Feature: Best of 2009 Shanghai Auto Show

Detroit may be in the doldrums, but Shanghai is swinging: the Chinese motor industry is growing rapidly, investing in design expertise and preparing to have a significant global impact in coming years.

And besides the domestic manufacturers, who are producing ever-more interesting concepts, the established European and Western car-makers are finding that they can't afford to ignore China, where new-car sales are rising exponentially. Here's the low-down on the most important cars of this year's Shanghai Auto Show.

Bertone Mantide

Based on the 620bhp Corvette ZR1, the insectile Mantide (Italian for 'praying mantis') is a one-off, road-legal creation from the Stile Bertone studio for a private client.

Designer Jason Castriota - the man behind the one-off Pininfarina P4/5 - says it's inspired by jet-fighter aircraft, and its fuselage-type body, butterfly-opening doors and canopy certainly make it look ready to fly away.

Though the underpinnings are Corvette, the extra-aerodynamic Mantide is some 100kg lighter, thanks to its carbon fibre bodyshell and interior - which help it to 217mph and 0-60mph in less than 3.5 seconds. Downforce is 30% better than that of the Corvette, thankfully.

Buick Business Concept

Chinese buyers love GM's Buick brand - they see it as the epitome of American luxury - and the Business Concept MPV is suitably kitted out with armchair-type seats, plush burgundy and cream suede upholstery and carpets, and high-tech LED displays.

The work of the GM-SAIC Pan-Asia joint research and development facility, it incorporates traditional Chinese patterns in its trim, and evokes Chinese crystal sculptures in its headlight design. It shares its hardware with the Chevrolet Orlando and thus also the upcoming new Vauxhall Zafira, and also previews a next-generation GM hybrid powertrain.
Source:http://www.channel4.com

Feature: Best of 2009 Shanghai Auto Show

Detroit may be in the doldrums, but Shanghai is swinging: the Chinese motor industry is growing rapidly, investing in design expertise and preparing to have a significant global impact in coming years.

And besides the domestic manufacturers, who are producing ever-more interesting concepts, the established European and Western car-makers are finding that they can't afford to ignore China, where new-car sales are rising exponentially. Here's the low-down on the most important cars of this year's Shanghai Auto Show.

Bertone Mantide

Based on the 620bhp Corvette ZR1, the insectile Mantide (Italian for 'praying mantis') is a one-off, road-legal creation from the Stile Bertone studio for a private client.

Designer Jason Castriota - the man behind the one-off Pininfarina P4/5 - says it's inspired by jet-fighter aircraft, and its fuselage-type body, butterfly-opening doors and canopy certainly make it look ready to fly away.

Though the underpinnings are Corvette, the extra-aerodynamic Mantide is some 100kg lighter, thanks to its carbon fibre bodyshell and interior - which help it to 217mph and 0-60mph in less than 3.5 seconds. Downforce is 30% better than that of the Corvette, thankfully.

Buick Business Concept

Chinese buyers love GM's Buick brand - they see it as the epitome of American luxury - and the Business Concept MPV is suitably kitted out with armchair-type seats, plush burgundy and cream suede upholstery and carpets, and high-tech LED displays.

The work of the GM-SAIC Pan-Asia joint research and development facility, it incorporates traditional Chinese patterns in its trim, and evokes Chinese crystal sculptures in its headlight design. It shares its hardware with the Chevrolet Orlando and thus also the upcoming new Vauxhall Zafira, and also previews a next-generation GM hybrid powertrain.
Source:http://www.channel4.com

Jaguar XF 5.0 (2009-) Review

The new 3.0-litre diesel is the pick of the Jaguar XF range. How can it not be? It's relatively low on emissions, it'll return 42mpg and the 271bhp version sprints from 0 to 62mph in just 6.4 seconds and then all the way up to a limited 155mph.


So why bother with a thirsty V8? The new £49,900 5.0-litre is also limited to 155mph, only beats the diesel to the 62mph benchmark by only 0.6s but can't come close to matching the 3.0-litre's fuel consumption managing a distinctly unimpressive 25.2mpg.


Factor in an additional £5,700 premium and the 380bhp 5.0 looks like an unnecessary luxury - until you consider the price of the XFR. At £10k less than the high performance XF, the 5.0-litre offers a lot of bang for your bucks.

Source:http://www.channel4.com

Jaguar XF 5.0 (2009-) Review

The new 3.0-litre diesel is the pick of the Jaguar XF range. How can it not be? It's relatively low on emissions, it'll return 42mpg and the 271bhp version sprints from 0 to 62mph in just 6.4 seconds and then all the way up to a limited 155mph.


So why bother with a thirsty V8? The new £49,900 5.0-litre is also limited to 155mph, only beats the diesel to the 62mph benchmark by only 0.6s but can't come close to matching the 3.0-litre's fuel consumption managing a distinctly unimpressive 25.2mpg.


