Road Test Review – October

Superminis, saloons and a Superb new star
An underground car park, the wilds of the North York Moors and the sun-soaked circuit at Anglesey – October had it all. As the highlight of the road testing calendar, we couldn’t wait to see the Performance Car of the Year supplement in print. A huge effort went into bringing the best white-knuckle thrillers to life with down-to-earth evaluations, stunning photography and daring online videos – and it all came from three days of hard graft at the superb circuit in North Wales. Soon after driving the world’s most exciting newcomers, we were off up the M1 to head for some remote countryside.

We’ve spent plenty of time on obscure unmarked roads, and are aware that not all vehicles can tackle some of this country’s less trodden tracks. Aiming to address the generalisation that all SUVs are environmentally unfriendly disasters, we chose low-CO2 models from five 4x4 classes and took them where their go-anywhere ability was genuinely useful – the North York Moors. Writing off a 4x4 as a Chelsea tractor is one thing when it’s in the city, but we found there are many people who put all-wheel-drive versatility to good use every day.

So what were we doing in a car park? It provided the perfect setting for our hot city cars – the Renaultsport Twingo and Suzuki’s Swift Sport. The result is the stunning image above.

BMW 330d group
BMW 330d vs Audi A4 3.0 TDI vs Jaguar X-Type 2.2 vs Mercedes C320 CDI (Issue 1,034). With the prospect of mixing tens of thousands of new car sales with lofty list prices, it’s no surprise that selling compact executive models is big business. With some of the best new cars on the market to compete with, BMW’s revised 3-Series had a mountain to climb if it was to regain its title in this class.

In the end we were won over by the 330d’s sheer brilliance on the road and its amazing build quality. Audi’s A4 finished a very close second, with the Mercedes C-Class taking a bronze medal. Only the ageing Jaguar X-Type failed to impress.

Pocket rockets
Renaultsport Twingo vs Suzuki Swift Sport (Issue 1,033). As people began to tighten their belts, Renaultsport’s top-value hot Twingo couldn’t have arrived at a better moment. Proving that you don’t have to spend the earth to have fun in a hot hatch, it put a big grin on our faces. However, it also left us needing a chiropractor… The harsh ride was a key failing for the French model, which lost out to the more rounded appeal of the Suzuki Swift Sport.

Ford Fiesta mega test
Ford Fiesta 3dr & 5dr vs rivals (Issue 1,035). We’d already been won over by the range-topping five-door Fiesta back in August, but with the first customers starting to take delivery, it was time to see what the entire line-up had to offer.

In Issue 1,035, we gave over the entire road test section to both the three and five-door Fiesta, and pitched them against their most talented rivals. Amazingly, it beat all of the competition over our lengthy round-Britain test route. Our finishing point was Birmingham’s stunning Selfridges building – the scene for this amazing night-time shot.

Skoda Superb vs rivals
Skoda Superb special (Issue 1,033). It was the Skoda Superb that delivered the biggest surprise of the autumn. We broke with convention and tested the Czech against three very different rivals.

First it had to offer the practicality to compete with the Ford Mondeo, before tackling a class-leading compact exec in the shape of the Audi A4. Finally, it faced the tough task of taking on a nearly new BMW 520d. The last duel was arguably the most challenging. Surely no one would choose a Skoda over one of the finest saloons ever made?

Eyebrows were raised across the industry when the newcomer came out on top in every contest. It didn’t conform to conventional class stereotypes, yet the Superb had ended up triumphing in three different areas!

Tester's notes - Hot laps are smiles better
With 20 great performance cars and three days at the challenging Anglesey circuit, our Performance Car of the Year assessment is my favourite week of the Auto Express year. It’s my task to set the lap times in each of the cars, and once you add in plenty of driving for the camera, I spend nearly eight hours a day at the wheel.

Not that I’m complaining! The variety this year was amazing. Muscle cars, lightweight specials, hot hatches and gorgeous sports cars – we had them all. With such a diverse line- up and a huge spread of price tags, picking a winner is tough. After pounding the track all day, we spent the evenings debating each car’s merits. With hindsight, we definitely made the right choice in the Nissan GT-R.

Hopefully our pictures, video and words gave you a taste of 2008’s best performance cars, too. If you get bored at Christmas, take another look at the footage on our website – I know I will!
Owen Mildenhall
Road tester