First drive: 2016 Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport and Clubsport S at the Nurburgring, Germany
Seven minutes 49 seconds. That’s how long it takes the Volkswagen Golf GTi Clubsport S to scoot around the daunting Nurburgring Nordschleife.
Seven minutes 49 seconds. That’s how long it takes the Volkswagen Golf GTi Clubsport S to scoot around the daunting Nurburgring Nordschleife.
Jaguar first rolled out the svelte F-Type roadster in mid-2013, and since then the leaping cat has steadily bolstered the line-up, adding a coupe derivative, all-wheel-drive versions and extra powertrain choices -– all in keeping with the company’s objective to offer an “F-Type for all tastes” (or, to put it another way, maximise the company’s return on investment in developing and building the car). The latest addition to the range is the hardcore F-Type SVR — allegedly lighter, faster and more agile than the F-Type R.
Nissan made its debut in the pick-up segment way back in 1933 with its pint-sized Datsun 12, yet Toyota managed to comprehensively usurp it with the launch of its Hilux in 1968. The latter’s dominance in this region is especially emphatic, and the stats reflect this -– the Hilux has succeeded in cornering a huge 75% of the segment in the GCC, while the existing Navara and Pickup have been able to muster up just 12% between them. Nissan aims to at least partly redress this imbalance via its new “NP300” Navara line-up, which replaces not only the old Navara,
There’s something oddly incongruous about sitting up this high in something with a leaping cat logo on the steering wheel. That’s the first thought that comes to mind on sliding into the cabin of the all-new Jaguar F-Pace and motoring a few kilometres down the road in Montenegro.
Volkswagen has done well with the Tiguan -– sales of more than 2.8 million examples globally since its 2007 launch is reflective of that –- but there’s no denying it was getting long in the tooth against a horde of fresher rivals. Consider this: there are now three times as many contenders in the compact crossover segment as there were when the first Tiguan debuted. It was clearly time for a change, and the second-gen Tiguan, which goes on sale in our market from September onwards, represents exactly that. It genuinely is an ‘all-new’ vehicle, using as its basis the hugely-flexible MQB architecture that underpins everything from the latest VW Golf to the third-gen Audi TT.
Let’s be honest, tyres aren’t sexy. They might be arguably the most vital component in your vehicle -– seeing as they provide the sole contact point between it and terra firma -– yet they’re probably not something you devote a whole lot of thought to.