We don’t cover the VW Group’s Czech brand, Škoda, round these parts considerably, but a bitchin’ rally vehicle seems as good a cause as any. (So was this innovative industrial.) Meet the Škoda Fabia R 5, which has been below improvement for the previous 15 months but was just authorized by the FIA for worldwide competitors. We’re seriously digging on the funky, teardrop wheel wells the cantilevered wing out back and the hyper-chiseled bodywork. Also: roof snorkel!
A 1.6-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder makes somewhere north of 265 horsepower its predecessor, the Fabia Super 2000, created 275. Output is routed through a 5-speed sequential transmission and on to all 4 wheels. Suspension is by struts all around. Minimum weight per FIA regulations is 2711 pounds, and the car is said to BWAAA! BWAAA! most righteously on asphalt, ice, gravel, snow, or dirt.
Reading Rolls-Royce press releases is best done in an old-timey, 1920s-era newsreel voice. And so it goes with the most current update on the upcoming Rolls SUV—a.k.a., “high-sided, all-terrain motor car”—which the firm is referring to as Project Cullinan. Following “an undertaking to inform stakeholders of the progress of Project Cullinan,” we’re now becoming given a appear at the very first prototype for the new SUV it will be used to test the rig’s all-wheel-drive method and “on-road behaviour from suspension throw to high-bodied stability” on “all kinds of international road surface specification.”
Let us just commence by saying that if Rolls-Royce were to freeze its SUV’s development correct right here, we’d be extremely okay with it. That is since standing in stark contrast to the prototype announcement’s Rolls-Royce presents the march . . . of war! vibe, the prototype itself is a hugely bizarre but incredible-looking modern, uh, factor.
Primarily a shortened Phantom Series II sedan, the test mule looks ready for sale: Aside from what appears to be a slightly raised ride height, it boasts a full paint job and the shortened rear doors even wear chrome trim around their daylight openings. Our favored element? The perverted yet alluring Rapidly & Furious—or would that be Quick & Really Bothered?—rear wing, which most likely is there to simulate tall-automobile aerodynamics. There’s none of the common camouflage, no uncouth cut lines, just pure class.
However, as Rolls-Royce points out—get that old-timey radio voice going in your head again—”The body may possibly hint at the size of the new auto, but it features no design aspects of the eventual higher-sided, all-terrain motor car announced by Rolls-Royce Motor Cars in February this year.” The prototype will be subjected to appropriately deluxe variations of pavement, Rolls says, like Belgian Pavé and cobblestones, as nicely as “corrugated concrete, noise improvement and measurement surfaces, resonance road, and acceleration bumps.” Rolls-Royce is aiming to inject its signature “effortless” ride high quality to the SUV each on- and off-road, and we look forward to assessing the Roller’s waftability when it goes on sale sometime in 2017 as a 2018 model. Now, please return to reading our “electronic magic motor car periodical” (web site) in a regular voice.
As the realm of hybrids expands, we sometimes uncover ourselves contemplating vehicles that bring to thoughts a question posed in an old nation song: “Is your mouth writin’ checks that your body cain’t cash?” At the small, sporty end of the hybrid spectrum, there’s the Honda CR-Z, which we’ve characterized as getting lots of flash but not significantly performance to back it up. Add the Lexus CT200h to this exclusive group. It’s a slick compact hatchback with a sport label that appears like a cocky small street tiger augmented by the allure of hybrid fuel economy. Emphasis on the “looks like.”
To be fair, the CT200h delivers on fuel economy. EPA rated at 43 mpg city and 40 highway, it delivered 36 mpg while in our hands. That’s impressive thinking about how often the accelerator pedal was mashed against the floor as we attempted to wring a small much more overall performance from its “what’s-your-hurry” powertrain.
Hybrid Synergy as Sport?
The powertrain is Toyota’s familiar Hybrid Synergy Drive, entailing a naturally aspirated 1.8-liter 4-cylinder gasoline engine and a pair of AC permanent-magnet electric motors, a single to power the generator and starter, an additional that powers the front wheels by means of a continuously variable automatic transmission. It can operate in pure electric mode at low speeds or as a booster for the engine.
This is a sophisticated and well-liked-promoting hybrid method. But it is as sporty as a slab of tofu. Total output is 134 horsepower, which translates as zero to 60 mph in 8.6 seconds. That type of performance makes thrifty subcompacts such as the Honda Fit and the Ford Fiesta 1. EcoBoost appear like NHRA Top Fuel dragsters.
The CVT doesn’t help, either. Lexus extols the transmission’s “ability to rapidly discover the optimal gear ratio to improve the driving knowledge.” But “quickly” does not imply “instantly.” Like all CVTs, this one particular takes some time to catch up to the power supply when the driver stabs the throttle. And in this case there are no paddle shifters to offer an ersatz stepped-gear shift encounter.
For that matter, there’s hardly even a shifter—just a small dashboard toggle lever that enables the driver to pick drive and reverse, the latter accompanied by a especially irritating chime. Is the chime there to warn passersby that the car—extremely quiet beneath electric power—is backing up? Nope. No chime audible outdoors the automobile. The chime is for the benefit of those inside the car, who may well not otherwise know they’re going backward.
There are 4 operating modes: EV, Normal, Eco, and Sport. Engaging Sport mode causes a digital tachometer to materialize on the left side of the instrument binnacle—cool, but irrelevant with the meager power on tap. In Eco mode, the system delivers substantially much less energy for equivalent throttle pressure, and forward progress becomes even a lot more deliberate.
