Sync by fant0m www.addic7ed.com
Hello and welcome to Fifth Gear.
This week we're celebrating the very best of British modern luxury
with this brand-new £196,000 Rolls Royce Ghost.
I'll be using and abusing it later in the show.
As this is the quickest Rolls ever, I just had to take it drag racing.
That's quick.
Plus Tiff will be testing the latest Aston Martin,
the £140,000 Rapide, very, very quickly indeed.
And Johnny's searching for the ultimate estate car.
But let's kick things off with Jason at our favourite track in Anglesey
and one of our world-famous shootouts.
This week we're racing the two roadsters
that have the biggest reputation as drivers' cars.
The Nissan 370Z's noise, grunt, speed and styling
all smear a wide smile across your face.
And now that it comes as a roofless roadster,
tapping its 324bhp should be more enjoyable than ever.
However, chopping the roof off has added nearly two grand to the price.
In GT spec, it costs £33,200.
That puts it even closer to the reigning champ of good-time driving,
the BMW Z4.
This 38-grand S-Drive 35i
might be 18bhp down on the Nissan,
but the optional double clutch gearbox
makes it 0.4 seconds quicker to 62,
taking just 5.1 seconds.
But which is fastest on the track?
First up, the Z4.
Now, BMW have moved the latest Z4 away from a pure sports car
like the Porsche Boxster,
so it doesn't quite feel as sharp and as pointy as you'd expect.
It's got a straight-six, three-litre engine, but it's twin turbo.
It sounds pretty good, it does get on the move,
there's not a great deal of lag,
but it's got tons of understeer.
It could do with a bit more front grip
and actually could do with a little bit less grip at the rear.
It's a bit too safe, a bit too numb.
It's not as lively as the old Z4,
it's not as fun to drive.
Anyway, enough of that. Time for a quick lap.
Come on. You're really got to pick your point correctly...
to get on the power, cos if you get on it a little too early,
you just end up pushing too wide.
You can hear the understeer. You can hear the front tyres struggling.
And the BMW Z4 crosses a rain-lashed finishing line in 1'26.5".
Time for a blast in the newer, cheaper contender.
Now, this is my first ever drive of this Nissan 370Z.
First impressions...
I like it.
It's got great steering.
Really accurate, precise, no understeer.
It kind of feels...
feels more brutish, more of a man's car than the BMW.
It's a 3.7-litre V6, chassis feels better.
It's got a little bit of a temper.
But it's pretty controllable.
Anyway, enough fooling around.
Time for a quick one.
1'26.5" to beat.
There we go. That's tidier.
Not so much oversteer. Come on, JP.
At the first checkpoint, the 370Z is 0.1 seconds ahead of the Z4.
Come on. Missed the apex a little bit there.
Come on, JP.
At the second checkpoint, it's increased its lead to 0.3 seconds.
Power... Come on, come on, come on.
And the 370Z crosses the line 0.4 seconds ahead of the Z4,
proving there's some raw speed behind all that fun.
I recommend it...whole-heartedly.
Driving the 370Z got us all misty-eyed
for another brilliant Nissan: the 350Z.
So we hunted down this superb 2004 coupe
to give away as this week's competition prize.
In addition to the glorious 276bhp V6 engine,
this particular car comes with the more desirable GT spec.
So there's an upgraded Bose sound system,
electric leather seats and cruise control.
There can be few more desirable drivers' cars out there,
but that's not all because we'll also throw in
£1,000 towards your car insurance, courtesy of elephant.co.uk.
And there's more. We're also giving you
the chance of a supercar experience at Thruxton
where you'll get to drive a Lamborghini, Ferrari Scuderia
and sit alongside Tiff who promises
to drive you as sideways as possible.
More, more, more, more!
But we're still not finished.
We're also giving away a 40-inch LCD TV
an Xbox and the Superstars V8 Next Challenge driving game.
Plus our favourite five car games.
And a Garmin sat-nav and a Pure Highway car DAB radio.
And a Supertooth Buddy hands-free kit.
For your chance to win, just answer the following question correctly:
Now, most of us think that cars like this Rolls Royce Ghost
that combine massive speed and massive luxury
are contenders for greatest car in the world.
Jonny, however, as usual, sees things slightly differently.
Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce to you
what I think could be an all-time great.
The Superb Estate.
By Skoda.
I love stumbling across unlikely heroes like this.
It's got a cavernous boot, an impressive interior,
and, starting at 18 grand, a relatively tiny price tag.
But the big question is this: is it the best estate ever?
To find out, I'm going to conduct some serious testing,
pitting the Skoda against some of the finest estates of all time.
The first test is all about refinement.
Here the benchmark is the legendary Mercedes W124,
popularly believed to be the most over-engineered car ever.
German engineers took anal retentiveness
to a whole new level with the 124.
Let's take the windscreen wiper, for example. There's only one of them.
And it wipes 86% in near total silence.
That's elegantly engineered.
And anal.
