A Classic Fusion of No Mercy Car Reviews | Top Gear Classic

0:06 Right, there's the car in question, the new Fiesta.

0:09 And what I thought I'd do is break the road test down into segments,

0:12 so hopefully we'll cover all the [music] bases.

0:22 Well, behind the extremely [music] pretty body,

0:24 I'm sorry to report there are one or two small problems.

0:30 The back seats, for instance, do not fold flat.

0:33 And other cars in this price range do have bigger boots.

0:38 However, despite this, there is still room in the boot for a zebra's head.

0:43 Pop the neck in first.

0:46 There we are.

0:47 So, if you're sort of mafia game ranger that goes very nicely.

0:52 And then, in the back seat, there's room for the traditional 2.2 children.

1:05 I should say so.

1:06 This new car may be the biggest Fiesta yet,

1:09 but it's a whopping 40 kg lighter than the last model.

1:13 That will help at the pumps.

1:18 There's even a 1.6 L diesel model called the Econetic,

1:22 which produces such a small amount of carbon dioxide

1:25 you pay no road tax on it at all.

1:28 I wouldn't bother with that particular model though,

1:31 because it'll almost certainly be shot.

1:38 Ever since the Ford Focus came along in 1998

1:42 or whenever it was all Fords have had

1:45 a driving feel that you just don't get in other cars of the same size or price.

1:54 And this is no different.

1:57 Here, as I go through the Hammerhead, for example,

2:00 I can feel that it [music] has a sort of Volkswagen

2:03 feel of solidity and a Lotus feel [music] of sportiness.

2:07 Rare to get that combination.

2:16 [screaming]

2:16 Yeah, the steering [music] has a linear response,

2:18 understeer well tamed, no tread shuffle.

2:25 [music] It feels fabulous.

2:29 And if [music] you go for the 1.6 L TVC engine that I have in this test car,

2:35 it's pretty fast, as well.

2:37 Certainly, it will easily do 70 mph, which is what I'm doing now.

2:41 And that's the maximum [music] speed that you can go in Britain, so that's good.

2:47 Is this thorough enough [music] for you, Mr.

2:48 Needham?

2:48 I hope so, cuz I think it's going well.

2:58 Hopefully not.

3:00 [music] Quite apart from the fact it's made by Germans,

3:02 most of the equipment on this car has been fitted to other Fords for years,

3:06 and we've heard no horror stories.

3:11 If you are worried, there's an entry-level version

3:13 [music] which has no equipment on it at all, so there's nothing to go wrong.

3:18 Do you want that one, though, really, honestly, a basic model?

3:22 Cuz I bet that's all social.

3:32 Of course, it's easy to park.

3:33 It's got windows.

3:34 It's got a steering wheel.

3:37 There we are.

3:39 Next.

3:53 This can happen.

3:59 Oh, and it just has.

4:01 Here we go.

4:08 Good grip.

4:11 Power!

4:14 I am now breaking the SPEED LIMIT INDOORS.

4:19 HE'S RIGHT ON MY TAIL.

4:21 This is where front-wheel-drive comes in.

4:26 Around the palm tree, there we go.

4:30 [music] HE'S TAKEN OUT COSTA COFFEE.

4:35 The baddie has made the classic baddie error.

4:39 He's got too much power.

4:42 I've got 120 horsepower in this.

4:45 You don't want any more than that on marble.

4:54 [music] Ready, Buzz.

4:55 Handbrake.

4:59 Does he have to hit absolutely everything?

5:05 Steering is light.

5:06 The turning circle is good.

5:09 I was once chased through a shopping center in Putney,

5:11 actually, in Southwest London, by baddies.

5:14 I had an original Mini, and I must say that was very good.

5:18 Just cut through every single store.

5:21 Dab of the handbrake, and there we go.

5:28 Mhm.

5:32 The car flat is STUCK IN BRITISH HOME STORES.

5:34 TURNING CIRCLE NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

5:44 OKAY, I'VE GOT TO GO AWAY.

5:47 YEAH, THIS is the roof.

5:50 6,000 rpm.

5:51 Come on.

5:54 Instruments are superb.

5:56 I mean, they're really sharp.

6:00 Handbrake.

6:05 The headlamps are brilliant.

6:07 Excellent range on full beam.

6:13 Look at him.

