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iSelect’s<br />

Issue 3 ● July 2009<br />

MOTOR MONTHLY<br />

<strong>Pussy</strong> galore<br />

Jaguar’s XFR is simply the Cat’s whiskers<br />

Compare, Select and Save<br />

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Editorial<br />

GoAuto Newsroom<br />

PO Box 18<br />

Sandringham<br />

VIC 3191<br />

(03) 9598 6477<br />

newsroom@mellor.net<br />

Editor<br />

David Hassall<br />

dhassall@mellor.net<br />

Production<br />

Luc Britten<br />

Chris Harris<br />

Sub-editor<br />

Ron Hammerton<br />

Contributors<br />

Marton Pettendy<br />

Byron Mathioudakis<br />

Terry Martin<br />

Ian Porter<br />

James Stanford<br />

Philip Lord<br />

Advertising enquiries<br />

Sally Mellor<br />

(03) 9598 6477<br />

0425 700 904<br />

sally@mellor.net<br />

iSelect’s<br />

Issue 3 ● July 2009<br />

MOTOR MONTHLY<br />

Grand heft auto<br />

Z4 stacks on 200kg,<br />

but is it worth the weight?<br />

Compare, Select and Save<br />

Blown like the wind<br />

Awesome new supercharged<br />

375kW Jaguar XFR roars in<br />

Czech out the RS<br />

Latest performance Octavia<br />

gives Skoda some street cred<br />

Up and Atom!<br />

Ariel goes ballistic and claims title<br />

of the world’s fastest production car<br />

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Hit and Swiss<br />

Leblanc supercar is really<br />

just one track minded<br />

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\\ DRIVEN: BMW Z4<br />

Grand heft auto<br />

Z4 stacks on 200kg, but is it worth the weight?<br />

By MARTON PETTENDY<br />

BMW’s Z4 has grown up, in more ways<br />

than one. So much so that perhaps it<br />

should be called the Z5, because the<br />

latest generation represents even more of a<br />

quantum leap over the first Z4 than the latter<br />

did over the original Z3.<br />

Compare, Select and Save<br />

But, proving that not even BMW can build<br />

a folding hard-top convertible that’s anywhere<br />

near as light as a soft-top, the new Z4 is<br />

almost a staggering 200kg heavier, with the<br />

new Z4 sDrive35i topping the range in twinclutch<br />

M-DCT form at a very unroadster-like<br />

1600kg.<br />

Throw in a slightly less powerful 2.5-litre<br />

entry-level engine and the base Z4 is a tenth<br />

of a second slower to 100km/h than its<br />

predecessor.<br />

Although the six-speed auto version<br />

improves marginally, it is also significantly<br />

thirstier – hardly something to crow about<br />

for a car-maker whose mantra has become<br />

EfficientDynamics.<br />

With no replacement yet for the M<br />

versions, the new Z4’s headline act is the<br />

additional sDrive35i variant, powered by the<br />

225kW/400Nm twin-turbo direct-injection six<br />

from the 335i.<br />

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Despite also being almost 200kg porkier than<br />

