APRIL 2022 I £5.25 ISSUE 717

APRIL 2022 ISSUE 717 £5.25

ON THE ROAD IN VW’S NEW ICON, REBORN FOR THE ELECTRIC AGE

Ferrari 296 GTB & Lotus Emira: the first tests + Ineos Grenadier vs muddy hell + F1’s brave new world: 2022 preview

S E V I R D T S IR F : A R I M E 6 V & D I R B Y H B 2 9 6 GT

VS

RY 26 - PAG E RIVAL S PE C I A L H E F1 T H E L E G E N D S ! T VS ! U CL A S H ES! TH E S

WWW.CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK

+ 2022 F1 PREVIEW + INEOS GRENADIER & LUCID AIR DRIVEN

ISSUE 717 | A P R I L 2 0 2 2

56

Plug-in hybrid 296 GTB stars in our Ferrari vs Lotus special section

Subscribe to

GUARANTEE YOUR COPY WITH A DIGITAL CAR SUBSCRIPTION

SEE P80 OR VISIT WWW.GREATMAGAZINES.CO.UK/CAR

FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM facebook.com/CARmagazine @carmagazine

TWITTER @CARmagazine

YOUTUBE CARmagazineTV

Insider 10

Formula 1 is go: we report from trackside as pre-season testing gets underway, and look ahead at every team’s prospects for 2022

15

Georg Kacher reveals how BMW’s Neue Klasse could spawn a halo car

16

How the Nissan Micra will go electric

18

Gran Turismo 7 is the most personal racing game yet. Series founder Kazunori Yamauchi tells us about his love affair with car culture

19

DS flexes its design muscles with the spectacular E-Tense Performance concept

20 Inquisition Singer found Rob Dickinson 21

Skoda’s Enyaq Coupe gets the vRS treatment

22 Watches: three new chronographs in classic motorsport style, at a range of prices

20

The Inquisition: Singer boss Rob Dickinson

72

Our bitter-sweet first taste of the final petrol-engined Lotus

Tech 24 The big innovations hidden inside the Polestars of the future 26 Morgan’s trike ditches air-cooled V-twin power in favour of a Ford Fiesta engine 28 Does it work? The sunroof reinvented by Porsche for the digital age

First drives 30 300-mile test The next wave of Silicon Valley electric cars has arrived: we test the Lucid Air

98 82

Every day’s a school bus day with the VW ID. Buzz

40 Toyota Aygo X: city car reborn with SUV looks 42 Audi S8 is back, still making rapid luxury its own

Execs go electric: iX meets EQS

68 Lotus vs Ferrari vs CAR Our writers recall their first-hand experiences 72

Lotus Emira driven Pre-production sports car on the limit at Hethel

78

Lotus vs Ferrari: the businesses The highs, the lows, the future

82 VW ID. Buzz driven The hippy bus is back as an electric MPV

44 Dacia Jogger: the great-value seven-seater 45 Toyota bZ4X: think RAV4 but all electric

90 Inside Ineos We explore the factory and drive the Grenadier 98 Mercedes EQS meets BMW iX Germany’s EV flagships: compare and contrast

Our cars

30

Gorgeous, great to drive and green: the Lucid Air has it all

90

Carving up the countryside in the Ineos Grenadier

Opinion

The big reads

46 Letters: strong views from SL to Berlingo

54 Ferrari vs Lotus Different companies, same spirit

50 Gavin Green: electric won’t be easy for some 52 Mark Walton: the dying art of stick shifting 123 The Good, the Bad & the Ugly The return! 138 Hall of Fame Hail the Mercedes G-Class

56 Ferrari 296 GTB driven Plug-in hybrid thrashed on road and track 66 Ferrari vs Lotus: the DNA The people, the cars, the proving grounds…

108 Is the Arteon R too good to be true? Living with the big VW will reveal the reality

108

Has VW finally cracked the premium conundrum?

Every note. Every word. Every detail.

LS50 Wireless II - The Ultimate Wireless HiFi When you first listen to the new LS50 Wireless II, close your eyes. Youíll find it hard to believe that a sound so pure is coming from such compact wireless speakers. Thatís because our unique Metamaterial Absorption Technology eliminates the high-frequency distortion inside the speaker. So keep your eyes closed and keep listening; thereís a whole world of streamed music to enjoy. AirPlay2, Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz, Internet radio, HDMI, and more.

Welcome Ferrari’s the global titan and Lotus the waking giant Sweeping generalisation alert! Ferrari is about great engines and Lotus great chassis. Right? Nah. Maybe once. But no recent Ferrari has wanted for agility or stability (except maybe the wayward F12tdf, whose early iteration of Maranello’s agility-boosting Passo Corto Virtuale – Virtual Short Wheelbase – system made it as unintuitive and confidence-sapping as the rear-steer RS Megane – but with nearly three times the horsepower). And similarly, when I finally drove a Lotus for the first time, an Evora 410, the driving experience’s dominant gene was the engine – or more specifically the supercharged V6’s buzzsaw-throughbarely-held-sheet-aluminium rasp. But the two reputations persist, and not without reason. Maranello’s apparently immortal V12 has a lot to do with it, as does the Elise – arguably one of the most important sports cars ever built, and inarguably the most important sports car Lotus has ever built. Though I read it a full quarter of a century ago, the incomparable Paul Horrell’s description of the Elise’s dynamics is with me still, word for word: ‘It’s not so much a car as an instrument for driving. The links between driver and car are so precise, so electric, so light, they’re almost synaptic. Input doesn’t bring about response: input is response.’ But enough of the past. Right now we’re living through the most fascinating chapter in the story of this age-old rivalry. In terms of what they deem important in a car (even if both are necessarily stretching those principles right now in order to build their must-have

SUVs), Ferrari and Lotus are absolutely aligned. You sense that, were it able to happen (like the mythical Christmas Eve Great War football match on no man’s land), these two great houses coming together for a day of driving, discourse and debate would be an unforgettable experience for all involved. And if, after one too many, it leads to a Flavio Manzoni/Russell Carr-penned two-seater based on a stretched Emira platform with the 812 Competizione’s V12 in the middle and dynamics by Raffaele di Simone and Gavan Kershaw in cahoots, count me in – I’ll find the money. Beyond enthusiast circles the two are rarely considered rivals; Lotus admits as much. Ferrari is simply one of the world’s strongest brands and a household name – spending a fortune to contest the Formula 1 world championship every year for the last 70 years does at least buy you that. Lotus, while revered by some, means less than nothing in other parts of the world. So, Ferrari’s the global titan and Lotus the waking giant, finally on course to realise its true potential. But the influence of the latter is, thanks to its consultancy work and reputation for engineering excellence, quite breathtaking at times. I’ve encountered it time and again, and in the most unlikely places, from Silicon Valley start-ups (Lucid’s Peter Rawlinson – more on page 30 – is ex-Lotus) to Swedish EV offshoots (Polestar’s Steve Swift also spent time at Hethel). Like a kind of ride-and-handling version of the Freemasons, The Lotus Way pervades the wider automotive universe. And that’s a very good thing. Enjoy the issue.

SPAIN

INDIA

Colin Overland has been following the Ineos Grenadier story from day one. He drives it this month, and his fine story is on page 90.

‘We need to get to California,’ James Taylor and Olgun Kordal told us. Don’t we all boys! Turns out they were right – head to page 30.

Ben Miller Editor

WE’RE ALSO PUBLISHED IN:

CHINA

Star contributors

ITALY

TURKEY

GREECE

Art director Mal Bailey toils ceaselessly to bring you design greatness. And this issue’s chock full of it, we hope you’ll agree. APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK

9

THE MONTH ACCORDING TO CAR

F1’s future: the first three days After last year’s explosive finale, the biggest overhaul of F1’s technical regs in years promises closer racing and more overtaking. Tom Clarkson reports from the first test

10 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

T

he shadow cast by last year’s Abu Dhabi finale is a long one. F1 lives under it still. The drama of those closing laps continues to be debated in the pitlane. But from that murk a fresh optimism has emerged. The FIA, the sport’s governing body, has reacted to the farrago in Sakhir by re-structuring race control. At the same time new technical regulations are providing the sport with a much-needed reset. For now we must wait: wait to find out if two race directors, supported by a VAR system, are better than one, now that Michael Masi has been demoted; and wait to find out if the new cars will encourage more overtaking and change the pecking order. Mercedes have won eight consecutive manufacturers’ world titles since 2014; will the new regs be their undoing? ‘We don’t make mistakes,’ said Lewis Hamilton after only a handful of laps in his new W13. Punchy. The technical changes represent the biggest upheaval the sport’s seen in 40 years. The likes of Red Bull’s design chief Adrian Newey relish such challenges, while others are intimidated. Who can blame them: the new cars are 43kg heavier than last year and they generate downforce in a different way. Gone is the reliance on front and rear wings; the holy grail is now under-car aero performance, or ground-effect. It’s not new to F1 (see page 67), but it hasn’t been permitted in the regulations since 1982. The new regs have been three years in the making and F1’s rule makers, led by the hugely experienced Pat Symonds, have invested a lot of time in tidying up the cars’ wake. The ⊲

MAX AND MASI World champion Max Verstappen starts this year in relaxed, confident form. But he’s still found time to stir the pot… Michael Masi, the race director who conducted the controversial safety car procedure which put Max in a position to pounce and take the 2021 drivers’ title with a last-lap move, has been removed from that role. Verstappen reckons Masi has ‘been thrown under the bus’; Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says it’s ‘encouraging to see action has been taken’…

APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK

11

DESPITE THE CHANGES, THE CARS REMAIN BREATHTAKINGLY FAST. LAP TIMES ARE ONLY TWO SECONDS OFF 2021

dirty air is now thrown up high, in the hope that the cars will be able to follow each other more closely. ‘I think they’ve achieved that,’ says reigning champ Max Verstappen. ‘I’ve followed other cars and it does feel better; you don’t get the understeer, or snaps of oversteer like in the past.’ There’s more. Low-profile 18-inch tyres have been introduced to more closely mirror the cars we drive on the road; the fuel is now 10 per cent ethanol and there’s a budget cap of $140 million ($5m lower than last year). Unsurprisingly, there are huge differences between the cars. The Ferrari has beautifully sculpted sidepods; the Red Bull has a high nose; the McLaren has trick front suspension; and the Mercedes looks emaciated, its bodywork shrink-wrapped around the power unit. Despite the changes, the cars remain breathtakingly fast. The drivers haven’t noticed any difference in speed to last year through quick corners and, while they’re slower through the twistier stuff, lap times are only two seconds off 2021’s. At the first test the level of reliability was also astonishing. Verstappen’s Red Bull managed 147 laps on the opening day, fresh out of the box. To put that in perspective, he managed only 138 laps on the opening day of 2021 in a car that was 12 months old. It hasn’t all been plain sailing. The cars have been porpoising (bouncing off the track surface at high speed), such is the level of suction created by the new venturi tunnels. Mercedes new boy George Russell even called it a safety concern, but F1 boss Ross Brawn said the teams will find a fix: ‘We had something similar when I was at Williams in the early ’80s; we found a solution.’ The new cars look fabulous, fast and an interesting challenge for the drivers. Roll on the first race in Bahrain. With any luck it’ll banish for good any hangover from Abu Dhabi. ⊲

12

CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

ANOTHER NEWEY ERA? Red Bull Racing were concentrating on last year’s hard-fought championship battle to the very last lap of 2021, which may have cost them development time for 2022. Chief technical officer Adrian Newey is famous for coming out of the blocks flying whenever there’s a major technical reg shake-up. RBR will be hoping this year’s car is another Newey masterstroke.

EVERY UNDERDOG HAS ITS DAY Red Bull junior team AlphaTauri had a stellar 2021. They also made a strong start to 2022, being the second team (behind Aston Martin) to run their car on track. At Barcelona there were hints of searing speed – at the end of day two, GP winner and white-hot talent Pierre Gasly’s quickest time was third fastest, behind Norris and Leclerc.

Insider 2022’S CONTENDERS Red Bull Racing RB18 Drivers: Max Verstappen, Sergio Perez CAR says: Design genius. A highly innovative car and Verstappen is oozing confidence as world champion. Slight question mark over the power unit, following Honda’s departure.

Mercedes-AMG W13 Drivers: Lewis Hamilton, George Russell CAR says: The benchmark. Ace power unit; innovative car. Russell alongside Hamilton makes for a stronger team.

Scuderia Ferrari F1-75 Drivers: Charles Leclerc, Carlos Sainz CAR says: Return of the reds? Arguably the best-looking car on the grid. Power unit is a close second to Merc’s.

Aston Martin AMR22 Drivers: Sebastian Vettel, Lance Stroll CAR says: Shaken and stirred under new management. Tidy car and a good power unit could be enough to awaken Vettel.

AlphaTauri AT03 Drivers: Pierre Gasly, Yuki Tsunoda CAR says: A promising start. Gasly was a star last year. Now he needs a car to match his talent, and the AT03 looks quick.

Williams Racing FW44 Drivers: Alex Albon, Nicholas Latifi CAR says: Back to the future. Innovative car is reminiscent of the Williams of old. Merc power and Albon a great combo.

Haas VF-22 Drivers: Mick Schumacher, Nikita Mazepin CAR says: Links to Russian money unfortunate but technically there’s been a lot of progress. Should be closer.

McLaren Racing MCL36 Drivers: Lando Norris, Daniel Ricciardo CAR says: Has everything it needs to build on a top 2021. Pull-rod front suspension could yet prove a silver (orange) bullet.

Alpine A522 Drivers: Esteban Ocon, Fernando Alonso CAR says: New management, same goals. The stated aim is to remain in the top five this year. Should be achievable.

Alfa Romeo C42 Drivers: Valtteri Bottas, Guanyu Zhou CAR says: Unreliable in testing. Ferrari PU is solid and the C42 has some neat touches. New drivers will need bedding in.

HI GEORGE! Lewis Hamilton has a new team-mate: George Russell. Three seasons at underperforming Williams make it tricky to judge just how quick he’ll be (although very nearly winning on his one supersub appearance in a Mercedes in 2020 gives a good clue). A potential Hamilton versus Russell battle is a mouthwatering prospect.

14

CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

LEWIS IS BACK

FERRARI’S MISSILE

There was doubt as to whether Lewis Hamilton would return at all after the off-season. He withdrew from social media and Mercedes were unable to confirm until immediately preseason that he would be back in the car. ‘I like to think that while moments like this [losing the title in Abu Dhabi] might define other people’s careers, I refuse to let this define mine,’ Hamilton told the media pre-season. ‘If you think last year was my best, wait until you see this year.’

Ferrari topped the time sheets on day two with a supremely handsome car that calls to mind the classic liveries of yesteryear. You almost expect to see Prost and Mansell’s names on the lap chats rather than Leclerc and Sainz… Uglier was the porpoising many of the cars, the Ferrari included, battled throughout the test. Prompted by a cyclical loss and then resumption of downforce, the key will be curing it without losing performance.

Insider

Georg Kacher’s inside line

BMW’s CTO talks Neue Klasse and new halo car... 6-series could return...

FERRARI TOPPED THE TIME SHEETS ON DAY TWO WITH A SUPREMELY HANDSOME CAR THAT CALLS TO MIND THE CLASSIC LIVERIES OF YESTERYEAR

BMW chief technology officer Frank Weber says work is progressing rapidly on the next generation of all-electric cars, dubbed Neue Klasse to echo the saloons of the early ’60s. Weber promises that the 2025-on newcomers will be more radical than the current good-if-derivative i4 and the advanced iX, which shows what can be done with a clean sheet of paper. It’s not just the cars that will be new, but also the way they’re built and the batteries that power them. BMW is working to develop solid-state batteries, as well as introducing a new inverter and performance electronics. Since EVs, as a rule, have a lower parts count and require less factory floor space, BMW believes they will eventually be cheaper to build than the notably more complex current breed. ‘We developed a scalable set of modules ous g d e e t types o cells from range-oriented to

MAC ATTACK

performance-focused,’ says Weber. ‘Done right, this gene pool fits the entire line-up including M models.’ While the demand for coupes and convertibles continues to slow, SUVs remain a licence to print money, so BMW is upping the pace as it rolls out everything from iX1 to iX7, including M versions. At the same time, sources say the 4-series and 8-series are going to merge as a new 6-series in 2026 – a strategy similar to Mercedes with its upcoming new CLE – while the 8-series Gran Coupe is tipped to merge into the future 7-series family. What’s still missing is a fresh halo car in the tradition of the M1, Z1 or Z8, but Weber has not ruled it out: ‘We have no trouble at all picturing a highly emotional model based on the New Class matrix.’ An intriguing prospect. Bring on that mooted one-megawatt (1341bhp in old money) supercar, BMW…

Expect BMW EVs to get very different

McLaren bolted out of the gates with competitive times immediately, on both low and high fuel loads and over longer stints managing tyre wear. The new tyres are another 2022 challenge, with far slimmer and stiffer sidewalls than the balloon-like slicks they’ve become used to.

APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK

15

Insider

Future scoop

Nissan’s new e-Micra Sharing a platform and know-how with Renault means Nissan can renew its hatch as an EV. By Jake Groves

Factfile P OW E R T R A I N

40 or 52kWh battery, front-wheel drive, 250-mile range CHASSIS

Steel monocoque DUE

Illustration: Avarvarii

2024/5

2

4

It’s part of the Renault-NissanMitsubishi Alliance’s global ‘leaderfollower’ approach, where each brand takes the lead in certain market segments; Renault is leading small-car development and Nissan spearheading bigger SUVs, for example. Expect a Micra close in size to the 3.92m Renault 5, with the same profile due to shared door frames and packaging.

The new e-supermini (it’s unconfirmed whether it’ll carry the Micra name) is just one piece of the puzzle. Along with the Ariya e-SUV that (finally) goes on sale in 2022, Nissan’s already confirmed it’s working on a smaller crossover EV to replace the ageing Leaf. Polestar 2-like in shape, the Chill Out concept (below) gives a sneak preview of the car, which will be built in the UK.

COPYING THE HOMEWORK

1

MICRA GOES ELECTRIC Nissan will replace its fallen hero, the Micra, with a pure-electric supermini twinned with Renault’s forthcoming 5. It’ll be one of at least three cars on a pooled CMF-BEV architecture, vital scale to unlock a sub£25,000 price. Fallen hero? European sales slumped to 36,000 in 2021, fewer than Suzuki’s Ignis!

16

CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

NISSAN’S ELECTRIC ERA

3

A STRONG FOUNDATION More commonality comes from nickelmanganese-cobalt battery chemistry, with 40 and 52kWh capacities. Renault execs say the big pack’s good for 249 miles of range and fast charging. E-motors will also be unified: the 5 spins its front wheels with a 134bhp externally excited synchronous motor. Expect ‘a very agile, urban car’ says a source.

Ashwani Gupta COO, Nissan ‘With the breakthrough CMF-BEV platform, we’re introducing an all-new model that’ll replace our iconic Micra that will be on the road in the near future. Designed by Nissan, manufactured by Renault. I’m sure it’ll add further excitement to our growing line-up in Europe.’

Gran Turismo 7: a love letter to car culture Kazunori Yamauchi’s latest iteration of the Gran Turismo series is so much more than a racing game. By Curtis Moldrich

‘T Kazunori Yamauchi CEO, Polyphony Digital The passionate brain behind the Gran Turismo video game series

hey are one of the most beautiful industrial products in the world, imbued with a life of their own,’ says Gran Turismo creator Kazunori Yamauchi, summing up his love for cars. ‘I really wanted an opportunity to convey that to people.’ We’re pretty confident he has with Gran Turismo 7. The new title, now on sale, packs in 400 cars, 34 locations and 90 layouts, and each car can be tuned and customised. But there are also new activities that really immerse the gamer in car culture, including a cafe where you meet notable designers and a mode which involves cruising to music. ‘The cafe provides a road map to new things that you can do in the game,’ explains Yamauchi. ‘It’s a place where you meet some of the designers or the engineers that were actually involved or actually created these cars that you’ve collected. So it’s a part of the heart of the culture revolving around the cars.’ Coffee with designers and industry leaders? So far, so CAR. There are also brand museums and a new meeting place, where

people of all nationalities can mix, chat cars and race – ‘Like the cafe at the Nürburgring,’ says Yamauchi. GT7 takes full advantage of the PlayStation 5’s power, with transitions between day and night, dynamic weather effects and fine-tuned controller feedback, to the point you can feel the ABS kicking in and a track’s kerbs as two distinct vibrations. ‘The weather changes will now actually interact with a car’s physics so things like the road surface temperature or the wetness of the track, or how fast the track is actually drying,’ explains Yamauchi. We’re told GT7 will have the same level of online play as GT Sport before it, but if you want to race against the computer you should find things more realistic. ‘We worked on getting the AI to really be able to drive aggressively enough, so that it comes close to human lap times,’ Yamauchi reveals. He adds: ‘Great things must be passed on. It’s important to convey this culture and the history to the next generation. I almost feel a responsibility to do that.’

HEROES OF GRAN TURISMO SKYLINE GT-R (R34)

A legend long before GT, the Nissan could, with a little tuning, ace any race you put it in, sitting in a sweet spot of price and performance. The same’s true of the later R35.

18 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

RUF CTR YELLOWBIRD

Porsche was locked into the rival EA Games titles, so GT opened the world’s eyes to RUF, treating it as a car maker in its own right.

PIKES PEAK ESCUDO

More wing than a 747, weighing just 800kg and touching 1000bhp, Suzuki’s Escudo Pikes Peak car was designed for the hillclimb but became an unlikely gamebreaker.

TOYOTA GT-ONE

A homologation special designed to take the Le Mans crown. Its twin-turbo V8 power and super-streamlined bodywork earned it cult status for GT players.

Insider

DS builds a wild Taycan rival Shame it’s just for component testing Is this the coolest DS yet? Well, other than the original Citroën one, anyway. The French brand’s new E-Tense Performance concept has some tantalising details up its sleeve, but we won’t see anything like it become a production reality. Talk about teasing, DS.

Crikey, where’s this come from?!

The brains of those deep within DS’s Performance division, usually focused on Formula E. Just look at it! The lights use more than 800 individual LEDs, the badging has a slick 3D effect and the whole shape looks like something to battle an Audi e-Tron GT or Porsche Taycan. But it’s what’s inside that counts.

What’s special underneath?

How does 805bhp sound? All of that shove is deployed by two e-motors – one on each axle – and there’s a carbonfibre monocoque chassis holding it all together. This project isn’t just some CAD file on a DS designer’s iMac, either.

It’s actually real? GT7’s cafe is a new addition feeding the car culture vibe

Oh yes. DS is using it to test future battery and e-motor tech, claiming the pack’s chemistry is better than anything on the market, and it’s cooled by a new fluid created by TotalEnergies. DS Performance boss Thomas Chevaucher says the next generation of the E-Tense line-up will benefit from the concept’s findings. Shame the data will end up being used on nothing more exciting than SUVs and slow-selling saloons…

Also on the DS to-do list: landing on the moon (not really)

APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK

19

The CAR inquisition

ROB DICKINSON FOUNDER, SINGER VEHICLE DESIGN

‘It’s a mix of glamour and gasoline’

M

ost of us car freaks have had some sort of formative experience with Porsche’s 911, right? Riding in one, seeing one blitz past, or drooling over one in a car park. Well, musician and Singer Vehicle Design founder Rob Dickinson is very much like all of us in that regard. You’d have to be, if you’d set up an entire business devoted to restoring and reimagining classic 911s. ‘My dad introduced me to the 911 on an autoroute in the south of France, and just this curiosity around the car started from that point on,’ Dickinson tells CAR. ‘Then there was my first ride in one. It was just this alien thing; a black early 3.0 Turbo – I think it was an ex-King Hussein of Jordan car – and 11-year-old me was just gobsmacked. It was like being in a rocketship.’ Those seminal experiences have cemented Dickinson’s love for the 911 ever since. Rob and his team at Singer Vehicle Design have been keeping that gobsmackery alive with their restored 911 models since 2009, only just now starting to tackle a thick strand of 911 DNA: the Turbo. ‘This obsession as a child in the 1970s fired my imagination,’ says Dickinson, ‘but in many ways for us to have been celebrating Porsche’s early 911 models with

20 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

the car that we build in California is almost not the obvious thing to do. The obvious car to celebrate, which is Porsche’s icon, is the Turbo – and it’s taken 12 years to get around to it.’ Those holidays abroad with his family, ‘chugging along’ in a VW Beetle, allowed Dickinson to see the glamour of the grand tourer; ‘some of the cars that we would see in the Riviera or as we came down through France, it became an intoxicating mix of glamour and gasoline.’ Those ideas about grand touring help explain why the new turbocharged creations from Singer Vehicle Design are going to be the team’s most usable series to date. Of course, they’re still going to be weapons-grade fast, but the interiors are lavished in new materials from top-tier suppliers, and thought has been put into how to tweak the interior to fit different lifestyles. You can even ask Singer for a comfort-focused suspension set-up, while Rob and his team are investigating the use of adaptive damping in future Turbo commissions. But beyond that? As much of the automotive world focuses on electrification and sustainability, and synthetic fuels for combustion engines are being explored, where will Singer fit in? ‘Well I remember writing the first words for Singer’s first

Illustration: Chris Rathbone

The 911 superfan sings the praises of old-school grand touring as his firm’s new era begins

Insider website and I remember sucking my teeth and wondering: “Can this be presented as a second life for a car?” There’s a sense of recycling an icon, which I guess is what we do – it’s a bit of a tough thing to sell to people but it’s true,’ says Dickinson. As well as the fundamental idea of using far less raw material to keep a car on the road than to create a new one, there’s also the question of how the powertrain itself will be fuelled. Dickinson told us an electric Singer ‘isn’t something we’d see any time soon’ as the covers came off the Turbo Study (CAR, March 2022) but it’s watching with fascination. ‘Clearly the automotive world is going through a paradigm shift right now, but cars powered by combustion engines aren’t going to disappear overnight,’ adds Dickinson. ‘Finding a way to optimise synthetic fuels is attractive, because we obviously have an emotional connection with the internal-combustion engine.’ In the short term, Singer is busy moving all of its production, design and research into one new building in California – before then, it was split across ‘seven different buildings around Los Angeles,’ according to Dickinson – and keeping true to its focus: to deliver the best product every time. ‘That’s our gag but, quite irritatingly, it’s accurate,’ laughs Dickinson. ‘I’m not very easily satisfied, so I’m always going to be obsessively focused on making sure anything bearing the Singer name lives up to the standards of execution and performance we’ve set ourselves. ‘As founder I had a clear idea of what it should mean to encounter something that said Singer on it, and as executive chairman I think it’s my role to hold onto the vision and to some extent be the conscience of the company,’ adds Dickinson. ‘We have some pretty lofty goals – we always have! – and if we continue to push for that brush with perfection and make sure that anything we touch brings pleasure to people, whether they’re driving it or experiencing it in some other form, then we’ll be on the right track.’ JAKE GROVES

Six questions only we would ask Tell us about your first car… ‘I drove my dad’s rear-drive Opel Ascona estate, but the first one I bought was a Mk1 Ford Fiesta.’ What achievement makes you most proud? ‘Singer. We’ve won the trust of hundreds of clients and influence the automotive world. Humbling and exciting.’

