Skoda takes the GreenLine

Skoda is following its Volkswagen and SEAT cousins with the introduction of a low emissions supermini model The Fabia GreenLine uses the same 1.4-litre turbodiesel as the VW Polo BlueMotion and produces just 109g/km of carbon dioxide.

The GreenLine also gives nearly 69.0mpg fuel consumption, which means the Fabia can travel up to 689-miles between fill-ups. This is achieved with improved aerodynamics thanks to new panels on the underside of the car and shedding some weight by replacing the spare wheel with a puncture repair kit. The front bumper has also been raised by 35mm for better air flow.

The Fabia GreenLine is available as a hatch costing £11,490 and the estate version is priced at £12,140.

The Hairdressers Car Audi TT goes TD

Audi is set to offer a turbodiesel-powered TT for the first time and the German firm says it will be quicker to accelerate through the gears than the petrol-engined 2.0-litre model.

The TT 2.0 TDI diesel uses a 170bhp 2.0-litre turbodiesel and covers 0-62mph in 7.5 seconds (7.7 for the Roadster). While slower form 0-62mph than the petrol 2.0-litre Coupé, Audi says the strength of the diesel model is its in-gear performance thanks to 258lb.ft of torque, which is as much as the newly announced TTS model.

All TT TDs will come with a six-speed manual gearbox as standard and have quattro four-wheel drive. Power is normally directed mostly to the front wheels, but up to 100% of the engine's torque can be sent to either the front or rear axle depending on conditions.

With a spec almost identical to the petrol 2.0-litre TT's, the big advantage of the turbodiesel is its economy. The TT 2.0 TDI returns 53.2mpg, while the Roadster manages 51.2mpg combined consumption.

Audi will announce prices for the TT 2.0 TDI nearer to the car going on sale this summer.

Vauxhall Meriva fully revealed

The Meriva Concept is very close to the finished production car, says Vauxhall. The final version will use the rear-hinged back doors of the concept, which Vauxhall claims makes access to the rear seats much easier.

The Meriva's panoramic windscreen can also be clearly seen in these pictures. This extends up and over the front seats and will be an option on the showroom model that goes on sale in the UK in September.

The 'wave' line in the side windows is also evident and will make the final cut for the production version. The Meriva Concept will be unveiled at the Geneva motor show next week.

Aston Martin V8 Vantage Beauty, not a beast

Inside & Out:

In a beauty contest the Aston Martin V8 Vantage would walk away with all the spoils, it easily one of the best looking cars on sale today. Muscular without being brutal, the V8 Vantage is unmistakably an Aston Martin of the modern era, but features plenty of styling cues that link it to its beautiful ancestors. The punctured wing, with its chrome cut-through starts a line on its flanks that gives tension to the doors, the wide wheel arches highlighting its squat, purposeful stance and short wheelbase. The V8 Vantage really is a car you could spend all day just looking at.

Inside, Aston Martin continues the visual treat theme. The instruments might not be the easiest to read when the sun is out, but they do look sensational. The rest of the interior is all about drama, from the unnecessary starter button, to the beautifully finished leather on the seats and dashboard. It's just a shame that in some of the detailing Aston has hiccupped, the key feels cheap - and is, it being an old Ford-sourced item - and many of the control surfaces, such as the electric seat adjusters, the back of the rear-view mirror and column stalks feel like the parts bin borrowed equipment they are. Similarly, the Volvo-sourced satnav, at a £1,750 option, isn't the best Aston could have chosen.

Engine & Transmission:

Unlike its DB9 and DBS relatives, the Vantage makes do with eight rather than twelve cylinders. That's no complaint, as the 4.3-litre V8 delivers a healthy 380bhp. More than the power though is the noise it makes, the Vantage not just beautiful in looks, but of voice too. With all that power, and a quoted 0-62mph time of just five seconds you might think the V8 is all about explosive performance, but you'd be mistaken. The V8 delivers its peak power at 7,000rpm, while its relatively low maximum 302lb.ft of torque is also delivered high up the rev range at 5,000rpm. That means you've got to be in the upper reaches for the engine to really deliver and getting there demands a healthy prod of the rather long-travel accelerator pedal. Once it's there the performance is impressive, but you really need to work at it above 4,500rpm for the Aston to deliver its best.

