January 2012

Kia Optima

It’s been available around the world for a while but the Kia Optima finally hits UK soil this month. Our man James has already reviewed the Stateside 2.0 Turbo petrol and he was very impressed. The old Magentis was pound-shop cheap but the Optima has got the executive car looks with a touch of Korean flair and at around £18,000 it’s great value.

Mercedes SLK 55 AMG

Just like the last SLK, the new R172 pretty much steals the look of the German firm’s flagship supercar and shrinks them. This month will see the AMG version which has a 5.5L V8 containing 416 horses that will take it from 0-60mph in 4.6 seconds. It’s less powerful than the SLS roadster but the SLK AMG comes with a better folding metal roof and a slightly more frugal unit for around £58,000. That’s over £100,000 cheaper than its bigger brother.

Suzuki Swift Sport

The new Swift Sport comes with a naturally aspirated 1.6 petrol with more power, more MPG thanks to a 6th gear and less CO2. The Swift is one of the finest handling superminis out there, almost as good as the original Mini as some have reported. The Sport version is predicted to be £14,000 which makes it a great value hot hatch. Car Throttle front man will get his hands on one in April to deliver his verdict.

February 2012

Audi A1 Sportback

The 3-door A1 is a great looking premium hatchback but practicality is flawed. The Sportback, though, comes with 2 extra doors and 3 rear seats for an extra £560 over the 3 door, making it more comfy for your mates. It’s also available in Samoa Orange which is an exclusive paint job to the Sportback and it will get the same engines as the standard car.

BMW 3 Series Saloon

There’s not much change on the outside of the F30 3 Series (the only big difference being the more poised kidneys) but inside it’s a complete revolution. The dashboard wraps around the driver like in the older 3-s and looks more lively than the last car. You can even have red trim pieces and stitching on the leather and fabric seats of the Sport models. Most magazines and websites have driven the new 3 already and the overall verdict is that it’s the best 3 Series yet.

Hyundai Veloster

The last coupe we saw from Hyundai in the UK was called the Genesis Coupé and, to me, it looked like a smaller and cheaper Jaguar XK. It was one of the best looking cheap coupés of its time. This one though is taking on the likes of the Scirocco and Megane Coupe, though the Hyundai’s looks won’t appeal to everyone. It does have a unique trick up its sleeve which is the odd door layout (one door on the driver’s side and two on the pavement side) and means your friends won’t have to clamber over the front seats to get into the back. It comes with a 1.6 138bhp which is reported to be a tad slow but a 201bhp Turbo version of the Veloster will make it here in August. Pricing is competitive, starting at £18,000 for the standard car and £23,000 for the Turbo.

March 2012

Chevrolet Camaro SS

Finally, after a wait of what feels like decades, the Camaro has had its suspension tweaked for Europe and this means we’ll see both the Camaro Coupe and Convertible on British roads this March. Both Camaros come with a 6.2 V8 that produces 426bhp meaning a 0-60mph time of 4.7 seconds. The coupe could be yours for just £35,000 and the convertible for £40,000 the convertible, what a steal! The convertible is rumored to be left-hand drive only, however.

Citroen DS5

This has to be the coolest family car ever made. The reason: it’s just so different. Inside and out is as luxurious as the big executive saloons but the DS5 is a sort of estate/hatchback crossover with a raised ride height. The interior is inspired by cockpits of airliners and it shows. The big Citroen is also available with Peugeot’s HYbrid4 system, combining a diesel engine and an electric engine which will mean hardly any CO2 and massive mpg. Prices are predicted to be around £28,000. We’ll also see an Ultra Prestige version of the ever so popular DS3 from Citroen in March which has things like charcoal grey alloys, luxury leather seats and a white leather dash, ooh la-la!

Volkswagen Up!

The Up! is the first of a trio of city cars from the Volkswagen group to hit our roads. Even though it’s city car cheap (£8,000) it doesn’t feel it. It looks like a premium product and has an interior to match. It will certainly be a hit for new drivers especially since it comes with a cheap to run 1.0 3 cylinder engine. The 3-door will be available in March with a 5-door version arriving in July. The Seat Mii will arrive in May and the Skoda equivalent CitiGo will be on the road in June.

April 2012

Ferrari “F620″

The successor to the 599 is apparently going to be called the “F620″ but the car itself will be revealed at this year’s Geneva motor show in March along with the confirmed name. It takes an updated version of the 700bhp 6.3 V12 from the FF and promises a 0-60mph time of around three seconds, maybe less, thanks to a very light aluminium chassis.

Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8

In a way, the Grand Cherokee SRT8 is like the Chevrolet Camaro Coupe. It’s predicted to be £60,000 making it a value for money performance SUV which is way cheaper than rivals from Porsche, Mercedes, Audi & BMW. It comes with a 6.4 V8 that produces 470bhp.

Lotus Evora GTE

The lighter Evora GTE gets a tuned up version of the 3.5 supercharged V6 which aims to produce 438bhp. The plus is the fact that the GTE comes with carbon fibre panels that take 105kg off the original weight meaning that this Evora is going to be one heck of a bonkers Lotus. Prices are expected to be around £100,000.

May 2012

Audi S1

Yes, it’s another small Audi, but this is the spicy S1 with a 220bhp 1.6L petrol engine. It’s not totally immature, though, as it comes with four wheel drive and a wider track to provide secure handling. The S1 is also lower and stiffer than the everyday A1. A predicted price of £23,000 may put you off, especially since that’s low spec Scirocco money.

Fisker Karma

It’s the only plug-in hybrid you would probably lust for more than some supercars. It comes with a 2.0 four-cylinder petrol and two 199bhp electric motors which produce more torque than a Bugatti Veyron meaning a 0-60mph time of 5.8 seconds and a top speed of 125mph. Set the car into “Stealth” mode and it should return up to 100mpg. “Stealth” mode sounds a lot more hairy chested than wimpy “Eco” mode doesn’t it? The Surf shooting brake will follow suit in July.