Skoda’s sporty EV Enyaq vRS is mean and very green Going green, literally

New badge for a new powertrain. Expect electric vRS cars to be a lot like VW’s ID GTX ones – warm, rather than hot. This rather proves our point: 295bhp from two e-motors and a 6.2sec 0-62mph sprint time.

Crystal addict

That crystalline effect Skoda’s put in its headlights? Now it’s crept into the grille – a feature optional on a regular Enyaq that’s standard on the vRS. This plus the colour says to us Skoda’s tired of being a wallflower.

ID recognition

The Enyaq’s not gone quite as minimalist as the ID.4 with its interior design; simple layout, physical buttons, big screen. The vRS adds lime green stitching and thickly bolstered alcantara seats.

Rear of the year

The Enyaq vRS technically debuts first on the new, rather on-trend Coupe version of Skoda’s EV with a sleeker look and minimal boot volume loss. We’ll probably just wait for the regular one, though.

What’s the best thing you’ve ever done in a car? ‘The final road trip with my parents in 2019 in southern France, revisiting the places of countless school holidays.’ Tell us about a time you screwed up… ‘Our first cars were G-series 911s. Then we decided the 964 would be the basis for future restorations, throwing away thousands of hours of thinking and sculpting.’ Supercar or classic? ‘I have a GT3 Touring and Frogeye Sprite. I need both!’ Curveball… What was the 100th Singer car called? ‘The Alabama Commission – a 4.0-litre coupe in Atomic Silver, with an interior in Blackberry.’

Skoda’s Enyaq Coupe vRS, with a 309-mile range, is available to order now from £51,885, with deliveries starting in July

APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK

21

Insider

All hands on deck

Watches

So many dials, so many hands, so little point. All hail the motorsport chronograph! By Ben Oliver

D

espite the fact that it lost its essential role in motorsport with the advent of electronic timing in the 1970s, the racing-inspired chronograph wristwatch appears not to be going away. Quite the reverse: a quick glance at the cuffs of those attending a trackday or Goodwood event will reveal plenty, and three new examples have recently been launched. Your phone can tell you the time, but these tell others where your interests lie.

02

01

03

01 I Zenith Defy Extreme E Desert X Prix Edition £22,700

02 I Autodromo Prototipo Vic Elford 1969 Edition $775 plus VAT (approx £690)

03 I TAG Heuer Autavia Chronometer Flyback Chronograph £5250

Zenith has revealed the first of its five Extreme E watches. An attachment to human rights may prevent you from buying this Saudi-themed edition, but the Defy Extreme on which it’s based is a clever chrono, with a strap made of rubber recycled from tyres used last season. zenith-watches.com

Limited to just 350 examples, this is lovingly made by independent New York-based watch maker Autodromo. A reasonably priced follow-up to the ’68 Elford edition, it celebrates Quick Vic’s heroic drive in the ’69 Targa Florio and comes with a booklet signed by Elford. autodromo.com

Celebrating its golden jubilee, the Autavia is one of Heuer’s core historic motorsport chronographs, along with the Carrera and Monaco. This new chrono features the ‘flyback’ complication, in which the second hand both snaps back to zero and continues counting with a single push. tagheuer.com

22 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

The UK’s No.1 Funder for Prestige, Sports and Classic Cars

Discover our passion and expertise before you purchase your next car. TAL K TO O R ACL E TODAY ON

0330 838 7462

oraclefinance.co.uk

WE ARE A CREDIT BROKER AND NOT A LENDER. This means we deal with a wide range of financial institutions to give our customers a greater choice of competitively priced options. Oracle Finance is a trading name of Oracle Asset Finance Limited. Oracle Asset Finance is not affiliated to any motor manufacturer.

facebook instagram linkedin #FUNDEDBYORACLE

4.9 out of 5

Tech THE INNOVATIONS TR ANSFORMING OUR DRIVING WORLD

The thinking man’s Porsche Engineered in the UK by ex-Lotus and F1 brains, Polestar’s 2025 flagship is shaping up nicely. It’s also pushing the limits of bonded alumimium. By Ben Miller

24 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

Vast one-piece body sides are among the biggest in the business

T

hink bonded aluminium and chances are you think of the Lotus Elise. Hethel’s transformational two-seater put the construction method on the map, and the new Emira uses the same approach (as does Aston Martin). And why not? The technique lends itself nicely to the noble art of making sports cars, being a high-performance solution whose traditional drawbacks are easily managed in relatively lowvolume manufacturing. But under ‘bonded aluminium’ you must now also file ‘Polestar’; yep, Polestar, the über-cool Swedish ‘start-up’ with the two-car range of Volvo-based electrified vehicles. Its expansion plans are aggressive to say the least. Launched in nine markets originally, it’s now in 19, and plans to be in 30 by the end of next year. It’ll also drop a new car each year for the next three years: two big-volume SUVs and then, come 2025, the Polestar 5, effectively the striking Precept four-door GT made real. The importance of the 5 can’t be overstated, for it’ll be the first pure-bred Polestar, rather one created from artfully manipulated Volvo architectures. And the fact that it uses Lotus-esque high-performance construction techniques isn’t surprising when you learn that much of the car (essentially all the structure, aluminium skin and suspension) is being engineered in the UK, at Polestar’s 280-strong Coventry R&D centre – a facility staffed by individuals deliberately plucked from worlds beyond established volume car making, including the premium British marques, F1 and academia. The new structure is claimed to be lightweight (though the

5 W I L L H E L P YO U G E T D O W N N O W 5 should be faithful to the stunning Precept

ALL ABOUT THE IP The 5’s platform has been developed by Polestar for Polestar, though it’s the UK R&D centre’s ‘fervent hope’ that Volvo likes the look of its work and uses it in future, particularly given the generous scalability. C O M PAC T S U S P E N S I O N The 5 uses close-coupled, in-wheel wishbone front suspension. Doing so keeps the suspension away from the battery in a collision, gives more steering lock and helps preserve the Precept concept’s ultra-low bonnet. Air suspension’s a possibility within the package, as is rear-wheel steering.

S P O RT S C A R S T E E R I N G Mounting the steering rack in front of the axle is standard practice in sports cars, and has allowed Polestar to rigidly mount the rack for better steering feel and linearity. This set-up is also handy for simplifying the engineering of the crash structure. A LU M I N I U M A N D A D H E S I V E Monocoque comprises parts made with a variety of processes, including extrusion, die-casting and coldforming. The battery box is fully integrated, boosting stiffness. Bonded aluminium construction gives a stiffer structure than spot-welded steel.

Polestar’s plucking individuals from the premium British marques, F1 and academia car, being a powerful, long-range EV, won’t be light), ultra-rigid (Polestar’s claiming ‘best-in-class dynamics’, and puts the 5 in the same class as Porsche’s Taycan), sustainable (aluminium’s much easier to recycle than, say, carbonfibre) and capable of shrugging off accident impacts. Polestar also reckons it’s solved bonded aluminium’s challenges in mass production (mainly its labour-intensive processes), and found a way to stamp more complicated shapes than are ordinarily possible with the metal. ‘We form it when it’s in a more compliant condition,’ explains director of vehicle engineering Steve Swift. ‘It then gets its full strength through the course of the process, and that’s all we’re saying at the moment. We’re producing aluminium panels on a par with steel in terms of strength.’ What will this low-slung, ultra-rigid performance EV feel like to drive? ‘The dynamic signature is still up for debate, but naturally we’re looking at something more sophisticated than taking a Volvo and making it handle, which is where we’ve been with some of the early vehicles,’ continues Swift. ‘The must-haves are a vehicle that rides well, has good sprung mass control and that keeps its occupants isolated [from bumps]. But we also want it to handle, because if it handles it’ll appeal to the sporty driver and the mainstream customer. The latter may not be able to articulate why they like it, but everyone appreciates steering linearity, on-centre response, tracking stability and a chassis you can lean on knowing it won’t bite you. The fundamentals are quite benign, so we’ll be tuning things up to bring the car alive. If you’re a Porsche guy the Taycan appeals, naturally – it’s a fun car to drive. But we want something more sophisticated; more rounded and compliant.’ And if that sounds like a Lotus, no prizes for guessing where Swift spent 20 years of his career prior to Polestar. APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK

25

Tech

CAR explains

Morgan’s new Super 3

How has Malvern made its wacky toy more user-friendly? By Jake Groves

M

organ’s been hard at work revitalising its most iconic of cars: the three-wheeler. Now called the Super 3, the new weekend warrior takes on a more usable, easierto-live-with persona. Well, as much as a roofless three-wheeled car can, anyway. The V-twin engine previously prominent on the front of the threewheeled Mog is gone due to tightening emissions regulations, replaced by a 1.5-litre three-cylinder Ford engine, making 117bhp and positioned inboard, echoing the Morgan F-Type from 1932. Power’s delivered to that single rear wheel via a satisfyingly snickety five-speed manual from Mazda, with a 0-62mph sprint possible in around seven seconds. If you’re brave enough to keep pushing, it’ll hit 130mph. But it’s all about the details here. Morgan says it’s the most configurable car it has ever made, and the new Super 3 doesn’t have anything on it that’s there for effect – everything has a function. Prices start at £41,995.

U P C LO S E THE SUPER 3’S FUNCTIONAL FORM

NOSE JOB

The Super 3’s cast, grooved front brace acts like a splitter, while the grille’s quirky bulge is for the air-con drive pulley (even if the heater’s not added). None of Morgan’s traditonal wood is used in the structure, just strong, light superformed aluminium.

ON LOCK

Morgan has developed (and patented) accessory rails for you to clunkclick all kinds of items to the car. UK company Quad Lock has also worked with Morgan to design a specific phone mount, too.

CROW FLIES

In-car sat-nav is usually intrusive, according to Morgan, but if you still want help with where you’re going then a compass-like mini display from Beeline (also used by motorcyclists) can be attached to the steering wheel for unobtrusive turn-by-turn directions.

AC C E S S O R I S E !

You can spec luggage racks to attach to the rear, and those slab-sided panniers can be accented with your own bespoke luggage set (even with a cupholder!). Morgan and Malle London are collaborating on suitcases and soft bags that hook onto the accessory rails.

26 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

TA I L H A P P Y

It’ll still sound good, promises Morgan. While that dugga-dugga noise of the V-twin engine is gone, the team says the uneven tone of the Ford triple needed very little acoustic work at the Malvern factory to make it sound great.

We search the prices,

you get covered

Visit

Experts in insurance comparison vo=-ã

mustard.co.uk

or call

0330 022 9940

lÜv|-u7Ξ1oΞÜhbv-|u-7bm]m-l;o=-Ü;uÜ0Ѵbv_bm]â_b1_=ou];m;u-ѴbmvÜu-m1;7bv|ub0Üombv-mrrobm|;7!;ru;v;m|-à;o=(-v|(bvb0bѴb|ãblb|;7Τ Ѷubm1;v-u-7;Τbà;urooѴΤ Τâ_b1_bv-Ü|_oubv;7-m7u;]ÜѴ-|;70ã|_; bm-m1b-Ѵom7Ü1|Ü|_oub|ãÜm7;u bul!;=;u;m1;Ül0;uѵѵ⌠〉Ξ +oÜ1-m1_;1h|_;v;7;|-bѴvom|_; !;]bv|;uΞ ψ ou=ÜѴѴ$∴v↔∴v]o|olÜv|-u7Ξ1oΞÜh

Tech

B LI N D FA ITH HOW IT WORKS

1

Does it work?

Is this sci-fi skylight such a bright idea?

A TOUCH OF GLASS You can control the tint via the touchscreen’s menu for the roof, which would be a faff if it wasn’t for a handy shortcut button

Porsche’s Variable Light Control roof is clearly futuristic, arty and expensive, but is it actually useful? By Alan Taylor-Jones

A

s pleasant as it is to have a large expanse of glass in place of a metal roof panel, there will be times when want to cover it up. Whether that’s because blazing sunshine threatens to melt your preferred travel confectionery, or you just haven’t got round to cleaning that splat of bird mess off, some sort of blind is rather handy. That’s usually an electrically operated roller arrangement controlled by a switch or two on the roof lining. That’s fine in a regular car, but it’s not very high-tech, is it? Given the move away from the analogue and towards the digital, it was only a matter of time before somebody came up with a sci-fi alternative. Here it is: Porsche’s Variable Light Control, the blind that isn’t a blind. It makes a simple bit of fabric on a roller seem practically prehistoric, while a fixed tint as preferred by Tesla or even McLaren’s electrochromic lining looks a bit past-it. The Porsche system uses an electrically switchable liquid crystal film on the glass itself. Available on the Taycan and split into nine separate sections, you can set it to be totally transparent, completely opaque or an artsy mixture of the two. Porsche states it’s a €5045 option (around £4200) in Germany, with a price in the UK still to be confirmed at the time of writing. You won’t find any old-fashioned buttons to 28 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

control it. There’s a touch-sensitive slider up in the roof lining where you’d expect a switch to be. Run your finger over it and you can change the translucency of the roof in those nine stages. If you want finer control, there’s a menu in the main infotainment touchscreen that mercifully is accessed by an easy-to-find shortcut icon. In practice the system works well – so long as you never want to completely block the light out. Even set to its heaviest tint, the panel – now light grey – allows plenty of diffused light into the cabin seemingly without cooking the occupants. As our testing was carried out on a cold but sunny February afternoon, we’ll have to wait to pass full judgement on its thermal properties. What we can say for sure is that Variable Light Control switches from clear to opaque and back again instantaneously, making for an impressive display if you start switching between the modes rapidly. More usefully, it can shield children in the back from glaring rays while you continue to enjoy them up front.

Does it work? Yes and no. Although it stops you from getting blinded or cooked, it never fully blocks out the sun’s light. It’s also rather costly, with early pricing indications suggesting it’ll be thousands more than the regular panoramic roof.

2

TA P T O T I N T As well as running your finger over switches on the roof, you can select pre-set configurations on the touchscreen display

3

BRIGHT AND AIRY Even fully opaque, you still get plenty of light through to the interior; great for an airy cabin, less so for a snooze

Mo the r’s D a y 27t hM arc h

SPECIAL

Mother’s Day Offer!

SUBSCRIPTIONS FROM JUST £10 For the gift that lasts much longer than a day: • A digital magazine subscription can be read anywhere at anytime • All print magazine subscriptions include free UK delivery • Subscriber exclusives on selected magazines

Buy online in just minutes Free e-card with gift orders

Order now:

GREATMAGAZINES.CO.UK/MUM Or call us today on 01858 438 884 and quote MDSO

T&CS: From £10 price applies to selected digital subscriptions on a 6 month upfront payment method. Prices and amount of issues vary by title. UK only. Offers are available until 27th March 2022. Your subscription will start with the next available issue. Cost from landlines for 01 numbers per minute are (approximate) 2p to 10p. Cost from mobiles per minute (approximate) 10p to 40p. Costs vary depending on the location in the UK. You may get free calls to some numbers as part of your call package – please check with your phone provider. Order lines open 8am-9.30pm (Mon-Fri), 8am-4pm (Sat). Calls may be monitored for recorded for training purposes. For full terms and conditions visit www.greatmagazines.co.uk/terms

*

drives First

THE WORLD’S BEST WRITE RS IN THE NEW CARS THAT MATTE R

30 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

The 300-mile test NEW CAR MEETS REAL WORLD

LUCID AIR

The next episode The Lucid Air aims to out-Tesla Tesla by combining the interior of a luxury car and the handling of a sports car with must-have desirability Words James Taylor Photography Olgun Kordal

APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK

31

We’re in a car that out-accelerates a Lamborghini yet has the interior space of a Mercedes S-Class

Lucid CEO’s Lotus and Tesla experience is tangible in the way the Air drives

32 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

First drives 300-mile test

R

odeo Drive, Los Angeles, mid-morning. A lime-green Lamborghini Huracan Spyder slows adjacent to us, passenger stretching to poke their smartphone over the windscreen and grab a picture, driver proffering an approving thumbs-up. The car we’re in could easily out-accelerate the Lambo and looks just as striking, yet it has the interior space of a MercedesBenz S-Class. It’s fully electric and, in the right spec, can go 500 miles between charges. The Huracan occupants know this, too – as our paths overlap, we can see their mouths form the word, ‘Lucid!’ Peter Rawlinson returns their smile and chuckles to himself. Lucid’s CEO and CTO has joined us for a spin around the block near the company’s Beverly Hills showroom, from which we’ve collected the Air for our test. He’s in LA on business. It’s a Saturday; he doesn’t work 9-5. ‘Running a car company is like joining the military. I’ve signed up and this is my life now.’ He’s not being negative; in fact he’s bubbling over with enthusiasm for Lucid’s achievements, while leaving me in no doubt how challenging it’s been to get the Air to production. ‘Five years ago nobody believed we could do a car with a 500-mile range – and I have to tell you, back then, we didn’t either!’ he grins. ‘What really makes Lucid special is that we’re doing it all in-house. All the technology: the battery, other than the cells; the electric motor, which we believe to be the most advanced of its kind in the world; the transmission, which itself is unique. I don’t know of any other manufacturer apart from us and Tesla that’s doing that.’ Rawlinson can speak with some authority on Tesla; he was chief engineer on the Model S prior to joining Lucid. He motions to an Audi A8 that’s pulled alongside, its passenger also taking a good look at the Air’s smooth yet arresting lines. ‘The 3D puzzle was to put A8 space into a car the size of an A6. Why a saloon, not an SUV? Packaging space into an electric SUV is relatively easy – people wouldn’t notice it in the same way. We achieved that by miniaturising the drivetrain, to achieve this car that’s small on the outside, big on the inside.’ That sensation is exacerbated by the sunlit cockpit, the windscreen an infinity pool of glass merging into the glazed roof. Displays are split between two surfaces: a compound-curved 5K display for the instrument panel (Rawlinson drew its curves himself); and a lower conventional tablet (which moves into the dash on request, allowing access to a storage cavity).

Pick-up: 0 miles

Back at base, Rawlinson shows us the drive unit (there is one at each end in this dual-motor, all-wheel-drive car) that makes the gargantuan interior space possible. It’s tiny: compact enough to fit in a small-ish suitcase. He explains Lucid developed the car’s Tardis packaging and downsized powertrain simultaneously, backing itself to achieve both. ‘Because I was responsible for the whole car, I was able to take that step. There is not a car company on the planet that would have allowed me to do that – that’s why I think it’s a breakthrough,’ he smiles. With that he must leave us. Having secured $6.5bn in funding for Lucid last year alone, it’s clear he’s a busy man. ‘I hope you take it to some good roads – we set out to create a car with amazing range, but great driver engagement too,’ he tells us, before whirring away in another Air. We’d best get going. Between now and the boarding call ⊲

1 mile We pop the frunk (claimed to be biggest on sale) to drop in our bags. Its clever bendy plastic moulding allows it to be fitted more space-efficiently inside the body.

Aim was to put Audi A8 cabin space into a car the size of an A6

10 miles Testing the 3D parking camera on Rodeo Drive. It stitches together images from 14 cameras flawlessly – drag your finger round the touchscreen for an all-round, real-time view.

Mulholland Drive. The tourists aboard the myriad celeb-spotting tour buses turn their cameras to the Lucid instead. The Air really does turn heads, even in a city full of exotic cars.

APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK

33

First drives 300-mile test PILLARS OF STRENGTH A-pillars are made from hot-formed aircraft-grade aluminium, where steel is the norm

Ready for a sandy shootout with the ID. Buzz on page 82

for our plane home in two days’ time, we need to get this pre-production Air back to its home at Lucid HQ in Newark, Silicon Valley. But, taking Rawlinson’s advice, we don’t plan on taking the direct route. Within the hour we’re making ground towards the Maricopa Highway, via Mulholland. Sunglasses are essential, not to fit in on Mulholland Drive but because the Californian sunshine, shining through the roof as well as the windscreen, is so intense the sun visors are having a hard time keeping up with it. It’s not only the natural light that makes the Air a, well, airy place to be; the cabin is a place of smooth compound curves and carefully curated light tones. The Air is launching with 520 Dream Edition models (celebrating its EPA-rated 520-mile range). All are sold. This pre-production car is equivalent to a Lucid Air Dream Range. Were it the Dream Performance version, it would pack a pleasingly symmetrical 1111hp (or 1096bhp in UK figures). Instead we’re making do with 920bhp. While Dream versions top $100k, the upcoming entry-level single-motor/473bhp Air Pure will dip under $70k with the US EV grant, and the Touring dual-motor version under $100k. Left-hand-drive European sales begin before the year’s end. Lucid has signalled its intent to build UK-ready versions but they’re unlikely to come on stream before 2023. The headline 520-mile range is achieved on 19-inch wheels; this car’s on camera-pleasing 21s. As they pass through a puddle at the base of Mulholland Drive I give the accelerator a prod. The Air briefly spins its wheels furiously and momentarily slews sideways before regaining its composure. It’s the only time during the trip the prodigious power will get the better of the broad Pirellis. The ride, too is relaxing, although there’s an inevitably ⊲

190 miles

243 miles The screen’s now a mass of fingerprints. We’re going to need a bigger cloth. Its graphics are neat and attractive but operation could be more intuitive.

34 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

SLIMLINE DOORS No speakers here, for extra knee room. They’re housed in the corners of the dashboard instead, and sound great

249 miles Overnight stop, arriving in a $100,000 car at the cheapest Motel 6 we could find. Publishing budgets in 2022, amirighhht?

For the first time, range anxiety hits. Will there be a charger before we reach the Pacific Coast Highway? The nav urges us to turn back to a charger near the hotel we’ve set off from.

WIRELESS VISORS No unsightly cables for the lamps inside the free-floating sun visors. Instead they have an onboard battery, with a life of three years

CHAMBER OF SECRETS Lower screen whirrs out of the way to reveal a storage bin. Middle armrest is angled to anchor your elbow in place, making it easier to input commands on the screen

CURVED SCREEN Combined instrument panel and touchscreen in 5K, by a Japanese supplier to a demanding compound-curve brief from Lucid

267 miles

310 miles Plugging in at Santa Maria. The Air would happily have done more than 300 miles without charging, but we’re happy to have the peace of mind gained by plugging in.

EXTREME COMFORT The next generation of massage seats, with motor patterns designed for breaking down lactic acid. Some of the massage settings are on the intense side

400 miles A grille-less car in the mist: sea fog rolling in off the Pacific on to the highway puts us quite literally in the cloud. When the ocean is visible through the murk it glitters with sunshine.

US-spec crisp portions. We bought this bag 200 miles ago and it hasn’t run out yet. Retractable touchscreen allows access to a storage bin that also makes a handy snack platform.

APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK

35

Steering comes alive when it needs to; it’s remarkable for a car of this heft

Lots to think about. Like where can he get £100k? Screens look amazing but lag on this pre-production test car

36 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

First drives 300-mile test

It turns heads. Amid the campers, trucks and ATVs it looks like a jet-black alien spacecraft lumpy edge to it on the 21s which would likely feel all the more so on UK roads. The way it deals with big bumps, however, is astonishing. They’re absorbed beautifully, all the more impressive given the 2375kg weight. The suspension is by fourball-joint double wishbones all round and adaptive dampers; air suspension will be an option in the future. We’ve left LA far behind now, trading broad highways for vertiginous canyon roads in the hills above Ojai. It’s here that Rawlinson’s seemingly unlikely claim – that the Air can feel luxurious like an S-Class yet handle like a sports car – is proved confoundingly true. The way this car changes direction is almost Lotus-like (that shouldn’t be a surprise; Rawlinson used to be chief engineer at Lotus). The steering, linear but numb at lower speeds, comes alive up here – direct and with no fight or kickback over bumps. Overall composure at speed is quite something, too: mid-corner bumps pose no threat. And what speed. The Air feels hypercar-quick out of corners. With big brakes at each corner and oodles of front-axle grip, you’ve confidence on the way into them, too. This car wasn’t designed as a straight-line dragster (although the Performance can hit 0-60mph in 2.4sec) – it’s the way it accelerates above 60mph and never really lets up that impresses. And all in near-serenity – other than some slightly intrusive gear whine. (Lucid knows about it; it’s working on a solution.) The downside of all this uphill, hammer-down fun is that, for the first time, we’re about to experience range anxiety. Not the vein-pulsing-in-your-forehead, will-we-make-it kind, but anxiety nonetheless. We’d planned to do the first 300 miles without charging – a 300-mile test without plugging in – and the Air would still do it; its trip computer forecasts reaching 312 miles before it would run out, despite our play. But the rest of our route involves the Pacific Coast Highway, and concerns over finding chargers en route see us plugging in at Santa Maria, with the Air on 263 miles since it was last charged. It’s an Electrify America charge point – a company with which Lucid has formed a partnership to offer Air owners three years’ free charging. ‘Fair play to Tesla – they had the foresight to put their Supercharger network worldwide,’ Peter Rawlinson told us back in LA. ‘But it could be a burden to them too – like us, they create all their technology in-house. It’s a huge undertaking, and if we also had the burden of putting a nationwide charging infrastructure in place, that would be

463 miles

brutal.’ Electrify America’s stations are geared up for rapid charging, and the Air is considered to be the fastest-charging car in North America, backed up by independent testing. Or it will be by the time we’ve managed to get it to start charging; it takes us a few goes to connect. ‘Ah man, it’s a problem,’ the owner of the VW ID.4 in the bay next to us says. ‘It always takes a couple goes for me too. By the way, nice f***ing car, dude! I haven’t seen one of these before. Wow.’ Third time lucky: it connects, and in the half hour it takes us to wander over the road and eat a brunch burrito it’s lobbed another 324 miles of range into the Air. Even greater rates of charge are possible, especially if you remember to hit the touchscreen to pre-condition the battery to optimum charging temperature 20 minutes before reaching the charger – a neat feature, and especially helpful in winter. (I didn’t remember; but it’s a bonus help rather than an essential move.) In a picture-perfect image of Americana, a cherry-red ’60s Corvette Stingray convertible motors past just as we turn right onto Highway 1, then swiftly take a left onto Pismo Beach, the only beach in the whole of California that allows vehicles to drive on the sand – a kind of Pacific Pendine Sands, only with warmer weather and way more pick-up trucks. The Air has all-wheel drive, I tell myself as I pay the $5 toll, while trying to forget about the daunting 2.4-tonne kerbweight. It turns heads here too; everyone wants to ask what it is. Amid the campers, ⊲

‘WE’RE IN THE ’30s’: LUCID’S CEO ON EV DEVELOPMENT ‘My view is that electric cars now are where petrol cars were in the ’30s,’ says Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson. ‘I think we’re at about 1938. There’s so much more to come. This is what’s so exciting.’ ON EFFICIENCY ‘The term “battery range” is a misnomer. The shocking thing about range is it’s not about the battery: it’s about the whole car. ‘For example, in a motor, copper wiring is the bit that gets really hot. The hotter a material gets, the more resistance. We’ve designed super-compact channels deep in the motor to pump cooling fluid – and placed them where there are electromagnetic dead zones.’

