Road Test Review – February

A legend is reborn, and Brit gets back to its best
February was the month that saw us test our 2008 Car of the Year for the first time – but the model that ended up scooping the coveted Auto Express award wasn’t the one we expected.

At the start of February, we were all clamouring for the keys of the new Fiat 500. After one of the most carefully choreographed pre-launch PR campaigns we’d witnessed, our expectations of the car were sky high – but we were also anticipating a high price. Fiat had warned us that its little newcomer would be closer in cost to an £11,925 MINI One than a regular city car, so we were prepared for the worst. Yet it turned out to be a real bargain.

However, the U-turn on showroom values wasn’t enough for the sub-£10,000 Fiat to secure victory in its first test. Our verdict told the world what it didn’t want to hear – that the Fiat was very good, but not great. This accolade could only go to the evergreen MINI.

So, which model was destined for great things come New Car Honours in August? We were delighted to find that it was the British designed and built Jaguar XF. This was another car with a well oiled PR machine talking up its abilities before we even got inside for our first test.

In the back of our minds, though, one fact wouldn’t go away: the car was based on the ageing platform of the S-Type it was replacing. Still, this didn’t prevent the big cat from taking a controversial victory against two capable German rivals. It was a tough call then – but time has shown it to be the right choice.

Small car head-to-head
Fiat 500 vs Smart ForTwo vs MINI (Issue 997 ). Is it a winner? That was the question on everyone’s lips when the hotly anticipated Fiat 500 finally arrived in the UK. We undoubtedly fell for its charms, declaring it a stylishly designed car which was an excellent option for city driving. Yet with its refined ride, the MINI One proved to be the better all-rounder in our test, with the 500 finishing second ahead of the very clever but compromised Smart ForTwo.

Estate special
Kia Cee’d SW, Skoda Fabia Estate, Mercedes C-Class Estate, Volvo V70, Renault Laguna Sp. Tourer (Issue 999). The great estate car comeback continued in February when we ran our load-lugging masterclass. Our team brought together five different carriers that aimed to suit all tastes and budgets – and we wanted to find out which one offered the perfect blend of practicality, value and driveability. In truth, we liked all of these models, but the eventual winner was a big surprise. The Kia Cee’d SW proved that you no longer had to spend a fortune to get a truly practical load carrier.

Executive car group test
Jaguar XF vs Mercedes E280 CDI vs BMW 525d (Issue 998). Little did we realise the significance of this test when we picked up the keys to Jaguar’s new XF executive model. It was only after we had driven the new Brit – as well as its BMW 5-Series and Mercedes E-Class rivals – over our 1,000-mile test route that we began to realise the scale of Jaguar’s achievements. The XF was certainly the best of the three. The blue propeller secured second place with its sharp dynamics, while the E-Class finished a close third.

1,000-mile test
1,000 miles with 1,000bhp in a Honda Civic Type R, Lamborghini Gallardo, Subaru Impreza STi (Issue 1,000). Our landmark 1,000th issue called for a very special road test – and driving 1,000 miles in three cars with a total of 1,000bhp seemed like a fitting tribute to this pivotal moment in Auto Express’s history. The result was memorable – the marathon brought some fantastic pictures, online video and road testing. Even more impressive was the way the Lambo stopped traffic wherever it went. If only we’d covered it in Auto Express stickers, it would have made a great moving advert! Watch the video part one here, and part two here.

Tester’s notes - Getting the big picture
My face doesn’t often appear in the pages of Auto Express, but as the man behind the camera for most of the magazine’s photography, I get to see the images before anyone!

And although new techniques for snapping cars don’t come round often, towards the start of 2008, an idea started a revolution. The so-called ‘rig shot’ captures a perfectly sharp image of a car whooshing through a dynamic scene of blurred background.

Attaching a scaffold pole structure to a vehicle isn’t exactly new – but making it work in the tight timeframe of Auto Express’s deadlines was a whole new challenge. Fixing the camera to an arm that is attached to the bodywork, via a sucker, means the lens moves at the same speed as the car.

A lengthy shutter speed can then blur the background, giving the sensation of speed at walking pace. So, dramatic shots like the one below can now be achieved even in February weather…
Pete Gibson
Staff photographer