Tuesday, May 12, 2009

2010 Volkswagen Polo Mini MPV

 

http://www.motorauthority.com/content/thumbs/2/0/2010_volkswagen_polo_mpv_001-0114-950x650.jpg

German Engineering for family comfort.

In 1996 Volkswagen introduced the Typ 9K Caddy light van based on the existing Polo small car platform. The van was designed by VW’s Seat subsidiary, manufactured in Spain, and built right up until 2005 when it was replaced by the Golf-based Typ 2K Caddy. VW is expected to release a new version of the Caddy aimed at private buyers based on the new-generation Polo later this year.
The new car will be targeted at the MPV segment and will feature the same powertrain lineup as the regular hatchback models. Also rumored to be in the works is a new cabrio version of the Polo as well as a ‘Cross Polo’ soft-roader model.
The engine range will feature VW’s new 1.2L three-cylinder compact family, developing between 60 and 105hp, as well as an 85hp 1.4L unit and a 170hp 1.4L TSI mill planned for the GTI. Diesel fans will be able to choose from a range of engines displacing between 1.4 and 1.6L and developing between 75 and 135hp. Transmission options will include five and six-speed manuals plus a six-speed DSG dual-clutch gearbox.
In addition to the conventional petrol and diesel models, VW will also offer a new hybrid option. Due to the low cost of the Polo, the hybrid system is likely to a mild version that utilizes regenerative braking and electronically controlled components in similar fashion to BMW’s EfficientDynamics technology.

Monday, May 11, 2009

MPV Concept from Ford

 

A concept which should reflect the up coming MPV from Ford

The iosis MAX, on display now at the Geneva Show, is a concept which, on the face of it, seems like a prelude to a future sporty MPV (or MAV - for multi-activity vehicle - as Ford likes to call it).

Ford iosis MAX 01.

In fact, it isn't that at all. Ford of Europe's design chief Martin Smith admits that the iosis MAX "isn't a forerunner to a specific production vehicle". Instead it represents the next step forward in Ford's "kinetic" design language, and possibly gives an idea of what future C-segment cars (the equivalent of the current Focus and its derivatives) may look like.

The concept also has more immediate relevance than that, though. It's fitted with a 1.6-litre version of the new EcoBoost petrol engine which is due to be fitted to production Fords starting early next year. It's turbocharged and produces a maximum of just under 180bhp, so straightline performance should be present in abundance, but the main point is that it's another example of the motor industry's gradual move to small, forced-induction engines which give very impressive fuel economy and CO2 emissions in the official EU test, even if those figures are increasingly irrelevant to what owners will actually experience (see our feature on The Rise Of The Small Engine for more details).

With the PowerBoost engine, a stop/start system (also due for introduction in 2010), an "intelligent" alternator which is used only when required and a Powershift automated manual gearbox - which we tested in a Focus a few months ago - with ratios chosen specifically for economy, the iosis MAX has a projected CO2 figure of just 125g/km. That equates to combined fuel economy of just over 50mpg, making the concept comparable to a current 1.25-litre petrol Fiesta.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Peugeot 3008

http://www.e-transport.ro/_files/newscustom/PEUGEOT-3008-LATERAL.jpg

A new concept from Peugeot

The Peugeot 3008 is a compact, spacious and responsible crossover. It represents a new and innovative offer, not only in the Peugeot range but also in today’s car market as a whole.

Manufactured in Eastern France at the Sochaux manufacturing plant, its concept and specification has draw on all of Peugeot’s expertise and values.
The 3008 is positioned at the crossroads between several existing vehicles: the SUV, the MPV and hatchback. The car derives its strengths from this blend of motoring concepts while at the same adopting a number of new and original technologies (Dynamic Roll Control, Grip Control, etc) enabling it to combine specifications often deemed incompatible (driving pleasure inside a “tall” vehicle, improved traction while at the same time being eco-friendly, etc).
Through its non-conformist approach and its resolute styling, the 3008, designed as a pioneering vehicle, offers an original solution and optimal versatility to customers in search of modernity, practicality, peace

The Peugeot 3008, a crossover due to its architecture and exterior style, combing different motoring concepts
The architecture of the 3008 successfully combines a single-compartment body shape with a forward-positioned front windscreen with elements borrowed from the world of the SUV, such as its lower tailgate (or hobby), its plunging side windows and its raised driving position.
The vehicle’s style achieves a harmonious fusion of these different genres. Its balanced proportions and dynamic and robust lines provide an indication of the car’s innovative content.
At the front, the Peugeot styling genes have evolved to adapt to the car’s generous size, while at the rear the wide sculpted flanks help to visually attach the car to the road.
Depending on the trim level, the vehicle can have off-road styling elements, in particular inserts for the sills and lower...

