, if not the fastest, production<br />
car ever made.<br />
“For a few customers, the Atom 500 will<br />
be the ultimate expression of lightweight<br />
performance and represents the outer limits of<br />
what is achievable in a road-registered car.<br />
“We also use this sort of project to explore<br />
the possibilities of how we can improve<br />
our standard cars. By pushing the envelope<br />
to these sorts of extremes, we can further<br />
improve the breed.” MOTOR<br />
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\\ DRIVEN: Jaguar XFR<br />
Blown like the wind<br />
Awesome new supercharged<br />
375kW Jaguar XFR roars in<br />
By DAVID HASSALL<br />
IT WOULD be easy to flippantly summarise<br />
the new high-performance Jaguar XFR as<br />
the Cat sharpening its claws, but – while<br />
there is unquestionably a big performance<br />
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boost as Jag gets serious about its R brand –<br />
the new car is really about refinement rather<br />
than rawness.<br />
The car’s all-new supercharged 5.0-litre<br />
V8 engine is a potent and superbly smooth<br />
weapon, churning out a mighty 375kW of<br />
power and 625Nm of torque, and on paper it<br />
eclipses the super-saloon performance leader,<br />
Mercedes-Benz’s mighty E63 AMG.<br />
XF chief engineer Kevin Stride proudly<br />
points out how the supercharged V8 develops<br />
considerably more torque than the AMG’s<br />
normally-aspirated 6.2-litre V8 up to 4000rpm<br />
and then holds its own against the Benz.<br />
However, the German car still accelerates<br />
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Apocalypse Meow: Jaguar’s new XF flagship earns<br />
the R badge with 0-100km/h time of 4.9 seconds.<br />
to 100km/h much faster – 0-100km/h in 4.5<br />
seconds versus 4.9s for the Jaguar – and does<br />
so with a bit more theatre.<br />
The AMG bursts into life with an awesome<br />
cackle and always sounds fast whereas<br />
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the Jaguar is intentionally more refined.<br />
Supercharger whine, which was already quite<br />
subtle in the superseded SV8, cannot be heard<br />
at all and only a select amount of engine note<br />
is transmitted to the occupants.<br />
Where the XFR most impresses is with the<br />
instant response when a burst of speed is needed,<br />
leaping from 80km/h to 110km/h in less than<br />
two seconds, which should see off the Benz.<br />
That mid-range performance is aided by<br />
improvements to the ZF six-speed automatic<br />
transmission, which has more lock-up for the<br />
torque converter but is still no match for the<br />
Mercedes seven-speeder let alone BMW’s<br />
twin-clutch unit in the M5.<br />
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Go-Cat: The XFR gets frisky as the road gets twisty,<br />
thanks to excellent steering and active suspension.<br />
Like both the E63 and the M5 – which are<br />
$20,000 more expensive – the $208,450 Jaguar<br />
has gone for subtlety with the styling of its<br />
executive express, opting only for the required<br />
larger air intakes at the front and relatively<br />
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minor bodywork refinements, including a<br />
small built-in rear spoiler and bonnet vents<br />
to distinguish the fastest four-door saloon the<br />
company has ever built.<br />
It is hardly an ostentatious ‘look-at-me’<br />
kind of car, but make no mistake – you will be<br />
noticed driving the XFR, especially if painted<br />
black, which really shows up the chrome<br />
highlights around the nose, the 20-inch alloys<br />
and the car’s purposeful stance.<br />
As a sporty saloon, there is no doubt in my<br />
mind that Ian Callum’s beautiful XF is a much<br />
better-looking car than its German mid-size<br />
rivals, let alone the ungainly Lexus GS, and the<br />
R version simply stands out in the performance<br />
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stakes. In my book, the man deserves a statue<br />
next to Sir William Lyons at Jag HQ.<br />
Inside, our launch car was all black trim and<br />
purposeful, with seats that were comfortable<br />