6:13 Look at him.

6:16 You'll never find me if we go through here.

6:20 Oh, he he is doing.

6:24 [music] [music] [music]

6:42 The upshot is that after half an hour, I got out of the shopping center.

6:48 And the vet didn't.

6:54 [music] Yes.

7:05 Very.

7:05 [music] Well, prices started around 8 and 1/2 thousand pounds,

7:18 but you need 11,000 to get a decent mid-range model.

7:22 So, if you have 11,000 pounds to spend on a car, then yes, you can.

7:27 But if you've only got You you can't.

7:43 Although it is quite large for a super mini, very large in fact,

7:46 it still fits on the Marines LCVP Mark 5 landing craft with room to spare.

7:55 And now, um, if you'll forgive me, we are approaching the beach.

7:59 The gunfire has started.

8:00 Guys, do you want to mount up?

8:07 That gunfire can be quite loud, can't it?

8:10 You got that door shut.

8:13 Barely hear IT NOW.

8:18 NOW, YOU LOOK AT [clears throat] THAT.

8:20 THE SMOKE grenades fit perfectly in the cup holders.

8:26 What about the glove boxes?

8:27 How much ammo can you get in there?

8:29 Just two mags.

8:31 The windscreen is heated, but not bulletproof.

8:37 Stand by to beach.

8:41 You cold?

8:42 Yeah, I am.

9:01 Action.

9:07 [music] Let's go.

9:15 GO ON.

9:17 GO ON, FIESTA.

9:20 OH, THAT'S QUITE A LOT DEEPER than I thought.

9:24 Look at this FOR A BEACH ASSAULT CRAFT.

9:28 [music] OH, YEAH, YOU'VE GOT A BIT OF water coming in there.

9:31 Come on.

9:32 WE NEED AIR, YEAH.

9:32 COME ON.

9:39 LET THEM ALL GO IN.

9:50 DO you want to just shoot from in here?

9:52 Is that Would that be more comfortable?

9:55 These electric windows I'll just quietly put Go.

10:02 Go.

10:02 Go.

10:03 Shoot the enemy in the MIDDLE OF SPACE.

10:10 CARRY ON.

10:11 THERE'S A BUCKET, CHAP.

10:12 HOLD ON.

10:15 THESE CARPETS ARE EXCELLENT.

10:16 NO EVIDENCE at all of the Marines' MUDDY BOOTS.

10:24 SO, THERE YOU ARE, MR.

10:25 NEEDHAM.

10:27 THE MOST THOROUGH TEST OF A CAR EVER undertaken on British television.

10:33 The Atom has come through WITH FLYING COLORS.

10:36 DRIVE SAFELY.

10:42 [music] This is what you'll have in mind.

10:45 The open road, tearing through the countryside, the wind in your helmet.

10:51 You and the machine in perfect harmony.

10:55 It is an appealing concept.

10:58 The reality, however, is somewhat different.

11:01 Because, let's be honest, you're middle-aged.

11:03 So, you'll have a bit of a gut.

11:05 And that'll look ridiculous in your leather on pursuit.

11:08 What's more, you're almost certainly going to crash.

11:11 So, someone who you perhaps don't like very much will end up with your eyes.

11:16 Don't worry, though, because I think I have a solution.

11:22 This is the Atom from a small Somerset company called Ariel.

11:28 [music] And when I say small, it only has seven employees.

11:33 What they've created though is stunning.

11:35 I think this is one of the most beautiful

11:37 cars in the world partly because it's so elegant [music]

11:41 and partly because it's such a wonderful piece of engineering.

11:46 Using the chassis as a kind of exoskeleton is just inspired.

11:55 Prices start at under 20,000 pounds and for that you get indicators,

11:59 lights, a tax disc, and that's about it.

12:02 Not only don't you get a windscreen, there isn't even any bodywork.

12:09 There really are very few components and the lovely thing is there's

12:12 that as you drive along you can see them all doing their job.

12:15 Look, there's the steering and there's the suspension.

12:19 It's brilliant.

12:22 Now at this point you're probably thinking the Atom is a bit of a laugh,

12:25 a bit of a gadget, a bit of a toy, but you'd be wrong.

12:30 Very wrong.

12:34 You see the engine is lifted from a Honda Civic

12:37 Type R and then for that little extra something it's supercharged.

