There has been a lot of talk among a number of manufacturers about making some new 4×4s - Ironic for an economic climate that sees the absolute death of them in terms of sales figures. Land Rover kicked things off with a new, eco-Land Rover (that will actually be badged as a Range Rover, for reasons unknown to us mere mortals). It’s called the Range Rover LHZ. It’s basically a Land Rover Discovery that’s shrunk in the wash, and whilst performance specs have yet to be confirmed, the party piece is this: it will only churn out a mere 150g/km of CO2. When you consider vehicles that produce 120g or less are tax exempt, that’s very, very good.

Personally, I was very impressed by this. It’s a huge leap for big SUVs that would spell the end for, well, every other competitor desperately trying to sell theirs. But it wasn’t met with entirely positive attitudes. Many people argued that you don’t go thinking about the environment if you’re set on buying a 4×4, and only avid petrolheads like us would even be aware that there’s a Range Rover that’s this economical anyway.

So, whilst ignoring these cries and building the new LHZ anyway, Range Rover have decided to build something very much ‘the other end of the spectrum’. But this time they’re not alone - BMW had just beaten them to the punch. So from Range Rover, we have a new Range Rover Sport. Doesn’t sound all that new? Ok. Fine. Have a 500bhp 5.0L V8 engine from the new Jaguar XKR.

Yep. A Range Rover with more power than quite a few Ferraris. That’s, er… scary. Wanna see?

503bhp, and 0-62mph in under six seconds. It will (and has) also lapped the famous Nurburgring circuit in Germany in under nine minutes, which isn’t something a big SUV should even consider attempting, let alone actually go out and do. However, Range Rover is also offering a much more frugal 3.0L V6 model that produces half the power but much better fuel economy. Expect to see these models in dealerships sometime in the summer.

However, as mentioned earlier BMW have beaten Range Rover to the punch (just - a few days earlier!) with two new monsters from their high performance ‘M’ division - the BMW X5M and X6M. As you probably guessed, they’ve taken their X5 and X6 SUVs and given them the ‘M’ treatment (that is: more power, performance suspension, more power, and a menacing facelift. And more power).

And if you thought 500bhp in a Range Rover was crazy, BMW have topped that. 550bhp in both the X5M and X6M. BMW took the 4.4 litre V8 from the original X6, gave it two big turbochargers, and put it back into the X6 (and the X5 for good measure).

They have Range Rover beaten on performance, too. That extra 50 horsepower really shows, with a 0-62 time of 4.7 seconds, which is just as fast as the BMW M3 Coupe. Top speed is also the same as the M3 - electronically limited to 155mph. However, you can opt for the M-division’s ‘Driver Package’ that derestricts the cars, allowing for a top speed of a fraction over 170mph. Note the rather large gunshot wound in BMW’s foot.

There’s a major compromise though. The 500bhp Range Rover is claiming to achieve a fuel economy of 30mpg, which is quite impressive. The BMWs? 20mpg. And if you have the cars derestricted, you’re going to be lucky to get anywhere near that figure, especially if you plan on putting the performance claims to the test.

The really big question that’s screaming itself to us is this: Why? This is a period where SUVs are becoming socially unacceptable and sales are at a record low. As the environmentalists are now earth-shatteringly noisy, more and more people care more about fuel economy than anything else these days.

So like I asked earlier - is it a “Never Say Die” attitude, or just don’t know when to quit?

The British International Motor Show 2010 has been cancelled due to what appears to be sour grapes from the organisers.

The organisers say that it’s due to the economic crisis, which to me doesn’t seem too convincing given that they’re able to make the usual show investments, and 2010 is projected to be a better year for the economy than 2008 and 2009. The organisers have hinted at the real reason: competition and attraction.

The last show in summer ‘08 appeared to be quite a success. The Alfa Romeo MiTo, Ford Focus RS, Vauxhall Insignia and Vauxhall Corsa all had their world premieres at that show, and a fair amount of hype was generated, particularly for the Insignia and Focus. And aside from the usual ‘petrolhead’ attractions were events that even non enthusiasts would have liked.