Car nuts still doff their caps to just how hushed it is,
so that's exactly what I'll measure.
I've got this... What looks like a Seventies microphone,
and it's going to measure the sound pressure level in the cabin. So...
let's do 70 and I'm going to stop talking
and we're going to get a level. Here we go.
Now, that's quite impressive.
It's reading between 69 and 71dB,
which is about as loud as someone reading.
To prove itself as a paragon of refinement,
the Superb needs to go even lower.
Well, stone the crows. That's quite impressive.
That's quite a consistent sort of 68, 69...
Which means it beats the 124 for cabin quietness.
With one legend vanquished, it's time for test two: space.
The estate with the biggest boot on sale today is another Merc.
The brand-new E-class.
The new E is a majestic cathedral of a car.
A class-leading 1,950 litres inside with the back seats down.
That's enough to fit 28 false dogs.
See?
By filling the Skoda with the Merc's mutts,
I'll see how its boot space compares.
Don't worry, they're not breathing.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. No time for mating.
Get in the Superb.
That's 27 false hounds in there
1,865 litres of space.
I've got 28 false dogs in the Merc, 1,950 litres of space.
So the Merc's more spacious. Does it therefore win?
Not when you start to talk about money.
Because that is an E250CDi.
Mid-range car, mid-range options.
It's nearly 40 grand.
This is the range-topping Superb.
Every option you can possibly wish for
and it's 30 grand. Some 10k less.
On that basis, the Skoda clinches it.
Can the Superb make it three out of three with our final test: speed?
Don't mistake Mr Set Square here for a creaky old relic.
The mid-90 Volvo 850R is an icon.
There was even an incredibly successful racing car version.
Thanks to a turbo-charged engine,
it'll do 0-60 in under seven seconds.
Attempt to see one off at the lights in anything less than a Golf GTI
and you could find your plums shrivelled to sultanas.
But what about in a Skoda estate... that's beige?
Off we go. It's even Stevens. That's got away quick.
I'm just beating it.
I've just clinched him. That's impressive.
Crossing the finish line at 100mph,
there's just two car lengths in it.
Which is not bad considering that's 15 years old.
Close, but this range-topping V6 Superb is faster than an 850R.
Another legend pipped by the mighty Skoda.
Instead of setting a new benchmark in one area alone,
it sets a new standard for just how many skills one car can master.
Perhaps "Superb" isn't a strong enough word.
I'd call it the Skoda Tremendous.
Still to come, Tiff's on the limit in the brand-new Aston Martin Rapide.
And I test the Rolls Royce that thinks it's a supercar.
Rolls Royce isn't the only iconic British car brand, of course.
There's James Bond's Aston Martin and such is demand for new models,
that its latest car has to be built in Austria.
So, is it any good? Here's Tiff.
The last Aston Martin I drove made me literally jump for joy,
because the V12 Vantage is perfect. Almost.
Trouble is, it's a strict two-seater,
so there's only room for one mate to come along for the ride.
Now, though, Aston Martin have a solution.
The Rapide.
The latest Aston Martin is a four-door, four-seat,
£140,000 car where metal looks more like muscle.
It's yet another stunning model from one of the greatest British brands.
All the doors have this clever swan mechanism,
which lifts them up as they open,
which not only allows for easier access,
but makes sure they don't ground out on high curbs.
Now, Aston Martin claim that the Rapide
can comfortably carry four adults.
Question is...for how long?
Well, after just a few minutes back there, I'd had enough.
It's good enough for going down the pub but that's about it.
The Rapide's six-litre V12 produces a warehouse full of velvety torque
to suit its cruising character.
It also produces 470bhp,
plenty for the country lanes, but it means we haven't got as much power
as Aston's out and out sports cars.
The other thing we haven't got is a manual gear change option,
so I have to use the automatic.
However, as soon as you touch that throttle...
...it soon kicks down
and launches you forward.
This is my kind of engine!
No super-chargers, no turbo charges.
You can't beat V12 classic orchestra!
But, the biggest revelation for me with this car
has been the ride quality.
In order to get these extra seats in,
they've had to stretch the wheel base out.
Normally that means they reduce the torsion rigidity
which takes away some of the sharpness of the handling.
But the sharpness is still there
and yet the car isn't as stiff as a plank.
Yes, it's got windows which raise further
into their seals the faster you go,
and yes the 1,000-watt stereo alters its sound
according to the number of passengers.
But, forget the luxury and refinement.
Aston are still adamant that this is a proper driver's car.
There is, however, one small problem.
The other new four-door, four-seat super-car,
the Porsche Panamera Turbo,
is £40,000 cheaper, more spacious, and...
The Porsche is quicker to 60.
But, despite that, we asked the Panamera to leave the premises.
For once, I'm not going to be swayed by
the traffic light bragging rights.
Cos this Aston sounds better...
handles better...
and makes that Porsche look like a hump-back whale.
188mph...
...V12 heaven.
