| | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Top Gear Season 17: Episode 2
 
Last Sunday, the second episode of Top Gear’s 17th season aired and like most of the shows these days, we were treated to some hilarious segments, a rather pointedly pointless car review, some canned and scripted studio jokes, and - for once - a surprisingly fast lap on the Kia Cee’d. Par for the course for Top Gear. In this episode, James May will tell you things about the Aston Martin Virage that you already probably know. This is then followed by a highly-entertaining hot hatch triple threat madness along the streets of Italy that included finding a dog, an ice cube, and branch from a cedar tree. Comedian Russ Noble also stopped by for a little chat with Jeremy - an entertaining interview by our measure - after which the former strapped on his helmet for his hot lap on board the show’s Reasonably Priced Car. The show concludes with a sort of dream of dreams, at least as far as Jeremy Clarkson was concerned: three laps around the Monaco Grand Prix. It probably didn’t matter that the cars they were driving were the same three hot hatches they drove in Italy. At the end of the day - Clarkson especially - had a blast to finally drive their way around Monaco’s world famous street circuit. Full details after the jump. Full story Video: TopGear Season 17 Trailer
The first episode of Top Gear Season 17 is set to be aired on June 26, but for all of those fans that cannot wait another moment to see the Top Gear UK trio at work, BBC has been kind enough to release a teaser trailer of what to expect. The trailer will refuel your Top Gear obsession by showing clips of Jeremy Clarkson driving the McLaren MP4-12C, James May riding around in the Mini WRC racing car, and Richard Hammond cruising in the Dartz Prombron through city streets. A Porsche Boxster, a Citroën DS3 Racing, and an Abarth 500C will also be making their appearances, plus a short trip to Monte Carlo will help to wrap things up. We may still have to wait 11 days for the full episode to grace our television screens, but this teaser trailer just cements the fact that Top Gear 17 is starting and will be better than ever. 2011 Citroen DS3 Grey Matter
One of the most impressive Citroens ever launched - the DS3 - is now being offered in a "Grey Matter" limited edition. The special edition will only be limited to 750 units and will be offered in VTi 120 and THP 150 versions, priced at €23,400 and €24,950 ex-VAT respectively. The new DS3 "Grey Matter" edition will be distinguished by a matte gray body with chrome detailing on the side mirrors, side strips, and tail light casings. The roof comes in black or white and is enhanced by a decorative kit and 17-inch diamond alloy wheels in the same colors. For the interior, the special edition will get Mistral leather and a MyWay Select Comfort Pack, which includes automatic climate control, the MyWay navigation system, and the HiFi system. The DS3 Grey Matter will have two engines to choose from: the VTi 120 version which gets a naturally aspirated 1.6-liter engine with 148 HP and a THP 120 model that will be powered by a four-cylinder engine with an output of 154 HP. 2011 Citroen DS5
Citroen has set its path in motion for the 2011 Shanghai Motor Show with a teaser image of the third model in the DS line-up, next to the DS3 and DS4. The Citroen DS5 will make its debut at the Shanghai International Motor Show on April 20, 2011, but first, the company will be presenting their new model on Citroën’s Facebook page on April 18, 2011 at 10:30am Paris time (so about 4:30pm Eastern time). The DS5 is described as "the manifestation of its finest expertise. A daring and sculptural creation, the DS5 perfectly expresses the DS spirit, namely bold choices on styling, architecture, sensations and refinement, while implementing the best in Citroën technology." Next to an impressive exterior design, the DS5 is also the first Citroen model to feature HYbrid4 diesel hybrid technology, providing enhanced performance and class leading environmental credentials. Updated 04/18/2011: This review has been updated with the official images and details. Hit the jump to read more about the new Citroen DS5. UPDATE 10/05/11: Citroen has officially unveiled the first official promo video for the DS5. In addition to the a brief walk-around the car and some driving footage, there’s also a brief introduction on the technology and heritage of the car. Check it out by clicking on the photo above. Full story 2011 Citroen DS3 Serie Noire
Citroen is further expanding its DS3 line-up with the addition of the Series Noire set to be revealed in just a few days at the Geneva Motor Show. There will be only 750 units built, based on either the THP 150 and HDi 110 engines. Prices will start at €24,750 - or about $33,800 at the current exchange rates. The "Serie Noire" edition will be distinguished by matte black bodywork, a shiny black roof, 17-inch black, diamond-tipped Bellone wheels, a chrome-plated rubbing strip, and chrome-plated door mirror housings. On the interior, the model will add Mistral/Lama leather upholstery with the fascia trim, air vent surrounds, interior door handle trim, and gear lever knob in the same shiny black color found on the roof. Standard equipment will include a MyWay navigation system and a HiFi system. No modifications have been made under the hood, but with the added perks, this special edition gets a bit closer to the more powerful DS3-R model. Designer envisions the 2019 Citroen DS24