Doing so demands you stir the Vantage's six-speed manual lever a good deal, its shift having a nice mechanical quality to it and a short throw. The lever seems rather far back on the transmission tunnel itself though, which, depending on your seating position, makes it a whole arm shifting operation rather than a flick of the wrist. Fuel consumption isn't usually too much of a concern in sports cars, but 18.8mpg on the official combined cycle really is a bit disastrous, especially when Porsche's 911 Carrera S manages 24.6mpg, is quoted at 0.2 seconds quicker to 62mph and is faster outright than the Aston.

Ride & Handling:

The Vantage rides very impressively indeed. It's obviously firm, but it's rarely unsettled, the suspension blending comfort and body control tremendously. What is slightly less impressive is the waywardness of the rear. We like our cars here a bit edgy, but the Vantage is keen to step out under power, the rear feeling a touch unpredictable on admittedly greasy winter-coated roads. Under power in such conditions there's a lack of traction, the rear wandering about as it searches for grip. It's not necessarily an unpleasant sensation, but it does somewhat reign in your enthusiasm on roads where you'd be pushing harder in something like a Porsche 911.

The steering is pleasingly quick though, and weighty in its response. There's feel at the rim too, a rare commodity in modern cars, even those claiming to be driver focused. Sadly the brakes lack the steering's feel, at least in the first centimetre of travel. Push harder and they respond and retard convincingly, but a bit more initial feel through the pedal would be welcomed. A mixed dynamic package then - comfortable yet edgy - the Vantage is sometimes frustrating, but find the right road and conditions and it's a hugely entertaining drive, just not as polished as its Porsche 911 Carrera S competitor.

Equipment, Economy & Value for Money:

The standard equipment list covers pretty much everything you could reasonably expect, Aston giving its customers plenty of choice to personalise with options. It'd be good to see satnav and premium audio as standard - after all, the V8's list price is a not insignificant £83,000. Similarly, Bluetooth telephone preparation should be standard fit. Value for money? That depends on your viewpoint; the Aston certainly holds a greater badge cachet than even its Porsche rival, but the 911 is the better drive. Porsche 911s are everywhere though, and there are few cars that look as good as Aston Martin's 'entry-level' model. We've touched on economy, the V8's fuel consumption pretty horrendous, the 358g/km of CO2 it emits not brilliant, either.

Overall:

It's difficult not to fall in love with the way the V8 Vantage looks inside and out, yet, we weren't blown away by the overall experience. It's an enjoyable car to drive (the soundtrack alone is worth pouring fuel into the petrol tank for), but the sometimes unpredictable rear and need to push it hard for the V8 to deliver its best was a source of frustration. A 911 is a more rewarding, faithful sports car, and a Jaguar XKR a more convincing rapid GT. Even so, that doesn't make the Aston any less special, and with an upgrade on the horizon Aston Martin has the opportunity to improve it to make it a more complete all-round driving and ownership experience.

Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X

Getting behind the wheel of the Evo X has been just about as long and drawn out process as the unveiling. But the Lancer Evolution X has now officially landed and we've been lucky enough to sample the new SST transmission and also the higher output FQ-330 version on a track drive at Prodrive in Warwickshire. Prodrive might be a name more commonly associated with Subaru, so Mitsubishi holding an event there is rather like the time when the Welsh hijacked Wembley to play rugby with the Scots in 1998, but Prodrive's track facilities are perfect for demonstrating the Evo X's abilities.

In the Metal

We were getting rather bored here of seeing the Evo X in concept guise on motor show plinths around the word, so it's refreshing to see it in the metal and in natural light. And it has been well worth the wait. The standard Lancer that it's based on is a good-looking car, but the Evo's added visual aggression gives it the perfect amount of menace without being overtly brash. We'd actually be tempted to remove the rear wing to turn the Evo X into an even more effective Q car. The blistered arches, vented bonnet and front wings, twin tailpipes and the dark front grille look great, but Mitsubishi hasn't just concentrated on the exterior styling. Inside, the interior is a major leap forward; existing Evo owners will be amazed at the improvements in quality and design.

