It seems unnecessary

Lately I've been hung up on manufacturers giving their car models names that really are not needed. Today it is BMW's new 4-series. Now for those who don't know, the 4-series is the new 3-series coupe. To have a different name to a car with a different body does sound smart, until you realize it is the exact same car as the 3-series. 

So what is the point in renaming a car that you're not going to change anyway? In the case of the M3 it's nice to have a different name for the coupe, the M4. But it still isn't a big challenge to call it the M3 coupe now isn't it. 

This even happened to the to 1-series as well. It's no longer the 1-series coupe it's the 2-series. It does make sense that the odd numbers (1,3,5,7-series) are saloons and the even numbers (2,4,6-series) are coupes. But let's not forget that there is a four-door version of the 6-series. 

So why did they do this? Probably because now BMW can release four-door versions of the 2- and 4-series'. I wouldn't be surprised if that happened. 

BMW M4. 426 hp from a 3.0 litre twin turbo straight 6.

From this photo you can see it's a 4-series. But what if you couldn't see the back?

And the 2-series. There probably will be an M2 somewhere in the future.

It strikes again

I'm sure you car enthusiasts are aware of the new sports car that came out last year. The seventh edition of the only sports car ever to come out of the US of A, the Chevrolet Corvette C7.

But no, that isn't its whole name. It's actually called the C7 Stingray. And in my opinion that's an issue. The original C2 Stingray is a motoring icon like the E-type Jaguar or the Mercedes-Benz SL300 Gullwing. So why would you call a car by a name that has become a legend? The reason is just to make a greater sale. Chevrolet seems to think that 6.2 litre American V8 (455 hp) isn't a good selling point anymore. And they might be right, but that still doesn't make it acceptable. 

How weird would it be if Ferrari suddenly decided to call their next grand tourer the Daytona. 

Chevrolet Corvette C7. I'm never going to refer to it as the Stingray.

Chevrolet Corvette C7. The 4 exhausts next to each other are a nice touch.

And apparently it handles quite well.  

If I write about a car that also is found in Gran Turismo, I'm going to take photos of it in action there. That way I don't have to "borrow" pictures from the internet. The game has such great graphics that you really can't see a difference anyway.

More of a fraud

The problem what I have with this car is that it's meant to be bought like a pair of Italian shoes. Not really practical, not pretty but expensive, hence it's a fashion statement. I'm talking of course of the Nissan Juke.

The mere existence of it annoys me. It's a forceful try of Nissan to make a hip car for the "young" parent. And they did this by having it star in some funky commercials with it being under water and skydiving. Now that is some great marketing right there. Granted, it does look different and combined with those funny commercials it was destined to end up being a fashion statement. It looks big as well and you sit a little higher up than in a sensible car, which appeals to people who think sun glasses should be the size of microwave ovens. And it's classed as a crossover. Please. The only thing it can cross over are some pebbles on a roadwork site.

I've actually got a family member who just bought a Juke second hand. I wasted so many hours trying to convince here that there are better cars out there and at a cheaper price. But her mind was set on a Juke so it was a lost cause. I said the VW Golf is cheaper and bigger, but no. I said the new Opel Meriva is very innovative and different like the Juke, but no. So now she drives around in a brown Juke. 

Nissan pulled off the same stunt that BMW did with the new Mini. It's fashion. You could have bought a warm fuzzy beanie when instead you came home with a fedora. It's not as warm or as simple, but at least it looks good (or so you think). 

But at least my family member says it's good to drive.

This is the Nismo tuned Juke. 197 hp is not enough to make it go away.

I'd have the Opel Meriva instead. Look how happy the kids are to see it. 