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Citroen C3 Picasso MPV

http://thecarfanatic.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/citroen-c3-picasso.jpg

A small scale MPV from Citreon

What Pablo Picasso did for the cube, Citroën has just undone with its C3 Picasso. You can barely see the box shape that forms a basic MPV for all the fun styling. If cubism was a new way of representing reality, the Picasso C3 is a new way of representing the MPV. There's so much to see that only 48 hours after the launch did I look properly at the profile and see the "magic box" silhouette, as Citroën likes to describe it.

Where to start? At the front lie the black slats of the horizontal grille, above which sits the second part of the grille, flanked on each side by fog lights set deep into shiny black plastic surrounds. Above these are the fiendishly complex headlights, between which lurk the silver Citroën chevrons on a broad nose. Above all that, you finally arrive at the clamshell bonnet. It's like a wedding cake, layered in triumphant tiers.

Then again, maybe the rear is the best part, with a reversing light and tail lights in black surrounds below the high tailgate, whose shallow window is flanked on each side by a vertical cluster of more lights in black surrounds covered with clear plastic. Then there are the wheels – shiny black on the sides of the metal detailing – and the windscreen divided into three parts by an A-pillar that splits into a thin strand down the glass pane and a thicker, body-coloured strand curving down the car's side.

We haven't even got inside yet, but already I've committed the gravest of road-tester sins: I don't care if the car handles like an airport trolley – I want one. Did I just say I want an MPV? For stylistic reasons? I'm only 30 and don't have children, dogs or surfboards. Nurse, fetch a doctor.

The C4 Picasso and Grand Picasso were the best-selling MPVs in Europe last year and you see their heritage inside. The C3 Picasso is a Tardis. Front-seat passengers sit high up with a great view of the road ahead, yet there is plenty of headroom for tall adults. Leg room is ample and you can fit several large bags in the 500-litre boot, even with the back seats up. Citroën is the master of "modular design": turning a vehicle's interior into an inside-out piece of origami, where bewildering space permutations are possible. Flick the rear seats down (a 60:40 split) by releasing a light plastic catch and raise the removable boot floor up a notch to create a flat loading bay and 1,506 litres of space. Or remove the false boot floor and have a deeper loading bay. The front passenger seat also folds flat to create a tray for the driver. There are even black flaps on the backs of the rear seats that, secured by a magnet, you unfold when the seats are down to cover the gap between seats and boot so little objects don't fall between. You see? Details, details.

There are cubby holes, map holders, boot stowage, a large glovebox, a storage compartment with a lid in the dashboard, a cup holder (too shallow) and a scooped out shelf in front of the front passenger, which in our car was white, adding another funky splash. All the plastics, including the great black swathe covering the dashboard, are subtly textured to add a quality feel to the cabin.

The ergonomics for the driver are excellent. There's no straining to select gears or depress the clutch and the instruments, set in a central pod on the dashboard, work well, with the digital speedo backlit by daylight through the windscreen (it lights up at night). Gone is the fixed hub on the height- and reach-adjustable steering wheel. The car conforms perfectly to the Bauhaus principle of form following function.

The blue and black fabric trim option gave me a headache, but there's a glorious cream option with zingy orange stitching on the steering wheel and gearlever cover that, combined with the optional panoramic glass roof the length of the car (I still don't get the point of a sunroof that doesn't open, but they're popular with sun-deprived British motorists), shows how airy and spacious the cabin is for something with such a small footprint (it's just over four metres long: shorter than a Ford Focus).

The driving experience, however, doesn't live up to the inspired styling, but which MPVs offer an involving drive? The four engines available, two petrols co-produced with BMW and two diesel units, are all fairly gruff and unspirited.

The 1.6 HDi 110 DPFS is the pick of the bunch; what a shame it's only available with the highest trim level and a consequent price tag of £15,595. Its torque delivery is smooth, it's fairly quiet on motorways, it provides enough power to shift the MPV satisfactorily and is well suited to the long-legged five-speed manual gearbox. The 90bhp version has to work a lot harder and sounds more agricultural as a result.

Citroën expects 60 per cent of UK customers to go for one of the two petrol engines but both seemed remarkably unrefined, with lots of vibration transmitted to the cabin and a restless quality at the top end of the rev range that made one want to reach for a non-existent sixth gear; a strange characteristic for a petrol unit. In 2011 we should get a stop/start version and a robotised semi-automatic transmission.

