Audi RS6 Review

Before now, the only decent estate cars you could buy were; the E-Class from Mercedes and the BMW M5 Estate. But here with us now, is a new version…

The RS6 – a new car on the market, is Audi’s entrant to the estate car competition. It’s quite a looker isn’t it, with the huge grills and the silver wing mirrors. But should you buy one? First of all we need to find out about the engine. Prepare for a shock… it’s a 5 Litre V10! The Merc and M5 develop around 500 hp, this thing can churn out 572! That’s more powerful than Ferrari’s F430 and the F50 for crying out loud. And the top speed – 155 mph. With an engine like that you might expect more, and so did I but then I found out it had to be electronically limited to that. Before the limiters were added on, Audi took this down tho the auto-barns and managed to get over 200 mph out of it. Most supercars only go a smidgen faster than that!

Furthermore, the handling is great too and with 4 Wheel Drive it can go around the tightest of hairpins with ease. Compared to the Merc and BMW it is in a different league. Although there are a few mere problems:

In the Mercedes, there is a huge boot, easily capable of swallowing a bike, or a dog cage, and a big one at that. In the Audi there is a much smaller boot, and in estates, it’s all about size. Also, in the BMW there is a 7-speed gearbox, the RS6 on the other hand, has to cope with a measly 6. Anyway, a few mere issues. Everything else is supercalifragalisticexpaladociously great. Did I mention the price? Did I mention the brakes? These are two very important points.

On the RS6 the brakes are ceramic. They are some of the best brakes I have ever come across. EVER. EVER. EVER. EVER. EVER. EVER. EVER. EVER. EVER. EVER. EVER. EVER. EVER. EVER. EVER. EVER. EVER. EVER. EVER. EVER. EVER. EVER. EVER. EVER. EVER. EVER. EVER. EVER. EVER. EVER. EVER. EVER. I could go on forEVER!

Unfortunately, for these brakes you have to pay a price. Literally. They cost £6,000 alone! Although the car does have a pretty hefty price tag itself. £77,000! That’s £10,000 more than the Merc or BM.

There are a few major and minor problems. So now it’s you choice – do you buy one or not? There is only one way to find out…Just don’t fight about it!

Score: 7/10

MG TF Le 500

You may have thought MG was gone forever, but it’s back and better than ever. But who has revived it, well the answer is the Chinese. This all fell into place in 2007 when they revealed their latest car, and it went down well with the public.

With a 1.8 litre 4 cylinder engine it produces a fair 135 bhp, which is quite a lot for a small car. This carries itself from 0-60 in just 8.4 seconds, and makes a top speed of 127 mph. For a little city sports car that’s pretty nippy. Though it’s not quick enough to be a track car. But it’s great for country lanes and touring.

However the interior has no problems what so ever. It has Mp3 connection, Four HD speakers and a leather finish. But the ride is quite hard, though it’s bearable.

So overall it’s a brilliant little car and has just a few mere problems. I think it’s great and for just over £16,000.00 it’s ridiculous not to buy. It’s a great way to spend your money.

Score 7/10

Ariel Atom Review

The Ariel Atom is really one of a kind. It’s a mix of all things. The engine and gearbox from a Honda and the chassis looks like it’s made of old scaffolding. And they are built in the middle of somerset by a team of just seven, churning out just 30 cars per year.

Though with an amazing 300 bhp, the Ariel can hit a limited speed of 155 mph! For a small car that’s absolutely incredible. Because of this The Ariel can achieve 0-62 in just 2.9 seconds! This is all because the power to weight ratio is higher than a Ferrari Enzo!

As you would imagine, the Ariel has no proper interior. It is as if the designers have come through time from the 1920’s and brought the interior styles with them!

But this is still one great car. But there are some small problems, like practicality. It has no boot, 2 seats, little space and generally not very family friendly. However…

Score 8/10

Audi S5 Review

From £38,000.00 the S5, Audi’s latest car is certainly a looker. It’s long flowing body creates a beautiful sweeping line. Making this my favourite Audi yet.