MINI Roadster

The most controversial part of the MINI Coupe was that big backwards baseball cap of a roof, which I personally hate. Thankfully, MINI have addressed this issue and made a roadster version to take on the likes of the Mazda MX-5. It looks better than the bigger MINI convertible as well thanks to the fabric roof properly folding away into the boot instead of lying on the rear deck like a tired walrus.

June 2012

Audi S8

If Jason Statham was still transporting goods with no questions asked, the new S8 would be his vehicle of choice. The 4.0 513bhp twin-turbo V8 goes from 0-60mph in 4.2 seconds and has a limited top speed of 155mph. The S8 has an invincible feeling cabin with features such as double glazed privacy windows and a noise cancelling system. I would want to hear the V8 though.

BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe

The biggest gripe that everyone has with the 6 Series Coupe is the fact that the “practical gran tourer” struggles to fit two human beings in the back. This 6 Series though is stretched and has two extra doors so that two friends can sit comfortably in the rear seats. This means that four people can enjoy the beautifully designed interior and the excellent engines from the 6 Series coupe. Prices start from £61,380 which is more than the Mercedes CLS and Audi A7 it is up against.

Peugeot 208

The newest Peugeot supermini fixes the big lumpy looks of the old 207 to offer a fitter and sharper looking package. Even though it’s smaller than the previous car, the 208 promises more space for people in the back and more things in the boot. Every version besides the standard car gets a very nice touch screen multimedia system which controls most of the car’s functions. Nearly all of the engines promise under 100g/km of CO2 and prices start at £10,500 for this attractive small car.

July 2012

Ford Focus ST

The last ST was famously nicknamed the “ASBO” by an old geezer named Jeremy Clarkson. With this in mind, the new ST will probably get handed a community service sentence with a 0-60mph time of 6 seconds and a predicted top speed of 155mph thanks to a 2.0 Turbocharged four-cylinder petrol with 247bhp. The new ST will be easier on your wallet with better economy than the previous 2.5 5-cylinder car and it’s more practical too with a choice between a 5-door hatch and estate. What would complete the range is a sporty 3-door coupe-esque version of the Focus, in my opinion.

Subaru BRZ & Toyota GT-86

Ladies and Gents, the old school, rear wheel drive, purists’ coupe is back and it comes with a choice of two badges and bumper styles; Subaru and Toyota. Both versions get a 2.0 flat-4 boxer engine that produces 197bhp and goes from 0-60mph in 7 seconds. The GT-86 and BRZ can fit four people in comfort (if the people in the back seats are under 5ft 5″ that is) and prices for both cars are predicted to start at around £25,000. They’re the cars that everyone is waiting for this year and we’re dying to try both of them out.

August 2012

Audi S6

Imagine putting the 513bhp 4.0 twin turbo V8 from the new Bentley Continental and S8 in the lightest executive car out there. No need to imagine after August as Audi will fit the new engine in both the new A6 Saloon and Avant. If this is just the S6, I wonder how insane the next RS6 will be.

Porsche Boxster

The next version of the class leading, mid-engined roadster looks a bit like a baby Carrera GT but shares all the tech with the new 911. The standard car will have an all new flat four unit producing 270bhp and the Boxster S will use the same 3.4 flat six as the 911 Carrera.

Vauxhall Astra VXR

The most powerful hot hatch of the 2012 bunch is the new Astra VXR. It promises up to 280bhp which means a 0-60 time of less than 6 seconds thanks to a 2.0 direct injection petrol. It also comes with more aggressive looking trinkets than the standard Astra GTC and it’s much more pleasing to the eye compared to the predecessor. All yours for £25,000.

September 2012

Ferrari F70

Introducing the next Ferrari flagship to take over the Enzo, the F70. No official performance figures have been released yet but it’s rumored to have over 700bhp thanks to an all new twin-turbo V8. Mix this with a very light carbon fibre chassis and it sounds like it will be the next ultimate road car. It’s also very expensive with an estimated price of £750,000.

Mercedes SL

The Mercedes SL has been one of the best sports cars ever since the 1950s and this latest one aims to be much better to drive thanks to better suspension. It’s also the lightest and has a more luxurious interior inspired by the SLS supercar. It’s the first SL to get ‘Magic Sky Control’ which lets you alter how much light gets into the car when the roof is up, much like the sunroof on a Maybach. Fancy schmancy.

Renault Clio Williams

To celebrate the end of the current Renault Clio, the company have teamed up with F1 Team Williams to create the last hurrah, just like they did in 1993. It’s pretty much a RenaultSport Clio 200 but with a unique paint job, a better engine and a very special interior.

November 2012

Aston Martin V12 Zagato

There’s only going to be 150 of these so if you like the sound of the new Zagato then you better have the cheque book out. It’s based on the V12 Vantage but contains the design house’s luxurious cabin and has a carbon fibre body. Write £400,000 on that cheque before they’re auctioned for more.

Ford Fiesta ST

Available as a 3 door here in the UK and a 5 door in the US, the other ST from Ford has a 178bhp 1.6 Turbo petrol taking it to 60mph from standstill in under 7 seconds with a top speed of 140mph. Just because it’s a powerful supermini don’t go thinking it will guzzle petrol as it promises up to 40mpg. It should be a fantastic hot hatch especially since the current Fiesta is one of the best to drive. Prices will start at around £17,500.

Maserati Quattroporte

The new Maserati takes some of the looks of the odd looking Kubang and puts them in a much more gorgeous package. The new saloon is set to be even more desirable than the previous Quattroporte with an updated V8 and prices will start at £85,000.

