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SMMT day 2003
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Brief Encounters WITH LEXUS, DAEWOO, VAUXHALL, KIA, MERCEDES, SUBARU, SEAT, SKODA, AND FORD ANGLIA |
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Once a year the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders invites as many car makers as it can persuade to jeopardise their machinery, together with all the journalists that it is still talking too, and makes the Millbrook Proving Ground near Bedford available for test driving. There were Ferraris, BMWs, assorted Porsches and a Rolls Royce, and it might seem hard to believe, but amongst all this nifty machinery the most memorable were a couple of Vauxhalls and a Seat. Hard to believe because it’s not true. I wasn’t able to smooze Ferrari or Porsche into lending me one of their supreme vehicles. I’ve driven all the available BMWs, and Rolls Royce was only offering a chauffer-driven experience. Apart from the unadulterated fun of driving around a testing “alpine” circuit, and the banked, oval, high speed track in somebody else’s car, there was the opportunity to drive some new machines that hadn’t come my way before, and re-evaluate others. I drove the Lexus RX300, the Daewoo Kanos, Vauxhalls Meriva and Signum, Subaru WRX STi, Kia Sorento, Mercedes E class Estate, Seat Cordoba, Skoda Superb, and Ford Anglia 105E. Yes, Ford provided the old Anglia, and a sobering experience it was too. I used to own one of these machines, at least the life insurance company that mistakenly employed me to sell their wares, gave me one for the duration. The FORD ANGLIA 105E Introduced in 1959, had that distinctive rear-sloping back window, and its frog-like eyes made it very different from any other small vehicle on the roads at the time. It was powered by a 4-cylinder 997cc ohv engine, which developed 39 bhp at 5000 rpm and had a 4-speed gearbox. It was definitely an improvement on the side-valve Anglia it replaced, which had some kind of obnoxious vacuum pump arrangement to power the windscreen wipers. When the car was struggling to find the power to climb steepish hills, the windscreen wipers duly slowed down to a crawl because they shared the power with the engine. The 105E was a big improvement on the model it replaced, but compared with modern machinery it felt like a death trap at the testing grounds. Inside the cramped interior, the huge, spindly steering wheel looked ready to spear you through the heart. The steering, no power assistance of course, felt heavy. The brakes didn’t seem to work at all, maybe because the pedals were so close together I was accelerating and braking at the same time. I declined the chance to drive this out of the paddock and snuck straight back to the Ford stand; from now on, only cars from the 21st century for me. And the LEXUS RX300 Certainly qualifies on the modernity score. Looking suspiciously like a BMW X5 this luxury SUV delivers outstanding performance, derived from the 3-litre, 6-cylinder, 24-valve VVTi engine. The RX features a new five-speed automatic transmission for improved refinement, economy and performance plus many luxuries that are standard in all models, such as climate control air conditioning, speed sensitive power steering, electrically adjustable front seats, cruise control and 6-disc CD auto-changer. A nice touch when you get in - the steering wheel moves towards you, suggesting it is saying “I’m ready for action”. When you remove the key, the controls all move back towards the dashboard. The car cossets and pampers you. Prices start at £28,950, very competitive compared with the BMW X5’s £33,140 range starter. The cute little supermini DAEWOO KALOS 1.2 S competes with the likes of the Hyundai Getz at the lower price point and the Honda Jazz at the top. From the outside the car looks very attractive and it drives well enough. The test car had a 1.2 litre 4-cylinder engine developing 72 bhp and has a 5 speed manual gearbox. Combined fuel consumption is said to be 42.8 mpg. Like other Asian contenders the car comes loaded, with driver and passenger airbags, ABS brakes, electronic brake force distribution, and power steering. The S version had a pop-up sunroof, radar reversing sensor and a single CD player, - all for £8,225. Another competitor for the Jazz is the all-new VAUXHALL MERIVA, the one that splits in two on the TV ads. The Meriva carries on Vauxhall’s recent winning streak of great new cars, led by the Mondeo-beating Vectra and the compact MPV Zafira. The Meriva went on sale in Britain this month with an entry-level price for the 1.6 litre of £10,995. The base Honda Jazz costs £8,995. Ford’s mini-MPV, the Fusion, costs from £9,995 for the 1.4 litre. All Merivas are equipped with electric front windows, remote central locking, anti-lock brakes and twin front airbags as standard, as well as the clever fold-flat rear seats. “Enjoy” versions have air-conditioning, a CD player, tray tables, net