550 miles A quick zap to get us to our overnight stop in Silicon Valley. We’re averaging less than 3.0 miles per kWh but there’s been spirited driving in Sprint mode, much of it on hills.

ON WEIGHT ‘Every kilogram you save can give you another 100 metres of range. So saving 10kg gives you a kilometre.’ ON DIY ‘Ask any automotive CEO and they’ll almost certainly say the future is electric, and that you’re not going to be able to use a carryover platform. ‘Then ask, “Where will you get your motors and batteries from?” They’d probably say, “We’ll buy those in.” ‘We’ve got to 500 miles of range by doing it all in-house, because efficiency comes from the whole car. How are you going to make the world’s best car if you don’t make it yourself? I don’t think there’s a way round that.’

Drop-off: 587 miles We haven’t tried launch control yet. Foot on the brake, full throttle, wait for the blue bear graphic to appear... go. Feels like Space Mountain without the rails. Bonkers. Let’s try it again…

A tour of Lucid HQ underlines just what a bold, brave piece of design the Air is, in every way. It really does feel like a gamechanger, if the market takes to it.

APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK

37

First drives 300-mile test

▲ PLUS

Luxurious space; unique appearance; big range; truly great handling MINUS ▼

Infotainment a work in progress; long wait for UK sales A LT E R N AT I V E S ⊳⊲

Mercedes EQS Extravagant interior and low drag – but the Lucid Air is even more slippery

Tesla Model S The car that started it all. Still fast and still feels special, but also feels its age

trucks and ATVs it looks like a jet-black alien spacecraft. The touchscreen interface is like something from a sci-fi film too, with the ability to swipe music and nav menus from the top curving screen ‘through’ the dashboard to the bigger touchscreen below. In this pre-production car, though, it’s very laggy and prone to losing signal. We’re assured customer cars don’t have the same issue. Necessary over-the-air improvements are coming, too; for example, at the moment it’s not possible to mix and match a map on the top screen with music on the bottom. It’s one potential weak spot in the luxury EV segment in which interfaces are all – but Lucid vows it will get slicker with frequent updates. Even if it’s less intuitive to use, the split display set-up is more elegant than Tesla’s stone-like oblong tablet dominating the dashboard. The wheelbase is within a millimetre of the Tesla Model S, and overall length similar, but the Air is a narrower car. It’s a touch longer than a Taycan but considerably roomier. And it handles similarly beautifully to the Porsche; as the PCH unwinds further north towards Monterey, its handling again impresses. There’s enough roll to place the car, then seemingly limitless grip. In Sprint mode – which gives you the option to turn off the stability control, not possible in all EVs – it’s more rapid still yet eminently controllable, despite all that power on tap. For the first time since the puddle/throttle moment on Mulholland, the Air slides – but only when asked. It’s impressively composed. The Lucid suits the PCH’s flowing corners driven swiftly – but also driven at a relaxed cruise, too. It’s a zen experience: floating up the map through the highway’s oscillating switchbacks like an autumn leaf in reverse. We’re welcomed at Lucid’s HQ by chief engineer Eric Bach. He shows us the inner workings of the drive units; an incredibly neatly-integrated differential is the key to their compactness. He also talks us through the battery modules and the way the entire front-end assembly is as low as possible, for style and drag, and incorporates sophisticated cooling and lighting together with gigantic luggage space. A lot of brave engineering has gone into this car, right down to the innovative mouldings for the battery modules – engineering that looks simple because it’s the result of thousands of hours of complex work. You sense this approach wouldn’t be possible for a ‘legacy’ manufacturer. It’s taken an ambitious company like this to come in and do it – and it’s not easy. Lucid’s drive-unit tech can be sold to third parties; perhaps in the near future we’ll see rapid, space-efficient cars which may be more affordable, if less spectacular than the Air. There are caveats aplenty from our drive: the laggy infotainment, the noticeable gear whine, the brittle edge to the secondary ride (which upcoming middle-ground 20-inch wheels will help). If those niggles can be sorted out – and assuredly they can – then this is a five-star car; in thinking, in approach, in execution and in the way it drives. The Lambo drivers on Rodeo; the surfers at Pismo beach; the guy with the ID.4 at the charging point. If Lucid’s bold approach pays off, they’ve all had a glimpse of the future: the electric car, version 2.0.

Next month:

PORSCHE CAYMAN GT4 RS

THE CAYMAN THAT THINKS IT’S A 911 GT3

38 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

A lot of brave engineering has gone into this car, right down to the innovative mouldings for the battery modules

PRICE

Data

$77,400/£56,800 ($169,000/£124,030 as tested)

POWERTRAIN

118kWh battery, twin e-motors, all-wheel drive

PERFORMANCE

920bhp, 1025lb ft, 2.7sec 0-62mph, 168mph

WEIGHT

2375kg

EFFICIENCY

3.5 miles per kWh (official), 2.9 miles per kWh (tested), 481-mile range (official), 342 miles (tested), 0g/km CO2

ON SALE

Now (in the USA)

R AT I N G ★★★★★

APRIL 2022 | SUBSCRIBE TO CAR FOR JUST £4.20 A MONTH! GREATMAGAZINES.CO.UK

39

T O Y O TA AY G O X

Cross? You will be The city car is a dying breed. On this evidence that’s no great loss Some bathwater has been spilled in the making of this car. The baby’s fine, although it may not have a particularly long and healthy life ahead. In replacing the Aygo with the Aygo X (pronounced Cross), Toyota has gone from simple but effective city car to slightly less simple and slightly more bulky SUV-referencing city car. It sits on the TNGA GA-B platform, like the Yaris and Yaris Cross (pronounced Cross), so the wheelbase is 90mm longer than the old Aygo, but overall length is up just 235mm. It’s also wider and higher, and has more ground clearance. The city car field is much depleted, but while the Aygo X has grown it still feels comparable to the Fiat 500 and Panda, Suzuki Ignis and Kia Picanto, rather than the Yaris-size class. The engine is largely unchanged from the Aygo: a three-cylinder 998cc petrol unit. No turbo, no electrification. You get a choice of a five-speed manual gearbox or a CVT. So. It’s sort of a city car. It looks a bit like an SUV but isn’t in any significant sense. And despite being a 2022 Toyota – Toyota, hybrid overlords! – it isn’t available as a hybrid. That would, they say, make it too bulky, too heavy, too expensive; if you want a hybrid, get a Yaris. However nice the styling – hints of iQ at the front, last-gen Aygo at the back and old threedoor RAV4 in the profile – there are downsides to the new look. Its height may give a better view ahead, but the windscreen isn’t very tall, making some traffic lights hard to see. Its height is also to blame for the bodyroll during cornerning. The boot is bigger than before, but the rear seats are cramped – terrible legroom, terrible headroom. The big win is the TNGA platform, which significantly improves ride quality and increases overall refinement, providing good sound insulation even with the optional canvas roof open. The front occupants get usefully more shoulder room, which will make a real difference to how relaxing it is on longer journeys. The X is actually lighter than the old Aygo, thanks largely to the body being precisiondesigned and -pressed to be no thicker than it

PRICE

Data

From £14,795 (Limited Edition Auto, £20,740)

POWERTRAIN

998cc 12v threecylinder, CVT or five-speed manual, front-wheel drive

40 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

THE FIRST HOUR 1 minute

From the front, an iQ. Nice stance, good two-colour finish 2 minutes

A decade on, it’s Toyota’s Aston Martin Cygnet

needs to be, and careful pruning throughout. It’s not a powerful car, so it doesn’t need heavy-duty brakes and suspension mounts. It doesn’t feel lighter, though: gone is the easy slingability that makes low, simple city cars so enjoyable. At 71bhp, the triple can’t manage to shift that lightweight body to 62mph in less than 15 seconds. It struggles with even the more modest hills of our Barcelona test drive. The manual shift doesn’t have a pleasing action, which is a shame when you need to use it so much. In a world first, the CVT is the better option. It’s smoother and more relaxing than the manual. The Aygo X will sell chiefly on the strength of its looks, aided by Toyota’s reputation for reliability and abetted by the lack of competition. Toyota has seen the same market trends and demographic patterns as everyone else. But while several rivals have decided there’s no future for a petrol city car, Toyota reckons it’s still an important part of the line-up, and could hook first-time buyers into the Toyota habit. So it’s rather a pity the Aygo X isn’t a better car to drive. COLIN OVERLAND

First verdict Progress, mostly in terms of styling and ride quality. But the engine is just not good enough ★★★★★

PERFORMANCE

71bhp @ 6000rpm, 69lb ft @ 4400rpm, 15.5sec 0-62mph (manual 15.6sec), 94mph (manual 98mph)

WEIGHT

9401015kg

Interior looks modern, with physical switches for the important jobs 12 minutes

In-town engine roughness is nothing compared to its puniness when a hillock needs climbing 34 minutes

Try the back seats. Not for adults 45 minutes

Sun’s out. Canvas roof folds back at the push of a button and improves the vibes by 119 per cent. Life is good

▲ PLUS

Funky; oddly feelgood; CVT in preferable transmission shock! MINUS ▼

Painful lack of power or powertrain refinement

EFFICIENCY

57.7mpg (manual 60.1mpg), 110g/ km CO2 (manual 107g/km CO2)

ON SALE

UK deliveries spring 2022

First drives Drives

Gone is the easy slingability that makes low, simple city cars so enjoyable

Crank back that canvas roof and live the open-top SUV-ified city car dream (you have weird dreams)

APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK

41

The seats are sumptuous, whether you’re pinned into them by the V8 or sinking your socks into a foot massage

42 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

First drives Drives

AUDI S8

The S stands for smooth Updated S8 is more refined, cosseting and rapid than ever. Just not thrilling It’s a gentle but powerful and sustained shove in the small of your back, a little like you experience on take-off in a passenger jet. Such is the result of a casual flex of your right foot in the newly updated Audi S8. Like a jumbo, it’s heavy (at 2.2 tonnes) and a resoundingly unathletic looking object; that three-box saloon shape could appear very dated in an automotive world starstruck by SUVs, fastbacks and curious cocktails of both. But it can’t half get a move on. The shove, all 590lb ft of it, comes from the twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 as seen in the Porsche Panamera, Bentley Bentayga, Audi RS6 and other fast, luxurious VW Group machines. Equipped here with a mild-hybrid system, and well matched with the eight-speed automatic transmission’s ratios, it supplies creamily smooth, uninterrupted acceleration until the S8 levels out at a healthy autobahn cruising speed, much like a jet reaching cruising altitude. Said acceleration is more or less its main dynamic party piece, however. Despite enormously clever predictive active suspension, with an electric motor at each corner to adjust the amount of load on each wheel on the fly, this is not a particularly rewarding car to drive. It feels as big as it looks, never quite shrinking around you the way a big AMG or the old Jaguar XJR would at speed. I should mention, however, that this was a relatively brief drive on winter tyres on slimy, sleet-strewn roads; it might have felt more engaging in other circumstances. It’s very much a limo with the ability to go as fast as a super saloon, rather than a super saloon that can also play at being a limo. As a limo, the S8 (like its less powerful A8 brethren) is a tremendously relaxing way to travel. New as part of this update is a mild restyle at both ends, with all-digital lights and the option of 1.3 million (not an exaggeration) microscopic mirrored elements in each headlight to tailor the position of each pixel on the road and its surroundings. The new grille has flecks of brightwork scattered across it, a little like a

S8 spotted in its natural habitat: on the open road, at speed

PRICE

£102,610

Data

POWERTRAIN

3996cc 32v twinturbocharged V8, eight-speed auto, all-wheel drive

THE FIRST HOUR 1 minute

The S8 sits up by 50mm on its air suspension to make it easier to climb aboard. Nice trick 16 minutes

Red bits and three spokes show it’s S8, not A8

houndstooth pattern rendered in chrome. The arresting effect is rather undone by the fake vents in grey plastic just above the foglights; something you might be inclined to put up with on an A3 but not on a super limo with a price in six figures. The interior is beautifully put together and the seats sumptuously comfortable whether you’re being pinned into them by the V8 or sinking your socks into the (optional) foot massage system in the back. What’s missing is a sense of wow factor, and of up-to-the-minute interior tech. The piano-black plastic and gloss carbonfibre look like fashions from a previous decade, as does the staid exterior three-box saloon shape. The renewed S8 and the wider A8 family feel like the punctuation mark at the end of a story, before a bolder electric future is ushered in. Despite the fantastic engine behind its facelifted grille and the sophisticated suspension technology, the S8’s short of dynamic charisma to give buyers reason to part with six figures on driving experience alone. JAMES TAYLOR

First verdict Tremendously fast and refined but lacks wow factor – in terms of both driving experience and interior panache ★★★★★

PERFORMANCE

563bhp @ 6000rpm, 590lb ft @ 2050rpm, 3.8sec 0-62mph, 155mph

WEIGHT

2220kg

Manual mode means it – if you put it in fifth it will stay there and let the torque do the work 35 minutes

In Dynamic mode the V8 sends a creamy (audio-enhanced) growl to the cabin; it’s whisper-quiet otherwise 1 hour

I’m soothed and relaxed, even if my soul remains unstirred. It’s more like a sporty trim level than a sports saloon

▲ PLUS

Sumptuous seats; muscular performance; velvet ride comfort MINUS ▼

It’s a bit dull

EFFICIENCY

24.6mpg, 262g/km CO2

ON SALE

Now

APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK

43

At £14,995. Jogger’s starting price is Dacia’s highest

DACIA JOGGER

No contest Nobody else is even trying to offer this mix of ruggedness, practicality and seven seats

▲ PLUS

Remarkable value; seven adult-sized seats; as honest as the day is long

Is Dacia the new Skoda? Since the Czech brand stopped making interesting cars like the Yeti and Roomster and pushed its prices up out of bargain territory, it’s opened a gap lower in the market for clever, leftfield and practical cars. And that’s where the Dacia Jogger comes in. This is a family car with seven adult-sized seats and a starting price of £14,995 – that’s £2075 lower than an entry-level Ford Fiesta. Top-spec models are £17,395. That gets you more room for passengers than any SUV this side of a Land Rover Discovery. Even proper MPVs like the VW Touran ought to be quaking in their boots. I’m 6ft 2in and I was comfortable in row three. Seats six and seven don’t fold properly flat. But they’re easy to lift out, giving you a massive estate car along the same lines as the old Logan MCV. Tumble the second row forward and there’s a load area two metres long and a metre wide – enough to accommodate a fully-assembled Billy bookcase lying flat on its back. Clever modular roof bars are another practical touch.

MINUS ▼

No diesel option; third-row seats don’t fold fully flat

PRICE

From £14,995

Data

44 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

POWERTRAIN

999cc 12v threecylinder, six-speed manual, front-wheel drive

So it’s a bit MPV, a bit estate car – and with 200mm of ground clearance and a fair amount of suspension travel it’s arguably better on the rough stuff than most family SUVs. It’ll certainly get you across an unpaved car park or up a muddy track in the pursuit of lifestyle activities. The Jogger isn’t exactly powerful, but its 109hp and 148lb ft only have 1205kg to lug about – at least unladen. That means performance is just fine – not quick, but not desperately slow either. Not likely to be the case once seven people plus luggage plus a dog are on board, though. It does feel as though a diesel would be a good fit, but there are no plans to introduce one. A full hybrid is on the way in 2023, though, which will be your only option if you need an automatic. It’s not laden down with too much safety kit, although top spec brings blind-spot monitoring. Softly-sprung but surprisingly engaging progress can be made. Body control isn’t bad and even if you work that 1.0-litre triple hard the cabin stays refined. The steering’s not too lightweight, and despite the Jogger’s high sides it’s not too thrown about by gusts of wind either. And with no nannying lane-keeping aids, even as an option, it’s a relaxing steer. TOM WILTSHIRE

First verdict

THE FIRST HOUR 1 minute

Two out-of-shape men attempt to fit into the third row before setting off. We do, with room to spare 15 minutes

A spot of light off-roading proves ground clearance and pluck are more important than AWD 30 minutes

Photo stop. It’s not a pretty car but neither has it been slapped together. We like the Volvo-style vertical tail lights 1 hour

Remember the price and it’s impossible not to be impressed by the Jogger

Disarmingly honest, hugely practical and cheap. A real tonic when the cost of living is soaring and most SUVs are all image ★★★★★

PERFORMANCE

109bhp @ 5000rpm, 148lb ft @ 2900rpm, 11.2sec 0-62mph, 114mph

WEIGHT

1205kg

EFFICIENCY

47.1-49.6mpg, 132g/km CO2

ON SALE

Now

First drives Drives

T O Y O TA B Z 4 X P R O T O T Y P E

Bit of a non-EVent

Toyota’s first electric car is perfectly decent but rather ordinary behind its zany name

▲ PLUS

If the aim is to make an EV feel familiar to non-EV drivers, Toyota has succeeded MINUS ▼

It’s all a bit lukewarm

‘What took so long?’ is the first question that comes to mind when driving Toyota’s first ever purpose-built electric car. And the second must be ‘Why this?’ – that is to say, why is Toyota going out of its way to emphasise the bZ4X has serious off-road ability? Not traditionally an EV selling point, but the pre-production bZ4X we’re driving is admirably filthy from playing in the mud. The answer to the first question is tied up with Toyota’s huge success with hybrids, which it’s in no hurry to abandon; it’s a real USP for the brand. Which leads us to the second question’s answer: it’s pushing the off-road angle to help the late-arriving bZ4X stand out in an increasingly crowded field. It’s no marketing sham, though. We’ve just used the all-wheel-drive bZ4X’s grip control and hillclimb functions to traverse impossibly steep hills, navigate sticky ruts and slink through water. So, yes, it really can go off road. And on tarmac around Barcelona the bZ4X displays road manners too, helped by the low centre of

PRICE

Data

From £48,350 (AWD)

POWERTRAIN

71.4kWh battery, twin e-motors, all-wheel drive

gravity. The batteries are packaged low, and both front and rear motors (in the all-wheel-drive model; there’s also a 201bhp single-motor, frontdrive version) use compact, Prius-derived tech. It means that the weight, while present in heavy braking and higher-speed corners, isn’t evident most of the time. The steering is progressive and predictable and the power delivery encourages you to be smooth with your inputs. Only one battery size (a 71.4kWh lithium-ion unit) is available so far, with the focus on range over performance. The interior feels familiar at best, and boring at worst. Swiping is done on a full HD 12.3inch touchscreen, which is Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatible. Behind the small, button-covered wheel, there are deep-set dials with more than a whiff of VW ID.3 about them. Our main issue? Visibility when entering corners isn’t ideal, because of the intrusive A-pillars. Toyota has taken some trouble to make the transition from hybrid or pure-combustion to electric as easy as possible. Buyers get a package that includes a home charger, and three years’ AA roadside EU and UK support, which may prove to be as big a selling point as its capability. CURTIS MOLDRICH

THE FIRST HOUR 1 minute

Our test car doesn’t have the ‘yoke’ steering wheel made possible by the driveby-wire tech; will be an option soon 4 minutes

Off-roading in an EV? Don’t knock it. Ground clearance isn’t huge, but it copes with some wild angles 44 minutes

On road, that modest ground clearance is a virtue, helping keep the weight low 56 minutes

Quick enough, and a solid all-round effort, but short of sparkle

First verdict Not particularly fun or innovative, but a very considered, very ‘Toyota’, approach, and nothing to deter first-time EV buyers ★★★★★

PERFORMANCE

215bhp, 248lb ft, 6.9sec 0-62mph, 99mph

WEIGHT

2050kg (est)

EFFICIENCY

3.5 miles per kWh (est), 254mile range (est), 0g/km CO2

ON SALE

Summer

When you turn up late all the good names have been taken

APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 45

Opinion

S P O N S O R E D

BY

TO R S I O N A L S TA B I LI T Y + T H E M E R C E D E S S L + B E R LI N G O J OY

This is progress?

Letter of the month

Get the experts in It’s good to see that some car manufacturers have started to lean on actual technology companies to build their in-car infotainment systems, like Volvo and Polestar using Google. I had been wondering why car manufactures haven’t been contracting this out to these companies for years already. It feels like a no-brainer to me. Rather than every individual car company trying to create their own infotainment system, which is inevitably not as good as what we’re used to on our smartphones, why not just let the experts do it and the car manufacturers can stick to what they know? Another option could be slimming down car infotainment altogether. Just give us phone connectivity, a screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto buttons, and let the oftenexpensive and very capable smartphones – that most drivers already have, let’s be honest – do the hard work instead. Dan Hebden

YOUR DREAM CAR AWAITS!

2 GUARANTEED WEEKLY WINNERS

ALL CARS IN THE DREAM CAR COMPETITION NOW COME WITH £50,000!

46 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

I read Georg’s excellent road trip article on the Mercedes SL with particular interest (300 Mile Test, February). We have owned three SLs over the last 30 years: a 1980 280SL, a 1986 380SL, the latter having recently been replaced by a late model R231. These days the older R107 is a usable classic but wind noise from the single-skin soft-top, or buffeting with it down, really makes the car less than comfortable on a long run. This was not a problem because we kept the car in France and only used it for short summer jaunts in the hills of the Correze. But when we sold the house down there in 2019, it coincided with an unfortunate experience with a 911 Targa 4S which, without the UK Porsche Approved warranty, would have been ruinously expensive to maintain. So much so that we sold it before the warranty expired. Both 380SL and the Targa were replaced with one of the last of the metal-roof SLs. We went for the much rarer 500 version which, with 449bhp and a nine-speed gearbox, is significantly faster than one would imagine, even out-accelerating the Targa 4S. Yet this car has a superb ride Surf’s up, roof’s down. The new SL and friends

and is so refined that it can waft along like a ’70s Cadillac or my old 1998 Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph with its silky smooth BMW V12. Compared with the new AMG SL, a fully-loaded 500 like ours has a boot perfectly adequate for a touring holiday and can be bought for around £40,000, and with less than 25,000 miles on the clock, it would be barely run-in. If we needed to, the folding metal top would make this a car you could use as your only means of transport, all year round, without compromise, because it is vandal-proof, warm and there is no wind noise at all. Why would we want to spend nearly three times the money – an extra £75,000 – to buy the new fabric-roofed version when it only gets to 62mph two tenths of a second faster? Christopher H Sheldrake

It’s not a sports car

They’ve ruined it – I knew they would! Deep into my second Mercedes SL (both the outgoing R231 model) I’ve been awaiting the first road test of the brand new version with trepidation. And sure enough, there it is – ‘a car that can, for the first time, challenge the Porsche 911’. Well here’s a newsflash for you,

Mercedes, if I’d wanted a Porsche 911, guess what I’d have bought? I bought the SL precisely because it doesn’t ‘challenge the Porsche 911’! What it does is provide rapid stylish and (relatively) discreet long-distance transportation with immense quiet and comfort. It’s a GT car, not a sports car! Gone is the hardtop roof, a major factor that allows me to leave it for days in hotel or train station car parks without worrying about the temptation a soft-top presents to the local lowlife or the local wildlife (ever tried getting cat hair out of a fabric roof?). The new canvas top weighs 21kg less than the folding hard roof apparently, but I can’t remember ever thinking, ‘What this car really needs is a lighter roof’. Droning low-profile tyres? Oh joy. And the boot, perfect in my car for a pair of flight cases and a couple of coats thrown on top, is half the size. Oddly enough, I also don’t ever recall thinking, ‘If only the boot was half the size!’ The SL’s USP was a perfectly proportioned, surprisingly practical, very quiet and comfortable solid-roof coupe that could convert seamlessly into a proper convertible. And it really was a unique selling point. I can’t think of any other car that does this. Including, it seems, the new SL. What a shame. Nick Burnham

BMW M240i, coming at you with 50 per cent less front-end lift

Well, when you put it like that… I guess this is what happens when you give AMG the keys to the SL cupboard. Can the newcomers the tweaked remit attracts out-number the SL faithful running in the other direction? BM

Don’t mess with success

Just to add to the debate on the new Range Rover… Land Rover has so fundamentally succeeded in defining the look, stance and proportions of the Range Rover (if not the large SUV)

Samey, like a new Porsche 911. Wait, like a Porsche 911? Happy days

through the L322 and L405 models that they need only hone that look for future models. Think Porsche and the 911 from 996 to 992. How Bentley with its butchered Q7, Rolls-Royce with its Black Cab, and Aston its pumped Ford Kuga wish they had the design language that Land Rover can mine. As a driver of an L405 Range Rover, I never cease to marvel at its design purity whenever I see a Bentayga or Cullinan.  Interestingly, despite getting it so right with the Velar, Land Rover managed to get it so wrong with the Discovery 5. At least they are putting that right with the new Defender being the rightful successor to the brilliant old Discovery models (I had one of those as well). I can’t wait to read your first independent road test to see whether Land Rover has successfully upped the handling and performance of the new model to match the fantastic look.  Nick Nicholson Absolutely right, Nick. Porsche’s aesthetic consistency is admirable and commercially successful, so it makes perfect sense that Land Rover has seized the opportunity to do the same with the Range Rover. As you say, the pudding just needs eating now. Should be in the next couple of months (everything permitting…). BM

Where did it all go wrong?

Like Jeremy Hancock (Opinion, January), I always enjoy the Our Cars section of your brilliant magazine I’ve been avidly reading since 1967. Here are some observations from the February 2022 issue, though. Range Rover Velar, £71k: fairly serious electrical failure inside 4300 miles.