But as an Audi, it isn’t a thoroughbred at all. Audi has hardly any races under it’s arm, even the ones it has won are virtually un-heard of. Compared to companies like Mercedes and Ferrari it’s a baby with a minuscule history. Though as a young-an it’s faring well against big companies, like Mercedes and Ferrari. Now Audi is one of Europe’s biggest companies and is extremely powerful.

 With a 4.2 litre V8 it churns out 354 bhp. This may not be the most powerful car , but it certainly has the speed. You also have to remember that it is just £38,000.00, so in-fact you have a great deal for your money. The S5 could actually be the bargain of the year.

Though it doesn’t have any particularly interesting extra equipment, Just I-pod connection and Sat-nav are noticeable. But the seats are extremely comfortable. For a coupe, inside it’s surprisingly large. I once went in the back for 45 minutes and nothing was disturbing at all, the space was quite large, I could almost stretch my legs out fully. The drive comfort was Fabulous.

The S5 is definitely Audis best car yet. I’d buy it, and I think you would too. It’s a marvellous piece of engineering.

Score 9/10

Ford GT Review

Just like the old GT40, Ford’s supercar is definitely a champion. The old car won Grand Prix’s 4 times on the trot. So can the GT live up to the standard its brother set?

The old car was named ‘the GT40′ as it was 40 inches tall. Which meant Peter Crouch couldn’t have one. This time though, the height is three inches taller, so more lofty people can actually get in it. But Peter still might not fit…

Having the same humongous tyres, the new GT is quite a bit similar to the old one. At £111,000, it is a hefty price tag, but there are only 28 coming to the U.K, which is really quite sad, because most of them will be locked away, in secure, alarmed, pin-protected garages. They will hardly ever come out to see the light and be left to rot away. But what’s the point? It’s an amazing car!

Anyone with neck pains may want to stand well clear of this car because when you stamp on the throttle your neck muscles really strain. Managing 0-60 in 3.5 seconds, this immense machine will take you up to 212 mph! That’s faster than the Porsche Carrera GT AND the Mercedes Mclaren SLR. This astonishing speed is a result of the 5.4 litre, supercharged V8 developing 550 bhp and 500 pounds feet of torque.

Don’t get too excited. The engine is the same as the one in the Ford Lightning Pick Up Truck! Another positive point is, when you are driving, the GT is very civilised. When you’re going 130 mph there is no need to raise your voice to talk. In fact, it’ll persuade you that it’s a normal car… But of course, it isn’t! All these things as well as the amazing breaks, precise steering and cushiony suspension add up to make one truly fantastic car.

Just one problem – Peter might not be too pleased…

Score: 9/10

Mercedes SL 65 AMG Review

At just over £150,000.00, the latest SL AMG really shows it’s stuff and shows it well. Possibly the best Mercedes ever. Whenever you buy a Mercedes you know that your money is well spent. Especially on this model. With a great stonking 6 litre V12 it churns out 612 bhp, carrying it from 0-62 in just 4.2 seconds. It’s also extremly good looking and will catch plenty of eyes.

As a Mercedes, the level of finish is always going to be excellent, and on the SL this excellence really shows and beams out like a lighthouse. It even has self parking technology and self cleaning head lights! All the usual equipment is standard, such as sat-nav. Even that is impressive.

The SL is simply wonderful, fantastic, and shows true Know-how German engineering at brilliant standards. It creates a benchmark to all performance sports cars. Everyone should have one.

Score 9/10

Pagani Zonda S 7.3 Review

Even though the S 7.3 is one of the oldest it is definitely the best. With a 7.3 litre V12 it really goes. The engine is one of AMG’s  finest, carrying 555 bhp with 750 nm of torque. It’s certainly got the grip around a bend. But for a quick car is does rev quite low, at just 4050 rpm. However the engine happily takes the Zonda over the 200mph mark and really shows you who’s boss.

As a super car it doesn’t have many modern luxuries, not even a CD player as Standard. The best feature you can get are the leather seats!

But despite it’s lack of extras, it is one wonderful car, it’s drive comfort may not be great, but who’s going to be stopped by that? It’s one of the dream supercars of the decade, right up there with Astons, Ferraris and Lamborghinis. 

