IN THE SHOWROOM
Vauxhall VXR8
Price £35,695
On sale Now
What’s different? Just in case customers thought the 6 litre V8
in the Vauxhall (née Holden) VXR8 was a touch too small and puny, it has
been replaced by a new 6.2 litre unit. It raises power by only 14bhp, to
431bhp, and this shaves a tenth of a second off the 0-60mph time (now
4.9sec). At least economy and emissions are no more horrendous than before
Why should I care? There’s nothing about this new engine that will
create a new generation of VXR8 devotees, even though the car’s price rise
is a mere £485. You either buy into the “maximum bang for your buck” and
“metal for your money” approach the VXR8 espouses, or you want something
with a spot of sophistication and will happily sacrifice raw power to get it
Consider also
BMW 335i M Sport £34,470
Mitsubishi Evolution X FQ-360 £35,499
Jaguar XF SV8 £54,900
IN THE SHOWROOM
Ford Mondeo 2.2 TDCi Titanium X Sport
Price £23,355
On sale Now
What’s different? Ford is introducing a new 2.2 litre 175bhp
diesel engine into the new Mondeo for those who have complained that the
performance of the 1.8 litre and 2 litre diesels is too limited. With 35bhp
more than the 2 litre, the 2.2 covers 0-62mph in a useful 8.4sec and has a
top speed of 139mph. Combined fuel economy is a reasonable 45.6mpg
Why should I care? This should be the Mondeo we’ve all been waiting
for, offering strong performance with the economy and emissions of a modern
diesel. So it’s a great shame that Ford is making this engine available only
in the costly, range-topping Titanium X Sport model
Consider also
Renault Laguna Initiale dCi 175 £22,970
Volvo S60 D5 £23,270
Honda Accord i-DTEC ES GT £21,910
