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Ford, Renault and Seat introduce new models
publication date: Aug 11, 2011
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author/source: Robin Roberts
Britain's best-selling small car, the Ford
Fiesta, continues to expand its appeal with the launch of an exciting new
special edition, the "Centura", which builds on the most popular
model and engine choice in the UK.
The Centura celebrates the 100th
anniversary of Ford in Britain, and, available exclusively in black, it pays
tribute to the first Ford vehicles to be manufactured in the UK, the Model T in
1911. |  | Based on the Ford Fiesta Zetec, the Centura
boasts a comprehensive list of additional standard equipment valued at £600,
including metallic Panther Black paint, chrome mirror and door caps, LED
daylight running lights, 16-inch seven-spoke alloy wheels, automatic
headlamps and windscreen wipers, reverse parking sensors and a parking
camera mounted in the rear view mirror.
Just 1,000 Ford Fiesta Centura special
editions will be available, priced at £13,395 for the three-door version and
£13,995 for the five-door. The Ford Fiesta remains the UK's best-selling car
with 52,327 sold in the first half of this year.
Anthony Ireson, marketing director, Ford of
Britain, said, "Fiesta has been a UK favourite its entire lifetime and it
was a natural choice to use this great icon to help mark our centenary. With a
unique specification and affordable price, the Centura will appeal to thousands
of customers, and we anticipate strong demand - who knows it might even become
a collector's car one day!"
The Ford Fiesta Centura 1.25-litre 82PS
petrol engine is exempt from vehicle excise duty in the first year. | | | Just weeks after widening the Wind Roadster
range to include an enticingly affordable 1.2-litre version, the burgeoning
Gordini line-up now takes in two extra Clios, priced from £14,000.
The Gordini range has proved an immense
hit, as illustrated by the success of Clio Gordini which accounts for 27 per
cent of overall Clio Renaultsport sales in Europe and over 10 per cent in the
UK. |  | Enabling UK buyers to get the look and feel
of the 200hp flagship Gordini, but with lower fuel consumption, emissions and
running costs, including insurance, the latest incarnations of the iconic
Gordini badge debut in three-door form, with the petrol 1.6 VVT 128 and diesel
1.5 dCi 106.
Adding a little extra ‘Va Va Voom' to
Renault's best-selling model range, the petrol model welcomes the rev-loving
engine from the former GT, itself slightly detuned from the grin-inducing
Twingo Renaultsport 133. In the warmed over Clio, it gives lively performance
of 0-62 mph in 9.3 seconds, combined with an impressive 42.2 mpg on the
combined cycle. The Clio Gordini 128 costs £14,000 on-the-road.
| | | SEAT is upgrading the appeal of its
best-selling Leon with the showroom arrival now of a new FR+ derivative, as
well as the extension of the FR badge to a broader engine range.
|  | The changes mean the trademark sporty
styling and sizzling performance of the Leon FR are now available to a wider
range of buyers while equipment- and performance-hungry drivers now have the
added option of the new, ‘ultimate', Leon FR+.
Designed to extend still further the appeal
of the FR trim level that, last year, was responsible for a whopping one in
four Leon sales, the revisions see new engines added to the FR line-up.
The exciting FR hot hatch is now available
as a 1.4 TSI 125 PS (manual only) or 2.0 TDI CR 140 PS (manual and DSG).
The availability of lower-powered - but no less engaging - turbocharged petrol
or diesel engines makes the FR range even more accessible to customers whose
choices may be restricted by engine power, cost or insurance considerations.
Bristling with sports styling and packed
with equipment, the Leon boasts FR front and rear bumpers, twin chrome exhaust
pipe, trademark silver-painted door mirrors, stylish LED rear-light clusters,
FR sports seats and steering wheel, rear parking sensors, rain-sensing wipers,
automatic headlights and auto-dimming rear-view mirror.
Meanwhile, the new Leon FR+ is a
significant step up from the ‘standard' FR trim in terms of both performance
and equipment. It's available to order now with SEAT's powerful 2.0 TSI
211 PS and 2.0 TDI CR 170 PS engines.
The Leon FR+ takes the FR trim and adds
arch-filling 18-inch ‘Ibera' alloy wheels; the SEAT Media System 2.2, which
includes satellite-navigation with five-inch colour touchscreen and dynamic
route guidance, DAB radio, Bluetooth audio streaming and SD card slot;
Bluetooth phone connection; Bi-xenon headlights with AFS (Adaptive
Front-lighting System) and front parking sensors.
And the best news, perhaps, is that
although the retail cost of this extra equipment when specified separately is
£2,465, the price of the new Leon FR+ is up by just £1,070.
So, just in time for the September sales
surge, SEAT's Leon FR line-up now starts at only £18,205 for the Leon FR
1.4 TSI 125 PS, rising to £22,615 for the lavishly equipped Leon FR+ 2.0
TDI CR DSG-auto 170 PS.
Finally, while the Leon Cupra has been
withdrawn from the range SEAT has significantly improved the Cupra R trim by
adding plenty of extra kit to this fire-breathing, 155 mph ‘halo' model for no
extra cost.
Already loaded with luxury features, the
latest Leon Cupra R now offers, as standard, SEAT Media System 2.2, Bluetooth
connectivity, Bi-xenon headlights with AFS and LED rear-light clusters.
This extra equipment is worth £1,665
but despite its inclusion there has been no increase in the 265 PS Cupra R's
price. In fact, the price of SEAT's most potent production car to date
has actually been cut - by £10 - to £25,995.
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