Nissan Qashqai, £37k: infotainment system crashes once a week, wireless charging ‘cooks’ your phone and wipers don’t recognise spray. Vauxhall Mokka, £27k: pre-flight checklist required before every trip to disable stop/start and lane-keep assist that doesn’t work properly. Volvo S60 Recharge, £57k: needs you to manually adjust the dampers requiring the rear wheels to be jacked up – you are joking? Someone is having a laugh on a 57-grand car! BMW M4, £87k: at that price I would expect iDrive, gesture control and voice recognition to be near perfect. And so it goes on. Hyundai i20N, £25k: laggy throttle response. Peugeot 508, £55k: something wrong with the (in)convenience of the keyless entry. Mazda MX-30, £32k: door seals squeak as the chassis flexes. (It’s easy enough to slip-coat seals in manufacture.) VW Golf GTI, £42k: laggy infotainment, touch-sensitive buttons too sensitive. Ford Kuga, £40k: EV only works if there is petrol in the tank. Jaguar F-Pace, £53k: software development problem means it throws its belts at 6000 miles. Renault Megane RS, £36k: flawed paddles… So that just leaves the ⊲

Have your say:

@

VIA EMAIL [email protected] VIA TWITTER @CARmagazine VIA FACEBOOK facebook.com/CARmagazine VIA POST CAR, Media House, Lynchwood, Peterborough, PE2 6EA

APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK

47

Opinion Bentley (heroic price so it should all work) and the Dacia Sandero (so low-tech there is nothing to go wrong). It it any wonder so many Dacias are being sold?  When you look at these issues in terms of press cars, which should be as perfect as possible, it really makes you wonder where the industry is going, particularly as EVs are all about electrics and software. Over-the-air software updates are going to be an essential requirement since it is just not possible to get software completely correct at the outset. Andy Broadbent And people say there’s no such thing as a bad car these days. BM

wife’s daily wheels and all-purpose family use (being tired of all the nonsense SUVs we’ve been driving for family duties for last 15 years). I am as delighted as Ben about its practicality, honesty, no-nonsense approach and feelgood factor. I will keep this car for many years, while laughing at every posh SUV I come across. Oh, and did I say it cost me peanuts? Radoslaw Baginski   If there’s very little in the car, there’s very little to go wrong. Less is more!

The time of his life

It was interesting to read in February’s issue BMW head of design Domagoj Dukec stating that he wasn’t deliberately being provocative in the design of the marque’s new wide-mouth grille. While I’m not keen on that, I certainly like his taste in wristwatches – a Heuer Carrera 1153 chronograph if I’m not mistaken, from around the same period in the ’70s as the 635 CSi (E24) which was such an influence on him as a child. Steve Lewis

Torsional what?

I’ve just read Georg’s first First Drive of the BMW M240i in your January 2022 edition. I am bewildered (happens regularly these days) by Georg’s statement: ‘On the credit side… the improved torsional stability… dramatically reduced axle lift (up by 50 per cent)…’ Please explain ‘torsional stability’ and ‘axle lift’, and surely a reduction in whatever axle lift is would cause a 50

Ben has a posh SUV now. But his heart belongs to the Berlingo

per cent reduction rather than increase. By ‘torsional stability’, does Georg mean torsional stiffness? And does this increased torsional stiffness reduce the unwanted chassis deflection that causes wheels to lift (as per the Lotus Cortina)? Bill Pack Right, Bill, let’s have a crack at this. You’re right: we/he meant torsional rigidity, and the missing keyword – ‘stiffness’ – was lost in translation. Every new car comes with an enormous and barely credible increase in torsional rigidity and yes, it’s obviously a good thing: more consistent suspension geometry/ chassis behaviour; better feedback for the driver. Axle lift is obviously a bad thing but you’re right – another outlandish press kit percentage devoid of context. But Georg isn’t wrong, and when you look at the new car it’s undoubtedly a more serious device than the previous car aerodynamically, with a lower nose, deeper splitter and more intricate vents. For most people this all just makes the car look cooler. But for Georg, who travels Germany at the kind of speeds most people experience only in a plane, reduced axle lift is highly desirable. BM

Join the club

In his Goodbye piece on the Citroën Berlingo XL long-term test car (Our Cars, December 2021), Ben Oliver’s only complaints concern the small petrol engine with big appetite. So buy a diesel instead and solve the problem. My car, along similar lines to the Berlingo, is a Toyota Proace City Verso Family Long. It has a 1.5 diesel with auto ’box, goes better than a petrol one and averages 44mpg. I have a BMW 320d for daily business duties and a Mk1 Mazda MX-5 for weekend blasts. I bought the Toyota last year for my 48 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

Other time lines are available

The box ‘Cars that made the SL legend’ got me wondering if this was entirely correct! Perhaps our Georg just didn’t like the R107?! I’m not necessarily a mad keen R107 person, I just like all cars, but every sentence in the box reminding us of the 1971-1989 350SL was derogatory! Which made me laugh. As a dyed-in-the-wool car nut I like to try and put cars in context and in relation to others of their time. The 1971-1989 R107 was an elegantly shaped and straight-line-styled car of its era, and one that was never designed to be a firmly set-up, hardcore, out-and-out sports car for you young die-hard racing drivers! And people miss the point if they think so. Buying punters did not miss this, and bought them in droves for 19 years. The earlier cast-iron V8-engined 350 and 450 versions may have been slightly noseheavy, I don’t know, but still handled well: indeed your esteemed LJK Setright

5

MOST READ STORIES ON CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK

1 Audi and Porsche set to join F1

2 3 4 5

in 2026 BMW i4 review: eDrive 40 and M50 versions driven Mercedes-AMG SL roadster review: California dreamin’ Fiesta and Puma ST vs i20 and Kona N Gordon Murray T.33: screaming V12 supercar arrives

Subscription hotline 01858 438884 or visit greatmagazines.co.uk/car CAR magazine, Media House, Lynchwood, Peterborough PE2 6EA Tel 01733 468000 Email [email protected] or visit us at www.carmagazine.co.uk Display advertising 01733 366312 Classified advertising 01733 366310

EDITORIAL

wrote well of them in the day, and was driven by Erich Waxenberger, chief test engineer and works rally driver, round the banking of the Daimler test track in a 450SL with the tail hanging out. The later 1981-1989 more powerful all-alloy 5.0-litre engine in the 500SL was a comparatively lightweight unit, drank less fuel than the old iron engines and was also a bit of an effortless stealthy road-burner. Although you often hear modern journalists slag them, the 500SL’s handling was quite well balanced with its standard limitedslip differential; and the new four-speed gearbox of 1981 was a real gem. Many think it was a more characterful and charismatic 5.0-litre engine than its 1990 replacement in the R129, which was a paragon of smoothness trying to compete with the new ultra-smooth up-start Lexus LS400 V8 that had just appeared. And although most contemporary cars in the ’70s had ‘plasticky’ interiors (Espadas, Interceptors, early XJS, early Aston V8s, early 928s, et al), later R107s had big wooden centre consoles… So nothing is certain! Keep up the good work. William Ellis

Have they thought this through?

With many electric cars and trucks (Rivian, for example) quoting 0-60mph times well below four seconds, what will the running costs for insurance and tyres be, compared to their combustion-engined equivalents? Horrendous, I imagine. And will drivers’ skills match the performance of cars and trucks that challenge the speed of the current supercars? John Home

BMW’s Domagoj Dukec: knows his watches; likes his cheese on toast hexagonal

News round

I find it strange that such a thorough magazine as yours rarely has any tests on tyres. It would be nice to see a range of different makes and types tested on various different car types. Ratings could be given for comfort, noise levels, handling and so on. I always look for tyres that are quiet and comfortable, but I am forced to believe the manufacture information specifications. Neil Price

INSTANT RE ACTIONS VIA FACEBOOK

GMA T.33

Editor Ben Miller Editor-in-chief Phil McNamara Managing editor Colin Overland Deputy features editor James Taylor Deputy news editor Jake Groves New cars editor Alan Taylor-Jones Digital editorial director Tim Pollard Online editor Curtis Moldrich Art director Mal Bailey Editors-at-large Chris Chilton, Mark Walton, Ben Barry, Ben Pulman Contributor-in-chief Gavin Green European editor Georg Kacher Contributing editors Ben Oliver, Ben Whitworth, Anthony ffrench-Constant, Steve Moody, Sam Smith F1 correspondent Tom Clarkson Office manager Leise Enright Production controller Richard Woolley

ADVERTISING Commercial director Kelly Millis Digital commercial director Jim Burton Key account manager Dan Chapman Account manager Claire Meade-Gore Regional sales

Aside from the mad price, it seems like they really have tried to make it usable. Normal standard type tyres – are you listening, Bugatti? James De Ath At least the headlights are in proportion this time, unlike the gargantuan out-of-proportion ones on his windmill effort. Johann van Rensburg And a manual gearbox!  Klaus Berg GMA has done it again... created another desirable car that is unobtainable. Make 1000 of them and sell them for under £100,000? Gary Sutton

Graham Roby

PUBLISHING

Publisher Rachael Beesley Marketing manager Sarah Norman Direct marketing manager Julie Spires Direct marketing executive Raheema Rahim Editorial director June Smith-Sheppard MD, automotive group Niall Clarkson Chief financial officer Lisa Hayden CEO, Bauer Publishing UK Chris Duncan President, Bauer Global Publishing Rob Munro-Hall

SUBSCRIPTIONS To ensure you don’t miss an issue visit www.greatmagazines.co.uk. To contact us about subscription orders, renewals, missing issues or any other subscription queries, please email [email protected] or call our UK number 01858 438884, or overseas call +44 1858 438884. To manage your account online visit www.greatmagazines.co.uk/solo BACK ISSUES To order call our UK number 01858 438884, or overseas call +44 1858 438884 COMMERCIAL REPRINTS If you require multiple reprints of a feature, tel +44 (0)20 7295 5470 SYNDICATING CAR CONTENT [email protected] PRINTING & DISTRIBUTION © CAR ISSN 0008-5987. Printed in the UK by Walstead. Distributed by Frontline Ltd, Park House, 117 Park Road, Peterborough PE1 2TR, 01733 555161. International distribution by Seymour International Ltd, 86 Newman Street, London W1T 3EX, +44 20 7396 8000. Published 12 times a year by H BAUER PUBLISHING Academic House, 24-28 Oval Road, London NW1 7DT © All material published remains the copyright of H Bauer Publishing. No part of this magazine may be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher. CAR can’t accept responsibility for unsolicited material COMPLAINTS H Bauer Publishing is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (www.ipso.co.uk) and endeavours to respond to and resolve concerns quickly. Our Editorial Complaints Policy (including full details of how to contact us about editorial complaints and IPSO’s contact details) can be found at www.bauermediacomplaints.co.uk. FINANCIAL REGULATION H Bauer Publishing is authorised and regulated by the FCA (ref no 845898). THIS ISSUE ON SALE 9 March 2022 NEXT ISSUE ON SALE 13 April 2022

‘Will electric Ferraris be as exciting as today’s V12s if they sound like a Hotpoint on its spin cycle?’

H

50 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

to continue to use combustion engines, as part of plug-in hybrid power units and running on ‘green’ e-fuel. Hallelujah to that! (I see that Mercury recently released a 7.6-litre 600bhp V12 outboard engine. Is low-mileage supercar driving so very different in carbon emissions from weekend powerboating?) Ferrari did not invent the V12 but made it alluring, and also built the best. The 250 GT Berlinetta SWB and 250 GTO, both 3.0-litre Colombo V12-powered, are two of the most wonderful cars I have driven: their engine is their heart and soul, the perfect complement to exquisite design beauty. The 275 GTB/4 that came soon after used a 3.3-litre version of the same Colombo V12 and is my favourite road Ferrari. These small-capacity V12s rev with more zest and zeal than today’s bigger V12s, which – with their heavier reciprocating masses and their fuel injection (not Weber carburettors) and their anti-pollution plumbing – typically have more power but less character. The magnificent 6.1-litre BMW M-Sport V12 that powers the ’90s McLaren F1 is an exception. That is the finest V12 I’ve driven. I expect the Cosworth V12s in the T.50 and T.33 to be even better. Murray also loves the 3.0- and 3.3-litre Colombo V12s and originally asked Cosworth for a similar capacity. To get the 600bhp-plus output he requested, they insisted that 4.0 litres was the minimum. It’s still easily the smallest-capacity modern V12. I haven’t driven a T.50 yet but test driver and three-times Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti assures me it’s other-worldly. ‘If that’s the full stop to the internal-combustion-engine supercar, it’s a pretty good full stop,’ he says. Former CAR editor Gavin Green is now one of the world’s foremost commentators on automotive matters. Domestic appliances, not so much

Illustration by Peter Strain

ave you driven behind a V12? Or, even better, in front of one? If you haven’t you really should, before they disappear in a fanfare of high-octane glory. There is nothing quite like a V12. No other engine is as smooth or as musical or as high-revving or as exhilarating at big revs and big speed. It’s the ultimate internal combustion engine, and the greatest supercars and sports cars in the world are usually powered by them. It’s also enjoying an unusually balmy Indian summer. Gordon Murray’s T.33 supercar, seen in the last issue, has a new Cosworth-developed V12. It follows Murray’s T.50, also Cosworth V12-powered. The T.50 revs to more than 12,000 and, on the dyno, can rev from idle to redline in 0.3sec. It’s also light, small and beautifully presented. Meanwhile, deliveries of the V12 Aston Martin Valkyrie have begun. Ferrari’s Daytona SP3, a mid-engined V12, will reach 599 lucky customers this year, while the 812 GTS was recently released, V12 snugly housed in its Flavio Manzonidesigned nose. Lamborghini will soon deliver its first Countach LPI 800-4 V12, the follow-up to its V12 Sián, and spiritual successor to the ’70s and ’80s supercar sensation of the same name and similarly spectacular style. Ferrari and Lamborghini promise more V12 supercars, and their respective engineering bosses say their dozen-cylinder engines will be further improved before spoilsport law makers banish them to their internal-combustion crypts. To think that tomorrow’s top Ferraris and Lamborghinis will be powered by an engine that has more in common with a Hoover than with today’s hypercars! The move to EVs is potentially hazardous for Ferrari and Lamborghini, greatest proponents of the V12 art. The V12’s driving and aural drama, and its engineering artistry, are as much a signature of Ferrari and Lamborghini as a blond mop is to Boris or a bicorne hat was to Napoleon. Will new electric Ferraris and Lamborghinis be as exciting as today’s V12s if they sound like a Hotpoint on its spin cycle? We can but pray. I write this column more in elegy than protest. But I’m told, nudge nudge, wink wink, that Maranello and Sant’Agata are having a quiet word with their law-maker pals in Rome to put pressure on the EU (and various governments) to allow small-volume and invariably low-mileage supercars

Ignite your BLUE.

‘Now goldfish can drive we can all conclude that the notion of driving as a skill to be revered is dead’

N

52 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

specifically to goldfish. Sorry, I mean to electric cars. ‘There is increasingly an acknowledgement that you do not necessarily need to learn how to change gears,’ King said. ‘Obviously, it is much harder to learn on a stick shift, because the most difficult thing to gather is clutch control. That takes up the first five lessons.’ Five lessons to learn the clutch. That’s like learning a musical instrument – a real challenge that you have to stick to and practise and you know the reward will only come with time. My daughter is learning how to play the clarinet, for example, and she took ages to get used to the reed, to learn how to produce a clear note. I mean, her playing still sounds dreadful – no, it’s okay, I’m pretty sure she never reads my column in CAR. Seriously though, she’s been at it for months and still can’t string together a tune. It’s awful. But that’s okay, because when you take a long time to learn a new skill then it means something, right? And my god, it really will mean something to the whole household when she finally masters that terrible screeching. But I digress. My point is that the world will be a poorer place when we no longer learn how to fully control a manual car. Today’s 17-year-olds will no doubt congratulate themselves when they all pass their EV driving test after just two lessons, but they don’t know what they’re missing. Driving a classic, air-cooled 911 with the floor-mounted pedals and the difficult gearbox… to do that smoothly and at pace and get all those hand and foot movements to blend together, that’s one of the most fulfilling and satisfying feelings in the world. Goldfish can’t do that! They can only drive paddleshift. Sorry, couldn’t resist. Mark Walton’s been making waves via the pages of CAR since 1998. His fathoms-deep intellect bowls us over each and every month

Illustration by Peter Strain

ow that goldfish can drive cars… Sorry – you want me to hold it right there? Oh yes – goldfish can drive cars now. You didn’t see that story? It’s true. Goldfish can drive cars. Researchers at a university in Israel wanted to find out if fish could navigate around a room as well as a pond. Obviously. So they built a little robotic car with a fish tank on top, which they named the Fish Operated Vehicle or FOV. Then they watched the movements of a goldfish in the tank with a camera, and translated the swimming direction of the fish with a rolling direction of the FOV. Then the fish were given a destination: a pink target in the middle of the room, which released a food pellet every time the fish drove over and parked up next to it. It’s not clear if they had to parallel park or reverse into a bay. Reverse into a bay!! A bay. That’s an aquatic joke. Anyway, apparently after a few days of training, the goldfish got really good at driving and could reach the food pellets from anywhere in the room, learning to drive round obstacles and false targets. The academic paper doesn’t mention racing but I’m sure that went on in the evenings. If you think this whole story is a bit weird I have a bizarre final detail. The Israeli researchers taught six goldfish to drive, and they named them all after characters from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Obviously. Researcher Shachar Givon explained, ‘Mr Darcy and Mr Bingley are the two fish featured in the different videos and were total rock stars.’ Wait – they play musical instruments too? Oh no… sorry… that’s just a common expression. Anyway, now goldfish can park cars I think we can all conclude that the notion of driving as a skill to be revered is well and truly dead. What once took good observation and judgement and mechanical sympathy and sometimes bravery has been dissected and digitised and coded and repackaged as a Microsoft download that any stupid, brainless, goggle-eyed, three-second-memory goldfish can use. And now Edmund King, president of the AA, has come out and said that new drivers shouldn’t even bother learning how to change gear. What’s the point? ‘In the very near future, you will only need to drive an automatic, because all EVs are automatic,’ King said. Following a trial last year and some government consultation, the British School of Motoring (BSM) is now offering driving lessons tailored

SUPERSTORES NATIONWIDE

WHERE QUALITY COSTS LESS • CREATE THE PERFECT FITTED GARAGE / WORKSHOP • HEAVY DUTY, PROFESSIONAL PACKAGES - CHOICE OF 10 • ALL UNITS ALSO AVAILABLE SINGLY FOR CUSTOM BUILD

PACKAGE A

3358INC.VAT

£

.80

Modular design – build your own by adding units as required

Gas struts to hold top cabinet doors open

High quality, stylish, A choice of black and grey stainless steel powder coated finish or wooden worktops

Top quality super smooth ball bearing drawer runners

Lockable floor cabinets

Corner units in stock

PACKAGE C £

.60 2157INC.VAT

PACKAGE E £

.60 1917INC.VAT

PACKAGE D .60 1557INC.VAT

£

OPTIONAL WORKTOPS 38mm Thick 463mm Deep

Wood Stainless Steel

HUGE CHOICE OF TOOL CHESTS/CABINETS

INTERLOCKING PVC FLOOR TILES  Give your garage or workshop the finishing touch!

4 PACK - ONLY £

3 EASY WAYS TO BUY... SUPERSTORES NATIONWIDE

ONLINE www.machinemart.co.uk TELESALES 0115 956 5555

32INC.VAT .39

No adhesive required, easy assembly and removal Tile dims. 450 x 450mm

GET YOUR IN-STORE PHONE 0844 880 1265 ONLINE

31691

Extra Storage

FROM ONLY

286.80 INC.VAT

£ SIZES UP TO 24’ X 12’

PAY Monthly

500

GARAGES/WORKSHOPS

Spread the cost over 12, 18, 24, 36 or 48 months Any mix of products over £300 5 MIN 18.9% APR, APPLICATION! *

TURBO AIR COMPRESSORS OVER

80

MODELS IN THE RANGE TIGER 8/260

131.98 INC.VAT • 7cfm • 2HP • 24 litre

*

E&OE. Terms & conditions apply see machinemart.co.uk/finance for more details

OVER

AT machinemart.co.uk

FERRARI V

E

R

S

U

S

LOTUS Two exceptional new supercars from two exceptional marques. We test the newcomers, the 296 GTB and Emira, and referee the age-old rivalry

❚ FERRARI 250 GTO vs LOTUS EL AN ❚

THE MASTERPIECES

Ferrari and Lotus have so much in common. But at the same time there are so many differences. Each was run by a headstrong, exigent martinet: unique geniuses no one would cross. Enzo Ferrari said: ‘I am not an engineer or a designer, I am an agitator of men.’ Colin Chapman’s paradoxical theory was: ‘Simplify and add lightness.’ The reclusive Ferrari never attended races; Chapman had a well-rehearsed and highly photogenic finish-line routine. (He also believed that if his winning car could manage an additional lap without disintegrating then it had been wastefully over-specified.) And their best cars – the 250 GTO and original Elan – reveal not just respective British and Italian national characteristics, but also the preoccupations of the souls who created them. For Ferrari, engines were all. Seeing the 250 GTO’s V12 short-circuits the intellect and immerses

you in the poetry and drama of metal set to burst into alarming, feral life. Only the dullest person is unmoved by such bravura casting, polishing, plating and crackle-finishing. For Chapman, engines were less important. The Lotus Elan’s neat little twin-cam four was essentially a Ford Anglia unit with a fancy head-dress. Instead, Chapman worshipped not only at the altar of lightness, but also in the chapels devoted to engineering elegance and minimalism. Like all great leaders, Ferrari and Chapman persuaded very talented people to subdue their own egos in the name of a greater cause… their own. Gioacchino Colombo created the GTO’s mythic engine. Sergio Scaglietti bashed (not the right word, but also the truth) the metal that made its body, while Mauro Forghieri realised a concept that had been begun by the recently sacked Giotto

Bizzarrini, a victim of in-house agitation. The GTO is magnificent. But it is also heavy and has a crude live rear axle. The Elan is an exquisite miniature with an eggshell-thin plastic body barely putting any weight on its fabricated backbone chassis. Few cars have ever handled so well. Few cars have been so pretty. And its designer was an eccentric South African called Ron Hickman who had worked on the Ford Anglia and later made his fortune from the design of the Black & Decker Workmate DIY bench. Italian values and British ones? If you ever needed to refute the lazy ‘all cars look the same’ trope, you have the Ferrari and the Lotus. So different, but so much the same: glorious evidence of how, circa 1962, the motor car was one of the very best messengers of the creative spirit. STEPHEN BAYLEY

FERRARI LOTUS V

E

R

S

U

S

❚ FERRARI 296 GTB DRIVEN ❚

MARANELLO RISING

The Roma GT is sublime and the F8 Tributo the benchmark mid-engined supercar. Yet the V6 hybrid 296 GTB raises the bar yet again Words Georg Kacher Photography Jordan Butters

56 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK

57

The first V6 road car to wear Ferrari badges, of course – the Dino never did

Q

uite frankly, the noise gives you the creeps. This engine, an all-new V6 that shares nothing but Maranello’s cutting-edge combustion know-how with any other Ferrari motor, sounds unlike anything else. Imagine, if you can, a jam session in which Luciano Pavarotti, Robert Plant and Adele lay vocals over brutal, skull-thumping techno – composed by Verdi. At idle it’s restless, impatient, eager. And promising. Blip the throttle with the transmission in neutral and the so-called ‘hot tube’ will pump pulses of aural magic into the cabin. From the outside, though, an otherworldly high-frequency treble prevails. Then, as you summon first gear via what is surely the longest shift paddle in Ferrari history, all those peripheral whizzings, rumblings and hissings coalesce into a solid, billowing and at times unnerving high note. What happens next depends largely on the selected drive mode. In Hybrid, the combustion noises may momentarily give way to fully electric near-silence. More surprised than convinced, you tend to then instinctively add a dozen degrees of throttle angle… And then you’re back into the

eye of that raging sonic storm – and a surreal surge of acceleration like the world’s falling into a little black hole of the 296 GTB’s own making. The new engine is ‘only’ a 2992cc six. But shift your thinking. In the old world those were unimpressive numbers. But this is 2022, this a Ferrari internal-combustion engine and in truth this V6 is more vocal, more potent and more extreme than most of the V8s and V12s that have served in Ferrari’s cavalli rampanti. It’s an engine to turn history upside-down – literally. Opening up the bank angle from a generic 90° (Alfa’s Giulia Quadrifoglio V6, for example) to 120° has created the space for a pair of fat IHI turbochargers between the two rows of three cylinders. (History repeating: the F40, arguably Ferrari’s most famous turbocharged road car, also used IHIs.) At the same time the intake plenums have been shifted from their established position on the first floor to the engine’s basement, from which they embrace the block like the claws of a crustacean. In contrast, the exhaust manifolds now ride prominently on top of the engine. From them a pair of pipes descend in two swoops, passing through large catalysts before merging into a single twin-exit tailpipe. Sandwiched between this motive Rubik’s Cube of an engine and the eight-speed, twin-clutch gearbox (don’t hold your breath for a manual – you’ll expire waiting) is the electric motor/generator (MGU-K in F1/Ferrari speak), juiced by a 7.45kWh lithium-ion battery. Time to hit the capacitive starter button, alert the driveline set-up with a quick swipe from Hybrid to Performance and lock the e-manettino in Race – after all, we’re on track first. Race is more involving than Sport, holding gears for longer, shifting down earlier, firming up the suspension, extending the leashes of the various electronic watchdogs and taking an oil stone to the already skin-prickingly sharp throttle response. Monteblanco is a fast circuit surfaced with a mix of slimy fresh blacktop and ancient tyre-eating, grater-type turf. The test cars Ferrari has laid on here are going through Michelin rubber like a family of bears happily emptying a beehive. They’re equipped with the Fiorano pack (your handy guide to lapping Ferrari’s test track is on page 71). It shaves more than 12kg off the kerbweight, includes GT racing-derived adjustable Multimatic dampers optimised for track use and boasts a restyled front spoiler for a 10kg downforce boost. To qualify for the (optional) yellow and silver go-faster livery, the Cup 2 R semi-slick performance tyres and the Lexan rear window, you must buy the go-faster kit. A £25k+ must-have? Let’s find out. ⊲ Shoots for that open-gated shift vibe. Hits a tub marked ‘cheesy’

A prize for any passenger able to reach this on the move…

58 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

THIS V6 IS MORE VOCAL , MORE POTENT AND MORE EXTREME THAN MOST OF THE V8s AND V12s THAT HAVE SERVED – OR ARE SERVING – IN FERRARI’S CAVALLI RAMPANTI

LaFerrari barely scratched the surface of hybridisation. 296 dives deep

APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK

59

eDrive mode is neither slow nor kitten-weak. But this is not eDrive mode

WATCH THE VIDEO!