However, this is an International Motor Show. That means it’s as big as those held in Paris, Detroit, Tokyo and Geneva, or is supposed to be. But in comparison it’s not. About half a dozen new cars premiered at the British Motor Show, but that’s nothing compared to the lists at Geneva and Detroit. In fact those motor shows are so big they tend to span almost a week long, as opposed to a 3 day event here (and the first day is for the press and VIPs only anyway). Also, the Motor Show tends to occur every two years, around summer time, which is a bad time because cars are usually launched at the beginning of the year or after the summer (which explains why Paris and Geneva get tons of new metal whilst Britain only got half a dozen). As a result, the media lose interest in the British Motor Show because by the time Britain has a Motor Show, most of the enigmatic new cars have already been unveiled and reported on at a different motor show, so the British show isn’t nearly as prestigious as a result.

So like I said, sour grapes. The organisers have felt a bit disheartened that their show isn’t quite as good as everyone else’s, so they’ve given up. Sorry, but I think instead of giving up they should dig deeper for a new set of balls and keep at it. Last year’s show still pulled in the crowds. I remember seeing all the metro trains at nearby stations being packed full of people all bound for the Excel centre at which it was held. The show’s turned from being a prestigious motoring event to a big event fit for a really good family day out - one that dads and sons will actually enjoy for once without having to carry their wife’s/sister’s shopping bags and pretending to be interested in whatever dreary crap they’re made to endure. And what’s wrong with that? Also for example, the Nissan GTR may well have been unveiled in Tokyo in october 2007, but it was really good for us members of the public to see it in the metal for the first time at last year’s show. The Go Karts and drifting experience was huge fun, and the unveiling of the Focus RS and Vauxhall Insignia were hugely coveted by people all over the world, which had to be good as far as media attention was concerned.

So like I said, what’s wrong with it as it is? It’s still raking in the fans, it’s still making a lot of money, and it’s still providing a brilliant summer weekend for thousands and thousands of people. If you don’t want to organise it, I would!

I’ve glanced at my traffic figures for the first time today. It’s the first time since the site launch because the site is still new and - if we’re honest - sorely underdeveloped. However, this didn’t stop quite a lot of you from visiting, did it? I mean, 31 RSS feeds? Why do you like me so much?

Either way, i’m overjoyed about this surprising good news, and it’s inspired confidence in me to do a lot more and become a lot more dedicated with this site. I’d like to thank you all for your attention to this website as it means quite a lot to me, perhaps more than it should. To show my appreciation i’ve decided to go ahead and fully develop the site into something that will truly merit a lot of attention, and have already drafted a list of changes that you can expect to see in place very soon. In fact, i’ll set a deadline. Let’s call it February 25th. It gives me a month or so.

The changes themselves? Well here’s what i’ve got in mind so far:

• First issue with the site is the appearance. I’m scouting for talented designers to design an original and visually pleasing website design. This means that the crappy red and black corvette design will be ditched. Any offers to help with this will be welcomed.
• A ‘classifieds’ section will be implemented so that users can advertise their cars on this site for a small fee. I already have a decent number of people interested in advertising here so this will be up very soon. Not only will the small fee get you your advertising space but I can help design and structure your advert, providing you give me at least one photo of your car and some information about it.
• Road tests. Oh yes. See, many of you are coming here after searching for cars like the VW Scirocco and the Jaguar XFR, and whilst I can talk to you about them all day long, I can’t yet tell you what they’re like to drive. Incidentally, i’ve had some suggestions about videoing the road tests and presenting them like you would a TV motoring show. I really want to do that but doing so requires at least two people, and if the result is going to look like the work of a blair-witch handicam then there’s no point. I can’t be proud of third-rate work. Again, any camera buffs willing to help will be greatly appreciated.
• Message boards. I’ve already got a couple of people interested in helping me develop one. This will allow us to sign up and air our thoughts and opinions about cars, motoring life and this website. Once it’s up i’ll also make it a base for which suggestions for the website can be offered.

Speaking of which, at this stage i’m still brainstorming. Got a helpful suggestion or want to volunteer or even become a part of the team? Leave a comment below and we’ll talk.

Again, many thanks for your interest. It’s inspiring.

The world-famous Detroit Motor Show is underway and a lot of new metal is being unveiled, ranging from green eco cars such as the Fisker Karma (A rival to the Tesla electric sports car, and ironically created by the same man who designed the Tesla) to red-hot metal such as Audi’s new and improved version of their already-stupidly-popular Audi R8. In this article we’ll start with the most important aspect - the Brits.

First person to point out that Jaguar is now an Indian company will be shot. Jags are British, regardless of paperwork. End of.

Big news from Jaguar. They didn’t unveil a new ‘car’ per se, so much as a new engine. They’ve developed a whole new supercharged V8 engine - a 5.0L glorious little beast - and said as an aside that they’re popping it into a brand new Jaguar XKR and an even-more-brand-new performance version of their XF, creating the ‘XFR’.