the M Roadster, the Z4 35i is virtually as quick<br />

and more than two litres more efficient per<br />

100km. Mind you, as an auto, it’s also priced<br />

within $10,000 of the M at more than $120,000.<br />

The rest of the Z4 Roadster range (the<br />

single body replaces the previous convertible<br />

and coupe options) moves up in weight and<br />

price, too. At base 2.5-litre level, it is $6700<br />

more expensive at $86,200, while the 3.0-litre<br />

Compare, Select and Save<br />

at $98,100 is a whole $8000 pricier than the<br />

convertible it replaces. And that’s before you<br />

factor in a plethora of expensive options.<br />

However, commensurate with its weight<br />

and price increase is the added safety, security<br />

and refinement of a fully integrated, poweroperated<br />

folding aluminium roof.<br />

It takes a relatively lengthy 20 seconds to<br />

open (during which time one must hold down<br />

the awkwardly positioned roof button) and<br />

cannot be operated on the move like some<br />

convertible roof systems, but it does it in<br />

virtual silence.<br />

Thanks to a massively larger rear<br />

window and longer side glass, which now<br />

incorporates two small rear windows that<br />

can be independently opened, all-round<br />

vision is vastly improved. Impressively for a<br />

convertible, the rear three-quarter blind spot<br />

is no worse than in many coupes.<br />

Styled inside and out by female BMW<br />

designers, the Z4 not only moves up in weight,<br />

but also size and therefore interior comfort.<br />

The two-seater cabin is still cosy and cosseting,<br />

but there’s noticeably more head and shoulder<br />

room – even if the driver’s seat feels too high<br />

and its seatback bolstering is a tad too narrow<br />

for the, let’s say, wide-backed among us.<br />

The extra body length also increases total<br />

boot space to 310 litres, but with the sizeable<br />

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hard-top stowed it shrinks to just 180 litres,<br />

which is barely enough to store a couple of<br />

backpacks.<br />

With the roof down, wind buffeting in<br />

the cabin is acceptable up to 120km/h, even<br />

without the dealer-accessory wind buffer, and<br />

normal conversation can also be had.<br />

It also has the best Z4 interior yet. Entirely<br />

functional and ergonomic, there’s a little more<br />

Compare, Select and Save<br />

storage space via fold-out door pockets and<br />

rear bulkhead compartments, while the circular<br />

design theme is broken only by the optional<br />

flip-up dash monitor, which brings a new level<br />

of iDrive-operated technology to the Z4 but is<br />

so large it looks out of place.<br />

The Z4 continues to offer a poised, intimate<br />

driving experience. On a crisp Victorian<br />

morning with the roof down and the exhaust<br />

Z-blooded: Three-litre straight-six Z4 feels as<br />

fast as ever, despite stacking on the kilos.<br />

note reverberating against roadside cuttings,<br />

it still delivers a truly invigorating roadster<br />

driving experience.<br />

No manual or even 2.5-litre versions were<br />

available during the extensive launch drive, so<br />

we can’t say if the base sDrive25i lives up to<br />

its zesty predecessor, but in 3.0-litre automatic<br />

guise the Z4 has lost little of the performance<br />

or agility of the model it replaces.<br />

Gone is the twitchy, elastic steering, replaced<br />

by a more linear (but still electric) system that<br />

is suitably responsive and communicative,<br />

but still not as alive in your hands as other<br />

hydraulically-assisted BMW models.<br />

The 3.0 seems as quick as ever, despite<br />

its larger overall size and mass, and delivers<br />

superior stability and roadholding, though the<br />

revised independent rear suspension still tends<br />

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to clunk over big road bumps and dips.<br />