HEAD TO THE CAR MAGAZINE YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Two (drilled) alloy pedals only. Honestly, a manual just wouldn’t keep up

THREE NUMBERS FLASH UP IN MY MENTAL HEAD -UP DISPLAY: 205 (TOP SPEED), 2 .9 (0 - 62MPH TIME) AND 819 (MA XIMUM POWER) Before leaving the pitlane, three numbers flash up in my mental head-up display: 205+ (top speed), 2.9 (the launch control-assisted 0-62mph time) and 819 (maximum combined power output in bhp). With the e-motor dormant, the V6 alone delivers a barely less impressive 654bhp. As soon as you bring the 165bhp e-motor to bear, the car’s peak output soars to that aforementioned 819bhp and 546lb ft. These numbers are on a par with the most potent machines in Ferrari’s existing line-up, V12 and V8, bar the similarly hybrid (and far more expensive) SF90 Stradale. (The 296 makes more power than the V8 F8 and more torque than the 6.5-litre 812 Competizione and SP3 Daytona.) In terms of raw grunt, there is not the faintest trace of Dino here, just as the all-new V6 has nothing in common with that car’s ancient (if sweet) 2.4-litre unit. Also gone is the old Dino’s wonderfully tactile manual transmission. It’d probably add a full second to the 296 GTB’s acceleration time, which is unacceptable when your focus on scalp-peeling performance is as total as Ferrari’s. In its place sits a dual-clutcher calibrated for a manic and energetic shift action except in auto when you’ve one of the milder drive modes selected, when the drivetrain duly morphs into an eco-friendly tranquiliser. Might as well select eDrive instead and not pollute the planet for 15.5 miles at a maximum speed of 84mph. The guy in the lead car is obviously a pro, so following him through the tricky bits is hard work. But how come the red car is also pulling away from the yellow one on the straight, and at a rate that suggests Giovanni has secretly activated the afterburners? Simple: he’s running in Qualify mode and I am not. At least, not for the first 10 laps. For the hot laps that follow, however, my ego compels me to pull out all the stops. Correction: most of them. Now the torque tsunami and I are free to show off. Dialling in Qualify spits out a ticket to a different world. Suddenly there are traces of high-speed wheelslip fighting the strong lateral grip, my brain must swiftly recalculate brake and turn-in point algorithms, and now seventh gear isn’t enough for the long start-finish straight any more – we’re into top. This before-and-after contrast is particularly evident through second- and third-gear corners. But in truth the momentum and urge feel equally relentless in fourth, fifth and sixth. The 296 GTB roams in a different speed orbit.  Very few owners are likely to put the claimed 7.3sec acceleration time from zero to 124mph (with launch control assistance) to the test. But given half a chance every trackday aficionado worth their salt is bound to enjoy an impromptu 100 to 150mph blast, a random flat-out stint from 70 to 110mph, and a no-holds-barred beam from the pit exit to the first corner. Most sports cars rely on high revs and a set of perfectly-spaced gearbox ratios to perform the act. Less so this Ferrari. Although that compact and light V6 will spin to a shrieking 8500rpm if need be, 6500rpm is all it takes to alert every smartphone in town. In terms of outright thrill, choose between a lower gear and a high-rev tap dance, or a less frenetic yet equally athletic middle-ground tango in the next gear up. Since ample torque abounds at almost any speed, you have options. You’re free to hold that higher gear and describe wider radii should you wish to, diverting from the racing line as you prioritise momentum over hard and loud carving. Whereas some PHEVs fail to discourage occasional in-fighting between the combustion engine and the zero-emissions e-module, the Ferrari ensures a responsive, seamless and progressive interaction. In the 296 there are no regen modes to choose from, no boost button to succumb to, no on-the-fly charge option. Your e-manettino mode – and the car’s vast ⊲

Instrument screen is busy but rendered in crystal clarity

APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK

61

69 years old and flat-out in the 296 – Herr Kacher at work

THIS SPANISH DRIVING HEAVEN IS AN OPEN INVITATION TO DRIVE YOURSELF INTO A TRANCE

Fiorano pack gets you deadly serious Multimatic dampers

78

High-voltage cabling and a V6 in a Ferrari engine bay – just like F1!

brain – govern all of the above. Should the battery run low in the course of a flat-out overnighter on a German autobahn, the system automatically scales down the e-power flow until enough fresh energy has been collected for an encore. Depending on drive mode and revs, kickdown automatically summons that fantastic high-voltage, barely-controlled kinetic explosion. Praise must also be heaped on the by-wire braking system, so often an issue on hybrid performance cars, which blends electric and hydraulic deceleration in a stepless, composed and highly efficient manner. The pedal action feels quite light but it’s absolutely spot-on, the response spontaneous and persistent but never grabby, and the electronic actuation further reduces the already short pedal travel. The effect is an intriguing blend of tenacious stopping power and intuitive, tactile modularity. Still on the track, there are more innovations to be assessed. Like ABS Evo, which strikes a deal with the ESC and traction control to permit momentary rear over-braking while teaming up with the six-axis Chassis Dynamic Sensor to enable late braking deep into a corner, way beyond the turn-in point, yet still with only traces of understeer. At first, this trickery locks horns with bad memories, so you struggle to dare. But when the rear stays put against the odds and the front end bites again and again, it eventually becomes second nature. Best of all, you can unwind the steering lock a car length or two sooner than would otherwise be the case, because power and torque can be laid down that much earlier. Overdo it and the warnings come via a nudge of understeer or a hint of oversteer – so you hold back a bit, let the limit re-establish itself and address the flow with more subtle inputs via steering, throttle and brake. Confidence is as high as nearby Monteblanco, and leads to a final session – on tyres way past their best – in which I hilariously ride a dozen slides and manage a couple of spins, the latter triggered in equal parts by inflated self-esteem and red-hot rubber crumbling from the rears like semi-liquid liquorice. I could park the car on a slope and it would stay put. Again, it’s in the faster, third-gear corners that the new Ferrari really shines. Its prime dynamic strength is its sublime handling balance, in unison with the incredibly subtle performance management and an almost stoic overall composure in the hands of a person looking for the drive – and the drift – of his or her life. It’s the routine ability to brake

extraordinarily late and feed in torque early which puts this car on top of the handling Olympus. This dexterous equilibrium has been achieved in spite of the tail-biased 40.5:59.5 front-to-rear weight distribution. Ferrari is quoting a (less than helpful) dry weight of 1470kg. The new V6 is a claimed 30kg lighter than a classic V8, though of course the battery, inverter and e-motor all add bulk. But where the compact V6 does make a big difference is in its sawn-off length. It’s allowed Ferrari to run a wheelbase 50mm shorter than any previous mid-engined Ferrari berlinetta (2600mm, versus 2640mm for the V6 hybrid McLaren Artura). The short wheelbase boosts agility, helps offset the hybrid weight penalty and gives the 296 its unique dynamic signature. In essence, the cockpit design and the main controls are carried over from the SF90. There are two e-manettinos: a digital one to select the type and mix of propulsion; and its analogue counterpart for dynamic attitude. eDrive is for owners feeling the social-acceptance squeeze, or who like to depart early and arrive late without angering their neighbours. In Hybrid, the choice is yours. Flooring the accelerator summons all men on deck. But a part-throttle idles the combustion engine on Millionaire Avenue, where yelling, rubber-burning, waw-waw first-gear sprints used to turn the prettiest of heads and have the champagne flutes resonating with the noise of mass applause. The 296’s aero profile is focused on increasing downforce at speed. Up front, the arriving air is sent along several different paths. Rectangular apertures next to the headlamp units gather air to cool the brakes. The lower half of the front bumper also snaffles cooling air, while the upper nose channels the flow over the roof and greenhouse, through a slim horizontal spoiler and onto the Kamm tail. The lower nasal intake feeds the under-body ground-effect aero. Stimulated by the aerodynamic teamwork between the sharp-edged rear spoiler and the multi-finned diffuser, the merging whirlwinds create a strong suction-cup effect. On the road at last, we head north from Monteblanco via Valverde del Camino to Rosal de la Frontera. This is Spanish driving heaven at its bluest and most picturesque: no traffic except for a few steely cyclists, no long straights but more corners than the final stages of the Monte Carlo rally. There’s no room to unleash 819bhp, but plenty of opportunity to put the ⊲

❚ FERRARI 296 GTB vs PHYSICS ❚

THE DETAILS 1 HERITAGE There’s nothing nostalgic about the 296’s powertrain – and yet you can’t escape the past. Ferrari’s first V6 was a 65° F1 race engine. First mid-engined V6 was the Targa Floriowinning 246. Like the 296, Ferrari’s first turbocharged F1 car – the 126 CK – tucked its turbos between the cylinder banks of the V6 engine.

2 SPLAY ’EM WIDE Like Woking’s, Maranello’s calculator pointed to a 120° vee angle: easy turbo packaging; a lower centre of gravity; a lighter overall installation; and more direct and efficient intake and exhaust plumbing.

3 UNDER PRESSURE V6 gets a bespoke block and heads, though combustionchamber design is SF90-inspired. Turbos spin to 180,000rpm. Fuel pressure is a giddy 350 bar. Valvetrain is a lightweight fingerfollower set-up.

4 LOTS OF BITS Starting at the engine, the important bits are the twinturbo V6 engine, clutch, electric motor/ generator and then the gearbox. Clutch is between the V6 and the e-motor so that the engine can be de-coupled for electric-only driving.

5 RING OF POWER As with the McLaren Artura, the electric motor is a dual-rotor single-stator axial flux unit that looks nothing like the electric motor in the Scalextric racers or Tamiya buggies of your childhood. Picture instead a ring doughnut – albeit a ring doughnut with more power (165bhp) than your first car.

NO OTHER FERRARI SPORTS CAR, PAST OR PRESENT, CAN MATCH THE 296 GTB FOR DEPTH AND CLARIT Y OF MOTION

Short, wide, low and gutchurningly quick

extraordinary sum of the 296’s parts to the test. This secluded environment is an open invitation to drive yourself into a trance. The road surface is good, the topography presents a five-star blend of borderline and more laid-back moments and the range of driving opportunities varies from the heroic to the insane. That’s what a car like the 296 can do for you: build confidence, establish trust and create a deep sense of connection – not to mention a touch of invincibility. The 296 is stuffed with technology but none of its mechanical or digital components can, in isolation, claim to have changed the game. Because on the open road, even more than on the circuit, what makes a great car special is the mix. Emotion is not generated by a pumping pedal under hard braking, steering that vibrates when a sensor spots that you’ve crossed a white line, or ESC eager to black-flag the interplay between intention and execution. The level of integration here is remarkable, and it’s this that means no other Ferrari, past or present, can match the 296 GTB for depth and clarity of motion. The SF90 is faster but has, in this new V6, found its master in terms of agility and control. The F8 Tributo has a wonderful engine, but a couple more cylinders aren’t enough to challenge the 296’s e-power advantage. Forward motion, Ferrari-style, is sub-divided into several distinct sequences and sensations. The performance characteristics of this power hybrid broadly follow the themes composed for the SF90 – minus a tangible amount of weight, size and complexity. The throttle is a foot-operated razorblade. The proximity of the turbos, the super-short intake ducts and the instant e-torque explosion cut the response time to the blink of an eye. Also contributing to this catapult effect are the time-warp staccato upshifts, the ability to jump gears by keeping the paddle pulled, and the momentary over-torque which blows like a gale-force tail gust. Even extreme lateral forces are masterminded with absolute composure. Up to the limit of adhesion, the weight of the steering is in total harmony with radius, grip and speed. As soon as the nose turns in, the front suspension talks the rear axle through the corner in a stenographic dynamic transcription. And the brakes act as over-riding mediators by integrating driver input, g-force and velocity into a rivetting fusion of belt-stretching stopping power and confidence-inspiring balance. Every driver input yields the desired three-dimensional effect – no fancy electronically-induced exercises, no artificial enhancements, no special effects, no fake claims. Despite this raw dynamic purity there’s a generous margin for driver error – and let’s be honest, driver error is always on the cards in a car that can do 125mph between villages, take 50mph corners at 75mph-plus in the next gear up and brake just before the chevrons on the sign up ahead leave their blue-and-white signature on the windscreen. Oozing power, poise and panache from every pore, this Ferrari challenges 64 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

and satisfies all six senses. Check your nose for a whiff of French rubber, or try the tip of your tongue for a faint taste of Italian brake dust.  But the most memorable moments are the many different voices, melodies and rhythms the berlinetta intones with its unique raspy-to-honeyed sotto voce. At idle the V6 is heavy on the bass, supported by the hiss and clonk of pumps and plumbing. The midrange centres on distinctive arias submerged in a polyphonic background choir. Above 6000rpm, the hoarse wastegates make their collective acoustic points, the turbos whistle a duet and the soaring exhaust volume climaxes in tightly staggered waves. Over the final 2500rpm the high-mech big band, part-throttle wah-wah and liftoff percussionists play a dense, full-volume crescendo that goes straight to the memory chip in your head. And we were worried the V6 would sound tame… This is live hybrid music at its most spine-tingling. The steep asking price, long waiting list and compromised daily-driver appeal will rule out the 296 GTB for most. But the elite minority with sufficient funds and a multi-car garage between their private tennis court and putting green should be forming a disorderly queue right now for this, the finest Ferrari sports car in years. Define finest? Accessible high performance, mind-blowing dynamics and style crammed with real substance. Truly the 296 GTB has it all.

❚ F E R R A R I 2 9 6 G T B v s T H E G R E AT S ❚

THE RECKONING 1

FERRARI F40 Brutal, beautiful turbocharged V8 racerfor-the-road is tartare-raw and utterly bewitching. 

2

FERRARI 296 GTB A V6, yes, but this is no Dino. 296 GTB has hypercar power but it’s friendly and fun as well as ferociously fast.

3

FERRARI 458/488/F8 An epic bloodline that elevated the supercar to new heights. 458 Speciale and 488 Pista are highlights.

4

FERRARI LAFERRARI Mid-engined V12 was Ferrari’s first hybrid. Technically significant and a mesmerising flagship.

5

FERRARI 250 GTO Stomach-flippingly beautiful to look at – and just as divine to drive. A classic now but still captivating.

296 is surreally good. So surreally good it turns lakes orange

FERRARI 296 GTB P R I C E £241,550 P O W E R T R A I N 2992ccc 24v twin-turbo V6 (654bhp), 165bhp e-motor, PHEV, 7.45kWh battery, eight-speed dual-clutch auto, rear-wheel drive P E R F O R M A N C E 819bhp @ 8000rpm, 546lb ft @ 6250rpm, 2.9sec 0-62mph, 205mph+ W E I G H T 1470kg (dry) E F F I C I E N C Y n/a mpg, n/a g/km CO2 O N S A L E Now ★★★★★

APRIL 2022 | SUBSCRIBE TO CAR FOR JUST £4.20 A MONTH! GREATMAGAZINES.CO.UK

65

FERRARI LOTUS V

E

R

S

U

S

❚ FERRARI F355 vs LOTUS ELISE ❚

THE RENAISSANCE CARS

In the new Emira and F8 Tributo, these bloodlines live on

In the mid-’90s both Lotus and Ferrari launched mid-engined cars that revived their fortunes: the Elise (named after Lotus chairman Romano Artioli’s granddaughter) and the F355 (named after the 3.5-litre Dino V8 and new five-valve head). Technically, yes, the F355 was just a heavily revised 348. But it was also a vastly improved car, with adaptive dampers, power steering, more performance and superior handling. It was Ferrari getting its house in order post-Honda NSX-gate. Drive one now and the F355 is a small car with a spacious interior. It feels compact and easy to thread along a narrow B-road. Both brake pedal and throttle are drawn tight, the ride nicely tied down but with plenty of give. Above all, though, it’s the steering that hooks you in, tingling through your palms and

66 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

building trust in the excellent front-end grip because you so clearly feel its ebb and flow. The V8 feels related to the modern stuff but with 375bhp it’s way mellower – still gruff at idle (thank you, flatplane crank) and keen to soar sweetly to a heady 8500rpm. But this is a more measured turn of speed, and arguably easier to appreciate and indulge as a result. What a beautifully balanced package. The Elise’s 118bhp Rover K-series engine can’t hope to sing or accelerate like the Ferrari, but it is weight that defines the little Lotus – at 690kg it carries less than half the Ferrari’s mass. A clever bonded chassis of aluminium extrusions and featherweight fibreglass body are to thank for that. No wonder it’s such a rorty, energetic little thing. The sparse cabin is one of the great examples of minimalist industrial design; the seats

slim but comfortable, the low-slung driving position amping up the modest speed. More than anything, though, this is a sublimely tactile drive, with a taut, direct feel streaming through just about everything. There’s also a zest to how this roadster attacks corners, courtesy of a sweet mid-engined chassis, low centre of gravity and Lotus handling witchcraft. Power isn’t the point here. It’s the buzz of keeping an Elise’s momentum alive, like a skater carving a half-pipe. Elise prices start at around £15k, with most in the low-£20k bracket. F355s typically span £60k-£90k. Both were revelatory new and remain incredibly special now. If you can, you really should. BEN BARRY

This Ferrari F355 is for sale at car-iconics.com

❚ ENZO FERR ARI vs COLIN CHAPMAN ❚

THE FOUNDING FATHERS Ferrari and Chapman both raced cars; Enzo finished second in the Targa Florio for Alfa Romeo; Bernie Ecclestone maintains Chapman was ‘as quick as half the guys who drove for him’. Enzo Ferrari was often called il Commendatore but preferred to be called ingegnere (engineer); Chapman was one of the most ingenious engineers of his generation. Both could inspire their workforce on to great heights; one more impossible deadline, one more tiny gain or major breakthrough. Both were hugely charismatic, in different ways. Chapman was gregarious, charming; Ferrari withdrawn, an enigma in dark glasses. Mr Ferrari really only made road cars to fund his racing; likewise, Chapman tirelessly furthered the cause of Team Lotus, although his restless creativity couldn’t be confined to motorsport alone. Above all, both show how one man’s vision and charisma can cast a shadow long after they’ve gone. Luca di Montezemolo and Sergio Marchionne have made their mark at Ferrari since but Old Man Ferrari’s desk remains frozen in time at Fiorano, a shrine to l’ingegnere. Lotus, in the rollercoaster years of triumph and near-disaster, has surely often wondered, ‘What would Colin do?’ With Geely’s financial might to lean on its future looks assured. But for many of us Lotus will always stand for minimalist, elegant engineering ingenuity. JAMES TAYLOR

Andretti, Chapman and Peterson with The Future/the 79

❚ FERRARI 312 T3 vs LOTUS 79 ❚

THE 1978 RIVALS Poor Ferrari. Poor Mauro Forghieri. The 1978 F1 season was looking like an easy stroll to a couple more titles. After all, Ferrari and its genius engineer spent most of the mid-’70s winning with the very sound 312 series of cars. Niki Lauda secured the drivers’ titles in ’75 and the manufacturers’ crown went to Maranello for three consecutive years ’75 to ’77. Surely ’78 would be more of the same, particularly given the Scuderia could hardly be accused of resting on its laurels. The compact, elegant and potent T3 may have retained the 312 series’ trademark flat-12 engine (on borrowed time as aerodynamics prepared to take a quantum leap) but the car’s monocoque, suspension and bodywork were all new. Then, with the 79, Lotus re-invented the wheel, and every conventional rival – even very good ones like the 312 T3 – were, like cavalry against black powder, made obsolete. The T3 was more powerful than the 79 and a fine car; responsive to set-up work and reliable. But its underbody aerodynamics were rudimentary and its levels of downforce only incrementally better than what had gone before. But building on the 78, the 79 was a car

engineered not around innovative suspension or a monster engine but around the source of its otherworldly speed: a couple of vast venturi tunnels along its entire underside. The narrowat-the-sump DFV V8 engine, the compromised rear suspension – everything else had to fit around the ground-effect aerodynamics that elevated the Lotus (and the sport) onto a new plane. Mario Andretti duly won the title with six wins; his team-mate Ronnie Peterson, who died after an accident in the Italian Grand Prix, was posthumously awarded second place. BEN MILLER

A great car, pitched against a revolution

APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK

67

FERRARI LOTUS V

E

R

S

U

S

❚ FERRARI vs LOTUS vs TEAM CAR ❚

WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON? BEN BARRY

MARK WALTON

CHRIS CHILTON

PHIL McNAMARA

Which made an impression on you first?

Lotus: Sunbeams in forests, JPS liveries, an Esprit underwater. Blurry early-years memories

Lotus: within a few months of becoming a car journalist, I persuaded Lotus to lend me an Esprit to drive from Hethel to Monaco. I was 25…

Lotus: listening to Dad explain precisely why an Elan Sprint was so special (and then why we had a Mk3 Escort instead…)

In the battle of the small screen, Lotus: The Spy Who Loved Me Esprit captured my imagination while Ferrari failed to capture an F1 drivers’ championship

Ferrari in three words

Power, balance, staring

Manual gear change

Always racing forward

Mind-blowing drives

Lotus in three words

Lightweight touchyfeely underdogs

Delicate cat paws 

Things happening, finally

Mind-blowing steering feel

Best and worst Ferrari moments

Driving a 458 from Maranello to Goodwood via the Alps. Summertime, epic roads and views, time on our side. Worst was snagging the bumper on a 458 Speciale Aperta

Flat-out in a 458 Speciale across a Welsh moorland with that naturally-aspirated V8 raging right behind my head. The low was sleeping through my alarm on a posh Ferrari launch and sprinting down to the hotel lobby with my fly undone

Riding shotgun with Markku ‘Maximum Attack’ Alén in Ferrari’s first all-wheel-drive car (the FF) in snowy Swedish woodland. Less glorious was sticking a LaFerrari in the gravel at Fiorano. They still rib me about it eight years on

Flying cross-country in an F12 (left), pulling off effortless overtakes and wondering how this front-engined V12 could feel so mid-engined. A turnaround after my Ferrari lowpoint: letting fuel get so low it forced limp-home mode – and a technician call-out

Best and worst Lotus moment

An S1 Exige on track, 2001. I was wet behind ears; it felt raw, alive, noisy, fierce. Less glorious was brain fade on meeting Matt Becker – I was aware of his dad’s importance at Lotus, but couldn’t remember his name

My first ever trackday in an Elise – the way you could adjust the angle with the throttle was a total revelation. The flipside? Visiting the factory and smelling the glue

Grabbing the keys to an Exige Mk1 for a weekend… And grabbing some Ibuprofen five minutes later for the back ache

Leaving Hethel after my first interview with boss Matt Windle, finally believing Lotus will reach its potential. Less glorious was hearing ‘white car in the barrier’ over the radio on a sports car test, ending the Evora’s participation

Which SUV and why: Ferrari’s Purosangue or the electric Lotus Type 132?

The Ferrari. FF laid the groundwork. Heavyweight lux an easier stretch for Maranello

The Ferrari: it’s going to be the SUV of the gods

The Ferrari. I’m in no rush to freeze out ICE

The Lotus. It’s electric-only, which feels like the responsible future for SUVs

One car from either marque, yours to keep

458: arguably peak mid-engined Ferrari, wrapped in happy memories. And for the same money as a new 911 GT3

458 Speciale

458 Aperta: only gets more Speciale with each passing step towards an autonomous EV end game

Essex Turbo Esprit. No, Ferrari 458 Italia. Hang on, Esprit. 458. Final answer? Oooooooooooh – it’s got to be a 458

68 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

Ferrari’s SP3 Daytona is LaFerrari-based. So very V12

❚ FERRARI vs LOTUS: THE REBOOTS ❚

PAST MASTERS Aston Martin brought back the DB4 and DB5. Jaguar resurrected the C-, D- and E-Types. Bentley’s building brand new Blowers. Might Ferrari build a line of 250 GTO or Dino continuations? Not a chance. ‘It is fine to draw inspiration from the past but we cannot produce a restomod; this is low-level,’ design boss Flavio Manzoni told CAR at the reveal of the third Icona project, the Daytona SP3. Former CTO Michael Leiters echoed his sentiments: ‘This is a pure car but it is not nostalgic.’ And so the Icona series (for ‘icon’, and introduced with the ’50s-inspired SP1 and SP2 barchettas of 2018) is the closest Ferrari will get to plundering its surely peerless back catalogue. They’re new cars with heritage-inspired but not retro design, built in low volumes and with a design-first remit, giving Manzoni’s team

LOTUS RUNNING GEAR AND DEVELOPMENT WORK BY JENSON BUTTON, NO LESS greater freedom than is possible on mainstream Ferraris, which must prioritise high-performance packaging and supreme aero over sculpture. The new Advanced Performance division over at Lotus has a broad remit. It’ll run from customer experiences and personalisation options on regular Lotus production cars right up to halo

projects – ‘ultra-exclusive and unique vehicles’. Ferrari has been known to do the same, where clients have the required imagination and war chest. Maranello built 10 examples of the F40-inspired, 458-based J50 for the Japanese market, while the heart-rendingly beautiful GT3-based P80/C was a true one-off. The closest thing to a Lotus Icona is the independent (but Lotus-blessed) Radford Type 62-2 (left): modern Lotus running gear; set-up and development work by Jenson Button, no less. JAMES TAYLOR

❚ FERRARI vs LOTUS: THE KEY MEN ❚

RIVALS (AND KINDRED SPIRITS)

THE BOSSES Ferrari’s Benedetto Vigna and Matt Windle at Lotus Vigna has only led Ferrari for six months. The physicist joined from European semiconductor giant STMicroelectronics, where his pioneering work included the tiny motion sensor in Nintendo’s Wii controller. Windle’s worked as an engineer on myriad sports-car projects. He also did the body on the first Tesla, the Roadster. Both must now display the vision to shepherd their firms out of combustion and into the electric age.

THE DESIGNERS Ferrari’s Flavio Manzoni and Russell Carr at Lotus Manzoni has little left to prove. He doesn’t just design each new Ferrari – he designed the system that designs each new Ferrari. The old way (Maranello did the oily bits, then asked a design house to put a nice frock on it) was at odds with Ferrari’s ambitions. Carr, in the role since 2014, is finally getting the chance to show what he can do. He has a superfan in Geely main man Li Shufu, and it’s easy to see why.

THE DEVELOPMENT DRIVERS Ferrari’s Rafaele di Simone and Gavan Kershaw at Lotus Gavan Kershaw and Raffaele di Simone at Ferrari are contrasting characters with much in common: both are incredibly relaxed behind the wheel, achieving remarkable speed with economy of movement; both have supernatural car control (and a stellar record in GT racing) but aren’t prone to showing off; and both have an analytical mind, dealing in granular detail with the work required to make a good car great. APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK

69

Jim Clark, smiling the smile of a man nobody can catch

FERRARI LOTUS V

E

R

S

U

S

❚ JIM CLARK vs GILLES VILLENEUVE ❚

THE LOST HEROES Two marques famous for two things: creating great driver’s cars, and being the most illustrious teams in F1 history. So it’s apposite that their most fêted drivers are two of the most supernaturally talented to have ever graced a racing car. And heartbreaking that both were fated to lose their lives at the height of their powers, at 32 years old. A decade apart, Jim Clark and Gilles Villeneuve’s styles could not have been more different. Clark in a Lotus was super-smooth, capable of shattering a lap record while looking like he was barely trying, and could nurse a poorly car over the line with horse-whisperer mechanical sympathy. Villeneuve, saddled with cars which were not the Scuderia’s best against ground-effect missiles from Williams and Brabham, was rarely pointing in a straight line, with bravery and car control beyond mortal levels. Both enthralled crowds just the same. And their team leaders, too. Clark and Colin Chapman shared a close friendship;

VILLENEUVE COMMANDED BRAVERY AND CAR CONTROL BEYOND MORTAL LEVELS kinship, almost. Enzo Ferrari fondly christened Villeneuve his ‘prince of destruction’ in light of the ceaseless damage he did to his Grand Prix cars. He didn’t mind because he was trying, pushing harder than anyone else. Both lost their lives in tragic circumstances. Clark was due to race Ford’s F3L sports car but instead honoured a commitment to compete in an F2 race at Hockenheim. His car left the barrier-less forest circuit at speed for reasons still unknown,

widely thought to have been a puncture. Driver error was unthinkable. Villeneuve, incensed by his team-mate ignoring team orders to overtake him at the gasp to win the previous race, was going for pole on a fully lit qualifying lap when he came across a backmarker on a slow-down lap; they went to move aside just as Villeneuve committed to passing them. Clark and Villeneuve were already assured immortal legacies. The great unknown is what further heights they might have scaled. JAMES TAYLOR

❚ F E R R A R I v s LOT U S: T H E T E M P TAT I O N ❚

THE USED BUYS

FERRARI 456 The front-engined V12 can now be bought for circa £50k… Just go in with your eyes open on running costs. 70 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

LOTUS EXIGE (S3) Six-cylinder speed and involvement for the price of a new four-cylinder Cayman. £45k buys a nice one.

