PROGRAMMES
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Show Synopsis
Road Mag brings you motoring history, motoring shootouts, new models and feature stories from the international auto scene.
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| 23 & 24 April |
• Porsche at sixty. The story of technical innovation, sporting triumphs, unforgettable milestones of automobile history:
• It’s a story told in several chapters.The history: The first Porsche. On the 8th of July 1948 Porsche registered the first 356 model, the original and the beginning of a new sports car era.
• Say Porsche and the 911 immediately springs to mind. What lies at the heart of the myth surrounding the 911, what makes the rear-engined automobile from Zuffenhausen in southern Germany so very special?
• Fame. From the beginning Porsche and motorsport have gone hand in hand. The marquee can boast 28 thousand race victories.
• With three model ranges in production Porsche is doing better than ever. The value of the Porsche shares have since 1992 risen an almost unbelievable 8 thousand percent. And in 2009 there will be a fourth badge from Porsche… the Panamera.
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| 30 April & 01 May |
• The new Skoda Superb could turn out to be a big winner... it brings a touch of luxury to a mid-class model at the price of a car in the compact class.
• These are the real heavy-weights in their category and they’re proud of it… The Land Rover Discovery TDV6 and the VW Touareg V6 TDI.
• It’s compact, light and very nippy, the new Mazda 2 Sport. Perfect for everyday driving. Agile, economical and packed with temperament.
• A dream of a job in a dream of a car. Bernd Mayländer’s workplace is a Mercedes SL 63 AMG, the safety-car at Formula One tracks.
• Three mid-class station wagons competing for the driveways of your average family, two made in Europe, one from Japan. We compare the Peugeot 407, the Toyota Avensis and the VW Passat.
• A fresh wind is blowing at Volkswagen. The new Scirocco is more attractive and better performing than ever. Famous drivers put it to the test at the 24 hours race at the Nürburgring.
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| 07 & 08 May |
• Better than ever, packed with innovation, the new BMW 7 series sets new standards in the luxury class.
• The successor to the Lancia Delta. A lot of car for relatively little money. Design expressing new values. Credibility, elegance, feasibility.
• A super-test. A dream car pushed to the limit by Mathias Lauda, the son of motorsport legend Niki Lauda. The car, a Ferrari 575 M Maranello…
• The tiny-tuner class, with just 150 horsepower these three are nevertheless good for some surprises. We compare the Mitsubishi Colt CZT, the Ford Fiesta ST and the Polo GTI.
• The Transsyberia, the marathon rally is a four-wheel adventure. It’s 7,200 kilometres from Moscow to the heart of Mongolia.
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| 14 & 15 May |
• The SUV segment of the automobile market continues to boom. Above all, compact Sports Utility Vehicles are much in demand. Now Mercedes launches the GLK in this crowded premium class. And how good is it?
• In the battle to save us from climate catastrophe emissions-free cars would be an ideal weapon. But politics and industry seem reluctant to take the boldest steps. We take a closer look.
• Super-test: James Bond’s Aston Martin Vanquish on the race track, test driven by a man with a name all motorsport fans know well. It’s Lauda Junior at the wheel.
• The Skoda Roomster, a redefinition of mobile space from the Czech Republic. It’s a little van with lots of room. We follow the development process from start to finish.
• The scorpion has re-discovered its sting! The Fiat 500 Abarth, power a plenty and a fearsome sound…
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| 21 & 22 May |
• The new BMW 3 Series, not many visible changes but with a brand new assistant.
• Zafira versus Touran, a duel in the family transporter class. Can Opel stay at the top of the new registrations table?
• Top down in summer, a weatheproof coupé in winter, the new Peugeot 308CC brings a fresh breeze to the convertible coupé class..
• The Red Bull X-Fighters, arial acrobatics on two wheels. They fight for podium places and battle against the fear of the dreaded back-flip.
• Mini and co have a new competitor, the Alfa Romeo Mito is a stylish entry in the nippy small car category.
