fpv_gtho
12-16-2004, 04:36 PM
http://carsguide.news.com.au/news/story_page/0,8269,11706560%255E21822,00.html
Our picks of 2004
17dec04
Name the seven best cars you have driven this year.
Great ... I'll get right on that after I deal with peace in the Middle East and balance the budget.
It's the sort of question that ranks right up there with "Does this dress make me look fat?"... there is no right answer.
What makes a "best" car? Is it the tyre-frying power of some 400kW monster, the luxury and ease of a million-dollar cruiser or just that connection that you immediately feel but find difficult to put into words?
The following magnificent seven have a little bit of each about them but, first and foremost, they made you smile. The fun factorwas huge.
Ultimately, it is a personal assessment and certainly open to debate. There are cars not included that would leave some people weak at the knees and some on the list that would leave other people cold.
Culling for the final list was a painful and time-consuming exercise. More than once a car was in, then out, then in again. It wasn't easy ... but it was fun. Apologies to those who missed the cut and thanks to those who made it for the opportunity to reaffirm that driving can still be fun.
PORSCHE CARRERA GT (about$1.2million)
This one was easy. Rare, expensive, a technological tour de force ... and oh so mucha driver's car.
With only 1500 of the GTs ever to be built – and in left-hand-drive only – it is not a car that you are likely to see in Australia, but a blast at Phillip Island will be remembered for a long, long time.
With 453kW, 590Nm (on tap as soon as you breathe on the throttle), a top speed of 330km/h and a 0-100km/h time of 3.8 seconds, the GT is nothing if not intimidating.
It is also as sharp as a razor in the steering, sits as flat as a pancake under the most extreme cornering, has brakes that would stop a train and howls like some demonic beast as it approaches the 8000rpm redline.
NOBLE M12 GTO 3R (about $200,000)
This one is a poor man's supercar – relatively speaking.
It is also a sensational testament to what an "old-fashioned" engineer with racing in his blood can do with an idea and a lot of faith.
A simple space-frame chassis, no-compromise suspension and brakes, a donor 3.0-litre engine from a Ford Explorer and a composite body from South Africa combine to produce a road rocket with a 3.7-second 0-100km/h sprint.
A superb example of the whole being more than a simple sum of the parts.
Well done, Lee Noble.
FORD FOCUS (about $25,000)
This is the "new" Ford Focus due in Australia about the middle of next year.
It may seem an odd choice in this company but the Focus is an affordable, functional car that will leave a huge grin if you want to drive its wheels off.
Beautiful chassis, nice engine – at least in 2.0-litre spec – and a steering rack good enough to find its way into the rebirthed Ford GT supercar.
PORSCHE 911 (from $203,225)
A car to fall in love with. Doesn't have the brutal performance of the GT but in every other aspect it is the zenith of readily available performance road cars.
The cackle of the flat six sitting behind your ear, the go-kart-like handling without the harsh ride and the wonderful, wonderful steering are enough to win you over.
The fact that it still looks the business isjust a bonus.
AUDI A8 4.2 quattro ($206,900)
For years Audi has chased the luxury pack with equipment that was incapable of overtaking its key rivals.
The A8 changes all that. This time Audi is the benchmark for the luxo limousine market. It looks good, has sensible and eminently useable technology packaged for the average owner and meets all the luxury requirements.
To boot, the A8's drive dynamics have the admirable quality of shrinking what is a huge car to the feel of a much smaller performance sedan. A wonderfully relaxing, involving drive.
RENAULT CLIO SPORT 182 ($32,990)
Renault may struggle to get Australian buyers to understand its cars but this one speaks for itself.
Built at the facility that turns out Renault's formidable motorsport machines the ClioSport is much, much more than a beefed-up small hatch.
It takes the capabilities of the garden-variety Clio to a new level. While 131kW and 200Nm may not sound extraordinary it is the way the urge is transferred to the road that sets this front-driver apart.
LAND ROVER DISCOVERY 3 (from $56,650)
This one has come from left field but it is such a quantum leap over the outgoing model that it is difficult to ignore.
In its category the Disco 3 is a standout. At the upper end of its model range the huge off-roader has all the difficult-terrain capability the badge is famous for with space and comfort levels previously lacking.
An especially clever function is the Terrain Response system – off-roading for dummies.
Land Rover describes the five-option – 10 if you count high and low range – simple-click systems as having an expert in the car.
Also worth a mention:
In the culling process there was a handful of cars that we had to cut with extreme reluctance. They deserve a mention:
Mercedes-Benz SLK: Beefier, bolder and a superb drive. A worthy little brother to the SL and SLR.
Renault Modus: What a surprise. Cleverly packaged without compromise on drive quality. Will be one of the fun cars of the year if Renault Australia pushes the go button on importing.
Ford Territory: A marketing bullseye. The two-wheel-drive version behaves just like a big Falcon with all the SUV cues Aussies love.
BMW 5 Series: Bangle's design doesn't look half-bad on this one. All the best bits of BMW luxury with a couple of major techno wins, particularly the adaptive steering.
Pagani Zonda: A magnificent hand-built example of style and engineering at its best. Fits and looks like an Italian suit ... and is priced to match at more than $1 million.
Maserati Gran Sport: Why build it good when you can build it better? A giant step up on the already impressive "basic" Maserati in performance and ride. Now, if Maserati can only get the steering to the same levels.
