Gap-filling at the SMMT test day - two corkers

I've averaged about a test car a week from the various manufacturers for a number of years now, but there are still a few important mainstream models I've never driven. SMMT test day is a great opportunity to fill such gaps, though, and this year there were two particular highlights.

The first of these was the 2.7 litre diesel version of the Jaguar XJ, which goes, rides and handles like nothing else. On paper, the engine looks too small to haul an S-class competitor around, but that doesn't allow for the extensive use of aluminium in the Jag's structure, a measure that saves several hundred kg. Pity about the retro styling and interior - personally I quite like it (as I did the Rover 75) but I'd have to accept that I'm in a minority and that something more modern would sell better. We did have this model booked for the Verdict last year, but the test car that was due to come to us got pranged beforehand while it was in other hands and never turned up. One pretty much guaranteed rave review in a national newspaper lost , which was rather unfortunate for Jaguar given the desperate state it's in.


The second was the Mazda RX-8. We've had quite a few Mazdas on the Verdict in recent times - the latest MX-5, the 6 in standard form and most notably the 6 MPS, a very impressive machine indeed, if a little too understated for its own good. But until this week, the RX-8 had passed me by. And as I discovered once I got it out on the winding hill circuit at Millbrook, I've really been missing out. The suspension, which is admittedly uncomfortably hard over uneven surfaces, inspired real confidence on the hill course, while the rotary engine revs far beyond what anything with boring old pistons is capable of, and I didn't really notice the lack of mid-range torque for which this engine (like Wankels in general) is sometimes criticised during my admittedly rather short drive. Afterwards, I forgot to take a photo of the RX-8 in all the excitement, but I think most people know what one of these looks like by now.

Rather busy with the day job today, so the rest of the gap-filling will be covered in a later post.

Proton Gen-2 - beige banished

A long, full and very enjoyable visit to the SMMT test day at Millbrook. More to follow on that but I thought I'd quickly just get this photo up of the Proton Gen-2's new interior colours.


As this shot shows, the Gen-2's dash and interior trim now have a much more sober colour scheme using darkish grey shades that are more in tune with European tastes than the light colours Proton previously used.

The basic architecture of the interior, which I personally find quite attractive, especially the Lotus-style stacked dials ahead of the gear lever, seems to be unchanged. I'm not sure to what extent the textures or materials have been improved, but the change in colours alone gives the Gen-2 quite a lift, as does the free leather upholstery that is being fitted at the moment.

Also visible in this shot is Proton's sword-grip style handbrake handle, which I've always considered a bit naff, but today I drove the Mazda RX-8, which has something similar, and convinced myself that it looked pretty good. It just goes to show how our responses to features like this are conditioned by the badge a car carries. Put it this way; if BMW had been the first to do this with its handbrake handles, everyone else would have copied it by now.

Great spots 3 - Toyota Cresta SuperLucent

A big powerful rear-wheel drive car loaded up with all the toys at a bargain price - that's the great mix of qualities Independent reader and Verdict test participant Guy Consitt found when he bought this Toyota Cresta SuperLucent online via a Japanese auction and imported it to the UK.



Large numbers of new and used Japanese cars make their way to the UK outside the manufacturers' official import channels. The most popular are Japanese market versions of cars sold in the UK such as the Mazda MX-5 and its Eunos sister, or those that have developed a strong cult following like the Nissan Figaro. But according to Guy, the real bargains are to be found among the less obvious models like the Cresta SuperLucent. Japanese market cars are RHD of course, and an added bonus is that if you buy a SuperLucent, you're unlikely to see another one in your local Tesco car park.