12:41 So it develops 300 brake horsepower and because the Atom only

12:46 weighs 500 kilograms it means you're getting 600 brake horsepower per ton.

12:52 And that's more than you get from a Ferrari Enzo.

12:55 So, stick that in your sports exhaust, Mr.

13:00 Kawasaki.

13:05 This car goes like nothing you can possibly imagine.

13:09 If you can change gear fast enough it'll do naught to 60 in 2.9 [music] seconds.

13:18 The Atom is fast on an entirely new level.

13:25 I have never ever driven anything that accelerates so fast.

13:31 It's so quick, it can destroy your entire face.

13:37 Oh my god.

13:44 Woah!

13:47 That is unbelievable speed.

13:52 I am an alien.

13:56 Either that or I'm John Merrick.

14:00 [music] In the corners, it stopped bending my face

14:04 and used massive G-forces to tear it off.

14:10 [music] The amazing thing is is that you never ever you

14:13 never miss an apex because you can see where the wheel

14:18 hits the road and because there's no weight to pull

14:22 you out of line you HIT EVERYONE EVERY SINGLE TIME.

14:31 [music] If anything, this car's even more impressive

14:33 in the bends than it is in a straight line.

14:37 Anyone who wants to know how a car should behave should drive one of these.

14:48 This is driving nirvana.

14:52 You can forget anything you've ever driven.

14:54 Anything.

14:55 There is no car, nothing on four wheels is as fast as this.

15:01 Nothing.

15:02 But what about two wheels?

15:04 Is it possible that the Atom could be faster round our track than a motorbike?

15:10 Well, to find out, we've lined it up [music] against a Honda CBR 600 RR.

15:17 Off the line, the bike is a tiny bit faster,

15:20 but under braking for the first corner,

15:23 the Atom slid past and then it really was a case of goodbye, Mr.

15:28 Bond.

15:29 [music] Through the bend, the bike never stood a chance and even

15:33 down the long back straight up to 120 mph, it couldn't keep up.

15:43 [music]

15:42 By the time we crossed the line, the gap had widened to a massive 4 seconds.

15:51 Over the years, I've flown [music] F-15 fighters and done

15:54 power slides in airboats and strafed the desert from helicopter gunships,

15:57 but for sheer excitement, this thing is off the scale.

16:04 [music] Even so, there will still be those who say that no car,

16:06 no matter how fast it is, can ever be as exciting as a big bike.

16:11 Oh, police.

16:14 I mean, I don't have to wear a helmet in here,

16:16 which means my epiglottis is full of bees.

16:20 And there's so much wildlife in my hair,

16:24 you could film an episode of Badger Watch in there.

16:27 And what's more, this is the engineering taking sucking air in here.

16:33 And I can feel it as a pressure difference in my ear.

16:37 It feels like my brains are being sucked out.

16:44 Not as exciting as a bike.

16:46 Yeah, right.

16:55 It was designed and built in a shed by a team of just 17 men.

17:02 At the time, Dodge was strapped for cash,

17:04 so they had to use whatever they could lay their hands on.

17:10 The 8-liter V10 engine was taken from a lorry.

17:13 The wheel hubs were lifted from a pickup truck.

17:16 The body was made from old canoes

17:19 and the chassis from 19th century railway sleepers.

17:26 The end result, however, was astonishing.

17:35 [music] It had no boot, no roof, no windows, and it handled like it was drunk.

17:40 But, so many people, me included,

17:43 loved the raw simplicity that Dodge has just made a new version.

17:54 [music] Here is the result.

17:58 Of course, this being a product of 21st century America,

18:01 the health and safety people have stuck their noses in.

18:07 We have got warning notices here and here

18:10 which say that death or serious injury can occur.

18:13 Children are to be killed by the The back seat is the safest place for children.

18:21 Right.

18:21 [snorts] This one here tells me that the exhaust pipe can get hot.

18:26 Oh, this is a good one.

18:27 The vehicle may include mercury added devices including rear seat video display.

18:35 They are fairly determined it's got back seats,

18:37 but this I think is the problem with health and safety boards.

18:39 They live in a parallel universe.

18:41 This though is my favorite.

18:43 The tube support behind the seats, that's this, is not a roll bar.

18:49 This is an open vehicle.