It never fails that, when details for a long-awaited model are released, artists everywhere begin to imagine what future variations of the vehicle will look like. It was only a few months ago when details for the 2011 Citroen DS4 were unveiled and now Ugo Spagnolo, a student at the Institut Superieur de Design, has put his thoughts to paper on a new DS model for MY2019. He’s called his concept the DS24 and his inspiration for it came from the legendary Citroen DS19 that debuted at the 1955 Paris Motor Show. The DS24 features a futuristic look with a floating roof and sliding rear doors. For the interior, Ugo took his inspiration from the "elasticity of the air and the flexibility of the water." The cabin features a blue illumination and cloud-like white leather upholstery. And in the spirit of the latest model, the DS24 features a hydrogen fuel cell which provides power to an electric motor that is integrated into the chassis. The car’s performance is unknown at this point, but we’ll excuse his oversight simply because we are so impressed with his design! 2011 Citroen DS3 by Orla Kiely Collection
If there’s an automaker that best exemplifies chic lifestyle, it’s Citroen. Known for having its fair share of collaborations with fashion designers – Yves Saint Laurent, are you there? – the French automaker has teamed up with another designer for a set of special edition DS3 hatchbacks. In collaboration with renowned designer, Orla Kiely, Citroen is releasing a special edition DS3 that will be limited to only 500 units. Each of the cars come in four different colors and are painted with four different design patterns on the roof that feature Kiely’s signature stem or acorn design. Commenting on her partnership with Citroen, Kiely was understandably ecstatic about the opportunity to work on her own special edition DS3. “Collaborating with Citroën and DS3 was such an exciting project as it’s so different from all my previous work,” the designer said. “I love the designs we’ve created and the way they’re incorporated into the car!" We trust that these special edition models are catered to a specific audience because we can’t see ourselves driving around town with acorns on our roof. Not to say that we don’t like it because we actually do. It’s just not our, shall we say, cup of tea. Details on the Citroen DS3 by Orla Kiely Collection after the jump. Full story Battle of the Sports Hatches: Fifth Gear compares the Citroen DS3 with the Honda CR-Z
They may not post the fastest ‘north to 60’ times in automotive history, but the Citroen DS3 and the Honda CR-Z are two sports hatches that have their own redeeming qualities. For starters, they’re more fuel-efficient than sports coupes, they’re both aesthetically pleasing to the eye, and in the case of the CR-Z, it’s a hybrid. Everybody loves hybrids these days so the CR-Z has that going for it, even though Honda is now creating a petrol version of the vehicle to increase sales.. Having said that, Fifth Gear’s Tiff Needell decided to give the two sports hatches a nice little shakedown around the track to determine which of the two hatches has the leg up over its competitor. After their own individual lap times, Needell came to a number of conclusions. First, if you’re looking for a car that’s packed with power and speed, these two cars aren’t going to satisfy your lust for thrills. Second, where they lack in speed they make up for in efficiency, especially the CR-Z, which has an electrical motor that adds 14 horsepower to the car’s gas engine that produces 112 horsepower. Third, the Citroen DS3 eventually proved to be a better ride than the CR-Z, proving that despite the times we are living in, old school technology can still one-up its more high-tech counterpart.
Top Gear announces winners of 2010 Top Gear Awards
The Top Gear trio of Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond may be all fun and jokes in front of the camera, but despite their cunning wit and silly banter, these three all share a unique similarity: they know everything and anything there is to know about cars. When they say a car is good or bad, their opinions carry more clout than the standard human because they’ve done their homework through countless hours of testing, free drives, and taped segments on the show. And now that we’re nearing the end of an amazingly eventful year, the trio have decided to finally release their choice of vehicles that will be included in the 11th Top Gear Awards. With categories ranging from Hypercar of the Year, Grand Tourer of the Year, Coupe of the Year, and even Engine of the Year, the three hosts took everything they’ve seen, heard, and driven in 2010 to come up with a winner for each respective category. In addition to these categories, Clarkson, May, and Hammond also picked their favorite cars of the year regardless of make, model, and type. Care to find out the award winners? Check them out after the jump. Full story 2013 Citroen DS Compact Coupe
After the DS3 and DS4, Citroen has announced that there will more DS versions launched in the near future, including a sports car based on the Survolt concept. And now that Citroen has dropped plans for a production version of the GT Concept, the future DS sports car will be the only high performance model Citroen will offer. We don’t expect the production model to follow the concept that closely as we have already picked up on a few changes that will be made, but we are hoping that the overall look and performance of the production model will be just as good, if not better, than the concept. And with Citroen targeting younger customers looking for more than just a simple sports car, we can only imagine that it will be. Look for Citroen’s only sports car to debut sometime in 2012 with sales starting as early as 2013. Hit the jump for more details. Full story | featured reviews:Citroen DS latest reviews: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|