Sync by fant0m www.addic7ed.com
Hello and welcome to Fifth Gear!
I'm welcome also to the top of the famous Fiat Factory in Turin.
It's a bit of a story about how we got here and involves this,
the amazing Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera.
As well as testing it on the best roads in the Alps,
we'll be seeing just how far you can blag your way...
...in a car that costs 180 grand.
Another barrier just parts the waves.
Plus, Jonny will be finding out
if a very large car with a small engine is the future of luxury cars
by comparing it to a super yacht.
Let's kick things off with a dogfight, where I go head to head
with one of the most competitive men on the planet, Mr. T Needell.
Now stand by, because this is a fast one
between two of the most desirable cars on the planet.
The list of 500 horsepower, £100,000 convertibles
used to start and end with the Porsche 911 Turbo.
But not any more.
Because Audi have chopped the roof off their R8 V10
to produce Porsche's closest rival ever.
Anyone fancy a race?
Nought to 100 and back to nought again.
The car that stops first wins.
Ready? Are you ready?
Oh, yeah!
Oh, what a lovely launch!
Not a very good start. Tiff is gone.
I love this manual gear change.
The gear change is quite slow.
The boost is going, I wait for sound...
...and hit the brakes!
Oh, loads of it!
It's all over in a bit of a flash, innit?
Stopping distance?
90.9 metres.
Yeah, a metre quicker braking and a second quicker to a hundred.
Afraid the Porsche wins that one.
Test two... A flying lap in each car against the clock.
The Audi goes first.
I'll start the watch.
That was a bit timid. You're a bit scared of it now. Get on with it!
Give it a bit more entry speed for goodness sake!
I'm trying to put...
It's very easy to actually oversteer it on the way in.
You wouldn't know it's four-wheel drive, would you, handling-wise?
It is very rear-biased.
I mean, the weight distribution...
...is correct, as they say, on the way out,
but on the way in, it's so oversteering.
Good fun, though.
One minute, 14.7.
The Porsche is lighter, and, crucially,
obviously has a better driver.
Here we go.
Oh, this is really quick!
We're turning at... 120 miles an hour,
turning in, and we're coming out at...
...125.
154 miles an hour.
- How much? - 154.
I tell you what. How quick is this?
Little bit of oversteering as she came... but that's all right,
- don't worry, we'll sort it out, Jason, don't worry. - I'm worried.
It's a bit sort of lift-off oversteer,
then you put the power back on and the front washes out.
Pushes out, yeah. Yeah. 151...
...155 miles an hour.
Right, brakes!
Engage third gear. Engage brain...
It's gonna be close.
Oh, you fighter!
Whoa, whoa, whoa! Let me tell...
...let me tell the story. Let me tell the story. Have you lost again?
One minute, 12.9. 12?
Well, that's nearly two seconds faster.
You've definitely had your Weetabix this morning, haven't you?
The R8 may be a far prettier car
but the 911 turbo accelerates quicker,
stops quicker and laps quicker.
It's...phenomenal.
And so to this week's very special competition,
which is undoubtedly the very best prize we've ever given away.
The Formula 1 British Grand Prix is at Silverstone on the 11th July.
You could be there with a mate,
thanks to an amazing VIP package.
You could receive a helicopter tour in the morning
so you can see the brand new circuit in all its glory,
then receive VIP hospitality
and backstage passes to the after-party, where drivers hang out,
and even get to watch the World Cup Final on the big screen.
There's more.
We're also giving you a chance of a supercar experience at Thruxton,
where you'll get to drive a Lamborghini, a Ferrari Scuderia,
and sit alongside me in a BMW M3,
and I promise to drive you as sideways as possible.
There's more. We're also giving away a 40-inch LCD TV,
an X-Box,
and the Superstars V8 Next Challenge driving game,
plus our favourite five car games.
And a Garman Sat-Nav,
and a Pure Highway in-car DAB radio,
and a Supertooth Buddy hands-free kit.
For your chance to win what has to be the ultimate petrolhead's prize,
just answer the following question correctly.
Lines close at midday on Thursday 17th June,
and three days later for postal entries.
There'll be more supercar decadence later in the show,
when I'll be heading straight up one of Europe's greatest driving roads
in this, the Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera.
But here at Fifth Gear, we know slightly more down to earth cars
are just as important,
so here's Vicki with a new feature we call Need to Know.
The Fifth Gear lock-up,
a secret bunker where we reveal what's good, and bad,
about the latest new cars.
This time we've got the Nissan Cube,
on sale from £14,000.
Nissan describes it as offering lounge-style space,
for relaxing, socialising and travelling.
But what's it like as a car?
Everyone who spends any time in this car
comes away saying the same thing.
It's just so calming, lovely and pleasant to be inside.
They like the light and airy feel, thanks to the masses of glass.
They like the curving dash, which was inspired by a jacuzzi,
and they like the rice-paper sunshade
which lets light in, but not heat.
But the principal thing that makes the Cube so comfortable
is its ride quality.
And we're so confident in it,
we're going to drive it over one of Britain's worst roads
while young chef Peter here does some high-speed chopping...
