News: Is Kia going to do a Range Rover rival?

Kia could be about to launch a new range-topping 4x4 that would rival the likes of the VW Touareg, Land Rover Discovery and even the mighty Range Rover. The Cross GT (pictured above) is a concept car for the moment, but it will be shown at the Chicago Motor Show and Kia has a habit of putting its concept cars into production.

News: Aston launches new Rapide saloon. Drool.

Bought a Lotto ticket this week? Good, then read on... The stunning new Aston Martin Rapide S is making its debut with yet more luxury and yet more power on offer in its quintessentially elegant four-door silhouette.



The iconic British car maker’s new luxury GT has been sympathetically redesigned andpainstakingly re-engineered to reassert its position as the world’s most beautiful, and beautifully balanced, four-seat sports car.

Aside from the extensive design and engineering improvements, the luxurious new Rapide S – which replaces the outgoing Rapide in markets worldwide – is now even more refined thanks to a range of additions to the four-seater’s sumptuous interior.

Still instantly recognisable as an Aston Martin, of course, the new Rapide S now boasts an imposing and assertive new ‘face’, created by virtue of the impressive and striking new full grille.

Imbuing the new car with an even more sporting, forceful demeanour, the revised front end design is matched at the back by a striking new rear deck profile which includes a more pronounced boot lid ‘flip’. The aerodynamic and aesthetic upgrades both reinforce the sporting nature of new Rapide S and work to counteract lift at higher speeds.

Aston Martin Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ulrich Bez said: “The Rapide S is to me, without doubt, the most beautiful four-door sports car on the market today. This is, very clearly, the power of luxury in action.

“The car’s stunning visual appeal is now matched by a much more powerful and yet more efficient engine – our exceptional new AM11 V12 – which increases massively both the excitement and performance potential of the Rapide S.

“It is a four-door sports car that uniquely combines luxury, style and sporting excitement in Aston Martin’s most flexible and accommodating silhouette. Purity of proportion and exceptional elegance are mixed with truly sensational dynamic performance – this is the four-door sports car in its most versatile form and I am sure our customers around the world are going to love it!”

News: Citroen's DS range to double

We've already seen the DS3, DS4 and DS5 but now Citroen is about to embark on a doubling of the semi-premium DS range, and we'll see the first fruits at the Shanghai Motor Show in April.

That's when Citroen will debut concepts of three new DS models; a compact four-door saloon in the mould of the new Mercedes CLA, an SUV crossover to take on the likes of the BMW X1 and Audi Q3 and a large luxury car, a true successor to the original DS, drawing heavily on the well-received Numbero 9 concept (above).

The fact that the cars are being shown in Shanghai is no coincidence; the DS brand is seen as crucial to Citroen's success in the Chinese market, where the brand carries none of the baggage that it does in Europe.

DS has been a massive success for Citroen so far, with 300,000 models sold in just over two years, 200,000 of them the dinky little DS3 hatchback. Sales in Ireland have been pretty unspectacular so far though. In the UK, DS models account for 30% of Citroen's overall sales. Here, it's just 4% and the total sales figures barely break the 100 car barrier.  Citroen Ireland is planning a nationwide series of events for the DS range later this year though, with the newly-launched DS3 Cabrio as the centrepiece, not so much to try and flog DS models en masse as to re-introduce Irish car buyers to the mainstream Citroen range.

News: Rolls-Royce gets teasy...

Fresh off the back of a record year for sales in 2012, and celebrating its tenth anniversary of being under BMW ownership, Rolls-Royce is dropping a few hints about its all-new model, due to be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show in a few weeks' time.


Well, make that a very few hints. There is as yet no official word on what type of car this will be, only that it will be "the most dynamic and powerful model in Rolls-Royce's history" and that it will revive a name first used by Rolls in 1938... the Wraith.

Cool name, and it's a model that could break the Rolls mould. Torsten Müller-Ötvös, CEO Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, confirmed the news at the company’s World Dealer Conference in London this morning.

“Rolls-Royce Wraith will draw superlatives when it is unveiled in Geneva,” he explained to representatives of the 100-strong global dealer network. “Expect the boldest design, the most dramatic performance and the most powerful Rolls-Royce that has ever played host to the famous Spirit of Ecstasy figurine. We will present a model whose starting point is luxury, refinement and exclusivity, traits that have made Rolls-Royce the world’s pinnacle luxury good for the last 108 years. This is a car not only defined by a timeless elegance, but one that encapsulates a sense of power, style and drama."

Now, it would be easy to assume that the Wraith will simply be another spin-off from the existing Phantom or Ghost architecture, and it's well known that Rolls has both coupe and convertible versions of the Ghost in the pipeline. Or, it could be something more significant. A replacement for the Phantom, perhaps? Or possibly even a sportier, more affordable (by Rolls standards at any rate) rival to Bentley's big-selling Continental GT? Or, horror of horrors, Rolls' first SUV?

We'll be getting further teaser images and updates between now and the car's official unveiling at Geneva, so we'll keep you posted.