December 2012

Alfa Romeo 4C

There’s a couple of great coupes joining the BRZ & GT-86 this December. The first is the 4C which has a beautiful Italian body and a carbon fibre chassis courtesy of KTM underneath. Power comes from a new 1.8 Turbo petrol producing nearly 300bhp meaning a 0-60mph time of 5 seconds. The car’s target market is America which means it will come with Alfa’s twin-clutch automatic but an option of a manual would make it even better. Prices are expected to start from £40,000.

Jaguar C-X16

The second of the coupes is the C-X16 which is nicknamed “the new E-Type” all because it’s pretty much a new version of the old girl. Unlike the E-type, there’s a 375bhp 3.0 V6 mated to a 97bhp electric motor underneath which should keep the bank manager and your environmentally conscious friends happy but it’s not clear if the production version will get the electric motor.  0-60mph is around 4 seconds and the top speed is limited to 186mph with prices predicted to start at £50,000.

Volkswagen Beetle R

The Beetle returns at the beginning of the year and it’s aimed to appeal to us men. To make it appeal to men even more is this R version coming in December which has the same 2.0 TSI as the Golf GTI as well as more aggressive looks and bucket seats. Prices are expected to be around the same as the GTI which means it’s a good alternative if you find the Golf’s looks a bit boring.

So there you have it, 33 of quite a damn few new cars coming in 2012. We hope to test drive most of them plus more for you and with a growing team and site you’ll want to stay online with us.

Which car are you most excited about seeing this year? Let us know in the comments.

BMW disappoint me. Sure they build fabulous performance cars like the BMW 1-Series M Coupe, the M3, the M5, and the to-be-built 552bhp BMW M6. But that’s about it really. No gull-winged, bi-spoilered, extra wide arched, super-low supercars. This irks me as BMW are now, in my opinion, either too profit-oriented, politically correct, socially conscious or environmentally friendly for their own good.

In a recent interview, BMW North America’s Product Manager stated that the German brand doesn’t feel the need to make a supercar and that they like to build practical cars that are drivers’ cars and executive cars that one can use everyday. This thought is further cemented by the statement made by Albert Biermann, BMW M’s development chief who told Autocar last year that BMW and M were struggling to find a business case for a supercar. “We have the skills and we’d love to do it,” he said, “We’ve discussed it several times but we’ve never been able to make the business case. Everything we do has to make money.”

This profit-oriented fact is a royal pain in my butt. This coming from a company that promotes “the joy of driving” in every one of its products. It could be that their engineers are the ultimate in German clinical efficiency and do not actually have a joyous bone in their body. Hence why they seem to love the single-minded purpose-built Porsche 911 GT3s.

A supercar burns more hydro-carbons that a regular car. Fact. It goes fast for the sake of going fast. It cannot usually carry more than 2 people and it cannot cure world hunger, predict earthquakes, cure AIDS or even eradicate poverty. The current crop of BMW M cars may have supercar performance, but are they super cars or supercars? Yes, there is a difference.

No supercar in my opinion is like a cap without its feather, a soccer team without a proper striker, a martini without an olive, Sir Winston Churchill without his cigar or Jerry Maguire without that Renee Zellweger’s character to complete him. BMW doesn’t have its own pièce de résistance in its line-up of cars. A supercar isn’t about being socially irresponsible. It is about having icing on the cake. Something that a catalogue needs to tell wealthy people that they’ve something outrageous that they can buy.

A supercar is also a way for a company, or their engineers, to push themselves or to push back the boundaries of engineering. Some supercar manufacturers like Ferrari go racing to bring about new technology faster to its road going cars and this shows in cars like the Ferrari 458 Italia. There are others like the Volkswagen Group whose Chairman decides to prove a point and tasked its engineers to come out with the fastest road legal production car in the Solar System – the Bugatti Veyron. And almost everyone including the techno geeks over at Popular Mechanics, Stuff and even Time magazine took notice. Pinnacles of engineering rarely fade away even decades after they’re out of production. BMW is without an engineering peak to be proud of.

Now when we compare BMW to its homegrown rivals Audi and Mercedes Benz, both have totally wonderful supercars to cap off their range of vehicles – Audi with its R8 and Mercedes Benz with the AMG SLS. What do BMW M5 or M6 owners graduate to when they have more income to dispose of? A Rolls Royce Phantom? The Rolls may be a good choice, but a leviathan still isn’t a performance supercar. It isn’t an R8 or a Mercedes Benz AMG SLS like the ones pictured herein. So where does that leave BMW?

If one were to take Mercedes Benz and Volkswagen Group as ‘local’ examples, the reason these companies allow flagships is that the majority shares in these companies are ultimately owned by investment groups, companies and various institutions. These groups understand the need to be diversified (as investment groups are usually varied in their investments by nature) and the need to have a ‘halo’ car in their companies’ lineup. Take a look at the Audi R8 and the Mercedes Benz AMG SLS again, both are ridiculously extrovert in nature and these are cars that BMW do not have an answer to in its current lineup.

The last supercar BMW ever made was the BMW M1. This car was built from 1978 to 1981 and it was the only mid-engined car ever built by BMW. Only 456 units were ever built. It was powered by BMW’s M88 3.5-litre straight-6 engine that was also used in the BMW M635CSi and the E28 BMW M5. Now if sharing a powerplant was feasible in those days wouldn’t it be feasible for BMW to save some cost and use the F10 M5′s twin turbocharged engine?

So why is this ulitmate quest for profit actually stopping BMW from creating the Ultimate Driver’s Machine, a.k.a the BMW Supercar? It lies in the fact that BMW is basically controlled by one slightly reclusive family – the Quandts. This would mean that the company’s future lie in the hands of one family unlike Merccedes Benz or even VW Group.

