A Newbie's Guide to a SMMT Test Day

According to my densely populated calendar, there are only 68 days left until Christmas 2011. That's right, the time of the year when mince pies replace apple pies, X Factor gears up to catapult yet another newly-formed group to the top of the Charts and store-fronts look like they've been ransacked by "shoppers on steroids" is nearly upon us. Fantastic news, says your Grinch-esque author.

However the phrase "Christmas has come early" became thoroughly apt two weeks ago when The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (or SMMT if you're short on time) invited Car Throttle to attend its South West meetup down in Calne, near the historic town of Bath where we were able to meet, greet and test drive cars from a number of different manufacturers back-to-back.

As a first-timer and without wanting to appear to much of a newbie, the event seemed exciting and certainly had appealing assets. Luxury golf course and hotel? Tick. Beautifully empty surrounding country roads? Tick. A car park full of the latest and greatest in coupé, hot-hatch and supercar vehicular form? Double tick. And nothing emphasised the point better than a glimpse of Bentley's Continental GT which guarded the entry to the parking lot.

So what was the order of the day? The first step was to meet all of the wonderful ladies and gents from the manufacturer press teams. There were 28 teams in attendance from most of the major big names and getting to chat to the majority of them proved to be very insightful and encouraging for our own growing brand. After a quick sit-down, each press officer was keen to give us a chance to trial out one of their latest vehicles. And so the fun began. Here are the vehicles I managed to test drive with some corresponding thoughts:

Abarth 500C Esseesse

The first drive of the day was in Abarth's manual hot-hatch. Having read tons of literature surrounding this fiery model, I was keen to get behind the wheel and take it for a test on a mix of country roads and in-town driving tarmac, and it didn't disappoint. In Record Grey, this particular model came equipped with a 1.4-litre, 160bhp unit capable of doing the 0-62mph sprint in a scant 7.6 seconds. Naturally sport mode was engaged for the majority of the 20 minute, 7 mile route which automatically meant a firmer ride, sharpened throttle response and a wider grin etched onto my face.

With an on-the-road price of £16,856 it's pricey for the amount of metal you're purchasing, but the car more than makes up for the extra dollar with kart-like handling and the ability to get the roof down for the ultimate "wind in your hair" experience. I can't wait to get more hands-on time with this little beauty in the near future.

Alfa Romeo MiTo MultiAir

Next up was some alone time in Alfa's range-starting MiTo. From the outside, it's a beautifully designed car. The bug-eye headlights just fit perfectly and the triangular grille pays tribute to standard Alfa styling cues. From the back everything is kept clean and simple with an ovular chrome exhaust getting rid of the waste that the 135hp 1.4 engine produces. Fully optioned-up the MiTo hits the pricing scale at £17,775 but there are all sorts of goodies including 17" sport rims, red painted Brembo brake calipers and Blue&Me bluetooth in-car system.

Most interesting of all if you've never been in a modern Alfa is the D.N.A. technology. At the flick of a switch, this changes up the core settings of the car to reflect "Dynamic", "Normal" and "All-weather" modes. The latter wasn't needed on the dry day we fortunately had, but the difference between Dynamic and Normal was instantly felt through steering feedback and the accelerator pedal. Whilst the latter soaks up niggles on the road surface and allows some take on throttle response, the super-sporty Dynamic mode tightens and sharpens. As the name suggests, it's akin to changing up the core sequencing of the car and morphing it into something much more fun. As always, more power wouldn't have gone amiss.

Chrysler Ypsilon

A little skeptical as to how good of a car this could be, I was handed the keys to the Chrysler Ypsilon (and Chrysler also very kindly sent me DVD's through the post to accompany my drive). If I'm honest, it's not on point styling-wise. From the front it looks dubious and it's only redeeming angle is 90 degrees to the front where the roofline and alloy combination bear some resemblance to an Alfa. There are some similarities to Fiat's 500 TwinAir though as this Ypsilon shares the two-cylinder engine with its Italian counterpart.

Chrysler's engineers have managed to pull 84bhp out of this 0.9 but if you want to get anywhere in a hurry, you're going to need to keep your foot on the power. This will however mean that the advertised combined fuel consumption figure of 67.3mpg is nigh-on impossible to reach and that this won't be a relaxing low-rev drive. And the Fiat is cheaper by £1,245.