Attached to an all-new chassis that feels<br />

even more rigid than before (although the roof<br />

did rattle on the odd occasion in our test car),<br />

the firm, short-travel suspension performs an<br />

impressive compromise in terms of ride and<br />

handling, ironing out nasty road obstacles<br />

better than before, but we can’t help thinking<br />

how much better the ride would be without<br />

run-flat tyres.<br />

The top-shelf 35i is not only considerably<br />

quicker again, but used less than 1.0L/100km<br />

more fuel than the 3.0. It also offers pushpull<br />

toggle shifters on the steering wheel as<br />

standard, but when mated to the M-DCT<br />

twin-clutch gearbox the twin-turbo inline six<br />

produces all the effortless drivability of an<br />

auto with all the pure, unadulterated fun of a<br />

manual.<br />

The grown-up Z4’s extra space, comfort and<br />

refinement will be welcomed by some, if they<br />

don’t mind paying the similarly inflated prices<br />

– which still undercut the Mercedes SLK.<br />

Perhaps the M version will change things,<br />

but we like our roadsters raw and, as it stands,<br />

BMW has headed too far away from the<br />

lightweight roadster concept in an effort to<br />

emulate its fiercest foe, the SLK. MOTOR<br />

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By DAVID HASSALL<br />

BRITISH sportscar specialist Ariel’s<br />

next model promises to be the fastestaccelerating<br />

production car in the<br />

world – and will cost more than three times as<br />

much as the iconic Atom 300.<br />

Ariel’s website last month revealed that the V8-<br />

Compare, Select and Save<br />

Ariel Atom 500 //<br />

Up and Atom!<br />

engined Atom 500 would cost “at least £100,000”<br />

($A203,000) and be released “shortly”, but that<br />

production will be limited to just 25 units.<br />

Power will come from a normally-aspirated<br />

3.0-litre V8 engine developing 500 brake<br />

horsepower (373kW), enabling the Atom 500 to<br />

race from rest to 100km/h in about 2.5 seconds.<br />

The four-valve V8 ‘atmo’ engine has a narrow<br />

75-degree V angle to ensure it has the compact<br />

dimensions necessary to fit it behind the driver<br />

in an east-west configuration. Ariel also claims<br />

that the engine has a unique camshaft drive<br />

arrangement to reduce engine size and weight.<br />

The 500 started life as a one-off project<br />

Ariel goes ballistic and claims title of<br />

the world’s fastest production car<br />

with Russell Savory’s RS Developments in<br />

2007 using the Savory-designed 2.4-litre<br />

supercharged five-valve alloy V8 that is<br />

now fitted to the recently-announced and<br />

conceptually-similar Caterham Seven Levante,<br />

which is priced at £115,000 ($A233,000).<br />

However, Ariel’s new production V8 has<br />

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Compare, Select and Save<br />

