Bugatti Veyron review

The Bugatti Veyron's birth was not an easy one, that it came to be because one day Volkswagen tsar Ferdinand Piech had a dream: to provide the world with a car that had 1000bhp, cost one million euros and could do over 400km/h (250mph). To begin with the brief seemed impossible but in Piech’s mind, not something that couldn’t happen.By 1999 there was a styling proposal and even an engine of sorts, initially with 18 cylinders. By 2000 the styling was clearer and the powerplant had been reduced to 16 cylinders, effectively two 4.0-litre VW V8s. A year later VW announced it was indeed going to build the Veyron and that it would have 1001PS (987bhp) and do over 400km/h. Then the real trouble started.MattPriorRoad test editorThe Veyron Super Sport redefines what's physically possible in a car with numberplatesThe engineers knew that to announce a car with such huge power and speed claims was one thing, but that to make it was entirely another. For a year and a half they tried, and for a year and a half they failed, until eventually Bugatti's boss, Dr Neuman, was ‘removed.’Then a new leadership team was brought in in late 2003, Dr Wolfgang Schreiber arriving as the new chief engineer. Having previously been in charge of transmissions at VW/Audi he was the bloke responsible for the original DSG gearboxes.A few months after that Thomas Bscher, merchant banker, Le Mans race driver and well-known financial trouble-shooter, was appointed as president, having been head-hunted personally by then VW boss Bernd Pischetsrieder.Then years later and having changed or re-engineered an incredible 95 per cent of the components, the Veyron became reality. And all of Dr Piech’s original dynamic targets had been hit.[EXTRACT]#EANF#

Audi R8 review

You can usually tell how happy a manufacturer is with a car’s performance in the marketplace come facelift time. If it feels the need to start throwing new bodywork and engines at it rather than waiting a few years for its all-new replacement, you can usually assume the car’s not doing its job properly.So armed with this knowledge, let’s look at all the changes Audi has decided to make to its R8 supercar six years after it first went on sale. Outside there are merely new lights, restyled exhaust pipes, a new valence at the back and a restyled grille at the front. Inside there are a few more aluminium trim panels and promotion from optional to standard for things such as sat-nav, Bluetooth and iPod connectivity. There’s confidence for you.But there’s a little more here than immediately meets the eye, most important of which is in the form of a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission to replace the robotised six-speed manual gearbox found in previous two-pedal versions of the R8. Smooth, quick and without any of the old transmission’s habit of stumbling over itself, it is now as good a reason to skip the standard manual as the old auto was to choose it.Don’t pay too much attention to Audi’s claims that it drops the 0-62mph time by 0.3sec of both the 4.2-litre V8 and 5.2-litre V10 versions because that’s only going to happen if you use its new launch control facility every time you leave the lights. Focus instead on the fact that the one weak link in the R8’s chain of command has now been replaced. It costs an extra £2900, which only sounds steep until you consider it’s less than Audi charges to trim the engine bay in carbonfibre.There is, however, more to the 2013 R8 than a few visual tweaks and a new gearbox. Though all range members remain, their numbers have been swelled by a new arrival, the 524bhp R8 Plus, essentially a production version of the limited edition R8 GT with 25bhp more than the standard V10, bespoke suspension settings and carbon-ceramic brake discs.It’s not the additional power you notice so much, for fast though its 3.5sec 0-62mph undoubtedly is, it’s a scant tenth quicker than the normal V10. More significant is how much sharper is the chassis thanks not only to its new suspension but also the reduction in unsprung weight at each corner. While still sufficiently civilised to fill the R8’s essential role as an everyday, all-purpose supercar, it provides the car with a new level of agility and response, and crucially without torpedoing the ride at the same time.The issue is that Audi wants £127,575 for the V10 Plus with the new transmission, £12,000 more than it asks for the standard automatic V10 and a massive £33,000 more than the V8 with the new gearbox. And because it is this smaller engine that provides the R8 with its sweetest handling, we still reckon it’s the best of an increasingly able bunch.[EXTRACT]#EANF#

Bentley Continental GTC review

When Bentley and Rolls-Royce were split by BMW and VW in 1998, there were fears that neither firms' ethos would survive the fragmentation. Those were allayed in 2003 when the Continental GT appeared, with potentially huge pace and majestic looks.The four-door Flying Spur and drop-top GTC were introduced in 2005. In 2009, the limited-edition 621bhp Supersports showed that Bentley was still capable of producing something resembling the most unlikely super-fast bruisers it was famous for.MattPriorRoad test editorCan Bentley's suave convertible cut it with a V8 instead of a W12?Some will find it comforting to think of Bentley's implied heavyweight sporting elegance as an intransigent part of Britain's automotive landscape: as evocative as the thwack of willow on leather, the smell of a village pub or the peal of a church bell.But, in truth, the company is no more resistant to the preoccupations of the 21st century than any other cultural benchmark. And so, like limited-overs cricket or gastropubs, Bentley has moved with the times and, with the considerable help of its German cheque writer, Volkswagen, introduced the green and pleasant version of the Continental GTC that it promised in 2008.Of course, some things don't change. The continued fitment of the 6.0-litre W12 engine is proof of that. Bentley may have delivered the 40 per cent improvement in economy and emissions that it said it would, but that hefty reduction still permitted the fitment of a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 petrol engine from Audi that produces 500bhp. The question is: are those 500 four-ringed geldings capable of mimicking Bentley shire horses aboard the mobile amphitheatre that is the GTC?[EXTRACT]#EANF#