18:52 Drive carefully.

18:54 No.

19:03 [music] If they wanted me to drive carefully,

19:09 why have they given me an engine that's even than it was in the old Viper?

19:14 It's now an 8.3 L V10 which kicks out 500 brake horsepower.

19:21 And that's a lot.

19:25 That in fact is 100 more than you got

19:27 in the old car and that means serious performance.

19:32 [music] 0 to 60 takes 3.9 seconds.

19:37 Flat out you'll be riding a tidal wave of thunder and doing 195 mph.

19:44 And this incredible turn of speed is only part of the makeover.

19:51 [music] Anyone familiar with the old Viper simply wouldn't believe

19:57 the features that are available on this one, the sequel.

19:59 I mean it has a space which could be used for transporting goods.

20:05 Look at this.

20:05 It has a roof which can be raised

20:08 and then lowered depending on prevailing weather conditions.

20:12 I love this.

20:13 If you touch this button here, glass rises out of the door.

20:18 And I love this.

20:20 The pedals can be adjusted using electricity.

20:26 This car is so sophisticated it could write its own name.

20:40 Yep, there.

20:57 It is very impressive this writing business.

21:01 But if it was really clever it would know it's not called a Viper anymore.

21:05 It's actually called the [music] SRT10.

21:09 So, don't worry.

21:10 It may look like Lord Greystoke, but underneath the new suit, it's still Tarzan.

21:18 [music] It's still an absolute animal.

21:28 It does handle in the most extraordinary way.

21:30 You get miles and miles of grip.

21:36 And then, when you reach the limits of adhesion, it kills you.

21:48 And because there's so much grip from these hugely fat tires,

21:55 you're going really, very, very fast indeed when it does let go.

22:01 There isn't even any traction control,

22:03 which would be all right if there was some finesse to the suspension.

22:07 But, there isn't.

22:10 Yep.

22:12 You tried that on the public road, you'd be branded a complete maniac.

22:17 But, the smoke.

22:21 [music] This is a psycho car.

22:24 It is a mother of violence.

22:27 On the one hand, benign and gentle and concerned for your well-being.

22:31 And on the other, an axe murderer.

22:38 No European car is this wayward.

22:41 [music] And what's more,

22:42 if you gave a European engineer 8,300 cc to play with, he'd

22:47 come up with a damn sight more than 500 brake horsepower.

22:53 We can get that much these days from a pencil sharpener.

22:58 And also, European cars are rather less ostentatious and vulgar.

23:03 We grew out of chrome wheels in 1972, Septon.

23:07 Cheshire, perhaps.

23:10 And what's more, it's not cheap.

23:12 You pay 80,000 pounds,

23:14 and they don't even put the steering wheel on the right side.

23:22 Also, I think you may tire after a while of the exhaust,

23:26 which uh just run along here, um setting fire to everything.

23:30 It could become boring.

23:38 So, it's internal combustion with a hint of spontaneous combustion.

23:43 It's wayward, it's backward, and I just [music] don't care.

23:49 It has the same brutal charm as the old one, really.

23:58 It's as stupid and as wonderful as owning a pet elephant.

24:09 Good car.

24:11 Mad, but good.

24:19 Let's try the Subaru first.

24:23 Right, so it's got a gear lever and a steering wheel and a key,

24:27 so it all seems very normal.

24:30 But, it isn't.

24:31 Because, before I set off, I have to choose how much traction control I'd like.

24:36 That means going into the vehicle dynamics control system.

24:39 Then, when you've done that, you have to choose

24:41 where you want the power from the engine to go,

24:44 front wheels or back wheels.

24:48 You can have it in auto, or you can put it into manual.

24:53 Six settings for this.

24:55 And when you've done all that, you have

24:57 to choose what kind of throttle response you'd like.

25:03 Sort of quite sporty in sport, very sporty in sport sharp, or intelligent.

25:09 This is more complicated than my daughter's mobile phone.

25:12 Honestly, I am surprised you don't drive it with one of these.

25:18 But you don't.

25:22 This car isn't an anorak.

25:24 It's where people who make anoraks go to buy their anoraks.

25:31 And life isn't much better in the new Mitsubishi Evo X.

25:38 I have even had to resort to the handbook.

25:41 Here it is.