been developed by American engine designer<br />

John Hartley and, like the Savory V8, is<br />

apparently based on a pair of Suzuki<br />

Hayabusa four-cylinder superbike<br />

engines.<br />

Weighing in at just 500kg, the Atom<br />

500 boasts a remarkable power-toweight<br />

ratio of 1000bhp per tonne,<br />

which is about double that of the<br />

mighty Bugatti Veyron – the fastest<br />

car in the world.<br />

The engine alone<br />

reportedly accounts for<br />

about $60,000 of the<br />

500’s purchase price<br />

while the six-speed<br />

sequential gearbox<br />

provided by French<br />

racing transmission<br />

specialist Sadev (replacing<br />

the regular Atom’s six-speed Honda Type R<br />

manual) is said to cost $22,000.<br />

Ariel said it is also investigating the<br />

possibility of providing an optional paddle<br />

shift arrangement for the Atom 500.<br />

The racecar-like platform is the same as that<br />

used for the company’s regular Atom models,<br />

which are powered by the four-cylinder<br />

2.0-litre engine from the Honda Civic Type<br />

R, but available in normally-aspirated 245bhp<br />

(183kW) and supercharged 300bhp (224kW)<br />

forms.<br />

The supercharged Atom 300, which sells<br />

in the UK for £30,000 ($A60,900) and<br />

accelerates from 0-100km/h in about 2.8<br />

seconds, was the subject of a now famous<br />

review by Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson, in<br />

which his cheeks blew out like a dog’s while<br />

hanging out a car window.<br />

As well as having unique suspension, brakes<br />

a n d<br />

aerodynamics,<br />

including carbonfibre<br />

wings, the Atom 500<br />

comes with adjustable traction<br />

control and launch control.<br />

Ariel director Simon Saunders<br />

said the even more hardcore 500 project<br />

was an experimental departure from<br />

what the company normally produces.<br />

“Our aim is to build the ultimate road legal<br />

track day car,” said Mr Saunders. “Our motto<br />

has always been ‘Go fast – have fun’ and the<br />

Atom V8 is certainly going to do that.<br />

“With a predicted 0-60mph (96km/h) time of<br />

under 2.5 seconds and 0-100mph of less than<br />

six seconds, the Atom 500 V8 promises to be<br />

one of the fastest, if not the fastest, production<br />

car ever made.<br />

“For a few customers, the Atom 500 will<br />

be the ultimate expression of lightweight<br />

performance and represents the outer limits of<br />

what is achievable in a road-registered car.<br />

“We also use this sort of project to explore<br />

the possibilities of how we can improve<br />

our standard cars. By pushing the envelope<br />

to these sorts of extremes, we can further<br />

improve the breed.” MOTOR<br />

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\\ DRIVEN: Jaguar XFR<br />

Blown like the wind<br />

Awesome new supercharged<br />

375kW Jaguar XFR roars in<br />

By DAVID HASSALL<br />

IT WOULD be easy to flippantly summarise<br />

the new high-performance Jaguar XFR as<br />

the Cat sharpening its claws, but – while<br />

there is unquestionably a big performance<br />

Compare, Select and Save<br />

boost as Jag gets serious about its R brand –<br />

the new car is really about refinement rather<br />

than rawness.<br />

The car’s all-new supercharged 5.0-litre<br />

V8 engine is a potent and superbly smooth<br />

weapon, churning out a mighty 375kW of<br />

power and 625Nm of torque, and on paper it<br />

eclipses the super-saloon performance leader,<br />

Mercedes-Benz’s mighty E63 AMG.<br />

XF chief engineer Kevin Stride proudly<br />

points out how the supercharged V8 develops<br />

considerably more torque than the AMG’s<br />

normally-aspirated 6.2-litre V8 up to 4000rpm<br />

and then holds its own against the Benz.<br />

However, the German car still accelerates<br />

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Apocalypse Meow: Jaguar’s new XF flagship earns<br />

the R badge with 0-100km/h time of 4.9 seconds.<br />

to 100km/h much faster – 0-100km/h in 4.5<br />

seconds versus 4.9s for the Jaguar – and does<br />

so with a bit more theatre.<br />

The AMG bursts into life with an awesome<br />

cackle and always sounds fast whereas<br />

Compare, Select and Save<br />

the Jaguar is intentionally more refined.<br />

Supercharger whine, which was already quite<br />

subtle in the superseded SV8, cannot be heard<br />

at all and only a select amount of engine note<br />

is transmitted to the occupants.<br />

Where the XFR most impresses is with the<br />

instant response when a burst of speed is needed,<br />

leaping from 80km/h to 110km/h in less than<br />

two seconds, which should see off the Benz.<br />

That mid-range performance is aided by<br />

improvements to the ZF six-speed automatic<br />

transmission, which has more lock-up for the<br />

torque converter but is still no match for the<br />

Mercedes seven-speeder let alone BMW’s<br />

twin-clutch unit in the M5.<br />

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Go-Cat: The XFR gets frisky as the road gets twisty,<br />

thanks to excellent steering and active suspension.<br />

Like both the E63 and the M5 – which are<br />

$20,000 more expensive – the $208,450 Jaguar<br />

has gone for subtlety with the styling of its<br />

executive express, opting only for the required<br />

larger air intakes at the front and relatively<br />

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minor bodywork refinements, including a<br />

small built-in rear spoiler and bonnet vents<br />

to distinguish the fastest four-door saloon the<br />

company has ever built.<br />

It is hardly an ostentatious ‘look-at-me’<br />

kind of car, but make no mistake – you will be<br />

noticed driving the XFR, especially if painted<br />

black, which really shows up the chrome<br />

highlights around the nose, the 20-inch alloys<br />

and the car’s purposeful stance.<br />

As a sporty saloon, there is no doubt in my<br />

mind that Ian Callum’s beautiful XF is a much<br />

better-looking car than its German mid-size<br />

rivals, let alone the ungainly Lexus GS, and the<br />

R version simply stands out in the performance<br />

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stakes. In my book, the man deserves a statue<br />