Platform Versus Powertrain
Assessed strictly in terms of dynamics, the CT200h is considerably a lot more worthy of the sport label than the technique that propels it. Sinews are firm, the electric energy steering is precise and fast (2.7 turns lock-to-lock), physique motions are minimal, ride good quality is just supple enough, the bucket seats provide lots of lateral support, and interior noise levels are low. Optional F Sport trim ($ 1180), as installed on our test vehicle, includes interior and exterior appearance upgrades as nicely as a sport-tuned suspension, which additional enhances dynamic manage. Our test car was also equipped with a Premium package ($ 900), Navigation package (including navigation, a backup camera, and upgraded infotainment system, $ 3490), and front and rear park help ($ 500), bringing the tally to just under $ 40K.
Lexus calls the CT200h “efficient and exhilarating.” It’s hard to argue with the “efficient” portion, and for that matter, the pricing. The aforementioned traits plus an eye-catching, nicely appointed interior are obtainable beginning at just north of $ 30K. But dialing “exhilarating” into this ride would demand a distinct powertrain.
Revised appears, a freshened interior—and newly obtainable stripes!
MICHAEL SIMARI AND
THE MANUFACTURER
The Goodwood Festival of Speed, held annually on the grounds of Goodwood Residence in West Sussex, England, is a mecca for speed freaks. Began primarily as a showcase for historic marques, it has ballooned to incorporate all manner of wheeled lunacy, and this year’s event contains the debut of the refreshed 2015 Ford Focus ST. A definite C/D preferred, the present Concentrate ST is each a 10Best winner and a member in excellent standing of our long-term test fleet.
Native Son, Globe-Class Reputation
Though Ford was born in America, the brand has lengthy reserved a special location in its heart for the U.K. (and Britons a particular place in their heart for the brand), so it tends to make sense that the most recent ST would make its debut there.
As with the already revealed 2015 hatchback and sedan, the new ST’s tweaks start with a refreshed front fascia. The look involves a set of sleeker headlight units that imbue it with a squintier and slightly more aggressive countenance. LED running lamps are regular, whilst the ST2 and ST3 trim levels have HID headlights. The grille is slightly larger, but it retains roughly the identical all round shape. Gone, nevertheless, are the thin, fanglike elements that split it into 3 sections.
Best: 2015 Ford Concentrate ST. Bottom: 2014 Ford Concentrate ST.
The reduce area adopts an egg-crate look, and the fog-lamp lenses are now polygonal in shape rather of round. A newly sculpted hood plays nicely into the more aggressive look. Out back, a deeper blackout panel now spans the entire fascia, and the trademark twin hexagonal exhaust finishers carry over.
Gray, 18-inch Rado aluminum wheels are standard, and an extra new wheel design and style and red painted calipers are optional. Magnetic Metallic replaces Ingot Silver in the exterior colour palette, and buyers can now add stripes—in Satin Black and Higher Gloss Red—to their automobiles. Doing so also nets matching mirror caps.
The interior gets a couple of updates of its own, which includes a redesigned center stack with new finishes and a supposedly improved climate-manage interface, a new center console with far more storage and a “smart charging” (Ford claims it charges twice as quick as the old 1) USB port, and revised door inners with integrated cup holders. A new flat-bottomed steering wheel covered in “soft-feel” leather arrives (with heating as an option), and an 8-way power-adjustable driver’s seat makes it effortless for drivers of all sizes to get comfy and to find an optimal driving position.
The standard ST1 gets seats covered in dark fabric, while the ST2 adds partial leather and gives purchasers the choice of Tangerine Scream, Overall performance Blue, Smoke Storm, or Race Red accents for the bottoms and side bolsters. In the ST3, the seats are upholstered in no-nonsense, full-on black leather. Aggressive Recaro front seats are normal in the ST2 and ST3.
Dynamically Speaking
To maintain the Concentrate ST’s driving dynamics on point, the maker asked Ford Team RS—the European arm of Ford’s Worldwide Performance Automobile group—to give the chassis a onceover. The result involves new springs all around, sportier damping characteristics, and retuned electric energy steering for better feel. Back for ’15 is the 252-hp, 2.-liter EcoBoost turbocharged 4 and 6-speed manual transmission—after all, why mess with confirmed combo? That is, unless you’re talking about the highly anticipated Concentrate RS, a car that promises to top the ST in raw functionality. In that case, mess away.
It goes without mentioning that Ford Sync will be onboard for 2015, full with the developer-friendly Sync AppLink. Ford says there are at the moment a lot more than 60 AppLink-enabled Android and iOS apps accessible, which, okay. For us, the actual beauty of any Focus ST has nothing at all to do with apps or touch screens. Nope, the beauty is in firing it up, grabbing a gear, and letting ’er rip.
Mitsubishi’s back! Back to Pikes Peak that is, as the maker plans to contest the 2014 iteration of the annual hill-climb occasion. Last year, the Japanese automaker brought along the rather unfortunate-looking i-MIEV electric race vehicle, which hid its impressive hardware beneath a strange body inspired by the i-MIEV city car. This year, Mitsubishi has updated the car’s bodywork, as effectively as gifted it far more power and a new name: i-MIEV Evolution III.
Chopping the i-MIEV race car’s roof and exposing the roll cage was an outstanding move. The machine now appears like it belongs on the Pikes Peak course, and not nearby standing in for a Little Tykes Cozy Coupe. The tube-frame chassis has been redesigned to be lighter, and the aesthetics of the new front end had been shaped by sessions in a wind tunnel. Not only does this EV generate more downforce than before, but it looks about 10 times more bad-ass.
A lot more energy has been squeezed from the Evolution III’s quartet of electric motors—one per wheel—for a boost of 67 horsepower to 603 (!). 2 automobiles will run up the mountain this year, piloted by last year’s driving group of Hiroshi Masuoka and Greg Tracy.
