Month: October 2016

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Audi RS 7 Performance – the originally wolf in sheep’s clothing

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I may not be in love with the jelly mould styling of the RS7 but there’s lots to like about the performance.

The Audi is the original wolf in sheep’s clothing. It does start with a bit of a growl from those two enormous tailpipes but otherwise, there’s very little to suggest how rapid the RS is.

And it is very quick. 0-60mph in 3.7 seconds officially – although it does feel quicker and considerably more refined than the 2.7 second Nissan GT-R.

And whereas the Nissan screams performance, this RS only hints at it. I wonder if that will bother some drivers who might prefer a more overt display of hairy-chestedness?

Me, I like understated – even if the RS 7 styling leaves me totally cold…

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Does the Audi RS7 Performance really look like a £100k car?

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Inside the RS7 is a gorgeous place to sit. It’s refined from the quilted leather seats to the plush headlining – even the infotainment screen glides away neatly into the dashboard.

All good then? Perhaps not. The stretched coupe styling of the RS7 may be streamlined and muscular but to me it looks pretty dated these days.

The very nature of a four-door coupe means it has to be long and low but compared to BMW’s beautiful 6, the Audi is woefully average in profile.

I parked it next to a A7 TDI today and there was very little to set the £100k RS apart from its lesser sibling.

And if I was paying that much for a car it would have be a little bit more special…

 

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Audi RS7 Performance – the secret supercar

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Some cars scream performance but in the world of luxury coupes a subtle approach is often preferred.

Forgetting the outrageous Nissan GT-R, machines like the Porsche Panamera, Mercedes CLS and BMW 6 Series are all about keeping the performance under wraps.

And so it is with the RS7. What we have here is a proper supercar dressed in sheep’s clothing. Sure, it looks brutal head on but otherwise there’s very little to suggest the Audi is anything other than an executive jellymould.

Until you put your foot down that is. Then the exhaust ports open, the 4.0-litre engine roads and the RS7 takes off like a stabbed rat.

It is quite ridiculously fast for such a big motor and could power on to 190mph.

Issues? Just the handling, which is strange considering this is a quattro! There’s very little feel through the steering wheel, so set the Drive Select setting to Dynamic for best results.

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The Audi RS7 Performance – worth your hard-earned £100k?

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You wonder sometimes when manufacturers will reach an optimum level of performance for their cars. I’m not actually sure your average driver can tell whether one vehicle is 0.2 seconds faster to 60mph than another.

However, that is the point of the Performance – the ultimate incarnation of the ubiquitous A7. The RS version is quick but this one trims 0.2 seconds off the 60mph dash – oh and it will cost you £6,500 more too.

You’re only really going to spot the difference on a race track – and then I would argue that the 7 isn’t exactly the correct machine to be ripping around Silverstone in the first place.

Looking at the RS7 in front of me now, I’m already wondering who actually buys a car like this. Let’s take it out on the road to find out…

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A glorious feeling steering a Morgan 4/4 into a corner – and coming out alive!

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You might think the Volkswagen Beetle is the longest running production car in the world. Or perhaps the Land Rover?

The Morgan 4/4 was launched at the 1936 London Motor Show – long before the Second World War, or the abdication of King Edward VIII.

That means it holds the record and this special 80th anniversary model celebrates the fact.

Everything, from the brass wheel nuts to the leather bonnet straps, will remind your grandad of the great days of motor cars.

This 1.6 model is not a machine to thrash around corners, or impress a lady with straight line performance. No, it’s a sedate old thing that should remind drivers of pure motoring – without traction control or even a window winder.

The driving position may be rather too upright, some of the trim isn’t up to standard for a £39k car but what a glorious feeling steering a 4/4 into a corner – and coming out the other side alive!

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Win a holiday ride of a lifetime with Harley-Davidson…

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Perfect week for a Morgan! But what happens when the sun goes out and you need that warm wind in your hair feeling again?

Swap from four wheels to two and head down to you nearest Harley-Davidson dealership. It’s giving riders the chance to escape the impending chill with the chance to win a £5,000 holiday adventure of a lifetime in South Africa.

To enter the ‘Follow The Sun’ competition you just need to book a test ride before the end of November.

The winning name out of the hat in December will take home a stonking holiday that is part of Harley’s Authorized Tours programme.

For more information visit http://www.h-d.com/testride

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A tea towel – an essential piece of kit for a Morgan hood

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If you wanted quintessential British country motoring it would no doubt include an image of a Morgan scooting across the Cotswolds.

You will require an additional piece of kit to make the journey more pleasurable thought – a tea towel.

Why? Well, with the roof in place, the mohair hood has a nasty habit of flapping at speeds in excess of 50mph. It’s like having a giant butterfly trapped in the cabin.

The towel can be stuffed between the hood and the frame to prevent it happening.

It will eventually drive you mad but at least the sweet drone from the exhaust system covers up most of the noise…

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A Morgan for pottering? You need a 4/4 (with an extra windscreen wiper)

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Having noted the lack of sun visors in the 4/4 I can now happily report that it has three windscreen visors to compensate. Brilliant.

And what is especially remarkable about the Morgan is the 1.6-litre Ford engine. It sips fuel soooo slowly. I must be averaging 45mph+. I can’t give you an exact figure because the Morgan doesn’t have an onboard computer of course.

The 4/4 has two sweet spots. On the motorway, rattle along at 75mph – otherwise it loves tackling a country lane between 35-50mph. The five-speed gearbox is a joy.

This is really the Morgan for gentle pottering around the Cotswolds. Not like the madcap Plus 8 that is an absolute bruiser to steer.

It’s great fun – I just wish this speical edition didn’t have quite so many naff  ’80th anniversary’ decals splattered about the place…

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The Morgan 4/4 is great because it has very little of anything…

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After whinging about the lack of sun visors in the Morgan, I now discover my Land Rover doesn’t have them either. It’s a soft-top too, circa 1972 and just as bonkers to drive as the 4/4.

So what does the 80th annversary Morgan actually have to boast about? Well, apart from the fun factor it has a mohair roof, door locks and rather swanky, brass wheel nuts.

There’s some extended leather trim, cream-faced Smith dials (you have to know British cars to understand what they are) and a matt finish walnut dashboard.

You see, what makes this car special is that is has very little of anything. No driver aids, no infotainment system, no accoustic exhaust.

It’s quite lovely for a Friday drive in the October sunshine…

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I reach for a sun visor that isn’t there… Welcome to the world of Morgan

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It’s 6.30pm and I’m heading west from Heathrow Airport in a Morgan 4/4. I’ve just driven 2,000 miles to the Arctic Circle in a rather splendid Fiat 124 Spider and returned home to something with an equally iconic badge.

Except I’m cursing by the time I reach Reading on the M4 motorway because the setting sun is hitting me straight in the eyes. I reach for the sun visor that isn’t there – this is a Morgan and visors are for wimps.

Perhaps I should have checked the radio for a traffic alert but the 4/4 doesn’t have one of those either. Or air con to keep me cool in the heat of the moment – or, well, the list goes on.

You don’t get behind the wheel of a Morgan for such niceties. This is all about motoring stripped back to the bare minimum – apart from the price tag that is. I love Morgans and the fact I’m smiling in the face of a setting sun really says it all…