Car UK May 2019

NEW 911 vs McLAREN vs R8
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HOW GOOD IS PORSCHE’S NEW CARRERA S?
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FI LED
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KE + U
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How do you
+T
top an F40?
Meet the owner choosing
from a GT3, 720S & Pista
BMW 3-series
vs all comers
The reborn benchmark. Seven rivals. One definitive verdict
ALFA GIULIA + MERCEDES C-CLASS + AUDI A4 + LEXUS ES + PEUGEOT 508 + BMW X2 + JAGUAR E-PACE
M AY
2019
ISSUE 682
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‘I don’t do a The Formula 1 New BMW X7:

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Insider
10 The hardcore new Ferrari – and what’s next
13 Georg Kacher’s hot news bulletin
14 Meet the R8’s all-electric sequel
16 Why – and how – Ford must reinvent itself
18 CAR’s Formula 1 rich list
20 The CAR Inquisition: DS’s sales honcho
22 Watches: chronographs worthy of a winner
20 64 Can anything
topple the 3-series?
110 102
Tech 82 Coffee with CAR:
Goodwood’s Duke of Richmond
24 The fresh thinking in Fiat’s BEV concept
26 CAR explains Morgan’s shock modernisation
82 He’s the aristocrat behind some of the world’s
best-loved motorsport festivals. We’re CAR.
Our place is Peterborough, so we went to his
28 Meeting of minds Hybrid supercars debated 90 Giant test: Porsche 911 Carrera S
30 Does it work? Precision-reversing BMWs vs Audi R8 vs McLaren 570S
Latest 911 cross-examined by its closest rivals
162 Retro tech The slow death of the gearlever
102 Inside Koenigsegg
We go behind the scenes as Sweden’s
supercar manufacturer readies a very
First drives special newcomer
110 The shortlist: how the hell do you
32 The 300-mile test BMW X7 follow a Ferrari F40?
42 Porsche 911 Convertible Maybe a Pista? Perhaps a Porsche 911 GT3 RS?
Or how about a McLaren 720S, with a Track
46 BMW 1-series prototype Pack for good measure?
50 Audi SQ2 118 Dick Seaman and the legend
52 Porsche Cayman T, BMW 7-series, BMW of the SIlver Arrows
8-series Convertible, Jaguar XF Sportbrake In 125 years of Mercedes motorsport, no story
resonates down the decades quite like the tale
Opinion 90 of the British gent driving for the Nazi-backed

factory team
Our cars
55 Your letters, including the magnificence of
BMW’s i3 and why talking about the
Aventador’s infotainment is missing the point The big reads 124 You drive our cars: BMW 8-series
60 Gavin Green: consumer electronics vs the car 64 BMW 3-series versus all comers Readers try the editor’s M850i
We know it’s good – but how good? BMW’s
62 Mark Walton meets the latest Ariel Atom
new 320d squares up to C-Class Merc, A4, 140 One year on: VW Golf GTE
143 The Good, the Bad & the Ugly Giulia, X2, E-Pace, Peugeot 508 and Lexus ES Living with the hybrid hatchback
Welcome
‘Ridiculous. One apparently now redundant. The electric future
resets everything, and so I find myself grieving
does not simply

for an age that, while not behind us, is surely on
borrowed time.
Does Honda feel the same? Secretly, I think
“get over” it does. A couple of years ago I visited its
Collection Halls in Japan. Ostensibly Honda’s
Star
contributors
combustion museum, it’s also a shrine to the wonder of the
internal combustion engine and one compa-
engines’ ny’s passionate love affair with it. And at the

recent Geneva motor show, at which Honda
shouted about its battery-electric e Prototype
It’s not often that, in the course of a casual city car, I spoke with the car’s project leader,
Saturday morning drive and a chat, you find Kohei Hitomi. I told him that for me Honda
yourself facing an unpleasant truth you’ve been was synonymous with great engines. Did it
avoiding for years. I had planned to sit in the plan to build the same reputation with motors?
passenger seat of ‘my’ BMW M850i and simply ‘When comparing engines with electric
ask reader Andy Cole what he thought of the motors, the differences in characteristics
car. (The story’s in Our Cars, on p126.) and performance will be smaller,’ he told me,
But then things got a bit heavy. Like us, looking a little sad. ‘In the past Honda made
Andy’s an enthusiast. Like me, he’s moved by a John Wycherley is a wizard, albeit with a
a difference; with an engine’s characteristics, camera rather than a wand. The proof of this
good Bavarian straight-six; they do something its performance and its reliability. This will is his BMW 3-series shoot on p64.
to him. Or rather, they did something to him. change with the move to electrification. We
‘I think I’m over internal combustion engines,’ will probably have to look elsewhere to make
Andy told me, matter of factly. Ridiculous, this Honda difference.’
I thought to myself. One does not simply ‘get I could have hugged him. Don’t worry, Kohei,
over’ combustion engines. together we can get through this. My garage –
But over the next couple of days it dawned and my beer fridge – are always open.
on me that, like or not, I’ll have no choice but
to get over engines. This ushered in a feeling of Another month, another couple of awards.
profound sadness, so last night I cracked open This month we’ve cleared space in the trophy
a beer, wandered into my garage and sat a while cabinet for further recognition of CAR’s
contemplating my little shrine to the engine. standout writing: Ben Oliver for feature writer
Having replaced a popped bulb in its and James Taylor for road tester, at the recent
instrument cluster and fixed its silent horn, Newspress awards. You’ll find irrefutable
I replaced the fairing on my 1991 Honda Ben Oliver, CAR’s highly decorated feature
evidence of their greatness on pages 118 writer, meets Goodwood’s irrepressible
VFR400, with its 399cc V4: 15,000rpm redline and 110. Duke of Richmond on p82.
and 55bhp (138bhp per litre to the Ferrari 812 Enjoy the issue.
Superfast’s 121bhp…). Then I glanced up, at
the vast print of the single most impressive
Formula 1 car yet conceived, the McLaren
Mp4/4: a holy – and almost perfect – combi-
nation of Gordon Murray free-thinking and
another superb Honda engine, the turbo V6 (a Ben
pretty punchy 433bhp per litre).
What a waste. A century of hard-won
Miller
expertise, gleaned and proven in competition, Editor
WE’RE ALSO PUBLISHED IN:

There are some emotions you expect to
experience reading a magazine. Gavin
CHINA SPAIN INDIA BRAZIL ITALY TURKEY KOREA GREECE Green’s story (p118) breaks all the rules.
MAY 2019 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 9

Insider Cars, people , sCoops, motorsport,
analysis – the month aCCording to CAR
the storm
New car
debrief before the calm
Ferrari’s head may be busy perfecting hybrid and SUV newcomers,
but its heart has been obsessing over this: the track-only P80/C,
a gorgeous one-off based on the 488 GT3 racer
10 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | MAY 2019

s
elling dreams – not the cold, hard process of building Dino. (And, it seems, the De Tomaso Pantera, but that might Track-only,
cars – is Ferrari’s real business. Most of the planet just be us.) and using
488 GT3
dreams of driving Maranello’s sports cars, even if Track-only, and therefore freed of all sorts of painful homolo- hardware.
only a monstrously privileged minority ever will. gation requirements, the P80/C is based on the 488 GT3 chassis. So not
shabby
And if banging down a deposit on a new F8 Tributo is pretty Double whammy: a seriously talented track-going mechanical
dreamy, imagine the level of pinch-me-this-is-nuts associated package, straight out of the box, plus a modest increase in
with commissioning, from scratch, your own one-off Ferrari. wheelbase (+50mm) to help create a delectable set of propor-
Last year, with the SP1 and SP2 Monzas, Ferrari launched tions for Ferrari’s design team, working under the talented
its Icona programme: a series of big-money, tiny-volume Flavio Manzoni.
machines designed to boost revenue without seriously inflating A full four years in the making, the P80/C is a deftly balanced
production volumes or damaging brand equity. alliance of the past and present. The visor-type windscreen
But the car you see here, the P80/C, is not an Icona car – it graphic, concave rear screen and louvred aluminium rear
goes beyond even that rarefied level of Ferrari ownership, to one engine cover are unashamedly retro, as are the 250 LM-style
at which your car is unique and exactly as you want it. flying buttresses where the roofline melds with the rear deck,
While the P80/C’s owner will remain anonymous, clearly while the taut surfacing and brutally race-inspired, entirely
this individual is one of pretty immaculate taste. The brief was open rear end reference both Ferrari’s 21st century GT cars and
to create a modern sports prototype inspired by a couple of the hypercars like the LaFerrari.
most beautiful Ferraris in the back catalogue: the P4 and the Performance promises to be startling, not least because – ⊲

Freed of the cloyingly
strict GT3 rulebook,
the P80/C can run
entirely unrestricted
freed of the cloyingly strict rulebook that shapes modern GT3
racers – the P80/C can run entirely unrestricted. Its race-bred
twin-turbo V8 goes without air restrictors of any kind, while
its aerodynamics have been sculpted without compromise;
hence the vast front splitter on the catamaran-style nose,
and the monstrous rear diffuser and full-width rear wing in
carbonfibre. Painstakingly optimised by the project’s aero engi-
neers, the body’s downforce works with the full, track-hugging
under-body aero of the 488 GT3 base car. The end result is reck-
oned to be five per cent more efficient than the racer – handy
should the P80/C ever find itself battling a 488 GT3 on the most
outlandishly exotic of trackdays…
Irrelevant? Of course. Meaningless? Far from it. As it
recovers from Sergio Marchionne’s sudden passing and a fresh
onslaught from rivals new (and predominantly EV) and old
(Aston Martin, McLaren and a resurgent Lamborghini), the
P80/C is proof that Maranello’s magic touch is alive, well and
uniquely powerful.
Who else could turn out a poster-ready instant classic P80/C comes
with show rims
inspired by a peerless back catalogue, built upon the and a set of
foundations of a cutting-edge racer and realised by an track-ready 18s
engineering team blooded at the sharp end of Formula 1?
Ferrari’s fightback plan

Battling rivals on all fronts, Maranello is under pressure. Here’s how it’s rising to the challenge
1 2 3
The hybrid cometh Full electric? China: the challenges
Ferrari’s first hybrid since Not just yet… and the opportunities
the LaFerrari is imminent. Despite the proliferation ‘In contrast with other
In March, Maranello of EV hypercars, Ferrari’s manufacturers, we have
debuted the F8 Tributo, in no hurry to ditch always tried to grow
successor to the 488 petrol. ‘This technology organically in China,’
GTB and Ferrari’s last is not mature enough to says Galliera. ‘We are
non-hybrid V8 supercar. talk about a Ferrari with not experiencing any
‘It’s unfair to say the only electric power,’ says drop in demand, and we
F8 Tributo will be the technology officer Michael have a strong portfolio
last non-hybrid V8 Leiters. ‘With Ferrari we of people willing to wait
Ferrari supercar,’ says are talking about sound for a Ferrari. For the
Enrico Galliera, Ferrari’s and weight – these are future we are developing
chief marketing and key. For these reasons an the V6 engine, which
commercial officer. ‘But all-electric car does not has benefits in terms of
it’s correct to say that the fit with us right now. We duties exemption [3.0
next [V8 supercar] will work to create emotions. litres is a key tax threshold
probably be hybrid. This If you have to enhance in China] and also
will come very soon – a the sound, that is one electrification – this will
couple of months from thing; but creating it from give us the possibility to
From left, Michael Leiters, Enrico Galliera and Louis Camillieri now.’ scratch is something else.’ create a new approach.’

Insider
Georg
Kacher’s
inside line
BMW and Merc buddy

up… Audi’s radical plans
for transition to electric…
BMW and Mercedes have gone Zetsche’s successor Ola Källenius
public with their plans to pool and BMW chief Harald Krüger are
resources as they tackle some of believed to have both tasked their
the big challenges of mobility: teams with exploring cost-effective
ride hailing, car sharing, charging, ways of differentiating shared
parking and the role of public architecture, so that a Merc
transport. But there may be much still looks, drives and performs
more afoot: over a year ago the differently from a BMW. Everything
rival German companies started you see, touch or feel needs to be
discussing how to work together bespoke. Comments a member
on underpinnings for some of their of the Mercedes delegation: ‘In a
cars. So far no agreement has first step, we established a brand
been reached, but the matter may bible which lists the critical do’s and
evolve into something concrete don’ts. Now we are in the process
even before Daimler CEO Dieter of separating the items that should
Zetsche steps down in May. be standardised from the elements
that must not.’
If it happened, it could result in
shared elements for the 2025 The plan of course excludes
Expect the next 1-series and 2024’s follow-up to the Audi, which has more than
Ferrari V8 supercar Mercedes A-/B-Class. enough partnerships on the go
to be a hybrid
4 5 Savings would run into the
as part of the VW Group. But
Audi’s not short of ideas for the
billions of euros. But, adds a BMW transitional decade during which
Work continues on Sergio Marchionne’s engineer who’s on the joint task it will make combustion-engined
the ‘spectacular’ vision survives force: ‘Such a deal is of course also cars as well as EVs: a fresh
Purosangue (broadly speaking) a highly political affair with the approach to micromobility, a
‘The plan is to launch ‘I’d say there’s been a traditionalists on both sides being more aggressive approach to cell
particularly sceptical.’ chemistry in combination with
[Ferrari’s SUV] in 2022 – change in style [since higher voltages, a limited-edition
that hasn’t changed,’ says previous CEO and The idea would be to develop two solid-state halo car manufactured
CEO Louis Camillieri. chairman Marchionne’s platforms: MX-1 for small to midsize exclusively from 3D printed parts,
‘I’m not concerned about death last year] – we vehicles (think 1- to 3-series) and a pair of h-Tron fuel cell vehicles,
MX-2 for mid- to full-size cars the e-Tron Plus system boasting a
being late [with the SUV]. developed the strategy as (E-Class and up). combination of performance and
I’m more concerned about a team,’ says Camillieri. range batteries complete with
being the best, and I’m ‘With these cars it’s a Both companies have solid plans Beast mode (take that, Tesla), and
confident that we will be. question of detail. The in place for the period between a modular one-engine-does-it-all
Sometimes you have to fundamental strategies now and 2025; this mooted approach to PHEVs, where various
scheme is about being ready for batteries are paired with the same
take your time in order to have not changed the day when demand for EVs scalable petrol-fed four-cylinder
get the best result. There’s dramatically, and they takes off. engine.
been some scepticism shouldn’t, but when you
[about a Ferrari SUV] consider the specific
but we’re confident that models, the details and
when the Purosangue the customer focus, that’s
finally comes out it will be where there have been AI:me is part of
spectacular.’ changes.’ Audi’s blue-sky
thinking on
urban mobility

Insider
Why wait for an

Future
scoop electric 911? Factfile
Audi’s e-Tron family hits hyperdrive in 2022 with the GTR, P OW E R TR A I N
Three electric motors, 95kWh
an electric replacement for the R8. By Georg Kacher solid state battery, 650bhp,
all-wheel drive
CHASSIS
Aluminium monocoque
DUE
2022
PORSCHE STREAMLINED
PLUS EXTRA AUDI LINE-UP
PRACTICALITY
To help make every part
Audi’s foreseeable of Audi profitable in the
future does not include face of the slim margins
a single sports car on electric cars, CEO
that’s pure Ingolstadt. Bram Schot is in the Hans-Joachim
Get used to it – the EV midst of a product cull. Rothenpieler
age will see more, not Some cars and many
engine variants will R&D chief
less, sharing of ideas
and hardware. In any be killed off. On the
AUDI’S PATH case, the R8 has always
PB18 CONCEPT provisional casualty
‘Audi Sport must
TO 650BHP had a healthy dose
MADE REAL list are the stillborn
have e-mobility,
and our icons for
of Lamborghini in its five-door A3 sport
After this year’s e-Tron Audi’s California design the brand must
DNA. In the case of the coupe, the three-door
SUV and Sportback, team under Gael Buzyn become electric. We
e-Tron GTR, the key A1/S1, the A5 coupe
2020 will bring a have already designed are in discussions
donor is Porsche: the and convertible, the TT
production version of a body that could very regarding the sporty
Taycan’s J1 platform will twins, the R8 and the
the e-Tron GT concept plausibly become the cars and the RS
be tweaked for Audi proposed A8-based
(above). Expect 575bhp e-Tron GTR: the two-door, vehicles – they
dynamics and extra A9 coupe (concept
from two electric two-seat PB18 shooting will need a change
passenger-friendly pictured below).
motors, with 0-62mph brake-style concept towards e-mobility.
practicality. The e-Tron GT
in 3.5sec. But 2022’s (above) was one of the
still-secret GTR is hits of last year’s Pebble will come towards
expected to have more Beach show in the USA. the end of 2020 –
than 650bhp from a Expect the aggressive that’s the first step.
solid-state battery, front end to stay, along Electrically, you can
offering a 0-62mph with a layout that puts control things more,
time closer to two EV hardware behind the and have more
Illustration: Avarvarii
seconds, wireless driver rather than under of an emotional

charging and a range the floor, allowing it to influence on driving
of 300 miles. stay low. behaviour.’

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New European
boss Rowley
with Kuga and
Explorer: thinking
Staring into the

the unthinkable
abyss: Ford’s
8-point plan
Dismal losses in Europe are triggering a
radical reinvention. By Phil McNamara
1 Embrace the problem

Operations specialist Stuart
Rowley, who led Ford’s US turnaround,
has ben parachuted in to help salvage
the European division. It lost $398m in
2018, and Ford’s European market share
has dived by 2.5 per cent since 2009. GM
pulling out of the region has made the
unthinkable thinkable – so it’s do-or-die
with this radical plan.
2 Prune the dead wood

Loss-making cars such as the
Ka+ and C-Max are being culled, and
the Mondeo’s future looks bleak as the
US won’t invest in new saloons. Options
lists will be simplified, and customers
lured into higher-margin trim lines ST- plug-in hybrids. The new Kuga range could yet cause a huge financial shock in
Line, Titanium and Vignale. includes all three. Its 2.0-litre diesel Ford’s biggest European market.
will be offered with a 48-volt electrical
3 Yet more SUVs
Only one in five Euro Fords
system to boost efficiency, while the
PHEV mates a 2.5-litre petrol with an
7 Foreigners welcome
Ford will bring more imports
is an SUV. The Ecosport has better electric motor, for 29g/km of CO2 and 31 into Europe, buoyed by the success of
margins than a Fiesta, so Ford is miles of zero-emission range. the Mustang, worth 10,000 lucrative
doubling down with a new entrant sales a year, and Europe’s best-selling
in that space, the Puma. This small
crossover, with curvy haunches,
5 Roll out EVs
Next year also brings a new
pick-up, the Ranger. Next up is the
seven-seat Explorer SUV, a US mainstay
wraparound lamps and lots of interior battery electric vehicle to rival Jaguar’s since the ’90s. It gets a V6 plug-in hybrid
space, goes on sale in early 2020. i-Pace. The ‘Mustang-inspired’ crossover for the mainland, but won’t reach
should offer a 370-mile range, better the UK: the case for right-hand-drive
Transit is one of 4 Hybrids galore

Ford will introduce eight
than anything currently on the market.
All these electric cars are needed to help
doesn’t add up.
Ford’s European
successes; EV
version due 2021
electrified cars this year, as it rolls out
mild hybrids, ‘self-charging’ hybrids and
Ford meet its CO2 obligations, with big
financial penalties for failure. ‘We will
8 Vans and Volkswagen
While the European division
comply,’ president Rowley told CAR. He’s posted a negative 1.3 per cent margin,
also looking into synergies from tapping Ford’s vans business makes double-digit
Volkswagen’s electric-vehicle know-how. profits. Turkey’s low-cost Transit facility
should become even more profitable
6 The human cost
In Germany 5000 out of
by making the Transporter van, as part
of the Ford-VW alliance. And Ford is
23,000 jobs will go, and the UK’s 12,000 keen to stay ahead of the pack with
workforce will be pared back too. A plug-in Transit and Tourneo vans, vital
transmission factory in Bordeaux will be for curbing city air pollution. Ford is
shuttered, and Ford has bailed out of its Europe’s number one for vans – the rest
passenger-car business in Russia. Brexit of the business needs to catch up fast.

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The Formula 1
rich list* POOR FORM, POOR
Poor early-season form
in 2018 cut his earning
power for 2019. Team-mate
Magnussen not a big earner
either – just a solid performer
Private jets, Monaco pads, substantial earning a solid wage.
jewellery – evidently F1 pays well. But which

drivers and teams are sitting prettiest?
THE DRIVERS YOUNGEST BRIT EVER

*Based on the highly Rookie year and a rookie’s
educated guesswork of our salary for newcomer Norris.
F1 man Tom Clarkson Still, not bad for Britain’s
youngest ever F1 driver.
Team-mate Sainz earns more
but brings sponsors with him.
CARLOS
ROMAIN SAINZ
KEVIN GROSJEAN
LANCE DANIIL ROBERT ANTONIO McLAREN
GEORGE LANDO ALEXANDER MAGNUSSEN
RUSSELL NORRIS ALBON STROLL KVYAT KUBICA GIOVINAZZI
ALFA ROMEO
HAAS
HAAS
£2.3m £3m
WILLIAMS McLAREN TORO ROSSO RACING POINT
£0.8m
TORO ROSSO
£0.8m
WILLIAMS
£0.8m £0.8m £1.5m
£380,000 £380,000 £380,000
THE TEAMS
RACING POINT ALFA ROMEO HAAS WILLIAMS TORO ROSSO RENAULT F1

£98m £106m £106m £113m £113m £151m
A brilliantly efficient The influx of oodles Owner Gene Haas A decent budget, yet Lots of Japanese yen A lot of money, yes,
team that punches of Alfa Romeo money remains the team’s the team scored just flow into Toro Rosso’s but still way short
well above its budget. into the team formerly biggest sponsor, but seven points over the coffers courtesy of of the top three
With more money know as Sauber his contribution is course of the 2018 its engine deal with teams. You sense
from new owner has given the Swiss scaling back with the season. That works Honda. A serious the need for greater
Lawrence Stroll, the operation its biggest arrival of sponsors out at just over £16m B-team for Red Bull commitment if they’re
only way is up. budget in years. Rich Energy. per point… Racing. to really challenge.

Insider
KING LEWIS
New, mega-lucrative two-
year contract for the five-time
champ. Endorsements on LEWIS
BRIDESMAID AGAIN
top, too, and he gets to keep HAMILTON
the lot because he doesn’t MERCEDES
With Fernando Alonso gone
from the sport, Vettel is now
have a manager taking a cut.
£38m
F1’s second-highest earner.
Team-mate Charles Leclerc
gets £3.8m. Peanuts, but
a big hike over last year. SEBASTIAN
VETTEL
FERRARI
£30m
MAX VALUE
Big bucks, but worth every
RENAULT’S BIG PLAY penny if you’re Red Bull. As
Compared to Red Bull, this quick as anyone, and just
is a significant salary hike for waiting for a car that can
the Aussie. Mind you, Renault challenge Ferrari and Merc.
offers a smaller points bonus
than his previous employers,
so swings and roundabouts.
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
DANIEL RED BULL
RICCIARDO
RENAULT £15m
£15m
VALTTERI
KIMI NICO BOTTAS
CHARLES PIERRE RAIKKONEN HULKENBERG MERCEDES
SERGIO
PEREZ
LECLERC GASLY ALFA ROMEO RENAULT £6m
FERRARI RED BULL
£4.5m £4.5m
RACING POINT
£3.8m £3.8m
£3m
MCLAREN RED BULL RACING

£166m £250m FERRARI
£340m MERCEDES
The fourth biggest The team will tell you ‘it’s all £371m
budget in F1, yet about the can’, yet only one F1’s most historic team got
McLaren scored half fifth of the team’s budget more cash from owners Unbelievable sums to get
the number of points of came from Red Bull in 2018. Liberty (£144m) than two cars on the grid 21
fourth-placed Renault. That’s because they have anyone else, but they still times. More than £132m
2018 prompted a return lots of outside sponsors managed to spend less than came from Liberty; budget
to the drawing board… now, such as Aston Martin. Mercedes. cap, anyone?

The CAR
inquisition
A r n A U d r i b A U lt
DS SAleS AnD
mARketing chieF
‘We can
do much
better in
the UK’
Fluent in French automotive iconography, can Arnaud Ribault bring some of that magic to DS?
A
rnaud Ribault joined Citroën straight out of busi- UK deliveries of the baby Crossback with internal combus-
ness school, captivated by the company’s Traction tion engines start next month, then a pure electric version
Avant, the ’30s model that popularised front-wheel follows late in the year with around 200 miles of range. DS
drive, the ’50s DS with looks and technology from is charged with being PSA Groupe’s tech incubator, helping
the future, and its wedgy ’90s tribute act the XM. Having worked amortise R&D expenses with its higher sticker prices; every new
for the group all his career, Ribault’s a Citroën guy to the core. DS will have either a plug-in hybrid or pure EV derivative, before
Except when he’s not. solely combustion-engined models die out from 2025.
Ribault is now the marketing mastermind attempting to This is why Ribault is ploughing his marketing budget into
establish DS Automobiles as a standalone French luxury brand, the Formula E electric race series. ‘Two things we bring from
spun off from its Citroën parent four years ago. The recipe is competition to road cars. One is data management software
a network of bespoke stores offering higher-grade customer for energy [flow], the other is energy regeneration. The DS 3
service and convenience, to underpin six all-new cars in the E-Tense will regenerate 25 per cent of its range in city driving.’
space of six years. But it’s not just about technology transfer. Formula E has
The first was last year’s DS 7 Crossback, an Audi Q3 SUV rival; a following in the important Chinese market, and DS has
this year’s offering is the DS 3 Crossback – a supermini-sized doubled down on that by switching its partnership from
SUV. It will be the baby of the range, which means no direct Virgin Racing to Chinese team Techeeta. Ribault claims the
replacement for the DS 3 hatchback, a big success in the UK. series generates more media exposure than the World Rally
‘The marketing playbook says if you have a good product, Championship, and its big city street races attract a younger,
illustration chris Rathbone
stick with it,’ explains the 46-year-old executive. ‘But our road more progressive demographic than circuit racing. And it’s a
map is [only] to have six cars. The decision was not just about perfect place for DS to gain legitimacy by competing with rival
replacing DS 3 but building a brand. You can’t build it in small premium brands: BMW, Jaguar and Audi this season, Mercedes
premium hatchbacks; we have more [global] potential with an and Porsche factory teams the next.
SUV, a longer car with five doors.’ It can only help boost awareness: the brand registered just
20 cARmAgAZine.cO.Uk | MAY 2019

Insider
53,300 cars worldwide in 2018, with around 10 per cent coming

from the UK. ‘We accept we are a challenger brand. But we can
do much better in the UK. We have work to do to gain credibil- Fourth Tesla takes
ity with customers in the C and D segment. Our early adopters
are highly educated with a high level of income who are looking fight to Euro rivals
for something exclusive. They understand French luxury but it
takes time to grow this customer [base] in the UK.’ Model 3-based seven-seat SUV revealed
One key challenge is to build up DS residual values, to reduce
depreciation and make the cars’ monthly leases more com-
petitive. The executive team are judged on their performance A Tesla Model 3 on stilts
in this area, with the brand lagging its Audi benchmark. ‘We New Model Y is positioned as a compact
have to sustain ourselves [the DS brand], so we have to sustain a SUV to rival the forthcoming BMW iX3 and
higher RV: people don’t want to pay more.’ Volvo e-XC40, but you could argue it’s just
Despite the desire to get cars on the road, Ribault is adamant a taller Model 3 on tip-toes: three-quarters
the brand won’t force cars into the market with big discounts. of its parts are interchangeable. Seating for
‘Our price elasticity is different to other PSA Groupe brands: the seven, with sales from late 2020.
more we decrease in price, the less we sell. If we are not at the
price of BMW, premium brand customers get suspicious!’
There are some grounds for optimism: the 7 Crossback is
France’s top-selling SUV, at a toppy average transaction price of Meet the family
€49,000 (it’s £37,000 in the UK). And there’s no turning back with The Model Y completes Elon Musk’s
3 Crossback pricing: the £21,550 entry point is noticeably higher naffly named S, 3, X, Y core model range.
than the outgoing hatchback’s. Although it wasn’t the first Tesla, the
The funding has been secured for six models covering the company as we know it was built on
heart of the market, perhaps culminating in a flagship EV the Model S, which kicked off the quiet
to take on Tesla. All Ribault will say is that battery and motor revolution in 2012.
developments allow DS to chase the ambition of an EV with
500km (310 miles) of range and 400hp by the end of this product
cycle. ‘Volvo is known for safety, Audi for vorsprung durch
technik,’ he says. ‘Our dream is in 20 years’ time, customers will The 1000mph SUV (sort of)
say DS stands for refinement and technology.’ Two battery capacities will be sold:
PHIL McNAMARA Standard Range costs $39,000 (£30k)
with 230 miles of range, while the $47,000
(£36k) Long Range is claimed to manage up
Six questions only we would ask to 300 miles. The latest v3 Supercharging
promises 1000 miles of range in one hour!
Tell us about your first car.
‘I was fascinated by Citroën and cars such as the Traction
Avant, DS and XM. I did two internships, one at BMW, the
other at Citroën and my first car was a three-door AX 1.5.’
Musk: man on a mission
Which achievement makes you most proud? The Model Y was revealed 11 years after
‘Aside from my family, it’s the ambition to build the new Elon Musk’s first EV, the Lotus-engineered
French luxury car brand. The inspiration is Bugatti, Facel-
Vega, Delage, Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Chanel.’ Roadster Mk1. Since then, Tesla has made
550,000 cars. He claims that by this time
What’s the best thing you’ve done in a car? next year Tesla will be building that many
‘All the trips my wife and I did in my Citroën SM between
1999 and 2003. We drove more than 10,000km [6200 miles] Model 3s annually, in US and China.
and only broke down once! When you overtook at 200km/h
[125mph] with a ’70s car, people were quite surprised.’
Supercar or classic car?

‘Classic car. I have a DS23 Pallas.’
Tell us about a time you screwed up…

‘The biggest thing I’m not happy with is the performance of
DS in China. I lived there for four years, launched three cars
and delivered 75 dealerships. We see the huge potential in
China, but we’ve not been able to sustain that level.’
Company curveball: who wrote an essay saying the

original DS looked as if it had fallen from the sky?
‘Roland Barthes, the philosopher. He was talking about things
that could change a person’s life. Look at the pictures of the
DS at the 1955 Grand Palais – all the cars were square except
the DS. It was first with disc brakes, power steering, hydraulic Shape echoes the larger Model X, but Y’s seven occupants have less
suspension, and it took 12,000 orders in a day.’ room, and conventional rather than expensive falcon-wing doors

Grist to
Watches
the Mille
Three chronographs, including 2019’s
Mille Miglia special. By Ben Oliver
W
e haven’t used chronographs to time anything
important since Bernie was a boy, but they
remain hugely popular. A chronograph is
any watch with a stopwatch function: the term is often
confused with chronometer, which is a watch whose
accuracy has been tested and certified by a body such as
the Swiss COSC. Just to add confusion, a chronograph can
also be a chronometer. Three new limited-edition chron-
ographs have just been launched. Two of them are also
chronometers, and each has a timely story behind it.
01
02 03
01 I Chopard Mille Miglia 2019 02 I Breitling Premier Bentley 03 I Junghans WM-Edition
Race Edition £5960 Centenary Limited Edition £6700 1972 Chronoscope £545
On 15 May around 350 of the world’s most Bentley is marking its centenary with this new This new limited edition from Germany is both
desirable pre-’57 cars will set off on the Mille chrono. Its partnership with Breitling goes back cheaper and rarer than the other two, with
Miglia, and most of the drivers will be wearing to 2003 when they collaborated on the clock just 52 being made, but like them it celebrates
this watch. Every crew gets one, and the for the first Conti GT. The new piece is smaller speed. Junghans timed this year’s Nordic Ski
remainder of 1000 made are available to buy. and more restrained than most of Breitling’s World Championships and made this watch
The 2019 watch’s design is particularly sweet efforts for Bentley, and the burr elm veneer dial to celebrate. If you miss out on the 52, the
with its broad chronograph ‘pushers’, and a is relatively subtle. Like the Chopard it’s also standard 1972 Chronoscope (another term for a
strap with a leather outer and a rubber lining a Swiss-certified chronometer, and the steel chronograph, just to add further confusion) is a
embossed with a ’50s Dunlop tread pattern. version is limited to 1000 examples. good-looking, great-value watch.
chopard.com breitling.com junghans.de

big on
value
£1,250 deposit contribution
5.9% APR Representative ^
7 year warranty
the big value crossover

8” colour touchscreen
apple carplaytm
17” alloy wheels
Fuel economy and CO2* results for the MG ZS Exclusive. Mpg (l/100km) (combined): 38.6 (7.3) to 41.5 (6.8). *CO2 emissions: 140–145 g/km. Figures shown are for comparability purposes; only compare fuel consumption and CO2 figures with other cars tested to
the same technical procedures. These figures may not reflect real life driving results, which will depend upon a number of factors including the accessories fitted (post-registration), variations in weather, driving styles and vehicle load. *There is a new test used
for fuel consumption and CO2 figures. The CO2 figures shown however, are based on the outgoing test cycle and will be used to calculate vehicle tax on first registration. Model shown: MG ZS Exclusive with Dynamic Red paint at £16,490 on the road (OTR). OTR
price includes VAT where applicable, vehicle first registration fee, delivery, number plates and 12 months’ Vehicle Excise Duty. Prices are correct at time of being published and are subject to change without notice. Please see your local dealer or visit MG.CO.UK for
details. Personal Contract Purchase (PCP). At the end of the agreement there are three options: i) Pay the optional final payment to own the vehicle, ii) Return the vehicle, or iii) Replace: Part Exchange the vehicle where equity is available. ˆ£1,250 deposit contribution
applies to 4 year 5.9% APR Representative on PCP and is available at participating dealers until 30th June 2019. MG Deposit Contribution only available when vehicle financed through MG Financial Services, CF15 7YT. Subject to status, availability and terms and
conditions. Applicants must be 18 or over.
Tech
THE INNOVATIONS TR ANSFORMING
OUR DRIVING WORLD
Funky
future
Panda
Officially at least, Fiat’s new
battery-electric concept is
not the next Panda. But it
is bursting with innovative
thinking. By Ben Barry

F
iat is marking its 120th anniversary with the fully
electric, slightly bonkers and remarkably versatile
Centoventi concept. The name – Italian for 120 – may
major on heritage but, like the Citroën Ami One featured last
month, it’s a car for the future. And unlike the tiny French
runabout, the Fiat is more than just a city car. It might be
just 3680mm long, but the Centoventi is packed with neat
features, including range-extending modular battery packs,
It’s squircle
swappable body parts, and dozens of accessories, including
3D printed parts for maximum geekage. Could this preview
central inside,
and a bugger
3 | COCKPIT GOES
the next Panda? Fiat design boss Klaus Busse is our guide… to dust MA X MILLENNIAL
Your phone can clip in and pair with a
10-inch instrument binnacle or you can
upgrade (even after purchase) to the
1 | M E G A B L O C K S B O DY PA N E L S 20-inch Lingotto system – its shape
inspired by Fiat’s famed former factory
Surely a Lego car made real. The boxy integrated roof box, and a solar panel. Tough 4x4, in Turin. ‘I see two groups of consumers:
shape is produced in one colour, with It’s production-viable, even with the beach buggy,
courier van… one likes everything built into the car,
buyers choosing from four inter- complexity of crash testing. you choose but the other says “I’m paying all the
changeable bumpers, roofs, and wheel ‘You start with the convertible roof, data for my phone already, why invest in
covers, with wraps replacing paint. as that’s the most challenging to another screen?”,’ says Busse.
Design boss Klaus Busse says engineer,’ Busse explains. Seat foam is sourced from the Milan
the challenge was to democratise a He won’t confirm the concept Furniture Fair (‘exquisite to sit on, you
traditionally expensive electric vehicle previews a new Panda, but ‘you cannot can play with the density, washable,
without making it feel cheap. ignore the Panda if you talk about our UV proof’) and accessories can be 3D
‘The shape,’ he says, ‘was born of ne- history and democratising our history’. printed. ‘You could go to the dealer,
cessity: the wheels are big, but narrow order from a website, or buy the data
for low rolling resistance, the windows and print it yourself,’ says Busse.
are all upright [reducing the sunlight ‘It’s a positive approach to minimal-
heating the interior and therefore ism, not austerity.’
air-con use] and clean surfaces make
wrapping cheap and easy.’
The four different roofs ‘click into
place, like a docking station’, with 4 | IN CHARGE OF
buyers able to choose from a poly- YO U R C H A R G E
carbonate hardtop, a canvas roof, an
Bigger batteries mean more driving
range but also more weight – a waste
if you’re only doing short trips. The
Do you really
Centoventi offers a modular solution to
2 | YO U R C H E E S Y A D V E R T I S E M E N T H E R E want your car to
advertise your this conundrum.
fast-food guilty As standard it comes with just one
The Centoventi’s Messenger Tailgate Busse. The design boss admits these pleasure to pay for battery mounted under the floor,
your parking?
is an LED screen bridging the rear light are theories for now, and there are legal giving a range of 62 miles. Another
clusters. It wouldn’t allow you to project hurdles to clear. four are available to buy or hire, each
obscene instructions to other drivers, offering 62 miles extra for up to 310
but could perhaps display safety miles. Three would be mounted under
messages and even advertising. the car by the dealer, alongside the
‘On the move it might say “Baby first battery. The fourth would be
Onboard” or a brake message, and mounted under a seat, and could be
maybe it could enable communication removed to charge at home.
between autonomous cars,’ says Busse. Fiat says the car’s weight distri-
And advertising? ‘Let’s say an agency bution and handling are unchanged
knows where your car is parked through no matter the number of batteries
an app, and a nearby bakery or a burger because the roll centre is between the
joint buys that space to advertise, two axles and the batteries are below
helping you pay for parking,’ says the centre of gravity.

Tech
CAR
Morgan
explains
goes metric is both inefficient and challenging from a supply point of view.’
Future-proofed and now with BMW straight-six power, The car spearheading this new era is the new Plus Six, which
combines the new bonded aluminium platform with BMW’s
the Plus Six speaks fluent 21st century. By Ben Miller B58 turbocharged straight-six, driving through an eight-speed
M
ZF gearbox offering paddleshift manual shifting. Ride and
organ’s all-new aluminium platform represents much handling promise to be a significant step forward over previous
more than simply the structure that’ll underpin its Morgans, not least because the new chassis has twice the tor-
next generation of flagship four-wheelers – it’s also sional rigidity of its predecessor for a comparable weight of just
nothing less than the Malvern maker embracing modernity 98kg. Performance will be scorching: 335bhp in a car weighing
in all its efficient, repeatable, future-ready and now exclusively just 1075kg. (Alpine’s equally light A110 has just 248bhp.)
metric glory. And for a team of 30, operating on a ‘frugal’ budget While the powertrain ECU is BMW, the CX-Generation
and given just three years, that’s no mean feat. electronics platform is Morgan’s own work, and as crucial to
‘With the new CX-Generation platform it was also about meeting the future-proofing brief as the Plus Six’s relatively
modernising the way in which we do things,’ explains Morgan’s modest emissions (170g/km CO2). ‘Looking ahead, to things
chief engineer John Beech. ‘It was about using common parts like lane detection, we now have the potential to develop on the
where possible, streamlining the build process on the shop floor, In comes 21st electronics side,’ continues Beech. ‘On the Plus Six we don’t have
improving cleanliness, reducing waste and future-proofing century thinking traction control, for example, but we’ll get there. On this car it
and power, but
both the car and our production methods. For 70, 80 years now the ash frame didn’t make the cut in terms of budget – you’re talking millions
we’ve had a mixed bag of [metric and imperial] fittings, which lives on of euros. And without it the car’s all the more fun to drive.’
ALUMINIUM & A S H BMW POWER BROADER APPEAL TIMBER!

Turbo B58 six brings serious New chassis liberates 200mm Ash frame had to stay, given it’s
HOW IT WORKS performance for a car weighing more legroom and a one-third synonymous with the marque.
1075kg dry. 335bhp and 369lb increase in luggage capacity for ‘It does bring some additional
ft would feel fit in a 3-series – a modest 20mm stretch in the rigidity, and the material’s
A MODERN MORGAN in the featherweight, traction wheelbase. At the same time properties are helpful in terms
Previously, Morgans used a control-free Plus Six it’s good for the steering wheel (steering is of impact protection,’ says chief
mix of imperial and metric 0-62mph in 4.2sec. And a very electrically power-assisted) gets engineer John Beech.
fasteners. Plus Six is all metric, flappy scarf. adjustment for rake and reach.
while its Morgan-developed
electronics architecture is ready
for such niceties as lane-keep
assist in the future. Lightweight
suspension uses cast aluminium
wishbones and coilovers.
100% MORE RIGID

Morgan’s previous aluminium
tub used 3mm and 4mm sheet.
The sheet metal in the new
CX-Generation platform is half
as thick, but delivers twice the
rigidity for the same weight –
around 98kg.

Tech
JENS
LUDMANN
Chief operating
officer of McLaren
Automotive, and a
keen racer
CHRISTIAN
VON
KO E N I G S E G G
Koenigsegg’s
CEO and technical
driving force
Meeting
‘Electric’s torque-feel is great’
of minds Prius blazed the trail – but now the hybridisation of supercars is gathering pace.
Christian von Koenigsegg and McLaren’s Jens Ludmann compare notes
M
ounting pressure to reduce emissions is driving to the system but not removing anything. Series [BMW i3] is
the likes of McLaren, Ferrari and Aston Martin to simpler, and you can remove the gearbox. The result is cheaper
electrify their core ranges – and not just their and lighter but you have increased losses, since you are con-
big-money, Speedtail-style flagships. Motorsport has proved verting mechanical movement to electricity and then back to
the good sense of turbo engines and electric motors working in mechanical movement. The engine is disconnected from the
concert, but squaring the advantages of electrification with the driving experience, so you have neither the serenity of an EV
weight penalty batteries inevitably bring will not be easy… nor any sense of connection to the engine.’
Jens Ludmann: ‘Emission requirements are undoubtedly JL: ‘When you go for electrification, it makes sense to have a
driving the move to performance hybrids, but it’s also about powertrain developed as a unit. It doesn’t make sense to have an
the torque-feel of an electric motor, the instant response: this engine that hasn’t been developed to work with the punch of an
is very good when you are engineering a sports car. And with a electric motor. But at McLaren the cars we do are driver’s cars.
hybrid you still have something of the power-to-weight ratio of We introduce technology only when it improves the driving
a combustion engine. By 2024 all Sport Series [570S and friends] experience – everything we bring in has to improve this. The
and Super Series [720S] McLarens will be hybrid.’ excitement of the combustion engine is secondary. We look at
everything about the car’s performance and, if it’s better with
Christian Von Koenigsegg: ‘Before the Regera, I was quot- an electric powertrain, that’s what we will do.’
ed many times saying I did not like hybrids. But there is a big
difference. It is the parallel hybrid [Prius, McLaren P1] I disliked: CvK: ‘With Regera, we were able to remove the transmission,
a full combustion engine and then, in parallel, electrification. so there are hardly any more components than you’d find in a
This is complicated, expensive and heavy, since you are adding series hybrid, and no frictional losses apart from the final drive.’

