Audi R8 5.2 FSI Quattro 2006-Present

Class:      Sports Car
Rivals:     Porsche 911 Carrera 4s, Aston Martin V8 Vantage, BMW M6, Nissan GT-R
Engines:  Petrol 4.2 V8 FSi, 5.2 V10 FSI,
               Diesel, 6.0 V12 TDI
Gearbox: 6 Speed Manual, 6 Speed R-Tronic Single Clutch Semi Automatic
Awards:  Top Gear Car of the Year 2007
               5th Gear Car of the Year and Best Fast Car 2007
               World Car of the Year 2008 Best Design and World Best Performance Car
               Playboy Magazine Car of the Year 2008
               European Car of the Year 2008

This is far and away the best car we have ever tested for the Allparts Review!!  I could not believe my ears when i answered the phone which went something like this; "Mr Conway would you be available next week to test drive the Audi R8" to which my reply was, after I picked myself up off the floor was "yes, yes I am"!!!
As I rolled up the The Radisson Hotel there she was in all her royal blue spectacle! The tell tale badge on the wing that let you know it was the 5.2l V10 520bhp beast glistening in the winter sunlight! 

This is the much anticipated Audi R8!!!  The car all the big car magazines were fighting over to get the 1st test drive!

The car is amazing to drive, as we pulled out slowly onto the carriage way, made sure the car was in a straight line as I did not want to fishtail out of control in the 1st 5 minutes, and gunned it!!!  No feeling can describe it, the G-Forces pushed my stomach beyond my spine!!  I just about had enough power left in my hands to reach the flappy paddles to change gear!  The Gearbox is amazing, we had the 6speed semi-auto flappy paddle gear box and when your open the throttle the gear change is unbeatable!  The noise and the sound of the gear changes is indescribable!!!  As soon as you sit in this car and feel the bucket seat suck you in, there is an instant smile on your face! 

Absolutely everything is in the right position in this car, from the red starter button on the steering wheel to the stereo and the air con! The R8 does share some chassis components, the flappy paddel gear box, and the revised V10 engine with its sister car the Lamborghini Gallardo, on which were still waiting on that phone call to go test!!!

This is a mid-engined, 4wd sports car, that also come in a diesel via the V12 TDI 500bhp unit with 738lb-ft of torque and it does 23miles to the gallon!!!  Not bad for an oil burner!!!

I only had half an hour with this car! Which was no where near enough!  All we can say is that it seems a very easy to live with sports car, compared to a lot of horror stories you do hear about old Ferraris or old Lambos.

Hopefully in 15-20 years or so, if the prices come down enough and petrol isn't €300 a liter, then we will have one, but for now, €150,000 is a tad out of our price range!

Gary










              

Nissan Micra/March 1982- Present

Class:     Supermini
Rivals:    Opel/Vauxhall Corsa, Honda Jazz, Ford Fiesta, Vw Polo,
Variants: 3 door hatch, 5 door hatch, Cabriolet, Saloon (Japan Only), Estate (Japan Only)
Engines:  Petrol 1.0, 1.3, 1.4,
              Diesel 1.5 (Japan Only)
Awards: European Car of the Year 1993

Yes a Nissan Micra!!!  The often used as an excuse for being late for work! "Why you late?" "Well Sir I got stuck behind a bloody Micra!!"

This is not my favourite car what so ever, but the reason we are featuring it is because of its longevity!! Next year will mark the 30th anniversary of the Launch of the Micra and with a new model out this year, it will be around for another while!  The Micra was also the first European built Japanese car to hit the milestone of over one million models built in its Sunderland Factory in 1998!
Now I would love just to write about the Micra SuperTurbo, which had a supercharger and a turbo on a 930cc 8 valve 4pot developing 110bhp which by comparison is like 300bhp in your average 4 door family car! But unfortunately there is not too many of them around!

The Micra has won many plaudits from different automobile associations for its sheer realibility and if you pay attention your sure to see a few '95/'96 MkII models still around!

The MkII Micra scored a 2 star rating in the Euro NCAP crash tests which is no bad feat, the MKIII scored 4 stars the the New MKIV has also scored 4.

The MkII micra came in many variations, probably most exclusive is the Nissan Figaro, which was sold by lottery when it came out first in Japan.  Many have reached Irish shores and have reach cult status for chic!

You have to admire the mkIII Micras styling, and to be honest I was excited to see what they would come up with next; and when I did I was utterly dissappointed! It looks like a drab, boring plastic toy car you buy in Lidl for your baby cousin for him just to throw it out of the pram because thats how bad it looks!  Although it was designed to have a drag co-efficient of 0.32 (how slippery it moves through the air) and returns 18km per liter, its just so bad to look at!

Theres not much to look out for when buying a used micra apart from the usual wear and tear on any car.
They are cheap to tax and to insure for any driver. You can pick one up for anything from a few hundred euros to 7 or 8,000 for a new one.

The Micra is a good easy to drive car, and a favourite with driving instructors!
If your looking for something cheap and cheerful, its ideal, but don't expect much respect from other road users!!!

Gary