Road Test: Volkswagen Caravelle 2.0 TDI 140 DSG Highline

Price as tested: €68,725

+ Huge space, versatility, classy, comfy, luxurious, quality
– Occasionally harsh ride, price tag, tax, not quick
= One of the world's great all-rounders

You know it’s going to be a good Saturday night when you get to the front of the taxi queue and there’s something nice waiting to whisk you home. Not just another sad, tired old Japanese or European family saloon with 100,00k on the clock and nasty aftermarket seat covers. No, it’s a good Saturday night when your chariot with a yellow roof bar is a nice squidgy old Merc E-Class, or maybe even a big old Lexus LS400 – mellowed by age but still full of creaky, comfy leather and with a ride quality from back before everyone got obsessed with the Nurburgring. Nice.

Well, if you want to have that feeling everyday, then you’ll be needing one of these. A Volkswagen Caravelle in full-on, leather and everything spec. It’s probably the ultimate taxi, the perfect airport run car and in many ways is the best family car you could possibly buy.

It is, of course, basically a mechanically identical VW Transporter T5, but one what’s been upgraded to full tart’s handbag specification. So, up front you get superbly comfy leather seats, a DSG dual-clutch automatic gearbox, a touch-screen stereo and split-zone climate. But, as with all great chauffeur’s cars, the best place to be in the Caravelle is in the back. There you will find five more seats – two individual, swiveling Captain’s chairs and a braod bench. All of these are upholstered in the same lovely leather you’ll find up front and the rear bench slides back and forth to allow you to choose between more luggage space or more comfort for your passengers. They also all fold flat and I can tell you from personal experience that you can then get a double divan bed and mattress in the back. And a few bedside lockers. Luxurious, it may be but it hasn’t forgotten its van roots entirely.

Under the bonnet is VW’s venerable 2.0-litre TDI diesel with 140bhp and 340Nm of torque, Which sounds like a lot, but unladen, the Caravelle weighs a not inconsiderable 2,153kg, so while it’s not what you’d call sluggish, neither will you be taking on and beating GTIs at the lights.

No matter, what the Caravelle is about is comfort, and the relaxed and relaxing performance encourages you to drop your hands down to the 8-and-4 driving position (as recommended to professional drivers by Rolls-Royce as it “significantly reduces any chance of perturbing your rear seat passengers”) and go about your business that much more slowly. It will still happily wind its way up to a cruise-controlled 120kmh on the motorway and when it does that, you can really relax (within the bounds of keeping an eye on things, of course). The front of the Caravelle is a wonderfully comfortable place to be, damn near as good as the back.

Obviously when you get to a corner, you’re going to be reminded in no uncertain terms that this is a tall, heavy commercial vehicle and not a sports saloon. It heels over onto the outside wheel, the steering is slow and if you’re asking too many questions of it the ride just gets ridiculously crashy and bumpy. Much better, once again, to slow down and take the relaxed path home.

You will be tempted to stop off though. With the folding centre table in the back, the Caravelle makes an absolutely ideal portable picnic spot, so requests from the back seats for more sandwiches and Taytos are frequent. Other stops can be kept to a reasonable minimum though – Volkswagen quotes 8.2-litres per 100km average fuel consumption and we managed to get mid-nines, so it’s believeable. The fact that it emits 216g/km of Co2 (slightly less than the six-speed manual manages, actually) and isn’t taxed as a commercial vehicle though means you’ll have to pay the full whack of €1,200 Band F tax and with a purchase price hovering around the €68,000 mark, this is not going to be a cheap way to haul your family around.

That said though, this is a truly multi purpose vehicle and in that sense it makes a mockery of other, lesser cars that claim the same mantle. What others mean when they say MPV is that they’ve basically got a lot of seats. What the Caravelle means is that it is truly multi-purpose. Clean it up and, especially in the black paint of our test car, it’s handsome and crisp looking enough to mix it effortlessly in the executive car park. We’ve already alluded to its abilities as a taxi, van, airport tender and picnic spot, but it’s equally adept at being a shopping trolley, school bus, work commuter, and, thanks to the built-in window blinds and my wife’s preference for swimming in the seat, a handy and modesty-preserving beach hut. Just don’t hit the electric side door ‘open’ button on the key fob when she’s half way through getting changed. That was a bit cruel, actually...

Classy, cool and astonishingly useful, it’s hard (price and ride quality apart) to pick many holes in the Caravelle’s performance. Being a Transporter means that it should prove robust and reliable and all the Caravelle trimmings make it feel genuinely luxurious. What more can I say other than that, alongside the Toyota GT86 and Jeep Grand Cherokee, it has found a place in my imaginary Lotto-win garage.

Facts & Figures
Volkswagen Caravelle 2.0 TDI 140bhp DSG Highline
Price as tested: €68,725
Range price: €52,850 to €81,165
Capacity: 1,968cc
Power: 140bhp
Torque: 340Nm
Top speed: 172kmh
0-100kmh: 14.7sec
Economy: 8.2l-100km (34.4mpg)
CO2 emissions: 216g/km
VRT Band: F. €1,200 road tax
Euro NCAP rating: 4-star adult, 4-star child, 1-star pedestrian (results for 2008 T5 test)

Road Test: Skoda Superb 2.0 TDI 170 L&K

Price as tested: €36,645

+ Comfort, practicality, space, solidity, quality, refinement
– A touch pricey for a Skoda?
= Lovely car, but lesser Superbs are just as good

It’s doubtful that Vaclav Laurin and Vaclav Klement established their eponymous motorcycle and bicycle company in 1895, that either of them ever imagined having their names on a car that competes with contemporary BMWs. Very doubtful in fact, because in 1895, BMW didn’t exist. Nor did The Czech Republic, modern federated Germany or much else that we today consider so familiar. What did exist was the Skoda Engineering Works, founded in 1859 by the aristocratic Count Wallenstein-Vartenberk. Skoda would buy out Laurin and Klement in 1925 and the two were joined at the hip until the creation in 1945 of Czechoslovakia and the nationalisation under Communism.