JL: ‘The evolution of the energy density of batteries is a key area
of development. We’re seeing an improvement of five per cent in In-car surveillance:
energy density for a given price point per year. The Speedtail’s
battery has an energy density of 5.2kW per kilogramme, four Volvo will be
times as dense as the P1’s battery.’
CvK: ‘Batteries are becoming around five per cent more ener-
watching you
gy-dense per year, and I don’t see any reason that trend should
change. In five years or so it should be possible to make a battery Cameras in your car? How very 1984
car, with no combustion engine, that performs like the Regera.
But we will continue to improve the combustion engine also.
We foresee a shortage of battery cells, given how few are being
produced today and how many EVs there may soon be…’
‘In five years or so it should be

possible to make a battery car,
with no combustion engine,
that performs like the Regera’
JL: ‘Solid-state [rather than lithium-ion] batteries can make a

difference. The indicators for energy density are interesting,
though it’s difficult to judge on the timeframe – different compa-
nies and suppliers have different views. We are working closely
with these suppliers, and we are preparing to be ready to build a Volvo’s focus on safety has same technology that’s already
pure electric vehicle. If solid-state batteries arrive, and deliver on gone up two gears with the available on cars including the
the promise, then they could be the step in the sports car world news that it’s going to spy on Mercedes S-Class and Ford
that gives the battery-electric powertrain the power density of a drivers by putting cameras in Focus. Britain’s Department for
petrol engine. Direct comparisons depend on the evolution of its new cars and fitting harsher Transport has said it will fall into
the technology, but it could be that the first generation is a third speed limiters. line with Europe.
lighter than what we have now, quickly getting to the point The moves are part of a In the US, around 30 per cent
where it’s half the weight.’ wider push to achieve its aim of all traffic fatalities involve
of ending fatalities involving intoxicated drivers. Volvo
CvK: ‘I think full solid-state batteries are quite far away. Dyson its cars. Volvo has noted three hopes a mix of camera-based
and some others were very confident on solid-state, then sud- main areas of human behaviour snooping and driving-style
denly you read that they’re choosing something else. But while that could stand in the way of monitoring will reduce that.
most of the development potential is in the batteries, there is achieving this goal: speeding, ‘Some people still believe
still a lot left on the table with electric motors; making them intoxication and distraction. that they can drive after having
more compact and more powerful, and using novel cooling The first will be dealt with by had a drink, and that this will not
methods. The trade is always cost, of course.’ the introduction of mandatory affect their capabilities,’ says
speed limiters, set to 112mph. Volvo driver behaviour expert
Volvo’s announcement came Professor Trent Victor. ‘We
just before the European want to ensure that people are
Parliament revealed plans not put in danger as a result of
to force car manufacturers intoxication.’
to include intelligent speed Volvo plans to introduce
limiters as standard safety a ‘Care Key’ from 2021 on all
Koenigsegg’s equipment. They use GPS models, allowing owners to
hybrid Direct Drive and traffic sign recognition set speed limits when letting
does without a to set the legal maximum someone else – like a recently
gearbox
automatically via cruise control qualified driver – use their car.
and can be overridden. It’s the Volvo CEO Håkan Samuels-
JL: ‘The wins are smaller on the motors – we don’t need the son says: ‘We want to start a
technology steps we need from batteries. But there is more conversation about whether car
work to do here, as there is with inverters and the power elec- makers have the right or maybe
tronics. Regeneration too is an important area. Brake feel and even an obligation to install
consistency are important for us – depending on the state of the technology in cars that changes
battery, the feel of the pedal can vary. This is particularly impor- their driver’s behaviour, to
tant on a track, where consistency gives driver confidence – and tackle things such as speeding,
when the driver loses confidence he loses laptime.’ intoxication or distraction.’
May 2019 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 29

Tech
L E T ’ S T R Y T H AT A G A I N
HOW IT WORKS
1
SELECT REVERSE
No need to program the system in
advance as it constantly records the
Groundhog Day
last 50 metres you’ve travelled to a
hard drive, ready to go.
for BMW drivers

Does it
work?
In a tight spot? Your new BMW can turn back time by retracing
your precise route with Reversing Assistant. By James Taylor
H
ere’s the scenario: your garage is at the time, but having control of the throttle and brakes
end of a narrow, winding path without gives you confidence. If you take over the steering,
space to turn around, meaning you or drive too fast (the system only operates below
2
have to reverse the whole way down 22mph), the manoeuvre is cancelled. You don’t
it every day. Or maybe you’re on a slender, twisty need to do anything in advance as the system is
country lane and meet an impatient vehicle com- always on at low speeds, constantly recording GOOD POINT
ing the other way, forcing you to back up. Normally the last 50 metres of travel to a hard drive. It’s Press the Reversing Assistant on the
touchscreen. It appears there by the
this would be a stressful exercise in wheelmanship not linked to the sat-nav system; the vectors and side of the camera views when you
and spatial awareness, but BMW has a hack driving inputs are recorded separately. select reverse.
named Reversing Assistant. BMW claims you could leave the car parked
We tested the system in an 8-series but it’s up, start the engine ‘months later’, assuming the
also available on the new 3-series, X5 and X7, battery hasn’t gone flat, and the system would still
provided buyers stump up for the optional Parking recall the last 50 metres as soon as reverse gear was
Assistant Plus pack. Pricing varies: for the 8-series selected. If a new obstacle has turned up in the
it’s included in the £2800 Technology Pack, while car’s path (for example, one of your children leaves
it’s part of the £1995 pack of the same name for the a bike behind it) the parking camera and sensors
X5 and is available solo at £500 for the 3-series. should detect it, in which case they’ll flash up a
Select reverse, prod the Reversing Assistant warning before it’s too late to avoid a collision.
icon on the touchscreen, let go of the wheel and We wondered, naturally, if you could do reverse
it’ll steer itself to retrace the last 50 metres of the donuts, but were disappointed to be told that the
exact path you’ve just taken. You still operate the wheel-speed sensors ensure that isn’t possible.
pedals yourself (BMW couldn’t allow the system
to be fully autonomous for insurance rather than
Does it work?
3
technical reasons) and, as you reach the trajectory’s
final few metres, a warning alerts you to take over Yes. It might appear to be little more than a
complete control once more. gimmick, but it can be useful in certain situations,
REWIND IT BACK
and its accuracy is uncanny. It’s just a pity that it Let go of the wheel, work the pedals
It’s quite a spooky experience from the cockpit, can’t cope with three-point turns; the system only yourself and travel backwards in time.
watching the wheel spin itself like the helm of a functions in one direction, and swapping between You’re required to take over the wheel
ghost ship while the car unerringly rewinds in forward and reverse gears cancels the operation. again for the last few metres.

drives
First
The world’s besT wriTe rs in The new cars ThaT maTTe r

NEW
The
300-mile
test
new car meets real world
BMW X7
Goliath versus Goliath

dwarfing the X5 and moving into range
rover territory, has the biggest Bmw yet
sold its soul for Us sales? we cross vast
california in search of answers
Words James Taylor Photography James Lipman
may 2019 | carmaGaZIne.co.UK 33

The landscape becomes
more arid and dusty,
palm trees replaced by
cacti, golf courses by
coarse liquor shacks

First drives 300-mile test
T here’s just so much of it. It seems

to stretch on forever. To take
it all in you have to recalibrate
your peripheral vision, reset
your sense of scale. Yep, the
desertscape in rural California
is vast beyond comprehension,
and so is the X7’s grille.
BMW’s new flagship SUV wears the largest version of the
company’s trademark kidney grille ever applied to a production
car. There have been semi-sporty BMW SUVs (X5), there have
been coupes (X4/X6), there have been dull-but-worthy ones (X3) Passengers have
more fun than the
– now there’s a Range Rover-esque luxury one, and it’s certainly driver on some roads
keen to let you know it’s here.
Available with the choice of six or seven seats, the 5.1m-long
X7 starts from around £72k in the UK, but North America
will be its biggest market. That’s also where it’s built – at the
Spartanburg plant in South Carolina. This journey begins on
the opposite coast in Palm Springs, east of LA, and will involve
heading into the desert.
When you first see the X7 in the metal its sheer heft and
comprehensive chroming gel more fluidly than in photos. The
interior is as agreeable as the exterior is polarising; it’s all about
soft leather, crisp fit and finish, glossy trim and a full toy box.
Wireless phone charging is standard, as is onboard Wi-Fi (with
an excellent connection even in the back of beyond), heated and
cooled cupholders are an option, there are five climate control
zones, and just about everything that moves is motorised. No
wonder it weighs more than 2300kg, when you have electric
motors for six or seven seats, and for a split tailgate, and for a
massive three-part sunroof.
Whether you have two or three seats in the middle row,
they can’t be folded manually, and nor can the two in the back.
Instead they fold via switches at their side and in the boot. It’s a sorbed, there’s an annoying low-level patter on smaller bumps Off-Road package
brings extra
fiddly process that has us pining for a manual lever or two as we and surface joins. Gigantic blindspot aside (the standard-fit modes: xSand,
load our X7 up. But when the rearmost pair have dropped into warning monitor lamps in the mirrors really earn their keep), xSnow, xGravel
the boot floor there’s a giant luggage area. it’s incredibly easy to manoeuvre for a car of this size, and to and xRocks. Really
Palm Springs is a genteel kind of place, where the pace park, thanks to the superb 360º camera system. But then this
of life is slow and the golf courses plentiful. The X7 feels at is America, where the streets are wide, the lanes are many and
home here. The archetypal Palm Springs car is the classic tight parking spaces are the exception rather than the rule.
Cadillac sedan; there are plenty of them tucked away among We strike out of the Palm Springs oasis towards the desert
the manicured sprinkler-tended lawns and Art Deco houses. wilderness. This X7 is the 40i, the mainstream petrol option
Grandiose and unashamedly built for comfort, the X7 feels like starting at £74,155. A turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-six with
a spiritual successor to the Cadillacs that, prior to the SUV’s rise 335bhp and 332lb ft, it’s a stalwart BMW motor, as found in
to power, used to symbolise US automotive luxury. Air springs the 340i and the Z4 M40i (and its Toyota Supra sister car). The
on both axles are standard on the BMW, and it’s a cushy way to difference is that in the 2320kg X7 the straight-six doesn’t feel
travel – mostly. This car rides on optional 22-inch wheels (20 like it’s overflowing with power; no 155mph limiter required
and 21s are also available), and although large bumps are ab- here. The performance is quick enough without being outright ⊲
PICK-UP: 0 MILES 5 MILES
The X7’s key is as lavish as the car, Chunky A-pillars limit

capable of raising and lowering the visibility, but the blindspots
suspension remotely and checking over your shoulders are so Plant the throttle and
meaty you can lose an SUV you’ll hit 124mph in
how much fuel is left in the tank. It in them, let alone a golf cart 7.9sec – and be in
charges wirelessly. crewed by tanned retirees. jail shortly after

With a blunt fast, providing ample shove when you need it, smoothly
drag coefficient of balanced cruising when you don’t. There’s a pleasant mellow
0.34, the butterfly
didn’t stand a growl under acceleration, but it’s church-mouse-quiet other-
chance wise. This is one very well-insulated car.
For now, the other two engine options in the UK are both
six-cylinder 3.0-litre diesels: the £72,155 30d with 264bhp and
the £87,240, 394bhp 50d. A V8 50i with more than 500bhp
will join the range in a few months, but it’s not yet officially
confirmed for the UK.
Onwards through Yucca Valley on Highway 247, the
landscape grows more arid and dusty and the palm trees are
replaced by Joshua trees and cacti, the golf courses by coarse
liquor shacks. This part of California is a giant playground, the
light aircraft above gazing down upon hard-charging dirt bikes
and Baja Bugs trailing dust like tiny comets.
Time for a little off-road driving of our own. The trails
criss-crossing this corner of the Mojave are marked on the
iDrive’s sat-nav but there’s no tarmac, just wicked whoops and
ruts. We pump the air suspension’s variable ride height to the
uppermost of its five levels, fire up the off-road camera displays,
which swoop around a graphic of the car to help pick out hidden
obstacles, and crack on.
This particular X7 is fitted with the optional Off-Road
package, with an underguard at the front, diff-lock at the rear
and a suite of xOffroad modes for the gearbox, traction control
and pedal response curve settings, for sand, gravel, rock and
snow. Okay, it’s not the kind of terrain that would worry a
Land Rover Discovery, but the X7 acquits itself well. What’s
immediately clear is that its structure is inherently stiff. The
X7 is built using the same aluminium and steel platform as the
7-series (albeit without its composite Carbon Core elements)
and there’s not a hint of flex while tackling awkward troughs.
There are some worryingly pointy rocks about but thankfully ⊲
52 MILES 88 MILES
Let’s off-road! iDrive has Pitstop at a crossroads

off-road-specific graphics, cafe in the vast Lucerne
showing data including the Valley. The T-shirt’s not
joking about the location.
car’s current lean angle. There NASCAR on the TV, rare
are cameras at each corner. meat on the barbecue.

This part of California is a giant
playground, the light aircraft up
above gazing down upon hard-
charging dirt bikes and Baja Bugs
150 MILES 175 MILES
As we head further east from Palm 40i turbocharged six is usually a

Springs we can see the sense in the recipe for scorching performance
long-travel suspension and knobbly but the X7’s sheer mass blunts
its edge. Engine shortly due to
tyres found on just about every vehicle see service in Morgan’s new Plus
we encounter. X7 copes well, though. Six – there’s versatile for you.

Cabin space almost
as vast as BMW’s
SUV ambitions

As we climb out of the valley, we chance upon a rarity in these

parts: some real corners. It’s a chance for the X7’s chassis to show
It’s spookily flat through off. Suspension is by air springs on double wishbones at the
front and multi-link rear, with adaptive dampers and electric
corners and looks after anti-roll control, plus fluid-filled bushings (and M50d models
itself remarkably well for a can also feature all-wheel steering). The result is a car that’s
spookily flat through corners and looks after itself remarkably
2.3-tonne car well for a big, 2.3-tonne car.
But it can only go so far in disguising its mass, and there’s
a slight disconnect in immediacy between the steering and
the body’s movements, especially in the suspension’s softest
the standard road-spec Pirellis deal with them just fine. Getting Comfort setting. While the X7 handles very adeptly for its size,
stuck out here is inadvisable; rattlesnakes are common. and certainly compares favourably to, for example, a Range
No rock in these parts is as big as, or less pointy than, the Rover or a Volvo XC90, I still find myself yearning for something
gigantic boulder that appears ahead of us. Standing seven lower and lighter as the road twists and turns.
storeys high, Giant Rock seems wholly incongruous, like some Off the tarmac once more and onto what feels like the
kind of art installation, while clearly being entirely natural. It’s surface of another planet. We’re at our final stop on the desert
been regarded as spiritually significant by Native Americans weirdness tour, Trona Pinnacles, a few miles from Death Valley.
for thousands of years, and has a bizarre recent history. In the It’s an ethereal place. Once underwater, the dry Searles Lake
’30s, eccentric miner Frank Critzer used dynamite as he dug a bed has left behind hundreds of pillars of calcium carbonate, a
400 square-foot home for himself under the rock. Critzer was few thousand years in the making. Parts of Planet of the Apes
a German immigrant and a radio enthusiast, both of which and Star Trek V were filmed here; were it not for a beautifully
made local authorities suspicious during the Second World turned-out Airstream trailer parked on a plateau, we could be
War, and he was killed by some of his dynamite in an incident on the other side of the universe.
in 1942 while under investigation by the police. The rock was The X7’s bodywork is streaked with dust, the windscreen
unscathed in that fracas, but in the year 2000 part of it split off, splattered with bugs, but it’s handled everything we’ve thrown
revealing a white granite interior. at it, some of it while driving itself. In Palm Springs it blended in
Critzer’s friend George Van Tassel, a UFO enthusiast, built an like a native. In the wilds of the desert it scrambled over gnarly
airfield nearby, and a building called the Integratron designed ruts and climbs like a lizard. And on the freeway it covered miles
to facilitate time travel. Once used by luminaries including like an all-wheel-drive airliner – after the 300 miles of this story, Optional 22s look
the real deal but
Integratron supporter Howard Hughes, the airfield fell into the BMW and I go on to cover another 700 or so, effortlessly. Big upset ride quality
disuse decades ago and has since been chewed up by the 4x4s, car, big comfort, big appetite for miles. ⊲ on some surfaces
buggies and dirt bikes that flock to the area.
Back onto terra firma and into the Lucerne Valley. Rolling
along at 55mph it feels as if you could get out and jog alongside,
partly because of the X7’s capsule-like refinement, partly the
sheer scale of this place. The valley floor stretches, spirit-level
flat and without interruption to the distant horizon, pointy and
snow-capped. California’s good at horizons. I’m struck by how
politely traffic springs out of the way to let us through, and then
remember the gigantic chrome grille up front and imagine how
imposing we must look to cars ahead. You send out a message
when you drive this car, whether you wish to or not.
Engage the optional Active Cruise Control and the distance
to the traffic ahead can be self-regulated by the front camera
and sensors. More than that, the X7 can also steer itself within a
lane, and bring itself to a halt and pull away in traffic. Covering
endless, numbing miles it’s easy to begin to rely on the system
to reduce fatigue, and so adeptly does the X7 look after its own
progress it’s hard not to become distracted and reliant upon it.
But you can’t, because the system can easily become flummoxed
when road markings get inconsistent.
200 MILES 265 MILES 300 MILES
I take a turn in roomy An accident on the Journey’s end at the Trona

row two. Vast legroom, freeway means we’re Pinnacles: as rugged and epic
plus entertainment and briefly rerouted onto the as the X7 but considerably
controls for sat-nav, historic Route 66. Few
climate control and kicks to be had on this less rectangular. Still, give it
multimedia. bleak stretch, though. another 10,000 years…

First drives
THE 300-MILE VERDICT A BMW to drive – just

The X7 handles better than such an obese
‘It’s tall and heavy. vehicle has a right to, acquitting itself on a
tricky road better than a Range Rover – and
far better than a Mercedes GLS. Audi’s
But the X7 more sportier (and admittedly less comfort-
oriented) SQ7 is a far more rewarding steer
than lives up to the however, feeling like a hot hatch in an SUV

body. Adept though the X7 is, it’s not a
driving experience that stays with you.
standards implicit
in its badge’
The X7’s epically comfortable seats and impressive refinement
made 300 miles feel like 30, and – fiddly folding seat interface
apart – its interior environment is as well laid-out as it is
luxurious. The iDrive multimedia system remains one of the
most intuitive, and although its gesture control element feels
like a gimmick (you’re more likely to change radio station in
error while waving your hands chatting to a passenger than on
purpose), its clickwheel and touchscreen menu interface are
superbly realised.
The pair of seats in the third row are the most luxurious of
their type on the market, with roof-mounted climate control,
three levels of heating and even their own sunroof. You might
hesitate to load the X7 to the brim with heavy objects for fear of
tarnishing its trim, though. As with most six- or seven-seaters,
legroom is tight in the final row but there are epic amounts of it
in row two. Go on, just bask in that comfort.
These comfort and convenience features are all hugely
important in the world of big, premium SUVs. But what’s more
important to us is how the X7 drives.
It’s tall and very heavy, guaranteeing that the X7 is never
going to be a driver’s car, but it looks after itself well enough
dynamically to live up to the BMW badge, its anti-roll system
and four-wheel-drive torque distribution helping it corner
remarkably tidily for such a bulky car.
There’s real depth of ability here. It handled everything
we’ve put it through, from scrambling over off-road wil-
derness to being hurled along twisting driving roads. UFO
sightings and giant rocks called Giant Rock may be rarer sights in
Peterborough than in Palm Springs, but well-sorted suspension
and highly evolved engines know no boundaries.
The wide-open spaces, high mileages and extreme temper-
atures of the western USA highlight all that’s best about the
X7: roomy, quiet, comfortable and composed, it feels like a car
designed as much for its passengers as its driver. Roomier than
the (slightly smaller) Audi Q7, dynamically superior to the GLS
Mercedes and slicker inside than the Range Rover, BMW’s BFG
is a very capable super-SUV.
Next month:
Tesla Model 3 vs norway
Musk’s Make-or-break people’s car
in europe’s elecTric car capiTal
40 carMaGaZine.co.uk | MAY 2019

A First Class cabin
In terms of fit, finish and quality, the X7 is a
step ahead of Range Rover, and its design is
more considered and less chintzy than the
equivalent Mercedes GLS (quite the opposite
of the X7’s exterior, in fact). While gesture
control remains a gimmick and voice control
fallible, iDrive infotainment is the most
intuitive on the market.
Ace but archaic powertrains

The electric version of the X7? No such
thing. The plug-in hybrid? Um, no sign
of that. A self-charging little electric
booster? Not just yet. Your engine line-
up is a couple of diesel sixes and a petrol
six. And the cavalry on the horizon? A
petrol V8. We’re not complaining – these
are all excellent engines – but it’s a
long way from the industry’s powertrain
cutting-edge.
Price Performance Powertrain weight efficiency on Sale r at i n g

£74,155 335bhp @ 5500rpm, 2998cc 24v 2320kg 31.4-32.5mpg, Now HHHHH
(£92,055 as tested) 332lb ft @ 1500rpm, turbocharged straight- 198-205g/km
Data 6.1sec 0-62mph, six, eight-speed auto, CO2
152mph all-wheel drive

Porsche 911 carrera 4s cabriolet
New 911, air-cooled

The latest Carrera Cabriolet’s roof is quieter and even
faster than before. But the real revelation comes when
you let loose in this ‘soft’ 911
Ralph had
everything; the
tan, the hair, the
sports car. But no
one to share it
with. Poor Ralph

First drives
Drives
Seats now mounted

slightly lower, small
steering wheel, central
tacho – it’s no softie
The new Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet pro- More relevantly for law-abiding types, you
duces 444bhp, and makes 391lb ft from 2300rpm. can still open or close the roof at speeds of up
It can scorch from zero to 62mph in 3.8 seconds, to 32mph, just like the old model, where some
THE FIRST HOUR and is capable of a pretty refreshing 188mph soft-tops insist you stop. It’s an invigorating
top speed. This is all very well, but an almost – experience, for all the right reasons. With all
10 seconds
almost! – equally impressive performance figure windows and the top down, this Porsche is an
Roof looks sharp.
Bum’s a bit bigger is the time it now takes the fabric roof to go from archetypal crossflow convertible that consumes
fully closed to please-pass-the-suncream open a gallon of fuel every 26 miles along with two
22 seconds – at 12 seconds in either direction, it’s a full two fluid ounces of industrial-strength hair gel. To
Did that roof really seconds swifter than its predecessor, despite the attenuate the storm, you can close just the front
drop in 12 seconds?
Yep roof being much the same. windows, or all four windows, or deploy the
Secrets to this extra speed include stronger effective wind deflector that pops up behind you,
5 minutes electric motors and a lighter folding mechanism almost as big as the projection screen at a drive-
It’s stiff in town on with reduced moments of inertia. Like before, in movie.
lowered sports
there are compromises: neatly packaging the In many convertibles you have to manually
suspension. No
wobbles, though Z-fold roof below a metal tonneau cover and clip the wind deflector in place, but here it
above the 3.0-litre flat-six means the rear end deploys from the rear bulkhead at the press of a
30 minutes has to lift by around 10mm – a tiny figure that button, unless the plus-two rear seats are occu-
Roof-down, the does nonetheless make the rear end look bulkier, pied or the front seats are pushed too far back.
cockpit’s nicely
cocooned especially roof-down – and weight increases by It’s much less fiddly, and the benefit is quickly
70kg over a 911 coupe owing to extra bracing, noticeable: even at speed with the wind deflector
45 minutes taking the 4S to a hardly feathery 1635kg. in place, this feels very much like a coupe with an
On a brilliant road But this new soft-top does retain many of the extra-large sunroof open.
you forget you’re in a
coupe’s strengths. Available in black, red, blue It drives like a coupe too, with a structure
cabrio – you’re just in a
sports car or brown, the fabric roof is stretched taut and that feels barely troubled by the decapitation,
crisp to preserve a coupe’s athletic definition, even if the fact is that the bodyshell is actually
and even matches its 0.30Cd drag figure. That’s less than half as stiff. Our car gets the delicately
primarily due to the improved fit of the fabric implemented optional rear-wheel steering (just a
skin, a smoothly integrated heated rear window, few corners are all it takes to convince you of its
and the four rigid composite elements that form worth) and the 10mm lower sports suspension.
▲ a seamless arc. An extra fleecy layer sandwiched The latter option is a first for a 911 Cabriolet,
PLUS between the unchanged outer and inner layers is enabled by even faster-acting adaptive dampers.
Faster, quieter roof; said to drop noise levels by 10 per cent (and roof Truth be told, it’s definitely on the firm side
drives like a coupe; operation is quieter too). around town with its huge 20-inch front and
great engine, handling Out on the road, noise levels really are impres- 21-inch rear tyres, so if your focus is low-speed
MINUS sively hushed for a convertible. It’s only above jaunts and laid-back sun-seeking, that set-up is
▼ 125mph that conversation either peters out or is probably worth a swerve.
Heavier; pricier; absorbed by the awesome Burmester high-end The payback comes at speed, where the
noisier than a coupe sound system. Even close to V-max, ballooning restlessness eases to flow with the surface, and
roof-up of the roof isn’t an issue. through the twisties. Here the 911 mesmerises ⊲

First drives
For now, only the new eight-speed PDK

Fabric roof folds
in 12 seconds, gearbox is available, but few customers are
two faster than queuing for the seven-speed manual – only
before, at speeds seven per cent of European buyers choose the
up to 32mph
stick. The dual-clutch PDK’s breadth of ability
is such that those figures are hardly surpris-
ing: even though the shift paddles instantly
connect to your fingertips, they are prone to
be overgrown with cobwebs because the shift
algorithm is absolutely spot-on. There is one
notable exception: Drive in combination with
Comfort mode is a dynamically crippling set-up
put together exclusively to shine in the emissions
and consumption testing process.
Thankfully all it takes to put an end to this
nonsense is to dial in Sport. Whisking along
country roads with the visor down rarely
requires sixth, almost never makes the black
box select seventh and totally ignores eighth. A
gap left at the front of the transmission case will
later be filled with an electric motor as the 911
goes hybrid, but not just yet.
As always, the list of available options easily
breaks the bank. The good news is that very
It can feel effortlessly rapid at six tenths

few extras are absolutely essential. Among the
items definitely not needed for normal driving
without feeling too easy or undemanding are PDCC (Dynamic Chassis Control), PCCB
(carbon-ceramic brakes), a louder exhaust and
in the eye of a ten-tenths mission the sports suspension we’ve mentioned. Nice to
have is the rear-wheel steering, and absolutely
imperative are the chin-protecting front-axle lift
with its composure and grip, and a certain and dynamic-matrix headlights.
playfulness – something the stability control sys- Suckers for driver-assistance systems may
tem’s Sport mode indulges for those who prefer specify the most basic aids, but they are not
safe cornering to unprotected power oversteer. nearly as sophisticated as the higher-tech helpers
Let the 3.0-litre boxer engine speak up, and offered to Cayenne and Panamera clients.
all eyes zoom in on the snarling, growling, Even before you add any options, the 911
blat-blatting two-plus-two with its unmistak- Carrera 4S Cabriolet costs £108,063, up £9k on a
Cleaner layout able whistling wastegate twang. There’s a little comparable coupe. It’s money well spent if you’re
is welcome –
epilator gearlever turbo lag, certainly, and this engine can’t do after a fast, entertaining, emotional driving
is not the banshee high-rev thing like the old natural- experience with added fresh air and flash. The
ly-aspirated 3.8 could, but it picks up revs like a convertible remains remarkably faithful to the
starving trout rising for a fat mayfly and carries coupe’s dynamic excellence.
the oomph all the way to the 7500rpm cut-out True, the design could be a bit bolder, the
way above the clouds. connectivity is not quite state-of-the-art, and
It sounds purposefully bassy and gruff, and electrification remains an alien term to Por-
makes some pleasing turbo whooshes when you sche’s golden oldie. But soft-top Porsches don’t
back off the throttle. Most impressive is the way come much purer than this new arrival that
it can feel effortlessly rapid at six tenths without epitomises the core values of the marque.
feeling too easy or undemanding in the eye of a GeorG Kacher
ten-tenths mission.
Surely there is little point in waiting for next First verdict
year’s 600bhp Turbo Cabriolet when this 444bhp
Carrera 4S Cabriolet takes the 911 experience
version kicks butt like virtually nothing else in
to another dimension, minimising soft-top
its price bracket, and already makes pals at the compromise to deliver a thrilling drive.
golf club go green with envy. HHHHH
PRICE PowERtRaIn PERfoRmanCE wEIght EffICIEnCY on salE

£108,063 2981cc 24v twin-turbo 444bhp @ 6500rpm, 1635kg 25-26.6mpg, Now
flat-six, eight-speed 391lb ft @ 2300rpm, 207g/km CO2
Data dual-clutch auto, 3.8sec 0-62mph,
all-wheel drive 188mph
44 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | may 2019

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First drives
BMW 1-SERIES
Inside job
Switching to front-drive may seem to show criminal disregard for
BMW’s heritage, but it’s a move that’s transformed the interior
What’s BMW been good at since just about
forever? Inline six-cylinder engines in rear-
wheel-drive cars, that’s what. And what does the
new 1-series completely lack? You’ve got it… THE FIRST HOUR
But despite the absence of a straight-six and
the presence of front-wheel drive, the new 5 seconds
third-generation 1-series could turn out to be a Camo can’t disguise
slight increase in
better rival for the likes of the VW Golf, judging
height and length
from our drives in pre-production models.
It goes on sale this autumn. Prices have yet to 1 minute
be confirmed, but expect them to be closer to It’s much roomier
the Mercedes A-Class than the current VW Golf inside, especially in
Traction control adapted from i3S allows some the back
(itself being replaced this year). cornering fun and keeps understeer at bay
Underpinning the new 1-series is an evolution
15 minutes
of the front-wheel-drive hardware already em- The 118i confirms its great chassis tuning Nimble and predicta-
ployed in the Mini, X1 and X2. And powering it when we leave the test track in the South of ble on track, but you
is a diesel and petrol engine line-up that overlaps France and head into the hills. There are some can see why BTCC
with the 3-series’. The entry-level car is a 1.5-litre bad surfaces and some wild curves, but it’s com- teams have switched
to the 3-series
turbocharged petrol triple, but most are 2.0-litre posed, comfortable and agile. The three-cylinder
turbodiesel and turbocharged petrol fours – petrol engine responds well to being worked 47 minutes
some with optional all-wheel drive. And at the hard. The chassis feels more than capable of Sweet on the road,
top of the range is a 302bhp all-wheel-drive-only making good use of the more powerful fours. right up there with Golf
M135i version. And then there’s the 302bhp xDrive version, and A-Class
The new 1-series has almost the same exter- to be dubbed M135i (with a 400bhp version in
nal dimensions as the outgoing Mk2, but gives the pipeline). Its all-wheel-drive system has an
the driver and front passenger a useful amount electronically controlled differential lock on the
of extra space thanks to the engines now being front axle and a power distribution system that
transversely mounted. The doors are bigger, too. allows up to 50 per cent of the power to be sent
The main issue used to be the rear seats, which to the rear axle.
could be a squeeze even for children, let alone Hot-blooded performance, stiff body, excel-
adults. Rear kneeroom has been increased by lently tied rear axle, responsive steering: this
30mm and boot space by 20 litres. feels like a classic hot hatch. It sucks itself unerr-
The cabin leaps into line with the latest 3- and ingly up to every apex, braces itself confidently
5-series, with large digital displays, voice activa- against the centrifugal forces and remains play-
tion and a heap of connectivity. fully controllable. This is a lot of fun. ▲
But, this being a BMW, by far the most impor- And you say BMW used to do a rear-wheel- PLUS
tant thing is how it drives. In the time it takes drive 1-series? Whatever… Extra space for people
to tackle the first two curves on our slippery MICHAEL GODDE and bags; upgraded
test course, it becomes obvious that the new interior tech
118i offers good feel and feedback. BMW recon- First verdict MINUS
figured the i3S’s fast-acting traction control for ▼
the 1-series, so the engine control electronics A step forward for packaging rather than
dynamics, but shows plenty of promise as a direct We really liked
respond directly to traction losses, working like rival for the front-drive Golf, A3 and A-Class. rear-wheel-drive
a clever limited-slip differential. ★★★★★ straight-sixes…
Few domestic P R I C E POWERTRAIN PERFORMANCE WEIGHT EFFICIENCY ON SALE

appliances Expect the range 1499cc 12v turbo triple, 138bhp @ 4500rpm, 1350kg 50+mpg, sub- Late 2019
look so sharp to start with the six-speed manual or 162lb ft @ 1250rpm, (est) 130g/km CO2
Data 118i (tested here), eight-speed auto, front- 8.5sec 0-62mph, (est)
at £23,500 wheel drive 130mph (all est)

The new 1-series offers New Golf also
arrives late
2019 – fight!
good feel and feedback,
even on a slippery track

Despite the catwalk
image it can easily
play mountain goat
Off-road ability
is actually
better than the
last Evoque’s

First drives
R ANGE ROVER EVOQUE
River deep, fashion high

Better in every way, without being bigger, the Mk2 Evoque has a brilliant
cabin, new engines and even more off-road tricks that nobody asked for
The outgoing Range Rover Evoque was a Land
Rover unlike any other. It sold unlike any
other Land Rover, too, by courting a new type
of young urban customer, one not interested THE FIRST HOUR
in going off-road. And now there’s a new one.
Spotting the difference is a bit like playing the 10 seconds
The flush door handles
same game with a new 911 or Golf, but look hard pop out when you
and you’ll discover a better proportioned and unlock the car. Get
cleaner design: shorter overhangs, bigger wheels, close and you start
less clutter. Note the flush door handles, the to see that the new
Evoque looks tidier
cleaner roof pillar design, the removal of the old and better propor-
wheelarch cladding and the tighter panel gaps. Sensational interior has gone the full junior Velar tioned than the old car
Inside, the upgrades are more obvious. The
design is cleaner and more distinctive, the trim 1 minute
and fittings of far higher quality. This includes 600mm deep water, 100mm more than before. It’s a classy,
comfortable interior.
plastic bottles recycled into fabric that looks and Yet what most impresses is the on-road So many functions on
feels like suede. It’s one of the very best interiors refinement. It rides well, is quiet, and very touchscreens mean
around. Think scaled-down Velar and you get comfortable. On the motorway or in town it’s you spend a lot of time
the picture, complete with hi-res dual-screen easygoing and pampering, a peaceful cruiser with your eyes off the
road, though
infotainment and, for the first time on a Land with very little wind- or engine noise. It feels
Rover, Apple CarPlay. like a proper luxury car, a class ahead of most 5 minutes
Cutting-edge tech includes ClearSight same-size SUVs. Steering is good and handling is The rear-view mirror is
Ground View, which uses cameras to show the predictable, if rarely invigorating. It’s a comfort- a wide-angle HD video
terrain beneath your front wheels, as if you can able and relaxing drive. Plus it’s roomy enough screen. It certainly
gives better rear
see through the bonnet. There’s also a wide-an- and, in its hybrid form, more economical than visibility but it takes
gle high-definition video screen instead of a the old Evoque – though still nothing special. some getting used to
rear-view mirror, to compensate for the Evoque’s Don’t buy one for driving kicks. Performance
dreadful peek-a-boo rear visibility. from the hybrid powertrains is disappointing. 60 minutes
Despite its city slicker
Using a new platform that will underpin JLR’s Neither 237bhp diesel nor 245bhp petrol feels reputation, the Evoque
upcoming smaller offerings, the new Evoque that powerful, hampered by over 1800kg. Plus, is surprisingly capable
is no bigger than the old one, yet there’s more the Ingenium engines aren’t the most tuneful in the rough
kneeroom and a bigger boot. or responsive of motors, and can be buzzy when
Nearly all Evoques will have 48-volt mild pushed. The nine-speed automatic can also be
hybrid tech. We’ve driven both four-cylinder indecisive, cycling hesitantly between ratios.
diesel and petrol versions. A plug-in hybrid triple It’s targeted at those who want comfort, ease
is a year away. of driving and Range Rover class and capability. ▲
Our 300-mile drive takes place in the Pe- And who want stand-out design. On that basis PLUS
loponnese region of Greece, on well-surfaced the Evoque is the ultimate à la mode urban SUV. Refined, comfortable,
motorways and badly-surfaced back roads. It GAVIN GREEN classy and capable
also includes some off-roading, on terrain un- off-road
changed since King Leonidas commanded the First verdict MINUS
Spartans. All-terrain capability is surprisingly ▼
A finely wrought and cleverly designed SUV that
good. Despite the catwalk image, it can happily fashion-conscious urbanites will love. Look elsewhere for
play mountain goat. It can even wade through ★★★★★ driving fun
PRICE POWERTRAIN PERFORMANCE WEIGHT EFFICIENCY ON SALE

From £37,150 1997cc 16v 4-cyl turbo 245bhp @ 5500rpm, 1818kg 28.5-30.4mpg, Now
(£41,350 as plus mild hybrid electric 269lb ft @ 1300rpm. 180g/km CO2
Data tested: R Dynamic motor, 9-speed auto, 7.5sec 0-62mph,
S P250 petrol) all-wheel drive 143mph

First drives
Cornering is good for a

crossover, although S3
and Golf R are better
62mph in 4.8 seconds is remarkable on paper

AUDI SQ2 and mind-boggling on the road. Need low-down
pulling power? There’s plenty of torque from
Hard and fast 2000rpm. Fancy wringing it out? It’s happy to

oblige, accompanied by a properly bassy growl.
Body control is impressive when you’re
THE FIRST HOUR
5 seconds
Strewth, this thing
New hot crossover plays a blinder point-to- hurling it around. It rolls more than an S3, but
it’s well tied down, letting you enjoy the weighty flies!
point, but more comfort wouldn’t hurt… steering. Grip is, naturally, unflappable, and you 1 minute
can feel the Haldex quattro system swapping the Sounds properly burly
power among the wheels under heavy load.
▲ EA888 might not ring any bells, but it’s the code- It’s less impressive when you’re just pottering 15 minutes
Why doesn’t the
PLUS name for the brilliant engine that powers many around. The SQ2 would really benefit from screen retract when
Flexible engine, epic of the VW Group’s most enjoyable cars. Think the Magnetic Ride adaptive dampers that are a I switch it off, like in
pace, meaty noise of any lively coupe, estate or hot hatch from must-have option on the S3, where the Comfort an S3?
VW, Seat, Skoda or Audi (and Cupra! Don’t setting softens the ride to a degree that allows
MINUS 25 minutes
▼ forget Cupra!) and you’re highly likely to you to ignore lumpy roads.
I simply can’t get
Lumpy ride,
find those five digits proudly stamped on the The sports seats need more lateral support comfortable here; the
uncomfortable 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged engine. and the padding in them is extremely unfor- seats are hard and
driving position From a business point of view it’s a cost-effec- giving. The driving position seems impossible pedals are angled
tive way to kill rather more than two birds with to adjust correctly, hampered by steeply angled weirdly
one stone. For engineers, it’s a space-efficient pedals and a seat base that’s too high even when 40 minutes
unit that can be packaged in all manner of you’ve pumped the adjuster as low as it’ll go. Why no adaptive
bodies. For drivers, it’s a wonderful blend of That engine, though… Floor it once and you’ll dampers? Ride quality
usable power, smoothness and economy. be hooked, but both the Golf R and Audi S3 are is consistently lumpy
The latest is the Audi SQ2, jumping the warm sharper drives.
60 minutes
crossover queue in front of the VW T-Roc R. It’s JAKE GROVES Still can’t ignore that
closest in concept to Audi’s own S3 hatch: they weapon of an engine
share an engine, they’re separated by just 45kg, First verdict – incredible punch and
the interiors are near identical and the two are flexibility
Stupendous shove and road-pummelling
almost neck-and-neck on price. dynamics in a sharp-looking crossover body.
That engine really is an absolute master- Pity about the comfort and the price.
stroke. The fact that the SQ2 can blast off to ★★★★★

£36,800 1984cc 16v turbo four- 297bhp @ 5300rpm, 1510kg 32.1mpg, Now
cylinder, seven-speed 295lb ft @ 2000rpm, 159g/km CO2
Data dual-clutch auto, 4.8sec 0-62mph,
all-wheel drive 155mph

First drives
20-inch alloys
and 20mm lower
suspension are
key T upgrades
ultimately acoustics aren’t really an issue.

P O R S C H E 7 1 8 C AY M A N T In ethos if not hardware, this is a cut-price
alternative to the track-focused Cayman GT4.
Sunday T Because it sounds meaner, answers more

promptly to throttle orders, tramlines a little
more and is lowered 20mm on stiffer springs
THE FIRST HOUR
10 seconds
£7k more than a
Think weekends not weekdays for with firmer adaptive dampers, the 718 Cayman
T feels brawnier and subjectively faster than 718 Cayman? Those
this driver-focused 718 Cayman T the base model.
stickers? Really?
When warm, the bigger tyres instil more 30 minutes

lateral grip as well as fierce traction, but you pay Stiffer, 20mm lower
▲ The good news? Compared with the entry-level for its dynamic focus with well-below-par ride and on 20-inch rims,
it’s a jiggly ride in town
PLUS 296bhp 718 Cayman, the new T equates to a 10 quality on B-roads. In crosswinds and when
Chassis, tasty extras, per cent discount when you add all T-specific following ruts, the directional stability can also 45 minutes
performance, design, extras. That includes dark 20-inch alloys, ad- be unsettling at times. But boy does it handle
quality justable sports suspension, bi-lingual exhaust, The T looks the part. With the exception and grip well. Whoop!
MINUS the Sport Chrono kit, a Sport mode for stabil- of tacky full-length stickers along the door
46 minutes
▼ ity control, torque vectoring and a mechanical bottoms, the 718 T looks every bit as desirable Feels quicker than the
Ride quality, price limited-slip diff. The bad news is that it costs as the top-spec GTS. Inside, we find sports base car and has more
hike, stickers £7071 more than an unadorned Cayman, seats (take your pick from off-the-peg chairs to attitude too
pushing it to within £3746 of the 718 Cayman S, pricey 918-style carbonfibre buckets), acres of
60 minutes
which has an altogether stronger 345bhp. so-called Sport Tex upholstery and fabric loops Too focused for some,
However, thanks to the impressive real-life in lieu of conventional door openers. but we’d have a T over
performance of the downsized 2.0-litre engine, All things considered, the 718 Cayman T is a the more powerful
the Cayman T does not – unlike the 911 T – feel better car for weekend thrill-seekers than the Cayman S
like an otherwise highly complete athlete with regular 718 Cayman, but less easy to live with
a weak heart. the rest of the week.
It can swoosh from a standstill to 62mph
in 5.1 seconds and reach 170mph with our test First verdict
car’s manual transmission, which suits this
Tempting extras and more engaging drive make
concept better than the optional PDK. While the T a cut-price GT4, but it’s also a less-rounded
the four-cylinder engine doesn’t sound as sports car than siblings.
musical and strong-voiced as the old flat-six, ★★★★★

£51,145 1988cc 16v turbo 296bhp @ 6500rpm, 1350kg 31.4-32.5mpg, Now
four-cylinder, 295lb ft @ 2000rpm, 186g/km
Data six-speed manual, 5.1sec 0-62mph,
rear-wheel drive 170mph

BMW 7-SERIES
7, turned up to 11
This glitzy 7-series facelift isn’t subtle, but there’s
substance behind the oversized kidney grille
JAGUAR XF SPORTBRAKE 300
Licensed to grille, king of the grille – we could taking in seat adjustment, lighting and climate, No longer can you buy a Jaguar XF with a six-
cylinder petrol engine. The flagship unleaded
go on making poor jokes about the enormous as well as infotainment and sat-nav. powerplant is now the four-cylinder Ingenium
nostrils on Munich’s updated limo but let’s be Behind the huge honker you’ll find engines turbo putting out 296bhp (or 300 metric
adult about this, because, believe it or not, that ranging from an improved plug-in hybrid to a horsepower, hence the name), with all-wheel
front end is the result of feedback from actual V12 petrol, with a new V8 and different versions drive as standard.
BMW 7-series customers. of the best-selling six-cylinder turbodiesel It sounds meatier than most fours, and goes
well too, pulling smoothly through its standard-
BMW responded to the call for bolder styling making up the bulk of the range. fit ZF auto ’box’s eight gears. The transmission’s
by enlarging the trademark kidney grille by 48 We reckon the 745Le xDrive plug-in hybrid sweetly calibrated; recent Jaguars haven’t
per cent – it’s so big it made the standard badge is a real highlight – it’s now capable of up to always been great at picking the right gear for
look microscopic, and designers had to prise a 36 electric-only miles and features a more the right moment but this latest tuning feels spot
on. Ditto ride quality; on 19-inch wheels (18s are
much larger BMW roundel off an X7 to redress powerful straight-six petrol engine. It’s standard, 20s an option) the XF has the right
the balance. impressively wafty and serenely quiet-running blend of loping ride and balanced handling that
The highest point of the nose is now 5cm in EV mode, thanks to the thicker glass now befits a big Jag, helped by keenly responsive
higher to make the front end look more upright, fitted all-round and more insulation in the steering. In R-Sport trim as tested (lower ride,
plus there are thinner head- and tail lights, and wheelarches and B-pillars. bigger splitter, chrome exhaust tips) it sits in the
mid-£40k bracket. Low-fi interior plastics aside,
a light strip running full-width across the boot. But it’s the superb 4.4-litre V8 750i that’s it feels worthy of the price – to drive, at least.
Both the long- and short-wheelbase cars have most rewarding when you up the pace, and the
grown 22 millimetres in length, while bigger stiff, Carbon Core’d chassis delivers thrills in First verdict
vents improve the aerodynamics around the ways no massive limo should. Fewer cylinders, still plenty of charisma. More
wheels. fun than a V90 or an E-Class.
★★★★★
Tall rear-seat passengers might find First verdict
themselves a little tight on headroom but are
easily distracted by a pair of 10-inch displays The 7-series remains the best driver’s car in a
market where most buyers prefer to be driven by
and a Blu-ray player. As before, everything is someone else.
controlled by a seven-inch removable tablet ★★★★★
BMW designers
tried a 50% bigger
grille, but no, too
vulgar; 48% it is
BMW 8-SERIES CONVERTIBLE

More luxurious than a 911 Convertible, cheaper
than an Aston DB11 Volante, the BMW 8-series
Convertible is a hard car to pigeonhole.
Let’s focus on what we know – this is a
droptop luxo-lounge for four, with a petrol V8
or six-cylinder diesel, and handling that doesn’t
tally with a near two-tonne kerbweight.
In reality there isn’t room for four adults and,
while the diesel offers sufficient punch and low
running costs, the 4.4-litre soundtrack of the
M850i is just better.
Handles well, too. Suitably taut, with none of
the associated wobbliness from the lack of roof,
the 8-series turns in hard and manages mid-
corner lumps and bumps deftly. Thank standard
adaptive dampers and rear-wheel steering for
that, and xDrive all-wheel drive that means you
can get back on the power early, too.
All in all, perfectly placed between the 911 and
DB11, and with a refined character of its own.
First verdict
Good refinement with a drive that makes you
forget this is a ‘softer’ convertible.
★★★★★

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Opinion
C AR ’ S N E W LO O K + F E R R A R I TR I B UTO + SA M S M ITH ’ S F I N E ST H O U R
S P O N S O R E D BY
Letter
of the
month
Like
with
like
Well done us Do similarities mirrors got me thinking about when I Great to see four fine coupes
of style and
The new issue of CAR magazine (April spirit outweigh was younger. tested in the March issue (Quick
2019) dropped through the door this differences in cost When those cameras are inevitably Group Test), but it seems to me
and performance?
morning. As a subscriber for over 20 smashed off in an all-too-likely filtering to be a game of two halves.
years I’ve seen a few redesigns, and this prang, how to repair them? You won’t One half asks is the Mazda
is one of the best. I’m not even sure be able to gaffer-tape any old mirror MX-5 RF a better sports car than
which article to pick first! in their place like my first C-reg Ford
the GT86? Probably.
I particularly like the reader Fiesta and all the Ford Transits I’ve
The other half asks is the
involvement (One year on and The driven over the years...
shortlist) – and with that in mind I’d love The cost and convenience will be a Cayman a better sports car than
to tell you about my VW Golf GTE… double-lose for owners. Technology for a TT? Yes! At borderline twice
Simon Hull technology’s sake in my view… the price, the Porsche should
Sam Clifford be superior, otherwise their en-
Thanks for your positive feedback gineers should get back to the
Simon – a lot of hard work went into Couldn’t agree more. Justifying the drawing board. Perhaps the odd
the new-look CAR, so it’s fantastic additional cost and complexity of £22,790 is small change and
to hear it’s going down well among new tech is difficult enough when therefore of no consequence to
the loyalists! And you can read more the advantage is clear – and here well-heeled journos!
about your GTE on page 140… BM that’s just not the case… so far at
Please don’t compare the Up
least. BM
GTI with a Golf GTI in a future
Now you see me… No word yet on
The point raised by letter writer Ray the Tributo’s price, Still the magic number test.
White in the April issue about the but we’re pretty
A spot of garage cleaning yielded Carry on the great work.
sure it won’t hit
Audi e-Tron’s use of cameras instead of Dacia sales unexpected treasure – my long- Andy Ferguson
thought-lost copy of CAR, September
1988 wherein Messrs Green, Setright
and Bremner were let loose in a BMW
YOUR DREAM
3-series. In the interim BMW has gone
CAR AW AITS!
on to do other things – of course the D WEEKLY WINNER
GUARANTEE
purists hate them.