• The son of a Formula One veteran, driver in the DTM Touring Car Series, Mathias Lauda tests the Lotus Exige on the track for our super-test.
• A macho on four wheels, pumped and buffed, the Dodge Nitro is an alternative for real men.
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| 28 & 29 May |
• In October it was time for the world's car makers to show off their latest models at the Paris Salon de l'Auto.
• Ninety year of automobile history displayed in the 5 thousand square metres of the newly re-opened BMW Museum.
• Our super-tester Mathias Lauda gets behind the wheel of a Porsche GT3.
• The Car & Sound fair in a place called Sinsheim, a must for audio fetishists, makes itself well and truly heard.
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| 04 & 05 June |
• Ford has yet another Fiesta to show off. It's the seventh generation of a model which is truly a global automobile.
• Interstate rivals, the Bavarian BMW Z4 coupè versus the Porsche Cayman S from Swabia. Who scores highest?
• Düsseldorf in autumn, the Caravan Show opens its doors to welcome over 150 thousand visitors to the world's biggest fair for campers and caravans.
• An orgy of sound and speeed, the Lamborghini Gallardo in Mathias Lauda's super-test...
• “Manufacturing for Individualists“, that's what the Wiesmann brothers promise. With the MF5 they have unveiled their latest and most powerful Gecko yet.
• The Smart's tenth birthday. All the highlights of the decade, from the first model to the present day.
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| 11 & 12 June |
• It's been around for all of 34 years, and 26 million Golfs have been sold making it Europe's absolute best-seller. Now comes generation 6.
• But let's not forget it's predecessor. We compare the best of the earlier series, the Golf, Golf GT, Golf GTI and the R 32.
• Cheap and cheerful cars from Eastern Europe. The Dacia Sandero, the best-seller from Rumania. Over a million examples of Dacia models, the world's cheapest saloon car, have been sold...
• A Maserati with versatility. The top-down Spyder is for cool cruising or hot action close to the limit on winding roads. A two-seater with potential.
• Mitsubishi's pride, the new Evolution. It's a robust sport machine with 295 horsepower and all-wheel-drive with enough power to win many friends.
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| 18 & 19 June |
• A car to enjoy, the Porsche Targa 911. The most versatile of all Porsche models has a new look, more power, uses less fuel and costs all of 100 thousand Euros...
• A battle for supremacy, the BMW X5 versus its fiercest rival, the Mercedes ML. The premium SUVs on an exacting handling test track and in tough off-road terrain. Nothing comes easily here!
• European Car of the Year 2009, the Opel Insignia. A welcome consolation for the battered Opel concern. What makes the car such a hit? We'll show you!
• The VW Beetle convertible is five years old. The classless lifestyle cabriolet or four-seater for the entire family? We'll go cruising through Florida to find out.
• The Suzuki Vitara, a cult badge since 1988 when it was the first true SUV to see the light of day. But what makes the Vitara so fascinting?
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| 25 & 26 June |
• The Ford Ka, a fun car now for twelve years and one of the very first sub-compacts. One and a half million were sold and now comes the next generation.
• A fulfilled life means building a house, fathering a child and planting a tree, or so they say. Add to that the fulfillment of an off-road driving dream in a Unimog U 4000. There’s no accounting for tastes.
• Extra-small versus extra-large, cheerful yellow versus moody black. A comparison of the incomparable between Mercedes G 270 CDI and Fiat Panda four-by-four...
• Renault Laguna Coupé, the new model tops the auto maker's model range with a harmonious and well thought through creation. French chic, indeed!
• The SsangYong Rexton 270 Xdi evaluated after twelve months of testing. We chalked up 50 thousand kilometres on all kinds of surfaces with the exotic SUV from Korea.
• The Volkswagen California, VW's camper van, is twenty years old. How does its younger rival, the Mercedes Viano, match up?
• Fast and elegant, the compact hatch-backs from Volvo, BMW and Audi. We compare the best of the diesels.