And a chassis that renders you speechless.
Bumf, bumf. Oh!
Really speechless.
Look, I can flick this around...like a little tiny sports saloon.
I am genuinely amazed at how well this car handles.
This is nearly two tons!
Flappy pedals. Doesn't change down quite as good as I want it to...
But once it has changed down...we're away.
It's predictable, poised, balanced...
Okay, some may say buy a Maserati Quattroporte.
Okay, it's an elegant, wonderful sports limousine
and if you're gonna spend your time in the back seat
it might be a better choice.
But if you're sitting where you should be, up here...
...there's only once choice.
The Aston Martin Rapide.
And...I can do the school run in it.
Now, here's a quick reminder about the Fifth Gear website,
which has up to the minute reviews of every single new car on sale.
Check it out at:
Ah! A million-pound country retreat.
Exactly the sort of place you'd expect to bump into
the brand-new Rolls Royce Ghost.
Or maybe not.
Times have changed, and instead of associating the Ghost
with words like 'grand' and 'heritage',
Rolls prefers contemporary, informal and dynamic.
Not so much country pad, then, as iPad.
This is the Roller that comes with an app,
letting everyone configure their dream car.
Invisible exhausts. Yes, please.
Even if they can't afford the £196,000 price.
How frightfully modern.
Ah, perfect.
Would you look at that?
This is the entry-level car,
aimed at owners who want to drive, rather than be chauffeured.
It may be smaller and sportier than the prestigious Phantom,
and at least 80 grand cheaper,
but it doesn't skimp on style or road presence.
And Rolls Royce says that this car should lower the pulse, not raise it,
so you won't be surprised to learn that the ride is like
travelling on a cloud just wafting down the road.
Credit goes to the Ghost's incredible new air suspension.
Each wheel's electronically-controlled dampers
are SO sensitive, they can tell when a rear seat passenger
moves from the left of the car to the right
and adjusts the settings accordingly.
After the serene, hi-tech ride, it's the Ghost's silence
that has the biggest impact.
And again, it's behind-the-scenes engineering that deserves praise.
To separate the interior from the engine, most cars have a bulkhead.
essentially a slab of strong metal with the dashboard on one side
and the engine on the other.
Now, Rolls Royce thought that one wasn't enough,
so they fitted two for maximum noise insulation.
And the result is like sitting in a sound-proofed room
with your fingers in your ears.
And what other Rolls signatures are there?
Well, it still comes with the traditional trademark
hinged rear coach doors and I'm very glad about that...
...because they give the most elegant entrance and exit
of any car on the planet.
And then the sumptuous seats let you sink in
and you're shielded from prying eyes by this bodywork.
It's chock full of gismos, including Teflon-coated brollies
hidden in the doors.
Up front, there's technology like parking cameras,
night vision, a lane departure warning,
and active brake intervention.
Some of those driver aids are unnecessary, in my opinion,
but they may well be of use to some drivers,
when they try the car's 563bhp for the first time.
It comes from a 6.6-litre, direct injection,
twin turbo-charged V12 engine.
Which means it should go like the proverbial off a shovel.
To test it, I'm going to take this Roller
where no Roller has gone before.
Santa Pod... the UK's drag racing Mecca.
Let's take my favourite ever car as a benchmark:
the 1999 Lamborghini Diablo GT, with its six-litre V12.
It needs just 12.4 seconds
to cover the traditional drag racing quarter-mile.
So, creep up to the lights...
No launch control, no sport mode, no clutch,
not even a rev counter.
Instead, I've got a power reserve gauge,
to tell me how much oomph I've got left.
At the minute, it's at 100%.
Let's get that down to zero, shall we?
And off we go. Immediately, the power reserve
has gone straight down to zero.
That's a good thing. Up to 60mph already.
It took 4.7 seconds.
Through the eight-speed gearbox.
Oh, it's so super-smooth!
And, bang, through the quarter-mile barrier.
Is the Roller quicker than the Lambo?
No. 13.1 seconds.
On a dry day, we'd have gone even quicker,
but to get within a second of a supercar like the Lambo
is an amazing achievement for a mere 2.5-ton breeze block like this.
It is an incredible machine.
In fact, the Ghost is so sensational that it's practically supernatural.
Right, that's it for this show, but here's what's coming up next time.
If you'll excuse me, I've got a Rolls to race.
Next time on Fifth Gear...
Ross Noble and Charlie Boorman join our lads
for some extreme off-road challenges.
And Jason finds out if the new 911 GT3 RS
is the greatest driver's car Porsche has ever made.
It's just beautiful to drive.
And, finally, here's a reminder of our amazing competition
to win that fantastic 2004 Nissan 350Z,
£1,000 towards your insurance, courtesy of elephant.co.uk,
a Thruxton supercar experience with Tiff and loads of driving goodies.
Lines close at midday on Thursday 1st July
and three days later for postal entries. Good luck!
Sync by fant0m www.addic7ed.com