Review of the year - February 09
A genuine groundbreaker or a false dawn? The iQ faces the music, while there’s a shock for the Focus RS
Despite our headline test being focused on tiny dimensions and even smaller running costs, February was also a month of high-octane shoot-outs – and one of the most controversial verdicts of the year.
In 2008, Auto Express devised a groundbreaking new way to assess models that didn’t fit into conventional class sectors, and we called on our ‘triple twin test’ formula when Toyota handed us the keys to its new iQ. The format of the test sees three separate verdicts drawn in contests with three rivals chosen for three different reasons. The Smart ForTwo follows a similar design brief, Fiat’s 500 is our favourite city car, while the SEAT Ibiza is a much larger model that matches the iQ’s high list price. Our verdicts made difficult reading for Toyota, but we explored every aspect of the iQ’s abilities.
February also saw us celebrate the diversity of British manufacturing, before upping the pace with a unique 0-60mph challenge with the fastest accelerating cars in the country.
But even that wasn’t the most exciting test of the month. After endless build-up, we finally got our hands on the Ford Focus RS, and pitched it against two full-blooded rivals. We put our necks on the line when we didn’t crown the RS champion, but it’s a decision that has been vindicated several times since. Back in February, it wasn’t the result that RS fans wanted to hear...
Click any of the links below to catch up with all the rest of the year's most exciting stories.
December
Verdict
Tester's notes
Listen to some pessimistic pundits, and you’d think the British car industry is dead and buried. But in February we gathered together eight models that proved UK plants are alive and kicking.
Yet these are just the tip of the iceberg. Take a look at price lists, and you’ll unearth dozens of superb Brit-built machines.
Japanese firms are the UK’s biggest producers, with Honda, Nissan and Toyota all producing seven mainstream models between them. Elsewhere, Vauxhall puts together the new Astra at its Ellesmere Port plant.
At the luxury end of the market you’ll find Jaguar, Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Aston Martin. And don’t forget specialist sports car firms such as Lotus, Morgan, Caterham, Ginetta and Ariel.
Take vans and taxis into account, and in 2008 Britain’s factories churned out more than 1.5 million vehicles, making it Europe’s fourth largest producer.
James Disdale
Road tester