And yet the spirit of that car is
alive and well. A fortnight spent
house-sitting/dog-walking for a cousin
WAQ HASHMI WINS BMW M2 COMPETITION
gave me access to the family car, an ⊲

i3. As my first exposure to an electric/ Imagine the Ignis has it. I drove it recently and found Although Mark didn’t notice any road
Panamera, but
hybrid vehicle, I had a ball – every day a bit smaller, the excellent Waze app on my phone is rage, I can assure him that it does exist
to the mall or to do errands had me and imagine Phil available on CarPlay. though not on the scale I have encoun-
grinning like that Cheshire cat of old. Murphy driving it Because it’s updated constantly by so tered here now that I have retired back
with a big grin
The left-hand-drive M3 never came to many users I find it far more accurate to Britain. He was likely spared it since
South Africa but its latterday relative is than the sat-navs fitted as standard he is European and Caucasian, making
doing just great. by Lexus or Suzuki, better even than him less likely to be abused (he wouldn’t
Keep on being the flea in the kennel. Google or Apple Maps. understand the abuse anyway). It is
G Cooper On a journey through France in quite common to see undertaking,
December it outperformed the Lexus by no signalling and last-minute lane
Waze to go only warning about live incidents, not changes.
Unusually it was the Our Cars section ones that were cleared the day before As most vehicles on the roads are
that I found really involving in the yesterday. container trucks, lorries, buses and
February issue. Reg Holmes taxis which far outnumber private cars,
The Bentley Bentayga, loaded with the main mantra is ‘Time is money’ and
nearly 78k worth of extras: obscene. Rage on any hold-up for road rage will likely cost
Tim Pollard’s description of why In his March column Mark Walton the drivers and their companies.
people (like me) buy a Lexus: spot on. wrote about driving around Hong Steven Wong
The references in both the Bentayga Kong. I lived and worked in Hong
and Suzuki Swift pieces to Apple Kong for 23 years and feel qualified to Too big, too heavy
CarPlay now fitted to many cars: sadly comment on his findings regarding There’s no faulting your logic in the
Lexus don’t fit it, but my wife’s Suzuki sat-nav use and road rage. April issue comparison test between the
The use of sat-nav hasn’t caught on AMG GT 4 Door, Alpine B5 and Porsche
for certain reasons. The number of Panamera. It sounds like the Porsche
private car owners is less than 10 per does a better job than either of the
cent of the adult population and the others of squaring the circle by being
large majority of this 10 per cent do not good for drivers, good for passengers
drive during the week, merely using and extremely quick.
their cars at weekends or holidays. But (speaking as an ex-owner)
The sheer volume of traffic, and there’s something a little off about the
shortage of parking spaces, means most Panamera. It’s just a bit too big in town,
drivers favour using public transport, a bit ungainly to look at, and lacking the
which is cheaper, quicker and more magic of ‘proper’ Porsches, by which I
convenient. Most drivers only ever drive mean the Cayman/Boxster and 911.
to places they’re familiar with, hence I’d really like to see Porsche try again
not much need for sat-nav. with the 924-944-968 idea – or, to look

Opinion
How to have your say: My only sadness is that it seems we

stand at the end of an age – the motor
VIA EMAIL
@ CAR@bauermedia.co.uk
car as we have known for over 100 years
is in its final act. Age is not something
VIA TWITTER anyone wishes on themselves but I
@CARmagazine am certainly glad I was a wide-eyed
car-obsessed boy in the ’70s and ’80s
VIA FACEBOOK and I am very glad my half-brother had
facebook.com/CARmagazine the good taste to take out a subscription
to CAR. Thanks for the memories.
VIA POST
Antony O’Brien ⊲
CAR, Media House, Lynchwood,
Peterborough, PE2 6EA
at it another way, a lowered Macan Hungry for more Is that really going to be the first
(if you accept that the Panamera is a app chat? Then question on CAR readers’ minds?
head straight to
lowered Cayenne). Our Cars, which Robert Young
Phil Murphy is once again What were we thinking?! BM
brimming with it
Reading the road Welcome home
Surely Sam Smith’s brief report about
his drive in an old Mercedes from
Tennessee to Seattle is worthy of
Having taken a 27-year sabbatical from
buying CAR, in a moment of wanton
crazed avarice I took out a subscription
5 MOST READ STORIES ON
CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK
a fuller article – or didn’t he have a and got that same feeling that I got 1 Mini Cooper S-E prototype
camera with him? back in 1983 when my half-brother’s review: all-electric hatch
tested
Just think – memories of past (car) subscription was delivered and I got to
loves are often really memories of trips open the brown envelope containing 2 New Peugeot 208 and e-208:
made in those cars, and a trip like Sam’s literally weeks of pleasure courtesy the full story
will be something he’ll never forget. Ar- of LJK, Steady Barker and the gang. It 3 Pininfarina Battista: 1874bhp
ticles about such journeys, with insights was good to see there are still some old EV shocks the world
into the people and places along the friends at CAR – Georg Kacher and my
way, are so much more interesting than hero as a boy, Gavin Green – alongside 4 Aston Martin Project 003:
Both these cars hybrid hypercar set for 2021
comparisons of supercars, or treatises provide more than the groundbreaking and still witty
about the latest electric – yawn, sorry, enough info and GBU. CAR magazine set the template 5 Polestar 2 fastback: four-door
indeed tainment
can’t go on. through the that all others now follow and that with 402bhp finally arrives
Richard Corke steering wheel DNA, I am happy to say, is still evident.
That column was a great swansong

from Sam, wasn’t it? And don’t
worry – Sam will continue to
contribute to CAR. BM
Don’t blame the car

With respect to the Toyota GT86
needing more torque to fulfill your
dreams of drifting (Quick Group Test,
March): you’re not drifting it right !
Try a higher cornering speed, one
where you are close to the lateral grip
limit – then stomp on the loud pedal.
Drifting in the true sense is not the
same as power-sliding. The latter is
brute force, and although some people
master it and make it look quite artistic
it will never be as elegant as the former.
Emil Heise
Driver’s cars
Regarding the V12 Ferrari vs Lamborgh-
ini test in the March issue, your first big
question was ‘Intuitive infotainment?’!

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EDITORIAL
Editor
Ben Miller
Editor-in-chief
Phil McNamara
Managing editor
Colin Overland
Deputy features editor
James Taylor
Staff writer Hyper-miling, hyper-tyring You might not words, Tom’s photos spoke volumes
Jake Groves think you need to
I am appalled by the fuel consumption read about a Yugo about the significance of this car in
Digital editorial director
Tim Pollard of many of the vehicles you test. in 2019, but you’ll the former Yugoslavia. Nice to see CAR
In December 2012 I bought one be glad you did doing this sort of thing again.
Online editor
Curtis Moldrich of the last Mk6 VW Golf TDI Blue Ray Smith
Art editor Motion models brand new. It has now
Mal Bailey
Senior designer
completed about 55,000 miles. I have More than acceptable
Rebecca Wilshere kept a record of fuel consumed. Usually You’ve won me over with the new
Editors-at-large it gives me 60-plus miles per gallon, but format. The Yugo piece is a real return
Chris Chilton, Mark Walton,
Ben Barry, Ben Pulman
if I am doing a lot of urban driving – say to form – CAR’s always been famous for
Contributor-in-chief through central London – it does drop such good stories.
Gavin Green into the 50s and even the upper 40s. Darren Smith
European editor The optimum mix of fuel economy
Georg Kacher
Contributing editors
and reasonable progress is achieved if Thanks to all the readers who
Ben Oliver, Ben Whitworth, I cruise at 65mph. I do not sprint away commented on the changes. Keep
Anthony ffrench-Constant, from traffic lights and roundabouts and the feedback coming. BM
Steve Moody, Sam Smith
that has paid other dividends. I am still
F1 correspondent
Tom Clarkson on the original Michelins, although
Office manager they will need changing very soon. INSTANT RE ACTIONS VIA FACEBOOK
Leise Enright Roger Potts
Production controller Honda e Prototype
Richard Woolley
ADVERTISING Not so fast
Commercial director Volvo is talking about limiting the top
Kelly Millis speed of its cars to 112mph, and high-
Digital commercial director lighting the dangers of distraction and
Jim Burton
Key account manager
intoxication. Volvo is also talking about
Dan Chapman technologically enforcing lower speeds
Account manager near schools and hospitals. Their right The front end looks like an old Skoda Estelle…
Claire Meade-Gore to walk in safety clearly outweighs your Alex MacEachen
Regional sales
Graham Roby right to drive like a twerp.
What worries me is the prospect Their interior designers sure are lazy. The whole car
PUBLISHING is more plain than distilled water.
Marketing manager of such technology being introduced
Zixian Goh
Rachael Beesley prematurely, to suit political and
Direct marketing manager marketing deadlines rather than when
Julie Spires The concept had a lovely scowl out front.
Direct marketing executive
it’s ready, as we’ve seen with some This has sad Bambi eyes. No thanks.
Rebecca Lambert self-driving tech. Johann van Rensburg
Editorial director Marcus Dunsfold
June Smith-Sheppard Interesting that Honda are taking their time, evolving
Managing director
Niall Clarkson Rock the bloc the concept, and as a result perhaps moving from
Group MD What a joy! Georg Kacher and Tom the cutesy concept to a more bland design. Also why
Rob Munro-Hall Salt’s Yugo story (April issue) summed so coy on costs/performance, and the range is too
Chief executive officer low at 120 miles – that’s in optimal conditions too;
up so much that’s intriguing, important
Paul Keenan realistically this could be down to 90 miles.
and exciting about cars, car culture and Graham Duce
the car industry.
Even without Georg’s insightful
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‘If cars are to
be merged
into consumer
electronics shows
then it’s a very
sad day’
T
op car companies
should be at top car
shows. For me, this is as
straightforward as Rolex
displaying tasty timepiec-
es at the Baselworld watch
fair, and dogs with posh
names like Fenton of Kentwood
and Brookewire Brandy of Layven
(both past winners) starring at Crufts.
So I was very sad to see Jaguar, Land Rover, Ford, Volvo and
Opel/Vauxhall absent from the recent Geneva show. This is the great-
est car show on Earth, has been for at least 40 years, attracts the world’s top Car makers desert shows to stage their own events, to divert more mon-
car executives, designers and engineers and – just as crucially – brings in ey into Mark Zuckerberg’s social media pockets, and to attend consumer
more than 650,000 paying customers. Significantly, 30 per cent are aged electronics shows such as the CES in Las Vegas. Or because they’re current-
between 15 and 29 – important, as car makers try to woo millennials – and ly skint (Ford, Jaguar Land Rover, Vauxhall). As we head for our brave new
half come from outside Switzerland. This is the world’s car show. electric, autonomous and fully-connected AI future, many car companies
Motor shows have been haemorrhaging exhibitors for years, of course. now think shows like CES are more important than any motor show.
The London show at Earls Court was once the most spectacular car fair in Well, of course the car business is changing. But if cars are to be merged
the world – notable for girls disrobing as well as cars unveiling – before it into general consumer electronics, then it’s a very sad day for this business
slowly ground to a halt, like the traffic outside on Warwick Road. and this enthusiasm we share. I go to shows such as Geneva to ogle the
The Detroit show is a shadow of its former self, sadly mirroring the for- hardware: exquisite new Ferraris, their V8 twin-turbo engines gleaming;
tunes of the city. Last year’s Paris show was without Ford, Fiat, Volkswagen, carbon-bodied McLarens of fine form and function; fascinating new
Volvo, Vauxhall/Opel, Nissan, Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Jeep, Aston Martin baby cars (Fiat’s Centoventi, Citroën’s Ami One and Honda’s e Prototype,
and Mazda. The French makers – who did attend, and in force – briefly all at Geneva) that may yet revolutionise city transport; Rolls-Royces as
looked like they ruled the world. beautifully hand-wrought as any man-made object; new technology that
One reason Geneva is so pleasant is that it’s in a neutral country that will change my world. And all under one roof! By all means leaven this
doesn’t have a motor industry. So the Germans can’t flex their muscles, hardware-fest with software updates, but when the big news is the cloud,
the French can’t preen, the Japanese can’t pretend that electric wheelchairs connectivity and CarPlay, I’ll leave and go kick some tyres in the car park.
are the answer to the world’s transport needs, and the Chinese can’t copy Car shows may change and probably should. The Festival of Speed is
Range Rovers and Mercedes-Benzes with impunity. The only problem are now the de facto British motor show organised by the car world’s favourite
the prices demanded by Swiss hoteliers. entrepreneurial duke. The last Paris show went way beyond the halls of the
Notwithstanding the lack of a few major players, it was another very Porte de Versailles, including test drives at the Place de la Concorde.
Illustration by Peter Strain
good Geneva show. Instead of the big names, there were many new names, That’s all fine. But when cars become mere consumer electronic goods,
mostly electric start-ups. These included a familiar name (Piëch, run by a bit parts at the CES, they cease to be special. And that’s when this business
son of the great Ferdinand) and an historic name (Hispano Suiza). Tesla’s falls apart and loses its love.
high share price has convinced investors to back electric. Now all it needs
is for car buyers to do the same. And for an electric car company to make For more Geneva insights from Gavin Green visit the
some money. Motor Shows section of www.carmagazine.co.uk

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‘My hands
are numb with
cold, but I’m still
reluctant to hand
this amazing
car back’
I
t was set to be a titanic battle: in the red
corner, the new Ariel Atom 4, a feisty
insect of a car with a two-inch wind-
screen; and in the blue corner, Storm
Gareth, a deep low-pressure area ap-
proaching from the Atlantic, described by
the Sun newspaper as ‘a colossal 2000-mile-
wide mega-storm bringing snow and 90mph
blizzards!!!’.
Yes, unfortunately for me, Sod’s Law had conspired with the laws of
nature to schedule Gareth’s arrival on the very day that Ariel had prepared
an Atom 4 for me. Brimmed with fuel, raring to go, everything was in place Type R engine. It’s good for 320bhp, meaning a power-to-weight ratio of
– everything except a roof. Or windscreen wipers. Or side panels. Still, it 538bhp per tonne.
had a two-inch windscreen. Helmet on, garage door up and out we go. The wind is incredible, and I
,
As I arrive at Ariel’s factory in Somerset, sheets of rain thrash in the wind notice it passes straight through the car’s skeleton but my head is rocked
like a scene from one of those American news reports about a hurricane by the gusts. Needless to say I start with the turbo set at 1, but the Atom
landing in Florida. ‘Are you sure you want to go out today?’ asks Tom is still effortless in its overtaking, casually slicing past traffic with a lightly
Siebart, general manager of Ariel, as I shake his hand. ‘The conditions are squeezed throttle. Standing water is tricky, but where the road is properly
atrocious.’ drained the car feels rock solid. The ride, thanks to new suspension, is a
‘Oh yes, no problem, I’ll be fine,’ I reply with a smile. But then the look magical blend of stiffness and compliance, communicating the surface
in Tom’s eye intensifies. ‘No, I mean – are you really sure it’s a good idea?’ details without feeling harsh or jolting. Likewise the steering – a slightly
he asks. slower rack combines accuracy with a new composure. Soon I have the
A momentary pause, as I read the situation. Bless – Tom’s obviously turbo up to 3.
concerned about my wellbeing, he doesn’t want to see me have an accident As I splash through puddles, water cascades off the front tyres, and if the
or… ‘I just don’t want you to give us a bad review,’ he adds quickly. steering is turned that flow is directed straight in through the side of the
Ah. I see. car. By now the black plastic floor is filling up like a bathtub, a centimetre
I do get his point. Because I’ve driven an Atom in the rain before, and it’s of water flowing back and forth every time I accelerate or brake. There is a
like staring into the jet of a high-pressure fire hose. Even wearing a full-face drainage hole – I briefly wonder if I should solve that riddle, about whether
helmet, there’s a danger of cold water being rammed so far up your nose, water goes anti-clockwise round a plughole if you’re going clockwise round
you dribble for days afterward. ‘People don’t tend to enjoy it in this kind a roundabout in the northern hemisphere.
of weather,’ Tom tells me. I look at the Ariel in the workshop. Little more After driving for over an hour, it’s time to turn back. My hands are numb
than knee high, it’s visibly wider than Atoms 1, 2 and 3, but the new car with cold, water has seeped into my waterproof oversuit, the foam in my
retains that iconic, arched spaceframe that lends it so much potency, like helmet is drenched, but I’m still reluctant to hand this amazing car back.
Illustration by Peter Strain
the stored-up energy of a drawn bow. Then I look outside. Then I look at The Atom 4 is a magnificent achievement for such a small team: more re-
the Atom. Then I look outside. Bugger it, let Gareth do his worst – I want solved and cohesive than before, it’s a work of madness and genius in equal
to drive. measure. Hard luck, Gareth – in this contest, the Atom 4 is a knockout.
So I climb in and Tom gives me a quick run through the new instrument
binnacle and the cool new toggle switches. One of the rotary dials is Mark Walton and Ariel go way back; check out his
for the turbo boost – the Atom is now powered by Honda’s latest turbo 2008 review of the Atom 3 300 on our website

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3-series vs the world
320d?
I’d like you to
meet everything

We’ve lapped the Nürburgring
in it and drifted it around snow-
covered Alpine passes. Now,
the moment of truth. Is the new
3-series still the benchmark?
Words Ben Barry Photography John Wycherley
B
MW is now in so many segments, from mammoth SUVs to mini EVs,
it’s easy to forget its most familiar model is also its most important:
no BMW sells more than the 3-series globally, and it remains the
model that defines both the company and the premium D-segment.
So there’s a lot riding on this latest seventh-generation G20 3-series.
This our first chance to test the new 3-series not only on UK roads,
but also in the big-selling 320d trim and against its keenest competitors.
This test has to evaluate the new BMW 3-series against its traditional German
rivals, the Mercedes C-Class and Audi A4 – both of which, according to Jato Dynamics,
outsold the 3-series in Europe last year if you include all body styles. Then there’s the
Alfa Giulia. It's not a huge seller, but the Alfa’s a giant-killer when judged on its dynam-
ics and looks, two core reasons to buy for 3-series loyalists.
But today’s drivers don’t all think along traditional lines. Buyers and user-choosers
have more choice than ever, and given a 3-series-sized pot of cash some will head off
in a different direction. That’s why we’re also testing the Jaguar E-Pace and BMW X2
compact SUVs, and throwing in a couple of curveball saloons: the Peugeot 508 and
much larger Lexus ES.
Diverse, certainly, but all eight cars tested here cost between £36,439 and £39,495
before options, so they’re all contenders for your 3-series money. ⊲
may 2019 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 65

Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce

P R i c E £38,260 (£43,240 as tested)
E N G i N E 1995cc 16v turbo 4-cylinder,
276bhp @ 5250rpm, 295lb ft @ 1750rpm
P E R f O R m A N c E 5.7sec 0-62mph,
149mph, 46.3mpg, 141g/km CO2
mercedes-Benz c220d AmG Line

P R i c E £39,160 (£45,515 as tested)
E N G i N E 1950cc 16v turbodiesel 4-cylinder,
191bhp @ 3800rpm, 295lb ft @ 1600rpm
P E R f O R m A N c E 6.9sec 0-62mph, 149mph,
61.4mpg, 117g/km CO2
G R O U P O N E You won’t get confused, like you might with a new 911, because there’s no
doubting this new 3-series is all-new. It looks, and is, a much bigger car.
The endless struggle

Now based on BMW’s CLAR architecture as per 5- and 7-series, it’s 85mm
longer (at 4709mm) and 16mm wider (1827mm). When I climb behind the
driver’s seat, set for my 6ft 1in, my knees don’t rub the seatback like they do
It’s a war as old as war itself: BMW in everything else here bar the Lexus. Even the Peugeot – longer at 4750mm
versus Mercedes versus Audi. Oh, – has a shorter wheelbase and a little less rear space. The Alfa, Mercedes
and Audi are all tighter in the back.
and an Alfa that thinks it’s a BMW But because there’s now more aluminium in among the steel, the new
3-series is up to 55kg lighter than before. There are wider tracks, the new
iDrive system, more efficient engines, generous equipment…
Our test car is in 320d trim with xDrive all-wheel drive. xDrive also
brings the eight-speed automatic as standard, and a £3190 premium over
rear-drive. All tallied, that’s £39,495 in range-topping, top-selling M Sport
trim, £47,855 optioned up.
Other than incongruously cheap-looking Sensatec trim (actually far
from cheap at £500), this is an impressive cabin crafted around driving. The

Audi A4 40 TDI S Line
P r I c e £36,445 (£42,105 as tested)
e n g I n e 1968cc 16v turbodiesel 4-cylinder,
187bhp @ 3800rpm, 295lb ft @ 1750rpm
P e r f o r m A n c e 7.7sec 0-62mph, 150mph,
47.9-51.4mpg, 120g/km CO2
BmW 320d xDrive m Sport

P r I c e £39,495 (47,855 as tested)
e n g I n e 1995cc 16v turbodiesel 4-cylinder,
187bhp @ 4000rpm, 295lb ft @ 1750rpm
P e r f o r m A n c e 6.9sec 0-62mph, 145mph,
49.6-52.3mpg, 118g/km CO2
lean, taut architecture looks like a geometry teacher snuck into the BMW On 19-inch alloys with adaptive M Sport suspension, there’s some
design department, and I love the reference to old-school BMW in the road noise, and the ride is definitely firm, more in the way it fusses over
tilt of the centre console towards the driver, and that the climate-control secondary bumps than in larger movements being abruptly curtailed. But
functions are easily found on buttons set far up the dash. combined with our car’s uprated four-piston brakes, which form part of the
But the stand-out is the infotainment – a 10.3-inch display that can be £2200 M Sport Plus pack, Michelin Pilot Sports and xDrive transmission,
controlled with the iDrive rotary controller, but also via the touchscreen, the payback is a chassis that’s a joy to drive. It pulls up quickly, has front
steering-wheel controls, gesture control and voice control. grip so heroic that only a little chirrup says you’re at the limit, and reassures
The low-set leather driver’s seat is perfection, with meaty bolstering with precise and chunkily weighted steering, body movements always
around your middle, and although there’s very little give in the squab, kept in check. It also feels so rear-biased it’s easy to forget all-wheel drive
backrest and headrest, they’re long-distance comfortable. is working in the background. Even the steering seems mostly to avoid the
There’s no doubting you’re in a four-cylinder turbodiesel at idle, but the stickiness that comes with front wheels having to both turn and drive. It’s
clatter quickly evaporates once you’re running. Versus the old 3, mpg and definitely got point-to-point pace to upset more powerful machinery. But
CO2 improve at 49.6-52.3mpg and 118g/km, but performance is unchanged with xDrive and 320d power, this 3-series doesn’t feel as alive as the new
at 187bhp and 295lb ft. Throttle response is good, with generous muscle 330i I drove recently. It’s very good, but if I was driving one cross-country to
from middling speeds after fractional turbo lag, and the eight-speed auto Wales it would be because I was heading there for a business meeting, not
flicks quickly between ratios. Of course the performance of a 320d won’t driving for the heck of it.
make you whoop, but there’s plenty for normal driving. But if I owned the Alfa I’d be tempted to up sticks and move to a Welsh ⊲

3-series is all
about letting
the driver get on
with driving
Minimal styling,
maximum tech: it
is an Audi, after all
C-Class cabin is
chunky, comfy and
well equipped
Low-slung Alfa
Giulia isn’t shy
about acting the
junior Ferrari

Reverse-sweep
tacho and M Sport
calipers keep the
faith
B-road. Alfa does diesel Giulias if you’re after precise powertrain and
financial parity with a 320d, but the bad press currently depressing diesel
sales might prompt you to consider the petrol-powered Veloce. At £38,260 After the 3’s locked-down
it’s comparable to 320d pricing, but swaps the derv for a 2.0-litre blown
petrol four like you’d find in a hot hatch. You get 295lb ft like the diesels, suspension, the Alfa’s tuning
but a much stronger 276bhp, plus standard eight-speed auto and rear-wheel
drive. There’s even a claim of 46.3mpg with your 5.7-second 0-62mph.
philosophy is very different
It’s a cut-price alternative to the 500bhp Alfa Quadrifoglio we rate so
highly, and you can spec Veloce Ti trim and other visual treats to further
the illusion. Nice, but unnecessary, as our car proves with its wolf-whistle firing from first to third coincides with corners you can almost take flat.
body and still attractive 18s. If you can stretch to it, the £1950 Performance It’s an Alfa, so we’d be suspicious if there wasn’t ‘character’ here, and
Pack is nigh-on essential. Adaptive dampers, limited-slip diff, paddles… it there is, particularly the calibration of Dynamic mode – tighter body
all contributes to our Giulia being so phenomenally good to drive. control and weightier steering can be welcome on a mission, but an unnec-
Alfa gets it right from the off with gorgeous ribbed leather seats posi- essary pulse accompanies gearshifts, and backing off quickly at higher revs
tioned down on the deck, bolsters hugging you like a Vespa pillion, and elicits a rude shunt. The brake pedal is also strangely long, although the
Ferrari references impossible to overlook: starter button on the wheel, a four-piston set-up is excellent. Occasionally it just feels like the last 10 per
dash that drops low to wrap around circular air vents, and our car’s (op- cent of calibration magic is lacking.
tional) blade-like shift paddles fixed to the column, not the steering wheel. There are other compromises, too: I struggled to actually sit behind
After the 3’s locked-down suspension, the Alfa’s tuning philosophy is myself, interior quality is patchy, the infotainment only average, there’s a
very different, with generous compliance and travel. The steering, too, whistle from the wing mirrors, hazard warning lights flash embarrassingly
has an almost shocking speed and lightness but also accuracy; it’s quite under hard braking and there are rogue ‘you’re-about-to-crash’ beeps in
different from the BMW. It’s that echo of Ferrari again. At first I mistake town. Character. But if dynamics are your priority, the Alfa Giulia Veloce is
the suspension travel for sloppiness and think the steering feels almost too the ultimate driving machine in this test.
rapid and pointy for the leisurely body movements, but within a few miles Our Mercedes is a more direct 320d rival. Now five years old, the C-Class
the Alfa feels deliciously light, nimble and unfazed by rough surfaces. was recently updated with more efficient engines and capacitive switches
Its limits are high, but the Giulia trades the kind of brute-force feel of on the steering wheel. Ours arrives dressed as a C220d AMG Line, which
the 3-series for a more delicate nuance, so you’re reading and working with means AMG bumpers and skirts, and a 1950cc turbodiesel that promises
the surface more, feeling the body move, the tyres smearing a little over the 191bhp with 61.4mpg. A base £39,160 is tickled to £45,515, mostly thanks to
surface and the rear arcing slightly under power. It’s driving as surfing, and Premium and Driving Assistance packs.
when it all gels and you key into that rhythm it’s sublime. More’s the pity The C-Class looks a bit meek on 18-inch alloys, and less flashy inside
that the traction control cannot be disengaged, because there’s enough with its sports seats upholstered in a mix of artico (convincing fake leather)
power to exploit that delicious balance. The four-cylinder turbo runs bolsters and suede-like dinamica inserts, but they’re set suitably low and
into its soft cut-out at surprisingly low revs, but it punches hard in the hold you well. There’s good room in the back too, but it’s strange that the
low- and mid-range, shifts gears in a finger-click and – considering the rear bench is so much firmer than the front seats. It’s like being in church.
hardware – does a decent job of aural encouragement. Always quick, there Other de-merits include a bulky, less focused look to the dash than the
are moments when the Veloce feels astonishingly rapid, particularly when lean 3-series, and a far less neatly integrated infotainment screen. But ⊲

Getting in the Audi is like
twisting a camera’s focus ring
to make everything pin-sharp

Unless you live on

a glacier you don’t
need all-wheel
drive on a 320d.
But it’s neatly done
there’s a smart metal finish to the control interfaces, and the infotainment
is extremely good, though our car’s 12.3-inch instrument cluster and
Comand Online are bundled with the £2795 Premium pack.
The C-Class gets 15mm-lower sports suspension, so even on modest
18-inch Bridgestone Potenzas it rides like it’s got the hiccups, with vertical
movements prematurely stifled. This ‘sportiness’ doesn’t lead to any great
payback on a twisty road. At least you can delete the stiffer chassis. Perfor-
mance is perfectly adequate, if a little unwilling – I wouldn’t have guessed
at 6.9sec to 62mph and 149mph – and shifts are delivered with a lazy fuzz.
Everything the C220d does – bar its ride quality – it does to an acceptable
level. But when you’re talking a £40k premium saloon up against this com-
petition, it just can’t cut it.
The Audi is better. It’s a 40 TDI S-line S-tronic, which Google Translate
says is a 2.0 TDI in the sportiest trim with a dual-clutch gearbox. It costs
a reasonable-in-this-company £36,445, topped to £42,105 mainly with the
£1395 Technology pack, electric memory and nappa leather for the S-line
sports seats, topping off an interior that’s minimal but not austere. Tight
shutlines, richly textured leather, alcantara and brushed metal, crisp
graphics – it’s like twisting a camera’s focus ring to make everything pin-
sharp. It scores highly for usability too, with mostly intuitive infotainment
and comfortable seats, plus ample space for rear-seat passengers and a
useful 480-litre boot.
With only its front wheels driven, the A4 is the second lightest car here
at 1480kg (behind the 1429kg Alfa), and fields an on-point 187bhp/295lb ft,
50-ish mpg and 120g/km. It pulls strongly from 1800rpm, and always feels
flexible, partly thanks to a seven-speed dual-clutch auto with quick shifts
and ratios that keep up your momentum.
The A4 also drives very well. Corners are strung together with more
finesse than the Mercedes, thanks to crisp turn-in, responsive handling
and steering that has a natural feel and accuracy, with a more leisurely
ratio than rivals. Shame, then, that road noise from its 19-inch Contis and a
choppy ride on fixed dampers knock its score; Audi offers adaptive dampers
for £600, or no-cost Comfort suspension on S-lines.
Audi happier in
corners than the With a cushier ride, the Audi’s interior build, infotainment and spacious
Merc, but neither rear quarters might displace the Alfa for those who put such things high on
are as much fun as the list (and many will), but the 320d is still the most complete car of these
the Alfa and BMW
traditional premium saloons. Over the page, we’ll see how the BMW fares
against a new generation of rivals. ⊲

Want proof the

world’s gone mad?
These two are
3-series rivals
BMw X2 xDrive 20d M Sport

P R i c e £38,150 (£44,525 as tested)
P e R f O R M a n c e 7.7sec 0-62mph, 137mph,
45.6-48.7mpg, 124g/km CO2
e n G i n e 1995cc 16v turbodiesel four-cylinder,
187bhp @ 4000rpm, 295lb ft @ 1750rpm
G R O U P t w O The 3-series is the obvious choice for good reason, but its sheer ubiquity will
encourage some to consider a compact SUV instead. Stay loyal to BMW
The SUV uprising and that means the X2 xDrive 20d M Sport, closest on price at £38,150, a
tempting £1345 cheaper than our like-for-like 3-series – at 4630mm long it’s
smaller than both X1 and X3, but splits them on price.
The prices of this new generation Climb from a 320d up into an X2 and it’s like being bumped from
of high-rise, sporty 4x4s put them business class. There are analogue dials, a flabbier look to the instrument
firmly in 3-series territory panel, grainier leather, flimsier switchgear and older iDrive infotainment.
The X2’s been on sale just a year but it’s like someone’s put a 10-year-old
X5 interior in here by mistake. On the plus side, there’s a rear bench with
enough room for large adults, and the 470-litre boot is just 10 litres shy of
the 320d’s despite a body that’s easier to slot into parking spaces.
The X2’s UKL2 platform is related to the X1 and Mini Countryman, not
the 3-series. Hence the engines are mounted transversely and entry-level
versions are front-driven. Power and torque are identical to the 320d, but
weight, performance and economy are all worse. Indeed, this is an inferior
drive to the 3-series in every respect. Larger 20-inch rubber induces extra
road noise, more turbodiesel clatter seeps into the cabin, and there’s extra
wind noise too. The ride is lumpier, and the lag before bodyroll is checked
gives you the fear when cornering a bit hot.

Jaguar E-Pace 180PS
Diesel R-Dynamic S
P R i c E £37,870 (£45,745 as tested)
P E R f o R m a n c E 9.1sec 0-62mph, 127mph,
47.1mpg, 158g/km CO2
E n g i n E 1999cc 16v turbodiesel four-cylinder,
178bhp @ 4000rpm, 317lb ft @ 1750rpm
It’s not all moans. Performance is perfectly acceptable for typical driving, than the X2, and its ride – on adaptive dampers – is better, though it’s
with a perky whoosh of boost in the mid-range, the gearbox is very good, still quite niggly in town, and at speed big vertical movements are sternly
and quickly responsive steering imbues energy. It grips well too, plus you checked on trickier B-roads. It does feel more fluid though.
can unlock a rear-biased secret level if you work the X2 like Starbucks is The Ingenium 2.0-litre diesel isn’t particularly smooth or quiet, but
closing. But good grief, don’t actually buy the thing. A 3-series is miles better. there’s a decent slug of torque low down, pacey, precise and mid-weighted
Jaguar’s XE has dynamically troubled the 3-series for the last few years. steering for a nimble feel, and the nine-speed auto responds quickly to
A refreshed version is imminent and we’ll test it soon, but it’ll probably paddleshift commands, though it’s sometimes a little ponderous in auto.
unjustly languish in showrooms while the E-Pace goes great guns. It’s This car feels less dynamic than the last E-Pace I drove, partly because
another compact SUV you might pick instead of a 3-series. it’s on all-season tyres, partly because the sportier Active Driveline all-
The E-Pace is 123mm taller than the X2 and 51mm longer but costs a little wheel drive can only be combined with top-spec diesel and petrols, not
less, starting from £37,870 in 178bhp turbodiesel/auto/all-wheel-drive trim. our mid-ranking diesel. The front end throws in the towel more easily
It shares the just-replaced Range Rover Evoque’s platform, and like the than I remember, and there’s no real sense of rear bias, just grip and then
Evoque is heavy: 1831kg kerbweight versus the X2’s 1675kg. Again the SUV a neutral, understeery slip. The outgoing XE is a much better drive, so too
tailspin knocks all the important figures. the new 3-series.
You sit higher in E-Pace than X2, but the driver’s seat hunkers low for a Usually we test SUVs in isolation or in the context of direct rivals, but
sportier sensation reinforced by a dash inspired by the F-Type’s. It’s a shame to drive these cars back-to-back with similarly priced saloons is to realise
some very poor plastics have crept into some high places and that the the huge compromises they entail. These crossovers weigh more, they can’t
infotainment – while functional – can’t compete with either BMW. There’s take you as far on a gallon of fuel and they’re much less enjoyable to drive
decent space in the rear, but both the X2 and 320d better the 425-litre boot. than lighter, lower-slung models. For what? So buyers can sit up high and
Despite also wearing 20-inch rubber, the E-Pace suffers less road noise not go off-road? Honestly, it’s inexplicable. Just buy the obvious car. ⊲

The cheapest
car here has
one of the very
best interiors
G R O U P t h R e e
The free radicals

Serious temptation from Peugeot and Lexus
It’s hard to imagine Dragons’ Den backing a new posh saloon car pitched
at the Germans. The sector’s static, SUVs are booming, everyone wants a
BMW, Merc or Audi… The hapless execs would find themselves in a blood-
bath cruelly prolonged for viewer amusement, their humiliation halted
after the sweaty mental arithmetic becomes too embarrassing to watch.
Thankfully for us, some companies are still brave enough to offer
non-SUV alternatives to the predictable 3-series, and because they know
competition is fierce they make sure there are some damn good reasons to
buy. Two of the latest to stick their headlights above the parapet hail from
Lexus and Peugeot.
The Lexus ES has never been sold here before, but it’s now into its
seventh generation. Based on the front-wheel-drive GA-K architecture,
this one effectively replaces the rear-wheel-drive GS in the UK.
This is a substantially larger vehicle than the 3-series, and at 4975mm
long it’s actually longer than a 5-series. No other car in this test provides
so much space behind the driver, and popping the bootlid isn’t so much
like opening a luggage compartment as accidentally opening a cargo bay
in the International Space Station. I swear the boot’s larger than the car.
Although it’s a much bigger car, on price and philosophy the ES absolutely
merits inclusion: our F Sport sits at the centre of the three-tier range, is
pitched as most dynamic of all, and lands bang in 320d M Sport territory at
£38,150. Game on.
Long, low and pointy, fitted as standard with 19-inch alloys, the ES looks
like an arrow about to be shot from an archer’s bow. It’s attractive and
dramatic. Nice interior too. The 10-way sports seats are excellent, although
they could go a little lower, and there are lovely materials – soft leather,
shadow-chrome finishes, aluminium trim inserts inspired by shogun
warriors’ katana swords.
Our car also gets the £4k Takumi pack, with 12.3-inch infotainment
screen and a second-generation touchpad by the gearlever that highlights
functions on the screen in response to finger movements. It’s okay to use
while stationary, but still requires too much attention on the move.
Purely petrol models are sold elsewhere, but only the ES300h Hybrid
reaches the UK. This has a 2.5-litre naturally-aspirated engine making ⊲

Lexus eS300h f Sport
P r i c e £38,150 (£43,770 as tested)
P e r f o r m a n c e 8.9sec 0-62mph,
112mph, 48.5-53.6mpg, 106g/km CO2
e n G i n e 2487cc 16v four-cylinder hybrid,
176bhp @ 5700rpm, 163lb ft @ 3600rpm,
plus 118bhp/149lb ft e-motor Peugeot 508 GT
P r i c e £36,439 (£38,914 as tested)
P e r f o r m a n c e 8.3sec 0-62mph,
146mph, 45-50.6mpg, 124g/km CO2
e n G i n e 1997cc 16v turbocharged four-
cylinder, 178bhp @ 3750rpm, 295lb ft @
2000rpm
BMW tail-lights inspired by

hockey sticks, Lexus cabin
by katana swords, Peugeot
by modernist architecture.
Vive la difference

Lexus and Peugeot make

you look twice, and 508
drives well enough to make
you think twice about
choosing that 3-series
176bhp/163lb ft, plus an e-motor with 118bhp/149lb ft, nickel-metal hydride top-spec GT trim, Peugeot has provided the cheapest car in this test at
battery and a CVT gearbox. The ES weighs at least 140kg more than the £36,439 as a 178bhp 2.0-litre turbodiesel. Even with £2.5k of options it’s still
BMW, but promises a comparable 50-ish mpg. more affordable than a naked BMW, and chances are you’d only want the
The ES is a mixed drive. There’s vigorous acceleration out of junctions, £575 metallic paint anyway.
it’s relaxing to slip around town silently when EV mode kicks in, and Visually it gets off on the right foot with a design that recalls Peugeot’s
it makes a decent job of cornering at modest speeds. But this is not a car greatest hits with an avant-garde, modernist twist – frameless door glass,
that indulges quicker progress, with howls of protest when accelerating coupe-like body, fantastic fangs slashing down from the headlights. It’s
to motorway speeds, a fuzzy relationship between paddleshift inputs and also a practical shape, with enough room for four 6ft-tall adults, and a
simulated gears, steering that feels artificial and lacks convincing feedback, hatchback rear that opens to reveal 487 litres of space and a best-on-test
and a front end that goes full Amphicar when driven more aggressively. gong – yes, somehow more capacious than the Lexus.
You’d perhaps forgive this if there were exceptional refinement at a The interior has a similar confidence to the exterior, with a look
gentler pace, but it’s nothing special. This might be because, along with that brings to mind modernist architecture and makes its driver feel
larger wheels, F Sports get Adaptive Variable Suspension, not the Dynamic exceptionally intelligent – piano keys to select infotainment functions,
Control Shocks of its siblings. The default ride quality is a busy jiggle like carbonfibre-style trim that looks especially rich and textured as it catches
mild airplane turbulence, but you can also select Sport S+ that simulates the light, a centre console that rakes up like a flight deck.
a space-shuttle breaking up on re-entry; I cannot imagine any scenario in The seatbacks are perhaps a little firm, and there’s some craziness with
which an ES driver will find this useful. There’s also a good deal of road the extremely small steering wheel that obscures the iCockpit dash if
noise, particularly on coarser surfaces. adjusted for tall drivers and – sorry to be a stuck record – infotainment that
Perhaps top-spec, more laid-back Takumi trim better suits the ES, but in can’t match the BMW. But you sense a design team pulling together here,
F Sport it’s neither dynamic nor refined enough to stay in contention here. confident in the esoteric look they’ve dreamt up, and executing it with a
The Peugeot 508 makes a more convincing alternative. Despite fielding flourish, not a whimper. I like it.

On 19-inch Pilot Sport 4s with adaptive dampers, the 508 turns in a
highly satisfying drive. Perhaps it could smooth little secondary bumps There’s a fluency
better, but the overwhelming sensation is of good body control combined
with lush suspension travel that compresses deeply and then just a little
and effortlessness
more, like sinking into a particularly comfortable bed. The turbodiesel to the 508 that
gives easy, muscular performance from low revs, noise suppression is
excellent, and gears shift with both speed and finesse.
makes it quick
Set the standard massage function to Cat Paw and you’ll feel soothed point-to-point
after driving across entire countries – I know, I drove from the Med to the
Midlands in one.
The 508 GT’s easygoing nature belies a capable chassis when you crack
on. Select Manual and you get stiffer – but not too stiff – dampers, and
manual control of the gears. It grips hard, steers sweetly, stops well, shifts
promptly and provides a generous bandwidth of performance no matter
the relatively modest performance. There’s a fluency and effortlessness
here that makes the 508 simultaneously relaxing, entertaining and really
quite quick point-to-point in a manner that almost creeps up on you.
It is not the most dynamic car in this test, but the 508 strikes an extreme-
ly good compromise between the comfort and performance you’re most
likely to appreciate in typical driving, and the ability to engage its driver
over a challenging road. It’s a genuine contender for your 3-series money. ⊲
may 2019 | carmagazine.co.uk 77

Alfa top for sheer

driving pleasure,
Peugeot for elan, but
3-series is the one
you want to live with
t h e v e r d i c t
Time to break the BMW habit?