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| 02 & 03 July |
• The Corvette C6, the most famous, longest established and most successful sports car in the world. Not the 911 but, yes, the Corvette. Since 1953 a million and a half have been sold. Now there's the sixth generation.
• The Opel Insignia, international Car of the Year 2009. A bold new look, increased comfort, innovative technology and excellent safety features. Enough to help Opel out of the crisis?
• Volvo XC60, the off-roader of the year in Germany and Austria. It's an elegant cross-over from Sweden. An all-wheel-drive with sporting character, stylish design and typical Volvo security, a real winner!
• The BMW 7 series, the year's highlight in the premium class. With its many innovations the 7 series sets new standards with ultra-refined technology and undoubted appeal for well-off buyers.
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| 09 & 10 July |
• More people, more cars, and less space for them all! Intelligent solutions are needed, such as the Toyota IQ, the smallest four seater in the world.
• The Volvo S60 R, with three hundred horsepower and four wheel drive, is a racy chunk of Swedish steel. But how much of a sports car is the S60 R? We compare it to a Volvo touring car.
• The marathon rally season of 2008 left the result of the 2009 Dakar more uncertain than ever. BMW and Volkswagen closed in on Mitsubishi, as we see in the 2008 rally review.
• The monstrous Audi Q7 meets Mercedes’ noble giant, the GL 320 CDI, a head-to-head of luxury SUVs.
• The Landrover Discovery had to last us through all weather. Our extended test drive; twenty thousand kilometres of continuous day-to-day stress.
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| 16 & 17 July |
• Infiniti, the classy brand from Nissan, wants to stir up the European market with its premium SUVs. The power SUV FX50 S.
• An Audi TTS Coupe is hot property on a secret mission. Its nemesis, the Nissan 350Z, is hot on its heels.
• The Mitsubishi Pajero is 25 years old! The sporty off-roader, the undisputed record winner with twelve victories in the Dakar Rally, will sadly end its desert career.
• The not so well-behaved middle class. A three-way comparison with lots of power. Ford Focus ST versus Opel Astra OPC and Mazda 3 MPS.
• The toughest Enduro Rally in the world for motorcyclists. A five-day adventure in the wilderness. Taking part, 230 adventurous drivers.
• Finally, a delicacy for the fearless. Bikers leave safe ground behind. Life-threatening showstoppers. World records on two and four wheels.
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| 23 & 24 July |
• A serious alternative to cars with combustion engines, the Mini E. Almost silent and fully electric, it’s the drive system of the future.
• The Porsche Panamera, a four-door sports car, the ‘Space coupé’. It’s the epitome of German engineering skill, with a five hundred horsepower V8 engine.
• Trendy tyres and beautiful women, the Pirelli Calendar shoot in Africa, with the lure of wild animals and exciting scenery.
• Wild racing action, snowmobiles take on a ski resort in the Austrian Alps at eighty kilometres per hour. And the event even draws sheikhs!
• The Landrover Experience Tour, six selected drivers enjoy a torturous journey through the heat, humidity and danger of the jungle.
• An American sports car meets the toughest race course in the world. The Nürburgring puts up a good fight against the Dodge Viper.
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| 30 & 31 July |
• The Alfa 8C Competizione, a rare gem. Four hundred and fifty horsepower and timeless design, reminiscent of the sports coupés of the Fifties and Sixties.
• The new Mitsubishi Colt on an eco-kick. An automatic stop-and-go system and its environmental package reduce CO2 emissions.
• A one hundred and forty-two thousand Euro Italian sports car in the snow? Four wheel drive, winter tyres and five hundred horsepower turn it into a snowplough!
• The USA, the most important car market in the world, is in crisis. Petrol-guzzling monsters are out. Audi shows how things can be different, with a Mileage Marathon.
• Renault’s first SUV? The Koleos, designed and built in South Korea. But is its arrival in Europe too late?
• The Dakar, the toughest rally in the world, won by a diesel for the first time ever.
• The development of a winner, the Volkswagen Touareg, a real desert fox!
