AUTOCAR
Autocar has the low-down on the new Audi R8 V12 TDI concept in its latest edition, the ‘world’s first diesel supercar’. It is faster and has more torque than the petrol version and Autocar believes it could change our perceptions of performance diesels.
Dan Stevens writes: ‘Audi has stolen a march on every other car manufacturer by unveiling the world’s first diesel supercar. The R8 V12 TDI concept, revealed at this week’s Detroit motor show, kick-starts a new era of performance diesels; it is faster, more powerful and torquier than the petrol-powered R8’
Elsewhere the magazine has got one of this year’s hottest comparison tests – the Subaru Impreza STi versus the Mitsubishi Evo X. It’s early days as the test was in Japan, but this time the Evo comes out on top.
Peter Nunn writes: ‘Both cars are packed with astonishing amounts of technology, but it’s the Mitsubishi that manages to feel simpler, more instant and more down-to-earth when being driven in a manner in which these cars are made to be driven. On a twisty road it’s an absolute five-star joy, and British petrolheads should be slobbering with anticipation of its arrival.’
EVO
Diesel V12 supercars may well be the future but Evo concentrated on a more traditional twelve-cylinder British sports car that could be on sale in 18 months. The 600bhp Aston Martin V12 Vantage RS concept is basically the company’s biggest engine in its smallest car and will top 200mph, but will the likes of the new Audi R8 diesel make it seem slightly redundant?
John Barker: ‘Customer feedback may yet determine the outcome, though with such a high level of interest in the car, Aston could build the V12 Vantage it wants with no fear of them sticking to showroom floors, even at the price being suggested by pundits. Aston won’t be drawn, but higher than the £160k DBS seems likely. That puts it up with the Gallardo Superleggera and F430 Scuderia, but then this promises to be a very special and very rare car.’
Meanwhile scribbler Henry Catchpole takes an Impreza Spec-C Type RA-R to the special stages of Rally Ireland to say goodbye to the old shape Scooby.
‘The RA-R is a truly fitting last of the breed, an inspirationally high mark for the new Impreza to live up to,’ he concludes.
TOP GEAR
Top Gear magazine meanwhile was mulling over 2007 to find its car of the year. Most people have raved about the R8 and the magazine named it as its Sports Car of the Year. Pitching it against The Nissan GT-R, one of the true highlights of last year, it appears the Audi has the edge. It makes us wonder what the R8 V12 TDI will be like, whether perfection can indeed be bettered, or will Audi push it too far?
Top Gear writes: ‘The experience. And that’s why the R8 just shades it – because it rewards driver input. In the Nissan you get the feeling that the car could probably go even faster if it didn’t have you, a mere human being, dicking about behind the wheel.’
‘The R8 is fantastic in a way that will appeal more to enthusiasts; lithe, agile, beautifully engineered. It’s even got soul, a remarkable achievement for Audi.’
CAR
Car magazine is having a good look at Britain’s premium brands this month, namely Jaguar and Land Rover, which are being sold by Ford. The company has already sold Aston Martin, which is showing off its RS concept, and Gavin Green believes selling the other two is a big mistake.
He writes: ‘They (Ford bosses) know they’re letting a couple of jewels – which Ford has painstakingly transformed – slip through their fingers. They know that if they’d managed their own operations better, especially in North America, there would be no need to sell the family silver. Most know that the future for well-run premium car companies is bright indeed. Brighter than for US mass-makers perennially playing catch-up with the lower-cost (in a market where price is king) Japanese.’
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