Road Test Review – August

Fiesta hits road, and Car of Year is named
Many readers enjoy Auto Express on the beach or by the pool in August – or just use it to escape the summer holidaying kids! So this is the perfect month for us to publish our annual New Car Honours supplement. Most of the hard work was done in advance, but once the judging, writing and photography were complete, the best in class were named in Issue 1,026.

When they got their awards at a glittering ceremony cruising through London on a Thames boat, car makers were bursting with pride – or brooding over the failure of their latest model. The coveted title of Auto Express Car of the Year went to the Jaguar XF, which brought British-built style, glamour and quality to the otherwise staid executive car market.

And we’ve already started thinking about which cars will be good enough to take the 2009 title! One contender has to be a model that reset the supermini benchmark in August. The arrival of a new Ford Fiesta is always big news, and this was no exception. We wasted no time in introducing the first model to arrive in the UK to its Vauxhall Corsa rival – and it didn’t take long to see that the Ford was streets ahead.

There was another gathering of exotic machinery in August worthy of note… road test editor Chris Thorp’s wedding. Guests were chauffeured in an Audi R8, a Maybach 62, a Bentley Arnage and a Range Rover TDV8!

Supermini king
Ford Fiesta vs Vauxhall Corsa (Issue 1,027). It was the verdict everyone was waiting for, but in the end this contest wasn’t especially close. The new Ford Fiesta secured a comfortable victory over its Vauxhall rival with a blend of style and desirability never before seen in the supermini sector. While the Corsa still had the edge when it came to space and practicality, that wasn’t enough for it to hold on to its title as the class leader. Watch our first drive of the Fiesta here.

Petrol vs diesel
VW Tiguan, Mercedes C-Class, Ford Focus and Toyota Yaris head-to-heads (Issue 1,027). Even though we were beginning to breathe a sigh of relief that petrol prices were falling, the cost of diesel remained very high.

We all know you get more miles per gallon with oil-burners, but how did the difference between green and black pump prices affect the economics of driving a diesel? That’s what we investigated in Issue 1,027, pitching petrol and diesel versions of the same cars together. The result? Two victories for unleaded and two for derv. Our conclusion was simple: don’t assume that an oil-burner will always save you money.

New RS6 mega test
Audi RS6 Avant vs dream garage (Issue 1,024). We applied our unique triple twin test technique to Audi’s new RS6 – with fascinating results. First, the Avant’s talents were distilled into three areas: track thrills, practicality and sports car fun.

Next, we chose separate models which could offer each individual attribute: the Caterham Seven, Nissan 350Z and Ford Mondeo estate. This trio – our dream garage – had a combined value equal to the big Audi’s £77,730 list price. While the Avant proved that it is possible to wrap up a supercar in estate guise, we thought our dream garage represented a more appealing alternative.

New Car Honours 2008
Car of the Year awards (Issue 1,026). The results of the most important new car awards in the business appeared in Issue 1,026, and can be viewed in full at www.autoexpress.co.uk all year round. Top dog in 2008 was Jaguar’s XF, while other winners included the Mazda MX-5 RC, Audi A4, Nissan GT-R, MINI JCW, Ford S-MAX, Land Rover Discovery, Mercedes S-Class and many more.

Snapper’s notes
Streakers add some zoom!
It was ironic that for three of the hottest days of the summer, I was cooped up in a studio rather than out in the sun on a test track. But I wasn’t complaining on this occasion. The Auto Express New Car Honours photoshoots are always very special, and we had some great ideas for 2008. Art director Darren Wilson was the brains behind the grand plan – and had a very distinctive style in mind. While most photographic studios are white, we were going to shoot on a blacked-out area, and use various lighting techniques to create the stunning results you see below.

Firstly, I lit the cars to get detail and shape – and then came the clever bit. Waves of light were added by Darren – with the help of junior photographer Otis Clay – running around the studio holding anything from bike lights to fluorescent tubes. It was chaotic, but the effect was great. I was delighted with the results – I hope you agree it was one of the best-looking issues of Auto Express ever!
Pete Gibson
Staff photographer