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| 06 & 07 August |
• For everyone who finds the ordinary 911 too tame, here comes the fastest GT3 of all time, low on comfort, but high on sportiness!
• Rock legend Gary Moore performs an international sound-check for us. A battle of V8s from America, Britain and Germany, with thousands of horsepower between them.
• Asia brings us a new category of car, a mixture between an SUV and a mini-van. It’s name, the Kia Soul, an exotic new arrival in Europe.
• For thirty six years, Ford has been competing with the Volkswagen Passat. With the help of James Bond, the third generation Mondeo is ready to end the Passat’s domination.
• The Fulda Challenge, a popular extreme sports event in Canada’s snow-covered wilderness. A cool marketing campaign with plenty of ice and snow.
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| 13 & 14 August |
• The old Zafira was sluggish and slow. But Opel has given the family car a crisp turbo-charger, and it's all green.
• A new style of mini-van. Kia presents the Number Three Concept, the “Multi Purpose Vehicle", a mixture between a compact SUV and a van.
• BMW X6 versus the Porsche Cayenne GTS. Just what are they, SUVs or sports cars? We find out the answer and compare the two on the racetrack.
• Is it “Renault” or “Reno”, “Cheyenne” or “Cayenne”, “Caiman” or “Cayman”? Here's our guide to car name pronunciation.
• Licensed for the road, designed for the race track, the Lotus Exige. We put the corner hungry English car through its paces.
• Two and a half hours is a world record for continuous drift, and guarantees an entry in the Guinness Book of Records. In pursuit of turns and dizziness with the Lancer EVO.
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| 20 & 21 August |
• Progressive Activity Sedan, the BMW Concept 5 Series GT defines a completely new class of car. A Gran Turismo with four doors and SUV features.
• Today in Patrick Simon’s test, the Audi R8 with its new V10 engine, giving it a new peak performance.
• Luxury and convenience or a glitch-ridden novelty? We test three cars with Keyless Go systems.
• From zero to three thousand metres in the Iveco Massif. The off-roader bails out rangers and hikers after a mountain climb.
• Men’s dreams come true, one of the most exclusive driving academies in the world at AMG in Lapland in Sweden.
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| 27 & 28 August |
• The 2009 Geneva Car Show, green technology takes centre stage. Electric cars progress further towards production readiness.
• The Mini, small, boxy and practical. Its fifty year popularity continues even today. Our test driver really puts the Mini John Cooper Works through its paces.
• A scrap yard unlike any other, this is a spare parts paradise for car enthusiasts. The size of four football pitches, this yard holds the most valuable scrap in the world.
• A roadster feel and powerful engines. Two-seaters entering a class of their own. The Audi TT versus the BMW Z4 Roadster.
• The BMW X5 is the dream car for many people, including for car thieves. We test out anti-theft tracking systems.
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| 03 & 04 September |
• Less is more. Suzuki defies the economic crisis with the new Alto. Tiny consumption at a competitive price.
• SL 65 AMG Black Series at Laguna Seca. Six hundred and seventy horsepower and one thousand newton metres of torque versus the most legendary corner in the world.
• Eight cylinders, five litres displacement, and a compression turbocharger. Jaguar gets serious and lets two real wildcats out of the cage with the XKR und XFR.
• Four hundred and sixty-three kilometres through the desert by buggy. European rally champion Armin Schwarz at the Primm 300.
• The ram is unleashed. Dodge gores the established middle class with the Avenger.
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| 10 & 11 September |
• Roadster or coupé? That’s not a question for BMW in future, because the new Z4 has a folding roof like the Mercedes SLK.
• Three hundred and five horsepower and four hundred and forty newton metres of torque in the new Ford Focus RS. We find out whether the rally sports car follows through on what the fierce appearance promises.
• Chris Bangle has broken with automotive design tradition. And with it, he’s turned a whole industry inside out.
• The E-Class, Mercedes’ most important model. Over sixty years of the ‘welcome home’ feeling. What can the new eighth generation do?