25:42 Because there's a button here that says ASC off.

25:45 Now, chapter 4, verse 56.

25:50 And lo, an operation noise may be emitted

25:53 from the engine compartment in the following situations.

25:56 The sound is associated with checking the operations of the ASC.

26:00 At this time, you may feel a shock from the brake sufficient driving

26:08 force and steering performance as the vehicle

26:10 turns while pressing the acceleration pedal.

26:15 Who writes this?

26:17 If you push this one, I don't understand.

26:20 Oh, no, wait.

26:21 No, no, look.

26:22 I Now I see.

26:25 This is to tell it whether we're driving on tarmac or gravel or snow.

26:34 So, both these cars are complicated.

26:37 Both are Japanese.

26:38 Both have four seats.

26:41 Both have turbos.

26:43 Both have four-wheel drive.

26:45 Both were born in the world of rallying.

26:48 Both will get from 0 to 60 in under 5 seconds, and both have a top speed of 155.

26:58 So, to try and split [music] them up a bit,

27:00 I've devised a simple test involving a small group of rally enthusiasts.

27:07 Now, I know it's not very realistic.

27:09 I mean, this one on the end, for example, is uh is a girl.

27:13 Rally enthusiasts in true life have no concept of of that.

27:18 Anyway, [snorts] this is what I have in mind.

27:21 Anyone who's seen rallying on the television will know that the spectators

27:24 like to get as close as possible to the action.

27:30 So, what I'm going to do is see how close I can get

27:32 to them in each of the cars flat out without mowing any of them down.

27:39 Okay, Mitsubishi first.

27:42 I've had a 14-year-old set up all the computers for me.

27:47 So, let's see what's what.

27:57 On the very first attempt, I came within half an inch.

28:01 And that put a huge smile on the rally fans' faces.

28:05 So, now, here comes the Subaru.

28:09 Here we go.

28:17 Ooh, sadly, the teenager had set the car

28:19 up all wrong and it had understeered wide.

28:22 The spectators were livid.

28:26 I therefore decided to have another go.

28:30 Turn in, no power on, the back'll come round.

28:32 Yep.

28:37 That's the face of a man who's lost his Bovril.

28:40 So, to cheer him up, I had one last attempt.

28:43 Turn in, no power.

28:47 This went so badly, it's not really suitable for family viewing.

28:52 In the olden days, it was very close between the Evo and the Impreza.

28:56 It was like Chelsea and Manchester United, but uh but now with these new models,

29:02 it's like Chelsea and I don't know about football.

29:07 Um what team plays in red that isn't as good as Chelsea?

29:11 Not Nottingham Forest.

29:12 Not Nottingham Forest.

29:18 [screaming] And it's not just my close-quarters rally test,

29:20 either, where the Subaru falls down.

29:23 Let's be honest, shall we?

29:24 It is uglier than a war wound.

29:31 It's far too soft and wallowy.

29:37 It sounds like it's running on [music] Mogadon.

29:46 And the only reason they can sell it for 25,000

29:48 pounds is because it has fewer luxuries than I don't know,

29:52 an Egyptian's lavatory.

29:57 [music] So, let's concentrate on [music] the Mitsubish.

30:08 This is not [music] an Egyptian's khazi.

30:14 Its TV screen is a satnav.

30:16 [music] It's a graph showing you your average

30:19 speed and fuel consumption over the last 2 hours.

30:22 And it can be used to watch films from your iPod.

30:28 [music] But don't think this car is aimed at an audience

30:29 which isn't old enough to drive [music] yet.

30:38 [screaming] It will quite literally run rings round the Subaru.

30:43 It's so much sharper, so much more focused, better looking as well.

30:53 [screaming] And the engine in this FQ360 model is such a tower of power.

30:57 It can keep all four wheels spinning endlessly.

31:00 [screaming] [groaning]

31:10 I know the entry speed for this corner in a Ferrari or a Lamborghini is 65.

31:16 I've just gone in at 100.

31:20 [music] [cheering] It's just so easy.

31:26 [music] It is genuinely incredible, and I do mean that.

31:31 There is no car that handles like this one.

31:35 Even if you have a crash, it'll still keep going.

31:41 [music] I thought it would be impossible to make

31:43 a four-door saloon more exciting than the old Evo IX, but with the X, they have.