I suppose the Quandts’ goal for BMW is firstly as their cash cow and secondly, their cash cow must be environmentally friendly and socially responsible (which is why BMWs must multi-task). Quite a lot of responsibility for a cow. In 2010, both Mercedes Benz (Daimler AG) and the Volkswagen group made over €7billion while BMW made only €5billion. And it can be assumed that both Mercedes Benz and Volkswagen has been making these levels of profit year after year compared to BMW. If you then compare the total asset worth of both Mercedes Benz and Volkswagen against BMW, you would see that they both tower over BMW by about €30billion and €90billion respectively. So you can then realise why the engineers and designers at Mercedes Benz and Volkswagen can go nuts and spend a few hundred million Euros more than BMW when it comes to developing cars.

I believe that it’s the need for better corporate profit margins that is the cause for loss in the car enthusiast community. And that loss is a proper supercar made by BMW.

The M Performance line is intended to fit in between regular production BMW’s, and the full-fat M models (M3, M5, 1M Coupe, etc).  Sort of like S-Line Audis, R-Design Volvos, and AMG Package Benzes, but with a catch: all four M Performance models that are coming to the Geneva Show in March are powered by diesels.

Go cry in your beer if you want, but I’m not joking about the “Monster diesel” part.  Case in point: BMW’s 4.4L twin-turbo V8 as seen in the 550i, 650, 750i, etc makes a healthy 400 horsepower and 440lb-ft of torque.  This new 3.0L I6 diesel going into these models makes 381bhp and 546lb-ft of torque.  Yes, five hundred forty six, or 740nM if you prefer that scale.  That’s enough torque to alter the earth’s axis, according to my highly scientific calculations.  The motor uses piezoelectric direct injection and common-rail fuel delivery at an operating pressure of 2,200 bar (32,340psi), and the engine revs out to a surprisingly high 5,400rpm.  It also has stop/start tech to save fuel.

The big difference with the regular 3.0L diesels is the presence of an extra turbo – that’s right, the 50d engine is a triple-turbo setup.  Two small ones, one big one, all providing boost by 2,000rpm.  All four models will come equipped with the ZF 8-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel drive.

Of the four models (M550d, M550d Touring, X5 50d and X6 50d), the M550d will be the fastest, posting a 4.7 second 0-60 run and average 37.3mpg US (or 44.8mpg Imperial.)  That’s outrageously fast – the giant F10 5-series with a diesel is faster than the iconic E46 M3 to sixty.  Then again, it’s got another 50 horsepower and almost twice the torque, so not so suprising.

Other changes include M Performance specific suspension and steering tuning, bodywork, 19″ alloys on the 5-series (20′s on the X5 and X6) and sports seats.  The quintuplets (that’d be 12 turbos, then) are debuting at Geneva and go on sale in Europe in April.  The pricing is pretty high, though: the cheapest (M550d) will retail for €80,800, and the X6 M50d will €85,800.  Price in the US?  Nope, not for sale – something else to cry in your beer over.  Now all they need to do is shove this engine into the 3-series.  It’s good to see a definitive answer to the “Triple Turbo” question, finally!

Before a certain Mr. LFA was born, a typical Lexus owner would have been pushing 50 years old. A fact probably unsurprising given that all Lexus built a short while back were three saloons; small, medium, large and a convertible to top it off. All were quiet, comfortable, peaceful and they weren’t in your face.

To then improve their product range, the folks in Toyota City decided to add the same hybrid technology as Toyota’s Prius into their cars to make one of the first 4×4 hybrids on the market. However just talking about the not-so-distant past of Lexus induces yawning from your good author. The future, on the other hand, looks very exciting indeed.

2009 saw the first IS-F, a 5.0L V8 super saloon to take on the likes of the Audi RS4 and Mercedes C63 AMG. Then in 2010 the amazing LFA supercar was released. It still aimed to provide the trademark Lexus comfort and all that jazz for two people but in a 4.8L V10 552hp masterpiece that goes from 0-60 in 3.2 seconds and has a top speed of 203mph. So what have Lexus lined up for us next?

This is the LF-LC concept which was designed at Lexus’ Calty studio in California and shows us two things. Firstly, it’s a showcase of Lexus’ future design language first seen on the latest GS (that’s the medium, 5 Series sized saloon) and will be seen next on 2013′s IS (the small, 3 Series-sized one). It also shows a possible 2+2 coupe which Lexus are considering to put into production to take on the likes of the BMW 6 Series and Jaguar XK. It certainly wipes out the some of the old perception of Lexus. It stands out and looks futuristic and exciting. If it were to go into production, Lexus say it would use a slightly shorter, next-gen LS platform and be named the LC600h with a brand new hi-tech hybrid unit.

Hopes are high for this game changer so it’s appearance at the Detroit Motor Show will be an important one. It could be a bit like the turnaround Jaguar had. Before, all their saloons were so outdated and were aimed at people that still wore bowler hats but then the XF and the new XJ came along and now everyone including “us kids” agree they’re top of the cool scale. If all goes to Lexus’ plan and the reception is great all-round, we could see the gorgeous LF-LC on our roads in 2014. Drool.

There have been others since from Team Germany such as the Audi A7 and the up and coming BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe. They’re great if you have executive car money but what if you’re bored of your humble Passat? The people’s car manufacturer had this problem in mind when they created the Passat CC back in 2008 and now there’s a new one. This time they’ve ditched the ‘P’ word for us in the UK to give it a touch more “swag juice”.

Not only has the name changed, but so have the looks. Like the previous car, it takes the same design language as the new Passat such as the horizontal chrome lines on the grille, new bumpers and LED rear lights but packaged to look much better overall. The interior will be the same as the current European Passat with the only obvious difference being the lower roof. Unlike the previous car this one will come with three rear seats to offer better practicality.

There’s a choice of four engines with the new CC; a 1.8L TSI, a 2.0L TSI producing 162bhp and 213bhp and two 2.0L TDI BlueMotion diesels with either 142bhp or 172bhp and will all of them you can choose between a manual or DSG gearbox.