rather than hugging in an interior that oozes<br />
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quality rather than the stuffiness of old.<br />
However, while the R trim provides extra<br />
sportiness without being gaudy, the interior is<br />
still let down by sub-standard fit and finish of<br />
fittings such as the cup-holders and glovebox,<br />
which spoil an otherwise classy interior and<br />
need to be improved in the future.<br />
And long-distance comfort was still spoiled<br />
by the lack of padding on the centre console,<br />
which caused us some discomfort with a numb<br />
knee, while the lack of a digital speed read-out<br />
and small spacings for the speedo itself made<br />
it difficult to stay safe from speed cameras.<br />
But we still like the start-up ‘handshake’<br />
function, which rotates the air-vents into<br />
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TM .<br />
Porsche Panamera<br />
AFTER decades of speculation, years of scoop<br />
photography, months of official pictures and weeks<br />
of waiting impatiently to drive the car in the wake of<br />
its flashy Shanghai debut, the moment of truth has<br />
at last arrived for the Porsche Panamera.<br />
Lexus RX450h<br />
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> FULL STORY<br />
LEXUS Australia will offer not just one version of its<br />
redesigned RX hybrid SUV but three, when it goes<br />
on sale in Australia from July 13.<br />
The hybrid crossover’s aggressive new starting<br />
price of $89,900, which is $7645 lower than the<br />
$97,545 pricetag of the single RX400h model<br />
previously available.<br />
> FULL STORY<br />
Citroen C3<br />
compare, select and save<br />
A HUGE windscreen that extends well into the roof<br />
is the defining feature of the new Citroen C3 light<br />
car, scheduled to come to Australia in May 2010.<br />
Citroen also revealed it will launch a new range<br />
of environmentally-friendly three-cylinder diesel<br />
engines in 2011.<br />
> FULL STORY<br />
position and pops up the unique gearshift<br />
controller when you turn on the ignition, as<br />
well as the soft-feel dash, the chrome and<br />
rubber steering wheel controls, the size and<br />
shape of the wheel itself and even the attention<br />
to detail with the Jaguar name embossed into<br />
the chrome air-vent direction sliders.<br />
The sloping roofline barely compromises<br />
ease of entry to the rear seat and there is no<br />
problem with headroom, legroom, visibility or<br />
comfort once inside.<br />
Jaguar makes much of its in-house active<br />
differential development and its wide-ranging<br />
‘Adaptive Dynamics’ suspension system –<br />
which apparently monitors the body position<br />
100 times a second and the wheels 500 times a<br />
second to predictively improve damper control<br />
– but unfortunately the launch drive was<br />
anything but challenging.<br />
Busy country highways are not the place to test<br />
such a car, let alone analyse complex systems and<br />
explore the limits of its capabilities, so we remain<br />
in anticipation of a more thorough examination<br />
over an extended time on local roads.<br />
In the meantime, we can tell you that the XFR<br />
is suitably grippy and rides well for such a car,<br />
but suffers from sharp road irregularities, as you<br />
would expect from low-profile performance<br />
tyres, which also generate too much road<br />
noise.<br />
The fast electro-hydraulic rack-and-pinion<br />
steering (electronic control, not electric power)<br />
is hard to fault, being fast and direct, with a<br />
lightness of touch at low speeds combined with<br />
good feel, responsiveness and on-centre feel on<br />
the highway.<br />
Jaguar is certainly serious about its R brand<br />
and has dedicated significant engineering<br />
resources to revive the brand’s sporting heritage.<br />
AMG and the M people may not yet be quaking<br />
in their boots, but the XFR is undoubtedly a<br />
MOTOR<br />
huge step in the right direction.<br />
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\\ LeBlanc Mirabeau<br />
Hit and Swiss<br />
Leblanc supercar is really<br />
just one track minded<br />
By DAVID HASSALL<br />