...with a big knife.
Off you go.
This is very good. You're very professional.
Soaking up the lumps and bumps really well I find.
How you finding it on the board?
The board is very flat and comfortable.
I feel I can cut very smoothly through this.
That's fantastic. Oh, good man!
Job done. Excellent.
Right, let's quit while we're ahead.
I think we've made the point. The Cube is one comfy car.
Nissan says its asymmetric look has been created
BY design connoisseurs FOR design connoisseurs.
Well, design connoisseurs obviously don't need a big boot,
because this is all there is.
And they won't be winning awards for this flimsy material and strip of Velcro.
But I'm not too bothered with that.
What I AM bothered with, though, are the options.
One of which is this dashboard mat.
And I quote.
"We love this fluffy mat.
Just run your fingers through it at traffic lights,
and you'll see what we mean."
The cost? £22.
£22!
Then there's the simple, practical and hard-wearing...bands
that give you some extra storage space.
£11.25.
Or how about this whirlpool hook?
Again Nissan puts a spin on it,
saying, "this clever little feature keeps keys within easy reach".
£25.
Here's a tip. Save yourself £58 on daft accessories
and get yourself down the DIY superstore.
I bought hooks...rubber bands...
...and an entire bathmat set for £5.
Bargain.
If you're after something funky that's immensely practical,
then Citroen's C3 Picasso is a better bet,
and it's got a colossal boot.
But if you want to stand out from the crowd of Minis and Fiat 500s
you love being stared at,
and you're not too bothered about having a sharp handling motor,
then the Nissan Cube is perfect.
Now, here's a quick shout-out for the Fifth Gear website.
Home to a massive database of reviews about every single car on sale.
It's the place you'll see the newest cars tested first.
So check it out at:
Still to come, how much help does a £180,000 supercar give you
when you're on the blag?
I don't believe it.
Welcome back to Fifth Gear.
Now, this Lambo, with its massive 5.2 litre V10,
represents the old way of doing things.
You see, in these tree-stroking times,
the trend is for manufacturers to fit smaller and smaller engines,
even, as Jonny's been finding out, in very big cars.
The S80 is Volvo's biggest, most luxurious saloon.
At 16ft long, it's an imposing piece of metal,
that you'd expect to have a beast of an engine.
But it doesn't really.
You see, this latest DRIVe model is all about fuel economy.
So under here is the engine equivalent
of a pygmy shrew.
A 108 brake horsepower 1.6 turbo diesel engine,
the smallest engine that Volvo put in any of their cars.
It's not exactly the luxury that I had in mind.
Incredibly, this icon of luxury transport,
a 56ft princess yacht,
the sort of thing Duran Duran dreams are made of,
is also powered by Volvo.
It uses not one, but two 900 horsepower units.
Premium goods these days are as much about eco friendliness
as they are poshness.
Which means that car there could be a role model in luxo eco transport.
To test the theory, I'm going to compare a 23-grand Volvo diesel
against a 700-grand Volvo diesel
in the ultimate test of modern luxury transportation.
First category, greenness.
This S80 will emit
a measly 119 grams per kilometre of CO2 into the atmosphere.
What's even more impressive is the fact that on a combined cycle,
they reckon it will do 62.8 miles to the gallon.
While the 80s throwbacks lounge upstairs,
the boat's brawn lurks below.
Each one of these uses 35 gallons of fuel per hour.
So this will use about a gallon every half-mile.
So, no surprises there, then.
The 1.6 car is more frugal than the 13-litre boat.
Next, speed.
With a nought to 60 score of 11.7,
the S80 DRIVe,
isn't quite as slow as you might think.
The only real problem tends to occur
when you need to do some serious overtaking.
There's a Mini Cooper D in front of me,
and it keeps getting in my way,
so I'm going to try and attempt to overtake.
In any gear, at any speed...
...the Mini diesel is quicker. Oh, dear.
I can't see the police using these instead of their T5s anytime soon.
This boat is capable of shifting.
I mean, it can do 38 knots, which is fast on water.
But that's about a third of the speed of the S80,
which can do 118mph top speed.
Saying that, one thing the Volvo doesn't have
is 5,000-lb feet of torque.
That's impressive.
Torque is the force that helps a machine accelerate.
But even with so much grunt,
the 22-tonne yacht can't go faster than the 1.5 tonne car.
Next, style.
It isn't the most stylish car to start with,
it's a four-year-old design.
But unlike some of its other Volvo DRIVe models,
and those VW blue motion chariots,
at least it doesn't have daft wheels and different weirdo grilles
to shout about its eco credentials, which I like.
Same's true in here.
You'd never guess there was a peasant spec 1.6 up front.
The materials, design and ergonomics are top class.
It's just a bit beige and has a whiff of Saga.
But look at the boat.
The leather chairs might be on par with the car,
but the teak, stainless steel,
glitzy fittings and awesome electric roof, are in a different league.
The boat wins the style award.
But overall, which Volvo diesel technology
do I think is the most modern form of luxury transport?
