Once again we have been cordially invited to take a look at a wide group of the latest cars from a range of manufacturers over the course of a single day. We are then tasked with reporting back to you lot our thoughts on a 30 min blast in each around the Yorkshire countryside. It’s a very enjoyable way to spend a day and gives us a good chance to put faces to the countless corporate emails that land in our inboxes.
Wetherby racecourse welcomed us back for another year along with the good people of the SMMT. Quick hellos, bacon rolls, sign on and we’re away. The list of cars for the North event are always of a more economical persuasion with a few notable exceptions. So that’s the ones we picked for you. It was horrendously foggy and damp underfoot to begin with, which meant, in true TT style, there was only one car we were going to head out in first…
Jaguar F-Type V6 Convertible Manual
We’ve brought you the low down on each of the new F-Type’s variations to date. 6 cylinder, 8 cylinder, drop top, coupe, 2wd, 4wd. Jaguar are certainly building a car to cater for all tastes and styles. Top of my own personal list is the V8R Coupe, it’s such an animal and brings back that feeling of muscle GT car that is missing from other manufacturers, allowing you to love a car for it’s foibles. So what to make of the other end of the F-Type specification spectrum?
To put it simply, manual gearboxes are the business. The shift in the Jag feels very natural, hitting home cleanly, even across the gate. The clutch feels meaty without feeling intrusively heavy, you know you’re doing the work and you feel all the better for it. Combined with gearing well suited to the NA V6 engine and the ability to lower the roof, this hoists the entry level F-Type to a niche that many will enjoy more than flappy paddles and lap times. The engine still feels slightly synthetic with the regimented exhaust pops but it has enough power behind it to send you down the road with a big smile between corners.
This incarnation will sell very well indeed. Question is, will there be a V8 manual for the real hairy chesters to play with? Fingers crossed. Hopefully Jaguar don’t view it like the 911 GT3 and demand the quickest results at the detriment of interaction.
Peugeot 208 GTi
Having not long handed back the keys to the RCZ-R and being mightily impressed with the overall package, we had high hopes for Peugeot’s hottest hatch. It has the same 1.6L turbo engine under the bonnet, albeit in a de-tuned 208hp guise, a manual gearbox with the Peugeot super long-shift (it is an option, right?), 4 wheels and 3 doors. All the ingredients required for hot hatch stone soup.
Pile on into a corner, leaning on the brakes and the first thing you will notice is how square the car feels. If you’ve ever driven a go kart outdoors you’ll know exactly what i’m referring to. It reminds me of the original mini. That ever present feeling of “This may just swap ends on me!” yet never actually making it that far. Play it right and you can use it to set yourself up for the corner, get it the wrong way round and you’re nowhere near where you need to be. Rewarding drives are never easy.
208 horse power doesn’t seem like much in this day and age. Here, in the 208 GTi, in a straight line, it still falls a little short of the mark. Admittedly, you are not fighting with the torque steer like you would in the 208’s bigger brother but another 30bhp wouldn’t go amiss. Whether the shorter wheelbase could handle any more power is another question altogether. Â As a mix of fun and GTi worthiness though, it’s a damn good effort. Looks wise, I’d give the textured paintwork, optioned on this car, a miss. Up there with frozen paint as a “why?” in my book. The rear quarter GTi badges are a much nicer touch. I definitely enjoyed my stint in the little Peugeot and i’ll be back for more soon.
Ford Focus ST-2
The new spicy Focus has big shoes to fill. The previous 5 cylinder car gained quite the cult following. ST versions were always hailed as the thinking man’s choice, especially in lightly modded guise. So how does dropping a cylinder and reigning in the styling work out for the Focus?Â
Well the chassis is as impressive as ever.  Ford really do have a talent for producing a hot hatch which is utterly comfortable with the power it’s putting to the ground. It feels very accomplished without falling into the trap of being mundane. Deal out a firm hand and the car glides through corners in a way that manufacturers newer to the segment could only hope to emulate. You are left with a feeling that the new Focus is nailed together very well and paves the way nicely for the forth coming RS.
With 250ps on tap from the 2.0L 4 pot Ecoboost it’s not left wanting in the power stakes. The official figures will give you a 0-62mph of 6.5 seconds and 154mph top end but on the road the ST feels every inch of that and more. Through the twisty B roads of the test route there were a couple of rather large smiles in the front seat. The engine does lose a few points in character over the old car but it is by no means an unpleasant noise. Escort/Sierra Cosworth fans i feel will welcome the change back to a classic set up. I, personally, can’t wait for a shot in the big brother when it arrives.
Part 2 of the day to follow…