Standard equipment includes sat-nav, DAB radio, Bluetooth, iPod socket, 17″ alloys, a brake energy recuperation system and ESP. GT models add leather upholstery, heated front seats, adaptive chassis control, cruise control, parking sensors all round and 18″ alloys. Optional equipment includes a more advanced adaptive cruise control that virtually clings on to the car in front and maintains its speed as well as blind spot monitors, rear view camera and massage seats.

The best bit is the price. The standard 1.8TSI CC starts at £24,200 with the highest spec CC GT diesel priced at £30,100. Like-for-like, that’s around half the price of the CLS and Audi A7. What about the smaller Audi A5 Sportback though? That’s a four-door coupe at a similar starting price, has a better interior and a better badge. Optioned up however, the Audi will rocket up in price. Leaving a nice gap in the market for the Volkswagen CC to power through. In the words of Kanye West, this could be VW’s best “Other Other Benz” yet…

Not many rugged off-roaders have style these days. There’s only one that springs to mind which is the Mercedes G55 AMG, but that costs supercar money to buy and run. However there’s now another proper off-roader from Mitsubishi that aims to look good and cross all manner of terrains; the Shogun Black.

It’s the second of Mitsubishi’s products to come with the limited edition ‘Black’ styling tweaks, the first being the baby ASX crossover. Don’t forget to subscribe to Car Throttle YouTube’s channel as our winter sports day review of the ASX Black will be hitting your screens soon!

The Shogun Black is pretty much the top of the range, long wheel-based, 7-seat SG4 but it comes with black 20″ alloys, rear spoiler, wing mirrors, grille, side steps, door handles, roof rails and fog lamp surrounds. Even though it’s called the ‘Black’ you can have it in a choice of five colours but no matter which colour you choose the roof will always be black, giving a panoramic sunroof effect at all times.

It comes with the same engine as the SG4, a 3.2L Di-D diesel, which now promises 197bhp and 325lb ft of torque and best-in-class CO2 emissions. The high power means you can tow anything up to 3,500kg, such as a large caravan or a few Lotus Elises.

Inside you get features such as leather upholstery, satellite navigation, Bluetooth, an iPod socket and a reversing camera, which will definitely help park the big family tank, as standard. You also get other features such as stability and traction control, automatic lights and wipers, privacy glass, rear under-cover and a brake override system too.

The Shogun Black is available to order now and costs £42,799 which sounds like a lot but that’s similar to the bog standard BMW X5 and Audi Q7 and a whole lot cheaper than the mad Mercedes G55 but more expensive than lower spec 3.0L V6 Diesel Land Rover Discoveries, the award winning luxury 4×4.

It’s not long to go until Christmas is finally here! If you haven’t done your Christmas shopping yet then why not have a look at the Christmas presents that the car fans in your life will love or hate you for. I’ll let you into a secret, I’ve been given a couple of the presents featured in the past (it’s easy buying me petrol-head related pressies).

BMW M-Sport Coffee Table

To start things off imagine one of your friends or someone in your family recently settled into a new home. Picture the scene. They need somewhere to put the TV guide, random bits of paperwork and their drink and you notice that they once gave you a lift in a M-Powered BMW. Well I’ve found the perfect gift for them.

A genius named Jason Phillips had this idea in mind and made a M-Sport Coffee table. It measures 54x28x17 inches and is made from steel. It’s perfect for the centre of any M-Divison fan’s living room. If only it wasn’t a one off because I’d love it if someone bought me one.

Porsche Chopsticks

Porsche design do all sorts of gifts from smoking tools to exquisite watches. What if you have that friend that loves Porsches as much as they love noodles though? How about treating them to the ultimate set of chopsticks?

These are far from ordinary wooden chopsticks. They’re made from high quality African black wood and stainless steel. Those stainless steel ends aren’t for show though as they are magnetised so that you can clink them together when they’re not being used. They’re not available in the store yet but they won’t be cheap. There’s a pen on there that’s nearly 400 quid!

Build Your Own Boxster

Sticking with Porsche here’s one car gift I got last year that was brilliant. This time last year my car was getting mended and I said out loud that I’d kill for a new one. Fortunately there was a little box under the tree; I opened it and discovered a brand new Boxster! Trouble was it happened to be a touch too small for me and the real drag was that I had to build it myself.

For £7 from Amazon you can treat your car fan to their very own Boxster in 1:38 scale. It comes in bits but all the screws and tools are there to help you build it and once it’s done it makes a great piece for the windowsill or fireplace.

ASUS-Automobili Lamborghini VX7SX

One present I would like this year comes from ASUS. I’ve written several letters to Santa to make sure that one of these bad boys is under my tree by the 25th.

That’s right, a Lamborghini laptop! It’s got a 15.6″ widescreen monitor and comes with an Intel Core processor, Blu-ray player, 2 megapixel camera, ultra fast USB 3.0, pretty much everything a modern laptop has to offer. The best bit about it though is that you can get it in the same Arancio Atlas orange as the Aventador! It ain’t cheap though costing around £1,700.

Rear-view Mirror Furry Boobs

And finally the best and most bizarre car gift for any guy. Every car should have a pair! Now some girls love to hang up fluffy dice on their rear view mirror and that’s cool for them, of course. There hasn’t been anything for us blokes to hang up on our rear view mirror to be proud of apart from the odd air freshener shaped like a Christmas tree. Fear not chaps because I was given something to hang on mine.

Yes, a mate of mine a few years back bought me a pair of Furry Boobs. Effectively, he decided my car needed a boob job! If you want a pair they’re £4.50 from thepresentshop.co.uk. They’re not just for show either. If driving home for Christmas becomes stressful, bear in mind that you can stroke them while you’re in a jam on the M6. Alone. With other people watching you.

