The new Audi A2... seriously?

Those LED-ish lines could be supressed...
Now does it look modern? Yes. But beautiful? NEVER!

Audi has just confirmed that a new version of the manufacturer's most hated recent car - the tiny, controversially styled A2 - is coming back from the dead. No, they're not pulling out any spell... they've just facelifted and moulded the thing according to the make's current liking. The concept car is bound to be presented at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, and the production version will show up by 2013, giving Audi buyers a chance to get rid of their bulky A4s and purchase an electric car with their favorite badge. That's right, the new A2 is planned to come in electric form. Packing 116 bhp and 200 km of very, very, very careful driving plus the capacity of carrying four midgets adults, the new baby Audi will go from not to sixty (0-100 km/h) in 9.3 seconds and reach the impossible speed of... 150 km/h. And it will take only four hours to fully charge it.

It does indeed seem that this new A2 will not follow on its predecessor's footsteps. If it did, I'm sure everyone would walk away and leave it to be bought by old ladies.

Dacia: Sarkozy was wrong

The Sandero. Doesn't look cheap, now does it? A little...

Nicholas Sarkozy, the President of France, decided it would be better if he massively deported the thousands of romanians that lived in his fancy country, where many of them enjoyed filling their wallets with tax payers' money. While many considered this act the right thing to do, many others criticized the President's fury against the Romanian people. But the thing is: whatever he had in mind when he ordered the deportations, he was forgetting about one of Romania's greatest affiliation with France: Dacia.
You might have already heard of this low-cost division of Renault - which is one of the most important French automotive makers - , created to churn out not-so-well-built cars at a not-so-absurd price. In my country, you are able to buy the Clio/Polo/Fabia-sized Dacia Sandero for not more, no less than an impossible 8000 euros. The secret behind this bargain? Manual windows everywhere, no radio - hell yeah, old school! - and a build quality that would be frowned upon by the vast majority of buyers around the world. But it ends there. Confort and ride is not perfect, but is certainly average. And that's what it should be: an average, budget car available for everyone. Although noisy and a bit more expensive (nearly 11 K or more), the 1.5 diesel engine is a nice deal if you want to buy this little low-cost vehicle. Just don't forget to fit some extras to make sure you purchase a fairly equipped car!
On the other side of the food chain is the market's cheapest 7-seater - the Dacia Logan MCV. Designed to suit every kind of use, from transporting potatoes to carrying seven occupants (or crash test dummies... oops), it should also be considered when buying more expensive, flashier vans. Its base price beats almost anything, and it can room any kind of passenger/baggage configuration.
So, Sarkozy, what do you think of the Romanians now?

Uh-oh

There have been updates on some of my older posts, and these updates can either bring good or bad news. Unfortunately, the problem is there have only been bad things happening lately. First of all, Chris Hrabalek's wonderful New Stratos will never see the lights of the production line. That's right... the project to produce the machine was canned. Which is a very awful thing for all the Lancia fans out there. But it's not over yet. The 2011 update for the BMW 1-Series is permanent... just take a look at the maker's website and behold the magnificience of disproportion! Seriously...? And the final bad thing: people living in countries like mine will have their wallet tenderized if they try to buy a simple, cheap car. And that's because in Portugal, for example, something that in the US costs around 15 K will cost 100 thousand euros. YES. A HUNDRED THOUSAND. Now think how happy we feel wandering around in this massive recession! And the taxes keep rising... on and on.

What the hell were they thinking about???

Can you imagine Sean Connery driving around in THIS?

There have been a lot of motoring misfits over the last years, but the one I am here to talk about should get an award for its complete lack of use and hypocrisis. Do you know what I'm talking about? Bah! Stop looking at the picture. That's right... the Aston Martin Cygnet. The british manufacturer's so called "city car" is based off the clever, innovative iQ, and was fitted with all the clutter that makes Aston Martins what they are: fancy materials and decorations and the Stalin-ish moustache grill (oops. Bad description.). But the differences end there. It packs the same bodywork, the same structural components and - sarcastic drumroll please - the SAME ENGINE! That's right! It's the slowest Aston Martin ever made! Alright, it's sure it is also the most eco-friendly Aston too, but who in the world cares? It's supposed to be the supercar for the city! Plus: they are only selling it to Aston Martin clients. And I don't think they'll sell much. I mean, it costs over 40 K. No joke. I'm serious! And the though truth is you can get an iQ for a third of the price of its classy twin. What the hell were you thinking about, Aston???