Of the eight hopefuls, three make it to the shortlist: BMW 320d M Sport, Veloce also rides with more fluency and has the nerve to go toe-to-toe with
Peugeot 508 GT and Alfa Giulia Veloce. the 3-series on dynamics then comes out on top. In Veloce spec with its 2.0-
Not long ago, Peugeot was floundering, but in the last few years it’s litre turbo petrol engine, it delivers both a lightness of touch and a level of
undergone a product-led renaissance, and the 508 continues that momen- driver engagement no matter your commitment that makes every drive a
tum. It is the best like-for-like alternative to the 3-series. The suave exterior special occasion. If it’s all about the drive, the Giulia is your choice.
and interior design channels French intellectual cool to make this a stylish, Perhaps predictably, the BMW 320d proves that it’s the Jack of all trades
knowingly different choice, and you’ll find the 508 similarly practical to a that manages to be pretty excellent at them all. Its interior is a masterclass
3-series too – if with less rear legroom but a larger boot. Many buyers will in design desirability and driver-centric layout, and the G20’s growth spurt
prefer that it focuses more towards comfort and refinement too, and yet it means even large adults aren’t cramped in the back. The latest iDrive
can still flow and entertain over a great road. That our GT-spec model is infotainment is also great bounds ahead of the opposition, in terms of its
substantially cheaper than the 320d and requires almost no extra spend is glossy hardware and graphics, and in the flexibility of interaction it allows.
another reason to break the German habit. Everything feels a bit frustrating after this.
Alfa Romeo has undergone a similarly promising transformation in In 320d M Sport xDrive trim, the BMW also drives extremely well, with
recent years, one spearheaded by the Giulia, its first rear-wheel-drive model a chassis that can squeeze every last drop of performance from the 2.0-litre
since 75 production ended in 1992. It is not a rounded BMW substitute like turbodiesel and entertain in the process. Personally, I’d drop the xDrive as
the Peugeot, most notably in its tighter rear accommodation, but also some an unnecessary expense in a car with pretty modest performance, but there
interior quality. What the Giulia does so well is tackle the 3-series’ core is no other car tested here able to maintain such a high batting average. For
attributes of design desirability and driving dynamics head-on. Design, that reason, the BMW takes overall honours today, but don’t overlook the
well, you decide, but I’d say the Alfa is the more beautiful car. The Giulia Peugeot and Alfa.
78 may 2019 | subscribe to car for just £2.60 a month! www.greatmagazines.co.uk

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new
Coffee
with CAR
DRIVING wIth A MAjOR plAyER
the duke of richmond I goodwood’s driving force
‘It should
feel like a
great shared
experience’
Sit up straight, check your tie and
join us for driving and discourse
with Goodwood’s powerhouse
words Ben Oliver Photography Sam Chick

How different is
the Duke? Put it
this way: he’s had
a 911 GT2 RS since
August and has
barely touched it
Coffee with CAR
Tea for the Duke, coffee for CAR. Don’t worry, the kitchen coped
y ou’ve probably been to this guy’s house. Over

the past 25 years, four million tickets have
been sold for the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Allowing for those who come every year, at
least half a million people, including most of
CAR’s readership, have wandered through the
parkland around Goodwood House, home of
the Duke of Richmond.
If that’s your only experience of this place,
‘I don’t do a bloody thing,’
says the Duke. ‘I just sit here
and drink lots of cups of tea.’
you’d be forgiven for thinking that it’s a permanent motorsport theme
park, so vast and varied are its structures and entertainments. For the three
weeks it takes to construct, the Festival is the world’s largest greenfield
construction site, and once completed it draws enough electricity to power
This is untrue
nearby Chichester. The house itself is dwarfed by it all, flanked by colossal
video screens and towered over by one of Gerry Judah’s 100-tonne, 150-
foot, am-I-actually-seeing-that automotive aerial sculptures. the working part of the house, through an antechamber occupied by the
But visit at any other time and there’s weirdly little evidence that the Duke’s three personal assistants and into his private office.
Festival happens at all. I’ve come to have coffee with the Duke on a glorious Tony Mountford, aka Monty, has been the Duke’s butler for 12 years after
February day, using his drive for what it was actually intended for, which is 29 years in the navy, 19 of which were on subs. He is preparing tea (Harvey
to get to the House past sheep quietly grazing, rather than tearing up in a Nichols’ Earl Grey with lemon) for the boss and coffee (from Edgcumbes of
modern F1 car or an aero-engined Edwardian racer. nearby Arundel, watch-keeper’s strength) for me. The pots are silver and
I park on the gravel carriage circle behind the Duke’s Land Rover V8 the cups are bone china; did you honestly think we’d go to Starbucks?
Defender and his Porsche 911 GT2 RS. They’ve been left there for us Before His Grace joins us I have a nose around his extraordinary
to drive later: his cars are usually kept well out of sight. Before I go in I Duke-cave. A quarter-century of hosting the greatest cars and drivers in
wander across the lawn to see if I can spot where that colossal sculpture is motorsport makes for good memorabilia. There’s a gigantic Betty Boop
anchored each year. I find it: a tiny hatch maybe 70cm square and cardboard standee, one of Dick Petty’s feathered stetsons in a glass case,
carefully turfed over. It’s the only visual reassurance that the Festival isn’t countless steering wheels, helmets and awards, and a large glass desk that
just the fevered dream of millions of motorsport fans. has been completely occupied by model cars. I suggest to Monty that it
The front door is opened by the steward (you don’t need to knock) and must be a nightmare to dust. ‘A lady comes in once a week,’ he confides. ‘She
I’m shown through the grand entrance hall and up a sweeping staircase to knows to put it all back in exactly the same place. He’d notice otherwise.’
‘I was going to clear it all out when we last redecorated,’ says the Duke
almost apologetically when he arrives. ‘But then they put it all back in again
before I could stop them.’
The man, The car, The coffee Monty pours the first cups, and leaves us to it. Since 1993 and the first
Festival his boss has been the nation’s motorsport fairy godfather. He was
then plain Lord March: he inherited the dukedom on the death of his
father in 2017. That first Festival was pleasingly amateurish: Charles was
up a ladder painting the bridge over the drive as the first cars arrived.
‘We hoped for 2000 people, and the BARC [British Automobile Racing
Club] said we’d be lucky to get that. In the end I think we had 20,000 people
that first year. But we’ll never really know because most of them broke in.’
▲ ▲ ▲
The Festival was joined by the Revival in 1998 and the Members’ Meeting
in 2014. Together they have become as central to motorsport culture as the
The Duke of Land Rover Coffee by Monty
Richmond Defender Works V8 great races and rallies they celebrate. The event sells out every year, space
From Edgcumbes of
In full, Charles Gordon- Number one of 150 Arundel, prepared limiting numbers to 200,000.
Lennox, 11th Duke of made, built last year to by Monty the butler The Festival in particular is now central to the British car industry too.
Richmond, 11th Duke celebrate Land Rover’s and served with Cars move and make noise, so who wants to see them static and roped-off
of Lennox, 11th Duke of 70th anniversary. The Goodwood Home
5.0-litre V8 makes
in an over-heated and over-lit exhibition hall? When Porsche launched the
Aubigny, 6th Duke of Farm milk. Unlike CAR,
Gordon. Previously Earl 400bhp; 0-60mph in His Grace doesn’t take 911 GT2 RS during the Festival of Speed in 2017, the first that the assembled
of March. 5.6sec. coffee before lunch. global media saw of it was when Mark Webber ripped past them in one, ⊲

It’s a trackday car.
And, just a mile and
a half away, the Duke
has his own track

Fast hair, even
at a standstill.
Oliver can only
look on in awe

Coffee with CAR
‘I went to Africa for a year

and when I came back, to my
horror my father had given
the car to the cook’
deep into three figures down the pit straight at the circuit. You can’t do that
at the NEC.
THE DUKE The experiences it can provide mean Goodwood’s revenues grow every
HOW I GOT HERE year despite visitor numbers being capped. For a man entitled to wear a
coronet, the Duke is remarkable modest about the scale and significance
SENSING AN of what he has built. ‘I don’t do a bloody thing,’ he says. ‘I just sit here and
OPPORTUNITY drink lots of cups of tea.’ This is untrue. I once sat a row in front of him
‘Maybe the best thing that and his staff on an Easyjet bound for the Geneva show, and overheard them
could have happened was planning their military assault on the decision makers of the big car manu-
that my grandfather shut facturers. He is intimately involved in every aspect of these events. He once
the circuit in ’66. I was
very upset about that as a told me how many lightbulbs illuminate the row of street-food stalls in the
small boy. But if he hadn’t, hangar at the Members’ Meeting.
maybe it would now just I wonder if his title impresses CEOs and billionaire collectors, and opens
be another circuit. The doors which might otherwise stay shut. ‘I think, on the whole, it might
Festival of Speed isn’t at
mean they think twice about not replying. So in that sense it might help a
the circuit, I know. But it
still carries that Good- bit. But I still get plenty of people who never bloody write back.’
wood spirit, which we felt With his good looks, subtle but immensely stylish tailoring, statement
was kind of in the air. At specs and VPH (Very Posh Hair) he makes the perfect front man for what
the outset I wondered he has created. He’s not media-shy: you’ll have read interviews with him
if Goodwood still meant
anything to anybody. All before. But they often focus on the events. I wanted to ask about him:
I’ve done is put it back where his love of cars comes from, how deep it runs.
together, in a way.’ ‘If you really want to know where all this began, it was with this,’ he says,
reaching to the shelves crammed with motoring books. This one is kept in
SEEING THE VALUE
OF NOSTALGIA easy reach: The Automobile Book from 1962, by Ralph Stein. ‘My grand-
‘When we started off, mother was very good at fostering my relationship with my grandfather [a
you went round all these racer and aviator who brought both to Goodwood] so I’m sure she bought
massive companies and this book, but she said it came from him. Here’s my name: CH Settrington,
their old car collections as I was at the time. I fell in love with these pictures. This book played a big
were shot to pieces. They
weren’t as interested in
part in all this. I remember at school, aged about 13, desperately trying to go
heritage. I’m just sorry we to sleep and thinking about these cars. I’m a firm believer that if you want
didn’t buy all the right cars something enough you can get it. And they’ve all been here, these cars:
at the right time. I mean, every single bloody one, really. And a hell of a lot of them I’ve driven.
we created a race for ‘I first drove just down there,’ he says, motioning from the office window
GT40s, and we didn’t buy
GT40s…’ to the drive below. ‘I spent hours terrorising everyone. I’d set off from the
stableyard and go up the hill to my grandfather’s house. I’d fly off all the
BEING PICKY time. The kart used to blow up constantly and I’d have to go to West Ham
‘The whole point of the
Festival is that it draws
to get piston rings for it. They were so fragile. They’d break again and I’d go
the best cars in the world. back up to West Ham to get some more. It took all day.’
Unless it’s the best exam- ‘When I was 16 I bought a Morgan 3-Wheeler for 200 quid, from Little-
ple of its type, we don’t hampton. It was a complete pile of junk, but I was mobile. I had my hat and
want it particularly, so we my goggles. It was cool, until the back wheel fell off.
can be very snooty about
that. You’ve got to be rich ‘Then I had the gorgeous Datsun Cherry 100A. My father was a great
to own some of the cars, modernist so he thought a Japanese car had to be the thing. I put Cosmic
but it’s the enthusiasm, the wheels on it and painted all the wheel centres blue. I had the Datsun when
shared experience that’s I was working with Stanley Kubrick as a photographer, so I was roaring
important in motoring,
whether you’ve got a GTO
around the country in it.
or a crappy old Mini.’ ‘After that I went to Africa for a year and when I came back, rather to my
horror my father had given the car to the cook. I felt a little bit hard done
by. He didn’t really believe in possessions. It didn’t occur to him that it was
important to me. Having a car has always been important to me. She’d used
it to pick up milk from the farm and spilled a churn of it in the back. The ⊲

Coffee with CAR
smell was so bad I couldn’t have it back.’ There followed a Mini Cooper on
Webers, an Austin-Healey MkIII and then ‘some pretty average road cars’. Nothing will out-English
‘And then I made my first bit of money [he had successful careers in
photography and advertising before taking over the estate]. I saw this
being driven up the drive of
Ferrari Lusso for sale. It was mad, this car. It wasn’t that old, because this his stately home by a Duke
was 1980. It was absolutely stunning, silver with the light blue interior. It
was really cool. It was £21,000 and I went all the way to Yorkshire to see it.
in a V8 Defender. Progress
And that was my first mistake.’ is anything but stately
And why was that a mistake?
‘Because I didn’t buy it! I was always a bit of a Porsche fan anyway,
so instead I got a 924 Carrera GT. They were only made in ’81 and it was
£17,000. But I had it for a long time. I ran it on the road for 10 years before
I blew it up at Silverstone. I did my world record run from Goodwood to soning that no experience will ever out-English being driven up the drive of
London in that. I’ll tell you what the time was, but you can’t print it.’ his stately home by a Duke in a V8 Defender. Our progress is anything but
With most of the world’s car makers as clients, the Duke is more guarded stately. Charles drives like he owns the road, which of course he does. This
about his current choice of daily driver, but is happy to own up to the two is the same stretch on which he first blew piston rings in his go-kart and
parked outside. We leave the cups to Monty and walk down to poke around he hustles the Defender with the same enthusiasm, making the off-road
them. ‘They launched the 911 GT2 RS here and I said to Porsche I ought to rubber squirm and squeal with every turn of the wheel and stamp of the
buy one as it’s now a Goodwood car. Then they actually called me up to brake, and gunning that riotous V8 to place the car’s cliff-like prow inches
confirm the sale, so I thought I’d better do it. from photographer Sam as he hangs out of the back of the camera car.
‘Charlie and I [his eldest son and heir] picked it up from Mayfair and The Duke is chuckling as he drives; genuinely engrossed and delighted.
drove it back here in the pouring rain, so we weren’t really driving it at all. ‘It’s not slow, is it? And it actually goes round corners and stops pretty well.
We mainly use it on the track here. We’ve had it since August and done very Have you driven one? No? Oh you’ve GOT to have a go. Let’s swap.’
few miles in it. Mucking around with cars like this, there’s a sense of fun and mischief
‘With the Defender, we heard they were doing a V8, so we had to have about him that you wouldn’t expect of a 64-year-old duke. But he is a duke,
one. It’s great fun on shoots. It’s actually number one of 150. I didn’t know and for all its sharp branding and modern marketing appeal, Goodwood
they were giving me the first one until it arrived.’ remains one of our great ducal estates. One man is in charge, and his staff
We only have time to drive one before lunch. I pick the Land Rover, rea- sit a little straighter in their seats as he passes. His job is simply to pass ‘this
place’, as he refers to it, to his son in better condition than that in which he
inherited it.
‘The fundamental thing is that one is responsible for it for a certain
amount of time and one doesn’t want to mess it up. For the estate to be
sustainable it’s got to make quite a lot of money. We haven’t got any share-
holders or anybody else we’re answerable to, so we can do it how we want
to. It shouldn’t feel commercial, though. And I hope it doesn’t. It should feel
like a huge, great shared experience.’
There’s a loose and unwritten rule that the running of the great estates
is passed onto the heir at the age of 40. The current Duke is so indelibly
associated with Goodwood’s motorsport renaissance that the idea of
anyone else at the wheel is worrying. But Charles’ son Charlie – all heirs to
the Duchy of Richmond have been Charles since Charles II illegitimately
sired the first in 1672 – plainly has some petrol in that blue blood.
‘He is 24, and has just left Oxford and started his first job. Ultimately he’ll
be responsible for the whole estate and fortunately he’s very keen on his
cars. He’s got a very nice E-Type, and he keeps trying to get himself insured
on the GT2, which is funny. He’s raced at Revival and he’s a good driver. He
can take a Nascar up the hill now, he’s really confident.’
Sounds like we’ll be in safe hands. But how much longer do we have this
Charles for?
‘The gap between Charlie and me is 15 years bigger than the gap between
me and my father was,’ he says. ‘It can be tough. There’s no such thing as a
free coffee. I’m rather dreading it’ – you know he isn’t – ‘but you’ve probably
got me for another 10 years.’
Next month:
COffEE wIth flAvIO MANZONI
OUt fOR AN EspREssO wIth fERRARI’s
The book that fuelled the pre-Duke Duke’s teenage automotive fantasies hEAd Of dEsIGN IN thE 488 pIstA spIdER

‘English Breakfast?
No, it’s Earl Grey, Mr
Oliver, Earl Grey!’
may 2019 | subscribe to car for just £2.60 a month! www.greatmagazines.co.uk 89

Toppling g
Porsche 911 I Audi r8 I McLAren 570s
the titt
90 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | May 2019
Giant
test
THE DEFINITIVE VERDICT
g That Porsche’s rear-engined

icon reigns is almost a given.
tan
But does a new 911 give the
McLaren 570S and tweaked
Audi R8 a shot at glory?
Words Ben Miller Photography Sam Chick

Giant test: Porsche 911
Full-width rear
light the 992’s
party piece
Push it and the 911 goes to

another level that; one that,
in the words of Carly Simon,
makes you feel sad for the rest

PORSCHE 911 CARRERA S
In a word?
Emphatic
C
learly, my freshly minted argument isn’t going to hold
water. After a few hours swapping from low-slung Audi to
LMP1-serious McLaren and back again, I’m all set to hop
back into the Porsche and declare it lacking as an out-and-
out sports car. I mean, do they not have physics or history
books in Germany? Haven’t they read about how, some half a century ago,
the plucky British popped a ditch-pump in the middle of a single-seater,
rather than at the front, and gleefully brought about the mid-engined
revolution in Grand Prix racing (after a tease from Auto Union in the
’30s)? Don’t expect to compete when your engine’s at the back and you’ve
space for four – physics doesn’t negotiate. Honestly. A little homework
wouldn’t have gone amiss, lads.
Three minutes later, like a big-fee prosecutor whose entire case has just
been shot from under him by a rogue DNA result, I’m left in absolutely no
doubt that a fundamental re-think is in order.
This magnificent stretch of empty Lincolnshire B-road is doing almost
everything at once, generously scattering spring-stretching crests and
chin-scarring compressions upon an impressive bedrock of endless
corners: corners of every conceivable camber, radius and severity.
Just when you expect the Carrera S to start running out of answers –
when you push it to really excel and excite in the company of two true
mid-engined supercars, on a stretch of road that asks for grip, power,
agility and driver confidence all at once – it simply refuses to do so,
preferring instead to go to another level; one that, in the words of Carly
Simon, makes you feel sad for the rest.
Allow me to elaborate. First, imagine your dream driving position: butt
on the deck; great seats that are comfortable because they’re the right
shape, not because they’re fat with padding; and a wheel that feels incred-
ibly rigid – somehow engineered – in your slightly clammy palms. In front
of you, the new 911’s new touchscreen infotainment and similarly slick
frameless, floating driving instruments. Capable of showing everything,
from your nav route to a night-vision image of all the innocent nocturnal
mammals you’re bearing down upon, it’s nevertheless of no interest now:
you need only the huge central tacho. Twirl the drive mode wheel on the
wheel to at least Sport (ergonomically, the McLaren wins here – fussy
though its Active Dynamics panel is, it’s the only mode selection system
that doesn’t ask for a visual check) and depress one of the five central
toggle switches, with their deliciously precise, military finish, to slacken
the stability control leash. Into Drive on the lovely little selector, prod M
for manual shifting, go.
Great fast cars breed trust, and in moments you’d trust the Carrera S
with your life, the lives of your children and – no kidding – that of your
dog. As speeds and effort build, the Porsche refuses to relinquish its
composure. Body control is virtually absolute, with no roll and, thanks
in part to a new generation of more sophisticated PASM damper, wheel
movements are dealt with in a single stroke, with no lost motion to
manage or allow for. At the same time you guide the low, broad nose
apparently on thought alone, as if the intervening physical mechanism
– your arms and hands; the car’s wheel and electrically assisted power
steering – cease to exist. The front axle’s dependability under duress
is astonishing, and the biggest dynamic step forward over the 991. ⊲

But still you don’t need to be driving like your trousers are on fire to enjoy
the Porsche’s chassis: it delights and rewards at any speed.
But while grip and stability are beyond reproach (the Carrera S’s
21-inch rears and broad front track are inspired by the GT3 RS, and there’s
plenty of that car’s miraculous combination of pliancy and poise here),
the 911 is no blunt instrument. Just as the steering’s accuracy and tactility
are as pleasing at five-tenths as they are at nine, so the car’s clearly tele-
graphed sensitivity to weight transfer is there for everyone to enjoy.
Carrying so much speed that the view in the mirrors is a haze of engine
heat, dust and roadside debris blown in the sky by the Porsche’s passing,
my foot leaps to the brake pedal. It’s a key point of interaction with this
most interactive of sports cars, and nothing less than the best of both
worlds: the reassuring solidity and accuracy of the McLaren’s pedal with
something of the Audi’s table manners. You can slow the Porsche at will,
while also helping it change direction with such conviction that, as with
this car’s astonishing engine, you wonder where the inevitably harder,
faster GTS and GT3 can possibly go from here. And once into the corner,
this monstrously tyred machine is as pliable and sensitive as a Caterham,
tweaking its line and attitude to the tune of your hands and feet. Tow-
eringly capable but accessible, indomitable but playful, the Carrera S is
every bit as brilliantly oxymoronic as its engineering layout.
The powertrain, too, is persuasive. An evolution of the 3.0-litre flat-six
that came before, the main changes are particulate filters and shorter,
more direct plumbing for the turbochargers, for quicker responses,
achieved via expensive cast manifolds and bespoke turbos for each
cylinder bank, rather than a common design flipped. With oceans of
torque, a midrange that’ll drop a Civic Type R at full chat and a top end
that doesn’t feel far off the McLaren’s, despite the on-paper deficit, it’s not ▼
hard to forgive the occasionally comedy turbo-heavy soundtrack, not PRE-FLIGHT BRIEFING PORSCHE 911
least because that haunting flat-six cry is still in evidence (helped here by
a £1844 sports exhaust).
And the gearbox? Oh, the gearbox. Eight ratios, shifts so fast and Why is it here?
smooth you’ll think you dreamt them, and no pointless theatre to the Because it’s the
action of the paddles, just a near-silent click that is the entire car in new 911. (Porsche
says it is, at least:
microcosm: precise, engineering-y (not a word, I know; forgive me) and sceptics argue it’s
entirely bewitching. a comprehensive
update to the 991.) engine makes more and hybrid-ready.
It’s at this point you normally have to start making excuses for the 911’s power (444bhp) while
dated interior but, right now, the 992’s is a triumph. Elegant, luxurious Any clever stuff? offering sharper Which version is this?
and yet appropriately focused and flab-free, it makes you smile every responses and cleaner
Oh yes. New body emissions. Even Rear-drive Carrera S
time you climb in, just as the 10mm lower suspension option, while uses more aluminium quicker twin-clutch with PDK transmission
worth its weight in gold when you’re really trying, makes you wince. to save weight. ’box gets an eighth (Carrera 4S is also
Inspired by the GT3 gear. Inside, the available now, as
(Too unyielding for UK roads, you need it only if you’re planning regular RS, the new Carrera interior’s made a is the convertible –
trackdays – same with the ceramic brakes.) S also gets vast giant leap with manual gearboxes will
So, there it is. The 992 is an inspired update of Porsche’s timeless sports 21-inch rear wheels Panamera-style come later). This car
and 20-inch fronts, infotainment, while has the 10mm lower
car, one that manages to broaden its versatility while trading none of its plus broader track the car’s electrical suspension (£665) but
purity. Come on then, Audi and McLaren, waddya got? ⊲ widths. 9A2 Evo architecture is all-new no rear-steer.

And the gearbox? Oh, the
gearbox. Eight ratios, and
shifts so fast and smooth
you’ll think you dreamt them
Interior of
the least
expensive car
feels the most
expensive

Routinely
struggling for
speed? You’ll need
the Performance
version
showing to do its best work.

Counter-intuitively, perhaps, it’s the same story with the chassis. At
the risk of sounding like your old primary school teacher, you get out
what you put in. Where the Porsche and McLaren are a tactile joy at
walking pace, the Audi comes alive with a bit of effort.
Guards Red Porsche in my mirrors, the Audi and I peel left and drop
downhill, like a fighter jet suddenly coming off standby to drop altitude,
gain some speed and engage. V10 screaming madly behind me, a brilliant
little sequence awaits: fast-ish left into tighter, uphill cambered right.
AUDI R8 Fumble and you’ll understeer, the Audi frustrated – and frustrating – if
you’ve no weight on the nose and no engine revs to play with. But on a
trailing throttle through the left, the R8’s fast, grippy and incredibly
The friendly pliant, even in Dynamic. And the slower, cambered right-hander is a joy:
brake (via the ludicrously soft pedal, particularly after the McLaren’s
rock-hard set-up – the Performance R8 gets ceramics), down to third to
face of fury really tether your right foot to the V10’s potency, then off the throttle,
slug of lock, back on the gas.
Momentarily weightless, the R8’s rear helps pivot the car into the
I
corner, whereupon the steadying effect of tapping back into the power
f the McLaren is a racecar chassis with a pretty functional – if is immediate and tangible, like suddenly freeze-framing the car’s entire
extremely potent – powertrain along for the ride, the Audi is mid-corner dynamic. And now, if you really wring out the V10, the rear
neatly the polar opposite: an astonishing, raging combustion axle will quite happily help tighten your line, all-wheel-drive system
engine in a car so refined, comfortable and unintimidating notwithstanding. This, you smile, is more like it…
it could be a lower, wider A3. Or a TT after the mother of all But whatever you do, the Audi’s nagging vagueness, imprecision
engine transplants. And this, depending on myriad factors, and lifeless steering remain. To assume that Audi wanted the R8 to be
from the weather conditions, through what kind of upbringing you had, as unrelentingly direct as the 570S and somehow failed to manage it
to how much rope you like to climb with (metaphorically speaking), is is, of course, preposterous. It could have gone way further with the
either the genius of Audi’s R8 or the reason you’ll be bored of it in days. incremental increase in focus that underpins this revised R8, and once
Web editor Curtis Moldrich, who’s been in the Audi a couple of days, is again dropped the powered front axle (saving weight and boosting fun),
eyes-wide-open when he pulls up after a stint in the 570S. ‘The McLaren as it did so successfully with the RWS. But that’s not what Audi buyers –
feels like a competition car,’ he gushes. ‘It’s incredibly direct, with a pre- even R8 buyers – want, apparently. The question is, what do you want? ⊲
cision powertrain and a super-firm brake pedal that builds confidence;
stamp on it to stop instantly, or graduate your pressure for rich feel and
feedback. When it all clicks it’s like you’re doing your third stint at Le At the risk of sounding like your
Mans; raw and aggressive, and when you climb out your wrists feel like
you’ve been pneumatic drilling for a couple of hours. That,’ he mutters,
old primary school teacher, you
nodding in the Audi’s direction, ‘is a road car.’ get out of the R8 what you put in
The irony of the race comparison being made about the car from
the marque that didn’t spend most the last two decades utterly
dominating Le Mans isn’t lost on either of us, but the truth is undeniable: ▼
if, suddenly, you were tasked with jumping into one car for a 30-minute PRE-FLIGHT BRIEFING AUDI R8
stint at Spa, you’d be pulling down the McLaren’s beautifully weighted
driver’s door in seconds, before screaming into Eau Rouge like a carbon Why is it here? carbonfibre front anti-
roll bar and a twin-
comet with a soft human centre. Just the two seats, clutch ’box almost too
But if, with the same lack of notice, you were tasked with driving to obviously, but if you’re refined for its own
after a versatile, good. The drivetrain
Spa, rather than around it, say overnight, and with no rest stops, you’d vaguely practical is all-wheel drive with
grab the Audi. On first impressions the R8’s high-rise seating, sofa-spec supercar, the Audi an electronically-
padding and delectably well-executed cockpit are as welcome as they are R8, just facelifted, controlled centre diff
has to be on your shuffling the V10’s
underwhelming; welcome because you’re immediately at ease, under- list. The update runs might front/rear.
whelming because, well, shouldn’t a £128,295 mid-engined performance to sharper styling refined and generally
car intimidate a little? front and rear, bigger agreeable to call itself Which version is this?
exhausts, recalibrated a proper sports car.
But it’d be wrong to suggest there’s no fun to be had here. Like the steering (this car This the 562bhp R8
McLaren, the Audi’s engine can’t abide laziness. Want a thump in doesn’t have the Any clever stuff? (up from 533bhp),
Dynamic steering not the new flagship
the back and acceleration to scalp anything that moves? Then bloody option) and marginally What, apart from a Performance (612bhp):
well put some effort in, and choose the right gear. After the Porsche’s stiffer suspension, to turbo-free 5.2-litre the new name for
ludicrously torquey and flexible flat-six (compelling drive from 2000rpm, address the primary V10 able to breeze the artist formerly
criticism of the through current noise known as the R8 Plus.
anyone?), the Audi’s paucity of low-rev drive is vaguely alarming. Where previous version – and emissions regs? (For now, there’s no
the McLaren wakes at 3500rpm, the Audi needs 5000rpm – 5000rpm! – that it was too pliant, Well, there’s a new rear-drive RWS.)

Where the McLaren

wakes at 3500rpm, the
Audi needs 5000rpm
– 5000rpm! – showing
to do its best work
Standard steel
brakes do fade –
1660kg, you see

McLaren 570S
As the driven snow
T
he odds are long but that doesn’t change the fact that it and one engineered from the tyres up to be a fast car.
happened. Smiling already (because if sliding aboard a With the best part of 500bhp, the Lexus is quick: 0-62mph in 4.5sec
McLaren like a modern, road-legal Group C racer doesn’t and 168mph where conditions permit. But the McLaren (ahem, driven
make you smile, it’s probably time to give up), I slide under properly…) reels in the RC like an F1 frontrunner lapping a Williams –
the 570’s featherlight door, into its near-perfect cockpit (into with 562bhp pushing just 1452kg (to the RC F’s 1765kg…), the space and
the fabulous little pocket on the front of the seat goes my time between the two cars simply collapses before my eyes.
phone – iPhone storage, Colin Chapman-style) and go to leave the layby But it’s what happens next that’s really interesting. We both know the
also occupied by a brand new 911 and an R8 – only to have to pause for a road, and he’s trying, but as contests go it’s about as fair as a Sopwith
flying fireball-orange Lexus RC F (that’s the £61k, 470bhp V8 coupe that’s Camel fending off an X-Wing. Held back by an excess of mass, a lack of
not the very pretty one, should you not speak fluent Lexus). feedback and the truth that, unfortunately, he’s sitting in the wrong part
We’re clearly headed the same way, and for the same stretch of testing, of the car – way too high, and behind his engine rather than ahead of
undulating rural B-road. Through the 40mph limit he’s bang-on; love it – he must brake for every curve and feed the machine in, managing the
that. And when it’s done, he doesn’t hesitate – down through gears, change of direction with the kid gloves of a bomb diffuser. By contrast, I
rear squats and… bang, his big V8 gets busy bending the physics. The feel superhuman. I can change direction or gain and lose speed in a heart-
McLaren, still in fifth, bogs so badly when I jump on the throttle pedal I beat, and with such bewildering accuracy and confidence that I would
fear it might be broken; the same unsettling lack of any drive whatsoever never, ever get bored in this thing. (Though I’m already bored of the
that Toyota’s Le Mans drivers are having years of counselling to get over. optional sports exhaust’s blare: don’t do it.) In the 570S you’re hard-wired
The Lexus steals a lead. The McLaren, perhaps bewildered by my in, and it’s the combination of outlandish performance with absolutely
very un-McLaren lack of intelligence or precision, patiently waits no slack, doubt or confusion to dull your speed that re-writes the rules
for me to click down to something like the right gear. What happens of the game in your favour. In the McLaren, fast is not something you
next is a graphic demonstration of the difference between a fast car persuade or cajole the car to do. Fast is what it exists to do.
and a supercar; between one conceived to be a car first and fast second, And so that lead vanishes to nothing, and still I’ve so much in reserve I
98 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | May 2019

doubt my resting heat rate has lifted much above its slovenly office-work-
er norm. When, bowed but content, he flashes his hazards in salute and I
Fast is not something you
turn off, I haven’t the heart to admit we weren’t really trying. persuade the McLaren to do.
Fast is what it exists to do
And in this, more exalted company? The principle still holds. You sit
low – really low – in the 911, but swapping from the McLaren back into the
Porsche still feels like getting into a normal car. The Porsche’s steering,
while nicely meaty, accurate and blessed with no little feedback, can’t live
with the McLaren’s standout connection between brain and bitumen. In
the dry, it’s a sensory delight. In the wet (or on a dry circuit, where you can
really commit), studiously edging up to the front tyres’ limits, you some-
times check the apparent madness of your actions, only to realise that so
clearly is the McLaren communicating what its front axle can and cannot
do in that precise moment that there’s nothing remotely foolhardy about
your actions.
But the first autumn leaves of age are creeping in the 570S’s very special
foliage. Much has been written of the 3.8-litre V8’s dearth of charisma,
not to mention its lagginess, but the truth is that it has a character all
its own, a machine-like relentlessness and pulse-pausing top-end rush.
It won’t charm your ears or your happy gland like the Audi’s V10, but it
is punishingly fast. No, it’s the transmission’s lack of immediacy and silk
next to the 911’s eight-speed PDK that really stands out. Then there’s the
interior, which is either a stark place of work with slightly dated screen
graphics – the truth, probably – or a casualty of the strides the 911’s
cockpit has made with this new 992-generation car.
And the R8? With its intoxicating engine, the Audi lands a ferocious
blow on the only real chink in the 570’s otherwise near-unbreachable
armour. Ordinary folk, either from the pavement or the passenger seat,
will vote Audi on the strength of its 5.2-litre V10 alone. But they won’t
know the truth: that out where it matters, the more nimble, tactile and
agile McLaren always comes out on top. ⊲
Diffuser like a meat

tenderiser? That’ll
be the McLaren
▼
PRE-FLIGHT BRIEFING McLAREN 570S
Why is it here? Any clever stuff? conventional bar the
adaptive dampers.
The 911 might have Refreshingly, no. No
rear seats but it’s a lane-keep assist, no Which version is this?
sports car above all blindspot monitoring,
else – and McLaren’s no HUD, no adaptive McLaren makes a
established itself as a cruise. Instead you couple of Sports
maker of outstanding get a composite Series, of which
sports cars. It’s £149k chassis so rigid you’ll this (track-ready
(before options) to the pass out long before 600LT aside) is most
Porsche’s £93k but you get it to flex. serious. The (soon
McLaren doesn’t sell Suspension (double discontinued) 570GT
boatloads of SUVs to wishbone front and is more cosseting, the
pay the bills… rear – proper) is pretty Spider’s a spider and
the 540C less fast but
a useful £14k cheaper.
All options on our test
car are cosmetic. (Or
aural: £4750 sports
exhaust.)

PORSCHE 911 & RIVALS
THE DETAIL
PORSCHE 911 AUDI R8 V10 McL AREN 570S
CARRERA S COUPE
AFFORDABILIT Y
£ £93,110 (£109,187 as tested

with options)
Representative PCP
£128,295 (£134,380 as
tested with options)
Representative PCP n/a
£149,000 (£174,790 as
tested with options)
Representative PCP
£808.16pm (35 payments): (too soon) £1399pm (36 payments):
£20,700 deposit, 10k miles Typical approved used £35,000 deposit, 5k miles
per year, 6.7% APR value n/a (too soon) per year, 6.9% APR
Typical approved used Typical approved used
value n/a (too soon) value From £105k
POWERTRAIN
Engine 2981cc 32v Engine 5204cc 40v Engine 3799cc 32v
twin-turbo flat-six naturally-aspirated V10 twin-turbo V8
Transmission 8-speed Transmission 7-speed Transmission 7-speed
twin-clutch auto, twin-clutch auto, twin-clutch auto,
rear-wheel drive all-wheel drive rear-wheel drive
PERFORMANCE
Power 444bhp @ Power 562bhp @ Power 562bhp @
6500rpm 8100rpm 7400rpm
Torque 391lb ft @ Torque 413lb ft @ Torque 443lb ft @
2300rpm 6300rpm 5000rpm
Top speed 191mph Top speed 201mph Top speed 204mph
0-62mph 3.5sec 0-62mph 3.4sec 0-62mph 3.2sec
B O D Y/ C H A S S I S
Structure Aluminium Structure Aluminium Structure Carbonfibre
and steel Weight 1660kg Weight 1452kg
Weight 1515kg Suspension Double-wish- Suspension Double-wish-
Suspension MacPherson bone front and rear, bone front and rear,
strut front, multi-link rear, adaptive dampers adaptive dampers FINAL RECKONING
adaptive dampers Length/width/height Length/width/height
Just how
Length/width/height 4429/1940/1236mm 4530/2095/1202mm
4519/1852/1300mm Boot capacity 112 litres Boot capacity 150 litres
Boot capacity 132 litres
EFFICIENCY
serious
are you?
Fuel capacity 64 litres Fuel capacity 83 litres Fuel capacity 72 litres
Official economy Official economy Official economy
31.7mpg 21.2-21.6mpg 25.5mpg
During test 15.3mpg During test 15.5mpg Tested 14.7mpg
Range 446 miles Range 391 miles Range 404 miles
(215.4 miles on test) (283 miles on test) (233 miles on test)
CO2 205g/km CO2 293g/km CO2 276g/km

1st
Porsche 911
Wickedly capable, rewarding,
versatile and desirable: a
masterful reinvention.
HHHHH
2nd mcLaren 570s

Loud, demanding and low-
tech, you forgive the 570
everything for the highs it hits.
HHHHH
3rd audi r8
Superb powertrain in a chassis
that forgot it’s a sports car.
Refined, desirable, frustrating.
HHHHH
T
he best sports car here is the McLaren 570S. The best car mighty grip and a chassis from which unwanted movement and any
here is the Porsche 911 – there it is, out in the open. Phew. sense of confidence-sapping doubt have been mercilessly eradicated. Do
The 992-generation Carrera S is a phenomenal machine you need the optional rear-wheel steering? No. Do you need the 10mm
from a team of engineers with it all on their side: budget, suspension drop? No. Do you need the new Carrera S in your life, what-
group-wide technical resource, a GT programme from ever the cost? Yes.
which to borrow ideas (and indeed wholesale solutions), an Unless you’re selfishly dedicated to the hedonism of driving – then
unbridled enthusiasm for the job at hand and, crucially, the time to drive, you might want to call McLaren. You’ll have to rule out more than one
drive and drive again each successive prototype that led them here. passenger, long journeys without coffee breaks, being able to hand over
At the heart of the 911’s appeal is its rubbishing of the notion that com- to a suite of driver-assistance systems or anything resembling decent
promise, refinement and versatility are all somehow dirty words. The fuel economy (you’ll also have to find a lot more money, though the more
Porsche is almost the sports car the McLaren is, but – tyre roar aside – it’s affordable 540C hits 99 per cent of the S’s highs), but it’ll all be worth it.
also supremely comfortable and cosseting, while offering a gorgeous, The contradictory, enigmatic Audi R8 only serves to highlight the deft
tech-laden interior you’ll have to be deadly serious about driving to shun balance the Porsche strikes: where the 911 is a sports car with GT ability,
in favour of the McLaren’s sombre cockpit. Yes the McLaren’s steering the Audi feels like it paid for its impressive user-friendliness with its soul.
is better, and its entire engineering architecture conducive to a visceral Occasionally a car comes along, be it an Audi or a Lamborghini, that’s
thrill and giddying agility the Porsche cannot live with, but in every other as joyously responsive as the 5.2-litre V10 it carries – but this R8, in this
way the 911 is just as compellingly sorted: otherworldly body control, guise at least, is not that car.
Inside
In the name
ACCESSING ALL AREAS
of the father
Koenigsegg’s new supercar, the Jesko, is
named after founder Christian’s father. We
were there for the race from frantic pre-motor
show build to the emotional unveiling
Words Ben Barry Photography Charlie Magee

Inside Koenigsegg
A s far as Christian von Koenigsegg’s

80-year-old father Jesko knows,
Koenigsegg’s new hypercar is
called Ragnarok. The name
references the mythological Norse
apocalypse, and the car has been
conceived to succeed the Agera line
on Koenigsegg’s 25th anniversary.
Christian describes it as a road-
legal track car to pick up where Agera RS left off: ‘Visceral and raw; a final
hurrah for internal-combustion engines only in our cars.’
Jesko is being kept away from the project, but Christian has handed
Part powerboat, part fighter
jet, it’s dominated by its aero
and cooling from a distance,
him the press kit before he attends the Geneva motor show, as always.
Ragnarok, Ragnarok, Ragnarok, goes the text. Definitely called Ragnarok. and by its detail up close
The figures are astonishing: a V8 twin-turbo good for a staggering
1262bhp on 95 RON fuel, a more staggering 1578bhp on E85 biofuel, up to
1400kg of downforce, a circa-300mph top end, at least $2.8m for each of 125
units. Those figures make even McLaren’s track-focused Senna wilt, cer- The new hypercar is unmistakably Koenigsegg, with its dihedral doors
tainly on paper, and the focus is on handling as much as power. Christian opening up like a pistol-twirling cowboy and the trademark fighter-jet
expects it to be the ‘fastest fully homologated car around big racetracks.’ canopy. Worryingly, though, much remains to be done: the car is raised
Just eight days before its Geneva unveiling, we’ve come to Koenigsegg on axle stands, empty sockets for headlights, interior a shell, front and rear
in Angelholm, Sweden, for a preview of the new hypercar. Christian has clamshells –now manufactured in two pieces rather than one – perma-
already arrived in his Tesla Model S, untucked blue checked shirt, black nently open. The monster double-profile rear wing is missing. Its supports
trainers, green jeans, nice watch, casual but definitely smart. Staff seem will be mounted far up the rear clamshell, with the boomerang-shaped
unfazed, simply cracking on rather than jumping to attention. spoiler floating over the rear end for the best aero performance.
But this car will be finished on caffeine and overtime, and when it’s
unveiled it will spring a huge surprise not only on Geneva showgoers, but
on Jesko himself. Because Ragnarok is simply an internal pseudonym, and
Koenigsegg’s new über track car is actually named in his honour: Jesko. It’s
Koenigsegg’s Enzo. Only Jesko is still around to see it.
Koenigsegg’s story is one of remarkable success in a business of odds-on
failure. Aged just 22 in 1994, Christian von Koenigsegg began building
the Koenigsegg CC. It took until 2002 for series production of the CC8S
to start, but 150 Koenigseggs have been hand-assembled since, including
madness like the One:1 (1360bhp and 1360kg) and the 1500bhp hybrid
Regera that dispenses entirely with a gearbox.
There’d be no Koenigsegg Automotive without Jesko, who made his
fortune in agricultural irrigation and computer-controlled climate systems
during the ’80s. When Christian set his heart on building supercars, Jesko
‘came to help for five or six weeks but ended up working day and night for
five years,’ recalls his son. Sold his house for funding, too. Jesko’s great
passion lay with horses, not horsepower; he was an amateur jockey, owned
stables, and had pro jockeys race for him. The Jesko’s white and green refer-
ences the jockeys’ colours.
Like the Agera, the Jesko is built around a monocoque of carbonfibre and
aluminium sandwich construction. There is Dyneema reinforcement –
claimed to be the strongest fibre in the world – plus integrated fuel tanks
and rollover bar, all designed and manufactured by Koenigsegg. Claimed
class-leading torsional rigidity of 65,000Nm per degree carries over from
the Agera, but the tub is 40mm longer and 22mm higher to improve ⊲

Koenigsegg is
part-owned by
an EV maker, but
it’s very much
Christian’s show
Do you have
bags of patience?
Perhaps there’s
a job for you
making hollow
carbon wheels
Inside Koenigsegg
Before customer cars

become actual reality, much
work remains. As yet, no
prototypes are running
cabin space and visibility over previous Koenigseggs’ visor-like feel. The
doors’ synchro-helix hinges are also revised for easier access.
The mid-mounted 5.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 shares only its 90º
vee and 100mm bore spacing with the Ford blocks Koenigseggs originally
used; the aluminium block is cast by Grainger and Worrall in the UK then
milled on-site in Sweden. Super-sized turbochargers run 1.5-bar boost,
the inevitable lag counteracted by a 20-litre carbon tank of air that gives a
20-bar shot to set turbine blades spinning earlier than exhaust gases can. It
was a much lighter solution than adding extra turbos, explains Christian.
There are tumble valves on the intake side to help meet emissions stand-
ards, and pistons that weigh just 290g, conrods just 540g – both steel but
said to be similar in weight if stronger than the previous titanium.
Active engine mounts stifle vibrations from a flat-plane crankshaft
milled from high-tensile Dievar steel in southern Sweden. It’s Koenigsegg’s
first, and helps – along with those feathery moving parts – this turbo-
charged V8 with a long 95.5mm stroke reach 8500rpm. At 12.5kg, it’s said to
be the lightest flat-plane crank in a production car, ‘and there’s hardly any
flywheel, so it revs like a F1 engine in neutral’, promises Christian.
Supercar makers are split on the merits of heavier but faster-shifting
dual-clutch gearboxes and lighter but slower automated-manual alter-
natives. Christian says his own nine-speed Light Speed Transmission
is the best of both. ‘It weighs 90kg where a dual-clutch is 120-140kg, and
that includes the starter motor, flywheel and fluids.’ It’s 50 per cent more
compact than the Agera’s automated manual transmission, helping centre
more weight between the axles.
Shifts ‘occur in virtually zero time’, and you can either cycle through
gears sequentially with the paddles or stick in the centre console, or pull
Each Regera
through a second ‘notch’ on either to directly select the lowest possible is the same for
gear, say ninth to fourth, blam. The entire project, from concept to design stages A-C;
and manufacture has been conducted in-house. Testing will span 60,000 D onwards is
bespoke
miles. The gearbox must process 1106lb ft, and quite a lot of speed.
Max revs in ninth gear gives a theoretical 315mph. ‘This car’s aero won’t
allow that, so we’re doing a low-drag version, a hyper GT. It will be more
road-biased, with electric seats, and you’ll be able to stow the removable
roof under the bonnet [not possible in the regular Jesko], plus the rear wing
will be quite different.’ Extra testing means a higher price of around $3m,
and it’ll be called the Jesko 300 – the plan is to break 300mph. (The Agera
RS hit 284.55mph on a closed Nevada road.)
I ask Christian if perhaps 1578bhp and instant gearshifts to the lowest
possible ratio isn’t overkill on a rear-wheel-drive track car. He concedes
that one gear at a time will be more suitable for track use: ‘Jumping gears
works better on the road, when you want to go from a lazy cruise to a spir-
ited drive instantly.’
But he stresses that Koenigseggs offer impressive traction and the Jesko
should deploy 1200-1300bhp usably, partly down to tyres, aero and com-
bustion-based traction control, but also inherently sound chassis design.
He points to the wishbones, claimed to be the industry’s longest front and
rear, and softer suspension than a pure track car.
Featuring electronically adjustable Öhlins dampers, the suspension is an
evolution of Agera principles, with Koenigsegg’s Triplex damper design at
the rear. The Triplex is braced horizontally between suspension mounts, ⊲

Koenigsegg
employs about
200: they build
cars, not just
assemble them

That rear wing
will be changed
for the Jesko
300, the low-
drag version
Screen moves
with wheel, but
108 info stays level
Inside Koenigsegg
Jesko von
Koenigsegg
with Halldora,
Christian and
Brita as the
car is unveiled
and it’s this rather than the V8 – pushed far up to the bulkhead – that first
draws your attention with the clamshell open, like a jewelled staff in a
display case.
The Triplex damper helps resist squat under acceleration and aero
loads, but this time it also incorporates a helper spring. It can be locked
out to lower the Jesko in Track mode and triples spring rates. It’s similar
in concept to the Ford GT’s set-up, if quite different in execution, and can
drop the ride height from 1100mm to 700mm. For the first time, there’s
also a second Triplex damper up front, helping balance aero loads. There
is, after all, plenty of downforce as speed builds and the active front splitter
and rear wing get working: 800kg of the stuff at 156mph, 1000kg at 172mph,
a peak of 1400kg, 40 per cent over the Agera RS.
Rear-wheel steering is also a first for Koenigsegg, turning the rear
wheels in the opposite direction to the fronts at low speed, the same way
for higher-speed stability. Carbon-ceramic discs gripped by Koenigsegg’s
own design of caliper take care of stopping, with Michelin tyres. Cups are
standard, while the optional Cup 2 Rs offer a 10 per cent greater contact
patch in the same footprint owing to larger tread blocks, and an estimated
10-30 per cent performance gain.
Either way, the tyres will be wrapped round a choice of standard alloys,
or hollow-spoke Aircore carbonfibre wheels, reinvented by Koenigsegg.
We watch an employee wearing green gloves carefully but – with the speed
gifted by repetition – quickly wrapping pre-preg carbonfibre around plastic The wraps come off and the
spokes that are somehow removed during production, the as-yet-un-
wrapped ends exploded discordantly. Another employee strolls past with crudely part-assembled Jesko
a finished wheel casually tucked beneath his arm. The PR man has told us
the 20-inch front wheels weigh just 6.7kg, the 21-inch rears 8.4kg. Now the
we saw just eight days ago is
wheels are being weighed again. ‘Guess how much?’ beams Christian. ‘It’s now literally a show-stopper
5.9kg front, 7.4kg rear!’
Eight days later, crowds gather at the Koenigsegg stand, a low-slung
projectile draped with grey silk its alluring centrepiece. Christian’s wife Christian announces they have down payments on around 90 of 125 cars
Halldora takes the floor. ‘It’s a very emotional day for us,’ she says, ‘because already, after showing the Jesko on virtual-reality goggles previously. That
we also have someone here who has been so important for the Koenigsegg quickly rises to around 100. Before customer cars become actual reality,
company, and that is Christian’s father, Jesko.’ though, much work remains. As yet, no prototypes are running, and
Halldora beckons a surprised-looking Jesko and Christian’s mother probably seven will be built, plus two monocoques for crash testing. The
Brita forwards. There’s lots of cuddles… and definitely something in my programme will start this summer. The first Jesko will be produced away
eye. Halldora composes herself and continues: ‘It is my great honour to tell from the assembly line as workers adapt, and once they do, it’ll move to the
you something, Jesko … today we are unveiling this beautiful mega car, and eight-step line, with giant grey letters from A to H hanging overhead.
we have decided to name it after you, as a tribute to your life, your legacy Like the Regeras part-built today, Jeskos will be generic to step C of the
and everything you have done for Koenigsegg.’ assembly process, and from step D they’ll get a chassis number, along with
Jesko scrunches up his face in a doomed attempt to contain the overall the customer spec differentiation that entails. Right now, Regeras are
whelming emotion of the occasion, then clasps his hands, raising them like jumping production stations every other week, and by April that should be
his horse just passed the post. Christian takes over to give us the spec, but each week; Christian hopes to make 30-40 cars a year, up from low double
barely manages to say that his father ‘is for sure the best supporter I ever figures last year. The first Jeskos will be with their owners by late 2020.
had’ before choking up. This must be the most touching car unveiling ever. There are big plans for the future, too. NEVS – National Electric Vehicle
The wraps come off and the crudely part-assembled Jesko we saw just Sweden – owns 20 per cent of Koenigsegg, and the next hypercar will be
eight days ago is now literally a show-stopper, perhaps too derivative of a joint venture with production in the hundreds. Christian confirms the
other Koenigseggs to really bring home the changes wrought, but there’s V8 will continue, this time with Koenigsegg’s Freevalve technology that
no doubt it’s captivating. Part powerboat, part fighter jet, it’s dominated by eliminates camshafts, and mated to a hybrid system less complex than the
its aero and cooling from a distance, and holds your attention close-up with Regera’s. We learn it will be all-wheel drive, adopt electric power steering,
lush quality and detail. that… then the PR man shuts his boss down.
AutoSkin – Koenigsegg’s robotised hydraulic system – opens the front The name of that hybrid hypercar? It’s clear Christian owes a huge debt
and rear clamshells and both doors. The interior, so recently an empty shell, to his mother Brita, also an entrepreneur. But it’s his wife Halldora who’s
now looks lavish, from glossy exposed carbonfibre and metallic finishes to more active at Koenigsegg, and like Jesko has more business nous than car
the rich alcantara and leather. There’s a five-inch SmartCluster that swivels passion. Perhaps her name sounds more like Sarah or something to Swedes,
with the steering wheel but keeps the revs, speed and gear info level as it but to an English-speaker it’s a great name for a hypercar. I wouldn’t give
turns, a bit like the centre cap of a Rolls-Royce wheel. An analogue g-meter great odds on keeping that hushed up until next year’s Geneva show,
sits up on the dashtop to confirm how violently you’re driving. though, Christian.
NEW
The
shortlist
WE FIND YOUR NEXT CAR
THE NEW OPTION
Ferrari 488 Pista

Physics-bending brilliance
from modern Maranello
THE CURRENT CAR
Ferrari F40
Inimitable, intimidating,
iconic; irreplaceable?

