Tag Archives: Performance

Alfa Romeo, Manufacturer, Performance, Sports saloon and hatches

Alfa’s stylish powerhouse

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Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio

By Bill McCarthy

A beautifully styled saloon with explosive pace, but without the huge spoilers and air scoops associated with with some other hot performers, Alfa’s firecracker Quadrifoglio throws down a huge challenge to its sporty competitors, particularly the Germans in the shape of M Sport, AMG and RS.

Okay, it does have spoilers, air scoops, carbon bits and pieces and bright shiny trim, but in an altogether more subtle manner.

Like many Alfas it is impossibly good looking in its Competizione red livery, dark alloy wheels and familiar Alfa shield grille, with the four tail pipes and the seemingly innocuous four-leaf clover logo, or Quadrifoglio, that gives it its name, a clue to the power lurking under the bonnet. 

 It also features LED rear light clusters with dark lenses plus glossy black front and rear badges, deeper bumpers 

Performance is outrageous from the six-cylinder 2.9 litre beast which delivers 510bhp and an astonishing 600Nm of torque. It can it 60 mph in under four seconds and on to a racetrack-devouring 191mph. True supercar performance.

Startling performance, but there is much to it than that. A full-sized family saloon with superb driving dynamics, a comfortable ride in normal circumstances and practical with a huge boot split folding rear seats to increase the alread spacious 480 litres.

This Quad model has a more heavyweight, muscular look with stunning dark 19-inch alloy wheels with (optional) yellow brake calipers, lowered suspension and deeper bumpers front and rear.

The interior too is a delight, echoing the sport theme with leather/Alcantara powered seats with contrasting stitching, sports pedals and gearshift and with carbon fibre materials to complement the soft touch finish. 

The  finish to doors and dash, leather seats and ambient lighting giving the vehicle a real upmarket feel, with plenty of head and legroom, despite the sloping roofline.

Centrepoint is a resdesigned dash featuring the 8.8-inch Alfa Connect with navigation and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard, plus DAB radio, 3D Nav, MP3, Aux-i and Bluetooth. 

Major controls can also be selected by touch or the rotary controller on the centre console, while he neat multi-function steering wheel which also has a novel touch with the starter button.

But the big appeal of the Quad is performance, taking a smart, large saloon from early £30k price tag to almost double that at around £65k for hair-raising performance.

Mated to a super-slick eight speed dual clutch transmission, the V6 roars into life under hard acceleration. The 60mph sprint is dismissed in under four seconds and its about then you have to start putting the brakes on, before you’ve really got going.

To cope with all the power, the adaptive suspension does what it says on the tin, together with accurate and responsive steering keeping the car straight and true, particularly on sharp bends. It’s a riot to drive and selecting the steering wheel paddles on heightens the thrill. Given that it is rear-wheel drive, which the purists will love, traction and stability are remarkable.

Calm it all down and the V6 roar recedes to a burble and the suspension adapts to new driving conditions for that trip to the supermarket, school gates or lengthy motorway journey.

Considering the power under the bonnet, economy is not too shabby either with around 28mpg.

 Such a powerful car needs plenty of safety kit and it is packed with safety features including ADAS an autonomous driving system which allows the  driver gives to surrender control of the accelerator, brakes and steering under certain conditions.

The idea is the  electronic systems gives greater comfort on long journeys, but the driver must continuously remain in control, always keeping their hands on the steering wheel.

Other kit includes lane keep and active blind spot assist, active cruise control, traffic sign recognition and intelligent speed control, traffic jam and highway assist and driver drowsiness alert.precision of the steering.

This Alfa is a winner in so many ways, power, pace, practicality, packed with standard kit, impossible good looks, and yes, even half decent economy. A real firecracker of an alternative.

Factfile

Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio

Price: £64,900

Mechanical: 510bhp, 2891cc, six cylinder bi-turbo charged petrol engine driving rear wheels  via 8 speed auto gearbox

Insurance: 46E

Max speed: 191mph

0-62mph: 3.9 seconds

Combined mpg: 27.2

CO2 emissions: 202g/km

Warranty: 3yrs/unimited miles

Honda, Manufacturer, Performance, Sports saloon and hatches, Vehicle type

Firecracker better than ever

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Honda Civic Type R

By Bill McCarthy

LOOKING for a rip-snorting, fully blinged up full fat hot hatch with the kind of pace to set records at the famed Nurburgring Nordschleife racetrack, but with all the practicality of a family hatchback?