We hope we’ve helped you find the best car-related Christmas presents for your family and friend. Check out some more I found by looking at the pictures below. We hope you have a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year and that Lamborghini laptop better be under my tree by Sunday!

Other Bizarre & Brilliant Christmas Gifts for Car Lovers

Since Audi began dominating Le Mans with oil-burning prototype racecars, (a variation of which ended up in the nose of the bonkers aforementioned Q7) diesels are more credible, even acceptable, as hot rods, but after Audi baulked its R8 V12 TDi concept, it’s mainly been its Bavarian counterpart making headlines for fast, frugal motors. It’s BMW that’s now pushing the issue, and really pouring petrol (?) on the diesel quick car flames, teasing a sea change in M car engines. Forget turbocharging the M5, this is much more radical.

The main rumour doing the rounds currently is that BMW has put its M Division stamp of approval on a twin or even triple-turbo straight six diesel, and plans to slot the resulting monster into its bigger M cars, like the F10 M5 and X5/6 M. Horsepower estimates have varied wildly between 400-500bhp, but the torque figure, the headline act of diesel motoring, could be over 650 lb/ft, a full 150 lb/ft over the meaty V8 twin turbo petrol M5. That should equal monster mass-moving and overtaking ability in the hefty models, while simultaneously bettering their twenty-something mpg results. It’s quite a recipe, and given how the motoring press has warmed to forced induction M cars like the 1M and M5 since their controversial unveiling, blown diesel M cars aren’t too far a stretch of the imagination.

The more intriguing prospect though, isn’t how fast BMW can make the socially acceptable diesel motor, but where the fast diesel goes from here. If diesel can properly conquer the SUV and supersaloon niches, then can it spread further, and would we want it to?

The only hot diesel hatch currently doing the rounds is the VW Golf GTD, a GTi lookalike with 168 bhp/258lb/ft. With a glut of hot hatchbacks hitting showrooms in the new year, it’ll be interesting to see if anyone else follows suit. Call it devil’s advocate if you must, but I wonder if a 180bhp-ish, (with a good slug of torque) TDI lump in an new Astra VXR or Focus ST bodyshell might be just the job for our wallet-conscious times. There’d still be the surge and urge for B road blasts and motorway overtakes, plus an easy 600 miles out of a tank. The current VW Polo GTI is hardly a common sight – would they sell more if there was a tuned up 1.6 diesel motor plumbed in, using bits available in the VW group parts bin? Sure, diesel engines make for more nose heavy handling, but slight sacrifice of ultimate dynamic prowess in return for 50mpg hot hatchbacks might be a trail worth exploring while this pesky recession lingers on.

Supercars will never go diesel, I’m willing to bet – they sell in such minute numbers to discerning customers, for whom the novelty of an oil-burner would not last sufficiently. However, in a wider motoring world obsessed with economy, the manner in which a torque-rich turbodiesel can pull strongly through a seven or eight-speed gearbox is not to be sniffed at, in any size car. Mainstream audiences attitudes can be changed – the Mk1 Fabia vRS is now something of a cult oddity, and quite cool because of it. Lest we forget it was born in 2003, before the current Czech reinvention really got into its stride. A desirable diesel Skoda? Wonders shall never cease.

Sacrilege perhaps, but there will be diesel M-branded cars soon, and if successful, this may be an internal combustion watershed. The only problem I can see apart from fanboy backlash is American emission legislation, which hates upon the diesel engine in urban areas for its higher outputs of particulates and nitrous oxide, which doesn’t fly in the fashionable parts of California. Commit a smoky start-up there, and you’ll be hearing from someone’s attorney. As a result, the hybrid petrol car rules in Eco-merica, and similar rules are set to jump across The Pond soon, which could kill the parsimonious diesel stone dead with high tariffs on its emissions. That’ll explain why brands are already moving to ultra-downsized petrol mills like Fiat’s TwinAir powerplant, to avoid the gathering legal storm.

Will anyone dare invest in the diesel, and give it a moment in the glamorous echelons of the performance car, before it heads back to agriculture and haulage? 2012 is the year of reckoning. The next halo company cars really might be coming to the black pump near you, for a short time only.

We’re at the point now where a 4-door “Coupe” isn’t weird.  I suppose.  Passat CC, two generations of the Mercedes CLS, we’ll call anything a coupe.  So here’s the latest: the four-door version of BMW’s 6-series coupe.  My Coupe runneth over.  So what’s the deal with the 6-Series Gran Coupe?

Well, it’s a four-door version 0f BMW’s third-generation 6-series.  Or, it’s a 5-series with a lower roof line.  Or, it’s a BMW CLS.  Some have been wondering why companies bother making these types of cars, and others have been wondering what took BMW so long to make a CLS clone.  I fall into the latter camp; Merc sells a good number of the swoopy CLS, so it’s a no-brainer that BMW would follow suit.

BMW’s styling has been a bit… off point lately.  To put it nicely.  So it’s refreshing to see than the Gran Coupe, for all it’s intrinsic weirdness, is a damn fine-looking automobile.  Sure, it’s got all the new BMW weirdness in the details, but the basic proportions are tasty.  The roofline doesn’t drop down as viciously towards the back as the CLS, so there could be a reasonable amount of headroom in the back.  BMW calls the 6 Gran Coupe a “4+1″ seater, meaning it has four real seats and one fake one.  Judging by the fact that there’s a full-length center console where the rear center passenger’s legs would go, the center passenger better be comfortable rubbing legs with two other people.  Let’s just call it a four-seater.

Like the current 6-series, the interior is really gorgeous.  The press photos show an interesting two-tone scheme, with chocolate-brown on the top, and cream white on the bottom mixing together.  The white-rimmed steering wheel is an interesting touch, and the way the upper color plunges down the dashboard makes this a lot more artful than most BMW interiors.  While the shapes are largely the same, a 3-series interior is a sea of boring grayness by comparison.