Ford Fiesta review

The astonishing success of the current generation of Ford Fiesta has been based on two convergent facts: first the sixth generation of Fiesta was good enough to lead the class from the moment of its introduction in 2008; second that introduction coincided with global economic meltdown forcing mass downsizing in the European car market. Suddenly people who’d never even considered a shopping car found themselves eye to eye with the Fiesta. And perhaps to their surprise, they liked what they saw.SteveCropleyEditor-in-chiefSome Ford executives referred to this Fiesta’s rollout as Ford’s most significant car since the Model TAt its launch in 2008, this latest incarnation was as distinctive as the previous version was not. It was a genuinely handsome car, but like most modern Fords, ubiquity softened the impact of its design. It was given a nose job in 2013 as part of a number of visual tweaks, and new engines were introduced to ensure it continued to cut a dash. But while the success of the huge trapedozial grille treatment has been widely debated, the addition of the three-cylinder 1.0-litre Ecoboost engine has been roundly praised.Predictably for a car that has become the UK’s top seller, the range is vast, overlapping the smaller Ka at the bottom and the larger Focus at the top.Aside from the new three-pot Ecoboost engine in two power outputs, powerplants include 1.25, 1.4 and 1.6-litre petrols and 1.4 and 1.6-litre diesels. Trim levels are the familiar Studio, Edge, Zetec and Titanium, all of which are available on the in three and five-door models. There are also the low-CO2 Econetic models to look out for.Perhaps the Fiesta’s biggest trump card is its big-car feel. At its 2007 launch, no other cooking supermini felt as solid or grown up, and its ride shamed cars from a class or two above. Handling offered a verve that even some hot hatches failed to match.Years on from the car’s original launch, does the Fiesta still match the best in the supermini class? Read on for the full review to find out.Looking for a used Ford Fiesta? Visit PistonHeads Classifieds[EXTRACT]#EANF#

Audi Q5 review

When it comes to economics, Ingolstadt has its own law of supply and demand: if a market niche exists, sooner or later a new Audi model will arrive to fill it.Arriving after the Q7 and before the Q3, the Q5 shows Audi's continuing determination to cover all the SUV bases.MattBurtDeputy editorThe Q5 is no rock-crawler but full-time 4wd traction still impresses in very slippery goingAs with its larger sibling, the Q5 is not a serious off-road tool, but rather the Audi for those who want a mid-sized estate but prefer an elevated driving position and enhanced ability in slippery conditions like snow or sand. The model is Ingolstadt’s response to the Land Rover Freelander 2, BMW X3 and Volvo XC60.The petrol options are two flavours of 2.0 TFSI, the more powerful of which gets the a seven-speed incarnation of S-tronic dual-clutch gearbox, as do the 3.2-litre petrol V6 and the larger of the two diesels, the 3.0-litre V6.Want to change gears yourself? Then you need either the lowest-powered TFSI or one of the two 2.0 TDIs.[EXTRACT]#EANF#

Audi A5 review

The expansion of the Audi A5 range has been a microcosm for the expansion of the Audi range as a whole over the past few years. Ignoring the TT (technically a coupe, in practice a two-seater), Audi has been without a proper 2+2 coupe since sales of the B4 Coupe, based on the third generation Audi 80, ceased in 1996.Then the three-door, four-seat A5 arrived 2007. Should you be seeking explanation for Audi’s decision to produce the A5, consider the fact the coupe boosts BMW 3-series sales by half as much again, and when the 3-series saloon outsells the Ford Mondeo, that’s a significant market, and one in which Audi is keen to delve.SteveSutcliffeEditor-at-largeThe Audi A5 is a big seller in an increasingly important marketThe A5 name was such a success as a coupe, it was used for the A5 Cabriolet two years later. Effectively, it’s an open-top version of the existing A5 coupé and, despite its numerically enhanced moniker, is a direct replacement for the previous A4 Cabriolet.It doesn’t stop there with A5s. Arriving at a similar time as the A5 cabriolet was the A5 Sportback. Audi claims that the A5 Sportback is “unique, with no direct competitors...blending coupe style with saloon practicality...a contemporary embodiment of the Grand Turismo philosophy”. Audi also says the Sportback is the last model in the A5 line-up. Phew.Before the A5, the Audi A4 scored around a quarter of sales in the compact premium class, but with this platform-and segment-sharing pair it has snared a third of the market, even if A4 sales have dropped slightly.The A5 range is critical, partly as they’re the first ‘ordinary’ models of which Audi talks seriously about a ‘driver-oriented chassis. If there’s truth in Audi’s claims, it could be just the news BMW didn’t want to hear.[EXTRACT]#EANF#

Audi RS3 Sportback 2011-2012 review

The RS3 is the latest in a long line of Audis offering huge performance in ostensibly family-oriented models. Back in 1994, Audi launched a compact but very special estate car to the world. The RS2 Avant was the first Audi to wear the ‘Renn Sport’ badge.Built by Porsche, under the same roof as the 959 supercar and Mercedes-Benz’s 500E super-saloon, it was one of the first performance wagons in the world.HiltonHollowayAssociate editorAudi's single-framed grille gets an anthracite finish for the RS3 SportbackMaybe it’s due to a lack of opportunity, or out of deference to the RS line’s founding father, but Audi has never built another car quite like the RS2.The first RS4, a car of similar size, was disappointing; the second was available only as a saloon. Now, seemingly almost by accident – because it's a farewell to the humble A3, a car which has rarely excited keen drivers – Audi performance arm Quattro GmbH has developed a fast, compact pseudo-estate with unmissable similarities to the Audi that Porsche built.There is less than 25bhp and 50kg of kerb weight separating the new RS3 Sportback and that RS2 Avant, yet Audi doesn’t mention the legendary old-timer once in the RS3’s marketing blurb. Which prompts the question: is this new car of insufficient calibre to deserve a mention on the same bill?[EXTRACT]#EANF#