Ford Focus RS: Future leader of the (large) hot hatch family?

Over the past few years, the market for hot hatchbacks has increased dramatically. As a continent, Europe now has something of a reputation for them. And one of the very first manufacturers for these cars: Ford. But how do you keep at the front of a market evolving so quickly? Even if you were there at the very beginning, how do you create a product that is better than all the others?

Well, here is Ford's attempt to blast back into the sector and kick rivals like the Audi RS3 and the Honda Civic Type-R back into the corner. The new Focus RS. A car that has a lot of form, and has now arrived in its 3rd gen. guise. However, Ford are currently very secretive about any figures, knowing that if they announce they are in front they are most likely to be bettered. A horsepower figure of 'At least 320' has been released, but figures like weight and 0-62MPH are not being disclosed. But perhaps the most important fact about this new car? It will be AWD. Leading many of us to reminisce about hot Fords of old. AN dont think it's going to be a flappy paddle 'box. A manual remains. The engine under the bonnet is a variant of the new Mustangs 2.3 litre ecoboost, but modified in such a way that means it will have less mid-range lag and more top-end kick. Another interesting point is the fact that the rear axle is driven by clutch packs, meaning that, if both are open, it will be 100% AWD but, as the gearing is different, it is also possible to have a 70% rear biased. meaning the possibility of big skids. And unnecessary looning around. And the time we have to wait for this re-incarnation? 2016. And hopefully soon we will know some more juicy figures.
Nev

Mazda MX-5: can it beat it's predecessor?

When most people think of a sportster, there is usually only one that springs to mind. A car that has sold almost a million units since the first gen model of 1989. This new fourth-gen model is practically all-new, and therefore has a massive responsibility to better an already near-perfect sportster.

This new car attempts to achieve the task of bettering its predecessor by capitalising on the very things that made it so popular in the first place. It is lighter by over 100kg, by shedding a few grams off all of the components, which all adds up to the new car losing 10% of the old car's weight, which wasn't very much anyway. Also the fourth generation is shorter than its predecessor, meaning that overall the weight distribution is even more balanced, and the centre of gravity is even lower, meaning even more agility and handling prowess. The engine remains as a small 1.5 litre four-cylinder, with only 129 BHP, but the engine  manages very good economy, even when it is driven like it should be: flinging it around all over the place. And despite the prices starting at around £19,000, the interior isn't exactly lacking in gadgets, and definitely doesn't feel cheap.

So, the new MX-5. a car that manages to be smaller, lower and lighter than the original, while staying true to the original by retaining a small engine. And with that lightly aggressive styling, I think the hairdresser car stereotypes are a thing of the past.

Nev

Ferrari 488 GTB: New era or start of the end

It's going to be an exciting year for Ferrari. Here is the new 458 replacement which, after last years Californina T, is the car in which Ferrari is bringing the turbocharger to its mid-engined supercar sector, it's heart. And it's doing everything to show that this new turbocharged era will be better than the natural one. So, the car. In my opinion the styling is spot on, and the addition of the air vents and active flaps only serve to make it look ready for purpose.

The new 3.9 litre ( below 4 for tax reasons) twin-turbo motor makes 661 BHP, which is considerably more than the 458 Speciale and just more, suspiciously, than the Mclaren 650S, clearly its biggest rival.  Not only that but it also weighs in at 10kg lighter than the standard 458 and manages to drop 15% of its CO2 emissions as well. A pretty impressive feat, I'm sure you'll agree. From an impressive car. All of the hard work from the Ferrari engineers has meant that it is supposed to feel more like a naturally aspirated car too. 0-62 is achieved in 3 seconds (admittedly the same as the 458 Speciale) but when the two cars reach 124 the 488 will be 1 whole second in front! Top speed is 205. Plus some physics warping by the engineers, with the 488 achieving more downforce yet reduced drag. How is that possible? Anyway, lots of trickery.

And the 488 will be ready for production this summer. So not long to wait. To see whether 458 owners will be kicking themselves or not.

Nev



 

2016 Ford GT: A realistic Ferrari rival?

Somehow Ford have managed to keep this a secret for 14 months, until all was revealed at this years Detroit motor show. Journalists were promised a 'fast Ford' but were expecting a Focus RS and not a full on supercar. The reason for its being is that next year is the 50th anniversary of the Le Mans winning streak with the Ford GT40. So, to commemorate, here is a new GT, which loses a lot of GT40 styling clues for a very modern approach. The engine is not the 6.2 V8 from the previous Ford GT of 2005 but instead a new twin-turbo ecoboost V6, which will have purists up in arms. But the new engine is more powerful than the V8 and more high tech, so we won't be too disappointed. 