As far as dimensions go, the 6-series Gran Coupe rides on a 116.8″ wheelbase with an overall length of 197″, 4.4″ longer than the coupe (and 4″ longer than the 5-series) – all of that in the wheelbase.  Width is 74.6″ inches (same as the Coupe, 1.3″ wider than the 5-series), height is 54.8″ (0.9″ taller than the coupe, 2.8″ lower than the 5-series).  Compared to the Mercedes CLS, the wheelbase is 3.5″ longer, overall length is 2.5″ longer, and it’s 0.9″ closer to the ground – so fairly similar dimensions.

When the 6 Gran Coupe launches, it will initially be offered with two gas engines.  The 640i Gran Coupe gets the 3.0L “N55″ inline-6, with a single twin-scroll turbo, direct injection, and 315bhp at 6,000rpm with 330lb-ft torque from 1,300-4,500rpm.  The 650i Gran Coupe gets an upgraded version of the N63 V8, which has the turbos inside the V, and the intake manifolds outside.  The new version (Called N63Tü) gets Valvetronic VVT, which makes 445bhp between 5,500-6,000rpm (a 45bhp increase) and 480lb-ft torque between 2,000-4,500rpm (a 30lb-ft increase.)  Both engines are mated to BMW’s ZF 8-speed automatic transmission, and the 650i will also be available with all-wheel-drive.  The 640i will do 0-60 in 5.4 seconds, and return 30.1mpg combined on the EU cycle; the 650i does the same in 4.6 seconds, and between 26.7-27.3mpg.  That’s some impressive efficiency considering the power and performance.

The chassis has received the full fury of BMW’s parts bin to make it both nimble and comfortable.  The 6 Gran Coupe rides on double wishbone suspension up front, multi-link at back, largely constructed of aluminum to keep weight down.  There are continuously variable active dampers at all four corners, and active roll stabilization is optional.  This system hydraulically varies the effect of the roll bars in real time to keep the body flat.  Integral active steering is optional, which adds active rear-steer to the chassis as well.  The standard raft of 3-letter-acronym safety systems comes along (ABS, ASC, etc.), and the Gran Coupe comes standard on 18×8″ alloys with 245/40/18 tires, covering floating-caliper brakes at all four corners.

Other goodies will include adaptive LED lighting, a 10.2″ high-def nav/stereo display, rear-view camera, parking assist, night vision, lane departure warning, blindspot detection, an optional Bang & Olufsen sound system, and the Drive Dynamics Control switch that BMW has been putting in their new cars – which tailors various systems (throttle response, transmission programming, active handling) to certain modes.  A Luxury Package (sort of a funny concept on this high-end of a car) adds 4-z0ne climate control, ventilated seats with active bolsters, and rear sunshades.

More interesting than the luxury package is the M-Sport package.  As is usual for BMW’s, the M Sport includes more aggressive suspension and rolling stock.  19″ or optional 20″ M double-spoke alloy wheels, an aerodynamics package, black brake calipers, LED foglights, and a louder exhaust for the V8.  Inside, the M Sport package gets leather/alcantara M Sport seats with blue stitching, an M Sport wheel with paddle shifters and blue stitching, and some other M trim.  No pictures yet, but I’m interested to see how mean this – or the sure-to-follow M6 Gran Coupe – looks.

The 6-Series Gran Coupe will be making it’s official debut at the Geneva show next year; no word yet on when it’ll go on sale or how much it’ll cost.  A good guess would be more than a 5-series, but less than a 7 – we’ll see.

One must maintain perspective when driving an old car.  You hear legends and stories about how great something was, but you have to remember that it was during the time period it was around those legends accumulated.  Best example of this: old school muscle cars from the 60′s.  Sure, they’re cool, and back in the day they were some of the fastest things with wheels and license plates.  But if you lined up a Chevelle SS396 with a 4-speed against a brand new, stock 2.0L Volkswagen GTI, it would get it’s lunch handed to it.  This is perspective, and it’s important to keep.

So when I was given the opportunity to slide behind the wheel of a 1988 BMW M6, sure I was excited.  It’s one of my all-time favorite BMWs; the E24 6-series has always held a pretty high spot on my list of classic BMW’s, and the M6 was the top-dog of the 6-series line, and of the whole BMW line.  It was also one of the most rapid cars you could get your hands on at the time.  It’s one of 1,700-odd M6′s imported to the US over three years.  But come on; this a 23-year old BMW.  How great can it actually be?

Maybe I’m biased.  I drove around in a 23-year-old European car for more than a year, and despite some modern features it was really quite archaic.  But then again, the 900 SPG had a lot of Saab 99 DNA under the hood; DNA that dated back to the late 60′s.  It was delightfully outdated when it was new.  The 6′er, on the other hand, was not.

Like most M cars then and today, the M6 is all about the engine.  While normal 6-series used M30 derivatives (the strongest of which being the 635i which had a 3.5L 218bhp motor), the M6 was a bit more exotic under the hood.  Called the S38B35, it was derived from the M88 straight-six which sat behind the passengers in the original BMW M1 supercar.  The S38 was civilized a bit for street car duty, but it still enjoyed most of the race-derived technology that made it so desirable.  While European E28 M5′s and E24 M6′s received the 282bhp M88/2 motor, the US market got a slightly detuned version.  Changes include a double-row timing chain, lower compression ratio, tubular exhaust manifolds (non-equal length), and the addition of a catalytic converter to meet emissions standards.

Power on the US spec engine was down to 256bhp (from 282) at 6,500rpm but torque was hardly changed, 243lb-ft (from 251) at 4,500.  The S38′s distinct calling card was the row of individual throttle bodies for each cylinder, instead of one huge one.  All M6′s were mated exclusively to a five-speed manual transmission with a limited-slip differential (although other E24′s were available with an automatic.)

