Suzuki Swift Sport CAR

In an age when Clios and Minis have 200bhp, Golfs and Meganes sport 250bhp, and the hottest A3 and 1-series offer up over 300bhp, Suzuki’s new Mk2 Swift Sport is a breath of (modest) fresh air.

The four-cylinder engine remains at a mere 1.6 litres (naturally aspirated, of course), and despite it gaining a variable intake system and tweaked variable valve timing over its predecessor, as the Mk1 SS boasted just 121bhp, a 10% increase in peak power equates to a modest 134bhp. Peak torque is up too, but by just 9lb ft. 

Meek numbers, but then the first Swift Sport was magnificent despite its lack of headline figures. Does the new car match up? Read on for our first drive review of the new Suzuki Swift Sport.There’s stiffer front and rear suspension, new 17in alloys save a /kilo/ per corner, and there’s now a gearbox with a sixth gear. First through five remain tightly stacked, but the extra cog cuts emissions (from 165 to 147g/km), improves fuel economy (39.8 become 44.1mpg), and mean less frenetic cruising. At least that’s the theory; the reality is that acceleration still isn’t stellar, and you will still be pulling 3000rpm at 70mph.

The standard Swift’s design subtlety improved by a subtle bodykit, there’s room in the back for tall people (and the headrests actually extend high enough to support your head), and the boot’s not bad either. Add in improvements in motorway refinement (short gearing notwithstanding), loads of standard equipment (air-con, cruise control, electric door mirrors, Bluetooth, MP3 and USB connectivity, and seven airbags), and you’ve got a decent little hot hatch

Our test route took us through mountains near Barcelona, the first heavy downpour in months leaving the roads rather slippery. There’s the tiniest hint of torque steer in first gear, but thereafter you can pin the throttle without fear of repercussions. Then shift, fast as you can, through the slick gearbox, right foot flat on the right pedal again just as soon as the cogs mesh, up to 7000rpm, engine happy to sing to the red, and roaring along nicely. Lift slightly for a blind crest or bend, or hard on the progressive, positive brakes, and then flat again. 

The steering’s accurate, quick and direct, it’s nimble, there’s good chassis balance, but it’s a bit more comfortable and composed than the first Swift Sport. Still fun, though. Great fun. What broken Tarmac we could find revealed little wrong with the ride, there being just a slight patter from the secondary ride. Turn the ESP off and the hints of mild understeer mature in the atrocious conditions, but a mid-corner lift won’t see you spinning backwards off the road.

GM's Chevy Volt faces safety probe after damaged batteries catch fire

WASHINGTON -- General Motors Co.'s electric plug-in hybrid Chevrolet Volt is the subject of a U.S. safety probe after its lithium-ion batteries, supplied by LG Chem Ltd., caught fire in crash tests.

A Volt caught fire three weeks after a side-impact crash test May 12 while parked at a testing center in Wisconsin, leading regulators to conduct more tests. Volt battery packs were damaged in three more tests last week, causing two fires, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Friday in a statement on its website.

"The agency is concerned that damage to the Volt's batteries as part of three tests that are explicitly designed to replicate real-world crash scenarios have resulted in fire," NHTSA said in the statement.

The U.S. regulator said it doesn't know of any crashes outside of testing that have led to battery-related fires in Volts or other cars powered by lithium-ion batteries. Chevy Volt owners whose vehicles have not been in a serious crash don't need to be concerned, the agency said.

GM maintains that the car is safe. The automaker and NHTSA have been working for months to replicate the fire in the car's lithium-ion battery that occurred three weeks after the May collision test, Greg Martin, a GM spokesman, said by telephone.

Inducing battery failure

The testing, which involved a stand-alone battery assembly, "is part of a broader program over the last six months to induce battery failure under extreme conditions," Martin said.

LG Chem, South Korea's biggest chemical maker, is the Volt's battery vendor. Dick Pacini, a spokesman with the Millerschin Group, which works for LG Chem, said he couldn't immediately provide comment. On Nov. 22, LG Chem said in a statement that it was cooperating with NHTSA and GM.

NHTSA, which said it's working with the U.S. Defense and Energy departments to analyze the fires, conducted its first new test on Nov. 16 without a fire. The second test on Nov. 17 saw an initial temporary increase in battery temperature after the crash, and the battery pack caught fire at the test facility on Nov. 24. In a third test on Nov. 18, the battery was rotated hours after the crash and "began to smoke and emit sparks shortly after," NHTSA said.

At this stage of Volt marketing, the NHTSA investigation will probably not hurt sales, said Jim Hall, principal of 2953 Analytics Inc., a consulting firm in Birmingham, Mich.

The car has been on sale for a year as the manufacturer ramps up production. Most Volt owners are early adopters with an interest in the technology, and won't be deterred by the post-collision fires, Hall said.

"If they were selling to the mass market, it would be a bigger problem," he said.

GM started selling the car in seven states and began offering the Volt in all 50 states in October, Martin said.

Chevrolet sold 5,003 Volts this year through October, according to Autodata Corp., a research firm in Woodcliff Lake, N.J.

GM will push production to a rate of 60,000 a year starting in January. Of the 60,000 GM plans to build next year, 45,000 are earmarked for the U.S., and the rest will be exported, the company has said.

New Ford Mondeo revealed

We reveal the dramatic new look of the next Ford Mondeo, set to feature a hi-tech cabin and efficient enginesFord is gearing up to unveil the most desirable Mondeo ever. With a look inspired by the stylish four-door Evos concept car, plus a host of hi-tech kit, the saloon will hope to shift its everyday image.

Set to debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2012, the car will hit the road next summer.

Our exclusive illustrations – based on insider information and recent spy shots – show the Mondeo gets the latest Kinetic 2 design language.

This includes the large, inverted trapezoidal grille from the Fiesta, Focus and C-MAX, yet more pronounced and mounted higher up. Another key feature is the narrow headlights. 

But the look is about much more than simply the blue oval’s family face. Two boldly defined feature lines adorn the sides, while bulging rear wheelarches and a steeply raked roofline reveal the car’s sporty intentions.

It’s not only the looks that will be inspired by the Evos; the Mondeo will also lift its powertrain from the concept. The range-extending 2.0-litre petrol engine and electric motors won’t be offered from launch, but will follow. This will allow for an electric-only range of around 50 miles and about 500 miles between fill-ups. 

More conventional engines will make up the rest of the range, including Ford’s 1.6 and 2.0-litre EcoBoost petrol turbos. In the current car, the latter produces 200bhp and returns 36mpg economy, while the 1.6 – as found in the C-MAX – will offer 150bhp and 180bhp outputs. Also available will be a range of diesel models, including a 112bhp 1.6-litre TDCi and a 2.0 TDCi with 137bhp or 163bhp.

Even the traditional engines will be among the most efficient on the road thanks to eco tweaks currently used in the latest models, such as the Focus. These include stop-start, brake energy regeneration and active aerodynamics that close the grille at high speeds to improve fuel efficiency.

Under the skin will be a modified version of the current Mondeo’s front-wheel-drive chassis, which will include torque vectoring for the first time. This helps to shuffle power between the front wheels in corners to prevent understeer. 

Inside, the impressive fit and finish and high-quality materials used in recent Fords will help the Mondeo bridge the gap to more expensive rivals from Audi and BMW. A range of hi-tech gadgets will make the newcomer one of the most advanced models on the road.

This includes the SYNC entertainment system, which can play audio, read text messages and deal with voice commands through wirelessly connected smartphones. In addition, the Mondeo will get features such as lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring and parking assistance.