There is also a lot of aerodynamics at work on the new body. Air ducts everywhere and air channels ensure that the drag is low. And don't go thinking that this is one of the new hybrid cars such as the Honda NSX I talked about in my last post. No siree. The engine (producing around 600BHP) is driving the rear wheels via a seven speed gearbox, meaning no excess battery and motor weight. Ford claim that it will have one of the lowest power to weight ratios around, meaning it could weigh in at around 1,200kg. Unfortunately most details regarding speed have not been released yet, before the cars final production version next year, but expect 0-62 in under 3.3 and a top speed of over 200mph. 

The bad part is that the numbers will be reduced from the previous incarnation, meaning 100s and not 1000s, and the price will reflect this exclusivity, meaning a price of around 200,000-250,000- around the same as a Lamborgni Aventador of Ferrari 458 Speciale. We'll just have to hope it is worth the price when it lands in 2016

Nev

New Honda NSX: worth the wait?

This post is for grandad, who was oh-so-eager for another post. Enjoy!

At last, the promised replacement of Ayrton Senna's favourite car has been revealed in its performance form. And my, does it look good. You can see that Honda haven't been half hearted about this resurrection. 

Basically, it is a four wheel drive hybrid supercar for a cheaper price than its Italian rivals. It incorporates a twin turbo V6 that drives the rear wheels, but also 3 electric motors. Two for the front two wheels, one to fill in for the turbo time. The engine itself bears resemblance to the new Honda formula 1 engine used by Mclaren in this years formula one season ( more on that in a future post). So did Honda plan for this car to incorporate some of its newly discovered racing tech? This new NSX also incorporates A LOT of complicated electric systems, making it all very difficult to simply explain here. Just know that there are a lot of driver assists, distancing it from its old-school predecessor. On the plus side, these systems result in a 0-60 time of under 3 seconds, making it faster than even a Nissan GTR! This is curtesy of over 550 BHP, but this could be combined or purely the V6. 

The use of extremely low weight materials mean that the car has a very low overall weight and centre of gravity. And, even after all the tech, the price will also be very cut-price compared to its rivals. A price of about 150000 when it comes to the UK price. So will this car prove as incredible as its predecessor? We will have to wait and see when it lands in the summer

Nev

Ps. It will have a Honda badge in the UK,as opposed to the Acura badge you see here

Shelby GT350- worth sulking over?

As regular readers will know, the new 2015 Ford Mustang will be coming to the UK. Which is a good thing. Until I realised that Shelby doesn't agree with the new Mustang's foreign policy. The track-ready version of the gorgeous new Mustang- the Shelby GT350-will be the only version of the Mustang that we won't be receiving (but don't worry because we will get an Eco-boost version! It's so good to be British). But it looks so nice I thought I had to write about it, if only to tell you what you are missing out on. 

The Shelby GT350, contrary to what the name suggests, doesn't produce 350 BHP. Thats just a call-back to the 1965 GT350 (which only had 306BHP. Seriously, what is the point of that name?). No, the GT350 will produce over 500BHP (the name thing is just there to confuse everyone) from the most powerful naturally aspirated V8 in its history. All being delivered through a very old-school 6 speed stick. The 0-62MPH time will certainly be lower than the normal car's 4.4 seconds. And the looks you see below are all designed to improve aero to increase the overall performance-while making it look amazing. Plus it gets adaptive damping, and Ford's best brake system ever, and it is stiffer than the normal car. Please Ford, pretty please?

Nev

Button +Alonso+Honda= formula one dominance next year?

So Mclaren have finally made up their mind about which driver they want. Did they pull the name out of a hat?! In my opinion their choice was the right one: Jensen Button has more to give than the rookie Magnussen. And the decision from Alonso to move to Mclaren, while very brave and (according to some) bound to fail, will strengthen the Mclaren team no end. But can Mclaren and Alonso keep it together this time? For those of you who don't remember last time Alonso was at McLaren he left after year one of a 3 year contract because of a dispute between himself and the team principal Ron Dennis. So what will make this time different? 

The return of the Japanese Giants Honda to formula one is another factor that may determine who will control the podium next year. After a long absence from the grid Honda have decided to make a comeback and suppy their engine to McLaren, who will break off their long partnership with Mercedes in order to hopefully gain an advantage over them on the grid. This is a risky strategy that will only pay off if Honda still have the engineering expertise that they were so famed for back in the day and still are in their road cars.

And obviously you can't win a constructors championship with just a car. That is why McLaren have picked a line up of experienced and talented drivers many regard as the best on the grid. With a combined 4 world titles and drivers widely regarded as the most experienced drivers on the grid I can really see McLaren rising back to their form of a couple of years ago. Both the drivers are hungrier than ever for a title and I just hope McLaren (and Honda) can give it to them. Lewis Hamilton and his team at Mercedes better watch out if they want to keep their title because McLaren are hungry for victory in 2015.

Nev