While the handling might be lacking character, the little MPV has a remarkably composed ride: there is an impressive absence of body roll through corners for such a tall car, a telling sign that it is built on the same platform as the Peugeot 207. The steering is direct, if lifeless around the dead-ahead position, and the brakes could do with more initial bite to scrub off speed. But it speaks volumes that you feel the Picasso C3 is a worthy alternative, not just to other MPVs, but to many hatchbacks out there.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Mercedes-Benz Viano MPV

An MPV that fits all

Mercedes-Benz Viano MPV


Mercedes-Benz Viano MPV - Image 1
Mercedes-Benz Viano MPV - Image 2Mercedes-Benz Viano MPV - Image 1   
 
Mercedes-Benz Viano MPV - Image 11Mercedes-Benz Viano MPV - Image 12 
Mercedes-Benz Viano MPV - Image 14Mercedes-Benz Viano MPV - Image 15

Mercedes-Benz Viano MPV - Image 10Mercedes-Benz Viano MPV - Image 13

ON THE ROAD

Performance Performance rating - 3 out of 5
2.2 diesel provides best low-down pull

Ride & handling Ride & handling rating - 2 out of 5
Unsettled ride in some versions

Refinement Refinement rating - 2 out of 5
Noisier than the average Mercedes

OWNERSHIP

Buying & owning Buying & owning rating - 2 out of 5
Expensive to buy and to run

Quality & reliability Quality & reliability rating - 3 out of 5
Feels sturdy; mechanicals are proven

Safety & security Safety & security rating - 3 out of 5
Decent safety kit

IN THE CABIN

Behind the wheel Behind the wheel rating - 4 out of 5
Very comfortable driving position

Space & practicality Space & practicality rating - 2 out of 5
Lots of space, but seats are awkward to remove

Equipment Equipment rating - 3 out of 5
All are well specified

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Mazda 2009 MPV Facelift

 

An awesome facelift for Mazda 2009 MPV

The discontinued in the States, Mazda MPV, has received its first facelift in Japan, only two years after the vehicle’s debut in February 2006. Available from today at all Mazda dealerships in Japan, the 2009 MPV has received subtle exterior changes that include new chrome body parts, remodelled upper and lower grilles and bumper, redesigned tail lights and new 18-inch alloy wheels. Inside, the facelifted MPV features newly designed decorative trim and chrome parts.

In terms of mechanical upgrades, Mazda now offers a five-speed automatic transmission as standard equipment on all front-wheel drive (FWD) models with the MZR 2.3L naturally-aspirated engine, while the Japanese carmaker’s engineers also retuned the suspension. -Details and pics after the jump



Monday, May 4, 2009

Fiat Ulysse MPV

A spacious MPV with great comfort. Check out the review

Fiat Ulysse MPV


Fiat Ulysse (New) boot
Fiat Ulysse (New) dashFiat Ulysse (New) front cornering

 
Fiat Ulysse (New) front interiorFiat Ulysse (New) front static

 
Fiat Ulysse (New) panningFiat Ulysse (New) rear cornering

 
ON THE ROAD

Performance Performance rating - 4 out of 5
Petrol buyers are offered a 136bhp 2.0 with either manual or automatic transmission. The auto is a little hesitant away from the mark but comfortable at speed. There are also two fine turbodiesels – a 2.0 with 109bhp and a 2.2 offering 128bhp. While both pull smoothly, the 2.2’s extra low-down grunt does a better job of hauling the Ulysse’s bulk.

Ride & handling Ride & handling rating - 4 out of 5
For a full-sized MPV the Ulysse drives well. The ride is on the firm side around town, but it settles well at speed and provides excellent composure. The steering is well weighted, while body lean through bends is well controlled.

Refinement Refinement rating - 4 out of 5
The Fiat does a good job of transporting a family comfortably over long journeys, as wind and road noise are well suppressed. All three engines make themselves heard under acceleration, but never become coarse and settle to a murmur at motorway speeds. The only black mark in terms of refinement is an imprecise gearshift.

OWNERSHIP

Quality & reliability Quality & reliability rating - 3 out of 5
Inside, the Ulysse shows a great improvement in terms of quality over the model it replaces. Appealing plastics are used throughout, and the build quality appears to be solid. Fiat will be hoping that the latest wiring system will iron out the problematic electrics that could trouble the previous Ulysse.

Safety & security Safety & security rating - 5 out of 5
Every Ulysse is fitted with twin front and side airbags plus curtain airbags that stretch the length of the cabin. Anti-lock brakes are standard, while a stability control system is fitted to higher-spec models. The Fiat has a five-star Euro NCAP crash-test rating. Deadlocks feature on all cars, and all but entry-level cars have an alarm.

INSIDE / INTERIOR

Behind the wheel Behind the wheel rating - 3 out of 5
The cabin has futuristic styling and centrally mounted instrument dials, but it’s all easy to use. All the controls – including the gearstick – are grouped close to the driver and fall easily to hand. Visibility is excellent, while the driver’s seat has a good range of adjustment and the steering wheel adjusts for both height and reach.

Equipment Equipment rating - 4 out of 5
Entry-level Dynamic models have climate control and a CD player, while Eleganza trim adds satellite-navigation, alloy wheels and reverse parking sensors and range-topping Prestigio gains leather trim and electric front seats. Cost options include electric sliding doors that are standard on most Peugeot 807s and Citroën C8s.

Space & practicality Space & practicality rating - 4 out of 5
All but the front pair of seats are removable. Seven individual seats are standard for most models. Top-spec cars have six individual ‘captain’s chairs’. Manual sliding rear doors aid access, while luggage space is fine when you remove the rearmost seats.

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