Who’s going to turn it down?

Score: 8/10

Range Rover Sport (Supercharged) Review

The all new Range Rover Sport Supercharged is the ultimate country boys prize. At just over £58,000 it’s a great bargain. As off-roaders go, they are the top of the range. It’s elegance and beauty really match it’s skills. 

The Sports 4.2 litre V8 engine really carries it to the limit. With 390 bhp it doesn’t half go fast. It literally flies. So fast that the top speed is unknown! And they sound fantastic, it’s like a lion rumbling, nearly as grunty as an Aston.

Land Rover has really pulled out their stops this time, to include all the technological features available. The standard gearbox is a whopping 6 speed auto with cruise control making driving  a doddle. Even though HSE is available, I find it rather pointless seeing as it already has superchargers. All the normal equipment is standard, such as; Sat-nav, alloy wheels and CD player.

All in all, the Range Rover is an exceedingly good car, the handling is great and the drive comfort is fantastic. It may be highly un-economical, but which millionare wouldn’t have one? Why wouldn’t they?

Score: 9.5/10

Ascari A10 Review

The A10, from Ascari is one of the fastest cars ever made.  It’s 5 Litre V8 engine churns out 625 bhp reaching 60 from standstill in just 2.8 seconds. WOW. And the top speed, well,  have a guess. 215 mph! With a hefty price tag of £350,000, some may expect that too. The main reasons for this enormous figure are: As the car is majorly made from carbon fibre, it only weighs the same as a family hatchback. The other reason is as I explained, it has a ferocious engine.  The A10 is pretty good looking too, with the striking yellow paint and the front grill. The headlamps are also great!

If you ever drive the Ascari to it’s top speed, you probably will have lost one of your senses when you step out, as the noise is deafening! Some may say it’s worth having to learn sign language, as they have experienced the thrill driving the thing. The gearbox is another positive point, and the silver knob is good too.  Best of all though, is the steering. The grip putting it into the corners, gives you the confidence to keep your foot down! Really it’s like a Koenigsegg, only a lot, lot easier to handle.  Most of the info so far has been good, but every car has its negatives.

If you do experience the unlikely event of crashing, you will not be very safe. In a normal family car you would expect a CD player, air conditioning, a boot and most of all airbags. The Ascari has none of these, so it’s not very practical. But as I say, it is very unlikely you’ll crash. (The dashboard is slightly hard to understand too.)

You will probably agree that these are mere niggles. Overall then – a brilliant piece of engineering.                                                                                                       

Score:  9/10

Alfa Romeo 8C Review

As you may agree from looking at the above picture, the new Alfa Romeo 8C is possibly the best looking car ever made. With the long nose and curved tail, it looks slightly like an old Ferrari. And it goes like one too! With a 4.7 litre version of Maserati’s V8 producing 450 BHP and going  from 0-60 in 4.2 seconds- the top speed is 182 mph! The sound’s genuine as well, unlike most modern cars that have had the exhausts tuned.

Sadly, only 500 8Cs have been built, so it’s very unlikely that you’ll ever see one, but if one’s passing by – you’ll hear it! As in most Alfas, the gearbox is at the back and most of the car is made of carbon fibre (including the Ferrari seats) which makes the car lighter. So, what about the handling?

Because the centre of gravity is bang on and the weight distribution is perfect, you would expect it to be great around the corners. Err…no.  The steering feels heavy, too heavy, jerky and the suspension feels like it’s been made out of rotten dish cloths. The flappy paddle gearbox is awful too, but I’m not keen on any. One weird thing is that it is really easy to get your foot stuck under the brake pedal. And that could be dangerous.

Another negative point is that it’s not practical either, with a miniscule boot and no back seats, the 8C would be an awful family car. So what is it good at? The speed isn’t much compared to other modern cars and the driving experience is hideous too. There’s only one purpose left then – a piece of art. And at £110,000, it’s cheaper than some stupid modern paintings that are sold today too.                                                                                                                                     

Score:  8/10