The XFR (pictured above) will - thanks to the new V8 and lots of high tech mechanical bits - produce a staggering 510bhp, with a 0-60mph time of 4.7 seconds. Of course, this would all make sense in the sports coupe Jaguar XKR, but the really big news is this XFR because remember - this is a four-door executive saloon. it’s got nice carpets, a gorgeous leather interior, and all the creature comforts you’d expect in something like an S-class mercedes. And yet this car will only be 0.1 of a second slower than the sports coupe, the XKR. So even if you have a wife and kids you can still have a car that will utterly destroy a lot of performance cars on the road today.

The engine is actually pretty clean too… by V8 standards. The Jag’s rivals would be the BMW M5 and M6, which produce less power despite having big V10 engines. They produce at least 350g/km of CO2 whereas the Jag’s engine is expected to produce less than 300g. So you can own a car like this and be comfortable in the knowledge that there is virtually no car in the same class as this that produces less CO2 per kilometre. Although those interested in a car this powerful really wouldn’t give a damn anyway, if we’re honest.

As evidence to support the comment I made above, Jaguar says both cars will get a ferrari-style electronic differential (mechanical bits in charge of the wheels) that can be set by the driver for their driving taste, including (and I quote): “easy drifting when the traction control is turned off”.

Yeah. I’d imagine with 510bhp and rear wheel drive, drifting would definitely be possible. See what I mean about their target audience?

You’ll have noticed the new styling cues that seem to have been inspired by (or copied completely from) the Aston Martin DBS, which is definitely no bad thing. New side skirts, alloys and bonnet vents. It trades the XF’s elegance for a more muscular and aggressive appearance. It worked wonders with the DBS and in my opinion it’s done the same job with the XFR.

Finally the bad news is the XKR version is set to cost £72,400 and will arrive in March/April time this year. But the XFR - which is at least as good as the XKR but slightly slower - will be less than £60k. Why it’s so much cheaper I don’t quite understand.

You can be forgiven for feeling bored of hearing about ‘a new Focus’. Ford is guilty of churning out a new Focus or a new Fiesta as often as every two or three years. VW do the same thing with their Golf - the MkV Golf isn’t exactly a senior citizen yet it’s already been replaced by a new ‘MkVI’ model recently. But in actual fact this is a hallmark moment that adds another page to the book of automotive legends, because this isn’t just any old Ford Focus. This is the ‘RS’ model. Remember the old Cosworth RS and RS Turbo? They are legends and every boy racer has at least 10 posters of it on his bedroom wall. Wasn’t the best looking, but it was seriously fast and to this day one of the best cars ever made. Making a new addition to the ‘RS’ family would be like Ford and Shelby doing a remake of the legendary ‘Fastback’ Mustang, Ferrari doing a new model of their 250 GTO, or God making a new Jesus Christ. It’s a big deal.

As with all RS models, the big deal is mainly about power. It’s a ‘hot hatch’ so it’s front wheel drive. But it’s also producing “at least 300bhp”. That’s insane! It’s just 50hp shy of a Porsche 911! It’s generally accepted that 250bhp is the absolute maximum the front wheels can take before the car is destined to end up in the nearest hedge. Any more and you might as well ride on the back of a wild lion. However, Ford say they’ve conquered the ‘torque steer’ problems with a special suspension system which they call “RevoKnuckle” (how chavvy does that sound?) and a limited slip differential designed to harness the torque. It’s not all hot air either - Ford uses this car in rallying and rivals the legendary Mitsubishi Evo, and it’s expected to get from 0 to 60mph in under six seconds, putting it in territories of the Porsche 911 and Subaru Impreza, so it obviously works. Top speed will likely be electronically limited to 155mph, a universally agreed limit designed to keep Greenpeace from making our lives a living hell the manufacturers feel uncomfortable. The power and speed is hinted by way of that huge air vent. That’s for the intercoolers to cool the (presumably massive) turbo, and it sports a front splitter to help keep it pinned to the road at speed.

The other plus point is the price. This thing will supposedly keep pace with an Evo VIII or IX. When those cars were shiny and new to the world they were pushing £40,000, although dealerships today will sell you one for around £30,000. This is going to be slightly more than that VW Scirocco GT I talked about in an earlier article, sitting at around £20-25k. But then Fords always have been well-priced.