‘Is there a
modern supercar as
magical as my F40?’
The 488 Pista, 720S and 911 GT3 RS and the three finest
supercars on the planet. But can any of them sway
smitten Ferrari F40 owner Peter Bullard?
THE USED OPTION
Words James Taylor Photography Sam Chick
Porsche 911
GT3 RS
Turbo-free, track-bred: the
ultimate driver’s 911
THE CURVEBALL
McLaren 720S
Track Pack
Can a confirmed Ferrari fan
be swayed by a car from arch
enemies McLaren?

TH E B U Y I N G D I LEM M A
‘The F40 is
equal parts
exhausting and
exhilarating’
Peter Bullard has owned his
Ferrari F40 for 15 years and
firmly believes it’s a car that
should be driven and enjoyed
rather than locked away. ‘It’s
a car for special Sunday mornings. I’ve
previously driven it on longer journeys and
in heavy rain, although the last few years
I’ve tried to avoid doing so because, aside
from the terror, it’s such hard work keeping
it clean.’
Alongside a BMW 535i daily driver,
the F40 shares garage space with a
993-generation Porsche 911, a Jaguar
D-Type replica, which Bullard regularly
drives to Le Mans, and a Morgan Plus 8,
along with some classic motorcycles.
‘The F40 is a completely absorbing
experience. When you take your right
hand off the wheel to change gear, your
left tightens its grip accordingly, the brakes
feel wooden – there’s no servo assistance
so you need to stand on them – and if you
make a mistake, you know about it. It’s
draining on long journeys – the 911 feels like
a luxury car by comparison. It’s very special.
There’s nothing quite like it.’
CAR climbs into the F40 alongside Peter
for a drive. It is extraordinary. Because of
the position of the engine, which virtually
shares the cabin with you, you're sitting so
far forward that your head’s close to the
A-pillar. The clutch is heavy but friendly,
as is the dogleg H-pattern gearchange.
The unassisted steering, wheel curiously
flat-angled like a kart, constantly chatters
with information. You just need to make sure
it’s straight when the turbos come on boost
as the shove is relentless. And the sound… If
the Pista’s 3.9-litre V8 sings pretty well for a
turbocharged engine, the F40’s 2.8 sounds
like it can access another octave.
Bullard probably won’t replace the F40
outright, but he does fancy the notion of a New F8 Tributo
usable yet thrilling supercar to complement is the Pista
sanitised. Pista
it, infused with some of the same track-influ- is the Pista in
enced character. all its untamed
Can any of our contemporary trio of magnificence
high-performance cars tempt him?

The shortlist
F
ollowing a Ferrari F40 1mph increments, the 710bhp engine entirely
on the road is one of tractable and not in the least bit peaky. The
those views, instantly most powerful production V8 Ferrari’s yet built,
recognisable in the it’s a couple of hundred horsepower to the good
car kingdom: triptych over the also-turbocharged F40.
exhaust outlets, stepped The steering, too, is uncannily accurate. It
rows of vents slashed might not brim with feel like his F40’s steering,
into the Plexiglas rear but a few metres into our journey Bullard
screen, framed through that square spoiler, notices its lack of self-centring effect, and its
and tantalising glimpses through the mesh immediate response.
grille of the engineering magic within. It’s not ‘It’s as sharp as anything, this car,’ he says.
a view you see every day. But today is not an ‘Tremendous bite on the brakes immediately,
ordinary day. The F40 belongs to reader Peter too, and the gearbox feels as smooth as an old
Bullard, and we’re about to swap seats. He’s slush box – we’re already in seventh gear at
contemplating a modern supercar, perhaps to 30mph. You barely feel any turbo lag at all, even
sit alongside the F40, perhaps even to replace when you’re just breathing on the throttle.’
it, if it’s special enough. A car with a broader Instant response is a huge part of the
usability envelope than the F40, capable of Pista powertrain’s character. Race-derived
short-notice travel into a city centre without lightweight internals dramatically reduce
concern, for example, or foul-weather driving inertia: 18kg has been shed compared with
without having to carry out the mother of all the regular 488’s engine; the crankshaft alone
cleaning jobs afterwards. weighs 1.7kg less. Variable torque management
If there’s a car that can do it, it’s one of these gives a feeling of increasing acceleration in
three. There’s a strong argument that today's any gear, almost like a naturally-aspirated
trio are the three greatest driving cars on sale engine. There are times when I feel a little
today. Each represents a high-water mark more lag from lower revs in higher gears than I
even by the stratospheric standards of their remember from when we last tested the Pista,
McLaren’s
astonishing manufacturers. but the powerband is still incredibly broad for
720S still shocks They share a common thread. Each is a such a highly-tuned engine – and when you’re
with its design – track-orientated example of an alreay highly into it, it accelerates so dramatically it might
and brilliance
focussed model line, and each employs race- as well be lag-free. What’s equally impressive
bred technology that’s far more than mere is how obedient the Pista is at lower speeds.
marketing speak – both the Ferrari and Porsche, Visibility is as good as it gets by supercar
for example, take engine and aero components standards, and its adaptive dampers soak up
directly from their racing counterparts. bumpier stretches of road better than many
They are all very special. But are any of them exec saloons.
F40 special? Peter isn’t completely sold on the interior,
and it's hard to disagree having just stepped
The new option: from the F40’s evocative environment of blood-
Ferrari 488 Pista red bucket seats, analogue dials and kevlar
ONE Of MARANEllO’s bEst
The Ferrari 488 Pista blew us away when we The Pista's stability
first tested it, going on to win CAR’s Sports Car control systems work
Giant Test 2018, a prize we don’t dish out lightly.
Driving it on UK roads for the first time hasn’t to keep you on the apex
dulled its impact.
To drive one is to marvel at the way it
and out of the scenery
corrupts the laws of physics, to wonder just how
it does it. There’s so much front-end grip the architecture. ‘I don’t feel like the carbonfibre
Ferrari’s apparently impervious to understeer, trim is necessary. It’s not race-car technology,
and doesn’t so much accelerate as time-travel. or part of the car’s structure like in the F40 – it
The speedometer is a gigantic digital screen, just looks like somebody wanted some carbon
white numbers against a black background. in there. The steering wheel is a thing of beauty,
When you’re pressing on and your eyes are out though, even crowded with switchgear.’
on stalks, scanning the rapidly approaching Bullard's smiling as we park. ‘What an
horizon, you’re aware of a vague white blur as annoyingly brilliant sports car,’ he says. ‘Every
the numbers tick-tick-tick faster than you can input produces a result – and because it’s so
think. At a cruise, the same display proves how damn clever, every result is a good result.’ There
millimetrically precise the throttle response is a lot of digital cunning going on beneath
is. By flexing the sole of your foot against the the surface in the 488 Pista, with independent
pedal you can increase or decrease the speed by stability-control systems constantly working ⊲

Despite spring rates not
far off the GT3 racer, the
RS rides relatively sweetly
Sorry, James, but

he's really not very
keen on trading
his car for your
invisible rabbit
The contented
look of a man
who's forgotten
he's wearing a
green seatbelt

The shortlist
to analyse your intentions and prime the

suspension and powertrain proactively to keep
THE SHORTLIST
you on the apex and out of the scenery.
‘I can see what they’ve done, which is to make
an average driver feel like a god,’ Peter says. ‘One
Race-bred, road-friendly supercars
of the things I love about riding classic bikes and
driving the F40 is that if you make a mistake,
it tells you. With this, I wouldn’t know if I’d
gone around a fast corner really well or if it’s
just a really great bit of kit. The F40 could have
kept up with the Pista back there, but its driver NEW OPTION USED OPTION CURVEBALL
would have been in a state of mild terror.’ FERRARI 448 PORSCHE 911 McLAREN 720S
PISTA (991.2) GT3 RS TRACK PACK
The curveball:
McLaren 720S Track Pack Successor to the hardcore The only car here with its McLaren’s Super Series comes
FORWARD-THINKING FEROCIT Y 360 Challenge Stradale, 430 engine located behind the rear of age with the knockout 720S.
Scuderia and 458 Speciale wheels, and no turbochargers. Same chassis but light years
If the Pista and the GT3 RS are outlandish, the more than lives up to the Everyone wondered how, or ahead of the 650S – we just
720S looks like it’s just beamed down from bloodline. Impossibly fast, and even if, Porsche could better wish it had a more charismatic
another planet. Its silhouette might be familiar yet friendly and accessible the previous 991.1-generation engine. Track Pack leaves the
but its sinuous bodywork and the eye sockets enough to make any driver feel GT3 RS. This provides the fundamentals unchanged but
housing its air intakes and headlights make it like a hero. definitive answer. adds trinkets.
look like nothing else. In trademark McLaren
orange, it turns heads at 200 paces; cars ahead SPECIFIC ATION SPECIFIC ATION SPECIFIC ATION
lurch drunkenly in their lanes as their drivers Price new £252,765 Value now Price new £232,740
ogle the McLaren in the mirrors. As tested £290,781 £220k-£275k As tested £262,100
Inside, though, it’s relatively understated, Powertrain 3902cc 32v Price new £141,346 Powertrain 3994cc 32v twin-
and subdued in black. ‘It looks functional, and twin-turbo V8, 7-speed dual- Powertrain 3996cc 24v flat- turbo V8, 7-speed dual-clutch
you would want a McLaren to be function over clutch auto, electronically six, 7-speed dual-clutch auto, auto, rear-wheel drive
controlled diff, rear-wheel electronically controlled diff, Performance 710bhp
form,’ Bullard notes. ‘Well-made too,’ he says, as
drive Performance 710bhp rear-wheel drive Performance @ 7500rpm, 568lb ft @
the digital instrument panel swivels to its full @ 8000rpm, 568lb ft @ 514bhp @ 8250rpm, 347lb 5500rpm, 2.9sec 0-62mph,
height behind the wheel. ‘That’s a really nice 3000rpm, 2.9sec 0-62mph, ft @ 6000rpm, 3.2sec 212mph
touch. Although I don’t normally like digital 211mph+ Suspension Double- 0-62mph, 193mph Suspension Suspension Double-
displays, this feels very of its time, and well wishbone front, multi-link rear, MacPherson strut front, multi- wishbone front and rear
thought through.’ adaptive dampers link rear, adaptive dampers
This 720S has been fitted with the optional NEED TO KNOW
Track Pack, which chops out 24kg, partly by NEED TO KNOW NEED TO KNOW Track Pack adds MSO
swapping the regular seats for reclined carbon No radio or sat-nav as Optional Weissach rear wing in gloss
standard, in keeping package saves 18kg, black carbon, sports exhaust,
race seats and a titanium frame for harnesses. It
with the track-car remit. using titanium rollcage and 10-spoke forged alloys, carbon
also fits a telemetry system, sports exhaust and Optional stripes, showing race seats in two width options
CFRP anti-roll bars, rear wing,
lightweight 10-spoke wheels, and finishes the off the aerodynamic ‘S-duct’ front lid, mirrors and roof. (both in a non-adjustable,
rear wing in gloss-black carbon. front to best effect, cost Ceramic composite discs and reclined position), full harness
The V8 sounds a little fruitier than usual, but £8640. Four-point harnesses nose lift to avoid bottoming on options mounted to titanium
I think it’s a little characterless and industrial recommended for track work; speedbumps also optional. frame behind the seats, track
next to the Pista and the Porsche. Peter is more they’re a £2100 option. telemetry system (three
forgiving: ‘I find it quite appealing – it’s a crisp, RUNNING COSTS cameras and datalogger) MSO
RUNNING COSTS Menu servicing prices carbon shift paddles, alcantara
honest noise.’
The Pista is sold new for the current GT3 RS trim for steering wheel.
Performance figures for the Track Pack are
with Ferrari Genuine haven't been announced yet,
unchanged from the regular 720 – and very Maintenance: free services but the 991.2 version needs RUNNING COSTS
close to the Pista: 710bhp, 568lb ft and 2.9 for the first seven years, servicing every two years or Service intervals are
seconds to 62mph. There’s more lag than the transferable to future owners. 12,000 miles. You'll pay around 12,500 miles or one
Pista, which can be frustrating if you’re trying Service intervals are 12,500 £2000 per visit if there are no year, whichever comes first.
to dip into the throttle to trim the car’s line miles or 12 months, whichever nasty surprises. Interim service costs £850
in slow corners, but the straightline speed comes sooner. Brakes are ex-VAT. Twin-turbo V8 is always
is phenomenal: the sort of acceleration that scheduled for replacement FINANCE OPTIONS thirsty but manages to go
makes my eyes stretch wide and my mouth around 56,000 miles, sooner if (Representative single-digit on mpg with very
the car’s used on track. PCP example from a hard use.
form all kinds of expletives.
Porsche dealer)
Peter’s equally impressed: ‘That’s just FINANCE OPTIONS Monthly cost £1122 (36 FINANCE OPTIONS
ridiculous. Performance like this could take you Ferrari offers finance months) Deposit £14,347 McLaren offers its own
in one of two directions: prison, or the sense options for the 488 Total amount payable finance options – head
that you should probably leave it in the garage Pista tailored to individual £166,937 Mileage allowance to retailers.mclaren.com to find
and resist the temptation to take it out.’ ⊲ customers. 10,000 APR 6.7% your nearest dealer.

The shortlist
GT3 RS might rev

to the clouds but
it can’t shake off
the 488 Pista
Like the Pista, the 720S manages to combine short production run) and values have climbed torque vectoring, and rear-wheel steering –
its shattering performance with surprisingly to figures comparable to the Pista and 720S. which feels surprisingly natural in operation.
impeccable road manners, only more so. Of The RS is missing two cylinders, two Peter notes the ‘incredible’ agility on turn-in,
all the cars here, this is the most soothing turbochargers and nearly 200bhp compared partly aided by the rear wheels subtly swivelling,
and comfortable to drive, its interconnected to the other cars in this test, and although it but doesn’t find it intrusive.
hydraulic suspension riding bumps smoothly doesn’t have the same ‘Oh my word!’ wallop As on the McLaren, there are no buttons
while keeping a tight rein on body control. Its of acceleration, you’re unlikely to find yourself to clutter the GT3’s wheel. All three of these
steering, too, is hydraulic, and a marvel: light yet wishing it was faster. cars have superb steering but the McLaren
full of feedback. I thought the GT3 RS was burned into my has the most detailed feedback. The Pista’s is
I find the 720’s brakes, which need a firm memory but I’d forgotten just how alive it feels remarkable for both its stability and its rate of
push like a competition car’s, less responsive at thanks to the just-so weighting of the controls, response. But the 911 isn’t far behind.
road speeds compared to the other two cars, but the immediacy of the steering, and the noise. Despite wheels that fill its arches so tightly
Bullard notes that they’re far better than the Shrieking through titanium pipes, the 4.0-litre you can barely fit your hand between tyre and
F40’s, if some way short of the Pista’s. flat-six is redlined at 9000rpm and takes on a bodywork (the Pista’s arches look like those
‘I find this a deeply impressive car,’ says Peter. hard, metallic edge to its note past 8500rpm of an SUV by comparison), and spring rates
‘I felt quite at one with it within a few minutes, that’s goosebump material time and again. not far off those of the GT3 Cup racing car in
and its overall usability is remarkable. But in no Bullard agrees: ‘Aurally, it’s the winner. If Nordschleife set-up, the RS rides relatively
way is this a substitute for an F40 – it’s for going you were buying a car on sound alone, it’s what sweetly. There’s more chop to its ride at high
blindingly fast with minimal effort.’ a modern sports car should sound like. It’s as speeds than the other two, but it’s still a
intoxicating in its own way as an air-cooled 911. relatively comfortable road car.
The used option: ‘For all its modernity, this absolutely feels ‘It’s got that traditional upright 911 driving
Porsche 911 GT3 RS like a 911, which I wasn’t expecting. It’s still got position and full-height windscreen – with
GOOsEbUMps ON EvERy jOURNEy that bobbing movement to the front end, which the visibility and the low-speed ride, I can
everything I’ve read tells me they’ve engineered imagine taking it into London if I needed to,’
If a £141,346 car could ever be considered out – but it’s still there. Bullard says. But he can’t come to terms with
a bargain, the GT3 RS was a bargain when ‘There’s also that intuitive feeling to the the styling; the Lizard Green paint, decals and
it was brand new. Subject to the bizarre ergonomics and the cockpit’s essential layout – race-car wing are all a bit extreme for him, and
phenomenon whereby GT Porsches begin to it could only be a 911.’ he’d swap the RS’s standard-fit PDK gearbox for
appreciate immediately after purchase (supply Like the other two cars, there’s a host of a manual if he could. That sounds very much
and demand, baby), the RS is now sold out active tech in play to keep the RS balanced: like the GT3 Touring he’s describing – also now
(although Porsche hasn’t ruled out another adaptive dampers, dynamic engine mounts, sold out...

Peter’s choice: Porsche 911 GT3 RS CAR says…
‘If I were to replace the F40, and was searching ‘These engine and chassis electronics mean that 1st: Ferrari 488 Pista
for something special to have in the garage, it’s more or less anyone can use so much of these It won out over such cars as the McLaren
the Pista. As a driving experience, it’s the most cars’ performance – but you don’t get the early Senna, Porsche 911 GT2 RS and Alpine
thrilling,’ Peter Bullard says. ‘But if I’m keeping warning signals. The performance envelope in A110 in our last Sports Car Giant Test, and
the F40 and choosing a car to complement it, an F40 is so much narrower than any of these, on UK roads the Pista is still our favourite
which I think I am, then I’d lean towards the and its braking, handling, heavy clutch and contemporary supercar. Spine-tingling,
GT3. As absolutely captivating as the Pista is, gearbox influence the decisions you make at telepathic, awesome.
there’s no overlap between the GT3 and F40 in a lower level, and the involvement begins at a
the Venn diagram. lower level.’ 2nd: Porsche 911 GT3 RS
‘In that context, the McLaren begins to fade Food for thought, but which of the cutting- Punches well above its weight for tactility
into the background, which is a shame because edge trio would he choose? and involvement, standout steering, an
it’s an incredible achievement. For me, its ‘The GT3 RS is special. If I could buy a incredible engine and unique character.
greatest failing is perhaps its greatest strength – manual GT3 Touring [similarly magical, more
it’s good at everything without standing out in a reserved in its styling] at list price tomorrow, 3rd: McLaren 720S
particular area.’ I really would think seriously about it. Not A step-change for the supercar genre, not
Perhaps that’s because driving all three of necessarily because it’s the dynamic equal of the only in appearance but in visibility, in
these computer-aided missiles back to back with Ferrari, but as a usable supercar it’s a wonderful usability, and in the extraordinary clarity
the F40 shows up one of their few weak spots: complement to the F40 – one that can take on of its feedback – all with near-hypercar
a lack of drama at lower, ordinary road speeds. any journey, but is also a thrilling drive.’ performance. Astonishing.
want to get
i n v o lv e d?
email james.taylor@ ‘As a usable supercar, the
bauermedia.co.uk
with your car 911 GT3 RS would be a
buying dilemma
wonderful complement
to my Ferrari F40’
peter bull ard
125 years of Mercedes motorsport

Life, death,
beauty, heroism,
Hitler and the
190mph Mercedes
This year, Mercedes celebrates 125 years of racing.
Its greatest car? Dick Seaman’s impossibly pretty,
technically innovative, fatally fast and Nazi-backed W154
Words Gavin Green Photography John Wycherley

S
Dick
Seaman,
1913-1939
pa was ringed by pine trees, not guardrail, when

race leader Dick Seaman crashed at 130mph. Some
things don’t change over 80 years. It may have
been June and high summer, but Spa was raining.
The circuit was soaked and treacherous.
His Mercedes W154 drifted too wide on the
fast Clubhouse corner, a left-hander just before
La Source hairpin (near what is now the Bus Stop
chicane). An outside wheel clipped the slippery
grass. The Mercedes spun, its left rear wheel hit a
stout pine tree, then its right flank hit another tree, hard.
Seaman’s right arm was broken and the 26-year-old Englishman, who
wasn’t wearing a helmet, was knocked unconscious. The immense impact
broke the tubular-frame chassis as the car folded around the tree. More
seriously, a hose linking the two fuel tanks (one in the tail, the other a
saddle tank above the driver’s knees) sheared. The W154 was a thirsty car,
averaging just over 2mpg in a race. It carried 88 gallons of alcohol fuel
which now doused Seaman’s legs, feet and lap. As the fuel spilled over the
hot exhaust pipe, the car burst into flames.
No marshals were nearby. Instead, a spectating soldier from the First
Belgian Lancers was first to reach Seaman. He tried valiantly to drag the
unconscious Englishman from the burning car.
Two marshals then arrived, their hand-pumped fire extinguishers feeble
against the flames. Two Mercedes mechanics dashed from the nearby pits
to help, jumping wire fences and running through the woods.
Eventually, Seaman was dragged free. He was alive but horribly burned,
his cotton overalls incinerated. Such was the rudimentary standard of the
emergency services, he was carried to a nearby home rather than a well-
equipped medical centre. From there, an ambulance eventually took him
to the Croix Rouge hospital in Spa.
Now fully conscious but in terrible pain, Britain’s greatest pre-war racing
driver apologised to his new wife Erica – daughter of the co-founder and
president of BMW – that he would be unable to take her to the cinema that
night, as planned.
He then apologised to Mercedes-Benz’s Anglo-German technical direc-
tor Rudolf Uhlenhaut, designer of the W154. ‘I was going too fast for the
conditions. It was entirely my own fault. I am sorry.’
Just before midnight, on 25 June 1939, Richard John Beattie-Seaman
– known to family, friends and fans simply as Dick, and to the Mercedes
management informally as Der Engländer – died.
Hitler sent a six-foot-high wreath of white lilies to the funeral, at a
church near the family home in Ennismore Gardens in Knightsbridge. Two
months later, he invaded Poland. ⊲

Hitler sent a six-
foot-high wreath
of white lilies to
Seaman’s funeral
W154 chassis was 30

per cent more rigid
than the W125 before
it. This example, in
Mercedes’ museum, is
the last in ’38 trim

Uhlenhaut didn't
want his drivers
distracted by
excess data
The W154 was a beautifully

sleek aluminium tube
cladding a massive engine
and two fuel tanks
Supercharged
3.0-litre V12 made
up to 476bhp

the identity of the winning driver reluctantly divulged.

That 1938 season was the first for Mercedes’ new W154 racer. A change of
rules that year restricted supercharged engines to 3.0 litres, outlawing the
all-conquering but monstrously fast 5.7-litre supercharged straight-eight
600bhp-plus W125 of 1937. The W125 was the most powerful GP car until
the turbocharged racers of the ’80s and, with special streamliner bodies,
could reach up to 240mph during speed record attempts. In races, it reg-
ularly exceeded 190mph. Its technology for the ’30s was mindblowing, its
speed astonishing.
The W154 was a further step forward. It had a new 3.0-litre supercharged
V12, producing 476bhp at 7800rpm. Highly advanced, it used quad cams
and four valves per cylinder, and was mounted low in the chassis. This
helped give the car its exquisite ground-hugging stance. The propshaft ran
alongside, rather than under, the driver. Its tubular-frame steel chassis was
based on the W125’s but was shorter and lower. It had two fuel tanks owing
Keep the to its heavier fuel consumption. It was the first Mercedes-Benz racing car
middle one with a five-speed gearbox. As with the W125, a de Dion rear axle was used to
pinned and
193mph is on keep the rear wheels parallel and to improve handling.
Although less powerful than the old W125, it was still a seriously fast car.
In practice for the same Belgian GP in which Seaman was killed, team-
mate Hermann Lang reached 193mph on the long Masta straight.
Seaman was buried in Putney Vale cemetery, south-west London. The In essence, the W154 was a beautifully sleek aluminium tube cladding a
well-tended grave is still there. For years, Mercedes paid for its upkeep. massive engine and two big fuel tanks. There are few body panels: most of
Tall, lean, Rugby- and Cambridge-educated, Seaman was the upper- the rear section is just one finely crafted piece. Minimal cut lines improved
class Englishman who drove and won for the Nazis. Keen to promote the aerodynamics and when multiple panels had to be used, the joins were
German superiority and to pioneer new automotive technology, Hitler almost invisible or sealed over.
enthusiastically embraced Grand Prix racing. In 1934, just after coming The W154 was the brainchild of Rudolf (Rudi) Uhlenhaut, who became
to power, he backed two teams: long established Mercedes-Benz and Mercedes’ racing technical director in August 1936. That had been a
newcomer Auto Union (now Audi). bad year for Mercedes-Benz: just a couple of wins and regular defeats
The ensuing Silver Arrows, named after their unpainted aluminium at the hands of the arch-rival Auto Unions, which had been designed by
bodywork, dominated Grand Prix racing from 1934 until the outbreak of Ferdinand Porsche. A few important races had even been won by Italian
war in 1939. Part funded by the Nazis and overseen by Hitler’s motorsport Alfa Romeos (in the hands of the mercurial Tazio Nuvolari), an affront to
flunky Korpsführer Adolf Hühnlein, the two German teams invested German technical superiority. Nuvolari would join Auto Union for the 1938
millions of Reichsmarks to produce the fastest and most technically pro- and 1939 seasons. ⊲
gressive racing cars of their day. With Hitler’s patronage and Nazi money,
their German drivers became national heroes.
A few talented Ausländer were also courted. Better to have them
winning in a German car than achieving victory in something made in
Italy, France or Britain. One such foreign driver was Dick Seaman.
Seaman joined Mercedes in 1937, after success in ERAs, Delages, Alfas
‘IT’S ALL ABOUT BAL ANCE’
and Maseratis. His appointment was approved by the Führer in February Why even Aston’s design boss swoons over the W154
1937. He was aware of the controversy of joining a German team. His
reasoning was simple: he was a racing driver and wanted to win. Mercedes ‘The Mercedes W154 is such a the wheelbase, where the wheels
beautiful example of form following are placed, and where the driver sits
and Auto Union were the best teams and their Silver Arrows were fastest.
function. It was designed before we relative to the chassis. It’s all about
He did win, most famously at the 1938 German Grand Prix at the really understood aerodynamics balance. It’s so clean, so simple.
Nürburgring. In front of more than 300,000 home fans, Seaman’s and the way cars behaved at high ‘The W154 also influenced
Mercedes W154 unexpectedly beat the local heroes von Brauchitsch speed and yet it was capable subsequent racing cars, road cars
(whose car caught fire in the pits while in the lead), Lang, Caracciola, of over 185mph, was incredibly and even aeroplanes. Only later did
successful racing, very reliable we see more universally sculpted
Stuck, Müller and Hasse. The most famous photo of Seaman sees him on – and looked amazing with such forms and shapes on aeroplanes.
the podium that day (24 July 1938), hair slicked back, goggles around his sleek bodywork. ‘Good car design starts with form,
neck, looking proud but pensive, hand raised in a half-hearted Nazi salute. ‘This car wasn’t “styled”. proportion and sculpture. On the
There is a massive swastika-adorned laurel wreath around his neck. ‘I wish Its singular mission was high other hand, many car makers today
performance. Rudolf Uhlenhaut are going through a period of very
it had been a British car,’ he later whispered to a UK reporter.
[Mercedes’ technical director] busy and fussy style.
It was the first win by a British driver in a major Grand Prix since wanted the most simple and pure ‘I think they try to shout because
Sir Henry Segrave won the 1923 French GP in a Sunbeam. It also solution to the design challenge of they don’t have confidence in
presented Korpsführer Hühnlein, the Nazi head of German motor- making a fast racing car. He didn’t who they are, or what their brand
sport, with a headache. How to inform the Führer that the German GP think of aesthetics per se – yet it stands for. They don’t have the
was aesthetically beautiful. self-assurance to keep their designs
had been won by an Englishman? ‘My Führer,’ he began. ‘The 11th Grand ‘Uhlenhaut really understood simple, as Uhlenhaut did. That takes
Prix of Germany for racing cars ended with a decisive German victory.’ proportion and part of the car’s guts. It also takes real design skill.’
Only at the end of the telegram before the ‘Heil, my Führer’ sign-off was beauty is the relationship between Marek Reichman

Glycol coolant
allowed
temperatures
up to 125°C
A saddle fuel
tank ran over the
driver’s legs to
balance weight
Ulenhaut did development

testing himself and attributed 1 25 Y E A R S O F M E R C R AC E R S
CAR’s writers pick their winners from Merc’s racing past
early deafness to very loud cars
Uhlenhaut was just 30 when he took over technical responsibility at

Mercedes’ racing team. Born in London, his mother was English and
▲ ▲
his father the London head of Deutsche Bank. His fluent English helped
cement a fine relationship with Seaman, who initially spoke little German. 1952 300 SL 1954 Blue Wonder
Although he didn’t race, Uhlenhaut was an excellent driver and did much All supercars need ludicrous Merc’s ’50s racers weren’t just
doors, and for that we can fastest on track – they were
of the development testing himself. ‘Today, racing drivers seem to have a thank the original 300 SL, which fastest there and back, too. The
better grasp of the technical side of things, but back then they knew very marked Mercedes’ return to Blue Wonder transporter featured
little,’ he said many years later. So Uhlenhaut pounded around the Nürbur- competition after the war. Its a 240bhp straight six from the
gring (and other circuits) with a handful of mechanics to help him. super-light tubular frame couldn’t 300 SL and a low, forward-control
support proper doors, hence cab that helped it reach 105mph.
Better and more successful Mercedes GP cars resulted, including the flimsy roof-mounted hatches. Its It was scrapped when Merc quit
W125 and W154, which dominated the 1937 and 1938-9 seasons respectively. eventual road-car spin-off kept racing after the ’55 Le Mans
After the war (during which his English ancestry meant the Gestapo viewed the gullwings, turning entry and disaster. Decades later, Mercedes
egress into a crowd-pleasing spent seven years and 6000 man
him with suspicion), Uhlenhaut returned to Mercedes-Benz and designed kerbside performance. hours building a replica.
the world championship-winning W196 GP racer (which powered Fangio Mark Walton Chris Chilton
to the driver’s title in 1954 and 1955) and the iconic 300 SLR sports racer, as
famously used by Moss to win the 1955 Mille Miglia. He continued to do
much of the development testing himself and attributed his early deafness
to driving very loud cars.
Uhlenhaut was the greatest GP engineer of his time, and the W154
perhaps his masterpiece. There was no world championship before 1950, ▲ ▲
yet in 1938 it won every major Grand Prix apart from the Italian and
Donington (effectively, the British) races – both won by Nuvolari in an Auto 1969 300 SEL 6.3 ‘Red Pig’ 2006 C-Class DTM
Union. It was beaten only twice in 1939, in France and Yugoslavia (again, to The Red Pig marks the beginning I had a one-lap passenger ride
of AMG. When Merc crammed in the C-Class DTM at Brands
Auto Unions). Its last GP was that Yugoslav race, run in a park in Belgrade the 600 limo’s V8 into the W109 Hatch. This was the Indy circuit,
on 3 September 1939. It was the same day that Britain declared war on S-class, it created the 300 SEL so my lap was less than a minute.
Germany, and two days after Hitler’s tanks crossed the Polish border. 6.3, the world’s fastest four-door. And it was a C-Class in name
Even more startling was AMG only – under that bloated skin
It was the end of Hitler’s Silver Arrows. It was also the end of a five- racing one at the 1971 Spa 24 was a 4.0-litre V8 making 476bhp,
year period of unmatched grandeur and drama in Grand Prix racing, of Hours, where it came second. driving the rear wheels through
astonishing technical progress, of elegantly beautiful 200mph pre-war The Red Pig was so fast, so a six-speed – bang! – sequential
monsters, and of unparalleled political posturing and interference. Having heavy, that Matra bought it to test transmission, weighing less than
plane tyres. Fate unknown, the 1000kg, with super-wide tyres for
successfully dominated GP racing, Hitler would turn his attention to example AMG shows is a replica. unearthly grip. I so nearly puked.
dominating the world. Ben Barry Colin Overland
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Our cars
H E LLO A LFA RO M E O STE LV I O + B M W 8 - S E R I E S M E ETS C AR
R E A D E RS + G O O D BY E M E RC E D E S A- C L A S S + 12 M O R E CA RS

Not the peak Hello
(still a blinder)
One step down from the big-money Quadrifoglio,
is ours the Stelvio to buy? By Mark Walton
and Italian. ‘Yes, I drive an Alfa

Romeo Stelvio,’ I say, with a slight
accent.
Which means Alfa’s new SUV
passes a crucial first test: it’s a cool
Alfa Romeo Stelvio car to own and a cool car to admit
Month 1 to driving; but what about the more
meaty substance? Does the Stelvio
The story so far
follow the Giulia saloon in being a
The Stelvio has won praise proper, well engineered alternative
in road tests over the last 12 to the German mainstream? Can
months, but can it now win our
hearts in the daily grind? it live up to the positive launch
+Another good-looking Alfa reviews it garnered back in 2017?
Romeo, riding on a wave created CAR described it as ‘borderline
by the Giulia brilliant’ on first acquaintance.
- With a four-cylinder diesel, can
it live up to its sporty aspirations? Bold. Then, late last year, Chris
Chilton compared the top-of-the-
Logbook range Stelvio Quadrifoglio with the
Macan Turbo, and declared the Alfa
Price £45,590 (£47,510 as tested)
Performance 2143cc turbodiesel
the winner. Brave.
4-cyl, 207bhp, 6.6sec 0-62mph, To find out if the Stelvio stands
134mph Efficiency 43.5mpg up to closer scrutiny, we’re driving
(official), 31.9mpg (tested), this example for the next six
147g/km CO2 Energy cost 16.2p
per mile Miles this month 376 months, living with it every day and
Total miles 2218 drilling deeper into its character.
Alfa’s SUV is available with five
engine options: there are two 2.2
Stelvio. Go on, say it. In fact, say it diesels (a 187bhp and a 207bhp);
with an exclamation mark. Stelvio! two 2.0-litre petrols (197 and
The Alfa Stelvio! What a great 276bhp); plus the 503bhp turbo V6
name, a classic Alfa name, a name Quadrifoglio, of course.
so good it’s a wonder it’s never been Trim on the non-Quadrifoglio
used before. I think from now on all models comes in four levels: Super,
Alfa Romeos should be named after Nero, Speciale and the top-spec
legendary mountain passes: the Milano Edizione. Ours is a 207bhp
Alfa Turini, the Alfa Furka. Maybe diesel in top spec, which means our
a future model could be named car retails at £45,590. It’s finished in
after that great pass in the Yorkshire Alfa Red paint with a black leather
Dales: the Alfa Buttertubs. interior, both standard specification
Actually that doesn’t work. on this trim level, and I think the
Moving on. car looks great.
So we’re agreed the Stelvio has The stand-out feature has got to
Posh Alfa battles an awesome name, and because be those optional 20-inch wheels,
posh cobbles I’m shallow I’m already enjoying which look absolutely sensational
in middle class casually slipping it into conversa- – like they belong on a Lamborghini
showdown!
tions at dinner parties, because I supercar rather than an SUV. I also
think it makes me sound so stylish love the mad-staring bi-xenon ⊲
MAY 2019
APRIL | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK
2019 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK127127
sexy Roof BaRs aUDIo UPGRaDe s Pac e s av e R o P tI o n a l a lloys
The black gloss roof bars This £500 option may Standard equipment on These sensational 20-inch
are a hefty £300 option, well be wasted on me – I the Stelvio – even on the alloy wheels are called
but with the addition spend all my time listening top-end Milano Edizione Dark Petal, but Alfa
of cross bars (another to Brexit analysis on Radio like ours – is a Fix & Go enthusiasts will spot that
£225) at least I can fit a 4 – but Harman Kardon’s puncture repair kit. To get they are of course a modern
really cool ski rack or bike Sound Theatre with 14 a proper spare wheel you interpretation of the classic
carrier. Or more likely a speakers certainly makes have to pay an extra £275. Phone Dial wheels. The
sad holiday-maker’s John Humphrys sound really standard V-spoke wheels
roof box. commanding and powerful. are still 20-inch with our
spec, but this £590 option
is worth every penny.
Alex Tapley
the stelvio is headlights. A Stelvio in Super
trim, which has halogen lights and
believe it or not). It has a sporty
steering wheel with a pushbutton
spectrum. The driving position and
handling are close to the Giulia’s,
clearly at the 18-inch wheels, looks very different start; tactile rotary heater controls it’s grippy and satisfyingly fast too.
performance from this one.
All Stelvios come with the
that feel properly premium; lovely
textures and fonts everywhere;
If I have one disappointment so far
it’s the sound of the four-cylinder
end – rather rear-biased Q4 drivetrain and and all the usual connective tech. engine – I know, it’s a turbodiesel,
than the an eight-speed automatic box, so True, the seven-inch colour screen so it’s unrealistic to expect it to
farmyard end
no difficult configurator choices at the centre of the dash looks sound good, but I wish there
there. Along with another couple of surprisingly small, compared to was just a little more life in its
– of the sUv relatively minor extras (see above) the wide multi-screens of the latest lacklustre drone.
spectrum our car comes in at £47,510.

First impressions: I love the
Audis and Jaguars, but it seems to
work fine – I’ll let you know how
Otherwise, it’s been a solid
start from our Alfa Stelvio, and
Stelvio’s interior. The dashboard I get on with the technology in a I’m looking forward to getting
may be stolen straight from the future report. some solid miles under those
Giulia, but that’s no bad thing Otherwise, the Stelvio certainly pretty 20-inch wheels. Maybe I
– overall, the cabin has a clean, drives well – it’s clearly at the should do an epic tour of all the
modern ambience (though you can performance end (rather than great mountain passes of Europe?
spec the dash with retro walnut, the farmyard end) of the SUV Buttertubs here I come.

Our cars
NEW Phil and the giant Skoda:

inspiring young minds
Voyage of
discovery
It’s Kodiaq versus a cross-country family drive to the Roald Dahl centre. By Phil McNamara
2 THE CRUISIN
2
11 A N D T H E Y ’ R E O F F G BIT
and the Kodiaq Brief stints on the M25 and the A41 33 AT L A S T ! C O R N E R S
The kids need an airing past
time for a 24- Hemel show the Kodiaq in its typical At Bovingdon, the road narrows and
to stretch its legs, so it’s habitat.
hl Story Centre In normal mode, the light steering climbs through a tube of entangled trees:
mile trip to the Roald Da feels a bit
ghway cruising, sloppy and gentle throttle struggles time for Sport mode. After a couple of
on a rich mix of roads. Hi to rouse
roads – it’ll put the turbodiesel. Wind noise is noticea quick corners, there’s a long downhill
fast twisties, scarred B- ble
the test. but there’s minimal tyre roar. sweeper, and the weightier Sport steering
the lumbering Skoda to
allows me to better select my line, then
keep accelerating through the curve. You
really drive the Kodiaq on the front end,
which grips maniacally.
3
4 2
5
6
Skoda Kodiaq
Month 5
The story so far
Now into its third year of life,
Skoda’s first SUV faces its
55 T H E H O M E biggest test: three McNamara
T
N O T- S O - S T R A I G H 66 T H E B F G children under six years old
s the Ko diaq feel ARRIVES + Space-efficient seven-seat
Sport mode make We draw up outside the home whe
: holding higher re cabin; excellent infotainment;
much more responsive Roald Dahl wrote his children’s
0rpm bog that fairly comfy and quiet
revs avoids the sub-200
can afflict Normal mode
, and the more masterpieces, and the Kodiaq’s - Almost £40k for a mid-level
me to surge connection to the Big Friendly Giant Skoda; lacks dynamism; only
eager kickdown enables clear. Its sizeable frame includes ple
is
two Isofix brackets among five
corners, the
past a dawdling Mini. In of crowd-pleasing space for the kids
nty
rear seats
E POTHO L E S idly applies.
4 AT TA C K O F T H
4 slow in/fast out axiom rig .
ds ask a lot of
These craggy country roa Logbook
quite firmly
the 1720kg Kodiaq. It’s
sprung, keeping bodyrol
and everything compos
l progressive
ed in corners. Engaging Sport avoids the Price £37,629 (£39,235 as
tested) Performance 1998cc
But the ride is lumpy –
maybe 18s would
they’d look even
sub-2000rpm bog that can turbodiesel 4-cyl, 187bhp, 8.8sec
0-62mph, 129mph Efficiency
be more forgiving, but
sorrier in the huge arche
s than these 19s. afflict Normal mode 49.6mpg (official), 36.7mpg
(tested), 151g/km CO2 Energy
cost 16p per mile Miles this
month 1806 Total miles 11,204

We wanted fireworks
Sport invites you to enjoy coming
up against the limits of its grip – and
try to find a little more besides.
but got a damp squib

It can be a lot of fun. But compare
Goodbye the Suzuki with its direct contem-
poraries and even the brightest
paint known to mankind can’t
Not swift enough, not sporty enough, and up against distract from its shortcomings.
Let’s compare it to James Taylor’s
better alternatives on all sides. By Curtis Moldrich Ford Fiesta ST: a car that starts at
around £1500 more than the Suzuki
(or around £4000 if you want
There are some things I’ll miss to the final days of my previous around. With its Pokemon-like James’s spec’d-up ST-3 version).
about the Suzuki Swift Sport. The long-term test car. I just didn’t face, vibrant colour and frisky That’s a decent chunk of money,
lively chassis, for one. And of course want to let Honda reclaim the Civic performance, it’s more like Pikachu but one that gives you significantly
the unrivalled ease with which Type R, and kept making up flimsy (a yellow livewire) to the Honda’s more entertainment for your cash.
you can locate it in a car park. But excuses to go for one final drive… Charizard (a fire-breathing dragon). The Ford has a sense of occasion
now the time has come to give it then another… and another. The And while it doesn’t offer the same that the Suzuki can’t muster.
back, I find myself content to don manga-like Type R blew away pretty performance as the Honda, its Jump into the Fiesta ST, switch
some extra-strength sunglasses much everything else on our 2018 direct steering and impressive to Sport mode (the Swift has no
before giving that Champion Hot Hatch Giant Test – save for chassis means it’s fun to drive. modes) and it’s immediately more
Yellow paintwork one final buff and the Renault Megane RS – but also Where the surgical Civic Type R entertaining to drive. A rally-esque
handing the keys to the gent in the proved to be easy to live with. encourages you to do more, to be burble, telepathic steering and eager
Suzuki anorak. The Suzuki is a car you want confident that the car’s limit are throttle response really make it the
It’s all rather sombre compared to like; expectations were high all way higher than yours, the Swift Berocca of hot hatches. Small, fizzy

Our cars
Eureka! But
and alert: the Fiesta ST makes the
sometimes enjoyable Swift feel very
flat. And the gulf in performance is
much larger than the prices suggest.
The Swift Sport faces tough Suzuki Swift Sport
In bits
then again not
Month 6
competition from the lower end
of the spectrum too, as the VW
Our electric Nissan is genius in parts
Up GTI also gives the Suzuki a The story so far
CHEAP TO LIVE WITH NOT JOINED UP
headache. Though it looks like a The current Swift seemed like
a very promising basis for the Get past its £30k price A Chargemaster wallbox at
washing machine, the Up is nippy and the running costs are home means I’ve only had
return of the Swift Sport – but
enough and sounds good, and at in reality it’s not quite hitting impressively modest. I cover to deploy the Leaf’s own
a starting price of around £14,000 the mark 1100 miles a month in the charging cables when out
Leaf which, at 3.6p per mile, and about. What a palaver on
– £4000 less than the Swift. But + Frisky fun when you’re feeling adds up to £39.60. That’s the a cold, rainy night. Vacuum
the worst match-up for the Swift? playful; can pass as a sensible same that I pay each week cleaners have integrated
supermini in town to fuel our diesel Seat Altea. cable retrieval features. Why
The car it replaces. Those who have - Uncomfortable; expensive; Over a year that’s a £1400 not one of the world’s most
driven both new and old find this noisy on the motorway saving. advanced cars?
car lacks the magic of the outgoing
Suzuki supermini, which leaves it in Logbook
something of a no-man’s land.
Price £17,999 (£17,999 as tested)
Performance 1373cc turbo
4-cyl, 138bhp, 8.1sec 0-62mph,
Count the cost 130mph Efficiency 47.1mpg
Cost new £17,999 Private sale (official), 42.61mpg (tested),
£12,660 Part-exchange £12,020 125g/km C02 Energy cost 12.9p
Cost per mile 12.9p Cost per mile per mile Miles this month 533
including depreciation 99p Total miles 6933
URBAN LEGEND NOT SO SMART

The Leaf is very relaxing to For an incredibly progressive
drive around town, helped car, the Leaf’s cabin exudes
by its B driving mode, which not one iota of technology-
enhances regen braking so imbued sexiness. The heated
you rarely have to brake. In seat buttons encapsulate this
stop-start traffic the e-Pedal – hard shiny slabs of Primera-
intuitively brings the car to era plastic. And there’s just
a smooth stop as you come one USB port.
off the throttle. Clever, unlike BEN WHITWORTH
sluggish Eco mode. @benwhitworth
Nissan Leaf
Month 9
Even the The story so far

The first Leaf kick-started the accessible-EV revolution in
brightest paint 2011 – will the punchier, bigger-batteried Leaf 2.0 prove to
known to be another groundbreaker?