next to Sir William Lyons at Jag HQ.<br />

Inside, our launch car was all black trim and<br />

purposeful, with seats that were comfortable<br />

rather than hugging in an interior that oozes<br />

Compare, Select and Save<br />

quality rather than the stuffiness of old.<br />

However, while the R trim provides extra<br />

sportiness without being gaudy, the interior is<br />

still let down by sub-standard fit and finish of<br />

fittings such as the cup-holders and glovebox,<br />

which spoil an otherwise classy interior and<br />

need to be improved in the future.<br />

And long-distance comfort was still spoiled<br />

by the lack of padding on the centre console,<br />

which caused us some discomfort with a numb<br />

knee, while the lack of a digital speed read-out<br />

and small spacings for the speedo itself made<br />

it difficult to stay safe from speed cameras.<br />

But we still like the start-up ‘handshake’<br />

function, which rotates the air-vents into<br />

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TM .<br />

Porsche Panamera<br />

AFTER decades of speculation, years of scoop<br />

photography, months of official pictures and weeks<br />

of waiting impatiently to drive the car in the wake of<br />

its flashy Shanghai debut, the moment of truth has<br />

at last arrived for the Porsche Panamera.<br />

Lexus RX450h<br />

Compare, Select and Save<br />

> FULL STORY<br />

LEXUS Australia will offer not just one version of its<br />

redesigned RX hybrid SUV but three, when it goes<br />

on sale in Australia from July 13.<br />

The hybrid crossover’s aggressive new starting<br />

price of $89,900, which is $7645 lower than the<br />

$97,545 pricetag of the single RX400h model<br />

previously available.<br />

> FULL STORY<br />

Citroen C3<br />

compare, select and save<br />

A HUGE windscreen that extends well into the roof<br />

is the defining feature of the new Citroen C3 light<br />

car, scheduled to come to Australia in May 2010.<br />

Citroen also revealed it will launch a new range<br />

of environmentally-friendly three-cylinder diesel<br />

engines in 2011.<br />

> FULL STORY<br />

position and pops up the unique gearshift<br />

controller when you turn on the ignition, as<br />

well as the soft-feel dash, the chrome and<br />

rubber steering wheel controls, the size and<br />

shape of the wheel itself and even the attention<br />

to detail with the Jaguar name embossed into<br />

the chrome air-vent direction sliders.<br />

The sloping roofline barely compromises<br />

ease of entry to the rear seat and there is no<br />

problem with headroom, legroom, visibility or<br />

comfort once inside.<br />

Jaguar makes much of its in-house active<br />

differential development and its wide-ranging<br />

‘Adaptive Dynamics’ suspension system –<br />

which apparently monitors the body position<br />

100 times a second and the wheels 500 times a<br />

second to predictively improve damper control<br />

– but unfortunately the launch drive was<br />

anything but challenging.<br />

Busy country highways are not the place to test<br />

such a car, let alone analyse complex systems and<br />

explore the limits of its capabilities, so we remain<br />

in anticipation of a more thorough examination<br />

over an extended time on local roads.<br />

In the meantime, we can tell you that the XFR<br />

is suitably grippy and rides well for such a car,<br />

but suffers from sharp road irregularities, as you<br />

would expect from low-profile performance<br />

tyres, which also generate too much road<br />

noise.<br />

The fast electro-hydraulic rack-and-pinion<br />

steering (electronic control, not electric power)<br />

is hard to fault, being fast and direct, with a<br />

lightness of touch at low speeds combined with<br />

good feel, responsiveness and on-centre feel on<br />

the highway.<br />

Jaguar is certainly serious about its R brand<br />

and has dedicated significant engineering<br />

resources to revive the brand’s sporting heritage.<br />

AMG and the M people may not yet be quaking<br />

in their boots, but the XFR is undoubtedly a<br />

MOTOR<br />

huge step in the right direction.<br />

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\\ LeBlanc Mirabeau<br />