Our picks of 2004
17dec04
Name the seven best cars you have driven this year.
Great ... I'll get right on that after I deal with peace in the Middle East and balance the budget.
It's the sort of question that ranks right up there with "Does this dress make me look fat?"... there is no right answer.
What makes a "best" car? Is it the tyre-frying power of some 400kW monster, the luxury and ease of a million-dollar cruiser or just that connection that you immediately feel but find difficult to put into words?
The following magnificent seven have a little bit of each about them but, first and foremost, they made you smile. The fun factorwas huge.
Ultimately, it is a personal assessment and certainly open to debate. There are cars not included that would leave some people weak at the knees and some on the list that would leave other people cold.
Culling for the final list was a painful and time-consuming exercise. More than once a car was in, then out, then in again. It wasn't easy ... but it was fun. Apologies to those who missed the cut and thanks to those who made it for the opportunity to reaffirm that driving can still be fun.
PORSCHE CARRERA GT (about$1.2million)
This one was easy. Rare, expensive, a technological tour de force ... and oh so mucha driver's car.
With only 1500 of the GTs ever to be built – and in left-hand-drive only – it is not a car that you are likely to see in Australia, but a blast at Phillip Island will be remembered for a long, long time.
With 453kW, 590Nm (on tap as soon as you breathe on the throttle), a top speed of 330km/h and a 0-100km/h time of 3.8 seconds, the GT is nothing if not intimidating.
It is also as sharp as a razor in the steering, sits as flat as a pancake under the most extreme cornering, has brakes that would stop a train and howls like some demonic beast as it approaches the 8000rpm redline.
NOBLE M12 GTO 3R (about $200,000)
This one is a poor man's supercar – relatively speaking.
It is also a sensational testament to what an "old-fashioned" engineer with racing in his blood can do with an idea and a lot of faith.
A simple space-frame chassis, no-compromise suspension and brakes, a donor 3.0-litre engine from a Ford Explorer and a composite body from South Africa combine to produce a road rocket with a 3.7-second 0-100km/h sprint.
A superb example of the whole being more than a simple sum of the parts.
Well done, Lee Noble.
FORD FOCUS (about $25,000)
This is the "new" Ford Focus due in Australia about the middle of next year.
It may seem an odd choice in this company but the Focus is an affordable, functional car that will leave a huge grin if you want to drive its wheels off.
Beautiful chassis, nice engine – at least in 2.0-litre spec – and a steering rack good enough to find its way into the rebirthed Ford GT supercar.
PORSCHE 911 (from $203,225)
A car to fall in love with. Doesn't have the brutal performance of the GT but in every other aspect it is the zenith of readily available performance road cars.
The cackle of the flat six sitting behind your ear, the go-kart-like handling without the harsh ride and the wonderful, wonderful steering are enough to win you over.
The fact that it still looks the business isjust a bonus.
AUDI A8 4.2 quattro ($206,900)
For years Audi has chased the luxury pack with equipment that was incapable of overtaking its key rivals.
The A8 changes all that. This time Audi is the benchmark for the luxo limousine market. It looks good, has sensible and eminently useable technology packaged for the average owner and meets all the luxury requirements.
To boot, the A8's drive dynamics have the admirable quality of shrinking what is a huge car to the feel of a much smaller performance sedan. A wonderfully relaxing, involving drive.
RENAULT CLIO SPORT 182 ($32,990)
Renault may struggle to get Australian buyers to understand its cars but this one speaks for itself.
Built at the facility that turns out Renault's formidable motorsport machines the ClioSport is much, much more than a beefed-up small hatch.
It takes the capabilities of the garden-variety Clio to a new level. While 131kW and 200Nm may not sound extraordinary it is the way the urge is transferred to the road that sets this front-driver apart.
LAND ROVER DISCOVERY 3 (from $56,650)
This one has come from left field but it is such a quantum leap over the outgoing model that it is difficult to ignore.
In its category the Disco 3 is a standout. At the upper end of its model range the huge off-roader has all the difficult-terrain capability the badge is famous for with space and comfort levels previously lacking.
An especially clever function is the Terrain Response system – off-roading for dummies.
Land Rover describes the five-option – 10 if you count high and low range – simple-click systems as having an expert in the car.
Also worth a mention:
In the culling process there was a handful of cars that we had to cut with extreme reluctance. They deserve a mention:
Mercedes-Benz SLK: Beefier, bolder and a superb drive. A worthy little brother to the SL and SLR.
Renault Modus: What a surprise. Cleverly packaged without compromise on drive quality. Will be one of the fun cars of the year if Renault Australia pushes the go button on importing.
Ford Territory: A marketing bullseye. The two-wheel-drive version behaves just like a big Falcon with all the SUV cues Aussies love.
BMW 5 Series: Bangle's design doesn't look half-bad on this one. All the best bits of BMW luxury with a couple of major techno wins, particularly the adaptive steering.
Pagani Zonda: A magnificent hand-built example of style and engineering at its best. Fits and looks like an Italian suit ... and is priced to match at more than $1 million.
Maserati Gran Sport: Why build it good when you can build it better? A giant step up on the already impressive "basic" Maserati in performance and ride. Now, if Maserati can only get the steering to the same levels.