Volkswagen Up! for World Car of the Year

Tweet There is something about the Volkswagen Up! that appeals to me. The fact that the Up! is small, compact and fuel efficient counts for a lot making it the perfect car for city dwellers who don’t need much from a car other than driving to work and back.

The Volkswagen Up! is a direct rival to the Fiat 500 and has set the bar high in the compact city car segment. The VW Up! is more spacious than the Fiat 500 and fits four passengers with reasonable comfort. The VW Up! comes with an all new 1.0 L three cylinder engine that will take the Up! to 100 km/h in 13.2 seconds with carbon emissions well below the 100g / km mark.

Reviews indicate that the Up! drives like a dream with light, responsive steering and good suspension making it a superb car for your everyday driving needs. Unfortunately there are no current plans to introduce the VW Up! in South Africa even though it could do very well in the South African Market.

The Volkswagen Up! has also been nominated for World Car of the Year Award to be announced on April 5 at the New York International Auto Show. Volkswagen seems to have done something right.

Do you like the Volkswagen Up!?

The all new, classic Porsche 911

Tweet There is something about the new Porsche 911 that tickles my fancy. It must be the fact that Porsche somehow manage to embrace that old, classic look and feel in its styling, yet also manage to produce a car that is modern and classy, all wrapped into a neat little present called the Porsche 911, also known as the 991.
 

Over recent years Porsche has ventured into the seemingly unknown SUV and sedan markets with some success, but the Porsche 911 will always represent Porsche’s past and it seems the 911 will forever stand the test of time.

The new Porsche 911 comes in two models, the Carrera and Carrera S, both with an extended wheelbase, adding to road grip as the Carrera’s flat six 3.4 litre direct injected engine tears up the tar, producing a hefty 350 HP. The Carrera S comes with a 3.8 litre direct injected engine, producing an impressive 400 HP.  The aluminium steel body has resulted in a 45kg weight loss helping the 911 perform at its best, sprinting from 0-100km in 4.3 seconds and reaching a top speed of 300 km/h.

Both models come standard with the world’s first seven-speed gearbox, combining the driving comfort of a converter automatic transmission with the dynamic gearshift of a sequential racing gearbox. The interior has also been drastically refined making the Porsche 911 more luxurious and comfortable while tending to the drivers needs.

The new Porsche 911 has also been nominated for the World Car of the Year Award to be announced on 5 April 2012. Keep your eyes peeled, the Porsche 911 is lurking…

What do you think of the Porsche 911? I think it’s amazing…

      

BMW 3-Series ready to rock SA

Tweet The long anticipated wait is almost over. By the end of March BMW fans will witness the all new BMW 3-Series take to the roads, a huge achievement for BMW South Africa, who look to produce more than 93 000 units at its Rosslyn manufacturing plant near Pretoria.  

Since the first generation 3-Series was launched in 1975, BMW has sold more that 12 million units worldwide and the 3-Series is considered to be the most important volume-produced model in the BMW group. The sixth generation 3-Series BMW is an exciting addition to the range and consumers can only expect the best from the new BMW 3-Series.

The new BMW 3-Series will come in the form of the 328i and 335i as well as a 320d and 320d EfficientDynamics diesel option. The 3-Series will also be available in three unique offerings namely the ‘Sport Line’, ‘Modern Line’ and ‘Luxury Line’.

The new 3-Series is 93mm larger and 40kg lighter than the previous 3-Series and boasts extra leg and headroom for passengers. Particular attention to detail has been given to the interior making it more luxurious and comfortable when compared to previous models.  Fuel efficiency has also improved dramatically and can be attributed to weight reduction and BMW’s EfficientDynamics technology.

The 320d EfficientDynamics diesel variant produces 120 kW and runs at 4.1 litres/100km with a CO2 emissions rating of 109 g/km. The 328i with its twin turbo charged engine produces 180 kW at 5000 rpm with a fuel consumption figure of 6.3 litres/100km and emissions rating of 142g/km. The 328i clocks 0-100km in just 6.3 seconds reaching a top speed of 250 km/h.

It’s not surprising then that the BMW 3-series has been nominated for the World Car of the Year Award to be announced in April 2012.

What are your thoughts of the new BMW 3-Series?  

And in this corner, the McLaren MP4-12C

Tweet Over the next few weeks, Gero Car News will shed some light on the contestants for the World Car of the Year Award and a good place to start is with the McLaren MP4-12C . It seems McLaren is bringing the fight to Ferrari and Lamborghini in the form of the McLaren MP4-12C, a supercar that has the ability to deliver some serious punch in the supercar ring. The McLaren is also in a good position to win the World Performance Car of the Year Award at the World Car of the Year Award to be announced in April 2012, coming up against the Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4 and the Porsche 911.
  

Weighing in at an impressive 1300kg, the McLaren MP4-12C is a serious supercar. Powered by a potent 3.8l V8 twin turbo engine and kicking out a formidable 441 kW at 7000 rpm, there’s no denying that Porsche and Lamborghini are in for a battle. The McLaren MP4-12C is not slow either, reaching 100 km/h in just 3.3 seconds and maxing out at a top speed of 330 km/h, impressive.

Not surprisingly though, the McLaren MP4-12C, like many supercars, doesn’t do too well in terms of efficiency, guzzling 11.7l/100 km and spewing out 279g of CO2 for every km driven. Nonetheless, the McLaren MP4-12C is a nice car to look at and reviews indicate that’s it’s a great car to drive.

The MP4 has been available in South Africa for a few months now, making its first appearance at the Johannesburg International Motor Show in 2011. Most South Africans can only dream of driving the McLaren MP4-12C as only 20 are available in 2012. We can, however, drool at the price to drive this specimen, a whopping R3.3 million. That should make a big enough dent in the wallet.

Do you like the McLaren MP4-12C?

    

World Car Of The Year Award finalists locking horns

Tweet Winning the World Car of the Year Award is serious business for car manufacturers lucky enough to cut the grade, and this year’s award won’t be easy to clench. The top three finalists in the categories World Car of the Year, World Performance Car, World Green Car and World Car Design were announced at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. The winners across all categories will be announced at the New York International Auto Show on Thursday, April 5, 2012.

Finalists are selected and voted for by a panel of 66 influential motoring journalists from around the world. The entry list consisted of 34 new cars from around world vying for the top spot. The finalists in each category are:

World Car of the Year

BMW 3 Series

Porsche 911 (991)

Volkswagen Up!

World Performance Car of the Year

Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4

McLaren MP4-12C

Porsche 911


World Green Car of the Year

Ford Focus Electric

Mercedes-Benz 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY

Peugeot 3008 Hybrid


World Car Design of the Year

Citroën DS5

Land Rover Evoque

Volkswagen Up!

What car do you think will win the 2012 World Car of the Year Award? I put my money on the Volkswagen Up!