FERRARI 458 ITALIA The greatest mid-engined V8 Ferrari of all time? Probably. Values are already on the up – you’ll need £120k-£150k.

LOTUS ESPRIT Giugiaro wedge lasted until the late ’80s. But post-’88 cars, particularly the S4, are a better bet for ownership.

❚ FIORANO vs HETHEL ❚

THE TEST TRACKS BEN BARRY

6. TRY HARDER

FIORANO

1. BIG ON HISTORY First time I lapped Fiorano (2007, 430 Scuderia) I screeched round the final horseshoe left, pitted, and was immediately bundled into a black Lancia and into Amedeo Felisa’s office (CAR had scooped the McLaren 12C, and Ferrari’s general manager wanted a chat, not fingernails). But there’s always weight to lapping this place: Enzo’s old house overlooks it, and greats from Scheckter to Schumacher have all thrashed F1 cars here.

C

My most memorable lap was next to test driver Raffaele de Simone in a LaFerrari. He recorded a 1min 19.7sec in that car solo – incredible to think Schumacher lapped his 2004 F1 car almost 24 seconds faster…

B

A

2. FIAT FUNDED

3. STILL ENZO’S

Ferrari once tested at Modena Autodrome. But, flush with cash following the Fiat deal, Enzo built Fiorano on farmland a short drive from Maranello. It opened in 1972. Both race and road cars have been stress-tested here.

While there have been tweaks, Fiorano’s fundamentals remain Enzo-spec. At 1.88 miles long and with a mix of left- and right-hand corners, cambers and radii, its curves replicate some of ’70s F1’s most challenging corners.

5. KITTY LITTER

The tight left-hand hairpin is La Rascasse (C) without Monaco’s glitz. Most challenging of all is the fast but tightening left near the end of the lap (A) – so easy to find yourself too early on the steering and too hard on the brakes, helplessly sliding gravel-bound (I haven’t done it yet…).

4. ME TARZAN

The horseshoe left (A) at the end of the lap mimics Zandvoort’s Tarzan in reverse, while a little crest at the bridge (B) makes revs spike as rear tyres lose purchase, mirroring the old Brünnchen crest at the Nürburgring.

5. ROCKIN’ LIKE JOCHEN

Soon you’re braking at the other end of the boomerang (Rindt, E), then flat-out down the return straight for a throttle-balanced rightleft finishing flourish (F).

HETHEL

D 1. EX-USAF

Hethel’s so close to where Lotus builds its cars you might sniff glue on the breeze. Its origins pre-date Lotus’s 1966 arrival, back to the US Air Force in WW2. For years it appeared they’d bombed Hethel too, so pock-marked was the surface (partly responsible for Lotus’s class-leading ride). But ex-boss Dany Bahar Maranello-fied it in 2011, and really the smoother asphalt and slicker look are his legacy (that and the Exige S I once had a ball driving round the place).

A B C

F 2. THERE’S JOHNNY

2.2 miles long and flat, Hethel is mostly flowing but with big stops either end, all linked by corners predominantly named for Lotus F1 drivers (the design team could once watch Herbert and Häkkinen lapping from their portacabin).

4. WINDSOCK!

Andretti (C) is a tight right (plenty of room, remember to drift for the cameraman), then you build speed into the flat-out Senna flicks that feed into heartin-mouth Windsock (D) – incredibly fast, unforgiving on the exit but crucial for the long straight that follows.

3. FUN TIMES

Crossing the start-finish line (A), you tumble into a series of not flat-out flicks (B) that put the spotlight on a car’s adjustability and stability off-throttle, as well as its composure over kerbs.

E

FERRARI LOTUS V

E

R

S

U

S

❚ LOTUS EMIRA PROTOT YPE DRIVEN ❚

WHAT A WAY TO GO

The Emira is the last ever petrol Lotus. Is it also the greatest? Words James Taylor Photography Jordan Butters

think Gavan Kershaw might be a couple of baguettes short of a luncheon. We’re about five minutes into my first drive in the Emira, tiptoeing through the second-gear hairpin at the far end of Hethel’s test track, when Lotus’s director of attributes pipes up from the passenger seat: ‘Give the steering a flick and put your foot flat to the floor.’ Really? Okay then. There’s no drama: the V6’s torque delivery is stymied to just the right degree as the stability control system instantaneously works out the car’s attitude and how much grip is available. Then, as I unwind the steering on the corner’s exit (next to an entirely unforgiving armco barrier) it smoothly increases the torque as the lock comes off. The V6’s delicious note crescendos in time with the steering’s release, like turning the volume control on an expensive stereo. ‘It behaves the same way on ice,’ Kershaw smiles. ‘The traction control learns the surface as you drive.’ The madness continues. ‘Get the speed up to about 120mph, relax your grip on the wheel, then stand on the brakes as hard as you can.’ Okay then. The Emira stops so swiftly I’m pretty sure my eyes are out on stalks, like a Warner Bros cartoon character. But the steering wheel doesn’t budge. There’s not a hint of weave or movement. ‘It behaves the same if it’s pouring with rain, too,’ Kershaw smiles. And with that, he leaves us to it for the rest of the day. Just us, 74 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

PPW number plate is a nod to Bond’s Esprit

THE EMIRA’S LIMITS ARE ALMOST UNASSAILABLY HIGH YET IT DOESN’T FEEL NUMB OR UNINVOLVING, THE WAY MOST INTENSELY GRIPPY CARS DO

A prototype, hence the red button mushrooms

an empty test track and Lotus’s last ever combustion-engined sports car. This is not the finished Emira. This is a validation prototype, destined for a life testing ADAS (advanced driver-assistance systems), at work alongside other prototypes fine-tuning various other systems (or being flung into walls for crash-test ratings). Final tooling prototypes are heading down the production line now ahead of pre-production vehicles and, finally, customer cars, which will be ready for first deliveries in June. Kershaw describes this particular car as ‘about 80 per cent’ representative of the production-spec Emira. It’s only recently been built; barely run-in. Chassis tune and steering feel aren’t production-spec. But the fact that Lotus is happy to leave us alone with the car demonstrates the faith the company has in the Emira. We’re told that the interior quality isn’t representative of customer cars; the plastics are first pressings, the finish isn’t final. But it already feels pretty good to me. Getting in, it’s simplicity itself to duck your head and shoulder under the arcing roofline and drop your torso into the seat. The trickier thing, if you have long legs, is not putting a footprint on the junction between the dash and the sill as you lift your right foot in. But it’s easier than the Evora, the car the Emira indirectly replaces. ⊲

❚ LOTUS EMIRA vs PHYSICS ❚

THE DETAILS 1 POROUS AERO Like the Evija hypercar, the Emira’s shape is layered with aero channels yet also hangs together as one neat entity. No big wings – it gets its Evora-beating downforce from through-body ducting and an underbody diffuser. It can display downforce in kilos on the digital instrument panel.

2 ELBOWS OUT Wider tracks than the Evora were first on Kershaw and his team’s wish list at the drawing-board stage. The Emira is broader but doesn’t feel intimidatingly wide or unwieldy. To walk around, it’s still alluringly compact. Dainty, even.

3 20:20 VISION The side glass wraps around beyond the seats, helping allround visibility. Of the mirrors, Kershaw says: ‘We spent months driving, measuring glass size, calculating angles.’

4

5

STOP!!!! Braking performance was an absolute priority, with zero ‘jump-in’ dead zone on the brake pedal. Despite servo assistance, there’s no numbness, just progressive feel.

FLOWING RIDE Hard to judge on a smooth test track, but leaving the circuit you can feel the exact shape of the bumps and surface joins you’re running over, yet low-speed ride feels supple, smooth. Kershaw: ‘It’ll still breathe with the road’ – a Lotus hallmark. No active dampers or electric anti-roll bars – just smart tuning.

APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK

75

You sit low, although not quite as low as I’d like on this car’s plump seat squab, the design of which is still being finalised – in fact, this prototype has different left and right seats as Lotus mulls iterations. It will get lower for production. Ahead are two digital screens: one for the instrument panel, which chameleons between displays in the three driving modes (Tour, Sport and Track); and a touchscreen in the centre of the dash. The latter isn’t fully up and running here, although you can hook your phone up to the standard-fit Apple CarPlay. Lotus has taken care to avoid putting all controls on the touchscreen, splitting functions between physical and touch controls (including, happily, air-con and audio controls you can work without taking your eyes off the road/track). Graphics on both screens are clean, minimal, modern: very Lotus. A handily deep storage fissure is built into the centre console under the armrest, and there’s space for a smartphone ahead of the gearlever (or you can pop it into the dogbone-shaped cupholders). Since there’s no 2+2 option for the Emira, unlike the Evora, there’s a useful amount of space behind the seats to squash luggage into, as well as a reasonable rear boot. (Crucial since, due to the cab-forward design and aero, cooling and crash structure demands up front, there’s no front boot.) If the interior all sounds rather grown-up, it is. It’s less striking than the all-aluminium environs of an Elise – less of a sports-car cockpit, more of a coupe cabin – but that’s not a problem. If it’s a touch less evocative than an Elise, it’s about 500 per cent more practical and I’d much rather face a long journey in an Emira than an Evora. Or an Alpine, for that matter. Most importantly, there’s no doubting the Emira is a sports car in the way it drives. Heavy-ish clutch to the floor, aluminium gearlever into first. This is the manual version of the supercharged V6; the inline-four AMG turbo option is still in development, with prototypes in-build currently, and will be auto only. (An auto option will also be available for the V6.) The manual’s the same ’box seen in Evora and Exige, and it’s still one you must be patient with. A transverse gearbox rated for 325lb ft of torque, it’s a necessarily heavy-duty transmission which doesn’t like to be hurried. But the satisfaction of getting a shift right – up or down – is immense. As is the satisfaction of driving the Emira in general. Direction changes? Instantaneous; there’s roll, but like the best sports cars it’s always controlled and the movement helps you feel what’s going on. It’s an aid to getting your bearings rather than an impediment. Steering? Still hydraulically assisted. This might be an ADAS prototype, to test systems such as lane-departure warning and blind-spot information, but the Emira won’t include self-steering lane-keeping. When a car steers this well, you want to have it all to yourself. Steering feel is as subjective a topic as they come, but to me this car’s doesn’t feel quite as communicative as an Evora’s. Regardless, it’s still lovely, and beautifully linear. Looking ahead, the low nose disappears immediately into thin air, leaving the twin humps of the front wheelarches in your vision. Their high point is directly over the front tyres’ centre lines. No excuse for missing an apex. The Emira builds speed quickly, effortlessly. Even if you leave it in third for the hairpins, you’re quickly travelling at three-figure speeds down the following straight. But it’s the way it loses speed that impresses: instant, stable, confidence-inspiring braking power. This Emira is in the softer Tour suspension spec – a hardier Sport option will also be available – and on the standard Goodyear tyres (with a bespoke compound) rather than the optional track-spec Michelin Cup 2s (ditto). Nevertheless, it can corner at 1.2g on the Goodyears. Its limits are almost unassailably high, yet you always feel in touch with what’s going on – it doesn’t feel numb or uninvolving the way some intensely grippy cars do. Kershaw returns to take Emira VP-007 back into his keeping. Did he feel pressure, knowing this is the last petrol Lotus? ‘Honestly no, not really. Determining the spec was important; the rest followed from there. We’re known for dynamics but we’ve really paid attention to the interior and the ergonomics here. I think it’ll surprise those who know our brand while also attracting people coming to Lotus from other cars.’ They’re in for a treat. 76 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

Hard to miss an apex in an Emira, even if we tried

Gearlever a hand-span from the wheel

❚ LOT U S E M I R A v s T H E G R E AT S ❚

THE RECKONING 1

LOTUS ELAN Still a benchmark for handling and just-right proportions. Backbone chassis much-copied.

2

LOTUS ELISE Driver appeal and smartypants chassis design saved the company. As great to drive today as it was in 1996.

3

LOTUS EMIRA Yep, it’s that good. Wantone appeal and masterful dynamics, now with genuine usability. A truly great car.

4

LOTUS ELITE Inventive composite construction with racewinning performance. And just gorgeous.

5

LOTUS ESPRIT GT3 Esprit brought the world a design icon, if not riches to Lotus. GT3 version of 1997’99 the driver’s choice.

WE’RE LEFT ALONE FOR THE DAY. JUST US, AN EMPT Y TEST TRACK AND THE LAST EVER PETROL LOTUS

LOTUS EMIRA P R I C E £76,000 (First Edition); base models from £60k (est) P O W E R T R A I N 3456cc 24v supercharged V6, six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive P E R F O R M A N C E 400bhp @ 6800rpm, 310lb ft @ 2700rpm, 4.4sec 0-62mph (est), 180mph (est) W E I G H T 1455kg E F F I C I E N C Y 30mpg, 245g/km CO2 (both est) O N S A L E Now (first deliveries June 2022)

★★★★★

It had to be a V12, didn’t it?

78 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

FERRARI LOTUS V

E

R

S

U

S

❚ FERRARI vs LOTUS: THE BUSINESSES ❚

BOOM, NEAR-BUST & BAHAR Until now, the only reason we’ve continued to compare Lotus and Ferrari is that Lotus has stubbornly, steadfastly refused to die. Sure, the two car makers’ origins were similar. Both had talismanic founders who used stellar results in Formula 1 to sell ranges of quick, pretty, innovative and desirable sports cars. But their paths diverged long ago. Ferrari still races in F1 and is now a public company worth £32 billion. Lotus has bumped along for decades making sports cars with incandescent handling, but sales that have stuttered between niche and negligible. When almost every other viable British brand was snapped up by the Germans or Americans in the ’80s and ’90s, Lotus remained resolutely unbought. Its 1996-2017 Malaysian owners were unable to give it access to the economies of scale which transformed those other marques, and unable or unwilling to give it the investment required to get volumes to five figures – and stability. Instead, volumes of between a few hundred and a few thousand cars a year require it to operate like a big company but without the turnover to support it: a death zone which former CEO Mike Kimberley told me has almost cost Lotus its life on at least five occasions. Dany Bahar’s staggeringly ambitious but ill-received 2010 plan to transform Lotus’s volumes with five new models was, in hindsight, not ambitious enough. There was a four-door Rapide rival in the mix but they were all still sports cars, and Lotus was never going to break out of its dismal cycle by building the same kinds of cars. It needed a car people actually want to buy: an SUV. It needed funding: the group of which Lotus and Proton were part only planned to put up £100m of the £810m Bahar aimed to spend. And maybe Lotus also needed the ground to shift so radically under its feet that the atavistic notion that Lotus could or should only make lightweight sports cars would finally be abandoned. It has not all been plain sailing for Ferrari either. There were times in the ’70s when Enzo couldn’t afford the heating oil for the factory. But it stayed in Formula 1; at times it has been

Formula 1. And that sense of being permanently at a pinnacle rather than in a crisis suffuses everything else it does. But its success isn’t purely down to the reflected glory of the race team. The roots of Ferrari’s modern success probably lie most significantly with Luca di Montezemolo’s insistence that the replacement for the 348 – an example of which he bought for himself, and hated – be less crap. The F355 which resulted and its mid-engined and (until now) eight-cylinder successors have become the engines of Ferrari’s profits (Ferrari’s combined V8 sales were up 34.6 per cent in 2021). They are great cars, and Ferrari’s colossal brand power makes for aggressive pricing. And its pitch-perfect sales and marketing operation – led for a while by one Dany Bahar – has kept volumes and pricing moving

FERR ARI ISN’T ABOUT TO GO BUST. BUT NEITHER WILL LOTUS, NOW. AND THE GAP IN THESE OLD FRENEMIES’ FORTUNES MIGHT NEVER BE AS GREAT AGAIN

upwards without ever impacting desirability or demand. Rock-solid residuals mean most mid-engined Ferrari customers will buy a new one just as soon as Maranello can build it. The front-engined V8s and V12s have not all been as successful, but it hasn’t mattered. Since its IPO in 2015 Ferrari’s share price has defied any kind of financial logic. You can well understand why Lotus is considering its own IPO. We’re not suggesting that these two ’60s rivals will be once again, but circumstances might be shifting a little more in Lotus’s favour than Ferrari’s. With Li Shufu’s Geely group taking a majority stake in 2017, Lotus now gets the SUV it needs and enjoys the shelter and opportunities of a group which includes Volvo and, through cross-shareholdings, MercedesBenz. It has committed to an all-electric future, and that future arguably suits Lotus a little better than Ferrari, which has always been more dependent on the appeal of its engines. Ferrari’s first EV won’t arrive until 2025, three years after this year’s Lotus Type 132 – and it will be developed alone. Ferrari isn’t about to go bust. But neither will Lotus, now. And the gap in these old frenemies’ fortunes might never be as great again. BEN OLIVER

Hethel’s manufacturing facilities are now transformed

APRIL 2022 | SUBSCRIBE TO CAR FOR JUST £4.20 A MONTH! GREATMAGAZINES.CO.UK

79

Subscribe to for just £4.20 a month NEVER MISS AN ISSUE! FREE DELIVERY! SAVE ON SHOP PRICES!

VISIT WWW.GREATMAGAZINES.CO.UK/CAR FOR DETAILS OF THIS AND OTHER GREAT SUBSCRIPTION OFFERS SUBSCRIBE ONLINE OR BY PHONE QUOTING FHAA CALL 01858 438884 OVERSEAS READERS CALL +44 1858 438828

Digital only £3.60 a month when you pay by Direct Debit, or 12 issues for a one-off payment of £46 by credit/debit card or PayPal

Print only £4.20 a month when you pay by Direct Debit, or 12 issues for a one-off payment of £54 by credit/debit card or PayPal

Print & digital *Terms & conditions: Subscriptions will start with the next available issue. The minimum term is 12 issues. Direct Debit payments will continue to be taken at the offer price above unless you tell us otherwise and you will not receive a renewal reminder. This offer closes 12th April 2022. This offer cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Cost from landlines for 01 numbers per minute are (approximately) 2p to 10p. Cost from mobiles per minute (approximately) 10p to 40p. Costs vary depending on the geographical location in the UK. You may get free calls to some numbers as part of your call package – please check with your phone provider. Order lines open 8am-9pm Monday-Friday, 8am-4pm Saturday. UK orders only. Overseas? Please phone +44 1858 438828 for further details. Calls may be monitored or recorded for training purposes. For full terms and conditions please visit: www.greatmagazines.co.uk/offer-terms-and-conditions

£5 a month when you pay by Direct Debit, or 12 issues for a one-off payment of £64 by credit/debit card or PayPal

ALL ABOARD! The long-awaited reincarnation of the classic Microbus could – finally – be the electric VW we can really get behind Words Georg Kacher & CJ Hubbard

82 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

VW ID. Buzz prototype drive

APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK

83

VW ID. Buzz prototype drive

Y

ou wait years for a battery-electric reincarnation of the VW Transporter – aka the Kombi, the Bulli, the Microbus – and two come along at once. Passenger and commercial versions of the ID. Buzz both go into production in the first half of 2022 ahead of arriving in UK dealerships in October. And the pre-production version we’ve driven gives every reason to think they could both be a big success. In some ways, the ID. Buzz is very close to the 1950 original: rear engine, rear-wheel drive, low centre of gravity, front seats close to the windscreen, sliding side doors. In others, utterly different: the motor is electric, many functions are controlled via touchscreen or vocal command, and it weighs around 2.5 tonnes. Oh, and it produces the equivalent of 201bhp – making it just slightly more sprightly away from the lights. Or anywhere, really. The five-seat passenger version is called ID. Buzz. The van, ID. Buzz Cargo, has a row of three seats up front, with a steel partition separating occupants from the loadbay and slightly less premium materials in the cab. Both share the same squat proportions and promise

84 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

It’s a handsome thing, no doubt. A swirly wrap can’t hide that

retro visuals once the trippy wraps come off. A longer-wheelbase version will soon follow, making a seven-seater a probability; an ID. Buzz California electric camper has been confirmed; and senior officials have quietly given us the nod that twin-motor all-wheel-drive variants are in the pipeline, perhaps bearing the GTX performance label. Mechanically, the ID. Buzz is part of VW’s MEB family, together with the ID.3, ID.4 and ID.5. It has a longer wheelbase, at 2988mm, which is close to the current Transporter T6.1 van, but the EV’s overhangs are much shorter, giving a

ID. series has underwhelmed to date

strong visual link to classic VW T1 and T2 vans. They also mean the Buzz can fit into smaller parking spaces. At 4712mm, it’s shorter than a Touareg, while the 1937mm height (1938mm for the Cargo, nitpickers) makes it lower still than the VW Multivan, which is in turn chopped compared with the Transporter. All in the name of making car-park height restrictors less of a wince-inducing exercise, though note that at 1985mm across excluding the mirrors, the Buzz is wider than both its VW van mates. Despite the roofline, passenger space inside the MPV is just as generous thanks to the improved EV packaging, while luggage space with all five seats upright is a handy 1121 litres. Mondo practicality, dudes. In the Cargo, there’s 3.9 cubic metres of load volume and enough floor space to be able to accommodate two standard Euro pallets. That’s quite a bit less space than the 5.8 cubic metres minimum the Transporter T6.1 offers – only just more than a Caddy Cargo, in fact – and the mooted (unofficial at this stage) 585kg maximum payload suggests builders may be forced to turn elsewhere. What price style, eh? For of course it’s the looks of the ID. Buzz that will get people’s attention. But surely that attention will only be turned into sales if its styling flair is matched by a decent driving experience and effortless ease of use. ⊲

62 YEARS OLD AND STILL TIMELESS The funkiest box on wheels ever penned? FLEXIBLE INTERIOR Whatever form a Microbus or Transporter took when it left the factory, it would continually evolve to suit the needs of subsequent owners. Seats, beds, dainty curtains, racks for surfboards or bikes… if you can imagine it, someone has done it. For the new ID. Buzz, VW has started modestly, offering a fiveseat passenger version and the three-seat Cargo. But a longer wheelbase will follow, along with seven-seat and camping versions. And then the independents will wade in with ice cream vans, hearses and the rest.

MINIMAL MECHANICALS The early Microbus and Transporter had Beetle engines at the back, 912-style, and rear-wheel drive. When the family evolved in 1990 to have front engines, Transit-style, the grooviness quotient dropped by about 600 per cent. The Buzz gets back to basics, in an electric kind of way: battery under the floor, single electric motor on the rear axle, single-speed transmission, rear-wheel drive. Buzz has relatively sophisticated independent suspension all round.

SLIDING SIDE DOORS There are practical reasons for having sliding side doors – they mean you can load and unload in confined areas – but they are also part of the timeless design, the runners forming a horizontal line that lends itself to different colour paint on the lower and upper portions. Similarly, the stumpy front and rear overhangs help with a tight turning circle but also play a big part in the look, then and now.

IT’S MOSTLY AIR With the bulk of the oily bits confined to the nose, tail and corners, the centre of the vehicle is a blank canvas. Weight distribution tends to be pretty even, front to rear, and the centre of gravity pretty low, whether the load is your family or a couple of pallets of breeze blocks.

APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK

85

VW ID. Buzz prototype drive

FLATTENING YOUR RIGHT FOOT AT THE LIGHTS DOES NOT HAVE THAT TYPICAL EV KICK-INTHE-BUTT EFFECT

Not a dragster. But no slouch, and fun to punt about 86 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

If you’re coming from a car, some adjustment may be required, as the ID. Buzz drives like a car-truck hybrid. The seats are high, and close to the front of the vehicle in a manner not even many vans replicate these days. And you can never quite forget that substantial kerbweight. Flattening your right foot at the lights does not have the typical EV kick-in-the-butt effect. That said, the instantly available maximum torque is a fairly generous 229lb ft, and by our stopwatch the 0-62mph acceleration time is 9.8sec – that’s about 1.5sec slower than the ID.4 and roughly on a par with a top-spec 201bhp T6.1 with 332lb ft. So, in van/van-based MPV terms, the Buzz is pretty much on the money, and with a top speed electronically limited to 90mph there is at least less of a chance you’ll find them hounding you in the outside lane of the M1. Not surprisingly, the 201bhp motor mated to a single-speed transmission fails to add a new chapter to The Great Electric Performance Revolution, but it does an okay job in predominantly urban driving with none of the variability of response you sometimes get with DSG-equipped machinery. Next year, VW will offer a smaller 52kWh battery for around

190 miles of range and a bigger 111kWh unit, which should be good for around 375 miles. And then there’s the prospect of an all-wheel-drive, twin-motor GTX edition rated at 295bhp (and an unchanged 229lb ft), which should belay any feelings of inadequacy you have about the available standing-start motivation. This ID. Buzz is in the 77kWh (net) launch spec, and demonstrates a couple of upsides to the hefty weight. Most obvious is the tarmac-hugging centre of gravity that comes hand in hand with the heavy underfloor battery. In combination with the long 2988mm wheelbase and the independent suspension all-round, the ID. Buzz gives decent ride over long undulations, uneven patchwork surfaces, and railway level crossings. However, when shod with 235/45 R21 rubber up front and even wider 255/40 R21 rear footwear, the well-balanced overall compliance is repeatedly crushed by the tyres’ stiff sidewalls, the rigid high-speed rubber compound and the Yeti-spec footprint. Adjustable shock absorbers are an option the test car was not fitted with; the same goes for the so-called progressive steering and the almost indispensable heat pump.