Throw in an affordable, relatively, price tag, then Honda’s pocket rocket rocket fits the bill. Is it successful, well yes, legendary is a word bandied around too much, but now in its fifth incarnation, it has been around for 25 years and still turns heads.

For 2020 there is the addition of two new variants, Limited Edition and Sport Line.

With the Limited Edition, Honda is unleashing the most extreme version of the car, with lightweight components, a stripped-back interior, enhanced driving dynamics and stand-out styling.

The Sport Line is designed to appeal to a customer who seeks a subtler look from their performance hatchback, with lower  height rear spoiler, 19-inch alloys and an all-black interior.

All models now receive a number of styling enhancements. The front bumper is revised with a smoother design, while the lower fog light surrounds feature a new symmetrical design incorporating smooth surfaces and sleek styling blades. Redesigned full LED headlight clusters and daytime running lights complete the cleaner styling direction says Honda.

The car is aggressively styled, all sharp angles and creases, red trim and inserts, huge spoiler, triple exhaust, red Brembo brakes and with the familiar R insignia making it stand out from the crowd.

The two-litre petrol power unit has three selective drive modes and an advanced suspension system front and rear and uprated brakes to delivers exhilarating performance all the way to the redline.

A real firecracker with the added  bonus is the Type R is also a perfectly good every day car, with decent economy – driven carefully of course.

You can change the way it handles by switching between modes even while driving – so when you can easily flick out of +R for a track-like experience.

For a more comfortable ride, switch to, you’ve guessed it, comfort mode, which softens the suspension and quietens the craziness down.

The 320ps of power means it can hit 62mph in just 5.7 seconds and will go on to a top speed of 169mph. It is also the fastest Type R ever around the Nurburgring Nordschleife racetrack, with a lap time of 7min 43.8sec.

The GT Pack adds red highlights to the front and rear, splitters at the rear end, where the tailpipes are positioned in the centre of the rear diffuser.

Main tailpipes on either side deliver exhaust flow from the engine, while a unique, smaller centre tailpipe controls the sonic tone of the engine.

The interior is similarly sporty, although offering more space than ever.

It has sport bucket seats, trimmed in suede-effect black fabric with red double stitching while the rear seat backs split 60/40 to increase boot space. The flat-bottomed multi-function sports steering wheel has red double stitching on the black leather, while red ambient lighting adds a further touch of class.

The centre console has piano-black finish, and hosts  the seven-inch Honda CONNECT colour touch-screen display which controls navigation, climate, connectivity and infotainment and reversing camera, plus smartphone connectivity.

A small TFT screen behind the wheel gives the driver instant information while the dash can be configured for different readouts, from economy to sport, plus features the likes of a digital lap timer and even a G-force meter, should you ever need it on a shopping trip.

It’s not all about blistering pace, a neat innovation in the large boot area is the side-sliding tonneau cover, which can be operated with one hand for extra practicality.

It’s truly a driver’s car, but still offers hatchback practicality with its large boot, 60/40 split rear seats, and when driven sedately decent economy. In spite of such performance it achieves CO2 emissions of 177g/km and reasonable fuel consumption.

In addition there is  automatic dual zone climate control air conditioning,  and comprehensive safety measures include full complement of airbags, traction and stability control, forward collision warning, lane departure warning blind spot information and cross traffic monitoring.

A real firecracker with the added  bonus is the Type R is also a perfectly good every day car, with decent economy – driven carefully of course.

Factfile

Honda Civic TYPE R  GT 2.0 i-VTEC

Price: £33,525

Mechanical: 318bhp, 1,996cc, 4cyl petrol engine driving front wheels via 6-speed manual gearbox

Max speed: 167mph

0-60mph: 5.8 seconds

Combined mpg: 38.7

Insurance group: 33

CO2 emissions: 177g/km

Warranty: 3yrs/90,000 miles

  • 2020 Civic Type R Sport Line
  • 2020 Civic Type R Sport Line
  • 2020 Civic Type R Limited Edition
  • 2020 Civic Type R Limited Edition
  • Civic Type R