A little bit of history there, and apologies if it dragged, but it’s a necessary bit of background to understand why modern-day Skoda is launching a pricey limited edition (just 40 units coming to Ireland) of its Superb saloon, complete with calligraphic Laurin & Klement script on the wings.

€36k may seem a lot to be shelling out for a Skoda, any Skoda, but the fact is that these days, the brand seems able to bear such an expensive car with ease. We’ve all waffled on so much about how far Skoda has come since its eighties nadir, but the simple fact is that the cars now turned out by the Mladá Boleslav factory in what is now the Czech Republic are among the very best that you can buy, and stand easy comparison with rivals even from premium brands such as BMW and Mercedes.

Certainly when you crank open the Superb’s hefty door and lower yourself onto a buttery-soft dark brown leather seat, you’d be hard pressed to call the Superb L&K anything short of properly luxurious. The surfaces of the cabin are all finely graded, the seats terrifically comfortable and, as has been the Superb’s calling card since its introduction, the rear seat space practically presidential.

Out back, accessed by the oddball TwinDoor boot system that allows you to decide whether you want your Superb to act as a saloon or a hatchback, lies a massive 565-litre luggage area (which even with two demanding children aboard, we were unable to overwhelm with luggage). It’s these practicalities of space and comfort that give the Superb such an instant ‘want-one’ factor – the fact that there are few, if any, tasks you could give it which it would not be able to easily deal with.

Standard equipment includes bi-xenon headlights, 18” alloy wheels, Bluetooth phone and media player connection, full leather trim, climate control (for both front and rear passengers), heated seats (ditto), automatic wipers, cruise control, sat-nav. The list goes on and on, but it should be noted that apart from the deep brown colour of the leather seats, there is nothing here that you couldn’t already spec an existing Superb model up with.

As with all other Superbs, the L&K steers sweetly and faithfully. It never exhibits the handling alacrity that you’d get in a Ford Mondeo, but it’s never less than utterly competent in the corners and is a very relaxing, easy-going car to drive. Skoda has improved the Superb’s ride quality over the years, but it remains a touch too jiggly at times, which is a shame given the car’s overall levels of comfort and refinement.

The 170bhp 2.0 TDI diesel engine, familiar from many other Volkswagen Group applications, remains a paragon of its kind – quiet, efficient and with decently brisk performance. We averaged 6.5-litres per 100km, better than 40mpg, but bear in mind that your overall touring range will be limited by the Superb’s surprisingly small fuel tank. An on-paper 8.8secs 0-100kmh dash time makes the Superb sound quite quick, but the reality is that its performance feels more relaxed than that.

It’s a very satisfying car, the Superb L&K. One of those cars that feels instantly ‘right’ the moment you sit in, and that’s a feeling that doesn’t fade with familiarity. As a spacious, high-quality family car, it’s all but impossible to beat, and loaded up with the L&K’s extra equipment and luxury appointments, it really can take on the likes of the BWM 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. It’s not as agile to drive as either, but destroys the Germans when it comes to interior space and practicality.

For all that, you could say the same of any Superb, and if you’re willing to forego the soft leather and sat-nav, there’s better value to be had further down the price list. Not that dear old Vaclav and Vaclav would have cared though; most of their original L&K cars were luxury models anyway...


Skoda Superb 2.0 TDI 170 Laurin & Klement
Price as tested: €36,645
Price range: €24,695 to €47,895
Capacity: 1,968
Power: 170bhp
Torque: 350Nm
Top speed: 222kmh
0-100kmh: 8.8sec
Economy: 5.7l-100km (52.3mpg)
CO2 emissions: 149g/km
Road Tax Band: C. €330
Euro NCAP rating: 5-star; 90% adult, 81% child, 50% pedestrian, 71% safety assist

News: All-new Maserati Quattroporte revealed

Maserati's new Quattroporte isn't just a (gorgeous) new luxury saloon, to take on the likes of the Mercedes S-Class and BMW 7 Series; it's also the kicking off of a massive renewal for the Maserati brand with three all-new models and a plan for 50,000 sales a year.

That's a massive increase on current Maserati sales, but Fiat bosses have big plans for its premium performance brand, and to leave clear air between it and in-house rival Ferrari, the three new models (including this new Quattroporte) are going to be as far from mid-engined supercars as is possible.

The Quattroporte, seen here, will make its official debut at the Detroit motor show in January, and will continue with Ferrari-based V8 power; most likely an updated version of the 4.7-litre engine currently found in Maserati's GranTurismo coupe.

The new Quattroporte is longer and more spacious than before, but with more light weight aluminium in its structure in an attempt to keep its bulk under control.