Other worthwhile extras include adaptive matrix LED headlights (fixed full-LEDs are standard), Travel Assist with ‘swarm data’, and Park Assist with memory function. The latter remembers favourite parking spots and does its own multi-turn manoeuvring, even if this means squeezing at an angle into tight spots or backing out of long, narrow and curvy access paths. Meanwhile, the swarm data add-on to Travel Assist means the Buzz observes the behaviour of the cars around it to decide if travelling in the centre of a lane is actually a good idea. The example given was for a street with a tram track: you might want to straddle those tracks rather than run along them. Car-to-infrastructure capability is another increasingly inevitable part of the available tech package, while the ID. Buzz is also the guinea-pig vehicle for VW’s truly autonomous car-sharing service being developed in conjunction with Argo AI. The driving range between recharging stops for the 77kWh variant is said to be in the area of 250 miles WLTP, although no fully ratified range or efficiency figures are yet officially available. The extra weight and the larger frontal area will ⊲

APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK

87

VW ID. Buzz prototype drive

inevitably take their toll, compared with other cars. During our test drive, we were clocking up 2.6 miles per kWh, which isn’t brilliant in view of the recorded average speed of 38.1mph. At an average charge speed of 125kW, it takes almost 40 minutes to restore the state of charge from five to 80 per cent… Make that a large cappuccino and treat yourself to a second doughnut. The steering feels light but never vague, direct but not nervous, and it describes an extra-tight turning radius of around 11 metres, which is exceptional for a 4712mm MPV. The brakes – discs at one end, drums (drums!) at the other – are keen on restoring energy, providing instant feedback and indulging in effortless repeat action. Unlike other previously driven IDs, this one decelerates progressively to a full stop without a noteworthy increase in pedal pressure. The more energetic of two brake-regen modes is calibrated to give that one-pedal feel some love and others hate, though we’d like the effect to be more pronounced. On the whole, though, this is a very polished driving experience. This near-finished version has lost some of the details from the concept we drove in San Francisco in 2017; the roll-down windows are no longer flush-fitting, for instance, and the steering wheel is now conventional. And the ergonomic chaos pioneered by the ID.3 and ID.4 was unfortunately passed on like a haptic virus to the ID. Buzz. You still start the motor by pushing a button, but the gear selector which grows out of the steering

column like a charcoal plastic petal works to a modified yet no more intuitive pattern. The distant 12.0-inch touchscreen and the cursed touch sliders arranged below it still force you to play index-finger bingo. Voice control is a useful option except that all safety-related commands are off-limits. Which is an understandable irony, if also still a potential source of frustration. It remains incredible that VW has managed to get this infotainment so apparently wrong. At least owners claim you get used to it. Packaging and functionality are spot-on. It’s hard not to appreciate the roomy, bright and well-thought-out cabin. The optional massage seats are first-class comfy, leg- and headroom is abundant and the split rear bench tilts flat and is easily adjustable. Folding the rear chairs creates a wide, level and carpeted loading (or sleeping) area, aided by an additional underfloor storage cubicle. It’s a pragmatic arrangement, solid, rattle-free, properly trimmed and a breeze to use. There are some cute details, too, such as the little van graphic on the seat sides. But it does without the full-cabin rail system of the Multivan and Caravelle, which means mixing and matching seat layouts is off the agenda. VW’s latest expression of retro-futurism is very encouraging. Especially for those already dreaming of taking leisure-orientated versions of the Buzz on life-affirming camping trips into the natural world, cleanly and quietly. And with a fair bit of VW cool.

THE ERGONOMIC CHAOS PIONEERED BY THE ID.3 AND ID.4 HAS BEEN PASSED ON

It’ll sniff out a beach all by itself. But you’ll have to steer it to B&Q

88 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

VW ID. BUZZ Price From £49,000 (est) Powertrain 77kWh battery, rear e-motor, rear-wheel drive Performance 201bhp, 229lb ft, 9.8sec 0-62mph (est), 90mph Efficiency 2.6 miles per kWh (est), 250-mile range (est), 0g/km CO2 Weight 2500kg (est) On sale October 2022

Front sensor a clue as to the VW’s extensive drive-assist arsenal

APRIL 2022 | SUBSCRIBE TO CAR FOR JUST £4.20 A MONTH! GREATMAGAZINES.CO.UK

89

Inside ACCESSING ALL AREAS

STONE AGE MEETS SPACE AGE The proudly old-school Ineos Grenadier is being built at one of Europe’s most advanced factories. We drive the car and visit the plant Words Colin Overland

90 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK

91

Inside Ineos

E A ladder frame in 2022! Grenadier is rugged by design

No sound barriers (or any other kind of barrier) broken

Tweet-length version: billionaire reckons he understands the Defender better than Land Rover, creates a new car company

92 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

very three months, Ineos Automotive destroys two Grenadiers. Using the same sort of equipment that the fire brigade will deploy to release a crash victim trapped inside a crushed car, inspectors will hammer, drill and prise the big 4x4s apart, to test the effectiveness of the adhesives and the welding. It’s part of a rigorous quality-control programme built into the factory at Hambach, on the French side of the border with Germany, where Ineos will soon start building production versions of the Grenadier. The current estimate is that the first customers will get their cars in August. The story of the Grenadier’s conception, gestation and imminent birth is fascinating and unlikely (tweet-length version: billionaire reckons he understands the Defender better than Land Rover, creates a new car company in order to make his point, staffed by a mix of auto-industry veterans and talented outsiders, insists on utilitarian ladder-frame chassis, buys in BMW petrol and diesel sixes), but so is the story of the factory’s transformation. Until Ineos moved in a year ago, it had been a Mercedes plant since 1997, producing a mix of SUVs and Smarts. Under the Ineos deal, part of the factory will continue to make Smarts until 2024, and part will make Mercedes EQA and EQB front ends until at least 2027. But the rest has been extensively refitted in order to make a car that could hardly be in greater contrast to the electric two-seater: Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s beer-mat sketch of a boxy 4x4 made real. Ineos is a massive company, focused largely on petrochemicals, but Ineos Automotive is entirely new to car making. Instead of thinking it can go it alone, it’s partnered up with a big variety of more established players: BMW for the engines, ZF for the transmissions, Carraro for the axles, and so on. But the biggest single partnership is with Magna Steyr, its development partner. Rather than squeeze the Grenadier into Steyr’s centre of 4x4 excellence (i.e.: the plant at Graz in Austria where it builds the G-Class for Mercedes), it needed a factory that could become home to not just one model but a whole car company. Ineos Automotive has confirmed that the initial Grenadier line-up of five-seat Station Wagon and two- and five-seat commercial versions will be followed by other bodies. Hydrogen and – tentatively – battery-electric possibilities are being explored. Once the Merc deal ends, there will be a lot more capacity at Hambach – either to exceed the current ambition of 30,000 Grenadiers a year, or to add different models. So, how do you prepare a factory to build a whole new car? First, choose a site that could hardly be better suited to your needs; its location is handy for many of its suppliers, and it was already specified to the very high standards Mercedes insists on. Then you invest something like €500 million in the site. Much of that has gone on the robots that play a big part in assembling and finishing the Grenadier, alongside the roughly 1000 humans working at Hambach for Ineos; they will have accumulated 80,000 hours of training by the time series production is under way. And that’s on top of the vast experience most of the staff have already clocked up. The average age is 45, and their average experience 20 years. However traditional the Grenadier’s appeal may be, its production is highly advanced. The body shop uses 250 robots. Anything involving heavy lifting tends to be done by robot. For instance, the doors are lowered into position by robot, but then fitted by a technician with a torque wrench. Then on to the spotlessly clean paint shop – which Mercedes was in the process of upgrading when the Ineos deal was done. Now, as it completes ⊲

BMW engines mean you’ve usually got the grunt to power through

Working alongside the robots, 1000 highly-trained homo sapiens

APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK

93

So that the kids can’t reach forward and lock your diffs

Ladders! External hinges! Grenadier sets out its stall

94 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

Nope, not a Land Rover production line

Inside Ineos Just eight bolts secure body to chassis

In a former iron mine the Grenadier and I carve out a few trenches of our own preparations for the start of full production, it’s an impressive marriage of people and machines, of brain power and software. After every process – corrosion treatment, painting, sealing, baking, top-coating – it’s checked by a human programmed to have zero tolerance for flaws. Sometimes, the robots behave like particularly elegant humans as they swivel and twirl into position. And at one point, two robots hold the car’s rear doors open so that a third can reach inside with its paint nozzle. Machines carry out precision-checking – 4068 steel welds and 358 aluminium welds are ultra-sonically tested, for instance. But the human eye checks they’re as neat as they should be, and if necessary sandpaper is deployed. In the general assembly area, the bodies are attached to the chassis and powertrain; just eight bolts are required. The wiring and cockpit are installed. The windscreens are passed by robot to two fitters carrying suction cups. The seats and battery are fitted. And then, finally, on to the quality inspection area, where the finished product is checked with a particular emphasis on the sort of things the owner would notice: ‘flush and gap’, they call it. It’s also here that a complete set of aluminium parts – doors, roof, bonnet – are, three times a week, snatched from the production line and measured. A entire ‘body in white’ will also be measured using lasers in a process that takes a robotic Zeiss EagleEye optical sensor four hours. It’s only here, in the final sign-off area, that Grenadiers and ForTwos will ever cross paths, before being despatched to their owners. Except, that is, for the unlucky ones picked at random to be wrecked. MUDDY HELL: DRIVING THE GRENADIER If Christopher Nolan fancies following Dunkirk with something set in a particularly grim phase of the First World War, I know just the location. It’s a former iron mine at Créhange in the Moselle department of France, and I’ve just carved out a few fresh trenches in which ashen-faced actors in long ⊲

T H E

They’re taking our jobs! Actually, you’re welcome to this one

E N G I N E E R

I N E O S v s T H E PA N D E M I C ⊲ Engineering chief Oliver Schlipf explains how Ineos Automotive’s planet-straddling team has developed an entirely new car during a pandemic… ‘In 2020 there were some months where it was just not possible for some of our suppliers to keep on working. They were in complete shutdown, not just in production but also in development, so that was really, really

challenging. ‘We are a very international team, coming from all kinds of different OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers and engineering suppliers. The challenge was to figure out the most efficient way to do the development without taking shortcuts relating to the reliability, quality or safety of the product. ‘We are all doing long days, and it’s not just engineering. We had a supplier day some days ago, and you can feel there really

is teamwork between us and the suppliers – they are motivated to find solutions and be very efficient. ‘We have done a lot of simulation, but we also have more than 100 cars out testing – in the cold, in the heat, all over the world when Covid allows.’ ⊲ And what about the radical idea of running it on hydrogen? ‘Let’s focus on bringing the Grenadier to market on time and with the right quality, then focus on the fuel cell

topic afterwards. But it is not completely separated. Part of my team is already in discussion with possible suppliers, and then we can take a look at the areas in which we can carry over from our combustion-engine project – and the areas we need to develop for a fuelcell vehicle. ‘When we deliver a fuel-cell vehicle to the customer, it will not be a bad compromise. It will not be the same as the combustion Grenadier but it will be a very good vehicle.’

APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK

95

Inside Ineos

Plant also makes bits of Mercs, which gives you a steer on quality

A Qashqai would come unstuck/ get quite stuck

Just point it roughly where you want it to go and apply a few degrees of throttle to the 3.0-litre straight-six engine

coats could meet an authentically ghastly end. The pit is these days used for training drivers of diggers and bulldozers, but temporarily the heavy plant is joined by four prototypes of the Ineos Grenadier, which is no lightweight but in this context looks both stylish and agile. Due on sale this summer – once the final tweaks to the boxy 4x4 have been accomplished and the paperwork involved in creating a completely new car completed – the Grenadier will be the first of several products from Ineos Automotive. A pick-up has been confirmed and a seven-seater highly likely. But the cornerstone of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s new car company is this: also available – and it just gets on with the job. an entirely new – and yet instantly familiar – vehicle that’s intended to fill It’s a great advert for the merits of a ladder-frame chassis, beam axles, what the billionaire industrialist reckons is a gap vacated by the exit of the conventional suspension and full-time four-wheel drive, in this instance previous-generation Land Rover Defender. using the low set of gears, with the centre differential locked. Since the Grenadier was announced in 2017, Ineos has not been shy about It’s an engaging car, with the controls all nicely sized and weighted, and showing its working. And yet, although we’ve spoken to many of the people excellent Recaro seats – not thickly padded, but very well shaped, for a great involved in creating it, and several CAR people have had passenger rides in blend of comfort and support. And of course there are all those lovely switchearly versions of the Ineos, this is the first time we’ve actually driven it. es and buttons – the more important functions in front of you, under the And we’re going straight in at the deep end. We’re tackling the sort of small central screen, and the aircraft-style selection above your head. off-roading that would not be possible in a regular car, even with a much Details of spec and options will be available in the spring, but the starting more capable dirt driver at the helm. Here you really do need all-wheel drive, point will be towards the utility end of the spectrum: it’s all wipe-clean big ground clearance, low gears and long suspension travel. surfaces and chunky handles, with fripperies and finery given a wide berth. Anyone with a big stack of cash could do a tour of European component As with other good 4x4s, the driver’s job here is mostly about letting the suppliers and come up with a bunch of appropriate-looking hardware. But car get on with it. But it doesn’t do everything for you, and it rewards the putting those parts together in a way that works is the tricky bit. After all, attentive driver. If you take the trouble to plan your ascents and descents, there are plenty of alternatives available, from the Jeep Wrangler, Mercedes and to execute them with some care, you’ll make smoother progress, even in G-Class and Toyota Land Cruiser to the Ford Ranger – all of them targeted these hellishly deep ruts. at some of the many groups Ineos is aiming to attract, spanning farmers, aid And it will save you from yourself, as I discover more than once. Taking the agencies, adventurers and school-run Übermumschen. wrong line at the wrong speed, and then too late giving it some extra throttle, Not to mention the current Defender, which has I’m going nowhere except down. The car gamely tries to hardly turned out to be the rhinestone cowboy Ratcliffe find some grip below the mud, digging into the gloop INEOS GRENADIER must have been imagining – it’s still a super-capable but finding only more mud. Eventually I take the hint, P R I C E From £48,000 (tbc) off-roader, but with enhanced on-road manners and a reverse away and try again on a marginally less chewedP O W E R T R A I N 2998cc 24v glimmer of environmental conscience. up line. And – success! – the Grenadier finds what it turbocharged six-cylinder, eightSo the Grenadier had better deliver, otherwise it’s needs and takes me to the top of the slope. This is all speed automatic, all-wheel drive P E R F O R M A N C E 281bhp @ going to look like a vanity project. And, happily, within happening at walking pace… but if you tried to actually 5000rpm, 332lb ft @ 1600rpm, a couple of minutes of our half-hour at the wheel, it’s walk it, you’d slither into the glutinous mire, never to be 10.0sec 0-62mph, 100mph (all est) clear that the Ineos Automotive engineers have delivheard from again. W E I G H T 2650kg (est) ered handsomely, at least as far as dealing with muddy If the finished product turns out to be half as good on E F F I C I E N C Y 25mpg, slopes is concerned. Point it roughly where you want the road as the prototype is today in this grey hell, then 230g/km CO2 (both est) it to go, apply a few degrees of throttle to the 3.0-litre this most off-message of newcomers will have accomO N S A L E Deliveries start summer 2022 straight-six BMW petrol engine – a 3.0-litre diesel six is plished a quite formidable feat. 96 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

T H E

T I M E L I N E

B E E R , T H E R E A N D E V E RY W H E R E

1

The Grenadier pub Sir Jim Ratcliffe and some friends in the Grenadier pub in Belgravia mourn the demise of the old Land Rover Defender in 2016. The idea of doing something about it takes root and – showing the entrepreneurial zeal that’s made him one of the world’s richest men – Ratcliffe sets the wheels in motion for what will become Ineos Automotive, an entirely new part of the Ineos empire.

2

BMW signs up Partnerships are critical. Steyr signs up to develop the car; BMW will provide not just the initial petrol and diesel engines but also their hybrid replacements. The plan had been to build a new factory at Bridgend (and hire ex-Ford workers), but then the opportunity arises to buy the Hambach factory from Mercedes. Ineos goes with its head, not its heart.

3

Prototypes on tour The whole development and launch process is unusually transparent. And it’s not just journalists who’ve been along for the ride. Throughout 2021, potential buyers are invited to a Grenadier road show: the car visits various locations, and they get a ride in the passenger seat. The car also turns up at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, among other events.

4

Order books open With many thousands of test miles in extreme conditions around the world still being driven, Ineos opens the order books in the autumn of 2021 and puts a basic configurator online. Interest is strong, soon hitting 15,000 reservations – not just in the UK, Europe and US, but particularly in Australia. Product planners move the pick-up version up the schedule.

5

Customers get their first cars The timetable has slipped, but the current plan is that production models should start appearing from the Hambach factory this summer. By then, a network of 100-plus retail and service partners around the world will be in place. The details vary but typically involve a mix of established dealer groups and agricultural specialists.

6

Hydrogen and beyond Parent company Ineos is huge in hydrogen, so it makes sense that Ineos Automotive has teamed up with Hyundai to explore the viability of hydrogen fuel cells for cars, including the Grenadier. Less obviously, Ineos has dialled down its earlier negativity about batteryelectric as a possible power source for the Grenadier: it will be looked into.

APRIL 2022 | SUBSCRIBE TO CAR FOR JUST £4.20 A MONTH! GREATMAGAZINES.CO.UK

97

98 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

Germany’s Tesla fighters

L ATE . BETTER THAN NEVER?

With Tesla way out in front, Mercedes and BMW have work to do. We drive the luxury EV flagships desperate for a foothold in the new world order Words Gavin Green Photography Olgun Kordal

APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK

99

ity the Germans. Just as they achieved global dominance in petrol and diesel cars, a Silicon Valley parvenu changed the whole game. Only a few years ago they were basking in their oil-powered glory. Their smugness was palpable, their hegemony complete. Booming Volkswagen was the world’s biggest car maker, overtaking Toyota and the long-dominant Yanks. Audi, BMW and Mercedes ruled the premium car sector. Then came Tesla’s rise and diesel cheating and EV evangelism. Suddenly the German car industry doesn’t look so clever. Mercedes, self-proclaimed inventor of the petrol car, has only just launched its first new-from-the-ground-up electric car, almost a decade behind Elon Musk’s Model S. BMW fleetingly sparkled with its ingenious i3 and wonderful i8, the most modern sports car of the past decade. Then it drifted into a DC doze. It has taken nine years since the i3 to launch its next bespoke EV. You’ll meet the iX shortly. Meanwhile, those self-proclaimed Vorsprungers at Audi were asleep. Progress through technology indeed! Audi was slow to embrace EVs and its efforts thus far have been undistinguished. The only exception is the fine e-Tron GT and that’s a rebodied Porsche. Indeed, the Taycan is the sole bright electric light in an otherwise dark few years for the Germans. Why have the Germans been so slow? Complacency? Perhaps. More likely, the car business has changed profoundly in just a few years. Internal combustion masters, they were ill-prepared for the seismic shift to software prominence, and slow to master the voodoo art of interfaces, apps and programming. Is it any wonder that Silicon Valley, the Koreans and the Japanese – electronic titans all – have bettered them as EV suppliers? The Germans – still powerful, still rich, still clever – are now, belatedly, desperate to master the electric future. Its most ambitious two flagbearers stand before us. Mercedes’ EQS and BMW’s iX are electric technological showpieces from Germany’s two most distinguished premium car makers. Although not head-to-head rivals – one luxury saloon, one luxury SUV – they are comparable on price (£121,990 for the EQS versus £116,965 for the iX, as tested). And, as the Range Rover happily proves, luxury SUVs now compete head-on with luxury saloons. Let’s start with the Mercedes. Think of it as the electric S-Class. It’s the first luxury saloon in the all-electric EQ series, and the first to use an all-new EV platform. (The undistinguished EQA, EQB and EQC all use batteries and e-motors stuffed into non-EV architectures.) As with the S-Class, the ⊲ 100 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

One is a fastback, the other an SUV; both have the same mission

Germany’s Tesla fighters

AS THE RANGE ROVER H A P P I LY P R OV E S , LUXURY SUVS NOW COMPETE HEAD-ON WITH SALOONS

APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 101

Decriable. Leave a patch of wall unattended, and someone parks an iX in front of it

BMW’S LATEST iDRIVE SYSTEM THROWS EVERY BIT OF ELECTRO TECH IT CAN AT THE OCCUPANTS

102 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

Germany’s Tesla fighters EQS is a showcase for the technical talents of Mercedes. Perhaps most prominent is the jaw-dropping curved 55-inch Hyperscreen electro-facade that includes three touchscreens, occupies virtually the entire facia and costs an absurd £7995 as an option. Its new MBUX operating system is also one of the car industry’s more impressive, although that’s damning with faint praise. The massive 107.8kWh battery – the biggest ever fitted to a production car – promises a range of up to 453 miles. It’s an odd-looking car, pebble-smooth, cab-forward like a Jaguar i-Pace and a fastback hatch not a regal saloon. It’s striking, futuristic but not really handsome. Instead of a grille, there’s a ‘Black Panel’ complete with illuminated three-pointed star, optionally available in 3D. The ‘bonnet’ doesn’t open (so no frunk). Neither does the BMW’s. The Merc’s doors can open themselves automatically – an option not fitted here. It’s also a car that watches you and, through AI, learns your habits. There are 350 sensors, and as you drive you’re being continually monitored. For example, look at the right (driver’s side) wing mirror and the EQS knows that’s the side you may want adjusting. Look left and the toggle will adjust the left mirror. Plus, the parking cameras automatically record any car-park knocks, so you’ll know the guilty vehicle. And of the more everyday car qualities, for those unbothered by apps and interfaces? Well, as we’ll see, the EQS rides majestically and could well be the world’s quietest car at speed, assisted by its near-silent electric drive and the world’s most aero-efficient production car body (0.20 Cd). The BMW iX is also a new-from-the-ground-up EV. If the EQS is the electric S-Class, then the iX is the electric X5, though more spacious. While the EQS looks low, sleek and aero, like a slippery bar of soap, the iX is boxy and SUV-upright. It could be a petrol SUV. It also looks weird, another controversial – I’ll call it ugly – new BMW. There’s the big beaver-tooth grille (that’s not actually a grille), massive nostrils on our M Sport test car and an awkward angularity about the overall shape: it’s not the messy tangle of angles

BMW’s iDRIVE: THE GOOD & THE BAD STILL DRIVERFOCUSED

NEEDLESSLY FIDDLY

CLEAN AND CLEAR

LANGUAGE BARRIER

HEARING VOICES

IT’S IN THE AIR

Central screen subtly curved like an iMax cinema screen to stay true to trad BMW driver orientation, while within reach of front passenger.

Some of the car’s spoken responses suffer from clunky pronunciation: [adopt policemanin-’Allo ’Allo accent] ‘Just a momont’ [sic].

Clicking the rotary controller isn’t straightforward. Push it down at its edges rather than its centre or it brings up a settings menu.

Voice control lags behind Mercedes. For example, ‘Turn off the screen’ worked one time in four (the other times it said ‘okay’ but didn’t do it).

The iX’s minimal interior is a calmer, if sparser, place to be than the EQS and that’s reflected in the iOS screens and menus’ clean appearance too.

Over-the-air updates may polish many of the rough edges, including the system’s occasional lagginess (which the Mercedes suffers from too).

iX’s false grille hides an array of sensors and radar

we witness on Lexus SUVs, but it’s still a curiously styled box. Its big bluff nose is also clearly unnecessary – no big straightsix or V8 lurks behind – and the BMW kidney grille is in fact a flat plastic panel which will undoubtedly be assailed by rocks and other road debris. Which is why BMW has coated it in a self-healing polyurethane layer, which uses heat to mend small chips, scratches and scars. The faux grille shrouds a host of sensors including radar that can see over 300 metres ahead. Despite the iX’s boxiness, the Cd is still an air-cleaving 0.25. That’s slipperier than an i8 (0.26). The bespoke chassis uses plastic reinforced carbonfibre (as well as steel and aluminium), and you can see carbon weave when you open the doors or boot. There’s a big 105.2kWh battery – said to be 40 per cent more efficient than the 2020 i3 battery – that’s integrated into the floor and supposedly good for 380 miles. We’re in the mid-range 50 (there’s a new M60 flagship), featuring the biggest possible battery for maximum range and better performance. Significantly better value is the smaller-battery 40, although a smidgeon under £70,000 still isn’t cheap. As with the EQS, the iX showcases its maker’s latest software (OS8) and new iDrive control system, and it sees BMW throw every bit of electro tech it can at the dazed and confused firsttime driver. As with the EQS, it’ll take a lifetime to master all the gadgets and gizmos but let me give you a few of the headline acts. There’s an interior camera that can take selfies – no thank you – and, more usefully, can show whether you’ve left a coat on the back seat. It can also monitor the interior of your car remotely, by the BMW app on your phone, and play security camera: when the alarm goes off, it takes a photo. There’s augmented-reality navigation, just like the EQS, overlaying images from the front camera with directions. And the car can be opened and started automatically by your iPhone without taking it out of your pocket. At night, the car can automatically ⊲ APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 103

Plenty that’s soothing in the back of an EQS

provide a carpet of light to the door you’re approaching. (Too bad if you have an Android phone, though help is coming.) There’s adaptive regenerative braking, which uses the car’s front camera, radar and the nav to automatically decide the best time to coast (for instance, an open road ahead) or engage higher levels of brake regen, such as when it senses a car or a junction ahead. (The gadget-laden Merc has this, too.) There’s a large 14.9-inch curved central touchscreen conjoined with the 12.3-inch information display in front of the driver. Graphics are pin-sharp, although compared with Benz’s giant Hyperscreen, it’s an iPad versus a widescreen TV. Trust me, it’s big enough. It has AI so it ‘learns’ the way you drive and your preferred destinations. Oh, and it’s worth mentioning the electronic greeting and running tracks, akin to electronic engine sound, are by Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer. (The Mercedes, too, offers a choice of interior running noises and calming ‘Sound of the Sea’ and ‘Summer Rain’ moods.) 5G is standard. And it can drive semi-autonomously, happy to steer and stop itself when allowed. It’s also fully wired for autonomous driving, if or when it ever happens. (So is the EQS.) Our EQS test car is the single rear-motor 450+ Exclusive Luxury model rather than the faster twin-motor 4x4 EQS recently unveiled. Here on London’s streets, traffic thinning as the night ticks on, it’s swift and smooth nonetheless. You’re ensconced in a classy cabin of fine wood, leather, faux metal, clever artificial materials and massaging and climate controlled seats. Sink your head into the pillow-soft headrests and you won’t want to get out. On the other hand, any technophobes sat behind that big multiplex cinema screen might yearn for the reassuring analogue conventionality of their S-Classes. Will 50-year-old-plus plutocrats, politicians and peers want big-screen entertainment in their luxury limo? I’m not convinced they will: true luxury should surely hide the tech, not flaunt it. (I love the setting on the Rolls-Royce Phantom’s dash 104 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

where you can hide the touchscreen and gauges and simply get a lovely polished plank of burr walnut: that’s class.) The Hyperscreen is in fact three screens hidden beneath one giant plank of scratchproof glass. In daylight you can clearly see that it’s three screens on a black patchwork background – by night it looks to be a single vast screen. You can also see a prodigious number of fingerprints. It certainly has a wow factor but its inflated size adds little benefit. As with so much of the EQS, it’s tech for tech’s sake; cleverness, if not wisdom. A big touchscreen never feels as classy as beautiful analogue gauges. Pixels never look luxurious. There is much else to like inside the cabin. The materials are superb, the craftsmanship mostly top-drawer. It’s an incredibly smooth car to drive, flattering the driver and almost impossible to drive erratically. Performance is perfectly adequate – 0-62mph in 6.2 seconds won’t see off a Tesla Model S (the iX does it in 4.6) but it’s all a luxury car needs. On the motorway it’s superb, matching a Phantom for quietness, refinement and relaxation. It’s also wonderfully stable, assisted by its rear steering. But it’s less fun to hustle down a B-road than most big luxury petrol saloons; sadly, like so many EVs, the EQS feels remote and uninvolving. At least it corners nice and flat with little bodyroll. What does matter is the mushy brakes. Fellow road tester James Taylor likens their feel to treading on a cowpat. More impressive is the rear-wheel steering, which gives astonishing agility for a car so big. It’s a particular boon for U-turns and for parking. The back seats are comfy enough but the rear of the S-Class feels more spacious and cossetting. And all the interfaces and operating systems and apps? Both systems suffer from lag. A Tesla or a Kia EV6 (or any smartphone via Apple CarPlay) has a superior interface. The Tesla, EV6, e-Tron GT and Taycan can also charge faster. The Mercedes has the better voice control. Just as well because the MBUX 2.0 system has a lot of menus to dig through. It is usually easier to gab than jab, and safer too. BMW’s new OS8 system feels less slick then the Merc’s. Perhaps it will get better ⊲

MERC’S MBUX: THE GOOD & THE BAD ID, PLEASE

GOOD LISTENER

IT STALKS YOU

QUESTIONS FROM THE BACK

LANGUAGE BARRIER

CHAMELEON COLOURS

Mercedes promises individual profile and user data is kept secure. To that end, facial recognition, fingerprint or a PIN code is required to log in fully.

