The second model revealed by Subaru in London is the Impreza WRX-S, a model that will be priced at £22,495.
The Impreza WRX S is powered by 2.5 litre ’boxer’ engine that now delivers 255 PS at 5,400 rpm (up from 230 PS at 5,200 rpm) while the torque improvement is even greater, growing from 236 lb.ft at 2,800 rpm to 287.6 at 3,000 rpm – a staggering 51 lb. ft more.
Maximum speed remains at 130 mph but the 0-60 mph time drops from 6.1 seconds to 5.5 seconds. Naturally, in-gear flexibility is greatly enhanced.
The Impreza WRX-S features 18x7.5 ins anthracite GT1 alloy wheels with 225/40 tyres, an STI front grille, STI front lip spoiler and STI rear wing and body-colour tailgate moulding.
Also standard is a MOMO ’Air-Race’ gearknob while the colour choice is between San Remo Red, WR Blue Mica, Obsidian Black Pearl and Satin White Pearl.
Standard equipment includes front and rear spoilers, side skirts, a rear diffuser, leather-covered steering wheel, all-wheel drive, a rear limited-slip differential with Subaru Vehicle Dynamics Control, 10-speaker, six-disc radio/CD player and xenon headlamps.
Subaru unveiled at the British Motor Show a trio of vehicles, one of them being the Impreza WRX STI 330S, a model that will go on sale in September at a price of £30,000.
The new Impreza WRX STI 330S benefits from a Prodrive Performance pack with modified ECU and exhaust system – this time with paired twin 90 mm diameter stainless steel exhaust pipes to bring back the burble so loved by ’scooby’ fans.
Power goes up to 330 PS at only 5,400 rpm compared to the 300.5 PS at 6,000 rpm of the standard model. Torque is boosted from 300.2 lb ft at 4,000 rpm to 346.6 lb ft at a lower 3,400 rpm making for an even swifter, effortless driving experience.
Top speed is the same 155.3 mph but the 0-60 mph time drops from an already swift 4.8 seconds to only 4.4 seconds.
The car features: Recaro front seats, satellite navigation, Smart-entry and push-button start, five-spoke 18x8.5 ins alloy wheels wearing 245/40 R18 tyres.
Standard equipment includes: a six-speed gearbox, Si-Drive giving three different engine response modes, a Multi-mode Driver Control Centre Differential, Subaru Vehicle Dynamics Control and – of course – symmetrical all-wheel drive with front and rear limited-slip differentials.
Ford revealed at the British Motor Show the new 76.3mpg Fiesta ECOnetic – Britain’s greenest family car with CO2 emissions of 98g/km. The car will go on sale at the end of the year at a price of £11,845 for the three-door version and £12,445 for the five-door version.
The Fiesta ECOnetic becomes the most fuel efficient new five-seater family car in the UK. With CO2 emissions at under 100g/km, Ford Fiesta ECOnetic is zero rated both for road tax (Vehicle Excise Duty) and for the ’showroom tax’ element of VED introduced for the first year of ownership in this year’s Budget.
The car features: aerodynamic rear air deflectors, lowered suspension, optimised rolling resistance tyres (175/65R14) and low friction oil, green shift indicator light, modified engine calibration, transmission final drive ratio changed from 3.37 to 3.05.
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Lotus will unveil its new 2+2 GT today at the British Motor Show at 11:30. The car was named Evora, after a city in Portugal and will go on sale in the first half of 2009. It will be limited to 2000 units a year.
The Evora is the only car on the market with a mid-engine layout and a 2+2 seating configuration. It is powered by a modified version of Toyota’s 3.5-litre V6, with dual VVT-i that produced 280 hp. It can hit a top speed of 160 mph; the 0-60 mph sprint from standstill is estimated at sub 5 seconds.
The car features leather and aluminium on the interior, blue LEDs, bucket seats, hand-stitched leather, a flat-bottomed steering wheel, 7-inch touchscreen multi-media system with satellite navigation and Bluetooth connectivity.
Honda unveiled at the British Motor Show the OSM (for Open Study Model), a low-emission sportscar study model.
The exterior design is a balance of smooth, rounded curves and sharp lines to provide definition in key areas. The headlights are cleverly integrated into the front end, stretching from the nose to the top of the wheel arches to look more like a part of the original body.
Inside, this uninterrupted, fluid approach is continued, with long sweeping curves extending from both door panels to form a frame for the instrument display. The concept for the dashboard was to avoid creating the traditional block of ‘heavy’ color and material in front of the driver; in keeping with the clean and lightweight theme. For that reason, the dash is broken into sections, with the most important instruments in direct line-of-sight of the driver.
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