“Maserati stands today at the edge of an unparalleled strategic and industrial growth that will see our presence in the world rise to 50,000 units a year by 2015" Harald Wester, Maserati's CEO told us. This growth is a challenge for which Maserati has carefully prepared itself and that we all welcome with anticipation.

“It is a growth based on those values of style, elegance, quality and performance for which Maserati has always been recognised and praised in almost 100 years of history. This exciting progression will make the new Maserati a true global player with two new production sites in two different continents and a heart solidly planted in Modena, Italy, where our roots are.

“It is a growth that will be based on three new models entering two new segments of the automobile market – and it starts with the all-new 2013 Maserati Quattroporte.”

The two other models? Well, this is where the mouth really starts to water. First up, probably late next year, will be a new Ghibli; but unlike the sixties original, this Ghibli will be a four-door saloon, smaller than the Quattroporte, that will take on the likes of the BMW 5 Series and Audi A6. There may even be a high-po diesel version using a twin-turbo derivative of the VM Motori V6 diesel found in the Ghibli's distant cousin, the Chrysler 300C.

After that will be the Levante, Maserati's first foray into the SUV world and a rival to the Porsche Panamera. Expect a swoopy body atop a much-modified Jeep Grand Cherokee platform with, again, likely diesel as well as petrol, powerplants.

News: Mercedes announces Irish prices for the new A-Class

Mercedes-Benz's new A-Class will cost from €26,435 when it goes on sale in December, says Motor Distributors, Mercedes' Irish importer.



Mercedes has announced that it will be giving pride of place in Ireland to two models from their new A-Class range, both of which are due to arrive here in December. One will be an A180 petrol version at €26,435 (ex works) and the other an A180 CDI diesel version at €28,550 – the latter model being the one predicted to take the spotlight in Ireland, thanks in part to its greener CO2 emissions of just 98g/km.

Billed as the car that many believe will introduce the luxury car maker to a completely new, younger generation of customers, both models will come in a choice of three specifications and equipment lines – Style Pack, Urban Pack and Sports Pack. Entry models sold here will all be equipped with the Style Pack option – a package that includes items which, were they purchased separately, would have a value equivalent to €1,600.

To highlight what is seen as one of the A-Class’ USPs – its iPhone and iPad compatibility - the launch plan being put together by Mercedes-Benz will major heavily on Facebook and smart phone App technology to create an ‘interactive platform’ whereby prospective customers can scroll through its features to select the model that suits them best.

Since its debut at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year, queues for the new A-Class have already begun to form, here and around the globe. With over 40.000 orders already placed even before production has commenced, Mercedes-Benz has had to supplement production capacity to meet expected demand.

As different from its predecessor as it is possible to be, the new A-Class sits some 18cm closer to the ground – a lower-slung posture that gives it a distinctly sporty, youthful appearance. Built on the B-Class platform, its on board high-tech functionality is such that iPhone Siri voice-activated units and iPad music and Apps can be played through the car’s infotainment system.

All engines offer an idle-stop system as standard, linked to a six-speed manual or seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive, the new A-Class has a new four-link rear suspension system with a range of settings on offer that includes an optional sports setting with direct steer. Collision Prevention Assist, Attention Assist, Adaptive Brake Assist and Brake Hold are all part of its standard safety features.

Road Test: Kia Optima 1.7 CRDI 136bhp

Price as tested: €27,595

Fab styling, drives nicely, high quality, spacious cabin
– Ride and refinement need polishing
= Another slick, well-judged product from Kia

I can pretty much guarantee that, if you buy a Kia Optima, at some point in the first few weeks of ownership, someone is going to accost you in a supermarket car park and ask “Wow, what is that?”

Their response to your answer may well depend on just how clued up they are about modern cars and the technology behind them. It could well waver between “Aaah, a Kia...” and “Ugh, a Kia?” simply because not everyone has heard about the rise and rise of Korea’s fastest performing automotive star.

In fact, since 2006, in the face of Lehman Brothers, the credit crunch, the Euro Crisis and Merkosy-nomics, Kia has managed to double its worldwide sales and dramatically increase its European market share. And now, for the first time with a truly competitive vehicle, it’s entering the closely fought D-segment of family saloon cars.

There is no question but that the Optima is striking. And it’s far better looking, and more coherent in the flesh (so to speak) than it is in photographs. In fact, to these eyes, it has more than a hint of the current Jaguar XJ about it. Not in the details, but in the overall stance and body language. And that truly sets it apart from the class norm. The Optima’s rivals, the likes of the Ford Mondeo, Toyota Avensis, VW Passat and Peugeot 508, all play relatively safe, even staid, styling cards. The Optima is rakishly upping the ante though, and it may well scoop sales on the basis of its looks alone.

Inside, it’s got the best interior that Kia has done yet. There are a lot of buttons, depending on the spec though. In fact, we counted more than thirty between the door panel and the edge of the steering wheel alone, so expect to spend some time scouring the owners’ manual for answers. The cabin designers have obviously been boning up on eighties BMWs too, as the centre console, with its optional touch screen, is angled sharply towards the driver in the manner of an old E30 3 Series. Space is excellent, with stretching room in the back for adults (helped by a class-leading 2.8-metre wheelbase) and quality levels are most certainly on the high side of good. It looks good in there too, with sharp instruments and eye-catching design flourishes.