Hit and Swiss<br />

Leblanc supercar is really<br />

just one track minded<br />

By DAVID HASSALL<br />

ONE OF the more remarkable supercars<br />

to catch our attention in recent times<br />

is a super-light sports racer built by<br />

Swiss company Leblanc Cars that is, incredibly,<br />

able to be registered for street use.<br />

The Leblanc Mirabeau – named after a<br />

Compare, Select and Save<br />

corner on the Monaco Grand Prix circuit – is a<br />

barely concealed racing car designed to meet<br />

the regulations for the classic Le Mans 24<br />

Hour race while also being able to be driven<br />

on the road.<br />

It is powered by the 4.7-litre supercharged<br />

and intercooled aluminium V8 engine from<br />

Swedish supercar company Koenigsegg, which<br />

in the Mirabeau produces “more than 700<br />

horsepower” (522kW) and “more than 850Nm”<br />

of torque, with a redline of 7600rpm.<br />

Transmission is the strong Italian-built<br />

Cima six-speed sequential manual used by<br />

Koenigsegg, which has an internal oil pump<br />

and an external radiator, or an optional<br />

($A92,000) semi-automatic.<br />

Although Leblanc is rather coy about<br />

performance figures, a top speed of about<br />

370km/h is quoted, which would match the<br />

McLaren F1 supercar and be beaten only by the<br />

388km/h Koenigsegg CCR (which is cranked<br />

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up to produce more power) and the 407km/h<br />

Bugatti Veyron in the production car ranks.<br />

Leblanc’s only other model is quaintly named<br />

the Caroline and only has a 382kW 2.0-litre<br />

turbocharged engine, but it is a seriously quick<br />

coupe, having been timed from 0-100km/h in<br />

just 2.7 seconds – second only to the Porsche-<br />

Compare, Select and Save<br />

based Dauer 962 in supercar folklore.<br />

Despite its turbocharged V8 engine, the<br />

real secret to the Mirabeau’s performance is<br />

its light weight, thanks to its lack of creature<br />

comforts and exotic chassis and bodywork<br />

materials like carbon-fibre and Kevlar.<br />

It weighs just 812kg, which is just below<br />

the Le Mans LMP2 class limit of 825kg (and<br />

much less than the 925kg limit for Audi’s<br />

and Peugeot’s outright contenders). It is also<br />

a match for the classic Le Mans-winning<br />

Porsche 956 of the 1980s.<br />

Compare that to other road-going supercars<br />

and you get a clearer picture because the<br />

Mirabeau is half the weight of a Veyron<br />

and even some 570kg lighter than a Ferrari<br />

Enzo.<br />

Of course, the Leblanc Mirabeau does not<br />

come cheap – €543,000 ($A965,000), plus<br />

local taxes – but how many other million dollar<br />

MOTOR<br />

supercars can you take to Le Mans?<br />

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By MARTON PETTENDY<br />

in BUDAPEST<br />

SKODA has applied the smoother new<br />

look adorned by its facelifted Octavia<br />

in Australia since March to its RS<br />

performance flagships.<br />

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Czech Czech out out the<br />

Latest performance Octavia<br />

r<br />

DRIVEN: Skoda Octavia RS //<br />

Czech out the RS<br />

Launched recently in Budapest, Hungary,<br />

not far from Skoda Auto’s Mlada Boleslav<br />

headquarters in the Czech Republic, the<br />

newlook RS and similarly updated Scout<br />

crossover will complete the upgraded Octavia<br />

range in Australia from September.<br />

The Octavia RS will bring the same interior<br />

and exterior updates recently applied to the<br />

revised Octavia line-up, which relaunched the<br />

Volkswagen-owned Czech brand in Australia<br />

in October 2007.<br />

Turbocharged petrol and diesel engine<br />

gives Skoda some street cred<br />

choices, mated to both six-speed manual and<br />

automatic (DSG) transmissions, will continue<br />

to be available here in both four-door ‘liftback’<br />

and five-door Combi body styles.<br />

As with the garden variety Octavia, the 2009<br />

RS skin is fresh from the A-pillar forward and<br />

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comprises new, more stylised headlights, plus<br />