• Hideous or super cool? More than anything, the Daihatsu Materia wants to be noticed! Will it bring in the bucks in the compact class?
• From the living room to the race track. The GT Academy searches out the best joystick jockeys and sends them to the twenty four hour race in Dubai.
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| 17 & 18 September |
• Samurai or sumo? The Murano is Nissan’s contribution to the booming SUV segment. Is it a real alternative to the X5 and company?
• Two Audi R8s served up by luxury tuners ABT and MTM. Patrick Simon tests out which is the most delectable.
• Porsche Boxster, a modern roadster and the direct descendent of the legendary Porsche Number One. Sixty years of Porsche mid-engine DNA.
• Finale of the GT Academy. Which two Playstation gamers will drive in the twenty four hour race in Dubai?
• Breakdowns, bad luck and crashes. On the road with Uwe Zirbes and his Hummer Racing Team.
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| 24 & 25 September |
• The new BMW off-road Rambos. A hefty five hundred and fifty-five horsepower and a fierce look for the X5M and X6M.
• Breakdowns, bad luck and crashes Part Two. On the road with Uwe Zirbes and his Hummer Racing Team.
• Clash of the titans: for almost forty years it’s been the duel in the luxury segment. The Mercedes S Class versus the BMW 7 Series.
• The Suzuki SX 4 endured a strenuous year long test drive. How did the Urban Cross Car fare day to day in the hands of our editorial team?
• Sideways is better. A six hundred and fifty horsepower Mercedes takes on the Nordschleife, sideways, if possible. A very particular drift challenge.
• The Ferrari Enzo with six hundred and sixty horsepower. Top speed over three hundred and fifty kilometres per hour, price one million Euros. You can’t get more car than this.
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| 01 & 02 October |
• Evolution in hand crafting, the new Wiesmann MF 4. A Porsche competitor from the same country? The finest Roadsters with four hundred and twenty horsepower. Simply a Wiesmann!
• Revving and training at the Hungaroring in Budapest. Priceless one-of-a-kind cars in a race against the clock at the Classic Endurance.
• A car-dependent salesman compares the Audi A4, the C Class and the BMW 3 Series. Which of them will he like?
• Hard top or soft top? Opinions are divided. A review of several delicious cabriolet models. Which is the most popular?
• From a classic beast of burden to a lifestyle estate. Sporty, stylish and chic, the Opel Insignia Sports Tourer!
• Track Test! The Mercedes SLK 55 AMG. Test driver Patrick Simon puts the powerful roadster through its paces.
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| 08 & 09 October |
• Two times six cylinders, two times twin turbo and the battle for the crown of sports car construction. The Nissan GTR versus the Porsche 911 Turbo on the Nordschleife.
• Bye bye CLK! There’s an E Class coupé again. And this time, dynamics are emphasised. Plenty of power in the E500 with three hundred and eighty-eight horsepower.
• Twenty-four hours on the most dangerous race track in the world. Two hundred and thirty-five thousand spectators, six hundred and sixty drivers, and in the middle of it all, our test driver Patrick Simon.
• Two cars, one team, and two months. The goal: to build a real lowrider. Will our lowrider crew from Franconia achieve the impossible?
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| 15 & 16 October |
• Tradition continues! The most powerful TT of all time comes with a five cylinder turbo and three hundred and forty horsepower under the bonnet.
• 50 years of Mini, from ridiculed small car to global cult icon. We join fans at the huge celebration in Silverstone.
• The meeting of the silver arrows. Lewis Hamilton bids a final farewell to his Formula One car.
• The Royal Automobile Museum in Amman, Jordan. Treasures from “One Thousand and One Nights”. We take a look around.
• Part two of the lowrider report. Our guys from Franconia are under time constraints. But support is on the way, lowrider fan Manny from Berlin.
• Thirty-two litre engine, eight hundred and eighty horsepower. Making a noise and having fun! Monster diggers for everyone.
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