ONE OF the more remarkable supercars<br />
to catch our attention in recent times<br />
is a super-light sports racer built by<br />
Swiss company Leblanc Cars that is, incredibly,<br />
able to be registered for street use.<br />
The Leblanc Mirabeau – named after a<br />
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corner on the Monaco Grand Prix circuit – is a<br />
barely concealed racing car designed to meet<br />
the regulations for the classic Le Mans 24<br />
Hour race while also being able to be driven<br />
on the road.<br />
It is powered by the 4.7-litre supercharged<br />
and intercooled aluminium V8 engine from<br />
Swedish supercar company Koenigsegg, which<br />
in the Mirabeau produces “more than 700<br />
horsepower” (522kW) and “more than 850Nm”<br />
of torque, with a redline of 7600rpm.<br />
Transmission is the strong Italian-built<br />
Cima six-speed sequential manual used by<br />
Koenigsegg, which has an internal oil pump<br />
and an external radiator, or an optional<br />
($A92,000) semi-automatic.<br />
Although Leblanc is rather coy about<br />
performance figures, a top speed of about<br />
370km/h is quoted, which would match the<br />
McLaren F1 supercar and be beaten only by the<br />
388km/h Koenigsegg CCR (which is cranked<br />
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up to produce more power) and the 407km/h<br />
Bugatti Veyron in the production car ranks.<br />
Leblanc’s only other model is quaintly named<br />
the Caroline and only has a 382kW 2.0-litre<br />
turbocharged engine, but it is a seriously quick<br />
coupe, having been timed from 0-100km/h in<br />
just 2.7 seconds – second only to the Porsche-<br />
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based Dauer 962 in supercar folklore.<br />
Despite its turbocharged V8 engine, the<br />
real secret to the Mirabeau’s performance is<br />
its light weight, thanks to its lack of creature<br />
comforts and exotic chassis and bodywork<br />
materials like carbon-fibre and Kevlar.<br />
It weighs just 812kg, which is just below<br />
the Le Mans LMP2 class limit of 825kg (and<br />
much less than the 925kg limit for Audi’s<br />
and Peugeot’s outright contenders). It is also<br />
a match for the classic Le Mans-winning<br />
Porsche 956 of the 1980s.<br />
Compare that to other road-going supercars<br />
and you get a clearer picture because the<br />
Mirabeau is half the weight of a Veyron<br />
and even some 570kg lighter than a Ferrari<br />
Enzo.<br />
Of course, the Leblanc Mirabeau does not<br />
come cheap – €543,000 ($A965,000), plus<br />
local taxes – but how many other million dollar<br />
MOTOR<br />
supercars can you take to Le Mans?<br />
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By MARTON PETTENDY<br />
in BUDAPEST<br />
SKODA has applied the smoother new<br />
look adorned by its facelifted Octavia<br />
in Australia since March to its RS<br />
performance flagships.<br />
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Czech Czech out out the<br />
Latest performance Octavia<br />
r<br />
DRIVEN: Skoda Octavia RS //<br />
Czech out the RS<br />
Launched recently in Budapest, Hungary,<br />
not far from Skoda Auto’s Mlada Boleslav<br />
headquarters in the Czech Republic, the<br />
newlook RS and similarly updated Scout<br />
crossover will complete the upgraded Octavia<br />
range in Australia from September.<br />
The Octavia RS will bring the same interior<br />
and exterior updates recently applied to the<br />
revised Octavia line-up, which relaunched the<br />
Volkswagen-owned Czech brand in Australia<br />
in October 2007.<br />
Turbocharged petrol and diesel engine<br />
gives Skoda some street cred<br />
choices, mated to both six-speed manual and<br />
automatic (DSG) transmissions, will continue<br />
to be available here in both four-door ‘liftback’<br />
and five-door Combi body styles.<br />
As with the garden variety Octavia, the 2009<br />
RS skin is fresh from the A-pillar forward and<br />
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comprises new, more stylised headlights, plus<br />
revised front quarter guards and wing mirrors,<br />
and a different bonnet, bumper and grille.<br />