revised front quarter guards and wing mirrors,<br />

and a different bonnet, bumper and grille.<br />

The larger, boomerang-shaped headlights will<br />

come with the option of Xenon globes and an<br />

adaptive light function, while the redesigned<br />

bumper features a wider air intake, fog lights<br />

with cornering function and, for the first time,<br />

daytime running lights. The RS also scores<br />

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new tail-lights while a new 18-inch alloy wheel<br />

design can be had instead of the standard 17inch<br />

items.<br />

Styling is a subjective thing, but few could<br />

argue the Octavia’s smooth new look has the<br />

greatest visual impact in range-topping RS<br />

guise. Gone are the flat, boring headlights of<br />

the current RS, which projected a downcast<br />

and decidedly eastern European look, in favour<br />

of a more contemporary headlight shape that<br />

makes the Octavia both far more aggressive<br />

and upbeat in equal measure. The heavily<br />

chromed Skoda grille still nestles in between<br />

but somehow looks prouder ahead of a more<br />

bulging bonnet and quarter guards, and above<br />

a deeper, more purposeful bumper.<br />

Certainly, the exterior changes are far easier<br />

to pick than the interior upgrades, but it could<br />

be argued the Volkswagen-esque cabin design<br />

and build quality, which is as convincing as its<br />

ergonomics, wasn’t in need of fixing anyway.<br />

Surprise-and-delight cockpit features<br />

continue to abound, like the hidden high-grip<br />

surfaces applied to the inside of the interior<br />

door-pulls and on the floor of the upper<br />

dashboard compartment.<br />

A large, flip-out dash box, easy-to-read<br />

Reign Czech: Skoda’s sportiest model comes in hatch<br />

and wagon body styles, with petrol and diesel power.<br />

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instruments, highly tactile controls and,<br />

thanks to the hip-hugging fake-suede<br />

sports seats in the RS we sampled, one<br />

of the most ergonomic seating positions<br />

we’ve encountered all add to the Octavia<br />

RS experience.<br />

On the solid cross-country global<br />

launch drive through Hungary, the petrol<br />

RS was as effortless to drive in peak-hour<br />

Budapest traffic as it was at very high<br />

freeway speeds.<br />

Powered by a turbocharged 147kW/<br />

280Nm version of Volkswagen’s directinjection<br />

2.0-litre four, the petrol RS<br />

sedan is in effect a Golf GTI with a boot<br />

or the Jetta GTI that VW never built,<br />

while the petrol RS Combi adds another<br />

dimension by throwing in the cargo space<br />

of a midsize wagon like the Mazda6,<br />

Subaru Liberty or … VW’s own Passat.<br />

Mated to an ever-ready double-clutch<br />

automated manual DSG transmission<br />

controlled oh-so-conveniently by steering<br />

wheel paddle shifters, both the petrol and<br />

125kW/350Nm 2.0-litre turbo-diesel RS<br />

are lusty performers with a satisfying level<br />

of response and in-gear acceleration.<br />

According to European test figures, the<br />

TDI manual liftback returns as little as<br />

150g/km and 5.7L/100km, while at the<br />

other end of the range the TSI DGS wagon<br />

produces 180g/km and 7.7L/100km.<br />

Both engines meet stringent new Euro<br />

V emissions standards. However, given<br />

most of the 20kg of weight savings are<br />

the result of replacing the full-size spare<br />

wheel with a tyre repair kit, which won’t<br />

be the case for Australian models, it<br />

remains to be seen whether the efficiency<br />

gains translate to Australia’s test regime.<br />

Ride quality on the cobblestones of<br />

Buda’s old town was far from comfortable<br />

and won’t find favour with those who<br />

spend most of their time on Australian<br />

B-roads, and a brief track session at<br />

Hungary’s Euroring proved the frontdrive<br />

RS is a chronic understeerer on a<br />

racetrack, despite its surprising lack of<br />

body roll.<br />

With more street cred than ever, though,<br />

the Octavia RS should continue to offer<br />

more bang for your buck than the Golf<br />

GTI in a package that has never looked<br />

better.<br />

MOTOR<br />

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