Engine-wise, the Optima sticks to the same script as its close cousin, the Hyundai i40. The primary engine for Ireland will be the 236bhp 1.7-litre CRDI diesel, which emits 128g/km of Co2 and returns, claims Kia, 4.9-litres per 100km on the combined fuel economy cycle (as long as it’s fitted with Kia’s ISG stop-start, which isn’t standard on all models). Our test car was the more profligate 155g/km, 6.0-litres per 100km automatic, but those are still reasonable figures for an old-school torque convertor gearbox. Oddly, Kia Ireland hasn’t yet confirmed that it will be bringing in Optimas fitted with the lower-emissions (113g/km) 116bhp version of the same 1.7 diesel engine, as fitted to the i40. Only the 129g/km (or 133g/km if you don’t spec it with ISG stop-start) 136bhp engine is available for the moment.

Definitely don’t spec the automatic gearbox though; it just doesn’t suit the engine. Refinement is an issue, even on the manual gearbox models, but the auto’s habit of holding onto a ratio for longer than is ideal allows the engine to growl, grumble and moo far too much for our liking. Certainly, rivals from Ford, VW and Peugeot have the legs on the Optima for quietness, and by a surprisingly broad margin.

The ride quality may be an issue too. Now, these are conclusions drawn from a drive on unfamiliar French tarmac in cars fitted with large (and drop-dead-gorgeous) 18” alloy wheels, so hold your breath for a full drive in Irish conditions for a definitive verdict but... it jiggles.

Large obstacles are brushed off with a nicely damped shrug of the body, but smaller, sharper bumps (of the type that Irish tarmac specialises in) make themselves both felt and heard with too much abruptness. Would smaller wheels help? Possibly, but a damper or spring tweak would probably also help.

Other than that, the Optima’s dynamic performance is pretty good. The steering is light, but pleasantly so and while you cannot feel anything of the front tyres through the rim, after a while, you realise that the Optima will go where you want it, if you show just a little faith. Grip is plentiful and body control good, so you won’t be upsetting your passengers with lurching direction changes.

All that remains to settle are price and equipment levels. Kia Ireland is still deciding exactly how to pitch the Optima, but it seems safe to bet that it will meet the likes of Mondeo and Avensis head on in price terms, but out-do them with extra equipment and Kia’s lengthy seven year warranty. Kia Europe is talking of items like heated seats, self-parking and more as standard, which seems like a lot, but we’ll certainly get daytime LED lights, electronic parking brake and six airbags as standards at a minimum.

A little more dynamic polish would make the Optima a very serious player, but even without the fluidity of the likes of the Peugeot 508, it’s already looking like a very tempting prospect. With a circa €25k price tag, lots of standard kit, that warranty and those looks, it should provoke a lot more Ahhhs than Ughs.



Facts & Figures

Kia Optima 1.7 CRDI 136bhp
Price as tested: €25,900 (approx)
Range price: €TBC
Capacity: 1,685cc
Power: 136bhp
Torque: 325Nm
Top speed: TBA kmh
0-100kmh: TBA sec
Economy: 4.9l-100km (57.6mpg)
CO2 emissions: 128g/km
VRT Band: B. €225 road tax
Euro NCAP rating: Not yet tested

Road Test: Citroen DS4 DStyle 1.6 eHDI EGS Airdream

Price as tested: €27,595

+ Great looking, fabulous seats, relaxing, properly luxurious
– Hard ride, awful gearbox, poor space in the back, price
= Two out of three DS models are hits, this one’s a miss

It’s funny how car launches can so often follow the same trajectory of success-decline-consolidation as that of rock groups. The first album is always bristling with raw, new talent, expertly produced tunes and wonderfully untapped potential. That was the DS3; sparky, agile, properly fun to drive and in no way exactly what you’d expect either from Citroen or from a car with a DS badge. The DS5, which goes on sale in February, is the third album, settling nicely into a groove, playing with the ideas a little but doing nothing to upset the fans.

But it’s always the difficult second album, the sophomore effort, that creates problems. Stick too close to the original and you’d be pilloried for not having any new ideas. Go too far, and you’ll alienate the fans. And all to often, the result is an uncomfortable straddling of the middle ground, pleasing no-one but offending few.

Which brings us to the Citroen DS4 and a car that was always going to be a tricky one. To be honest, I was expecting way, way more than what the DS4 actually turned out to be. The DS3 is, some cabin bits apart, almost nothing like the more mundane C3 to look at or to drive. Likewise, the DS5 is utterly, utterly different to the C5 with which it shares a certain amount of space. But the DS4’s biggest problem is that it cleaves far to close to the existing C4. Now, the C4 isn’t exactly at the pinnacle of the current family hatch tree, but it’s a very pleasant car, looks more premium in its styling than many of its opposition and its spectacularly comfortable to sit in. It’s also well made and economical.

Which leaves the DS4 with what, exactly? It can either be stunningly more attractive than its more humble brother (as are the DS3 and DS5 compared to the C3 and, to a lesser extent, the C5) or be electrifyingly better to drive (DS3 > C3). The problem is, it’s neither.