+ Cheap as microchips to run; very relaxing and refined
mankind can’t around town; e-Pedal works a treat
- Flair-free cabin; poor storage for charging cables
distract from its Logbook
shortcomings Price £28,390 (£30,055 as tested) Performance 148bhp
e-motor and 40kWh battery, 7.9sec 0-62mph, 90mph
John Wycherley
Efficiency 206W/km, 0g/km CO2 Energy costs 3.6p per mile

Curtis does a mean Miles this month 1012 Total miles 9275
unimpressed face

NEW ‘A most extraordinary
machine’
You drive
our cars
Three CAR readers come at BMW’s new flagship M850i from three very
different directions. One will come away deeply impressed… By Ben Miller
The 6-series owner

Nick Cole owns a BMW
640d Gran Coupe and is patiently
waiting for the four-door version of
the 8-series, due this summer.
The GT Driver The BesoTTeD

35,000-miles-a-year Charles Bennie keyholDer
is 30 years a CAR reader, a Rapidly falling head over heels
passionate enthusiast and the for the big BM, editor Ben might
custodian currently of both an just be getting old but he’s really
AMG C43 and a Mini Cooper S. enjoying the M850i’s refined
performance.

Our cars
prime for conversion to the 8-series

fan club, of which I’m founding
member and chairperson. But we
don’t get off to a great start…
Straight off, Charles notes that
BMW M850i visibility of the car’s extremities
Month 2 is poor – an issue exacerbated by
the ultra-low driving position
The story so far
that works well once you’re up to
BMW’s spanking new flagship speed. And, powering from one
big coupe, which we liked on
the launch, then placed fourth tight corner to another, Charles
(and last) in a Giant Test is also quick to point out just how
+Astonishing refinement and heavy the BMW feels. He asks for
comfort; V8 stomp; idiotproof numbers. I don’t sugar the pill,
THE BMW FAN AND handling and all-wheel drive
TESLA OWNER - M850i pricing starts at
and tell him straight that this
Former BMW fanboy turned £97,500; it weighs 1965kg; no carbon-roofed sports coupe weighs
Teslarati Andy loves the idea of room for passengers’ legs 1965kg. ‘Hmmm, yes, that is a lot…’
a fast, refined and handsome
conveyance but isn’t sure he But then the M850i starts to
doesn’t already own it – an Logbook fight back, first with an effortless
85D Model S. Price £99,525 (£108,405 as thump of acceleration to get up to
tested) Performance 4395cc speed on a slip-road. ‘Shit! It’s got
V8, 523bhp, 3.7sec 0-62mph, a lot of poke – what a wonderful
155mph Efficiency 26.2-
26.9mpg (official), 20.8mpg engine. A purring beast that’s
(tested), 224g/km C02 Energy ready to blast off whenever you
cost 26p per mile Miles this need it to,’ gushes Charles as the
month 1079 Total miles 4137
4.4-litre V8 does its thing. ‘Fabulous
engine but very discreet too, unlike
For all its gesture control and xDrive AMG’s V8s. This suits me better.
all-wheel drive, BMW’s M850i is an But for all its manners it needs no
archaic automotive proposition – a encouragement whatsoever to get
big, heavy, quite beautiful hunk up to speed.’
of metal with space for two, seats As we power on, trading dual
for another two and a monstrous carriageway for sweeping rural
4.4-litre V8. It’s about as progressive roads, the BMW sets about really
as a Sunday roast. It also costs snaring Charles’s heart. Driving
£99,525 before options and will rip with the unhurried confidence of a
through a gallon of unleaded in man who enjoys his work, Charles
under 20 miles without trying. and the M850i gel.
So, it makes no sense. But finding ‘I really like the brakes – they’ve
CAR readers keen to drive it is easy plenty of feel – but overwhelmingly
nevertheless…. it’s the car’s effortlessness I love.
It’s so planted on the road, it goes
exactly where you want it to go –
thanks in part to the four-wheel
steering – and there’s so much
grip and composure; it laughs off
‘I normally drive mid-corner bumps. I normally drive
pretty steadily but this just wants
pretty steadily but you to beast it!’
this just wants you Come the end of his drive,
to beast it!’ Charles is smitten. ‘The more I
drive it, the more I like it – a most
CHARLES BENNIE
extraordinary machine. Yes it’s
heavy but it’s incredibly solid and
Charles is besotted with his beautifully made, and I love the
Mercedes-AMG C43 – in many ways engine. I’ll have to make a bit more
a kind of mini-M850i – and perhaps money so I can get one of these.’ ⊲

V8s – they’re for
making grown
men deeply and realise that the exhilaration comes
inexplicably happy from the speed alone – you don’t
need the noise; it’s just theatre.’
Andy’s confidence in the car
‘£100k is a builds quickly as he re-adjusts to
ridiculous using actual brakes (rather than
amount of money’ relying on regenerative charging
to slow the car) and a car that goes
NICK COLE
through bends like, well, like a
BMW. ‘For something this big and
After a short stretch of A1 heavy it does feel impressively agile
motorway, on which 6ft 4in Nick through corners, with tight body
finds himself enamoured of both control and lots of grip,’ he says.
the BMW’s fine driving position ‘It’s refined, too; quiet, and a nice
and agreeably spacious cockpit, we place to be, particularly when you
get stuck into a great sequence of compare the interior to a Tesla.’
corners. The M850i rips through, ultimately disappointing M3,’ he Out of a junction, Andy gives
the car’s adaptive dampers and tells me. But after an Audi RS5 the V8 some stick. He’s just been
impressive composure dispatching and an X5, Andy made the jump telling me how indulgent engines
what should, at these speeds, be a to EVs with his Model S 85D – a like this are, and then… ‘There you
challenging stretch of road. Nick’s
enjoying himself, though he’s ‘There you go! new Performance Model S with
Ludicrous Acceleration turns up
go! Now there’s a big silly smile on
my face! But seriously, I think I’m
adamant he’d be enjoying himself Now there’s a shortly. Can the M850i impress? over engines. The cost of ownership
more without four-wheel drive… big silly smile all ‘Straight away it does feel heavy,’ is huge and a 4.4-litre V8 is just
‘Through faster corners you over my face!’ says Andy. ‘The Tesla’s heavier, but gratuitous. But if BMW accelerated
don’t really feel the all-wheel drive,’ to an extent the electric motors its electrification and came out with
A N DY C O L E
says Nick. ‘But in tighter bends mask some of that. This kicks this powered by a 100kWh battery,
I prefer the more natural feel of really hard too but it’s different – it that would be a game-changer.’
my rear-drive 640d. This is a little As if declaring his impartiality from feels different. You don’t get any
Audi-like. Does it need all-wheel the start, Andy is unapologetic in build-up in a Tesla – just the hit of FANCY A DRIVE?
drive? I guess it helps in the snow, his fondness for BMWs. ‘I owned acceleration. This feels… old school. IF YOU’RE CURIOUS
when my 6-series really struggles. pretty much every model iteration It’s back to raucous power. I always ABOUT OUR FORD
‘As for the four-wheel steering, of the E92 3-series, from the thought that what I loved about a F I E S TA S T O R L E X U S
RX, GET IN TOUCH
Alex Tapley
you get used to it. Again, it’s in the frustrating 330d through a couple fast car was the noise and the speed,
CAR@BAUERMEDIA .CO.UK
tighter corners that you feel it: of 335s – the best engine – to the but when you drive a Tesla you
there’s a definite sense of the rear
axle helping pivot the car.’
Nick bought his 640d Gran
Coupe because it was both the
perfect car for his requirements and
ludicrously discounted. He needs
a practical family car that’s also
fun on his two-hour, mixed-road
daily commute. ‘The 640d is a good
compromise that doesn’t feel too
compromised,’ he says. ‘The M850i
just wouldn’t work on a practical
level, but it’s also a lot of money;
£100k is ridiculous for a BMW.’
Then the road opens up, clear of
traffic, and the BMW surges from
nothing to 90mph in moments.
‘It does sound lovely, doesn’t it?’
grins Nick, momentarily convinced
perhaps. Then again, maybe not.
‘For me, the answer might be two “The under-the-radar
cars: a family estate and a weekend
car. Maybe a ’69 Mustang, just to style is a big Porsche
have, to look at and to drive around
in pretending I’m John Wick.’
Harder to upset
than Gandhi, and
at least as powerful
constant whose subtle
appeal should not be ”
Our cars
Slips down Worth every Getting adroit My car won’t

easily penny with Android trust me
We’re 13,000 miles into our time Long-term tests tell you plenty Remember Maps & More? It was a Two things need turning off on
with the Mazda 6 Touring, and about a car but the picture’s always portable nav system Up buyers used the A6, the first easy – a pulsing
although I may be some way short different when you’ve bought one to be able to get as an option until throttle intended to tell you to stop
of falling in love with it, there’s no for real. Just as my friend Lawrence 2016. After that, VW made M&M accelerating. Annoying, but easy
denying that the Mazda has gone has done; the silver car pictured an app instead as so many folks enough to permanently neutralise.
about its business with no fuss. alongside CAR’s blue one is his ST. have big smartphones now. But why But lane-keeping assist, although
Logic says it’s the right car for ‘I was such a fan of the old car I bother, when phone users (ie all of it can be disengaged, reactivates
me. As a photographer I carry a lot almost didn’t want to like the new us) already have Apple CarPlay or each time you start the car. With
of stuff in the car, always ready for one,’ he reflects, ‘but it all works so Android Auto at their disposal? it on, the steering tries to stop you
the unexpected. And compared well. Although I do prefer the old The Up’s absence of any crossing white lines unless you
to an SUV, a lower-riding estate four-cylinder engine…’ infotainment has provided the indicate, and feels leaden like a flat
gives a much better position for an He’s still running his in; our perfect prompt to immerse myself tyre. The off button is hard to find
automotive photographer, not to fully loosened-up car feels a shade in Android Auto. It’s mostly great: by touch, meaning some potentially
mention being easier to get heavy quicker, and rides almost as well easier access to my Spotify playlists dangerous eyes-off-road time. If
gear into and out of. despite its inch-bigger wheels. or podcasts, a choice of Waze or you move out to overtake a cyclist
And yet, and yet… part of me Lawrence’s is a mid-spec ST-2 to Google Maps for nav, and Google’s without indicating the steering
wishes I was still in my previous our top-line ST-3 but feels just as Assistant for reading out messages, will fight you; and returning to the
car, the more charismatic (and very luxurious thanks to a judicious to which I can then voice-dictate a correct lane after overtaking a car
roomy) Peugeot 5008. Maybe the sprinkling of options (and it has the reply – even on WhatsApp. Handy can be thwarted by the A6 wanting
solution would be Mazda’s high-rise heated steering wheel ours misses, a for a switched-on millennial. to keep you in the wrong lane.
equivalent, the CX-5. quirk of being an early-build car). JAKE GROVES BEN BARRY
ALEX TAPLEY JAMES TAYLOR @_jakegroves @IamBenBarry
Mazda 6 Tourer Ford Fiesta ST VW Up GTI Audi A6 Avant

Month 7 Month 5 Month 4 Month 3
The story so far The story so far The story so far The story so far
A family car with a sports car’s Bite-sized hot hatch brilliance, with Although last month’s exposure Entry-level diesel version of Audi’s
powertrain, on a good day super-playful chassis and quick- to others outside the CAR team slick and techy new A6 estate fitted
+Tidy handling; lag-free engine; thinking steering accentuated by involved several negatives, with a suite of comfort-orientated
no SUV nonsense our car’s optional limited-slip diff everyone agreed it’s fun extras
- Slow and a bit dull; and I still + Relatively bargainous price; how + Mid-range torque; sound; nuclear +Audi build quality; roomy; quiet
want to kick the door in every can a three-pot engine feel this heated seats; terrier-like handling and refined
time it locks itself powerful? and charm - It’s a diesel estate
- Solid-sprung ride quality; overly - Lack of wheel reach; noise on
huggy Recaro seats motorways; flat seats; lumpy ride
Logbook Logbook Logbook Logbook

Price £31,695 (£32,495 as tested) Price £21,995 (£24,890 as tested) Price £14,055 (£15,230 as tested) Price £40,740 (£46,805 as tested)
Performance 2488cc 4-cyl, Performance 1499cc turbo 3-cyl, Performance 999cc turbo triple, Performance 1968cc turbodiesel
192bhp, 8.1sec 0-62mph, 139mph, 197bhp, 6.5sec 0-62mph, 144mph 113bhp, 8.8sec 0-62mph, 122mph 4-cyl, 201bhp, 8.3sec 0-62mph,
Efficiency 41.5mpg (official), 33.1 Efficiency 47.1mpg (official), Efficiency Official mpg 58.9; our 149mph Efficiency 60.1mpg (official),
(tested), 156g/km C02 Energy cost 44.1mpg (tested), 136g/km CO2 mpg 44.7; 129g/km CO2 Energy 38.8mpg (tested), 124g/km C02
17.8p per mile Miles this month Energy cost 13.6p per mile Miles cost 13.1p per mile Miles this Energy cost 15.2p per mile Miles
1346 Total miles 12,999 this month 760 Total miles 4799 month 823 Total miles 4106 this month 951 Total miles 3189

Our cars
the steering wheel, gearstick and a hint of heft from the steering
key fob. In short, a BMW 520d M and the sensation of wide front
Sport wannabe with a dark and tyres with lots of grip, a responsive
foreboding cabin. throttle pedal, and a pleasing little
Then I spent a bit of time in noise from the four-pot petrol. If
a Volvo XC60 with its lovely tan only it consumed fuel like a 520d…
leather, and a few days in a new @thebenpulman
V60 which was white as alabaster.
Both had gorgeous slabs of lightly
coloured driftwood across their
dashboards, too, hinting at some
idyllic Scandinavian lakeside retreat
with its own private jetty. All of
which made me wonder why I’d Volvo S90
tried to create a Germanic S90. Month 3
See how the white Mercifully the reality is different,
stitching brightens as there’s none of the try-too-hard The story so far
things up!
detailing of the BMW. Rather, it’s all Not another diesel SUV, but
nicely restrained and understated, rather one of those old-fangled
Volvo’s class shines

with the metal trim and little saloons. With a petrol engine
to boot!
touches like the white stitching
+ Falling more and more in love
through our iffy spec

atop the leather-trimmed dash with the cabin
brightening the cabin. - We’ve ventured beyond the
It helps that the central portrait M25 for the first time, so fuel
consumption has finally bettered
Even the bad options are good. By Ben Pulman touchscreen is set below the
30mpg
parapet, blocking out less light.
When the digital screen ahead of Logbook
Moments after ordering the S90, I meaning big wheels, tinted rear the driver really tells you all you
Price £44,920 (£49,370 as
started worrying whether I’d done windows, a more aggressive front need to know, there’s no reason tested) Performance 1969cc
the right thing. I had no qualms bumper and the deletion of the why another should be up in your turbo 4-cyl, 247bhp, 6.8sec
about the S90 per se, but I did start chrome strips along the doors. eyeline. 0-62mph, 140mph Efficiency
42.2mpg (official), 31.6mpg
to question the combined effect of Inside, sports seats trimmed in It drives really well too. There’s no (tested), 156g/km CO2 Energy
all the options I’d specified. There’s black leather, black headlining, over-the-top bravado or excessive cost 18.1p per mile Miles this
blue paint, plus R Design Pro spec, and perforated black leather on sportiness, rather a decent ride, month 319 Total miles 1063
Thanks for all these

with the auto stop function.
And before you start lobbing
fab electrical gizmos

Luddite labels around, two
tech-savvy teenagers prove none the
wiser either, despite being able to
Honda CR-V Also, help! By Anthony ffrench-Constant synch their phones to the car with
suspicious ease.
Month 3
The story so far In the same way that the average secondly, the CR-V’s instruction
high street is now so overwhelmed manual – despite being stout
Electronic vagaries hide
the CR-V’s light under an
by high-viz jackets that it’s become enough to readily wedge the doors
increasingly dense bushel more interesting to speculate on of Westminster Abbey open in a stiff
+ Centre console bin swallows what those not wearing them do breeze – was of any help whatsoever.
a litre of Famous Grouse for a living, the average family SUV So far, into the ‘if all else fails’
- Small tank, tiny door pockets is now so glutted with high-tech category have fallen the Ensemble
Logbook gadgetry that it’s become annoying icon on the radio screen, which
to discover how little of it can be steadfastly refuses to grant access
Price £31,745 (£32,295 as
tested) Performance 1498cc made to perform properly without to BBC Radio 4 Extra; the Hold
turbo 4-cyl, 171bhp, 9.8sec recourse to the instruction manual. function on the handbrake, which
0-62mph, 130mph Efficiency None of which would actually may or may not, with menopausal
42.8mpg (official), 32.1mpg matter if, firstly, ff-C family dogma unpredictability; and the auto
(tested), 151g/km CO2 Energy Even teenagers
cost 17.9p per mile Miles this did not clearly dictate: ‘If all else high-beam headlights, which
struggle in here
month 6240 Total miles 2149 fails, read the instructions’ and, like to disengage in harmony

It’s a pity they forget to
make them memorable Hello
Seven seats, four-wheel drive and endless family-friendliness: the

Santa Fe has everything except charisma. By Chris Chilton
‘Remember that big SUV we hired Kodiaq or 5008, but the leanest and rear seats, keyless entry and
in America a couple of years ago,’ I Santa Fe will set you back £33,425. premium hi-fi, while our Premium
told my partner when I heard we’d Dig deeper into the spec and it’s SE tops that with a panoramic roof,
be running a Santa Fe. ‘It’s the new easy to explain the difference. The cornering lights, a head-up display
version of that.’ entry-level 5008 and Kodiaq come and 360º parking cameras.
Hyundai Except it isn’t. The US road-trip with puny engines, little kit and In fact there are only two options
Santa Fe rental was actually a Kia Sorento. endless options lists. available on the Premium SE. The
Month 1 Oops. But that’s frequently been That’s not the Hyundai way. first is your choice of paint should
the trouble with Korean cars. The There are only three Santa Fe trims you not fancy the standard Horizon
The story so far
engineering is solid, the value for (SE, Premium and Premium SE), Red pearl finish. The second is a full
Fourth-gen Santa Fe hopes money unquestionable. But they’re only one engine (a 2.2-litre diesel), four-wheel-drive transmission in
to climb the steep slope to
premium-land with a sharp often as memorable as muzak. and they all come with seven seats. place of the standard front-drive.
new suit and mountains of Or at least they were. The Kia The toys includes adaptive cruise, The middle row slides back and
equipment Soul, Hyundai i30N and Kia auto braking and lane departure forth and the final row folds neatly
+ Imposing design; quiet; big Stinger have all shown they can do warning. Premium adds leather, a under the floor when not in use. You
kit list; surprisingly agile substance and style as well as long bigger touchscreen, heated front can also fold one section of each of
-Jittery ride; engine noise at warranties. That confidence carries the two back rows down to create a
low speeds; jerky cruise control
Logbook
over to this new fourth-generation
Santa Fe, a jumbo-jeep with a Rivals come with long loadbay and still have seating
for three, which means I’ll be able
Price £43,985 Performance
starting price not far off £35,000. puny engines to take my kids surfing without
2199cc turbodiesel 4-cyl,
197bhp, 9.4sec 0-62mph,
Aimed at cars like the Skoda
Kodiaq, Nissan X-Trail, Peugeot and endless having to fork out for a new set of
Kia-specific feet for my Thule roof
127mph Efficiency 38.7mpg 5008 and the Santa Fe’s own cousin, options lists, but bars and board carrier. Did I say Kia?
Simon Thompson
(official), 35.8mpg (tested),
164g/km CO2 Energy cost
16.5p per mile Miles this
the Kia Sorento, the Hyundai looks
expensive at first glance. You’ll
that’s not the Only kidding. But the Santa Fe has
six months to convince us it’s worth
month 3001 Total miles 3378 pay around £26k to get into a basic Hyundai way making the effort to remember.
Chris and
his new Ki…
Hyundai

Reversing into
brake as part of the parking process,
or you should be ready to brake
in case a cat or a pigeon makes
tomorrow
a sudden appearance before the
Goodbye reversing camera.
Adding further to the awkward-
ness is the uncertainty about where
The A-Class is a lovely car but its priorities are upside-down and to look. Mirrors? Shoulder? Central
screen, which is showing the image
back to front. How about making it drive better? By Colin Overland from the reversing camera, with
your projected route superimposed
on it? You end up darting your eyes
If you had three minutes in which driver. If it’s a tight angle it spins around between all of these, so not
to convey to a random stranger the the steering wheel like a coked-up really looking properly at all.
essence of the A200, you’d simply croupier, getting the front wheels When human and machine
invite them to climb aboard and pointing in the optimal direction have successfully parked the car, it’s
use the Active Parking Assist with before the car starts to move. And sort of impressive that the car did
Mercedes-Benz Parktronic feature. when it reverses, it does so quickly some of the work, but you’re never
A200 This has everything. A clumsy and without the reversing sensors far from the feeling that it was an
Month 6 name. A non-frivolous price (in our sounding – which, if you’re used to unnecessary palaver. Parking isn’t
case, it comes as part of the £2395 reversing sensors, is unsettling. that difficult the old way, is it?
The story so far Premium Package). And a decep- You soon learn to trust that the Maybe your random stranger,
Nicely spec’d version of the tively complicated user experience. steering wheel and throttle are enjoying their three-minute visit
sensible 161bhp petrol version It starts when you press the P under expert automated control, to the future, will be indifferent
of the fourth-generation
Mercedes hatchback button on the centre console. This but you’re unsure about braking. to these concerns. They’ll love
+ Seats as comfortable as they gets the car to start looking for Having been warned that you need the seats, the screens, the voice
are stylish; highly effective suitable spaces and sounding a to prepare to brake, you don’t know activation, the augmented reality,
voice-activation gentle ‘bong’ telling you to glance at if that means you are required to the 64-colour ambient lighting, the
-Transmission offers both
economy and wheelspin
the central screen, where you’ll see fabulous audio.
Logbook
rectangles representing your choice
of spaces. Using the touchscreen You’re never far Because it is a lovely cabin – and
the novelty hasn’t worn thin in six
Price £28,700 (£31,710 as
or touchpad or mini touchpads from the feeling months – but it’s in a car that really
tested) Performance 1332cc
turbo 4-cyl, 161bhp, 8.0sec
on the steering wheel, you select
your preferred space. It tells you to that it was an isn’t very special to drive.
0-62mph, 139mph Efficiency

engage reverse gear and prepare to unnecessary Count the cost
Cost new £31,710 Private sale
brake, and then it starts parking.
palaver. Parking
Alex Tapley
(tested), 123g/km CO2 Energy £25,205 Part-exchange £26,905
cost 13.6p per mile Miles this It does this with the unhesitant Cost per mile 14.5p Cost per mile
month 2224 Total miles 10,435 decisiveness of a machine, not a isn’t that hard including depreciation £1.24
AMG Line spec

is spot-on: turns
heads and brings
a useful level of
equipment

Our cars
I reckon there’s a cultural divide because I struggle to think of

at play here. Have you travelled to many other aspects of the RX
Japan in recent years? Experienced L that we don’t like. We’ll cover
the fizzing, flashing energy of more of the positives (and there
Tokyo and its neon-bathed Aki- are plenty) next month.
habara electronics district? It lends @TimPollard Cars
a little perspective to the Japanese
digital mindset – there’s a different
appreciation of HMI in Asia, it
seems. I can believe the typical
Japanese consumer interacts with
digital touchpoints in a different
way to western norms.
Lexus
How else to describe the clunky
RX450h
joystick and buttons to operate the Month 4
How can that RX’s pointer? It buzzes and judders
rectangle cause with haptic feedback (which you The story so far
so much fury?
can vary) but it’s a tricky thing to We’re just over half-way through
operate with your left hand when our long-term test of this
seven-seat comfort blanket
Urgently wanted:
on the move. Then there’s the
labyrinthine menu structure and + Ingrained build quality
throughout is deeply satisfying
arcane, cluttered graphics. I’ve
a ha’porth of tar
-That infotainment system really
yet to find a member of the CAR does suck the big one
team who doesn’t view the Lexus’s
Infotainment needs a rethink. By Tim Pollard infotainment, mapping and UX as
a generation or two out of date.
What about voice control? Well, Logbook
There’s an elephant in the room cars a year in our line of work and we’ve tried that and the audio
Price £61,995 (£63,635 as
when we discuss the Lexus RX at are exposed to different technol- recognition is just as bad. It’s much, tested) Performance 3456cc
our desks. It’s hard to talk about ogies and interfaces every day. We much worse than the class best V6 hybrid, 259bhp, 8.0sec
the big SUV without conversation live and breathe these comparisons – and by that we probably mean 0-62mph, 112mph Efficiency
quickly turning to that dreaded – and only criticise where it feels Mercedes’ MBUX system. There’s (tested), 138g/km CO2 Energy
infotainment system. It’s horrible. justified. And not one of us gets on no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto cost 19.5p per mile Miles this
We each drive upwards of 100 with Lexus Remote Touch. available, either. It’s a real shame, month 1014 Total miles 3678
For the farmer who’s

an Alps trip which is giving me
some motorway fuel figures, and
gone up in the world

more importantly letting me
explore the Discovery’s abilities
as a versatile, all-weather, all-load
Land Rover Discovery Limo luxury, tractor toughness. By Ben Oliver vehicle rather than a luxury good.
The scoop? It’s pretty good, of
Month 2 course. There’s a blizzard blowing
Remember when Land Rovers were comes as standard, although I miss outside right now, and if I don’t
The story so far
humble farm vehicles? I parked actually having a conversation with make it back to write the next
Disco in the top HSE Luxury my Discovery next to the Duke of them. It’s nicely integrated, with the report, it won’t be the car’s fault.
trim with the new 302bhp
SDV6 engine Richmond’s V8 Defender when DVD changer hidden behind hinged
+ Seven seats and a big boot I interviewed him for this issue. climate controls in the centre
- Almost Range Rover money It would have cost him at least console. But inserting and removing
£150,000. You can spec a new Range old-fashioned physical media seems
Logbook Rover to close to £200,000 now, and a faff in the age of downloading and
the aborted SV Coupe would have streaming, and I suspect the system
Price £70,405 (£76,065 as
tested) Performance 2993cc been £240,000 before options. will seem antiquated by the time the
turbodiesel V6, 302bhp, 7.5sec All this puts the reservations I kids are teenagers.
0-62mph, 130mph Efficiency had about my HSE Luxury spec The first few tanks of diesel
36.2 mpg (official), 27mpg
(tested), 206g/km CO2 Energy Disco being rather too fancy into have returned around 27mpg
Posh one’s cheaper
cost 23.2p per mile Miles this perspective. My kids love the rear- against a claimed 36.2, which isn’t
than the workhorse
month 870 Total miles 2835 seat entertainment system which disastrous. I’m writing this from
MAY 2019 | SUBSCRIBE TO CAR FOR JUST £2.60 A MONTH! WWW.GREATMAGAZINES.CO.UK 139
‘I’m looking at the VW ID
Neo next, which is due next
year – and the lease on my
GTE expires in June 2020’
Ruby black, if
you’re wondering.
One year on,
owner Simon likes
the colour almost
as much as he
likes the car

Your cars
NEW ‘A Leaf and Golf

GTI combined…’
One
year on
At least, that was the thinking when CAR subscriber Simon Hull
swerved the golf gTi he always wanted for a gTe. And?
I ’ ve wante d a v w without using any petrol at all, and thIs

G o lf GtI fo r ye ars the infrastructure isn’t bad locally much I’ve
i just couldn’t quite make the – in town there’s free parking with learned
1
sums work. Then my brother, who free charging, and from there it’s
like me is a car enthusiast (my an easy walk to the football.
first car was a ford fiesta Xr2,
at 18), bought a Nissan Leaf and th e com prom I s e s
became an electric-car evangelist. My wife has a 2017 Audi A3 –
i wanted to combine the two, did same platform – and when you
a bit of research, test drove the jump from one car to another you Volkswagens
really are reliable.
gTe and bought it. i got lucky – a can tell the Audi’s a lot lighter. The
Everything on the
month after i ordered mine Vw gTe, with its batteries, is a heavy
GTE just works, which
stopped taking orders, citing high car [1585kg versus 1386kg for a wasn’t always the
demand and long delivery lead five-door gTi]. The boot’s also case with my Astra…
times. Mine’s in a basic spec and compromised by the batteries
2
leased – i lost so much money on [272 litres versus 380 for the
my last car, an Astra, i wanted to standard golf] – we took my wife’s
try leasing. Audi to b&Q at the weekend
because of its bigger boot – but
a cl a ss of on e overall i’m more than happy with
i was coming at it from the enthusi- the trade-off.
ast angle, so i didn’t consider cars I wish I’d embraced
like the Leaf. The gTe was pretty so far, so de lIG hte d electric sooner. I
wasn’t ready for an
unique in that respect. The other i really like it – specifically the
EV when I bought this
option was an Audi A3 e-tron, but combination of refinement, driving
but my next car will
that was a little more money and fun and economy. The golf gTe be pure electric.
didn’t promise to be as much fun really is all things to all men. i can
3
to drive. drive it like a hot hatch, enjoying
the chassis and using the Dsg
fu e l s I ppe r paddles in full-power gTe mode, i
My big worry was whether i’d can use it as an electric car around
get anything like the claimed town and on my commute, and
fuel economy: Vw claims more on longer drives you just set the
than 150mpg. i’m not getting that adaptive cruise control and enjoy I didn’t count on
but i’m getting a lot more than how quiet and comfortable it is. driving it quite as
CAR did in its long-term test gTe much as I am. My
[38.5mpg]! since i last fuelled up e le c tr Ic I d n e x t ? lease is based on
12,000 miles a year,
two weeks ago i’ve covered 567 i’m tempted to go full eV next.
which I’ll exceed.
miles and averaged 91.4mpg. i live i’m so impressed with electric
15 miles from the office, and i can power and with Volkswagen that
get to work and mostly back on an i’m looking at the iD Neo hatch.
electric charge. i charge it every That’s coming out next year and
night, as you would your phone. might work out for me – my lease One year intO
i have off-street parking and a expires june 2020. if i have to a beautiful
normal three-pin plug outside. it wait, i might buy a Mk5 golf gTi r e l ati O n s h i p ?
takes four hours to fully charge for a couple of grand, use that for If you’re featured
Alex Tapley
you’ll get pro shots

and you get 28 miles on that. over a few months and then sell it when of your car – emaIl
car@bauermedIa.co.uk
christmas i went three weeks i get the iD.
may 2019 | subscribe To cAr for jusT £2.60 A MoNTH! www.greATMAgAziNes.co.uk 141
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The Good, the Bad & the Ugly
ABARTH
595 ★★★★★
NEW IN THIS MONTH
Two new names and the inexplicable return of an old one
Totally unique
guide to EVERY
car on sale in
the UK, with a
punchy view
on all of them –
yours included
there’s zero protection when the heavens open

> VERDICT Spectacular toy. Great on track, barmy
on road
NOMAD ★★★★★
> Pricey pocket rockets with divine details, dodgy > Not content with terrifying on tarmac, Ariel
dynamics and a choice of 1.4-litre turbocharged also offers the off-road Nomad. Gains a roll-over
engines in various stages of steroidal over- structure but, like the Atom, still no doors
compensation > VERDICT Like a small yappy dog: > VERDICT Remember to put the hot water on –
noisy, excitable and likely to give you a headache
Bentley Continental you’ll need a long, hot bath when you get home
GT Convertible
124 SPIDER ★★★★★ Gorgeous, swift ASTON MARTIN
> Tuning division’s take on Fiat’s take on the Mazda and built like a
MX-5, with tweaked brakes, engine, steering and Chesterfield sofa.
suspension > VERDICT A delight to drive, but the Cue shock and awe VANTAGE ★★★★★

rational decision is to go for a better-value Mazda at the country club. > A truly convincing 911 rival that’s impressively
aggressive and thrillingly quick. Interior is
ALFA ROMEO Page 144 pleasingly solid but lacks fizz > VERDICT A stunner
to look at and rewarding to drive
GIULIETTA ★★★★★ DB11 ★★★★★
> Looked like a credible Golf rival for a while but > Slick aero slinkiness, belting V12 turbo and,
now the game has moved on. Keen prices, but crucially, Merc help with wiring > VERDICT Finally
several alternatives are roomier, classier and more Toyota Corolla the right blend of new stuff and classic Aston charm
fun to drive > VERDICT Miles better than a Mito. One of Toyota’s better results in a cut-above GT
Miles better than a 4C, even. But, unfortunately, designs and one
miles behind a Golf DBS SUPERLEGGERA ★★★★★
of its better driving
> Superlight it isn’t, and can’t match the spine
4C/4C SPIDER ★★★★★ experiences too. What tingle of a Ferrari Superfast, but stunning to look at,
> Sexy carbon two-seater over-promises and makes it a Corolla rather incredibly quick and dripping with prestige
under-delivers on a double-your-dong-length web- than an Auris remains, > VERDICT A proper flagship GT, but softer-edged
scam scale. Spider a step in right direction however, a mystery. than an 812
> VERDICT Shoots for the moon, hits itself in the Page 152
foot. Lotus Elise more fun, Porsche Cayman a RAPIDE S ★★★★★
better bet > Take that, Panamera! Aston shows Porsche how
to make a supercar/saloon cocktail. Forget all
GIULIA ★★★★★ the limo pretensions, though: it’s a four-door 2+2
> Good grief – an Alfa Romeo we can finally > VERDICT Pretty, but interior more dated than
recommend that you buy. Auto-only 3-series rival VW T-Cross a New York socialite and almost as hard on your
has sharp steering, sultry looks, great driving Wait, which one is this? wallet
position. Bellissimo! > VERDICT Note to dealers: Smaller than a T-Roc.
don’t cock it up Polo-size, not Golf-size. ALPINE
STELVIO ★★★★★ Like the Seat Arona
and some Skoda or ALPINE A110 ★★★★★
> Either we’ve collectively entered another
other. Probably. People

dimension or Alfa has just built two excellent cars in > Desirable, cleverly packaged and dynamics to
a row. Now we just need everyone to start buying will buy it anyway. die for. A bit pricey and the interior lacks wow but
them again > VERDICT Worth the risk at least once Page 152 the Cayman should be seriously worried
in your life > VERDICT Reborn Alpine has smashed it clean
out of the park
GIULIA QUADRIFOGLIO ★★★★★
> Make that three. Like a regular Giulia doped up by > VERDICT Try an xDrive D3 Touring – it’s what the You can’t have a real M5 Touring, but this comes AUDI
Lance Armstrong, this 191mph, 503bhp rocket is a M3 wants to be when it grows up close
quadruple shot of espresso for Alfa’s long lamented
soul. At last > VERDICT The closest you can currently D4/B4 ★★★★★ B7 ★★★★★ A1 ★★★★★

get to a four-door Ferrari. Really. That good > Same blend of fast and frugal as above but > BMW doesn’t make an M7, but Alpina does. > Second-generation Mini rival is five-door only
slotted into slinkier 4-series shell. ZF auto not as Twin-blown petrol V8 delivers ’bahn-busting and ups the dimensions, tech and maturity,
ALPINA snappy as M4’s twin-clutch, but much smoother performance that’s best enjoyed in Germany although you can spec it in brash two-tone colour
> VERDICT 53mpg and 62mph in 4.6sec? And > VERDICT Niche Merc-AMG S63 alternative combos. Best at its simplest > VERDICT The
you’re alright with this, BMW? hamstrung by the ugliness of the raw materials Evoque of superminis: stylish, posh and will sell
D3/B3 ★★★★★ like hot cakes
> 3-series derivatives with twin-turbo petrol and D5/B5 ★★★★★ XD3 ★★★★★
diesel stonk and smooth auto ’boxes mated > Twin-turbo B5 petrol V8’s 590lb ft could de-forest > X3 35d-based high-rise hot rod delivers 350bhp, A3 SPORTBACK/SALOON ★★★★★
to a quality chassis, but watch out for some the Amazon while planet-loving D5 doesn’t let a 516lb ft, and the horizon through your windscreen. > King of quality, but adrenalin isn’t specified
questionable OAP-spec interior finishes meagre 155g/km prevent 174mph max > VERDICT Spoiled by a rock-hard ride among the standard kit, although S versions are
> VERDICT Another niche BMW that Munich leaves generally livelier all round > VERDICT Classy five-
to Alpina. Porsche Macan is better door hatch and four-door saloon, and not much of a
financial gulf to a Golf
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ARIEL A3 CABRIOLET ★★★★★
> Premium sun-grabber without macho sports-car
ATOM ★★★★★ posturing. A bit tight in the back, but pretty tight
> Only the Pope’s lips get more up close and in the bends too. Try a 1.8 TFSI Sport > VERDICT
personal with the tarmac than an Atom driver, but Definitely worth the £2k premium over a VW Golf

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RS3 ★★★★★ Q2 ★★★★★ CONTINENTAL GT ★★★★★ 4-SERIES COUPE/CABRIO ★★★★★

> The superhatch/saloon for those lacking in > Odd-looking small crossover is like a Mini > Still heavy and thirsty, but few GTs can match its > 3-series in a shellsuit subtly better to drive, but
imagination and/or driving talent, RS3 struts its Countryman that’s lost a battle with a set square interior, ride quality and performance > VERDICT same great engine choices and almost as practical.
stuff best in a straight line > VERDICT Only feel a > VERDICT Nice enough to drive but still a nerd to Used to be essentially a pricey Volkswagen; now a Shame about the carryover cabin
little bit ashamed for wanting one in preference to the Mini’s prom queen great GT in its own right > VERDICT Crushes Audi’s A5. Folding hardtop
something more nimble cabrio weighty but worth it
Q3 ★★★★★ CONTI GT CONVERTIBLE ★★★★★
A4 SALOON/AVANT/ALLROAD > Practical, comfy, handsome, well-built… > How many convertibles could get 4-SERIES GRAN COUPE ★★★★★
★★★★★ NEW
objectively, we could go on with the positives ENTRY away with a tweed roof? Cue shock > Pretty and practical, like a bikini car wash,
> Captain Obvious in every way: lighter, smarter, > VERDICT Shame it’s a bit bland and awe at the country club. Shame it hatchback GC costs £3k more than 3-series but has
better to drive than the last one – and only loses so much luggage space > VERDICT standard leather. Five belts but four seats
microscopically different to look at > VERDICT As Q5 ★★★★★ Gorgeous, swift, built like a Chesterfield sofa > VERDICT Smart and useful, much more than a
you were, except inside, where tech obsession offs > Textbook Audi, in a good way: calm and niche exercise. But why isn’t this the 3-series?
elegance. Rivals remaining calm sophisticated to be in, pleasing to have on your FLYING SPUR ★★★★★
drive > VERDICT An extremely polished performer, > Current Spur is sharper to drive, sharper to look M3 CS ★★★★★
RS4 ★★★★★ a considerable cut above so many other premium at, softer to sit in, and feels less like a stretched > Way more of a thriller (in a good way) than the
> Estate-only hot A4 ditches free-revving V8 for SUVs Conti than the previous one > VERDICT Think of it regular, now defunct M3. Better sorted dynamically
RS5’s twin-turbo V6. Covers ground with impressive as a bargain Roller rather than a pricey A8; due for and epic road feedback. But £86k?! That’s a lot
pace and ease and just a tiny bit of proper driver Q7 ★★★★★ replacement in 2019 of money > VERDICT Finally, we get the version it
involvement > VERDICT An RS5 in a parka and > German heavy metal turns techno as Mk2 should have been all along
Timberland boots Q7 sheds weight despite megaload of extra MULSANNE ★★★★★
gizmos > VERDICT They thought of everything but > Huge, hand-built anachronism, with twin- 5-SERIES ★★★★★

A5 SPORTBACK ★★★★★ the charm turbo V8 born in the ’50s, buffed to perfection, > Smart, semi-autonomous and still the best in class
> More tech and even better quality doesn’t and a field of cows sacrificed > VERDICT Buy > VERDICT Spirit-crushingly good
compensate for a lack of personality. Better Q8 ★★★★★ the Speed – any less outrageous display of
looking, but so is Dorking after eight pints. You > First coupe-SUV from Ingolstadt is as sound as you consumption is just poor form M5 ★★★★★

could buy worse, but you’ll definitely get bored would expect. The cabin might be different, and the > G30-generation V8 bruiser sends shove to all
> VERDICT It’s better to live in than to drive grille fresh, but is that enough to steer you away from BMW four wheels but you can still drift it like Ken Block.
the formidable Q7? > VERDICT The glitziest car Audi A sharp-suited and refined yet ballistically quick
A5 COUPE/CABRIO ★★★★★ makes, with a limited choice of engines autobahn prowler > VERDICT All-wheel drive hasn’t
> Deceptive bunny boiler – looks normal until you 1-SERIES ★★★★★ ruined the M5
realise it’s killed a TT and is wearing its face. Cue E-TRON ★★★★★ > Only rear-driver in its class. Good for

B-road mayhem. Not really > VERDICT Even more > A bit tubby and plain when sat next to a Jaguar REPLACED handling, not for cabin space. 118i 7-SERIES ★★★★★
SOON
of an A4 in a frock than the last one, but still better i-Pace but Audi’s first all-electric car has all the petrol a brilliant all-rounder > VERDICT > So high-tech BMW must have ram-raided
to drive, especially the S usual tech and refinement. It’s potentially one of Audi A3 is a better package Google’s R&D bunker, confident the ‘carbon core’
the most commercially important Audis ever, hence construction would enable it to drive back out
RS5 ★★★★★ the risk-averse approach > VERDICT Vorsprung M140I ★★★★★ > VERDICT Gesture control, remote parking, active
> Like a bouncer in a tailored suit, the hot A5’s durch Elektrisch > Bavaria’s hot hatch shuns four-pot power and anti-roll – it’s got it all. But not quite the kudos of the
power bulges through the creases in its bodywork. front-drive for sonorous 335bhp 3.0-litre straight- Mercedes-Benz S-Class…
Twin-turbo V6 has full-bodied soundtrack and TT COUPE/ROADSTER ★★★★★ six nuke and power to the rears. About as practical
quattro provides grip in spades > VERDICT > Brilliant coupe gets virtual dash and sharper as shorts in a Canadian winter but you won’t care 8-SERIES ★★★★★
Composed four-seat express with power to spare, handling. Try 2.0 TFSI. Boot big, but the rear seat’s > VERDICT An absolute riot, just don’t have kids > Configured to have a broad appeal, so it’s not
but it’s not the most involving for handbags only > VERDICT A proper real-world quite the dramatic sports car we hoped for. Still, it’s
sports car – but the same money buys an early R8 2-SERIES COUPE/CABRIO ★★★★★ an incredibly impressive piece of kit, and you can
A6 ★★★★★ > Boot-faced booted 1-series is a Mustang with really hustle it on track. And that’s before the M8
> BMW 5-series still edges it in the driving TT RS ★★★★★ a couple of A-levels. 218d is 8.9 to 62mph and arrives > VERDICT Just be thankful a big V8 coupe
department, but the gap is much slimmer. > At the outer limits of the TT’s dynamic envelope, a 63mpg; four-cylinder 228i a cut-price, cut-down like this exists at all
Well-appointed, super comfortable, clever and 17 per cent power hike ekes 395bhp from five pots M235i > VERDICT To look at it’s plainer than a
handsome. Still a bit dull, mind > VERDICT A cruise and targets wounded Cayman > VERDICT Audi margarine sarnie, but TT and RCZ can’t touch its X1 ★★★★★
missile for the outside lane of the M4 springs the offside trap, rounds the keeper, but hits space/pace combo > Ugly old one sold by the bucket load; all-new
the bar. So close! replacement is miles better to look at and to drive.
RS6 ★★★★★ M240i ★★★★★ It’s a proper mini-SUV now > VERDICT It’s even
> For wealthy mentalists who think the S6’s R8 ★★★★★ > Still hard to look at without squinting but sweet based on the front-drive Mini platform. Swallow that