What you get for your Money

The Evo has always been about over-delivering in the performance stakes at sensible prices. This car is no different. The entry-level Evo X GS FQ-300 costs just £27,499 - for a car that's got 290bhp and can sprint to 62mph in just 4.7 seconds. That's quicker than a 911 Carrera. Spend £30,499 for the Evo X GS FQ-330 with 325bhp and that time drops to just 4.4 seconds -around 911 GT3 pace, the FQ-360 with 354bhp not far off the 911 Turbo for sprinting ability with a 0-62mph time of 4.1 seconds. Remember, that's in a four-door saloon. Factor in an additional £400 if you're buying one with Mitsubishi's MSP, a servicing plan that covers servicing costs for the first three years. While you're at it you might as well blow an extra £2,500 for the GSR spec which comes with a hard-drive satnav system, a 30Gb music server with premium audio and an auxiliary socket among the additional kit. Go for Mitsubishi's trick SST twin-clutch paddle-shift six-speed transmission (only currently offered on the FQ-300 version) and you'll pay £31,999.

Driving it

We've driven the standard FQ-300 on the road already so we blagged some time in both the FQ-300 SST and the FQ-330 around the track. The SST uses a twin-clutch arrangement much like that in VW's DSG transmission, the heinously complicated system effectively pre-selecting the next gear to make for the smoothest and swiftest changes possible. And it works very well indeed. It can be left to its own devices, but where's the fun in that? Shifting yourself is taken care of by large steering column mounted paddles, or by using the gearstick - we can't see why you'd ever want to do so over the paddles. Three shift modes are offered: Normal, Sport and Super Sport. They vary in speed and aggressiveness, Mitsubishi suggesting Super Sport, with its maximum speed changes at 7,000rpm are really best left for the track, though Mitsubishi also highlighted that SST failures due to track use aren't covered by the warranty.

Left to make its own decisions, the SST can be caught out occasionally, but for the majority of the time it's quicker and smoother than a manual-equipped car. Some 70% of customers are said to have opted for it and they won't be disappointed. Clever as the SST is we're big fans of manuals here, and if you're after a FQ-330 or above the SST is unavailable anyway. And the FQ-330 would be our choice. Increasing the power by 29bhp drops the 0-62mph time by 0.3 seconds to 4.4 seconds and adds some fury in the mid-range. The boosted performance has been achieved by improving the engine breathing and fitting a re-programmed ECU.

Like all previous Evos, the new X in either FQ-300 or FQ-330 guise feels sensationally fast; even so, the new car lacks some of the ferocity of the old Evos. It's a friendlier daily driver as a result. The ride is composed, the grip and traction phenomenal and the brakes fade-free even after hard track use. What is obvious, however, is that some of the on-limit playfulness of the previous Evos has been dialled out with the X; it's difficult to adjust its attitude on the throttle like the IX, understeer being the predominant stance when pushed.

Worth Noting

The Evo has grown up a good bit in X guise. Those track day fans of previous generation Evo Xs might find its on-limit behaviour slightly unusual, the old trait of powering through understeer, or a judicious lift to induce a big lairy oversteer slide is very difficult to achieve in the new car. That unquestionably makes it a faster, more effective road car, but there's no doubting the Evo hardcore might not enjoy it as much. Their loss is everyone else's gain though, the Evo X a far more friendly road car. It's remarkable that Mitsubishi can coax 325bhp from a turbocharged 2.0-litre unit and make it so tractable and so friendly to drive. The 290bhp of the standard car with the SST transmission is perhaps the best all-rounder though; easy in traffic and quick on the road, yet devastatingly effective on track, too. The perfect car for the Playstation generation who have grown up driving Evos on their parents' TV screens, shifting gears with buttons and now having the cash to buy a real one.

Summary

The Mitsubishi Evo remains a ridiculously competent and wickedly fast road car. However, it's unquestionably matured, Mitsubishi hoping the Evo X will appeal to a wider audience than it has in its previous iterations. New customers will be blown away by the performance, while existing Evo customers will find the vastly improved interior to their liking. Ultimately it is a less hardcore driving experience at it's extreme limits, but still a demonstration that Mitsubishi's engineers laugh in the face of physics; the countless acronym-toting transmission, traction, engine management, stability systems and turbocharged power combining to create one of the most extraordinary performance cars you can buy