The hottest wasp

Most (probably all) of the cars i write about on here I have never driven and probably never will. But this time it will be different.
Because I've got the pleasure to drive the new Ford Fiesta ST. Technical stuff first. It's got a 1.6 litre turbo with a nice 180 hp going through the front wheels in a typical hot hatch fashion. It's got an unexpected amount of torque as well, which took me by surprise. It felt like it had a much bigger engine what it really had when you overtook someone at say 60 kph (40 mph). When it was a sporty version of a normal car I was afraid that it would be a bit difficult to get used to with the clutch and so on. But instead it was very easy and you felt immediately right at home.
Since I have no experience of other hot hatches I can't say for certain that this is the one to buy. This is a very tough market. But I have to say that all the positives I've heard/read about the Fiesta ST is completely true. It most certainly is the hottest wasp I've ever driven.

And did I mention, it looks fantastic!

It's lowered by 15 mm to enhance that eager look.

And this is the one that I drove. It was an experience indeed.

What's that whistle?

Will your friend say when he hears the new Peugeot RCZ-R approaching. The whistle comes from the massively tuned 1.6 L turbo of the R.
The tuning has been done by Peugeot Sport, which means that the new hot version of the RCZ has 270 hp. And that is just what the doctor ordered. The sporty body of the RCZ has finally got the sporty power that it deserves. I'm not saying that the 200 hp version is slow, i'm saying that it wasn't enough to put my hair on end. But now the French two-seater has the power to compete with the Scirocco R.
The RCZ-R doesn't get four-wheel drive either, which appears to be the trend with these type of cars. But at least it doesn't follow the trend of paddle-shifters (like the Scirocco R) but has a proper manual.
To sum up. We had to wait four years for the RCZ to come into production after the concept. Then it took another four years for the car to get the power to match its looks. The whistle is real.

The R is 10 mm lower than the standard RCZ

Those exhaust pipes and the back wing are the biggest giveaways for the R.

The choice became harder

For the last few years there has been a trend in the big saloon market that has baffled me. It's the introduction of the saloon-coupe. I'm not the biggest fan of the saloons with the sloped rear-end like the A7 or the CLS, because you could spend less money on a less flashier car and then use the rest of the money to buy another car for your child. I expect that the buyer would have a child since those cars are still big saloons. But anyway, this text is not for ranting on those type of cars (or people who buy them) but for the new Maserati Ghibli. 

The Maserati Ghibli is a new car from Maserati which unfortunately falls in the same category as the CLS, not because of its body shape, but because of its similar price tag. The Ghibli comes with two different engines to choose from. A 3.0 L twin turbocharged V6 which puts out 330 hp and 410 hp for the faster S model. It also has - for the first time ever in a Maserati - a V6 turbodiesel. 

Now before we go and say that the legendary Italian manufacturer has sold itself out we have to remember that, if you want Maserati to be around for much longer they have to build something for a larger market. And that means for Maserati to build a smaller car with a bigger market than the Quattroporte but still one that doesn't ruin their badge. Enter the Ghibli.

The diesel is necessary so that it could compete with the German equivalents. But I hope that the people who buy the Ghibli will opt for the twin turbo petrol. I also hope that this car will propel the passionate Italians to build more sports cars in the future.

At first I wasn't happy with the styling, but it has started to grow on me. I like it.

Will we see an estate version? It could be something they're working on right now.

Why not?

If you feel that you finally are in such a financial position that you have money to buy an upper-class family car, then why not be different. If you want to stand out in your choice of car but still be sensible. If you're bored at the sight of a German executive saloon. Then why not buy a Jaguar XF.
It has power, refinement and class. Those attributes do stand true to the Germans (E-class, A6, 5-series) as well, but they lack the excitement of the Jaguar XF. It also costs around the same sort of money as the German equivalents. The Jaguar XF is an all around great car and holds well against the tough competition, even still you don't see the XF as often. I think it is because of the reputation of bad reliability that Jaguar has gathered over the years.
It is time to change that perspective of the British manufacturer. The XF shows that Jaguar can compete with the Germans on every level. It is time for more people to say, "I own a Jaaaaag".

Jaguar XF

Jaguar XF Sportbrake.