Well, you may never quite forget you're driving a diesel,
but thanks to this economy version's longer gearing,
and the S80's already-comfortable ride,
the car's refinement is surprisingly persuasive.
They have gone quite a long way to convincing me
that this can work, this weird combination of utter thrift
and a little sprinkling of luxury.
Credit to Volvo, because what they've done to the S80 DRIVe
is make something large and comfortable
but with an air of luxury about it,
and something that means you don't have to live near a fuel station.
Unfortunately it won't make me feel like Simon Le Bon...
...at all.
And so to the main event.
To give it its full name,
the Lamborghini Gallardo LP5-74 Superleggera.
A 5.2 litre V10,
570 horsepower,
nought to 62 in 3.3 seconds,
and a top speed of 202 miles an hour.
So, shall we kick it in the balls, then?
God, you can get yourself into trouble in this thing.
So, come on, then, let's have a look at the naughty bits.
We've got a new front splitter, gives more down force.
Stepping round here...
...we've got carbon discs. 14-grand option.
These are trick as well.
These are Pirelli P Zero Corsers. My rubber of choice.
Every car I have, I always spec these. Transform a car's handling.
We've got carbon bits everywhere. Wing mirrors, the sills, doorskins...
We've got glass...
...and tons of perspex, or polycarbonate.
That all adds up to a 70-kilo weight-saving, makes it quicker.
Then we've got, erm... We like these.
Matt black huge exhausts.
A fantastic-looking splitter,
a work of art, in carbon.
And then, of course, there's the rear wing.
It comes in big...or bigger.
And just like Benny Hill once said in this part of the world,
'I like 'em...big!'
The only place to test a car like this
is to leave the traffic behind and head for the hills.
The Alps are home to the loveliest lengths of tarmac in Europe.
Now, like all Lambos, this is four-wheel drive,
it's got a 70-30 torque split, bias on the rear.
Lamborghini say, because it IS four-wheel drive,
you get all the power earlier in the corner.
yes, that is true, but...
...the centre dip has such an effect on the car,
that gives you this nervous feeling when you modulate the throttle.
It's difficult to feel when the front is gonna let go.
It's difficult to feel where the under-steer comes in.
It just makes you disconnect with the car.
Now, E-gear is standard on this car,
but you can have a manual at a no-cost option.
But interestingly, 97% of customers want the E-gear.
And I tell you why that is.
This would be quite some car to drive with a manual gearbox.
It's heavy in your hands.
A big car, there's a lot going on,
and this does make it very simple.
I'm in fourth now. I can select two down gears,
so, click, click, and it goes straight to second.
Or up shift, click, click, click, straight to fifth.
It's a little bit chalk and cheese, really.
This car needs to be driven with a bit of pace.
It needs a fast, open, swoopy kind of section of road.
It's kind of a bit too aggressive and twitchy and unwieldy
in the slow corners,
but get it on a fast A-road...
Oh, it's great fun. It brings a smile to your face.
I'd love one. But for special occasions.
But that's NOT the end of the story.
You know, you don't have to be driving quick
to have fun in a supercar, especially here in Italy,
where they worship all things Italian.
I reckon it's, you know, like a passport to anywhere.
So we're heading to the famous Lingotto building in Turin,
the old Fiat factory, the one with the test track on the roof,
where they filmed The Italian Job.
Rumour has it, security is like Fort Knox.
I reckon, a few well-placed ciaos,
maybe even a little blip on the throttle,
will see us through the security net.
Let's give it a go.
Ciao, ciao. Scusa... the gate?
Er...the entrance for the hall is not, er, for public.
See? Not to be put off, we tried an entrance down the road
which had less men in hi-vis jackets. Always a good sign.
Si. Grazia.
All right, we're through one little security net.
The barrier is now open.
Another barrier just parts the waves.
Si, grazia.
I tell you what, that is uncanny.
We've just driven through wave after wave of security gate.
I mean, this is amazing.
This was the start of every Fiat's life.
This roll up this ramp to go onto the test track,
prior to, you know, delivery.
What a treat.
There's another security guard.
Let's give him a little blip and another little ciao
and see if it cuts the mustard.
Ciao! Grazia.
Well, stone the crows.
We are now on the top...
I don't believe it.
There were just a couple of cars belonging to the staff
of the swanky rooftop restaurant,
and someone so rich and famous, they go to lunch in a heli.
The Lambo had got us to the summit of a national monument.
That is the power of the Lamborghini Gallardo LP5-74 Superleggera.
Next time on Fifth Gear...
Vicki tests the £100,000 Maserati GranCabrio,
by driving from Paris to Monaco.
And I try for the first time in Fifth Gear history
to top the iconic figure...
...of 200 miles an hour.
Don't miss it!
And finally here's a reminder of our amazing competition
to win a VIP package to the Formula 1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone,
including helicopter tour and backstage passes
to the drivers' after-party,
and our pick of the best driving goodies on the market.
Lines close at midday on Thursday 17th June,
and three days later for postal entries.
Good luck.
Sync by fant0m www.addic7ed.com