Honda CR-Z MUGEN

By far the most fun I had all day was in the Recaro seat of this tuned CR-Z. The first thing that's noticeable is the amount of carbon-fibre. From the door panels to the bonnet, Honda's design gurus have managed to knock off 50kg from the weight of the original 2011 Honda CR-Z.

On top of this MUGEN have redeveloped the suspension of the car to provide better handling and most importantly have rebuilt the 1.5-litre IMA engine to put out a zaney 200bhp at 6300rpm and 158lb-ft torque. How is this achieved? MUGEN use the torque given by the electric motor at low rpm and built on that, boosting induction using a supercharger to provide torque after the electric motor peaked, resulting in a flatter and longer torque curve.

What this means in real-life away from technical jargon is that this tuned CR-Z feels like an absolute animal on the road. The usual 3 modes are retained (Eco, Normal and Sport) but the clutch is like a ton of lead, extremely heavy on your left-leg. However, push the sport mode and the car catapults you to 60 in around 6 seconds.

As the car is a one-off prototype (please make this car, Honda!) it also ended up being the most expensive car I've driven to date. The price? An eye-watering £150,000.

smart fortwo cabrio passion

Smart's two-seater cabrio was next on a long list of "want to drive". With 71bhp under the bonnet and weighing way less than a tonne, the car had all the right ingredients to be a fantastic warm hatch. On the inside it's all quite plush with tailor-made BRABUS leather seats and a functional centre entertainment unit, and on the outside BRABUS LED running lights and aero kit options make the car look quirky enough to be pretty cool.

Where the car let me down was in the transmission department. This particular model was equipped with a semi-auto box and whilst flappy-paddles make it easy to operate, the gear changes aren't fast enough and it's probably this which means that the smart's 0-62mph time clocks in at 13.7 seconds. And the price...well, it's £27,151 for the whole tailor-made package. But, you'll have a completely unique one-off car.

Ford Fiesta Titanium ECOnetic

There's not too much to say here, other than this is a truly solid car which transforms it into a serious contender for first-time car buyers. At just over 15 and a half grand OTR it looks compact and focused (although the Metal trim looks sportier) and on the inside has all the gadgets and gizmos a young person could want including cruise control and USB connectivity.

Behind the wheel it's a similar story with the Fiesta living up to its functional image. It's hasn't got supercar performance, nor is it irritatingly sluggish but it probably hits the balance for parents who want to give their kids something current but that won't run them an insurance fortune. We can't wait to do a full review on this Fiesta.

Twingo Renaultsport 133 Silverstone GP

We finished the day as we started; in style. The Twingo has admittedly strange proportions with an oversize rear windscreen and evident Renault branding but the fun starts once you fire up the 1,598cc engine which is capable of churning out 133hp and 160Nm of torque. In the grand scheme of things, that's not a great deal. But it's the way in which the Renaultsport puts this power onto the ground that causes the most joy. Power comes through in a predictable rush and a sporty exhaust will make you the envy of your friends' eyes if you decide to splash out the £14,995 required to get this Limited Edition vehicle.

17" gloss black wheels complete the youth look and whilst the interior isn't luxury-grade, it's different. And we like cars which have their own unique style - no-one wants a cookie-cutter template of an interior anymore.

Shotgun Rides: Porsche GTS 4 & Bentley Continental GT

Aside from the MUGEN, final highlights of the day including getting a passenger ride in both the updated Continental and Carrera GTS 4. Both were very kindly organised by the Porsche and Bentley Press Offices, so thankyou to Jo and Lisa. Unfortunately as the over-25 age limit is quite strictly enforced when it comes to test drives for insurance reasons, I was unable to get hands on with these cars but sitting alongside seasoned drivers, I was still able to get a feel for what both these cars were about.

With the Bentley, it's all about tranquility within. The Continental has a monstrous 6-litre W12 but acceleration occurs in a soft waft of energy without the need for drama. The seats are figure-hugging and supportive which means that in the bendy sections of road again the passengers travel in comfort.

Meanwhile in the Porsche, it's a different story altogether. The 4-wheel driver system in this GTS isn't for RWD purists but still exhibits all the poise which has become synonymous with the Porsche brand. Probably the last edition before the new 991 hits storefronts, the 4 GTS is capable of hitting 62mph in 4.6 seconds and hunkers down to the road like you wouldn't believe. If I had £83,000 this would be very high up on my wishlist and deservedly so.

So there we have it. No longer a newbie and already looking forward to my next event, hopefully at Millbrook. Thankyou to SMMT for a thoroughly enjoyable day, and for the full image gallery please click the thumbnails below.