M6′s in the US (sold between 1987-1989) came with a lot of impressive luxury features standard.  The rear seat had it’s own dedicated A/C system with separate controls and a drink cooler(!), the front seats were highly bolstered power-adjustable heated units, and a premium stereo was standard.

Stepping into the M6, a few things strike you.  Primarily, compared to most modern sports coupes, visibility is amazing.  The E24 has a huge greenhouse (glass area) and thin A-pillars, so blind spots are not an issue.  This is something I wish modern coupes took into consideration; sitting in a modern Camaro makes you wonder who the designers had in mind (midgets with X-Ray vision?) when they laid out interior.  The other thing is how damn comfortable those seats are:

Most cars from the 80′s have pretty bad seats.  The science of ergonomics has come a long way in the last 30 years, and it shows.  But with 23 years and 116,000 miles under their belts, M6 seats still hold you in place like a vice, yet you sink into them like your favorite couch.  They’re absolutely wonderful, and they adjust in so many ways that if you can’t find a good driving position you’re probably just not trying hard enough.

The outside of the car is…  Oh, I’ll be honest: it’s hard to retain journalistic integrity when reviewing an M6.  I’ve loved the E24′s lines since I first saw one years ago, and I still believe it’s one of the best looking BMW’s ever made.  That forward-pointed grille with wide-set quad headlights is the definition of menacing, and the simplicity of the design harkens back to an era when BMW’s were made to impress those that owned them, not their neighbors.  The one odd thing on this particular car are those modern 5-series wheels (off an E60 530i, I believe.)  They look out of place, but there’s a logical explanation.  All M6′s in the US came with metric-sized wheels and Michelin TRX metric tires, which was the cool thing to do in the 80′s.  After Michelin realized that making standard and metric sized tires was pointless, they sold the molds to Coker, who still makes them today.  For unbelievably high prices.  The solution is fitting modern standard-sized wheels with the right bolt pattern and offset, and enjoying the benefits of decades-newer tire design at sane prices.

Insert the key into the ignition, push the heavy clutch in, and fire it over.  The big straight six cranks for a short second and bursts to life, with a little bit of a loping idle as it warms through.  It’s a far less synthetic sound than a modern engine starting, you can actually hear the lifters and valvetrain working.  Once it gets closer to operating temperature, all the various sounds fade into a harmony, and it’s time to go.

The M6 is a delightfully mechanical car, despite the relative amount of sophistication present in it given the time frame in which it was produced.  The clutch has a weight and feel to it that’s just simply lacking in modern cars; if you didn’t have a strong left leg when you started daily driving this car, you would in a week.  The gear shift is set far forward and has BMW’s traditionally long, ropey throws – yet it somehow manages to avoid being imprecise, but rather it’s laid back.  Clutch takeup is sharp, but with the driveline in good shape (fresh motor mounts and guibo), you’re soon on your way.

The steering is heavy – proper heavy – another attribute of older cars.  At first you’re apprehensive, thinking about how old and complicated the car is, treating it like a museum piece.  But within a mile you realize the M6 is not a museum piece, it’s not just for taking to Cars & Coffee, it’s a driver’s car, the type of car that the Camry-driving proletariat would absolutely hate.  The feel of solidity to the car is palpable, and everything feels like it’s exactly where it should be.  The suspension – the rear suspension since converted from self-leveling air to static shocks – doesn’t beat you up, but it’s firm enough to remain perfectly composed on a winding road.

And that engine – oh, that engine.  It’s incredible.  Of course, the sound and feel is amazing – dip into half throttle in second gear, and you can hear all six throttle butterflies open up, sucking in atmosphere and turning it into horsepower.  Throttle response is amazing; you don’t get reactions like this with a modern, single throttle-body drive by wire car.  But the power is what impresses most.  You look at the figures and you might not be impressed; a modern V6 Accord makes more power and torque than the M6, but it still feels every bit the legend it was back in the day.  The crescendo of all those valves and throttle bodies as the tach swings up is just amazing, and even by my jaded, modern standards the M6 is proper quick.

The mid-range torque impresses most; you always think you should be in a lower gear than you are, but you’re most likely wrong.  The large displacement coupled with the fantastic flow through the cylinder head lets the S38 punch much higher than it’s weight.  This car is someone’s baby, so I won’t make up tales of bouncing the rev limiter and stepping sideways on gear changes – I only beat my own car like that.  But the performance of the M6 is distinct from a lot of the performance Hondas I’m used to.  With a car like a Civic Si or an S2000, to be impressed by the power you have to have your foot flat to the floor, passing the high-lift cam changeover at 6,000 rpm, and bouncing off the rev limiter.  With the M6, you dip halfway into the throttle, and it pushes you into your seat.  You can tell just how earth-shaking this engine was in the 80′s; it’s amazing even today.

It doesn’t suffer from any of the idiosyncratic hiccups that early fuel-injected cars sometimes do; there’s no part throttle stumbles or weird lumpy idle when cold.  The sound is unique: much deeper and richer than the somewhat tinny-sounding E46 M3, but it’s still an orchestra of noise.  It’s geared relatively long, making for sedate highway cruising, and the long wheelbase and wide track make it quite stable.  The brakes have a much heavier pedal than modern cars, but there’s plenty of feel – and stopping power.

Is this a relevant review of something you’d consider for a daily driver?  No, it’s a 23 year-old BMW M Car.  They’re expensive to maintain and hard to find parts for.  They’re fussy (not Ferrari fussy), and not the latest word in safety.  No, the point of this test drive was: when you meet your heroes, do they stand up to your expectations?  My answer, at least as pertains to the M6, is a resounding “yes.”  Now I’ve got to find a way to get behind the wheel of a GMC Syclone…