Memories: Pop-Up Headlights

The Ferrari F40. The Mazda RX-7. The Lotus Espirit. All these cars have something in common. Can you guess what it is? That's right - pop-up headlights. These iconic adorns were first used in 1936, although they were manually operated. Powered units came with the mythical Y-Job, the godfather of all concepts, and gained popularity as time went on. They were fitted into some of the greatest cars ever made - the already mentioned F40, the Dodge Charger, the Countach - but have not lasted until our age. Pop-up headlights were extinct as of 2004, when the last fifth-generation Chevrolet Corvette came out of the production line. Manufacturers stopped fitting them into their cars due to simple reasons: safety, aerodynamics and ultimately eco-friendliness. Although it's clear that these issues should always come first, I miss the charisma of pop-up headlamps - and I'm sure I'm not the only one.

Memories: The Skoda Felicia Fun

"So what do you drive?" "Yellow"

This is the first edition of "Memories", a series of posts that shall depict cars from my infancy (and from the infancy of others...) and strictly evaluate them, comparing my opinion towards them now to my ancient thoughts. And the first car in this first edition may be a little below your expectations.

It is a yellow, yellow car. In fact, it was so damn yellow that perhaps that's the only reason I loved it - I literally worshiped yellow as a kid. It was born in the same year I was (1995) and it was far from the stylish car everyone should adore: it was a Skoda pick-up, packing some garish features that would paralise whoever stared at it for too long - I wasn't exaggerating when I said it was yellow. Yellow paintjob, yellow rims, yellow steering wheel, yellow seat finish, yellow gearbox knob... and the list goes on. But the thing is I really liked the car, and nowadays I still find the superfluous use of yellow interesting. But it's really a blast from the past that belongs to my childhood... leaving a bright, yellow trail behind.

Car Clashes: Renault Mégane RS vs Volkswagen Golf GTI

Car Clashes is my definition of "comparison". By putting two or more cars against each other, I will have an opportunity to bring their ins and outs to the light and consequently select a winner. To properly open this first edition, I shall compare the agile Renault Mégane RS to the legendary Volkswagen Golf GTI, since their prices and performances are more or less similar.

Space and Confort: both competitors are sporty hatchbacks that are quite a lunge away from their common versions. Whereas the Mégane RS is a variation of the 3-door Mégane Coupé, the Golf GTI can also have a 5-door configuration; this gives the latter an advantage in interior space, since the Renault's back seats and boot space are rather limited when compared to its opponent. The rear visibility of the Volkswagen is also better, due to the Mégane's sleek lines. The build quality of the Golf matches that of the Renault, but while some plastics in the latter may look cheap, the interior looks is light-years away from the outdated tablier of the Volkswagen.

Ride and Performance: the 2.0 gasoline engines produce a healthy dose of power for their size: 250 in the RS and 210 in the GTI, both delivering a beautiful engine note (they're not Maseratis, but still...). And here's where the Volkswagen starts swallowing its pride: it can do around 6.9 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h and attain a reasonable top speed of 240 km/h. Sounds good to you? To the Mégane, it doesn't. This french warrior can reach 100 km/h in a mere 6.1 seconds and fight to a maximum of 250 km/h. "So what's the big difference?" you ask. I'll tell you what's the big difference: when you thought the mythical GTI would outrun its opponent by speeding through every corner like a rolling thunder, you were wrong. Once again, the Renault is better - it feels better when cornering than its german pal.
And it's not over yet.

Economy and Pricing: this is where the Mégane ends its finishing blow. You can afford the RS from around 37.800 € (portuguese price. You may pay a lot less since our country is deep in debts), but the GTI's price starts around 41 K - for the 3-door version. Plus, both cars spend similar quantities of fuel in the same distance (8.2 l/100 km - 28.7 mpg for the Mégane and 7.3 l/100 km - 32.2 mpg for the Golf.)

Master's Choice: GTI fans, I'm sorry to announce your favorite hot hatchback has failed in a battle against the mighty Mégane RS. You might argue that there is still the R version... which costs around 15 K more than its french opponent. With that amount of cash, you could turn the RS into a wannabe racing machine - modifying the electronic central unit (ECU) costs less than 1000 euros, so think what 15 times that money would do to your 250 cv ride...

Renault Mégane RS: 15/20
Volkswagen Golf GTI: 14/20