pockets in the rear seat backs, and under-seat storage. Passengers in the back can also listen to a CD on headphones while front-seat passengers use the radio. Cruise control is fitted to 1.8-litre “Enjoy” cars. The VAUXHALL SIGNUM Seems to be General Motors’ answer to the Renault Vel Satis and is a probably futile attempt to break into the market above the Mondeo-Vectra-Laguna level. The likes of Ford, Vauxhall and Renault can’t compete, with their bigger cars like the Opel Omega, the old Ford Granada and Renault Safrane, with the likes of the BMW 5 and Mercedes E class. The Signum offers massive space and comfort in the back. It looks smart, without the weird looks of the Vel Satis. All three rear seats fold down to create a large and flat cargo floor. Engines include a 2.2 litre four cylinder, a 2.0 turbo, a 3.2 V6, and three diesels, a 2.0 litre, 2.2, and 3.0 V6. Prices start at £17,995. It is a brave effort by Vauxhall to make some impact in the higher echelons, but doomed to failure, I would guess. The SUBARU IMPREZA WRX STI is one of those cars you love or hate. I’ve never seen the point of a car which is incredibly ugly, and which is simply built for uncompromising performance. Whenever I see an Impreza on the road I wonder how on earth could the driver afford the insurance? Why buy a car which provides performance and road holding you can never use? The Impreza looks better inside than it does from outside, although the toy-town air intake on the front bonnet is simply laughable. Turn on the engine and it throbs away just as you’d expect. Bombing around the banked track the machine had fantastic pickup. I never got close to finding out if the four-wheel drive was as sticky as promised. This new version of the Impreza has new headlights and front and rear bumpers, variable rate suspension and speed sensitive steering. The turbocharged 2.0 litre engine slams out 221 bhp. 0-60 mph takes 5.6 seconds. Price - £24,995 – that sounds good for what you get, but the real test for buyers is the insurance group - 20 - with a typical quote an eye-watering £1,967. |
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| The KIA SORENTO V6 is an Asian attempt to break into the Lexus RX300/BMW 5 series market, and it certainly scores heavily in terms of price. There already is a turbo-diesel version of the Sorento, and the 3.5 V6 automatic is offered at a tempting £21,995, fully loaded. The Sorento V6 is already on sale in the U.S., with nearly 250,000 sold in 2002. The vehicle is rated “top SUV” in AutoPacific’s 2003 Vehicle Satisfaction Survey, according to Kia. Now that’s a recommendation that will have the punters rushing to open their wallets! The Sorento looks impressive and drives well although it felt it bit bouncy. The performance doesn’t seem up to much if you think of the size of the engine. The quality of the inside seems a bit tacky with some pretty awful fake wood. It is nearly £7,000 cheaper than the RX300 though. The MERCEDES E CLASS ESTATE is now on sale in Britain, and with prices starting at £27,355 it looks like being a mean competitor. The basic E class estate includes Sensotronic Brake Control, and six air-bags. A rollover sensor activates air bags in sequence. Rear self-levelling suspension is also included on the base model, the E200 Kompressor is powered by a 1.8 litre 163 bhp petrol engine. A very impressive machine. Even the auto box changes down when it thinks you should. Last year, I drove my first Seat, the IBIZA Sport 1.9 Tdi and I was very impressed. It was quite beautiful inside and out and the performance from the 130 bhp diesel engine was sensational. This time I tried the SEAT CORDOBA 1.9 TDI and it was up to standard. Great looks, terrific cabin quality, loads of room, and very quick; priced at £14,000. The only problem I would suggest for this car is the lack of charisma surrounding the Seat brand, which is still pretty anonymous on this side of the Channel. You can’t say that VW’s other brand, Skoda, is anonymous now. The ad campaign over the years has made us all aware of the working class origins of this brand, although I’m not so sure this has actually achieved any kind of breakthrough into the sunlit uplands of VW territory, or even Renault or Peugeot. Maybe it is considered an equal of Fiat, but that’s not saying much. I tried the unfortunately named SKODA SUPERB 2.5 TDI, a hostage-to-fortune of a name if ever there was one, yours for £24,500. This is a lot of car for the money. Equipment levels are high and the cabin is cavernous and well built. The ride is smooth and soaks up the bumps. This car is probably the equal of many machines which cost up to £10,000 more, and just makes you realise that whoever said “What’s in a name?” (William Shakespeare-Ed) knew what he was on about because even though it is fantastic value, this car will not be a success simply because of its name. And I don’t mean Superb. Neil Winton, June 20, 2003 |
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