Welcome to Limanowa, at the longest mountainous race course in Poland.
We've brought 7 cars and one surprise with us.
We'll leave the surprise aside to present the main characters of this edition of TG: The Audi S1
- one of the most powerful small cars with 231 hp and 4-wheel drive;
we have the new Leon Cupra, which is said to be the front-wheel drive king of the Nurburgring.
We'll see how it does on this uphill stretch.
We have the fantastically looking Peugeot RCZ R with 270hp from just 1.6cc.
The next two cars are very interesting - they look similar
because they are both blue and have similarly shaped bodies.
They both have turbocharged engines delivering 300hp.
These are the BMW M235i and the new Subaru WRX STI.
Don't confuse it with the Impreza because Subaru has recently changed its nomenclature.
Finally, we have 2 very powerful cars:
the Jaguar F Type Coupe with a 550hp 5-litre turbocharged engine
and the Porsche 911 Turbo S with an output of 560hp and 4-wheel drive.
Still, they're nothing compared to this.
The Audi Quattro, a car specced specifically for mountain races.
This car will set lap time for us.
Mr Wojciech Bełtowski, the car's owner and a great race driver, will sit at the wheel.
Bełtowski's Audi Quattro is a replica of the legendary group B rally car.
Thanks to a huge turbocharger, this particular model produces 520hp and 680Nm.
The car weighs just over 1,100 kg, which gives it the best weight to mass ratio among today's contestants.
That paired with permanent 4-wheel drive and performance tyres makes it a sure bet,
which will be our benchmark to measure the performance of the new sports cars vs. rally cars.
The driver climbed up the 1.8km slope in 58 s but not without a struggle
- at high speeds the tarmac turned out to be uneven and treacherous.
Time for production cars.
We start with the slowest ones.
And here comes the first surprise.
The 300hp Subaru WRX STI with a powerful turbo
and all-wheel drive did not impress us during the climb.
We put it down to ordinary Michelin tyres which were completely wrong on this car,
couldn't deliver torque to the tarmac and caused unpleasant skids in corners.
Time: 1 min and 5s. Pity because it has potential for a better result.
The 30hp less powerful Peugeot RCZ R achieved the same result.
Its front-wheel drive complemented with a diff
let us make the most of its capabilities right from the start.
The 1.6L engine with a calmly working turbo was getting
slightly short of breath uphill, but overall the car did great.
It's driving proof that a torsion beam rear axle is not an issue in fast cornering.
Here comes another surprise.
The Audi S1.
We'd sniggered at its attempts to pose as an heir to the legendary Quattro,
but when we eventually sat at the S1's wheel, we appreciated the work of Audi engineers.
Here too, we have an AWD, which makes it possible to unleash the full potential of the engine.
It now has a multi-link rear suspension, which has vastly improved handling.
Time: 1min 3.3 s is really impressive.
And now for the segment classic.
Rear-wheel drive, a powerful front-mounted engine and a coupe body style: the BMW M235i.
Fine-tuned electronics which manage ESP and traction control help to harness over 300hp on tarmac.
Time: 1min 2.4s is not bad, plus, you can have real fun in this car.
We've just received some very important news.
The Leon Cupra is no longer the front-wheel drive king of the Nurburgring.
It's been overthrown by the Megan 275 Trophy R, however on our mountainous course
it showed its best side, offering 100% of its potential right from the start.
Its lap time of 1min 2.3s surprised us all
but also confirmed its effectiveness at a demanding track.
The credit must also go the well-tuned suspension and diff.
Now, on to the realm of great power and great emotions.
The 550hp 2WD Jaguar F Type R is a skittish beast.
If it wasn't for its great ESP it wouldn't make it back from Limanowa on its own wheels.
This car requires a firm hand and confident driving style.
Rearing, kicking and leaping, it devours tarmac at an incredible pace.
It cleared the slope in 59.6s, just 1.6s more slowly than the Audi Quattro.
Impressive result.
Its weakness, which is fishtailing, can be turned into a strength and a source of great fun.
And here comes our favourite in the race.
We hoped for the best time but the turbo stopped boosting and we had to
content with having a calm ride with the top down.
Pity because the Porsche had a chance to outshine the others in Limanowa.
After the emotional day we took a ride in this fantastic region
to gather up thoughts and make a wrap-up of the test.
Right, time to work again after the day's toil.
The whole day of driving on a closed section of the mountainous course is now behind us.
We've made many interesting observations.
Firstly, we were disappointed with the Porsche, in which the turbochargers
failed and so we couldn't measure its lap time.
Secondly, we were hugely surprised by the Jaguar, which turned out to be just marginally
slower than Mr. Bełtowski's Audi Quattro, and thirdly, we were even more surprised by the fact
sitting for the first time at the wheel of such hatchbacks as Leon Cupra or Audi S1
we could drive faster than in the Impreza WRX STI.
Which does not mean that the Subaru is a bad car, it only requires a bit better and more skilled driver.
Now, I wonder, if I were to choose just one car for the ride back home, which one would that be?
I'll keep on wondering and you just take a good look at them.