##Erin Tauga (Mk 2)
Two trims of the second generation of the Erin Tauga.
###2007 Erin Tauga Vox 3.0
Building on the success of the Mk 1 Tauga, the Mk 2 adjusted its original vision of “the saloon of the future” to be more of a continuation of the previous. It may have had a similar body, but underneath, this car was totally new. The Mk 2 was the first car of Erin’s mid-noughties wave of new cars, pioneering the new design style, introducing a brand new active suspension system and launching a new version of eDrive, Erin’s infotainment and car setup software.
Subtle hints of chrome, brand new LED headlights and angular body shaping; this was a car that looked truly of its time, and its contemporary nature meanes it still stands up today. There are subtle hints of Erin’s current design style here too.
Inside, the leather interior was improved and introduced a new palet of metallic and soft-touch plastic materials to create a comfortable and classy feel. At its centre was a 6" resitive touch screen; advanced at the time, though dated now.
Driving this thing was the real reason for buying it. While certainly efficient and fairly cheap to run, it was the handling characteristics and smooth power delivery that really distinguish this car from its rivals. Proper mechanical steering, a manual 6 speed gearbox (although a 7 speed auto was also available) and light, responsive suspension that came courtesy of the new active system. This was also one of the first cars to come with Erin’s programmable suspension setup, that allowed for up to 3 user-defined suspension settings.
All in all, this was a tasteful, enjoyable and well designed compact executive saloon.
###2008 Erin Tauga X-AllDrive
The original Tauga X was a relaxed, comfortable and astute alternative to the usual, more aggressive range of sports saloons. Come 2008, the Tauga X-AllDrive threw that out of the window with an all wheel drive system, updated 3.3l V6 engine and a redesigned active suspension system.
The result was 0-60 in 4.6 seconds and a top speed of 180 mph (and this thing didn’t come with any silly preconfigured speed limiters either), making it way faster than its rivals. Its light aluminium body was reinforced to add safety and rigidity, while the rear limited slip differential actually improved weight balanced to create a car that could dance through corners and muscle its way round everywhere else.
Turn the traction control off, and 4 wheel drifting was guaranteed. But, it wasn’t a mad car; it certainly proved to be a bit of challenge to handle when you were really gunning it, but it was still a controlled and easy to drive car. Performance with the right amount of restraint.
Perhaps its only let down was the efficiency, which did leave more to be desired. Still, the remarkably low emissions meant this car filled a sweet spot for performance vehicles in that the tax was actually affordable and that the insurance group wasn’t ridiculous. In that way, this car has done very well on the second-hand car market, maintaining its status as the interesting alternative.