The DS4 is, mechanically speaking, a C4 with a higher ride height and a slightly swoopier body on the top. There is no dramatic difference in the styling. It’s a good looking car, striking even, but hardly a quantum leap forward over the already attractive C4. In handling terms, it corners with more precision and much less understeer than the C4 but there is none of the DS3’s crisp steering or out and out agility. But with that quasi-SUV ride height, it must surely have the comfiest ride this side of a Rolls Phantom, no?

No. For some utterly unknown reason, Citroen decided that the DS4 should be both jacked-up and firm riding. The final chassis setting is, frankly, dreadful. yes, body roll has been kept well in check, and on smooth roads, it corners with reasonable aplomb, but on anything less than virgin, fresh-rolled tarmac, the ride is just awful, crashing and bumping when it should cosset and comfort. A regular, unadorned VW Golf has one of the best ride qualities you will find in any car, at any price, so why Citroen cannot achieve the same with the DS4 is just beyond me.

There is some compensation in the cabin. Yes, rear seat space is just slightly too tight and I cannot understand the decision to sacrifice winding rear windows to the rear door design. But the instruments are clear, attractive and distinctive, the stubby EGS gearbox selector is a joy to use and the seats, upgraded to leather on our test car, with that wonderful watch-strap embossed pattern, are nothing short of wonderful; supportive, but with just the right amount of squidge.

To the drivetrain. The DS4 is one of the first Citroens to get the new eHDI package which combines the already-frugal 1.6 HDI diesel engine, with 110bhp and 270Nm of torque, with a reversible alternator that can scavenge power for the electrical system from braking and a stop-start that cuts the engine at lights, and restarts it with remarkable alacrity.

The engine is familiar, and as good as ever; refined, torquey and very pleasant to drive, considering that it’s actually a pretty humble diesel four-banger.

But the EGS gearbox is a serious hinderance to smooth progress. Leave it in the auto setting (which surely, for a car that aspires to luxury, is the default setting) and you will be seen to be agreeing vigorously with the radio every time there’s an upchange. Lurch. Nod. Lurch. Nod. Lurch. Nod. Downchanges are fine, crisp and with an occasional burst of heel-and-toe revs, but the only way to get the damn thing to drive smoothly is to take manual control with the paddle shifters. And even then, you have to learn the technique of lifting off the throttle just enough to get the change right. And, as I said, in a luxurious car, auto should be the default. Citroen (and it’s not alone among car makers in this respect) should just swallow its pride and buy a job lot of DSG gearboxes from Volkswagen.

There doesn’t even seem to be a terrific benefit in terms of fuel consumption. Citroen claims 4.4-litres per 100km on the combined cycle. We got 6.5l/100km overall, a figure we’ve beaten with the likes of the much bigger, heavier Ford Mondeo, using the same engine. Perhaps it would have been better with the manual.

If it sounds like I’m down on the DS4, well, I am. Having sampled and loved (DS3) and liked (DS5) the DS range, and being a bit of a closet Citroenista, I really wanted the DS4 to be good. To be impressive. But by being too close in concept to the regular C4, by having such a poor ride quality (no French car should have a harsh ride) and by having that awful gearbox, it just failed to live up to even my mildest expectations. Do yourself a favour; if you crave a quirky French hatchback with a modicum of luxury and practicality, buy a regular C4 instead.



Facts & Figures

Citroen DS4 1.6 eHDI EGS Airdream
Price as tested: €27,595
Range price: €23,995 to €29,895
Capacity: 1,560cc
Power: 110bhp
Torque: 270Nm
Top speed: 189kmh
0-100kmh: 12.4sec
Economy: 4.4l-100km (64.2mpg)
CO2 emissions: 114g/km
VRT Band: A. €104 road tax
Euro NCAP rating: 5-star; 90% adult, 80% child, 43% pedestrian, 97% safety assist.

Road Test: Skoda Superb 2.0 TDI 140 DSG Ambition 4x4

Price as tested: €37,090

+ All the usual Superb talents, plus the extra traction of 4WD
– Steep price for a Skoda, ride still too fidgety
= As Superb as its name but price tag stretches the boundaries of the brand

OK, before we get to the specificities of the Skoda Superb 4x4, let’s get a few things straight about four wheel drive. First off, four wheel drive does not equal more grip. That’s a common fallacy. Grip is a function of the tyres, so a Superb 4x4 on the same tyres as a front-drive Superb will have identical levels of outright grip. Slightly less, in fact, given the extra weight and therefore inertia of the four wheel drive system.

What four wheel drive gives you is extra traction, and the ability to put more of the power of the engine through to the tarmac more of the time. That’s both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because, if the dreaded snow and ice returns as so many are predicting it will, the driver of a Superb 4x4 may well be able to get moving and keep moving more easily than someone driving a two wheel drive car. The downside is that, when it comes to braking and steering, 4WD is no actual use. In fact, in the snow, a front-drive Superb fitted winter tyres would probably be just as, if not more, capable than a four-wheel-drive version on conventional rubber.

So, all that taken into account, is the Superb 4x4 actually any good? Oh yes, it certainly is.

For all the above admonition, there is something very personally enabling about having four wheel drive, especially on an otherwise conventional saloon car. To any of us who grew up in the era of the Audi Quattro, when Welshman Dai Llewellyn would regularly come over to the Circuit of Ireland and show all the local 2WD boys a clean pair of mudflaps, there is an aura of high performance and mystical ability about four wheel drive.