The larger, boomerang-shaped headlights will<br />
come with the option of Xenon globes and an<br />
adaptive light function, while the redesigned<br />
bumper features a wider air intake, fog lights<br />
with cornering function and, for the first time,<br />
daytime running lights. The RS also scores<br />
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new tail-lights while a new 18-inch alloy wheel<br />
design can be had instead of the standard 17inch<br />
items.<br />
Styling is a subjective thing, but few could<br />
argue the Octavia’s smooth new look has the<br />
greatest visual impact in range-topping RS<br />
guise. Gone are the flat, boring headlights of<br />
the current RS, which projected a downcast<br />
and decidedly eastern European look, in favour<br />
of a more contemporary headlight shape that<br />
makes the Octavia both far more aggressive<br />
and upbeat in equal measure. The heavily<br />
chromed Skoda grille still nestles in between<br />
but somehow looks prouder ahead of a more<br />
bulging bonnet and quarter guards, and above<br />
a deeper, more purposeful bumper.<br />
Certainly, the exterior changes are far easier<br />
to pick than the interior upgrades, but it could<br />
be argued the Volkswagen-esque cabin design<br />
and build quality, which is as convincing as its<br />
ergonomics, wasn’t in need of fixing anyway.<br />
Surprise-and-delight cockpit features<br />
continue to abound, like the hidden high-grip<br />
surfaces applied to the inside of the interior<br />
door-pulls and on the floor of the upper<br />
dashboard compartment.<br />
A large, flip-out dash box, easy-to-read<br />
Reign Czech: Skoda’s sportiest model comes in hatch<br />
and wagon body styles, with petrol and diesel power.<br />
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instruments, highly tactile controls and,<br />
thanks to the hip-hugging fake-suede<br />
sports seats in the RS we sampled, one<br />
of the most ergonomic seating positions<br />
we’ve encountered all add to the Octavia<br />
RS experience.<br />
On the solid cross-country global<br />
launch drive through Hungary, the petrol<br />
RS was as effortless to drive in peak-hour<br />
Budapest traffic as it was at very high<br />
freeway speeds.<br />
Powered by a turbocharged 147kW/<br />
280Nm version of Volkswagen’s directinjection<br />
2.0-litre four, the petrol RS<br />
sedan is in effect a Golf GTI with a boot<br />
or the Jetta GTI that VW never built,<br />
while the petrol RS Combi adds another<br />
dimension by throwing in the cargo space<br />
of a midsize wagon like the Mazda6,<br />
Subaru Liberty or … VW’s own Passat.<br />
Mated to an ever-ready double-clutch<br />
automated manual DSG transmission<br />
controlled oh-so-conveniently by steering<br />
wheel paddle shifters, both the petrol and<br />
125kW/350Nm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel RS<br />
are lusty performers with a satisfying level<br />
of response and in-gear acceleration.<br />
According to European test figures, the<br />
TDI manual liftback returns as little as<br />
150g/km and 5.7L/100km, while at the<br />
other end of the range the TSI DGS wagon<br />
produces 180g/km and 7.7L/100km.<br />
Both engines meet stringent new Euro<br />
V emissions standards. However, given<br />
most of the 20kg of weight savings are<br />
the result of replacing the full-size spare<br />
wheel with a tyre repair kit, which won’t<br />
be the case for Australian models, it<br />
remains to be seen whether the efficiency<br />
gains translate to Australia’s test regime.<br />
Ride quality on the cobblestones of<br />
Buda’s old town was far from comfortable<br />
and won’t find favour with those who<br />
spend most of their time on Australian<br />
B-roads, and a brief track session at<br />
Hungary’s Euroring proved the frontdrive<br />
RS is a chronic understeerer on a<br />
racetrack, despite its surprising lack of<br />
body roll.<br />
With more street cred than ever, though,<br />
the Octavia RS should continue to offer<br />
more bang for your buck than the Golf<br />
GTI in a package that has never looked<br />
better.<br />
MOTOR<br />
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