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Vauxhall Astra TwinTop
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| Vauxhall have beaten Ford to the race to release a convertible coupe version of their mainstream model, and have got it into the showrooms in time for summer; a great move we think. | |
| A few years ago, convertibles were rare, and those with metal folding tops were almost unknown, apart from the Mercedes SLK. Now it seems every manufacturer have to offer at least one, and that's great news for the buyer. | | | A metal folding roof offers a return to the spirit of the early days of motoring, when open air motoring was the norm before we started to get used to the comforts provided by a tin top car. Whilst for some, the open air life continued, most of us have eschewed the convertible due to the problems of living with a rag top. | | | On the down side, metal roof convertibles tend to be much heavier than those with canvas roofs, and we have to say that soft tops are so much better than they used to be. Unlike old convertibles, the most recent soft top convertibles tend to be waterproof, and secure; the Boxster roof for example now features many more elements in its metal support than earlier versions did, so even if a thief cut through the canvas, they'd be hard pushed to enter the car through the gaps in the frame. And modern canvas roofs tend to be double skinned so noise insulation is so much better than it used to be. | | | Anyway, back to the TwinTop; it's available with the standard range of engines - 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0 litres and of course theres now a 148bhp diesel alternative to the petol units. Of course non of these quite match their hatchback counterparts for performance or rigidity but they're pretty good and well worth a look if you want to experience open air motoring. We highly recommend it to you. | | | Prices are keen, the 1.8 litre 4-cylinder petrol engined TwinTop Design costs £18,995 at launch, and includes a decent range of goodies. Check out the competition too though - of course there's the Peugeot offerings, and these will be joined by new models from Ford and VW later in the year. The Ford is expected to be slightly cheaper than the Vauxhall, whereas it is believed that the VW will be a bit more expensive. | |
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Other Information
| A new Mini Cooper S will be seen by the public for the first time at the Paris Motor show in September 2006. | |
| Ford's new Ka is due to arrive in the UK in 2008, and early indications are that it will be a popular new release. | |
| Toyota are said to be developing mind reading devices for inclusion in future models of their cars, and these will be used to adapt your car's settings according to how you are feeling. | | | But don't expect to your Celica, MR2, Avensis or Corolla adjusting itself to your mood any time soon. | |
| Hyundai have facelifted their popular Coupe once again, and it looks good. | | | The 'Korean Ferrari' has changed shape several times in its life and not always to the customer's liking. However, this latest revision, which will be on sale towards the end of 2006 looks great; the lines are leaner and meaner with a relatively agressive look from the front. | |
| Yet another peformance car built on the Golf platform will be available from early 2007 in the shape of the incredible Audi S3. | |
| A Californian Company (Tesla Motors) have developed a 100% electric version of the Lotus Elise with input from the Norfolk company. And before sports car enthusiasts switch off, thinking that electric cars are slow and boring, the new car is claimed to have a 0-60 time of about 4 seconds! | |
| UK Performance specialists Ralliart have released a 366bhp variant of the current Mitsubushi Lancer Evo. | |
| VW have stepped up the ante in the value for money stakes with their Blue Motion Polo; the new model is capable of over 72mpg and has a C02 rating of 103g/Km. | |
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