444bhp isn’t enough, RS6 delivers 25 per cent > V10 is one of today’s most engaging engines six-cylinder is even more grunty. The perfect bile, because it works well
more and gives the R8 V10 a hard time at the lights and delivers more spine tingles at the top end 2-series if you pretend the M2 doesn’t exist
> VERDICT Beautifully finished all-weather family than a McLaren Sports Series. All versions now hit > VERDICT Ignore the Golf R temptation X2 ★★★★★

wagon that scares supercars silly 200mph > VERDICT Brilliant daily supercar with a > Sportier, arguably more stylish X1. Avoid the M
hint of wildness; and this from the same company M2 COMPETITION ★★★★★ Sport X if you don’t want your SUV to look like Bond
A7 SPORTBACK ★★★★★ that’s played it so safe with the e-Tron > The M2 turned up a notch, and now your only villain Jaws > VERDICT Great to drive and well-built
> Think a more stylish A8 rather than A6 spin-off. option. M3 engine, new barkier exhaust and inside, although not the most rational choice
Capable of incredible wafting ability and grippier BAC tweaked dynamics > VERDICT An already great
X3 ★★★★★
than Spider-Man covered in superglue. Petrol package now even better
properly refined but diesel will make better sense in > Studiously un-gangsta SUV offers a sweet blend
the UK > VERDICT Stylish GT with sensible engines, MONO ★★★★★ 2-SERIES ACTIVE TOURER ★★★★★ of handling and handiness > VERDICT The BMW
but not quite a sports saloon > Single-seat racer that took a wrong turn > Decent drive, great interior. Need to SUV we don’t hate ourselves for liking
out of the pits. Pushrod suspension, Cosworth- BEST IN cart OAP relatives around? Get the
RS7 ★★★★★ CLASS X4 ★★★★★
tuned 2.3 Duratec and bath-like driving position > seven-seat Gran Tourer. Boom boom!
> Pricier, less practical RS6 with VERDICT Sublime track tool with a six-figure price > VERDICT The ultimate driving (to the park/ > Blame the Evoque and people who bought the
REPLACED fastback rear, same guts, but gets crèche/post office) machine X6 for this carbuncle. Priced at £4k-£5k more than
SOON
clever rear diff as standard for BENTLEY i3 ★★★★★
an X3, but better equipped and not terrible to drive
oversteer here, there and everywhere, given room > VERDICT Depressing X3 spin-off for grown-ups
> VERDICT An Aston Rapide for the AA- > One of BMW’s best cars is home to its finest who still dream of being a professional footballer
goraphobic, but we’d have the naughtier, BENTAYGA ★★★★★ cabin. Electric version has short range; hybrid
better-value RS6 > The World’s Fastest SUV matches 187mph top is noisy and has a fuel tank like a flea’s hip flask X5 ★★★★★
speed with superb chassis. We flambéed the > VERDICT Carbon-chassis supermini, electric > Luxurious, capable and very much at the forefront
A8 ★★★★★ brakes, btw. The diesel is on its way out, but a power and £30k price. Did we wake up in 2045? of good handling in the posh SUV stakes. Even
> Ingolstadt’s limousine packs enough tech to hybrid version will be here soon > VERDICT Super- bigger X7 is heading this way
worry Skynet and avoids being wooden behind the luxurious options include £110,000 Breitling clock. 3-SERIES ★★★★★ > VERDICT We’d still take a 5-series Touring
wheel so convincingly you’d think it had a different Or you could spend the same on a two-bed semi > G20 isn’t the wildest upgrade on its predecessor
badge on the front > VERDICT The new king in the in Crewe but there’s a lot going on under the skin. Chassis X6 ★★★★★
exec tech arms race is so good on M340i version we have high hopes > All the impracticality of a coupe and all the
for the next M3 > VERDICT Still the dynamic wasteful high-centred mass of an SUV. Genius. If
benchmark you must, X40d gives best price/punch/parsimony
GET
ON YOUR
PHONE
GET THE CAR APP FROM THE APPLE APP
STORE OR GOOGLE PLAY STORE

> VERDICT Pointless pimp wagon. Buy a Porsche
Cayenne or an X5 C4 SPACETOURER ★★★★★ FERRARI QUBO/DOBLO ★★★★★
> Defiantly anti-cool family shifter, with five or (in > Postman Pat’s wheels? No. Pat’s long since
Z4 ★★★★★ Grand form) seven seats, previously known as retired to the Caribbean, where he’s living off the

> The uglier of the BMW/Toyota siblings shines the Picasso. Touches like lower rear windows and 488 GTB ★★★★★ royalties and drives a red Bentley > VERDICT Van-
more for its refinement and comfort than its sprogwatch mirror make parents go weak at the > We were worried the turbos would ruin it, but based MPVs. Practicality first, people second
ability to set your hair on fire. Accomplished and knees for its peace-and-bloody-quiet ambience the 488 is more playful and even easier to drive. A
robust – the Smeg fridge of the sports car world > VERDICT Drives like a shed, but at least it makes stunning achievement > VERDICT The looks grow FORD
> VERDICT Sweet, but more could have been done Satan’s brood shut up on you after a while. Rivals better dust off their
to make it thrilling gracious-loser faces
BERLINGO MULTISPACE ★★★★★ KA+ ★★★★★
i8 ★★★★★ > A wipe-clean tin lifeboat for cagoule-wearing 488 PISTA ★★★★★ > Hits the city car target bang-on by being the
> Carbonfibre-constructed three-cylinder hybrid Thermos-sipping birdwatchers. Recently updated, > It wasn’t going to be crap, was it? So complete opposite of the old Ka (good to drive,
supercar that’s fun for four, as fast as an M3 and but still rattles and drives like a van. Is a van technologically clever even Ferrari’s own test decently spacious), but misses by being less sexy
does 40 real mpg. Minor demerit: looks like it’s > VERDICT Dogging cheap seats for aspiring drivers recommend leaving the traction control than Borat. And Plus? Plus what? > VERDICT Ahead
crimping off a 911 > VERDICT Fascinating Bill Oddies switched on. Every bit as good to drive as it looks of its time, and in danger of being overshadowed
and fabulous futuristic sports car that’s big on the > VERDICT The ultimate Ferrari road car right now, by newer arrivals, but still pretty good
wow factor CUPRA and it’s a V8
B-MAX ★★★★★
BUGATTI PORTOFINO ★★★★★ > B-pillar-free Fiesta-based mini-MPV gets rear
ATECA ★★★★★ > The transformation from California to Portofino sliding doors for maximum practicality but not the
> Seat spices up its stylish Ateca with powertrain works a treat. It’s sweeter, sharper and more sliding rear seats of some rivals. Firm ride
CHIRON ★★★★★ from a VW Golf R and chunky body kit. Then ruins practical, if ultimately lacking focus > VERDICT > VERDICT Buy with a 1.0 EcoBoost triple and Zetec
> ‘The Veyron was okay but why couldn’t it have it by slapping on a copper badge with the style of Measurably better than the Cali in every way trim for maximum school-run fun
30 per cent bigger turbos and 300bhp more a tribal tattoo students got in Magaluf > VERDICT
power?’ Bugatti answers the question absolutely It’s good but offers no reason to avoid the obvious 812 SUPERFAST ★★★★★ FIESTA ★★★★★

nobody asked – and answers it loud > VERDICT Golf R > Proof that Ferrari can still make truly epic GT > Still a peach to drive and now has an interior that
A £2.5m riot cars that fly the naturally aspirated V12 flag with isn’t from the Dark Ages, even if material quality is
LEON ★★★★★ pride. The screaming 800hp engine is matched by still a bit iffy. ST-Line version is suitably sporty but
CATERHAM > Much to the amusement of tyre manufacturers laser-guided handling > VERDICT GT? Supercar? Vignale too expensive to justify > VERDICT You can
everywhere, the front-wheel-drive Leon Cupra now Astounding thank the heavens they haven’t ruined it
has 297bhp. GTI who? > VERDICT Ballistic, and
SEVEN ★★★★★ best bought with a manual transmission GTC4 LUSSO/T ★★★★★ FIESTA ST ★★★★★
> For bobble-hatted Terry-Thomas wannabes and > Two-door shooting brake looks like a Z3 M > Even less mad to look at than before and one
the track-curious, the Seven comes in flavours from DACIA Coupe battered by a giant spatula but thoroughly cylinder down, but one of the biggest hot hatch
160 triple to mental road racers > VERDICT 80bhp capable all-wheel drive machine. V8-powered bargains around. Fast, fun to drive and won’t wind
160 is underpowered, 310bhp 620R verges on Lusso T nudges price below distressing £200k you up something fierce > VERDICT Buy one. You
lethal, 180bhp 360 model is just right SANDERO ★★★★★ barrier VERDICT Closest Ferrari has got to an SUV won’t regret it
> Cheapest new car on sale, not the worst. Yoghurt- (but not for long)
CHEVROLET pot plastics and pre-Glasnost styling can’t detract FOCUS ★★★★★
from a spacious sub-six-grand runabout with FIAT > Looks derivative but under the skin lies a compact
Renault engines, if that’s where your priorities rest family car that’s great to drive. Ford is still throwing
CORVETTE ★★★★★ > VERDICT Austerity rocks. Right, Greece? plenty of chips the hatchback’s way > VERDICT The
> Farm machinery meets Spacelab in 460bhp V8 TIPO ★★★★★ spirit of the Mk1 is almost back
symphony of composite materials, leaf springs and LOGAN ★★★★★ > Fiat has another crack at the C-segment, this time
pushrods. Shame it’s left-hook only > VERDICT > Estate looks like a Sandero that’s reversed into sensibly playing the value card. Dull, yet still the MONDEO HATCH/ESTATE ★★★★★
£60k for a butch bargain berserker. £20k more a phone box. Cavernous boot, but dreadfully best Fiat hatch since the last Tipo – and that dates > Huge space and you can even have the plucky
gets you the even berserker 650bhp Z06, and if unrefined thanks to all the brittle plastic and tin from 1988 > VERDICT Only consider buying Fiats little 1.0 EcoBoost engine > VERDICT Everybody
you’re feeling brave import yourself the ZR1. Mid- > VERDICT You put things in it. It will carry them with numbers, not names wants them new-fangled SUVs these days, but this
engined version is on its way, which will if nothing for you. You can take them out. Job done, at a is a fine family car
else be interesting very low price 124 ★★★★★
> Mazda MX-5’s step-sister, seemingly intent on KUGA ★★★★★
CITROEN DUSTER ★★★★★ undermining said darling hairdresser’s star turn > The best-handling mid-sized crossover, but
> It’s just had a major overhaul, which in with its punchier 1.4 turbo blow-dryer. Awkward French and Swedish interiors are leagues ahead
Dacia terms is akin to creosoting the shed and style, for an Italian > VERDICT To drive, this is the > VERDICT If you must
C1 ★★★★★ tacking the roof felt down, but still a hardy 4x4 for MX-5 you’ve been waiting for
> Trying hard to escape the clutches of its sister low-budget mud-pluggers and family folk; front- EDGE ★★★★★
cars from Toyota and Peugeot, the C1 can have wheel-drive versions keep costs ridiculously low PANDA ★★★★★ > Looks good and drives like a Ford – a big,
a funky Airscape cloth roof and half-hearted > VERDICT Like Crocs but way, WAY cooler > Spacious city car with ‘squircle’ obsession, as roly- ponderous Ford, hamstrung by 2.0 diesels and
personalisation options. 1.0-litre has most pep poly as its blobby looks suggest. Two-pot TwinAir slower than continental drift > VERDICT Comfy,
> VERDICT Good, solid proletarian urban fare DS willing but thirsty > VERDICT VW Up costs less, refined, irrelevant amid premium rivals
rather than hipster cool drives better and is nicer inside
ECOSPORT ★★★★★
C3 ★★★★★ DS 3 HATCH/CABRIO ★★★★★ 500/C ★★★★★ > Ford’s half-arsed stab at a crossover sold in droves
> Citroën produces a great small car by looking up > Best-selling DS gets robo-croc snout and Apple > Delicate job, modernising a retro cash cow. despite being crap first time round. We’re more
its own Wikipedia entry and remembering what it’s CarPlay as standard but ‘premium’ claims got Fiat’s approach pairs a korma-grade facelift with comfortable recommending the current version,
good at; spacy, compliant and different lost in translation > VERDICT The Gallic charm is updated tech and even more colour palette kitsch since it now looks half decent and isn’t built out of
> VERDICT Are Citroëns cool again? They’re wearing thin > VERDICT Fashion victims rejoice! The cupholders melted wheelie bins > VERDICT Better, but still isn’t
certainly getting there actually work now the best
DS 7 CROSSBACK ★★★★★
C3 AIRCROSS ★★★★★ > France’s idea of a premium SUV. Sharp-looking 500L ★★★★★ C-MAX/GRAND C-MAX ★★★★★
> Funky mattress on wheels takes C3’s style and interior and plenty of technology fitted as standard, > Bloated supermini-sized people carrier, > More a roomier Focus than full-blown MPV,
puts it on stilts. Thankfully retains C3 Picasso’s but from some angles it looks like an Audi Q5 in desperately attempting to cash in on city car’s chic. C-Max delivers driving pleasure to blot out family
super-spacious interior and flexi seats > VERDICT half-baked drag > VERDICT Neatly done, but not Seldom has the point been so massively missed pain. Seven-seat Grand version gets rear sliding
The Vauxhall Crossland X’s much more characterful quite there. Expect plenty more from DS very soon > VERDICT In-car coffee machine option the only doors > VERDICT Rivals are roomier, but none is
Gallic sibling purchase excuse better to drive
C4 CACTUS ★★★★★
ELEMENTAL 500X ★★★★★ S-MAX ★★★★★
> Comfy, roomy, slightly sloppy family car, now > Compact crossover is the Arnie of the 500 range > Exploits latest Mondeo’s undercrackers to full
Airbump-free. Citroën claims it’s a hatch; it’s in fact RP1 ★★★★★ – limited in its range of abilities, but rather likeable effect. Pricey, but still the best of the seven-seaters
just as much a crossover as the previous one > As expensive as a used Porsche Cayman GT4, > VERDICT Worthy Nissan Juke alternative works to drive. Toys include electric everything and
> VERDICT A proper Citroën, with all the pros more refined than any Caterham – and a weapon on the 500 thing well, especially after recent facelift, speed-correcting cruise control > VERDICT Harder
and cons that involves track > VERDICT Crazy, but worth it new engines and cabin tech upgrade to beat than FC Barcelona
Specialist 1996 Ferrari F355.

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experience with strong value – even if it’s not as V6, though > VERDICT The hot one is a surprise but
MUSTANG ★★★★★ cheap as it was. Five-year warranty, too > VERDICT it’s not a car that will worry BMW or Merc JEEP
> Sub-optimal interior quality and still thirsty, but the Basic motoring done not just well but with a dash of
crash ratings are no longer embarrassing. Sounds style. Mid-spec 1.0 would be our choice QX30 ★★★★★

great, bags of character, and a lot of fun to drive > As the GLA is to the A-Class, so the QX30 is to the RENEGADE ★★★★★
> VERDICT Go manual V8 with sports exhaust i20 HATCH/COUPE/ACTIVE ★★★★★ Q30. It looks like a jacked-up Q30 because that’s > Strange but true: junior Jeep is built in Italy
> Update adds Active crossover to five-door hatch what it is, with all-wheel drive and not as much cabin alongside Fiat 500X that donates its platform. Even
GALAXY ★★★★★ and three-door ‘coupe’; suitable for somnambulant space as the size of the body leads you to expect stranger: it’s not terrible > VERDICT Only the top
> Based on the same Mondeo-derived platform as warranty fiends only > VERDICT Fur-lined tartan > VERDICT Not great, and not great value Trailhawk cuts it in the rough
the S-Max. Just as high-tech, but more spacious slippers, Horlicks and early to bed; repeat
> VERDICT Great if you need a seven-seater – fits JAGUAR COMPASS ★★★★★
adults in all rows with no human rights violations i30 HATCH/TOURER ★★★★★ > Qashqai rival misses the mark. Looks imposing,
> Where the current crop of Hyundais got serious and the Trailhawk version is very good off road, but
GT ★★★★★ – which means it’s now in need of a facelift as the XE ★★★★★ Jeep’s own smaller Renegade is more charming
> Very expensive hardcore supercar from Detroit established mainstream moves ahead again > Straight-bat styling hides exotic aluminium > VERDICT Almost as forgettable as the previous
that proves a global mega-seller can cut it against > VERDICT Tries hard but lacks imagination chassis and class-leading handling. Bit tight on Compass
Ferrari when it wants to > VERDICT ‘Race car for the space, though, and engine line-up is not a high
road’ translates into ‘Brilliant fun but a bit coarse’ i30N ★★★★★ point > VERDICT Rivals are better packaged but CHEROKEE ★★★★★
> Korea’s first proper hot hatch is very good indeed, this is the driver’s car in the class > Less ugly to stare at than some recent
GINETTA and cheaper than a VW Golf GTI > VERDICT An Cherokees, but with an engine configuration
intergalactic leap ahead of any previous Hyundai XF ★★★★★ choice that’s clear as mud. Classic Jeep off-road
> Bigger inside, smaller outside, still a great steer traits and actually half decent to drive
G40 ★★★★★ i40 SALOON/TOURER ★★★★★ > VERDICT Diddy diesels moo more than a dairy; > VERDICT Chunky all-rounder, but high price
> Pint-sized road-legal racer. Two models: G40R > Vast Mondeo rival with cavernous boot insert your own cats/cream joke pitches it against some excellent competitors
(civilised version, with carpets) and GRDC (a race and lots of kit > VERDICT Nearly-but-not-quite
car with number plates) > VERDICT Tiny, twitchy mainstream alternative plays value card well XJ ★★★★★ GRAND CHEROKEE ★★★★★
and top fun. Pick the £35k GRDC and get free entry > Questionable styling but unquestionably an > Proper off-road cred, but feels cheap inside.
to a Ginetta race series iX20 ★★★★★ excellent steer – although passengers may mutiny. Ludicrous SRT8 demolishes 0-62mph in five
> Compact MPV and Kia Venga’s ugly Interior looks luxurious but lacks intelligence, even seconds > VERDICT Makes sense at $30k in the
HONDA step-sister; roomy but ultimately forgettable if it’s fitted with the latest infotainment > VERDICT US, but doesn’t drive or feel like a premium car
> VERDICT Sorry, what were we talking about? Hollywood baddies’ limo of choice. Flawed when pitched against German and British rivals
JAZZ ★★★★★ KONA ★★★★★ F-TYPE COUPE/ROADSTER WRANGLER ★★★★★

> Brilliantly packaged supermini with ordinary > Hyundai does a Nissan by trying to make a ★★★★★ > Much better on road than before, but still an
performance, but more refined than before > forgettable crossover less so by over-styling it. > Posh pauper’s Aston Martin sounds superb, and acquired taste on-road. Nigh on indestructible, and
VERDICT If a Skoda Fabia had a seating system Rear space and boot tight but plenty of kit goes well too. Forget the basic V6 and choose now at least a bit modern > VERDICT Authentic
this smart, other superminis would call it a day > VERDICT You’d have to like the looks to pick it from V6S and mental V8S. Now with manual and and likeable, but if you weren’t a fan before, you
over countless others 4wd options > VERDICT So nearly sublime, but won’t be now
CIVIC ★★★★★ Cayman/Boxster duo cost less, entertain more
> The might of Honda’s engineering prowess TUCSON ★★★★★ KOËNIGSEGG
delivers more space, clever engines and an > Promising initial impressions of shiny-looking F-TYPE R ★★★★★
exterior that looks like it was drawn on a bus on ix35 replacement tarnish quickly > VERDICT Dull to > Supercharged 543bhp almost too much fun in
the way into school > VERDICT Easy to admire, but drive, duller inside, unrefined rear-wheel-drive form (but still less knife-edge than AGERA ★★★★★
loving requires heavy use of recreational drugs V8S); 4wd available if you’ve lost bravery pills > Evolution of Lex Luthor’s original CC8S supercar
SANTA FE ★★★★★ > VERDICT All this drama or spend similar money features carbonfibre wheels and twin-turbo 5.0
CIVIC TYPE R ★★★★★ > Biggish SUV has always led Hyundai’s assault on on an ‘ordinary’ 911? Tough choice… V8. The R version even runs on E85 biofuel
> Its many angles hide a rounded hot hatch. Driving the European market from the front. Comfortable, > VERDICT Yin to Volvo’s yang keeps Sweden’s car
one day to day much easier now but its speed and self-assured and easy to live with > VERDICT A F-TYPE SVR ★★★★★ output balanced
agility can still take your head off > VERDICT Fast, Hyundai you can choose without shame. Looks > JLR’s SVO black-ops division delivers a 567bhp
practical, agile and easy to live with fresher than Waitrose parsnips all-wheel-drive F-Type that goes and sounds like an KIA
elephant on MDMA > VERDICT Quilted leather and
HR-V ★★★★★ i800 ★★★★★ 200mph – but terrible hi-fi for a car that costs twice
> It took Honda 10 years to build a second HR-V, > Massive van-based people carrier that’ll seat the entry V6 PICANTO ★★★★★
and you’re left wondering why they bothered. eight and still have space for their luggage. Ideal for > Now has an angry face and there’s a feisty turbo
Almost wilfully generic > VERDICT Platform’s magic part-time airport minicabbers > VERDICT It is what E-PACE ★★★★★ triple. GT Line brings amped-up looks > VERDICT
packaging the only saving grace it is: a van with seats in. But it’s a nice van > Jaguar’s compact SUV wears the Evoque’s Accomplished; avoid the base 1.0-litre version
undercrackers and can be had with same four-pot
CR-V ★★★★★ IONIQ ★★★★★ engine as the F-Type – both very good things. RIO ★★★★★

> Design revisions so minor you’d barely notice, > Korean take on the Toyota Prius. Hybrid, EV Top-spec version is incredibly expensive > VERDICT > Long on space, short on enjoyment, life with a
or care. Roomy interior, petrol or hybrid power, or upcoming PHEV – something in all shades Handsome, filled with technology, lacks polish Rio is no carnival. Diesel’s refinement will have you
two- or all-wheel drive, five or seven seats. Libido of green > VERDICT Challenges neither pulse driving to a favela in the hope of a carjacking
optional, crumbs in rear footwells standard nor helmsmanship, but the numbers stack up F-PACE ★★★★★ > VERDICT White-goods car gets the basics right
> VERDICT Not exciting – just gets on with the job impressively well > Porsche Macan botherer. Built light to be nimble; but there are many better rivals
body control brilliance and pokey engines prove
NSX ★★★★★ INFINITI family DNA > VERDICT Macan remains most STONIC ★★★★★
> ‘We’ve blown all our development cash on an sporting choice, but more rounded F-Pace has > Her name is Rio and she’s put on a bit of weight.
insanely complex hybrid drivetrain. Do you think plenty of bite Kia’s first go at building a Juke rival has a hard ride
anyone will notice if we fit an interior from a Civic?’ Q30 ★★★★★ but is more practical than the Nissan > VERDICT
> VERDICT Like a Porsche 918 for half a million > It’s an old A-Class in an alternative frock – a slow i-PACE ★★★★★ Looks good but forgettable to drive
pounds less – mind-blowing to drive, crap to sit in old A-Class at that. Suspension and seats comfy, > Probably one of the best-handling electric cars
just don’t look too closely at the dash > VERDICT out there, but you’d expect that from Jaguar. CEED ★★★★★
HYUNDAI The fat goth of the premium hatchback segment Cab-forward design strikes lustful feelings, and > Golf wannabe is big on equipment and not bad to
whooshing noises as you hurtle into the distance drive. Range-topping GT is an enjoyable if relatively
Q50 ★★★★★ will make you giggle like a toddler > VERDICT A costly warm hatch > VERDICT Now with downsized
i10 ★★★★★ > US-aimed Japanese premium product that’s watershed moment for 21st century Jaguar; and it’s turbo engines. Europe still ahead. But only by a
> Five-door city car that balances mature driving mostly forgettable. Sport Tech model has stonking been judged Car of the Year whisker
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young enough to not yet be the subject of 31 run-
KIA PROCEED ★★★★★ out limited editions. Semi life-affirming > VERDICT LS ★★★★★ 600LT ★★★★★
> Nope, not a three-door hatch any more. Slick Pose-to-talent ratio heading in the right direction > Interior materials are to die for, but hybrid > The Sports Series gets its LT; more power, a
shooting brake styling and solid interior hide powertrain less than convincing > VERDICT You’d comprehensive track-focused re-engineering and
uncharismatic engines and indecisive auto URUS ★★★★★ have to REALLY want to be different high-mounted LT exhausts > VERDICT The most
> VERDICT Style and substance balance are a > Fast, capable SUV that sounds good, looks like thrilling McLaren this side of the Senna. (And let’s
little off it’s in a movie and is full of Audi bits > VERDICT It’s UX ★★★★★ face it: everything’s this side of the Senna)
quite something > Baby crossover that’s striking, quiet and
SOUL ★★★★★ a bit hybrid-y, like almost every Lexus 720S ★★★★★
> Improved second-gen chunky spunky SUV better LAND ROVER > VERDICT Efficient urban-focused feelgood > 650S replacement turns the wick up and is
to drive but ride and noise suppression poor. Petrol transport for those who value comfort over measurably better in every way than a 488.
version rubbish, but much cheaper > VERDICT A ruggedness Maranello won’t be pleased > VERDICT Obscenely
Korean with character but other SUVs are more DISCOVERY SPORT ★★★★★ fast and engaging – we just wish it was louder
rounded (in both senses) > ‘Educated, professional luxury SUV desperately NX ★★★★★
seeking decent diesel engine.’ Ingenium replied. > Trumps even the Audi Q5 with a fabulous interior SENNA ★★★★★
OPTIMA ★★★★★ Happy ever after? > VERDICT Comfy silence a and arrest-me (for persecuting curves) exterior > As happy breaking lap records as it is nipping to
> Sexless Mondeo clone cobbles together some promising start. We’ll know it’s love when they get design. Fwd or 4wd with electric motor at rear the shops. Astounding engineering achievement
mojo via the addition of sharp-suited Sportswagon the interior decorators in > VERDICT Doesn’t work as a driver’s car, so take the that makes the P1 feel slow > VERDICT Named after
and a plug-in hybrid > VERDICT All the car you’ll ever NX300h hybrid over faster, costlier NX200t a hero – but you don’t need to be one
need, but not the car you want DISCOVERY ★★★★★
> Gen-5 Disco can climb mountains and social RX ★★★★★ MASERATI
VENGA ★★★★★ strata with equal equanimity. Worryingly close to > Looks like Lord Vader’s helmet with wheels on,
> Weird sit-up supermini-cum-MPV packs Focus Range Rover, slightly frustrating engine choice but interior opulence and general tranquillity make
space into near-city-car dimensions. Hard to get > VERDICT The best seven-seat party wagon up for idiosyncratic infotainment issues GHIBLI ★★★★★
comfy, though. Best engine is the 1.4 petrol money can buy > VERDICT Build quality and refinement to save the > Small exec drives great, looks the business,
> VERDICT Too pricey and too ordinary to drive, galaxy, even if the hybrid tech won’t doesn’t have the four-cylinder diesel that will get
although the looks are neatly individual RANGE ROVER EVOQUE ★★★★★ it on your shopping list. A shame > VERDICT An
> Posh mum’s SUV, now also a convertible, solving RC/RCF ★★★★★ alcohol-free Quattroporte
CARENS ★★★★★ the interior’s claustrophobia-triggering tendencies. > RCF’s old-school unblown V8 completes
> Big, versatile, value-packed seven-seater. Go Ingenium engines commendably hushed charismatic package that shocked M4 in our Giant QUATTROPORTE GTS ★★★★★
diesel – 1.6 petrol is wheezy > VERDICT For all its > VERDICT Pricey, but perfectly pitched Test. Elegance of regular range can’t overcome > A brilliant blend of Maranello turbo V8 wrapped in
pseudo-premium Euro aspirations, this is the stuff lack of diesel option > VERDICT Deserve more some gracefully ageing Maserati bits. Remains the
Kia still does best RANGE ROVER VELAR ★★★★★ success than they’ll likely get coolest four-door car money can buy > VERDICT It
> Sport-lite or Evoque-plus? Either way, Land Rover’s won’t let you in unless you’re in a suit or chinos
SPORTAGE ★★★★★ centrally placed SUV is handsome, capable, well LC500 ★★★★★
> All-new, all-turbo SUV truly handles and rides but finished and worthy of its name > A serious sports car from the most serious of GRAN TURISMO/GRAN
somehow a picture of Mr Potato Head’s face got > VERDICT The new benchmark Range Rover makers gets a clever hybrid or a tasty V8, 10-speed CABRIO ★★★★★
mixed up with the blueprints > VERDICT Improved auto and less bovine acoustics. It’s quite sexy > Four genuine seats a rarity in this class, but fill
in just about every way – except to look at RANGE ROVER SPORT ★★★★★ > VERDICT Proof that Lexus is no longer the them and you’ll regret choosing the weedy 4.2 over
> As luxurious as a Rangie, as practical as a Disco, Japanese Mercedes the 4.7 at the first sniff of a hill > VERDICT Podgy,
SORENTO ★★★★★ better looking than an Evoque and could follow a pretty, practical GT for folk who hate four-door faux
> Ambitious new flagship SUV reckons it’s a real Defender cross country > VERDICT Very good at LOTUS coupes. And luggage
Land Rover rival. Bigger than ever, as is the price: just about everything
up to a salty £40k. Only engine is a 2.2 diesel LEVANTE ★★★★★
> VERDICT Impressive, but lacks badge and RANGE ROVER ★★★★★ ELISE ★★★★★ > Very accomplished SUV that holds its own among
performance of premium off-roaders > Benchmark luxury SUV now even > Reminds just how connected cars used to be. the likes of the Porsche Cayenne and Jaguar F-Pace,
BEST IN better with techier cabin. V6 diesel
CLASS Slothful 1.6 reminds how they used to go, too, with all the charm you expect from a Maserati >
STINGER ★★★★★ acceptable, supercharged V8 petrol so pick the 1.8 instead > VERDICT A 10-year-old VERDICT Far from flawless but it’ll show you a good

> Handsome four-door GT has a mountain to climb hilarious, PHEV pointless > VERDICT The perfect example does the same job for half the price time
to win over German exec buyers but it’s comfy and car for smuggling cash to Switzerland, skiing, turning
a head-turner. Interior not as well-finished or techy up at a ball, game shooting and being smug EXIGE ★★★★★ MAZDA
as rivals > VERDICT An impressively solid first > Gym-bunny Elise with supercharged V6 retains
effort; V6 GT-S is playful LEXUS beautifully unassisted steering. Superb 350 Sport
2 ★★★★★
turns up the wick > VERDICT The Lotus our tyre-
KTM CT ★★★★★
frying Ben Barry would buy > Shot-in-the-arm supermini packs good value,
handling and looks, leaving sweat marks on the
> Pig-ugly premium Prius a mix of decent handling, EVORA 400 ★★★★★ shirts of the VW Polo marketing team > VERDICT
X-BOW ★★★★★ woeful performance and a ride so poor it makes a > Lost its looks but gained supercharged 400bhp Under-radar Fiesta threatener gatecrashes the
> 22nd century Ariel Atom mixes carbonfibre black cab feel like an S-Class > VERDICT Wouldn’t > VERDICT The chassis and steering are Lotus at top table
construction with hardy Audi turbocharged 2.0 merit a single sale if company car tax bills were less its sparkling best. Sublime
four-pot > VERDICT Big money, big grins, but CO2-focused 3 ★★★★★
single-seat BAC Mono gives more racecar-like
IS ★★★★★
MCLAREN NEW
> Most stylish family hatch on the
experience ENTRY market right now? It’s also great to
> Sharp-suited, well-specced 3-series rival finally drive. Regular petrol engine is a little
LAMBORGHINI gets decent rear space. Good chassis, but the 250 540C ★★★★★ lacklustre, so wait for the Skyactiv-X compression-
V6 is irrelevant, and the frugal hybrid is hobbled by > The world’s first decontented supercar. Entry ignition petrol > VERDICT A hatch you should pay
a nasty CVT > VERDICT So close. Needs a proper level doesn’t get any better > VERDICT The work of attention to
HURACAN EVO ★★★★★ automatic gearbox a very focused company somewhere near the top
> Spine-tingling V10, beguiling looks and of its game 6 SALOON/TOURER ★★★★★
enhanced dynamic ability make the Evo a proper ES ★★★★★ > Boss won’t let you have a BMW 3-series? This
performance contender > VERDICT Almost > Lexus changes tack in exec saloon fistfight by 570S/570GT ★★★★★ makes an impressive alternative. Handles well but
unbearably charismatic and achingly desirable removing samurai-styled, hybrid-powered GS and > Base McLaren ditches carbon body and rides like the tyres have DTs > VERDICT Swoopily
replacing it with samurai-styled, hybrid powered super-trick suspension, but keeps carbon styled, tax friendly, entertaining alternative to po-
AVENTADOR S ★★★★★ ES. No, we don’t know why they went to the effort MonoCell and twin-turbo 3.8-litre V8. Now faced VW Passat, although not anyone’s idea of the
> Aventador hits the sweet spot: old enough to either > VERDICT Smooth and quiet, with well built available with glass hatchback, too > VERDICT S ultimate driving machine
sort the gripes associated with early versions and if awkward interior. Sound familiar? and GT performance near identical; both make 911
Turbo S feel too normal
ON YOUR
PHONE.
ON YOUR
TABLET.
ON YOUR
COMPUTER.
MAZDA > NISSAN
pick, it’s blessed with a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 and
CX-3 ★★★★★ AMG E63 ★★★★★ jaw-dropping looks > VERDICT Got muscle, maybe SHOGUN ★★★★★
> Late arrival to compact crossover party is worth > Only AMG would offer the E63 with an lacks finesse > Old-school workhorse if your workplace is
a look thanks to smart cabin and crisp drive. Pity all-wheel-drive system that you can switch off covered in mud, oil or bomb craters. Big, noisy
about the firm ride > VERDICT Pricey, but better in Drift Mode (on the S version). Which is exactly AMG GT 4-DOOR ★★★★★ diesel, chunky underpinnings and reliable, with
than most rivals and well equipped why you should buy one, and possibly open an > Yes, it looks like a steroidal CLS and, yes, it’s a hose-down cabin > VERDICT If you don’t think you
account at Kwik Fit at the same time > VERDICT Go tried-and-tested formula under the skin, but boy need this car, you don’t need this car
CX-5 ★★★★★ S or go home does it work. Forget the E63 S, because this is
> How an SUV should drive. Better than ever, and arguably AMG’s M5 rival. Pricey, mind > VERDICT OUTLANDER ★★★★★
yet it’s still unfairly ignored in favour of inferior CLS ★★★★★ Ignore the confusing name, this thing’s good > Midlife overhaul brings sleeker looks and
rivals > VERDICT It’s the closest you’ll ever get to a > Comfy four-door coupe has great interior and lifts cabin ambience by miles. Diesel still a bit
five-seat MX-5 loads of tech, although it can’t match the original for MG of a tractor but PHEV comfy and refined
visual drama. AMG 53 is punchy > VERDICT The UK’s best-selling plug-in hybrid
MX-5 ★★★★★ > VERDICT Slick
> Shorter than the ’89 original, and in real terms MG 3 ★★★★★ MORGAN
half the price. 1.5 sweet but a little slow; 158bhp 2.0 S-CLASS ★★★★★ > Tough-looking, spacious supermini has handling
quicker but charismatically challenged > Enormously technically that lives up to the promise of that once-British
> VERDICT Brilliantly uncomplicated budget sports
BEST IN accomplished, with camera-guided badge. As does the woeful build, crap engine and 3-WHEELER ★★★★★
CLASS
car. Dink the GTI for this ride quality and stacks of safety kit concrete ride > VERDICT The Chinese are coming! > As comfortable as riding over Niagara Falls in a
> VERDICT Makes 7-series and A8 seem like But so far they’ve only got to Tajikistan barrel and equally sane. Not as quick as it feels, but
MX-5 RF ★★★★★ under-specified toys. Captains of industry should quick enough for a three-wheeler on bike tyres
> When a folding fabric roof above your head is insist on it GS ★★★★★ > VERDICT Brilliant Caterham alternative without
just too common to contemplate, pay more for the > Spacious, duck-faced SUV hamstrung by coarse the macho trackday posturing
heavier and more complicated RF and never fold S-CLASS COUPE/CABRIOLET 1.5 turbo petrol, shonky gearboxes and shoddy
the bloody roof down anyway > VERDICT Right car ★★★★★ interior. Actually handles okay, if you can hack the AERO ★★★★★
in the wrong spec > Over five metres of barking mad indulgence; firm ride > VERDICT Cheap, but not sufficiently so. > Droptop was first of the new-era Morgans and
Coupe carries it off like Errol Flynn on a bender Dacia will sleep well tonight goes it alone since Aero Supersports, Coupe and
MERCEDES > VERDICT Howard Hughes would approve, but he Squiffy Perkins bought it at the Somme
went crazy in the end ZS ★★★★★ > VERDICT Two worlds collide. And with 367bhp in
> Looks a lot like a Chinese knock-off of a Mazda the front they may not be the only ones doing some
A-CLASS ★★★★★ S63/S65 AMG ★★★★★ CX-3 and has the knock-off driving dynamics, build colliding
> It’s only taken Merc four attempts to get right. > Twin-turbo 577bhp V8 and 621bhp V12 S-Class quality and price to match > VERDICT Stone dead
Sharp looks and an interior swish enough to put variants, because being richer than the world isn’t last in a very competitive sector, would still be last PLUS 4/FOUR FOUR/ROADSTER
higher-class cars to shame – even if most of the enough and you need to out-drag it, too in easier company ★★★★★
best kit is optional. Dynamically still a bit slushy > VERDICT S63 V8 is bonkers, S65 V12 utterly > Entry-level Mog still with ‘traditional’ ash frame
> VERDICT Finally, a compact hatch worthy of certifiable. Does your chauffeur deserve it? MINI and ‘traditional’ (ie awful) dynamics. Four-seat 4/4
being called a Merc is surprise eco champ: 44mpg > VERDICT Cheap,
GLA ★★★★★ considering the extensive craftsmanship, even at
A45 AMG ★★★★★ > Confused A-Class on stilts with lifestyle HATCH/CONVERTIBLE ★★★★★ £33k, but if you want an old car, buy an old car
> Mad turbo four-pot makes 367bhp pretensions and a surplus of interior vents. GLA45 > Bigger and less charming, but comes with choice
REPLACED and 350lb ft. Goes like a banker who
AMG is entertaining but unnecessary of smooth and peppy engines, while ride has PLUS 8 ★★★★★
SOON
knows the game is up > VERDICT > VERDICT An A-Class for the bewildered improved without ruining handling. Britpop rear > Don’t be fooled by tally-ho styling, 8 is built on
Option the Dynamic Plus pack with LSD as well lights a thorny issue for some > VERDICT Better ‘modern’ bonded and riveted Aero chassis. Fidgety
GLC ★★★★★ than ever to own, even if you love it slightly less like a child with worms > VERDICT Classic Morgan
B-CLASS ★★★★★ > GLK replacement project, now available in right- style, modern BMW V8 poke, manners like a five-

> Mercedes has resisted the temptation to turn hand drive. Sounds like you shouldn’t care, but the COOPER S/JCW ★★★★★ term borstal veteran
sort-of MPV into sort-of SUV. Hatchback handling interior might just make you moist > BMW 2.0-litre four-pot-powered 228bhp JCW
and fancy interior. Oddly short of useful cubbies, > VERDICT Rivals are cheaper and better to drive most powerful Mini ever. Terrific fun, if a tad NISSAN
though > VERDICT Like an A-Class, but taller. Who but GLC makes you feel special inside synthetic > VERDICT Beware the options list
knew?
G-CLASS ★★★★★ CLUBMAN ★★★★★ MICRA ★★★★★

C-CLASS SALOON/ESTATE ★★★★★ > Turns out you can teach an old dog new tricks, > Replace circus-freakery of old one with full > So much better than the old car, the
> Mini-S-Class styling and almost all the same so long as you completely overhaul its entire complement of portals, add longer wheelbase, current Micra is on Wikipedia right now
cutting-edge on-board technology > VERDICT personality and physical structure. W464 still OTT bigger boot; now bake > VERDICT Loaf-alike maxi- deleting all mention of its predecessor. Proves
BMW is still better to drive, but if you want a but now isn’t a pig to drive or sit in > VERDICT A Mini freshness, the grown-ups’ choice that a car designed by Europeans will appeal to
relaxing techno cocoon, this is it dinosaur that has evolved to avoid extinction Europeans > VERDICT Bigger and better, although
COUNTRYMAN/PACEMAN ★★★★★ not all versions are equally good
C-CLASS COUPE ★★★★★ GLE ★★★★★ > A Mini SUV that drives like the hatch. Spacious,
> Sexpot C-Class 10cm longer and available with air > Seven-seat SUV dials up the refinement and solid inside and just funky enough, but expensive JUKE ★★★★★
suspension. Still tight in the back for those with legs gadgets. Active air springs can make it tilt like a > VERDICT A respectable family car now, rather > Mould-breaking compact crossover; you think
> VERDICT Much more of an event than the BMW Pendolino at speed or hop like a baller’s low-rider than just a chubby brand extension it would look like that if the mould hadn’t broken?
4-series, but the latest Audi A5 is right back in the > VERDICT No longer an also-ran plush-UV Cheap interior and so-so dynamics belie the
game; a nice problem
GLS ★★★★★
MITSUBISHI hype > VERDICT Does it still count as ‘different’ if
everybody’s got one?
C63 AMG ★★★★★ > Luxo-monster seven-seater lacks Range Rover
> Madder than ever with bi-turbo 4.0 V8; coupe panache but it’s comfy and refined, and the MIRAGE ★★★★★ LEAF ★★★★★
gets unique 12-link rear suspension for sharper infotainment doesn’t come from Poundland > Facelift can’t hide the Mirage’s catastrophic lack > Less gawky than pioneering first-gen Leaf, and
responses > VERDICT Mega traction and one of > VERDICT A brilliant bus of style or charm. As well suited to the small-car promises better range, and single-pedal driving.
the best turbo engines ever segment as a Sopwith Camel is to executive short- Shame about the dull interior > VERDICT Version
SLC ★★★★★ haul flights > VERDICT Want your kids to stay off 2.0 of people’s EV now far more… normal
E-CLASS SALOON/ESTATE ★★★★★ > Buy the SLC43 AMG and it’s like an uglier but the roads? Buy them one
> It may look like a fat C-Class but this techno cheaper F-Type with a nicer interior. Buy any other QASHQAI ★★★★★
tour-de-force thinks it can drive better than you. SLC and you’ve lost your mind > VERDICT Come ASX ★★★★★ > Crossover for the masses gets more luxury and
Exceptional interior out-luxes all comers back 718 Boxster, all is forgiven > Box-ticking small SUV feels like it was designed a facelift > VERDICT It’s no Volvo XC but still has
> VERDICT New four-cylinder diesel is so smooth it on a spreadsheet. At least it’s cheap and well kitted huge family appeal
churns motorway miles into butter SL ★★★★★ > VERDICT Best bought on the internet
> The plastic surgeon was worth every penny. X-TRAIL ★★★★★
E-CLASS COUPE ★★★★★ Turning up the sporty makes the most of the super- ECLIPSE CROSS ★★★★★ > Used to be a rough, tough off-roader designed on
> Swish, clever and satisfyingly capable, as long stiff structure, too > VERDICT Think twice about > Last of the old Mitsubishis or first of the new an Etch-a-Sketch. Now it’s a Qashqai put through
as there’s six cylinders up front. Like coupes used that Ferrari California. No, seriously Renault-Nissan ones? Off-road ability says former, a photocopier at +10% > VERDICT Still not exciting,
to be before everyone decided they needed to be but cushy ride and renewed interior quality says but selling a lot better
‘Ring-meisters > VERDICT Middle age has never AMG GT ★★★★★ latter > VERDICT Petrol-CVT combo sounds wrong
been so appealing > GT C is the very tasty sweet spot, GT R is track- but it’s civilised and looks sharp GT-R ★★★★★
bred lunatic and ‘Ring fast-lapper. Whichever you > Now with a slightly thicker veneer of luxury (and
Specialist 2001 Morgan Aero 8.

Value £41,000.
Morgan insurance Mileage 3,000 per annum.
SDP use. Kept garaged at EX23.
Annual comprehensive cover premium.
0333 043 3911 £356.20 + IPT. £250 excess applies.
rhspecialistinsurance.co.uk 44 year old accountant, clean licence.