Factor in an additional £5,700 premium and the 380bhp 5.0 looks like an unnecessary luxury - until you consider the price of the XFR. At £10k less than the high performance XF, the 5.0-litre offers a lot of bang for your bucks.

Source:http://www.channel4.com

Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart Sportback (2009-) Review

We last drove the Ralliart Sportback as a pre-production car and even then it was shaping up to be a good compromise for someone who can't stretch to an Evo.


The prototypes had their flaws, though. The Ralliart's auto 'box blunted the 237bhp 2.0-litre turbo's performance, while others complained that Mitsubishi had gone too far in softening the Ralliart to make it palatable for the Golf GTI buyers and the like.


Mitsubishi listened and got to work. The finished Ralliart still sprints to 62mph in 7.1 seconds, but now boasts better gear ratios. Even more significantly, engineers have found the 'box is strong enough to take the full 253lb-ft of torque without the need for the pre-production car's torque limiter on first gear, promising for harder acceleration.


If that's not enough, the brakes have been boosted, suspension tweaked and it's competitively priced from £21,649 - that's £7,000 cheaper than the cheapest Lancer Evo and about £1,300 cheaper than the five-door Golf GTI.

So has Mitsubishi succeeded in providing an appetising cut-price alternative to one of the fastest, most accomplished four-door saloons ever made? Read on to find out.
Source:http://www.channel4.com

Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart Sportback (2009-) Review

We last drove the Ralliart Sportback as a pre-production car and even then it was shaping up to be a good compromise for someone who can't stretch to an Evo.


The prototypes had their flaws, though. The Ralliart's auto 'box blunted the 237bhp 2.0-litre turbo's performance, while others complained that Mitsubishi had gone too far in softening the Ralliart to make it palatable for the Golf GTI buyers and the like.


Mitsubishi listened and got to work. The finished Ralliart still sprints to 62mph in 7.1 seconds, but now boasts better gear ratios. Even more significantly, engineers have found the 'box is strong enough to take the full 253lb-ft of torque without the need for the pre-production car's torque limiter on first gear, promising for harder acceleration.


If that's not enough, the brakes have been boosted, suspension tweaked and it's competitively priced from £21,649 - that's £7,000 cheaper than the cheapest Lancer Evo and about £1,300 cheaper than the five-door Golf GTI.

So has Mitsubishi succeeded in providing an appetising cut-price alternative to one of the fastest, most accomplished four-door saloons ever made? Read on to find out.
Source:http://www.channel4.com

Road test:Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano HGTE (2009-) Review

The Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano won rave reviews in mid-2006, but to keep the car at the top of the exotic GT class the Italian company is now offering it with an optional handling pack and minor cosmetic changes for your £200,000 outlay.

Performance from the headline 620bhp Enzo-derived engine is unchanged. with 0-125mph achieved in 11 seconds, but work - mainly on reducing internal friction - on the engine has reduced CO2 emissions and improved overall fuel consumption from a scary 13.2mpg to slightly more socially acceptable 15.7mpg.



The real goal though was to make it an even sportier, faster-reacting car but not too much at the expense of ride comfort.


Wider front wheels, a new rubber mix from Pirelli for the PZero tyres, new calibrations for the suspension dampers and a 10mm drop in ride height to lower the 599s centre of gravity are the main changes.


Roll stiffness, up 19%, and pitch by 16% together with a faster (85milliseconds) paddle gearchange make the HGTE pack car 0.6 seconds quicker around Ferrari's Fiorano test track than the 'standard model.


Prices for the Ferrari 599 GTB equipped with the HGTE pack start from £207,194.

Road test:Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano HGTE (2009-) Review

The Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano won rave reviews in mid-2006, but to keep the car at the top of the exotic GT class the Italian company is now offering it with an optional handling pack and minor cosmetic changes for your £200,000 outlay.

Performance from the headline 620bhp Enzo-derived engine is unchanged. with 0-125mph achieved in 11 seconds, but work - mainly on reducing internal friction - on the engine has reduced CO2 emissions and improved overall fuel consumption from a scary 13.2mpg to slightly more socially acceptable 15.7mpg.



The real goal though was to make it an even sportier, faster-reacting car but not too much at the expense of ride comfort.


Wider front wheels, a new rubber mix from Pirelli for the PZero tyres, new calibrations for the suspension dampers and a 10mm drop in ride height to lower the 599s centre of gravity are the main changes.


Roll stiffness, up 19%, and pitch by 16% together with a faster (85milliseconds) paddle gearchange make the HGTE pack car 0.6 seconds quicker around Ferrari's Fiorano test track than the 'standard model.


Prices for the Ferrari 599 GTB equipped with the HGTE pack start from £207,194.