The
Noble M15 supercar is a development of the Noble M14 concept from 2004. Both cars use a 3.0 litre
twin-turbo V6, although the power output of the M15's unit is
455 bhp, 55 more than the M14's. The 0-60 time was also improved,
by exactly one second. The Noble M15 is designed to compete
with the likes of Lamborghini's Gallardo and the Ferrari F430. Below is the press release for the
Noble M15.
The M15 represents a whole new philosophy and takes the core
values of dynamic excellence, lightweight engineering, value-for-money
and blistering performance to a whole new level of comfort,
refinement and everyday usability.
At a cost of less than $130,000 the Noble M15 sits well above
other cars in the Noble range. With 455 bhp and 455 lb-ft of
torque, it's also the most powerful production car to leave
the factory, capable of hitting 60 mph from standstill in an
epic 3.3 seconds and a top speed of 185 mph. It is, therefore,
a credible and more exclusive alternative to other supercars
costing well in excess of $200,000.
Despite its destructive power, the Noble M15 remains one of
the least intimidating supercars on the markets thanks to prodigious
levels of grip and a forgiving chassis. After all, it's still
a Noble, but it's the most spectacular machine to emerge for
Barwell and may prove the definitive British supercar.
Noble M15's Exterior Design
The M15 boasts immense road presence, yet is only 7 inches longer
and 1 inch wider that the M12 at 166.5 and 74.3 inches respectively.
It remains a light machine at slightly more than 2700 lbs, lightweight
engineering is a part of Noble's DNA.
Yet despite the M15's compact dimension, the M15 is a spacious,
luxurious car with room for luggage, astonishing crash protection
and a chassis that is significantly stiffer than any Noble before
it. This is a luxurious sports car with dragon-slaying performance
as standard.
The Noble M15's Interior
Prepare to change your perception of Noble. The M15 is an irresistible
place to sit, with tactile surfaces, the aroma of quality materials,
comfort and all that important space.
That's not just in the cockpit. The M15 has 300 liters of luggage
space divided between two compartments at the front and rear,
making the M15 a practical daily driver.
Beautifully trimmed in high-grade Italian leather, the bespoke
carbon-fiber framed seats have deep cushions, crafted side bolsters
and integrated head restraints designed to keep you secure at
speed and comfortable on a long journey. The M15 represents
more than a hard charger, it's a car for continental cruising.
A new steering column in adjustable for rake and reach, provides
the perfect driving and the four-spoke, leather trimmed steering
wheel is designed for comfort as well as razor-sharp response.
An uncluttered dashboard highlights the vital information, the
rev counter and speedo neatly housed in an integrated binnacle
and the needle changes color as the revs soar.
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External review by Caroline Halford:
So, the Porsche 911. Porsche claims it is the only Super-car
you could use every day, and when Honda withdrew their NSX from
the battle, it was. But now, Britain's fighting back with the
latest from one of the best new companies: Noble.
Their first car, the M10, was a good car ruined by half-baked styling. The
M12 was more of the same, but with arguably the
best handling around today. The M400 was just an M12 on Steroids with fewer luxuries.
However, the M15 has been moved away from TVR, and there's no
doubt it's a serious match for the mighty 911.
Straight away, there's a big change. All the racing stripes
and mad spoilers have gone; it's much more grown up. Inside,
you get a Volvo Sat Navigation system that works, Air Conditioning
that works, traction
control that works, leather seats and two luggage compartments
(one in the front, one in the back) that you can actually use.
Brilliant! And it just gets better from there.
It meets all EU crash test regulations. It has airbags. And
unlike the M12 and M400, it's not made of South African plastic,
but British Aluminium. This means it's stiffer than the M400,
and so is more forgiving.
The one major thing that sets this car apart from previous Nobles
is that its engine is pointed Front to Back, not sideways. This
means better weight distributions, the engine can be mounted
lower down for a lower centre of gravity and better visibility,
they can turn the two turbochargers up, and best of all, where
the M400 only had a Mondeo gearbox, Noble have gone to Graziana,
suppliers to Ferrari, Lamborghini and Aston Martin, so now the
M15 has a big, proper gearbox that can put all the power through
those big rear wheels.
All these changes have made the M15 a phenomenal car. The twin-turbocharged
V6 produces 455 brake horsepower, 0-62 is dealt with in less
than 4 seconds, and the top speed: 196 M.P.H.! So it goes like
a super-car, sounds like a super-car, looks like a super-car
and handling is just amazing. It just doesn't understand spinning,
unlike the Ferrari 360 which spins the second you push it hard.
The Noble does everything like a super-car then. Except two
things.
It doesn't drink like a super-car. Because it only has a 3-litre
V6 engine, when you drive it normally it does 20 miles per gallon.
Even when you're tearing round a race track, it can still do
6. And it isn't priced like a super-car; for a whisker under
£75 000 it's a lot cheaper than most Ferraris and Lamborghinis.
However, there's a big problem. If it was just this against
the 911s, it would be an easy victory against all of them, besides
maybe the GT3RS. But Noble's not the only company to stand up
to Porsche.
Chevrolet and Audi have both had a go. Chevrolet have sent their
Corvette ZO6, and Audi have sent their
R8. The ZO6 is different from other Corvettes for several
main reasons. It has a huge 7-litre V8 that produces a whopping
500 brake horsepower. It handles well too, and sounds brilliant.
But sadly on the road, things aren't as good. At low speeds
it sounds like a tractor. The gearbox is clunky, it's only available
with left-hand drive, and it's much thirstier than the Noble.
But on the upside, it does only cost £60 000.
The Audi is much quieter than the Noble, and even at 150 you
still can't really hear the engine. And it's very economical
too. But, it does cost £80 000, and that's before you start
with the options list. The upside of the quiet engine is you
can drive it through villages without ruining everyone's day,
and it will pull up a bigger crowd than any 911 in town. But
that said, the Noble drew up a sizeable crowd as well, and the
Corvette was much admired.
So which is best? Well it's hard to say really. They all have
a trump card to play: the Audi is the most civilised, and has
a brilliant 4-wheel drive system. The Corvette has the brute
force, and the best soundtrack. The Noble has the handling and
the poise. But, overall, I think the Noble's the best. Ideally,
you want a car that sounds like the Corvette, drives like the
Noble and has the Audi's build quality. But since you can't,
the Noble's the best all round car.
This brings me back to the 911. With the civilised Audi, the
muscular Corvette and the nimble Noble, it's got a big fight
on its hands. And with Japan set to join in the war with their
phenomenal sounding Nissan GTR, Porsche had better raise their game.
Especially since Chevrolet are planning to launch a V10 version
of the ZO6, Audi a supercharged R8 and Noble a lightened version
of their M15, the game has just been raised. The question is,
can Porsche match it, or will the 911 become like the Honda
NSX: a car that was good for a while, but just couldn't match
its rivals.
Similar and related vehicles:
- Noble M10
- Noble M12 GTO
- Noble M12 GTO 3R
- Noble M400
- Noble M14
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