One of my personal favourite roads is doing one lap around Lake Geneva. It’s a mix of driving through scenic roads, little towns and villages, as well as the occasional open and empty stretches. You basically start from Geneva and head to Montreux, then into France and onto Evian, then back into Geneva again. In total it’s around 172km, and considering that I haven’t done this wonderful route in years, I was very thrilled to be able to do it in the highly-praised Ford Fiesta ST.
Looking at this “Race Red” Ford Fiesta ST, it’s definitely a car that’s eye-catching. Its 17-inch wheels, low stance and roof spoiler add to that sporty look too. Despite the bright colour, it doesn’t make the driver seem like a desperate attention seeker, and it shouldn’t bring the driver any shame if they were to pull up at a dinner reception or posh restaurant. It’s also the kind of car that seems at home everywhere, whether it’s in a millionaire’s garage or a street parking outside a waiter’s apartment. The latest installment of Ken Block's stunt driving videos, Gymkhana SIX, has been released. It has been done in collaboration with Need for Speed, and as usual it doesn't disappoint. Definitely a good way to spend 6:30 min. The Ford Kuga (sold as Escape in North America) is one of those cars you don’t pay much attention to when they pass you by in the street, but that’s to be expected from most small family SUVs. However, spending two weeks with the Kuga has shown that it can be a nice car to live with, and you can always say that the rear looks similar to current Range Rover models (the taillights cut into the body panel like current Range Rovers). With a seemingly great demand for small SUVs, it’s easy to come to the conclusion that Ford won’t have trouble selling the Kuga, but the aim of this review is to find out what sets it apart from its list of strong competitors, such as the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4.
A bright orange Ford Focus ST might sound a bit daring in terms of style, but in the metal it definitely works well. Actually, Ford calls it Tangerine Scream, and in the many years of being a car enthusiast, the only cars that I think look good in orange are old Mopar muscle cars like the Plymouth Superbird and mid-engined V12 Lamborghinis. I even think the lines are quite nice, and those dark-coloured 18-inch rims give it a nice sporty stance as well. Looking good, as we all know, is only half of what is required from a performance vehicle, it also has to deliver thrills. However, hot hatches have to deliver those thrills without breaking the bank, so it has to strike that crucial combination of affordability and being a fun car to drive. Luckily, I had over a week to find out if the Focus ST does just that.
With 2012 just days away from ending, we can only hope that 2013 will have as many exciting new cars as this year did. Here is a gallery of 22 cars that made a good first impression. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
McLaren MP4-12C SpiderThis is without question the Ferrari 458 Spider’s arch rival, and with 625hp it is 55hp more powerful than the Italian drop-top.
The McLaren MP4-12C Spider also comes with a retractable hard top, and may be operated at speeds of up to 30km/h (19mph). The twin-turbo 3.8-litre V8 engine sends its power and 600 Nm of torque through a seven-speed SSG dual-clutch transmission, enabling the 1,474kg (DIN weight) Spider to get from 0-62mph in 3.1 sec (the same as the 12C coupe) and reach a top speed of 204mph (329km/h) – 3mph less than its coupe sibling. MotorTrend is one of the first magazines to post a video driving the 2013 Shelby GT500, and with 662hp from its supercharged 5.8-litre V8 engine, it looks set to take the muscle car crown. The 2012 Geneva Motor Show is anything but short of exciting new cars. There are far too many cool cars to have them all posted here, but with more than 100 photos, it's more than just a taste of what the show has to offer. Make sure you come back next week for the ultimate standouts of the show.
If you’re a car enthusiast, people close to you might have asked you “why do you like cars so much?” And chances are you weren’t able to give them a direct answer. There are many things that make us tick when in comes to a car; the design, the quality, the noise it makes, the history, the performance, etc. But occasionally we get other things, like flames shooting out of the exhaust. If like me, the sight of flames (the real kind, no flamethrower kits here) coming out of the exhaust causes the caveman in you to come out, then you’ll enjoy checking out these videos of awesome flame spitters.
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