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NISSAN > TESLA For free car reminders and MoT history enter your reg at MotorEasy.com
another 20bhp) but still basically a hardcase, > VERDICT At least you can guarantee the
moments from rage > VERDICT Drivetrain sounds 718 CAYMAN ★★★★★ emissions are genuine DAWN ★★★★★
like a drum kit falling down the stairs; leaves your > Efficiency march means sublime outgoing model > Wraith with the roof cut off – although actually 80
brain feeling much the same ditches choral flat-six for punchy but industrial TWINGO ★★★★★ per cent of the exterior panels are new. Rides like a
turbo four. Gets uglier in the process, still handles > Rear-engined, rear-drive runabout isn’t as nippy liner and costs more than a VW software decision
PAGANI like you wish all cars would > VERDICT Better by as it sounds, but is roomy, with clever connectivity. > VERDICT Starry
the numbers but... know any nice 981s for sale? More cheeky than sister Smart, and cheaper
> VERDICT Lower-power version with ’80s F1 Turbo CULLINAN ★★★★★
HYUARA ★★★★★ 911 ★★★★★ paintjob the way to go > Rolls’ SUV redefines the plushness of off-roaders.
> Spectacular cottage-industry supercar with > 992-gen could have been phoned in and still But it costs £100k more than a Bentayga and
active aero, AMG-built 720bhp twin-turbo V12 been great but Porsche has done it again. The 911 CLIO ★★★★★ weighs more than the moon > VERDICT Almost
and a wondrously decadent interior > VERDICT continues to be your trackday hero, athletic GT > Welcome return to form for the five-door Clio with as comfy as a Phantom, but a Rangie is a better
Obviously we want one but they’re all sold and surprising family transport all rolled into one > even boggo ones looking handsome, a well sorted off-road
VERDICT Unrivalled as a do-anything sports car cabin and sprightly driving qualities. Three-cylinder
PEUGEOT turbo petrol a (slowish) hoot SEAT
911 GT2 RS ★★★★★ > VERDICT The Fiesta is more fun, but Clio is more

> As close to a racing-spec 911 you can get: raw, stylish
108 ★★★★★ blisteringly quick and sounds truly evil > VERDICT Is MII ★★★★★
> Pug-faced city car. Go for 82bhp 1.2: the 68bhp it REALLY worth £100k more than the GT3? CAPTUR ★★★★★ > Tedious-looking city-box is far less funky than
1.0 is so slow we were all monkeys when it set off > It’s a Clio on stilts – and that’s not necessarily Renault’s Twingo but roomier and good to drive
and it still hasn’t hit 60mph > VERDICT No-frills city 911 GT3 ★★★★★ a bad thing. No 4x4 pretensions means focus is > VERDICT VW Up is more desirable, pretty Skoda
car; boot and rear space tight > Yes, another brilliant 911, but you didn’t really on personalisation. Good engines. It’s no Juke to Citigo is cheaper
think Porsche would get this one wrong, did you? drive > VERDICT Technicolor clown car if you’re not
208 ★★★★★ Optional manual ‘box makes car nerds everywhere careful with the spec, otherwise okay IBIZA ★★★★★
> Refresh more than just a prettier face as dynamic weak at the knees > VERDICT More accessible, > Angular Spanish supermini nabs A0 platform
update adds handling chops to 208’s interior chic more fun and more GT3-ish MEGANE ★★★★★ before VW, thoroughly grows up in the process. FR
> VERDICT Pug’s recovered that VaVaVoom from > All-new French Golf looks like a foie-grased versions irritatingly don’t look that sporty any more
the back of the sofa. No, wait – that’s the other lot MACAN ★★★★★ Clio outside and a low-rent Tesla inside. Is thus an > VERDICT Ibiza by name only
> Baby Cayenne is even better than instant improvement over the old one
308 HATCH/SW ESTATE ★★★★★ BEST IN dad – and better than the rival Evoque > VERDICT Renault Sport-fettled GT with rear-wheel TOLEDO ★★★★★
CLASS
> Hushed 308 at its best when eating motorway too. Base car with Golf GTI 2.0 makes steering a keen drive, too. Sacré bleu! > OAP special whose sole interesting
STEER
miles, or when you’re watching it out of the window no sense when S and S Diesel are pennies more CLEAR feature is that while it looks like a
of your Golf. Fiddly touchscreen > VERDICT Hatch > VERDICT GT3 RS for trackdays, Cayman GT4 for MEGANE RS ★★★★★ boring saloon, it’s actually a boring

isn’t up to scratch, but roomier SW wagon is worth weekends, this for everything else. Sorted > Sport is a credible hot hatch all-rounder but it hatch! Massive interior > VERDICT This and identical
a look doesn’t thrill like the pokier Cup. Go for a manual Skoda Rapid duke it out for UK’s dullest car.
CAYENNE ★★★★★ Cup version and you have a properly sorted Civic Czech please!
308 GTi ★★★★★ > A masterclass in how to make a big SUV handle. Type R rival > VERDICT Hurrah! They haven’t ruined
> Discreet styling hides playful proclivities; Limited- Slick Panamera-derived interior is great. Turbo it like they ruined the Clio RS. LEON HATCH/ESTATE ★★★★★
slip diff keeps things tight up front while fantastic is brutally fast, too, but whole thing feels anally > The estate in particular is a bit of an overlooked
chassis delivers entertainingly lively rear retentive > VERDICT Impressively capable but SCENIC ★★★★★ gem, all too often dismissed as a rebadged Golf
> VERDICT 250 and 270 variants both great, but Macan is more engaging > Fourth-generation compact MPV trades when in reality it’s got a significantly different feel
270 gets more kit practicality for a sharper exterior > VERDICT and spec levels > VERDICT Likeable
PANAMERA ★★★★★ Console your manhood with the fact that 20s are
508 ★★★★★ > The Mk1 was just throat-clearing; this Mk2 is standard ARONA ★★★★★
> Best-looking mainstream exec? Quite possibly. the opera. Ripe with tech, innovation and better > Generic-ish VW Group baby crossover but a
New 508 isn’t expected to sell in bazillions but it’s dynamics – and it looks nigh on perfect > VERDICT KADJAR ★★★★★ good one. Practical and easygoing with simple trim
likeable and civil, and the cockpit is a knockout. SW A lesson in making nonsensical niches make > Nissan may rue the day it left the parts structure – pick a spec and get a jazzy colour. Piece
BEST IN
is on its way, and a hybrid too > VERDICT For the perfect sense CLASS store door ‘Kadjar’, as Renault’s take on of cake > VERDICT A sensible daily driver, but then
discerning iconoclast the Qashqai bests the original in every so is an Ibiza
PARTNER TEPEE ★★★★★
RADICAL way (including ‘Is that an anagram?’ name)
ATECA ★★★★★
> VERDICT Aggressive pricing, smooth ride, great
> Spacious, versatile, more practical than a regular refinement, squishy seats > Latecomer to the SUV party gets the dress code
MPV, drives okay > VERDICT Make your own SR3 SL ★★★★★ right, isn’t the life and soul but neither will it bore
clothes? Live in a yurt? This is the car/van for you > Properly street-legal SR3 gets a 300bhp blown KOLEOS ★★★★★ you into leaving early. Another sangria please!
Ford 2.0 instead of a motorcycle engine, a heater > A five-seat X-Trail that took a gap year living at a > VERDICT Go SE, petrol, manual
2008 ★★★★★ and even a 12v socket. It’s almost lavish > VERDICT French vineyard and has come back with an accent,
> Welly-wearing 208 gets a facelift which hits Toned down for occasional road use but still hairier more stylish clothes and an avant-garde view on TARRACO ★★★★★
on the idea of actually resembling an SUV, and than a cave man with hypertrichosis life. Façade doesn’t hide its Nissan roots > VERDICT > Generic VW Group crossover alert! Seat takes
at a stroke makes a decent car more credible Neither great nor rubbish – c’est bof a Kodiaq and gives it a Spanish nose job. Then
> VERDICT Not so much leaping on the SUV RXC TURBO ★★★★★ spends the afternoon in the pub > VERDICT No
bandwagon as hitching a ride… but it’s an attractive > Play out those Le Mans fantasies on the commute ROLLS-ROYCE improvement over Skoda and VW siblings
hitchhiker with this Peterborough-built headcase. Sequential
gearbox welcome in town like an EDL demo ALHAMBRA ★★★★★
3008 ★★★★★ > VERDICT When you’ve outgrown your GHOST ★★★★★ > A big box with slidey doors and seven proper seats;
> Tell your friends you’ve bought one and they’ll Caterhams and 911 GT3s, here’s the answer. > A Phantom for millionaires not billionaires. Seven- its puts family first, but also drives well > VERDICT
laugh – until they see it. Sharp to look at, surprisingly Commendably unhinged series undercrackers barely visible > VERDICT Genetically identical to the VW Sharan, but nearly
good fun to drive and not too weird > VERDICT Just Perfectly built, highly individual £2k less
make it clear you’ve not bought the old one RENAULT
5008 ★★★★★
WRAITH ★★★★★ SKODA
> A 624bhp twin-turbo V12 sporting vehicle that
> Edgy design inside and out hides genuine TWIZY ★★★★★ drives like no other. Dismisses distance but would
practicality and seven seats. Rejoice as Peugeot > Part electric scooter, part social experiment, never lower itself to squealing through bends CITIGO ★★★★★
demonstrates it really has got its act together it’s easy to love the doorless Twizy, especially > VERDICT Whisper it, but Rolls has produced an > Skoda’s all but identical version of the VW Up and
> VERDICT Annoy the Germans and buy French on balmy evenings along La Croisette. Grimy amazing driver’s car Seat Mii. Well packaged but ultimately too noisy
days in Doncaster a tougher ask > VERDICT and slow > VERDICT Cheaper than the Up, but not
PORSCHE Transportation of the future, if it’s never wet in the PHANTOM ★★★★★ by much. Hyundai i10 also worth a look

future and you like chatting with other drivers at > Enough opulence to make Blenheim Palace look
traffic lights like an abandoned warehouse yet just the right FABIA HATCH/ESTATE ★★★★★
718 BOXSTER ★★★★★ amount of tech to keep start-up billionaires happy. > Mature supermini that’s best on small wheels
> The turbo revolution continues as Boxster bins ZOE 40 ★★★★★ Comes with built-in art gallery > VERDICT By far the and modest petrol engine. Estate version ideal for
the six for a brace of faster forced-induction fours. > Splendid Zoe solves range anxiety by clever world’s best luxury car Jack Russells > VERDICT Roomy, well made and
Updated face now flatter than Brian Harvey’s new battery with more power, potentially induces dynamically well sorted – like the low-rent VW
> VERDICT Whole lotta lag; chassis still a stairway wealth anxiety instead with £4000 price premium. Polo it is
to heaven Unless you’re smart and lease it of course
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RAPID HATCH/SPACEBACK ★★★★★ XV ★★★★★
SPEC EXPERT DIES

SOON
> Long, narrow notchback with a useful
amount of luggage space. Spaceback
> We admire the engineering that goes into the
XV but you have to pay through the nose for it and
BUILD THE PERFECT

is shorter, still dross > VERDICT Unless you’re limited to a petrol, all-wheel-drive and CVT
you’ve got a lot of potatoes and no other way to powertrain that dims the driving pleasure
carry them, just don’t > VERDICT Another very niche Subaru
PEUGEOT 508 OCTAVIA HATCH/ESTATE ★★★★★ FORESTER ★★★★★
> Basically the same as a Golf and A3, but bigger > Appealingly functional square-rigger is the kind
It comes well-equipped – but there’s still room for improvement… (especially for rear legroom), cheaper and more of crossover that existed before we had ‘lifestyles’.
functional. Hot vRS versions old-school ballistic Good on road, great off it, not cheap
fun. 4x4s practical > VERDICT It’s a lot of car for > VERDICT A solid old-school Subaru. Tweed cap,
the money pipe, sheep flock optional
The new 508 is a fine SUPERB SALOON/ESTATE ★★★★★ OUTBACK ★★★★★

saloon – sorry, fastback > So vast inside it echoes. Sharp lines, stacks of > The unloved Legacy’s only UK legacy is this
kit, double the number of umbrellas. Shame about Allroad-style crossover. It’s huge inside and
– that does well in this the dull interior and the stiff price, especially for the the 4x4 look isn’t all for show > VERDICT
month’s 3-series mega- bigger-powered and higher-spec versions Dependable, not desirable
test. But how best to spec > VERDICT All the family car you’ll ever need. Only
BRZ ★★★★★
bigger
it? We’ve gone for GT Line, > Gloriously simple but under-nourished rear-
which adds the visual KAROQ ★★★★★ drive boxer coupe, crying out for a supercharger.

drama of the GT version > A miniature Kodiaq: practical, sharply styled and Toyota GT86 twin marginally more fun > VERDICT
(like the sabre-tooth DRL comfortable. Shame it’s just not as likeable as its Loveable car we wanted them to make but you
predecessor, even in more rugged Scout spec don’t want to buy
lights) without the massive > VERDICT RIP Yeti
wheels, which can be SUZUKI
KODIAQ ★★★★★
too much on UK roads.
> Vast SUV takes the Octavia approach by bulking
There’s a choice of good out on a shared platform, but doesn’t share its CELERIO ★★★★★
powertrains; our pick is the Our GT Line car has been dazzling personality. Hot vRS version expensive > Braking-phobic city car is otherwise spacious,
gutsy but frugal 2.0-litre finished in Celebes Blue overkill > VERDICT The most comfortable place to full of kit and cheap. Three-cylinder petrol engine
BlueHDi 160 engine with die a little inside only, plus all the handling vigour of a B&Q Value
(£575) – the same as the wheelbarrow > VERDICT Dowdy and rowdy. Stop
158bhp and 295lb ft mated one in our comparison SMART complaining and be grateful you’ve got DAB and
to PSA’s eight-speed auto. test – as it’s a colour that a cupholder
Starting price: £31,089 strays away from the usual FORTWO ★★★★★ SWIFT ★★★★★
endless shades of grey > Wider than the last one, with a much better ride, > An unsung hero, and not just the excellent
or black. Inside, we’ve higher quality cabin and slicker auto > VERDICT A 134bhp Sport. Handles well, spacious and cheap.
brilliant city runabout, with an electric version that Upgraded Dualjet motor sweet > VERDICT Buy one
kept the standard GT Line makes sense and challenge anyone who questions your choice
upholstery: a part-leather, to a fistfight
part-cloth design with FORFOUR ★★★★★
> Renault/Merc tie-up means ForFour is BALENO ★★★★★
double stitching.
accomplished, with a classy cabin, although > The biggest of Suzuki’s small cars, but not a Focus
Running total: £31,664 ludicrous pricing seem at odds with targeted rival by a long shot. Brand traits come through
budget city car buyers > VERDICT Its sister car, the here: hollow interior, bargain price but fun to
Renault Twingo, is more than two grand cheaper. drive if you’re prepared to work with it > VERDICT
Work that out Practical, unpretentious, almost entirely forgettable
SSANGYONG SX4 S-CROSS ★★★★★

> The cheap way to clone a Nissan Qashqai. Won’t
score any points for style – in fact you might be
GT Line is well equipped We were tempted by active KORANDO ★★★★★ encouraged by your kids (and everybody else’s
with nav, LED headlights suspension, available for > Borderline rubbish to drive but more practical kids) to hide it at the back of the school car park.
and a wireless phone £1000, but it’s not really than the Teflon-coated trousers you’re probably Diesel is the best bet, if not an attractive one
charger. We’ve added the wearing if you’re giving it serious consideration > VERDICT A crossover to be cross over
necessary unless you’ve > VERDICT Huge, handy and hellish value, but
Visio Park 3 pack (£600) gone for bigger wheels. we’d have a used Nissan Qashqai or Mazda CX-5 JIMNY ★★★★★
for a 360º parking camera Something we couldn’t any day > It’s a mini Tonka toy! Still supreme off road and,
and auto-park functions, resist, though, was the REXTON ★★★★★
now, there’s few else like it on sale. It’s slow, still
not great on road, but we know what we’d have
power folding mirrors Focal audio upgrade, for a > SY’s poshest SUV yet, which admittedly isn’t in a zombie apocalypse > VERDICT So incredibly
with blindspot monitoring pretty reasonable £590. It’s saying a huge amount. Think old Discovery and loveable we forgive its road manners
(£180) and the Drive Assist designed to give an extra you’re not actually that far off > VERDICT Far less
rubbish than the last one VITARA ★★★★★
Pack (£400) featuring richness and precision to all > Two-tone cross-dresser to rival the Nissan Juke,
smart active cruise control. styles of music and spoken- TURISMO ★★★★★ with handsome body and economical diesel
Running total: £32,844 word entertainment. > Less odious than the old Rodius, but every bit as engine or a lively petrol, and genuine all-wheel-
practical, this giant seven-seater is slower than the drive ability. Cabin could do with some work,
Total price: £33,434 Crossrail boring machine > VERDICT Has minicab though > VERDICT Rutting rhinos and pink paint a
written all over it, or soon will, which will handily thing of the past: it’s a serious family car now, but
help disguise the ugliness still good value
TIVOLI ★★★★★ TESLA
> There’s no getting away from it: Korea’s
also-ran car maker has finally built a contender.
Great value, spacious and – get this – well- MODEL 3 ★★★★★

finished inside > VERDICT If they do this again > An affordable electric vehicle you actually want
the dross heritage is under threat to drive? Say it ain’t so. Impressive performance,
taut but spine-breaking dynamics, clean interior
SUBARU > VERDICT Musk’s watershed moment – if only he
could build them at anything approaching a rate
to meet global demand. Right-hand-drive versions
IMPREZA ★★★★★ currently not expected before 2020
> Yes, it still exists beyond the WRX and STi of
legend. No, you don’t want one. Boggo Impreza MODEL S ★★★★★
is now reduced to a 1.6 petrol hatchback only with > Electro-rocket covers ground like nothing else
optional CVT. Shudder > VERDICT Have you got on the planet, and in P100D guise is capable of
a brand new combine harvester? It’s probably a delivering kidney-thumping acceleration. The
better drive future, with a cabin from the recent past
> VERDICT Crush supercars, emit nothing
LEVORG ★★★★★
> Impreza estate with a silly name. Single choice MODEL X ★★★★★
of 1.6 petrol with CVT auto and 4wd means it’s got > You can scare the bejeezus out of your six
a silly drivetrain too > VERDICT Levorg is grovel passengers by reaching 62mph in 3.1 seconds. It’s
TOTAL PRICE: £33,434 backwards; dealers may need to. Niche, as is all too
common with Subaru
effective, albeit in one dimension. Looks like an
SUV holding its breath > VERDICT Musky

TOYOTA > VOLVO
TOYOTA VAUXHALL POLO ★★★★★ TIGUAN ★★★★★
> Mini-Golf isn’t that mini any more. It’s practical, > Accomplished but unexciting, with no real
has a sharp interior and well built… but so’s the innovations, and Allspace seven-seater has an
AYGO ★★★★★ VIVA ★★★★★ Seat Ibiza > VERDICT Accomplished but lacking awkwardly packaged boot > VERDICT No sex
> Cramped city car with a characterful > It may look like it was dropped the fun factor please, we’re VW
DIES
three-pot motor is as cheap to run as it feels. See SOON before it had set, but it’s comfy, roomy
also Citroën C1 and Peugeot 108 – basically the and refined for a city car, and comes POLO GTI ★★★★★ TOUAREG ★★★★★

same > VERDICT As ‘Up’hill struggles go, battling with plenty of standard kit > VERDICT We’d still > Baby GTI right down to the tartan seats. > Less low-key than previous generations, especially
VW with this is like climbing the north face of the buy an Up Responsive engine, sorted chassis, OTT that glittery grille, but still not as charismatic as the
Aygo electronic aids. Wait for the manual smaller T-Roc. Composed to drive, and space-age
ADAM ★★★★★ > VERDICT The new Fiesta ST should be nervous dash is very clever > VERDICT The SUV choice for
YARIS/GRMN ★★★★★ > Obese Fiat 500 wannabe with huge those who don’t like drama

> Standard hatch is soulless, while clever but costly
DIES options list and comedy naming shtick. GOLF HATCH/ESTATE ★★★★★
SOON
hybrid slashes fuel bills (and boot space). Feisty Adam S warm hatch worth a thought
BEST IN
> What every rival would like to be if VOLVO
GRMN limited edition is fun in a raw kind of way but > VERDICT Revitalised by new 1.0-litre turbo triple. CLASS only it could get away with charging
ludicrously expensive – and sold out in any case Buy a paper bag and try it this much. Tweaked and preened but
> VERDICT GRMN is the only one that makes any perpetually desirable, made for a life of Waitrose V40 ★★★★★
kind of sense CORSA ★★★★★ car parks > VERDICT Never knowingly undersold > Smart Swede in a sector dominated by good
> Made-over Corsa looks like a candidate for When Germans. Efficient D4 engine and impressive kit,
COROLLA ★★★★★ Plastic Surgery Goes Bad, but it’s more refined and GOLF GTD/GTI/R ★★★★★ but it’s a fraction bloated in seat, suspension and
> Best looking Toyota hatch ever? better to drive. 1.0T a good motor > GTD is your dad in running shoes. GTI steering feel > VERDICT Sitting uncomfortably
NEW BEST IN
ENTRY Quite possibly. Like the RAV4, it > VERDICT Vauxhall keeps trying, but Fiesta still CLASS is your dad when he was wild, young between Golf and A3. A rock and hard place
combines fairly nondescript cheerfully waving from way out in front and free. R is your dad having a midlife
powertrains with oodles of room for your crisis. All are ace , like your dad > VERDICT After S60 ★★★★★
passengers, paying or otherwise. Half decent to ASTRA HATCH/ESTATE ★★★★★ seven generations, VW has this hot-hatch thing > Imposing mid-size saloon is the first Volvo
drive, too > VERDICT The Uber in front of you is a > Massive step forward in terms of nailed to ditch diesel, instead offering us a 400bhp
Toyota driving dynamics and interior design, plus Polestar-tweaked point-and-squirt weapon to keep
added techno-charm > VERDICT In hatchback GOLF SV ★★★★★ us interested in the line-up > VERDICT Needs a
PRIUS ★★★★★ grandmother’s footsteps, Focus and Golf turn > The artist formerly known as the Golf Plus. And dynamic edge
> Prius v4.0 boasts entirely new structure round to find Astra standing right behind them. by ‘artist’ we mean medium-sized MPV. The car you
compared to all previous Priuses, improved You really should try one if you’re in the market always knew the Golf would grow up to be V60 ★★★★★
suspension, and is no longer totally joyless to drive > VERDICT Not a bad choice, but now the BMW > Can now once again reign supreme in the mid-size
> VERDICT A Toyota hybrid that handles. Electric- INSIGNIA ★★★★★ 2-series Active Tourer is breathing down its neck estate space race – take that, Germans. Otherwise
only range still pathetic > Uninspired. Too close to how you’d hope an standard modern Volvo; handsome, refined and
Insignia isn’t; Country Tourer brings a lot for the PASSAT SALOON/ESTATE ★★★★★ safer than a fallout shelter > VERDICT We’ve got the
MIRAI ★★★★★ money > VERDICT Fine if you’re given one > Interior design and refinement so good it shames need for Swede
> Weird on the outside, Star Trek on the inside and some limos, cutting-edge kit and elegant looks.
a hydrogen fuel-cell underneath. Drives just like CROSSLAND X ★★★★★ If only it wasn’t so dull to drive and the GTE is a V90 ★★★★★

a very refined regular car > VERDICT The tech is > Practical Meriva replacement sits beside fabulously complex way to do 40mpg > VERDICT > Sacrilegiously abandons the boot-space race for
right, but there’s nowhere to refuel it yet the Mokka X for size. Designed to be the more Mega mile-muncher for the undemanding. style while prioritising comfort and refinement over
pragmatic choice > VERDICT Genuinely practical if Replacement is on the horizon German machismo. Lovely inside. A genuine rival
VERSO ★★★★★ as dull as Luton’s skyline to drive to the 5-series, E-Class and A6 > VERDICT If there’s
> Safe, stodgy seven-seater with snore-worthy ARTEON ★★★★★ such a thing as Swedish zen, this is it

chassis and a big-selling 1.6 diesel that feels like GRANDLAND X ★★★★★ > Here we go again: VW tries to be properly
half its horses are asleep too > VERDICT Inferior to > It’s a Pug 3008 in disguise, but different enough to premium, almost pulls it off. Great interior, huge boot S90 ★★★★★
Ford C-Max and Citroën SpaceTourer appeal in its own right. Not exciting, but a very good and there’s standard safety tech aplenty, but it’s a bit > Smart, well-crafted and adept-handling exec
family crossover > VERDICT Up there with the Astra dull > VERDICT For SUV-resistant saloon fans… or saloon dances a merry jig on the grave of unloved
C-HR ★★★★★ as Vauxhall’s top car those who can’t afford a BMW outgoing S80; four-door version of V90 > VERDICT
> Compact crossover that’s stylish outside, huge Loudly purring Swedish cat enters 5-series/E-class
fun and kooky inside too > VERDICT The start of a MOKKA X ★★★★★ TOURAN ★★★★★ pigeon enclosure
more interesting new phase for Toyota > Mokka gets a better cabin, some new engines > It’s still more Millets than John Lewis, but the
and pointless suffix. Driving misery reduced by half current Touran does family stuff well XC40 ★★★★★

RAV4 ★★★★★ > VERDICT X marks the spot where the ball was – > VERDICT MPV meets MQB, nearly goes VIP while > No thriller to steer but posh crossover has sharp
> Styling like an 8-bit Space Invader on wheels about five years ago retaining whiff of OAP look, practical interior and charming personality
is the only element of sparkle in a package that’s > VERDICT Feels good to be in and it’ll look after
otherwise all about practicality and safety tech. VOLKSWAGEN SHARAN ★★★★★ you. Many spec choices
Ho-hum powertrain and sub-par infotainment don’t > Large seven-seater sliding-door people carrier
help > VERDICT At least it looks interesting now > VERDICT Nice enough but made to look silly by XC60 ★★★★★

UP ★★★★★ all-but-identical and cheaper Seat Alhambra > It’s now a shrunken XC90, which is no bad
LAND CRUISER ★★★★★ > Box on wheels is the kind of city car the thing. Calming isolation chamber on wheels, it’s
> Bare-knuckle ladder-frame brawler that wouldn’t Japanese have been building for years, except this T-CROSS ★★★★★ more middle class than a book club morning at
know a latte if you spilt one on its rigger’s boots is much better quality and has a VW badge > Wait, which one is this? Smaller than a an organic farm shop cafe, sponsored by Boden
NEW
> VERDICT Rough, but if we were stranded in the > VERDICT Not a revolution but a spacious small ENTRY T-Roc. Polo-size, not Golf-size. Like the > VERDICT Surprisingly good to drive now and
desert we’d trust one of these over a Rangie car with a strong, appealing image Seat Arona and some Skoda or other. super safe
Probably > VERDICT Exactly right for today.
GT86 ★★★★★ UP GTI ★★★★★ Definitely. XC90 ★★★★★

> The slowest fast car you can buy is slightly > Pokey engine, dynamics that come close to > It was worth the wait for Volvo to evolve the XC90
better than before thanks to new aero, revised delivering on the dream of roadgoing go-kart, and T-ROC ★★★★★ this far: luxurious seven-seater, clever safety tech,
suspension and better cloth trim. B-road heaven, great value for money. And fun by the skipload > Golf-sized SUV aimed at hashtagging choice of efficient drivetrains, refined drive
like its Subaru twin; raises the bar high for the > VERDICT Compelling mini hot hatch package millennials. Massive tech options list and scope > VERDICT One of the most complete cars on sale,
new Supra > VERDICT As pure as Jon Snow. Both for personalisation make up for brittle interior and of any style, at any price. Drive it and you soon stop
of them hefty price > VERDICT The funkiest VW questioning its size and its image
All prices inclusive of VAT and correct at time of going to press

LEASE ACADEMY WARM HATCHES Dial down the performance just a bit – and your running costs go down by a lot
SUZUKI SWIFT SPORT HONDA CIVIC SPORT PLUS MERCEDES-BENZ A250 KIA CEED GT
£256pm £321pm AMG LINE PREMIUM £245pm
Flyweight hits pretty hard Great chassis and engine, odd looks £422pm A great steer but coarse engine
Spec 1.4-litre turbo 4-cyl, fwd, Spec 1.5-litre turbo 4-cyl, fwd, 6-speed Stylish and techy spec Spec 1.6-litre turbo 4-cyl, fwd,
6-speed manual, 138bhp, 47.1mpg manual, 180bhp, 46.3mpg Spec 2.0-litre turbo 4-cyl, fwd, 6-speed manual, 199bhp, 25.0mpg
List price £17,999 List price £26,405 7-speed auto, 221bhp, 40.4mpg List price £25,535
Initial payment £2000; then Initial payment £2250; then List price £31,060 Initial payment £1750; then
£256/month for 36 months £321/month for 36 months Initial payment £3000; then £245/month for 36 months
Mileage allowance 10,000 Mileage allowance 10,000 £422/month for 36 months Mileage allowance 10,000
Via zen.auto Via zen.auto Mileage allowance 10,000 Via zen.auto
Via zen.auto

Aftermarket extras
SPECIALISED COVERS HAYNES FERRARI ENGINES MANUAL THRUXTON DRIVING EXPERIENCES

Prices vary £35 Prices vary
If you keep your car outdoors, it’s susceptible The lavishly produced manual provides a Drive supercars, sports cars and racing
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Elite Registrations
LI9 AAB £I50 K55 AMH £450 M26 CAD £450 R2I PJR £450 P444 RJD £250 M26 SAM £I900
P33 AAD £I50 M32I AMH £350 N29 CAD £350 S3I PJR £350 N23 RJH £450 MI23 SAM£I500
P33 AAH £I50 KI2 AMM £450 NI23 CAD £I50 MI23 PJR £250 KI00 RJH £350 D5I5 SAM £I500
R77 AAS £I50 R24 AMM £450 M32I CAD £350 N2I PJS £650 PI2I RJH £250 H9 SAR £I700
P2I ACB £350 R28 AMM £350 C555 CAD £450 RI2 PJW £450 AI9 RJM £750 M23 SAR £750
LE03 ACH £350 W3I AMM £250 P24 CAH £650 N23 PMB £350 N27 RJM £550 M24 SAR £850
PE05 ACH £350 R32I AMM £I50 JS02 CAM £250 N24 PMB £250 NI23 RJM £450 M23 SAS £550
M2I ACH £550 N23 AMR £450 PI23 CAM £450 OPEN: MON-FRI 9AM-7PM, SAT 9AM-5PM, SUN I0AM-5PM D6 PMD £650 X5 RJR £550 N28 SAW £550
P24 ACH £550 M23 AMS £650 CAR 8R £2300 S26 PMD £350 W9 RJR £450 RI2I SAW £450
Tel: 01380 818181 elitereg.co.uk

M27 ACH £450 N27 AMS £550 B80 CAR £550 R26 PMR £I50 P23 RJR £250 YI2I SAW £350
P93 ACH £650 BE55 AMS £250 L200 CAR £350 CI5 PMS £450 MO03 RJS £I50 R2I SDB £250
M2I ACM £550 P25 AMW £450 M2I CAS £850 LI8 PMS £350 M2I RJS £550 R25 SDB £I50
M26 ACM £450 NI2I AMW £250 M3I CAS £750 All registrations are offered on a first come, first served basis. All are subject to VAT and the £80 Dept. for Transport transfer fee. R27 PMW £250 M26 RJS £350 M99 SDH £250
N27 ACM £350 PI2I AMW £350 N3I CAS £650 N333 PMW £I50 PI23 RJS £250 P28 SDM £250
N2I ACS £350 N26 APB £250 R45 CAS £550 Prices may fluctuate. See website for full terms. We have been trading for over 40 years. Write: P.O.Box 100, Devizes, SN10 4TE R2I PRS £350 N2I RJW £650 R333 SDM £I50
P2I ADB £550 M28 APB £350 V700 CAS £450 N77 CPM £I50 M32I DJM £550 P24 DSM £250 MI23 JDS £350 V700 JPM £250 N32I MAH £250 Y9 MDH £850 EI7 MRW £250 P3I PRS £250 N23 RJW £550 R28 SDS £I50
P29 ADB £450 N27 APH £350 M2I CAW £450 R24 CPS £I50 P32I DJR £250 M28 DSM £350 P24 JDW £350 KI6 JPR £250 DI7 MAM £450 P2I MDH £350 R2I MRW £350 R666 PRS £I50 M28 RMB £450 P23 SDW £I50
PI2I ADB £250 MI APR £I200 N27 CAW £350 LIII CPW £I50 W32I DJR £350 T27 DSW £I25 P25 JDW £250 N3I JPR £I50 P2I MAM £650 K60 MDM £I50 M26 MSB £450 V4 PSD £250 N29 RMB £350 MI2I SJB £550
R2I ADD £550 N26 APR £350 MI23 CAW £350 R27 CRB £350 JII DJS £950 TI0 JAD £650 X999 JDW £I50 P23 JPS £450 M23 MAM £550 P2I MDS £450 P29 MSB £350 TIII PSR £I25 NI23 RMB £250 N29 SJD £650
M23 ADD £450 N70 APR £250 Y333 CAW £250 P333 CRB £250 N2I DJS £750 M23 JAH £650 N26 JJB £450 P28 JPW £550 M24 MAM £550 P32I MDS £250 P3I MSB £250 P3I PSW £I50 P26 RMH £250 MI2I SJD £350
R27 ADD £350 N2I APS £350 M2I CCH £450 N23 CRS £550 OX53 DJS £I50 R400 JAH £450 M32I JJB £350 P333 JPW £350 P25 MAM £250 P2I MDW £350 N333 MSB £I50 D20 RAD £550 S3 RMR £250 MI23 SJD £550
L40 ADD £550 S43 APS £250 M3I CCH £350 YI23 CRS £350 PI2I DJS £550 TM09 JAM £350 N25 JJH £450 M28 JRB £650 N80 MAM £350 P200 MJB £550 N28 MSH £250 M2I RAD £650 P23 RMS £550 M2I SJR £550
N333 ADD £I50 P32I APS £250 P23 CDB £I50 P24 CRW £250 M32I DJW £550 L33 JAM £750 P23 JJM £450 M28 JRD £250 MF07 MAR£250 M498 MJB £350 P33 MSM £I50 P2I RAD £450 N27 RMS £450 M24 SJR £450
M8 ADH £450 N26 APW £250 P2I CDS £350 R24 CSB £I50 P23 DMB £350 MI2I JAM £650 MI2I JJM £350 MI2I JRH £450 MAR 8Y £5I00 N24 MJD £650 N23 PAB £650 M24 RAD £550 PI2I RMS £250 PI2I SJR £350
P2I ADH £350 P333 APW £I50 P26 CDS £250 P99 CSB £250 PI2I DMB £250 M23 JAR £450 R8 JJR £650 Y700 JRH £350 M2I MAR £I500 P32I MJD £450 M23 PAD £650 YI00 RAD £250 P32I RMS £350 MI2I SJS £450
P23 ADH £250 M2I ARB £550 EI3 CJB £650 BI CSD £350 PI5 DMH £550 N23 JAR £250 P2I JJR £250 P24 JRM £450 C24 MAR £I300 X546 MJD £250 P23 PAD £450 M2I RAH £450 GI2 RMW £250 MI23 SJW £550
RI0 ADM £750 M23 ARB £450 M24 CJB £750 N22 CSR £I50 P2I DMH £450 M24 JAR £550 P2I JJS £450 B789 JRS £250 S54 MAR £I300 PI2I MJH £550 R29 PAD £450 N25 RAH £250 T29 RPB £I50 T555 SJW £450
P23 ADR £350 R27 ARB £350 P26 CJD £250 P23 DAB £550 P32I DMH £350 M28 JAR £350 R29 JJS £350 N23 JRW £550 RI2I MAR £550 P32I MJR £550 N2I PAH £550 M26 RAH £350 P24 RRR £450 MI23 SMB £450
R29 ADR £250 P28 ARB £550 P29 CJD £I50 M24 DAB £450 R32I DMH £I50 RI2I JAS £750 MI2I JJS £I50 V222 JRW £350 RI5I MAR £450 GB56 MJS £350 RI2I PAH £I50 RAH 905 £I500 T32I RRR £350 NI23 SMB £350
RE03 ADS £350 Y900 ARB £250 M23 CJM £650 P24 DAB £350 K888 DMH£350 P24 JAW £550 PI23 JJS £250 S555 JRW £450 AL04 MAS £450 LIII MJS £750 E8 PAM £I800 RAM 2A £I900 J22 RRS £350 P2I SMD £350
BR04 ADS £450 P2I ARD £450 M24 CJM £550 R32I DAB £250 P2I DMR £350 M27 JAW £550 RI2 JJW £550 Y900 JRW £250 RO07 MAS £350 NI2I MJS £550 SI0 PAM £I300 M2I RAM £950 P24 RRS £750 P24 SMD £250
N24 ADS £550 M24 ARD £450 NI2I CJM £450 N22 DAD £650 T22 DMS £550 S28 JAW £450 MI23 JJW £450 M23 JSB £550 M28 MAS £750 M2I MMM £750 SII PAM £I600 M23 RAR £350 P28 RRS £650 P29 SMM £350
M26 ADS £650 P29 ARD £250 YIII CJR £250 R2I DAH £450 MI23 DMS £450 W748 JAW £250 M23 JMB £650 Y25 JSB £450 SI4 MAW £550 P2I MMM £650 VI3 PAM £950 N26 RAR £250 P29 RRS £350 N26 SMR £450
S99 ADW £250 S53 ARD £450 P700 CJR £I50 PI2I DAH £I50 N32I DMS £350 P23 JCB £450 M26 JMB £550 NI2I JSB £250 R23 MAW £450 M24 MMM£450 PAM 539 £2400 NI RAS £I600 PI2I RRS £I50 Y300 SMR £250
T59 AJB £850 P2I ARH £550 M23 CJS £650 P32I DAH £250 W700 DMS£250 NI23 JCB £350 MI23 JMD £550 MI23 JSB £450 N3I MAW £350 P29 MMM £350 D936 PAM £350 TA03 RAS £550 PI23 RRS £250 P888 SMR £350
XI2I AJB £550 M25 ARH £450 M23 CJW £550 M26 DAR £550 R2I DMW £550 P29 JCH £450 M26 JMH £550 L400 JSB £350 RI23 MAW £250 P3I MMM £550 M2I PAR £650 DO07 RAS £550 P25 RSB £I50 YI2I SMS £350
M32I AJB £450 Y26 ARH £250 M32I CJW £450 NI2I DAR £450 R32I DMW £250 Y29 JCH £350 P23 JMM £550 R23 JSD £250 P2I MCB £450 L8 MMS £850 N25 PAR £450 CO08 RAS £950 P26 RSH £350 NI23 SMS £450
P555 AJB £650 P28 ARH £350 P23 CMB £550 MB04 DAS £I50 Y23 DPD £I50 P23 JCM £350 M23 JMR £450 P90 JSD £I50 M2I MCD £450 M2I MMS £750 M26 PAR £450 N28 RAS £350 M27 RSH £550 M27 SMW £350
N836 AJB £350 M2I ARM £550 M29 CMB £450 R2I DAS £650 P99 DPM £I50 N2I JCS £550 PI2I JMR £350 PI4 JSH £550 M2I MCH £550 P2I MMS £650 R29 PAR £550 M29 RAS £450 N27 RSH £250 NI2I SMW £250
BI0 AJD £550 M3I ARM £450 V32I CMB £250 P23 DAS £650 AI5 DPS £450 R32I JCS £350 M32I JMR £350 M23 JSH £450 M2I MCM £750 R28 MMS £350 L99 PAR £750 P29 RAS £450 M28 RSH £950 P2I SPB £350
A27 AJD £650 NI2I ARM £350 R900 CMB£350 M3I DAS £750 NI4 DRB £350 P25 JCW £350 JMR 78IW £250 NI23 JSH £250 N2I MCM £650 M3I MMS £550 W555 PAR £250 MI2I RAS £650 N4 RSM £550 P27 SPB £250
MI23 AJD £450 R27 ARR £250 P24 CMD £250 MI2I DAS £450 N23 DRB £250 GI7 JDB £550 M23 JMS £650 M32I JSH £350 P2I MCM £650 EI MPB £950 J5 PAS £I300 NI2I RAS £250 P2I RSM £450 V3I SPH £250
M23 AJH £650 R32I ARR £I50 AI2 CMH £550 M23 DAW £750 T222 DRB £I50 R23 JDB £450 N23 JMS £550 P222 JSM £550 Y24 MCM £450 R2I MPB £350 P24 PAS £550 P2I RAW £450 R2I RSM £450 M88 SPH £350
M27 AJH £550 PI5 ARW £250 P26 CMH £450 N24 DAW £550 P23 DRH £350 J46 MPB £250 M27 PAS £350 P23 RAW £350 P29 RSM £350 J3 SPM £650
NI2I AJH £450 P2I ARW £350 W90 CMH £350 MI23 DAW £450 NI00 DRH £I50 SIMILAR REGISTRATIONS WANTED W8 MPD £550 PI2I PAS £650 N24 RAW £350 P525 RSR £I00 LI5 SPM £450
M32I AJM £650 P28 ARW £I50 P32I CMH £250 Y600 DAW £350 M23 DRM £450 SI0 MPD £350 M32I PAS £550 K70 RAW £350 N40 RSW £I50 P26 SPM £250
P32I AJM £550 LI0 ASB £450 P28 CMM £I50 W6 DCR £450 N24 DRM £250
VI0 DCS £450 M26 DRM £350
FOR IMMEDIATE PURCHASE R2I MPH £450 N27 PAW £550
R23 MPH £350 S202 PAW £250
Y800 RAW £250 P300 SAB £350 T55 SPM £350
M25 AJR £650 N3I ASB £350 P2I CMR £350 RI7 RCH £650 B6 SAD £750 M29 SPR £250
N27 AJS £750 T34 ASB £250 P23 CMR £250 EI2 DCS £350 M27 DRS £350 MI23 JDB £350 M2I JMW £450 P24 JSS £250 PI2I MCM £450 RI2I MPH £250 S666 PAW £450 P23 RCH £550 SAD I8E £3600 N25 SPS £250
ME54 AJS £250 J505 ASH £650 P29 CMR £I50 S5 DDD £650 RI23 DRS £I50 M29 JDH £450 P23 JMW £350 T23 JSW £350 M2I MCR £550 M24 MPS £450 J2 PCW £450 PI23 RCH £450 M2I SAD £450 GI4 SPW £350
M24 AJW £850 P2I ASM £350 B6 CMS £750 S3 DDM £250 S800 DRS £250 A46 JDH £550 AI9 JPB £550 N27 JSW £250 N2I MCR £450 K90 MPS £350 A4 PCW £550 P2I RCS £550 M25 SAD £350 P2I SRB £350
M32I AJW £650 OY02 CAB £I00 Y700 CMS £350 P24 DDS £I50 R24 DRW £450 NI2I JDH £350 YI3 JPD £I50 DI9 MAB £550 M27 MCR £450 P8 MRB £I400 H8 PDW £350 P3I RCS £450 N28 SAD £550 P28 SRB £250
E20 AMB £750 OL04 CAB £I50 P2I CMW £450 NI2I DJB £550 P28 DRW £550 M28 JDM £750 P2I JPD £250 N23 MAB £450 R2I MCS £650 S444 MRB £550 R29 PJD £250 P3I RDB £I50 R29 SAD £350 T4 SRD £650
N600 AMB £550 OY04 CAB £I50 P27 CMW £350 N28 DJD £250 Y28 DRW £350 MI2I JDM £550 P2I JPH £350 NI2I MAB £350 M29 MCS £550 N8 MRH £750 N6 PJH £I300 LO07 RDS £350 P3I SAD £250 GI5 SRH £550
R2I AMD £450 CAB 23W £650 PI23 CMW £250 TT04 DJH £250 M3I DRW £750 Y800 JDM £350 M29 JPH £250 P2I MAD £II00 S4I MCS £450 N24 MRH £450 CI5 PJH £650 N222 RDS £250 T88 SAD £450 R80 SRH £450
M32I AMD £350 P26 CAB £450 WII CPB £450 M27 DJH £550 P23 DSB £250 P2I JDR £250 PI2I JPH £I50 P23 MAD £950 P2I MCW £450 W29 MRH £350 30 PJH £4700 NI23 RJB £550 T32I SAD £I50 P333 SRH £350
P32I AMD £250 RI2I CAB £350 JI0 CPD £I50 Y28 DJH £450 K2 DSM £650 M2I JDS £550 P23 JPM £450 M27 MAD £I200 R28 MDB £250 NI2I MRH £250 88 PJH £4900 N27 RJD £450 J888 SAD £550 LII SRS £450
MI2 AMH £550 Y700 CAB £250 M8 CPM £250 N32I DJH £350 TI6 DSM £450 M26 JDS £450 P26 JPM £350 P23 MAH £350 P333 MDB £I50 B20 MRM £250 F5I PJM £750 N29 RJD £350 P32I SAH £450 N3I SRS £350
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Over
£ 2
MILLIO0
APPR N
OVED
NEW
Retro
Semi-auto ’boxes
Once, there were manual gearboxes and there were slushy autos.
The UK’s Best Used Car Warranty
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
WWW.WARRANTYWISE.CO.UK
0800 121 4801
tech
Then came The Future: the paddleshift semi-auto. By Ben Miller
1955 Citroën blazes a trail (again)

There’d been semi-auto
1955
’boxes before the DS. But
Citroën’s masterpiece makes
a compelling case for manual
gear selection without the
clutch-pedal hassle. Hydraulics
do the hard work, disconnecting
drive and selecting each new
1968 VW’s Autostick’s flop
ratio as you glide from one
pavement cafe to the next. 1968 Easy like an auto, involving like a manual – what’s not
to like about VW’s Autostick set-up, which married a
vacuum-operated auto clutch (activated by a button
on the gearstick) with a three-speed manual ’box? In
theory, nothing. Commercially – VW discovers – pretty
much everything. See also Chevy’s Torque Drive.
1989 Ferrari sexes up the semi-auto

The 640, Ferrari’s 1989 F1 car, is both the first by
1989
John Barnard and the first with a semi-auto gearbox
(specifically a robotised manual with paddleshift). With
no gearlever to package, the system allows Barnard to
design a narrower, lower-drag monocoque.
1997 Race on Sunday, sell on Monday

1997 By the mid-’90s the semi-auto is ubiquitous in F1.
Ferrari celebrates with the F355 F1, with its electro-
hydraulic actuation of the standard car’s gearbox.
Ferrari subsequently goes twin-clutch with the F355’s
descendent, the supernaturally good 458 Italia.
2004 BMW’s sledgehammer SMG

Interesting fact. Before the E46 M3 CSL, planet Earth
2004
rotated about an axis tilted at 24.5°. But with the first Porsche’s PDK:
full-throttle, maximum-attack upshift from the car’s an auto and
SMG II semi-auto (the only transmission option on the a track-ready
CSL), so brutal was the shift that Earth was knocked semi-auto in
onto the 23.5° at which it presently sits. one
2009 PDK deigns to walk among us

2009 Now up to eight ratios in the 992-generation 911 (and
hybrid-ready), PDK lands first in the 956 racer and
Hydraulic then 2009’s 997.2 911. While not lightning-quick at
coupling first, it’s greased lightning compared with Tiptronic.
connect’s the PDK is now so good
Regera’s V8 and that it’s the sole option
its rear wheels on track Porsches like
the 911 GT3 RS and
2019 Koenigsegg versus the gearbox Cayman GT4 racer.
EVs don’t need multiple gears since e-motors make loads of

2019
torque and can run at revs from zero to 18,000rpm. And with Koenigsegg’s
performance cars becoming increasingly hybridised (Aston, Regera: like a Prius
Ferrari, McLaren…) they may not need gearboxes for much but without the
longer – Koenigsegg’s Regera doesn’t bother with one. affordability
CAR, ISSN 0008-5987, USPS 9287, is published 12 times a year by H Bauer Publishing, Media House, Lynchwood, Peterborough PE2 6EA, UK. The US annual subscription price is $123.86. Airfreight and mailing in the USA
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‘I don’t do a The Formula 1 New BMW X7:

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