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Old 06-07-2010, 12:42 PM   #1
vexor
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Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada
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Default Fifth Gear - S17E03 - 17th June, 2010 - Discussion

The motoring thrills and spills continue apace with Tiff Needell, Vicki Butler-Henderson, Jason Plato and Jonny Smith. In this episode, Tiff and Jason go head to head in a pair of tasty roadsters, Vicki examines a range of compact family cars, Johnny looks at two extremes of Scandinavian engineering and Jason takes to the mountains to test an Italian supercar.

This week’s ‘Fifth Gear’ kicks off with another highspeed automotive dogfight. Jason and Tiff take to the track in a couple of £100,000 supercar roadsters – the Porsche 911 Turbo cabriolet and the Audi R8 V10 Spyder cabriolet. On paper, there is very little between these two machines. The R8’s meaty V10 produces 518bhp, compared to the Porsche’s 500bhp. However, the Porsche boasts 479lb/ft of torque, while the R8 puts down only 391lb/ft. After a drag race and a timed lap, which of these German drop-tops will come out in front?

While Jason and Tiff play around in their supercars, Vicki finds herself testing the comparatively unglamorous Nissan Cube. This distinctive mini MPV certainly looks unique, but is it actually any good? Vicki tries to ignore the Cube’s odd appearance as she compares the Japanese motor with its main rivals in the MPV market.

Elsewhere this week, Jonny examines two extreme examples of Volvo engine technology – the massive 13-litre diesel units on board a hi-tech yacht, and the small 1.6-litre engine of the S80. It is clear the huge luxury yacht delivers comfort and performance in equal measure, but does the midsize executive saloon?

Finally, Jason takes to the Italian mountains to test the latest offering from Lamborghini – the flamboyant Gallardo Superleggera. Priced at around £180,000, this 5.2-litre V10 monster delivers 562bhp and goes from 0-62mph in an impressive 3.4 seconds. Does Jason have the skills to tame this powerful Italian bull?
Superleggera
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