The good news keeps coming. That lime green interior won’t stay (that was unique to the concept model) and normal human beings can choose between a gorgeous ‘performance blue’ paintjob or white, whilst chavs and boy racers worldwide will no doubt opt for this eye-shredding green shown above. More colours are expected to follow, but these are just some pre-sale facts that Ford are teasing us with.

If you wear track suits and burberry caps, you really really want one. For the rest of us, i’d recommend a test drive first before you buy into Ford’s claims of harnessing the power. Otherwise if you’re the sort of person who thrives on cars with far too much power and love the thrill of using nothing but sheer driving talent and manliness to control it, then give your bank manager a call now before your bank collapses.

I doubt many of you will have noticed (because you’re not all obsessive freaks like me) but i’ve noticed that whenever a car company make a new car, and you go to their main website to look it up and read up on it, their website gives you lots of wishy-washy poetry which if nothing else serves only to describe how the car was made, in a philosophical kind of way.

Take the new Porsche Panamera. I’m very excited about this car because not only is it Porsche’s first properly new car (and not just another 911 or Boxster variant) but it’s also the best of pretty much every world you could want. I’m serious - it’s a roomy four-seater with a big GT-sized boot, it’s got very high quality (and very nice) interior for those of you who drive an S-Class Mercedes or something, and then you have a choice - you can have a basic engine with 350bhp, a 500bhp ‘Turbo’ version that delivers face-bending acceleration, or you can have a nice, eco-friendly hybrid engine that Greenpeace wants everyone to have. No word on performance for the hybrid yet, but I’m guessing it’s still going to be stupidly fast though - Porsche say they’ve opted for a hybrid engine rather than a diesel engine because the extra weight of a diesel engine would ruin the performance of the car. If they’re putting an engine normally seen in a feeble Toyota Prius in and they’re still worrying about how fast it is, that means that chances are, it’s still going to drive like a Porsche.

And what does it look like? Well it’s not ugly but not pretty, but here it is:

The Panamera Turbo

I’ve deliberately given a frontal view of the car because the back end and the roof line is somewhat er… controversial. Many people hate the look. I quite like it though, because unlike every other car Porsche builds, it doesn’t look like a 911 or a Boxster. In fact the back end takes styling cues from the old 928-S of yesteryear. And I should know - my dad owns one of those. And the roofline may look a bit mishapen but you have to remember that Porsche is trying to combine a roomy, comfortable luxury car with a low, wide, taut supercar that’ll leave everything standing. No car in current existence has been able to do that - the closest you get is an S-Class Mercedes, which despite having a huge, shouty engine is more thunder than lightning. And even though the Panamera’s interior isn’t quite S-Class standard, it’s not far off - it’s the right colour, it has all the luxuries you might want, it’s roomy and it looks very comfortable.

I’ve managed to give you the details of the car (no word on cost yet, as far as I know) in this blog thus far. But what about Porsche themselves? What do they tell you when you visit their site? Well, you get this: Click Here.

And it’s not Porsche being particularly annoying either - all manufacturers do this, whether it’s to promote the new Lamborghini Estoque or the new Volkswagon Scirocco. All of them tend to shove fancy design philosophy in people’s faces and then make it difficult for you to find out anything of interest about the car. Yes, Porsche do tell you the details about the car - tucked away in fancy online magazines for which you have to subscribe to. This says to people ‘yes, we can tell you about our new car, but we want you to work for that privilege. Subscribe to us and show you are genuinely interested, and we’ll give you some figures.’

Whilst that might sound fair to the discerning enthusiast, what about the rest of the world? I’m sort of interested in, say, the VW Scirocco - it’s a gorgeous car, economical and apparently quite fast too. But i’m not going to subscribe to their mailing lists just to find out whether it’s front wheel drive, four wheel drive or rear wheel drive. This means journalists who want to pass on this information to petrolheads (and basically give free advertisment for said car companies) are personally hindered by agreeing to have their inboxes spammed with newsletters. And given the publicity they’re providing, you’d think that there’d be some sort of special bonus or reward for journalists. But nope - you’d be lucky if you even get a free test-drive for a day unless you’re a big name like Top Gear.

That said, I’m personally a Porsche enthusiast, I’m very excited about this Panamera, I want one already, so I don’t mind subscribing. But only Porsche would get away with this in my book. The rest are just annoying. Also not everyone loves Porsches, and none more so than I do, so this really doesn’t work for everyone. Just the select few.