Couple that to the smooth grunty-ness of the VW group’s 170bhp, 320Nm 2.0 TDI engine and the sheer brilliance of the six speed semi-auto DSG gearbox and you have a powertrain of rare ability and competence.

First, the engine. From a position a few years ago when VW’s 1.9 TDI diesels represented a nadir of refinement and quietness, the latest generation of 2.0 common rail TDIs are paragons of silence. Pretty good in other areas too. Skoda claims 6.2-litres per 100km and 162g/km of Co2 are pretty decent figures, especially given the 1,645kg kerb weight and the extra friction and drag of the all-wheel-drive.

That drive system is a Haldex clutch-based setup, that can shunt power from one end to the other, and have the torque going to each wheel further fine tuned by the ESP system. So it’s clever, and it must be said that the Superb felt very sure-footed and free from dynamic vices during our test. OK, so it was mild and mostly dry, so any sense of extra security from the four wheel drive was probably mostly psychosomatic but there’s no doubt that come the cold snap (or even just the more common wet snap) that the Superb 4x4 will feel more stable and capable than a front-drive version.

In pure handling terms, there’s little here to get the enthusiast excited. The Superb is not about apex-clipping and dabs of oppo. And thank heavens for that. Instead, you get nicely weighted, accurate steering, a benignly understeer-led handling balance, well quashed amounts of body roll and an annoying sensation of jiggle and patter from the suspension on less than perfect surfaces.

Why is this? it’s the only let down to be found in the Superb, any Superb and it makes no sense. Volkswagen’s engineers can make the smaller, lighter Golf ride like a luxury limo, yet the Superb, with its massive wheelbase and extra bulk, jitters. Why?

To be fair, that’s our only criticism. For the rest of the time, the Superb lives metronomically up to its name. The cabin is tastefully appointed, brilliantly finished and, aside from an adjustable driver’s seat that won’t go low enough for my taste, it’s very, very comfy. Unusually in almost any class of car, it’s actually the back seats that are the pound ones. With acres of legroom, heating for buttocks and a good view out, there’ll be no complaints from even the stroppiest of rear seat denizens.

The monstrous 595-litre boot under that split saloon/hatch tailgate means that the Superb is pretty close to being a perfect family car, with room to spare even when carrying buggies and lots of bags. It does eat into fuel tank space though, and with only 50-litres in the tank, you’ll be refueling the Superb more than you expect, even with its decent economy figures.

So, we come to the final reckoning. Is the four wheel drive worth it? In terms of engineering purity, yes. It’s the most efficient and practical way to get the power down and it gives the Superb more than a little all-weather and all-surface agility. But, it must be remembered that a good set of winter tyres will, in most situations, replicate the four wheel drive’s ability and then there’s the niggling issue of price. At €37k (€39k with the extras on our test car) the price of having four wheel drive might just be too high. The Superb really is a Superb car, but nudging up to forty grand might just be stretching the abilities of the Skoda brand too far, its recent fashionability and success notwithstanding.

Plump for two wheel drive and you can knock €4k off that bill for the same (generous) Ambition spec, and that four big ones will buy you a lot of winter tyres.

Then again, it is getting chillier out there as I write these words...




Facts & Figures

Skoda Superb TDI 140 DSG 4x4 Ambition
Price as tested: €37,090
Range price: €23,695 to €39,635
Capacity: 1,968cc
Power: 140bhp
Torque: 320Nm
Top speed: 204kmh
0-100kmh: 10.7sec
Economy: 6.2l-100km (45.5mpg)
CO2 emissions: 162g/km
VRT Band: D. €447 road tax
Euro NCAP rating: 5-star; 90% adult, 81% child, 50% pedestrian, 71% safety assist.

Road Test: Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.0 CRD Limited

Price as tested: €54,995

+ Handsome looks, comfy, decent chassis, good quality, excellent engine
– Some cheap trim, body rolls a lot
= One of the most pleasant surprises of the year


Managing a brand is tricky. Every new product has to be good, slightly better than its predecessors, yet not so much that owners of the old one feel gypped. Innovation is everything yet you can’t get too avant-garde, or your risk alienating the technophobes.

And even the best get it wrong. Coca-Cola royally stuffed it up in the early eighties with New Coke. Most of you probably don’t remember it and that’s a good thing. It was terrible, and it nearly killed the company. Likewise, Apple, the most valuable company in the world right now, once (or twice) got it spectacularly wrong. Neither the Newton Message Pad nor the Pippin games console set the world alight. How did these companies recover from such failures? By getting back to what they’re best at and digging deep to create some truly great products.

Which brings us nicely to the Jeep Grand Cherokee. When Jeep first began its trans-Atlantic foray in the early nineties (well, the first since 1945 at any rate), the Grand Cherokee was the star of the show. Big, bluffly handsome and very American in its value for money, it nevertheless had a very real tilt at the vaunted Range Rover’s luxury SUV crown. All that let it down was the lack of a decent diesel engine.

Come the 2005 model and all the omens looked great. A new body and chassis, and a new diesel engine from then owners of Chrysler, Mercedes-Benz. It should have been brilliant. It was actually awful. The engine was fine but the gimpy styling wasn’t, nor was the crummy, cramped cabin and the ride and handling, with those big, hefty live axles, was utterly dreadful. Never mind the Range Rover, launched a year after the Land Rover Discovery III, the Grand Cherokee should have been a convincing rival to the Disco but instead struggled to even be an also-ran.

Combine that with a pretty poor Cherokee and an utterly dreadful double-whammy of 1st-gen Compass and Patriot and you have a brand rattling and creaking under the strain of some pretty serious duds.

But thankfully, the Jeep brand is a strong one and like Coke and Apple, it regrouped, delved deep and started to do things better. Should we expect any less from the only car brand ever to be name checked as a war-winner by none other than Brig. General Dwight D. Eisenhower? Resilience is in the blood.

As with the 2002 Range Rover, the new Jeep Grand Cherokee has been developed under the auspices of one car company and launched under another. In the Rangie’s case, it was developed and prototyped by BMW but Ford swept in the year before its launch to buy out Land Rover and so got the kudos for one of the most iconic SUVs of all time.

For the Grand Cherokee, work began while Jeep, owned by Chrysler, was indepedent, hived off from former owners Daimler-Benz and then under the control of investment fund Cerberus. So, there’s rather a lot of Mercedes DNA deep within the structure of the Grand Cherokee. In fact, beneath its all-American skin, it’s very much a Mercedes ML. And the biggest benefit of that is that the GC now does away with the awful live axles of old and switches instead to a much more car-like construction, with proper, modern, independent suspension with air springs.

The 241bhp, 550Nm 3.0-litre V6 diesel is a Merc job too, and goes about its business with remarkable refinement. It can grumble and moo a bit under heavy throttle openings, but that you suspect is more down to the old-school five-speed automatic gearbox, which simply doesn’t have the spread of ratios that’s required these days. A fix is on the way in late 2012, when the ZF-supplied 8-speed box comes on stream, so you can expect to see improvements in the current fuel consumption and Co2 figures of 8.3-litres per 100km and 218g/km. Still those are good enough for a near-enough 1,000km touring range from the 80-litre fuel tank and at least it’s not in the top band for road tax, so you’ll pay €1,050 a year while Land Rover drivers must pay top whack.

That switch to car-like construction and suspension has brought one of two massive improvements the new GC displays over its predecessor. While before, you had to put up with a truly dreadful ride quality and ponderous handling, now there is serenity. The ride can still occasionally be upset by sudden, sharp shocks, but that’s pretty much endemic to all vehicles that have air springs and big, heavy wheels and tyres. For the most part, the Grand Cherokee displays impressive composure, riding comfortably and dealing with swiftly taken corners with only slightly too much body roll. You can sharpen things up by flicking the Selec-Terrain system into Sport (there are also Snow, Auto, Mud and Sand modes) but that disables the ESP, something we were loathe to do given the recent weather conditions.

Which is a shame, as when you hustle it, the GC responds well. The steering is a touch long-winded, and there’s about as little road feel as you’d expect, but give it a challenging, twisty road, and it responds with aplomb. In fact, it treads an almost perfectly judged line between the two Land Rover products that most closely rival it. It’s not as smooth and refined as a Discovery, but it’s more responsive and rolls less, and it’s not as sharp and tall-hot-hatch-y as a Range Rover Sport but is much comfier and rides more calmly. If that sounds like an uncomfortable middle ground, it’s not. More of a finely judged compromise.

The cabin is a slightly less well judged compromise, but only in parts. Mostly, it’s very good with palpable quality, lots of space and very comfy seats. The boot, at 782-litres, is equally massive, but it does suffer from intrusion into the shape from what looks like the fuel tank. As for the rest of the cabin, a few small details let it down, such as main instruments, some lower-level plastics and a few switches that have no place on a €50K car (mind you, that’s a criticism you could level at rivals from Land Rover and Toyota too) and little touches detract from the overall sense of quality, like a gear shifter that looks and feels cheap and clunky and touch-screen controls for the infotainment system that appear to have been lifted from a Sega NES.

But these are but small quibbles, the stuff of a critic’s nit-picking. The overall effect of the Grand Cherokee is... charm. That’s a dangerous quality, because while charm can cover up a multitude of problems, it can never erase the fundamental failings of a poor vehicle. The last Grand Cherokee had charm, but it was still crap.

This one isn’t. The charm is still very much there, and it’s a blue-collar American charm that means that the GC feels less ostentatious (even net of the big chrome grille and wheels) than a Range Rover Sport. But it has only the mildest shortcomings to cover up for. Honestly, the Grand Cherokee has turned out to be one of the surprises of the year. A thoroughly well-sorted, dynamically capable and above all characterful and interesting vehicle, that’s well-priced in its segment and never less than welcoming and engaging as soon as you sit into the high-set driver’s seat. We just wish every new car could be so charming.


Facts & Figures

Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.0 CRD Limited
Price as tested: €54,995
Range price: TBC
Capacity: 2,987cc
Power: 241bhp
Torque: 550Nm
Top speed: 202kmh
0-100kmh: 8.2sec
Economy: 8.3l-100km (34.0mpg)
CO2 emissions: 218g/km
VRT Band: F. €1,050 road tax
Euro NCAP rating: Not yet tested