Individual mics above each seat work out who’s speaking. Optional extra screen detects if someone’s in front passenger seat.

MBUX’s voice recognition and control is stronger than BMW’s. It recognises colloquial questions like ‘When is Leicester City’s next match?’

Like the BMW, the system adopts some very odd pronunciations of certain words. Merc promises it learns and gets smoother with use.

The system learns your habits – for example, if you ring home at 5.05pm every day, it’ll suggest making that call, like a classic phoneproffering butler.

Interior ambient lighting helps lanekeeping, changing colour if there’s a car hovering on the EQS’s shoulder like a giant blind spot monitor.

Germany’s Tesla fighters

T H E E Q S I S I N C R E D I B LY SMOOTH, FLATTERING THE DRIVER AND PROVING IMPOSSIBLE TO DRIVE E R R AT I C A LLY

Hyperscreen at its best by night, when you can’t see the joins (or the fingerprints) APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 105

O N LY T H E R O LL S P H A N T O M , THREE TIMES THE PRICE OF THE EQS, CAN MATCH IT FOR RIDE AND REFINEMENT

BMW IX PRICE £99,140 (£116,965 as tested) POWERTRAIN 105.2 kWh battery, twin e-motors, all-wheel drive PERFORMANCE 516bhp, 564lb ft, 4.6sec 0-62mph, 124mph WEIGHT 2585kg EFFICIENCY 2.9-3.0 miles per kWh (official), 2.1 miles per kWh (tested), 380-mile range (official), 266-mile range (tested), 0g/km CO2

★★★★★

MERCEDES-BENZ EQS PRICE £113,995 (£121,990 as tested) POWERTRAIN 107.8 kWh battery, single e-motor, rear-wheel drive PERFORMANCE 328bhp, 419lb ft, 6.2sec 0-62mph, 130mph WEIGHT 2480kg EFFICIENCY 3.2-3.7 miles per kWh (official), 2.6 miles per kWh (tested), 453-mile range (official), 363-mile range (tested), 0g/km CO2

★★★★★

106 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

Germany’s Tesla fighters with the over-the-air updates that – as with a Tesla and the EQS – will keep your car’s electronics bang up to date. The redesigned (crystal glass) iDrive clickwheel looks nice but we found its response and operation less intuitive than its plastic forebear. At first acquaintance, the iX feels the sportier drive. It’s more responsive around town at lower speeds. It accelerates harder, has sharper, weightier steering and quicker ‘throttle’ response. Yet it’s also harder to drive smoothly. Push hard on a winding road and the iX soon betrays its SUV-ness: it rolls more than the EQS, stumbles into understeer and, as with nearly all big SUVs, you suddenly feel like you’re driving a bus. It’s a 2.5-tonne SUV, after all. That absurd 50p-shaped steering wheel doesn’t help. It’s an excellent motorway car: quiet and relaxing. The refinement of both these cars is truly outstanding. Nonetheless the BMW is noisier than the Merc, with a touch more road and wind noise. The ride, though good, is firmer. The BMW’s cabin is classy and modern, sharply sculpted and more reductive than the Benz. Less showy, too. There are half as many physical switches as on a combustion-engined BMW. It’s a spacious interior, roomier than an equivalent petrol SUV, although there’s no seven-seat option (due to the higher boot floor, in turn due to the rear e-motor underneath). Less impressive is the centre console, capped in winsome wood but shaped like an ironing board. We all kept trying to fold it out of the way. Drinks in the cupholders underneath are also awkward to reach. Germany’s two top car makers have thrown everything at their new flagship EVs. Both cars are bold ripostes to any insinuation that they’re behind those upstarts at Tesla. Late they may be, technical laggards they’re not. It’s the German motor industry in full peacock glory, preening and flaunting its wares. The Mercedes is the more impressive achievement and more satisfying to drive. It’s more futuristic, more the statement car. Its refinement, stability and ride comfort are all exemplary: only the Rolls-Royce Phantom, at three times the price, can match it. It’s proof an EV can operate at the highest luxury-car plane. Yet the EQS’s cabin is too brash. As Coco Chanel pointed out,

1963 MERCEDES 600/W100

The German motor industry’s only successful attempt at muscling into Rolls-Royce and Bentley überluxury territory. The iconic 600 Grosse Mercedes was popular with pop stars, tycoons and politicians.

luxury is not the opposite of poverty, it’s the opposite of vulgarity. The mood lighting that flows through the cabin – 11 different colours are offered – reminds me of a mobile lava lamp. I don’t want fuss, clutter and light shows in my luxury car. Give me the calmness of an S-Class. The ultimate luxury car would do everything for you and have no touchscreen. Our test also shows the increasing and unfortunate convergence of Mercedes and BMW. They are becoming less distinctive car makers, which the electric revolution exacerbates. EVs are sold on interfaces more than driver appeal, and the technical paths chosen by these two German titans are near-identical. The upcoming BMW i7 luxury saloon, head-on rival to the EQS, will preview more bold new technology. A new iX concept car can change colour. Meanwhile, Benz’s new Vision EQXX concept previews a range of more than 620 miles. American car industry legend Bob Lutz – ex-GM, ex-Chrysler – notes Mercedes and BMW are terrified of Elon Musk and Tesla. We are witnessing their counter attack, all guns blazing. And it will muster more firepower yet.

1979 MERCEDES S-CLASS (W126)

The second generation of S-Class was probably the best. Elegantly styled by Bruno Sacco, it was technically pioneering with its ABS brakes, airbag and traction control.

2000 MAYBACH

First Grosse Mercedes since the wonderful 600, and gross indeed. Ostentatiously styled on an old S-Class platform, it was meant to take on BMW-owned Rolls-Royce’s Phantom. An embarrassing flop.

TEUTONIC FLAGSHIPS 1986 BMW 7-SERIES (E32)

The iconic 7-series. Elegantly styled, sportier than the S-Class and technically bold, it was the first modern BMW to use a V8. It also featured BMW’s first (and Germany’s first post-war) V12.

2001 BMW 7-SERIES (E65)

The most controversial BMW of all: the beginning of Chris Bangle’s styling revolution and first to use the iDrive controller. Traditionalists hated it but the E65 sold and Bangle’s approach softened.

2014 BMW i8

Hardly a luxury saloon, but a fine flagship all the same. BMW’s state-of-the-art car when it (briefly) led the world in bold electrification. The only truly modernist sports car of its day.

APRIL 2022 | SUBSCRIBE TO CAR FOR JUST £4.20 A MONTH! GREATMAGAZINES.CO.UK

107

Our cars H E LLO V W A RTE O N & P O LE STA R 2 + G OO D BY E AU D I Q5 , PE UG E OT 5 0 8 S P O RT E N G I N E E R E D, B M W M4 & R E N AU LT M E GA N E RS

108 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

Up with this sort of thing

Hello

A VW to get excited about. And it’s not an electric SUV. Coincidence? By Mark Walton

Volkswagen Arteon R Shooting Brake Month 1 The story so far VW’s flagship saloon has been turned into a fastback estate with enough room to swallow a Polo + The new R version promises hot-hatch performance - It doesn’t have the prestige of the main German premium brands

Logbook

From this angle, Arteon Shooting Brake is barely an estate car at all

Jordan Butters

Price £54,435 (£62,282 as tested) Performance 1984cc turbo fourcylinder, 316bhp, 4.9sec 0-62mph, 155mph Efficiency 30.6mpg (official), 27.1 mpg (tested), 209g/km CO2 Energy cost 24.7p per mile Miles this month 660 Total miles 741

The Arteon. Arr-tee-onn. The Volkswagen Arr-tee-onn. No matter how many times I say it, I can’t get the name of this car to roll off the tongue. It’s like I’m saying three different words in quick succession. Apparently the name comes from the Latin ‘artem’ meaning art and ‘eon’ meaning VW wanted to ‘open a new chapter’ in large, executive saloons, the kind of Passat-plus market it had entered before (remember the 2002 Phaeton?) but rarely succeeded in. Launched in 2017, the Arteon is not exactly a ‘volume’ model; VW sold just 1646 in 2020, out of nearly 150,000 cars in total. However, the brand new Shooting Brake may well find a wider audience – revealed last year, its slicked-back

styling and enormous boot make it a more modern-feeling proposition than a frumpy saloon. As well as the new body style VW also revealed a new plug-in hybrid version and this, our new longterm test car, a high-performance R model. The Arteon R basically shares its underpinnings with the Golf R, so a 316bhp 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder engine driving all four wheels through a seven-speed DSG ’box and the latest version of VW’s 4Motion system. This not only divides power between the front and rear axles, it can distribute power between the two rear wheels to provide torque vectoring. The blurb says, ‘Up to 100 per cent of available torque can be directed to the rear wheel on the outside of a bend, which leads to noticeably more agile handling.’ A hundred per cent through a single rear wheel? I need to try that. The Arteon R also comes with Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) as standard, so you can switch between the usual drive modes – Comfort, Sport – and ‘Race’. Race mode seems a bit mad in a car of this size but we’ll give it a go. And that brings us to the size. The Arteon is huge – almost 4.9 metres long and with a wheelbase like a stretched limo. That gives it an incredibly roomy interior – loads of back-seat legroom and a huge boot. Visually the Arteon R comes with 19-inch Adelaide alloy wheels, a unique R bodykit, matt chrome door mirrors and quad tailpipes. Our example is finished in quite a bright Lapiz Blue metallic (an ⊲ APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 109

LIMO ROOMINESS The Arteon Shooting Brake is roomy inside because the Arteon saloon is roomy, thanks to its long wheelbase, rather than because the fastback estate adds that much space. Your bags get 15 litres extra capacity; occupants get slightly more headroom.

H O T- H AT C H P E R F O R M A N C E VW sprays the R badge around seemingly at random, so it sometimes means little more than a cosmetic upgrade. But here it means what you hope it means: Golf R powertrain.

Designed for a performance-minded driver with a family… just like Mark Walton

£815 option) with Titan Black nappa leather trim. Then our example has a few optional extras fitted, the most expensive of which is the Discover Navigation Pro nav system with gesture-controlled touchscreen and a wireless smartphone charger pad just in front of the gearshift (£1450). If you look up Discover Nav Pro on the VW Arteon website the first thing it says is We Connect. I have no idea what that means but I’ll try to find out. Close second in the options is the ‘IQ’ matrix LED headlights (£1320) and an upgraded, 700 Watt Harman Kardon sound system (£1285) with no fewer than 10 speakers and a subwoofer. Add in 110 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

AUDI PRICE R is a pretty smart spec to start with, so there’s no great need to hit the options list. But we did it anyway, paying extra for upgraded nav, audio, and headlights, plus sensible stuff like a towbar and manoeuvring cameras.

things like the optional head-up display (£550), a swivelling towbar (£900) and the Assistance Pack (£330 – including area view and rear-view cameras and Park Assist) and you’re soon up to our as-tested price of £62,282. Which is Audi A6 Avant money… What the Arteon R has, though, is speed. The car is brand new and in the first couple of weeks I’ve only done traffic-heavy motorway miles in it, but the raw figures are very impressive – VW quotes 0-62mph in 4.9sec, which is ridiculous for a car of this size. One thing I have observed so far: you look at the Arteon and expect it to be a smooth, effortless long-distance car, but on the first

The raw figures are very impressive: VW’s claimed 0-62mph in 4.9sec is ridiculous for a car of this size couple of journeys I really noticed the boomy engine noise – a low resonance controlled by throttle on/off that sounded like it was coming from some kind of sound box under the bonnet. I then found out that the car automatically resets for each and every new journey in Sport mode – cos it’s a performance car, right? So, every time I get in for a motorway schlep I have to remember to reset the mode to Comfort – thankfully there’s a blue

R button on the steering wheel that changes the dynamic mode. In Comfort the car is as hushed as you’d want it to be – helped by the optional Acoustic Pack (£315) which buys you sound-insulating glass in the front side windows and some extra interior noise suppression. First impressions are good, and I’m looking forward to unlocking some of that R performance in the coming weeks. Meanwhile I’ll keep practising the name: the Arteon. The Arteon R. Arr-tee-onn-Arrrrr.

Our cars

Chill out? It’s too cold for that

Voyage of discovery

Midwinter temperatures are the enemy of the EV, so long trips mean getting acquainted with a lot of chargers. By Ben Pulman 5

4 MAKING DO

4

3

We reach Chester with 20 miles left and the next morning I head into Wales for the nearest charger. It’s occupied, so I end up at an old 50kW BP Polar near Chester racecourse. Left alone it clicks off at 77 per cent.

3 NICE SURPRISE

After an afternoon with greatgrandparents, we’re off again. We’re 20 miles short on range, and that gap only increases. We stop at Stafford, expecting 50kW of Ecotricity, but find a Gridserve-upgraded 120kW. We sup the maximum 100kW the Skoda can handle and leave as soon as we dare.

5 PUB O’CLOCK

To Southport to visit more greatgrandparents. The nearest InstaVolt is occupied by a VW ID.3 and Audi RS e-Tron GT – but the pub next door has an Osprey charger. At 50kW, I get it to 90 per cent. Later I top up to 100 per cent over the border at a Morrisons GeniePoint.

6

2 FOUR-FIFTHS OF A JOB

2

At a 150kW BP Pulse charger near Didcot we reach four-fifths quickly, but there’s a reason every manufacturer quotes 10-80 per cent charge times – the final fifth takes twice as long! The three-year-old is introduced to YouTube while the 11-month-old treats the front seats like a climbing frame.

Skoda Enyaq iV 60 Month 2 The story so far Skoda’s first electric car + Big enough to carry a travel cot and all our bags - Small battery + cold weather = very frequent charging

6 LUCK Y 13

On a chilly night 190 miles drops to 170 the moment we leave… and it’s 128 miles to an InstaVolt station near Banbury. Despite never exceeding the speed limit and driving with no heating, we get there with only 13 miles to spare. It takes 42 minutes to reach 81 per cent and give us enough to cover the last 112 miles home.

Logbook

1 B AT T E R Y B R I M M E D 1

Time to visit family. Despite an official 256-mile range, cold weather means we leave home with a full charge promising 199 miles. And that’s before we turn the heating on...

Price £34,510 (£38,195 as tested) Performance 58kWh battery, e-motor, 177bhp, 8.4sec 0-62mph, 124mph Efficiency 4.0 miles per kWh (official), 2.6 miles per kWh (tested), 0g/km CO2 Range 256 miles (official), 205 miles (tested) Energy cost 12.8 per mile Miles this month 725 Total miles 6025

APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 111

Sportback style doesn’t stop the Q5 being usefully roomy

My family and other animals Goodbye

The goldfish has just died. But all the remaining members of the household have plenty to say about the Q5 Sportback. By Anthony ffrench-Constant

It wasn’t all that long ago that CAR was inundated by a letter from Disgruntled of Penge who complained I was using Our Cars reports to let you all know what the other members of my family thought of the current incumbent. A motoring writer having the temerity to differentiate between a first drive and a long-term report by actually including the views of other regular users of the car...? So, by way of a slightly tearful goodbye to this much enjoyed jalopy, here are the carefully considered views of every resident of ff-C Towers on life with a Q5… The missus loves the Audi. For her it cuts exactly the right dash among the Mudfordshire set. She relishes a specification that obviates the requirement to spend five minutes switching stuff off every time she climbs aboard, and delights in analogue air-con 112 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

controls which, with the turn of a dial, may be instantly harmonised with her own thermostat. A car nut, the elder hooligan finds the rear seats more comfortable than those up front for longer journeys, though claims the rear climate controls ‘don’t really do anything.’ He thinks the Bang & Olufsen sound system is sensational. Bluetooth pairing takes longer than it should and is far too hard to find within the screen menus. And the powered tailgate is very sensitive to obstructions. The younger hooligan enjoys a heated front seat, but is unhappy with the B&O sound astern. This may have quite a bit to do with the fact that he never takes his earphones out… The evil-smelling dog has so little interest in passing panoramas that the rear screen is spared

slobber, and is grateful for a carpeted loadspace which cuts down on scrabbling during hard cornering. The punishment for the latter is, however, sufficiently noxious to leave other occupants somewhat lacking in gratitude. The cat shows no interest in the Audi other than the occasional disdainful sniff of a front bumper. The Q5’s ground clearance does, though, create an agreeably spacious loggia within which to toy with lightly killed mice. Me? All of the above. Well, except the mouse thing. I love the fact that the Q5 properly takes off when you put your foot down, and hate the all too frequent cost of adding another 500 miles at the pumps. Count the cost Cost new £55,235 Part-exchange £41,664 Cost per mile 22.4p Cost per mile including depreciation £2.43

Audi Q5 Sportback 45 TFSI 265PS S-line S-tronic Month 6 The story so far Arrivederci Audi. It’s been a slice + Sensible specification; analogue control content; performance - Wallet-wincingly thirsty under a careless right foot

Logbook Price £49,990 (£55,235 (as tested) Performance 1984cc turbocharged four-cylinder, 261bhp, 6.1sec 0-62mph, 149mph Efficiency 32.5mpg (official), 28.8mpg (tested), 197g/km CO2 Energy cost 24.7 per mile Miles this month 771 Total miles 7375

Alex Tapley

I love the fact that the Q5 properly takes off when you put your foot down

Our cars

Flipping the switch

Our petrol vs the Mokka-e. By Jake Groves Time to plug in! The Mokka’s CMP platform is designed to cope with different power sources while being fundamentally the same car. I’ve been trying the electric version, which is practically indistinguishable from mine. Well, apart from some ‘e’ badges, and a green numberplate, and a power meter instead of a rev counter, and it’s cleaner… ANYWAY.

The facts: a 50kWh battery, a single 134bhp e-motor and, when I had the keys, a maximum claimed range of 201 miles (Vauxhall has since changed the standard tyres and made a couple of tweaks to up it to 209). During my time with it, the maximum indicated range was 186 miles. Not bad. The additional weight’s improved the ride quality – my

Sins of the platform Cupra Leon VZ2 2.0 TSI DSG 300 Month 3 The story so far Cupra’s version of the VW Golf R, complete with nearly 300bhp and hatch versatility + The Cupra seems to do it all - …but is it a bit too well behaved?

Logbook Price £36,130 (£37,195 as tested) Performance 1984cc turbocharged four-cylinder, 296bhp, 5.7sec 0-62mph, 155mph Efficiency 35.8-37.2mpg (official), 31.0mpg (tested), 171g/km CO2 Energy cost 25.1p per mile Miles this month 612 Total miles 1413

The GTI’s good bits. By Curtis Moldrich This month saw the chance to clock up some serious miles on motorways and country roads in the Cupra Leon and learn more about its overall capability – as well as how it compares to the Golf GTI on which it’s based. As you’d expect, the Cupra is poised and rigid like Wolfsburg’s hot hatch, and the result is a car that’s incredibly stable on faster A-roads, yet chuckable around town. The adaptive cruise control system is easy to set up and, unlike some other systems, copes with bad weather – it doesn’t suddenly

boat. Perfect for the suburbanite moving up from a small family car, and for those who’ve got a wallbox, a driveway, and an easy commute. By those metrics, Vauxhall’s done its job. @_jakegroves

disengage and hand over control. My only gripe? You can only configure speed in increments of five. To get 52mph, for example, you’ll need to be doing that speed before hitting the set speed button. But really what has me reaching for the keys every evening after work is not the sensible stuff. It’s

the way it reacts gamely to harsh steering inputs and bootfuls of throttle without losing precision. The Cupra turns in on a penny and even if you carry extra speed it’s predictable. Simply put, my current enjoyment comes from trying to unsettle the car. @Khurtizz

Vauxhall Mokka SRi Nav Premium Month 7 The story so far Trying out the electric Mokka – how does it differ from ours? + Instant throttle response on EV version, and a softer ride - Vacillating range predictor

Logbook Price £27,455 (£27,775 as tested) Performance 1199cc turbocharged three-cylinder, 128bhp, 9.2sec 0-62mph, 124mph Efficiency 47.1mpg (official), 42.9mpg (tested), 137g/km CO2 Energy cost 15.8p per mile Miles this month 1760 Total miles 10,896

It’s good at the sensible stuff. But where’s the fun in that?

Jordan Butters

Can’t tell them apart? Green on the number plate gives you a clue

Mokka’s more jittery than this car – and the EV’s half a second quicker than my 128bhp petrol and plenty zippy around town; you do without the sometimes indecisive eight-speed auto on my car. Unlike my point last month about the modes meaning very little on my car, the Mokka-e’s modes actually do stuff. Eco reduced power, Normal is, er… normal, and Sport unleashes all of the oomph. I left it in Eco, in which it’s happy pottering about town. But there’s one big annoyance: the range predictor. It’s all over the place. It says 186 miles on a full charge, but on one occasion dropped to around 130 after a few miles of driving, then went up to 150-ish after another few miles… and so the rollercoaster predictions continued. (Ah, yes, welcome to EVs, Jake. BM.) While range anxiety isn’t a thing if you’re sticking to short journeys, this feels like you’re riding the Tesla share price bar graph – it’s exhausting. And yet I’ve seen loads of Mokka-e models on the road. I get it – this is a hugely stylish, super simple EV that doesn’t rock the

APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 113

Hello

At last the ’Star aligns Infatuated with engines for 40 years, Ben’s gone EV with a Polestar 2. Inconsolable or enlightened? By Ben Miller

The story so far One of our favourite EVs, here in twin-motor, big-battery spec + Not a Tesla; handsome - Not a Tesla; cramped

Logbook Price £45,900 (£30,800 as tested) Performance 78kWh battery, twin e-motors, 402bhp, 4.7sec 0-62mph, 127mph Efficiency 3.2 miles per kWh (official), 2.1 miles per kWh (tested), 0g/km CO2 Range 292 miles (official), 224 miles (tested) Energy cost 7.0p per mile Miles this month 82 Total miles 4200 114 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

V12s. Two-stroke fumes do to me what the aroma of freshly-baked bread does to normal people, and when I can’t sleep I lap Suzuka in my head, the noise of the turbo

The drive/ reverse lever is, like the first iPod, pure design genius

Honda V6 (we’re in a McLaren MP4/4, obviously) as real to me as the dragging insomnia. And now there’s a car on my drive without an engine.

Jordan Butters

Polestar 2 Month 1

This, then, is it – ‘my’ first EV. Cards on the table, heart on sleeve: I’ve loved engines since I was old enough to know what a gudgeon pin was, and been in awe of their potency far longer than that. At school, while everyone else fabricated useful things like drawing boards, I gleefully spent a few months making an engine out of wood; a SOHC single with a clear acrylic bore so you could see the piston sliding up and down as you cranked the, er, crank. As a grown-up I’ve been fortunate enough to experience the very best of the breed: Velocette and BSA singles, Ducati V-twins, Honda and Aprilia V4s, Benelli and BMW sixes, 700bhp supercharged Dodge V8s and, of course, Lamborghini and Ferrari

Our cars

It’s tempting, is it not, to get all philosophical and grandiose about it, and to start banging on about looking glasses stepped through, of times changing, of archaic reference points being rendered obsolete and of the universe being flipped on its head? The Polestar is electric, so your mind’s eye instantly leaps to a montage of swaying grasses on an African plain, of the sun coming up – timelapse style – over the crystalline wilderness of Antarctica and of an impossibly cute baby mammal opening its eyes for the first time as its mother licks its gorgeous face. But the Polestar 2 is just a car – that much I already know. So, I’ll endeavour to keep things in perspective. It need not wean me off engines nor save the world. It

just needs to be a good car. For now, I can tell you that it is at least a handsome and very promising one. While Tesla’s outstanding Model 3 remains CAR’s pick of the circa £50k EVs, so popular is Elon’s compact saloon that, where once you bought a Tesla to stand out from all BMWs, you must now buy a Polestar to stand out from all the Teslas. And where a Model 3 creaks like a melting ’berg, the Polestar 2 feels as solid as, well, Antarctica. Our Polestar 2 is a lightly optioned Long Range Dual Motor. (On planet Polestar, adding the second motor to the base 2 costs £3k, the bigger battery a further £3k.) Cost options include £900 Midnight paint (as classy and as understated as my outgoing M4’s

Where a Tesla Model 3 creaks like a melting ’berg, the Polestar 2 feels as solid as, well, Antarctica Sao Paulo Yellow was gauche and extrovert) and the Charcoal Weavetech interior with Black Ash deco trim (part of the Plus pack, which also brings a panoramic roof, power seats and inductive phone charging, among other things). That’s £50,800 all-in. The car’s on the standard 19-inch wheels, perhaps for the cushier ride, rather than either of the two very attractive 20-inch options. And we’ve resisted the £5000 Performance Pack, with its big wheels, beautiful gold front brake calipers and seatbelts, and really

quite silly/tasty Öhlins dampers and performance rubber. Highlights so far have included downloading the beautiful app, failing to get it to recognise the car (user error, I’m sure), smugly setting my charging timer to only draw power off-peak, wondering who stole all the interior space, marvelling at mankind’s most powerful heated steering wheel yet and generally feeling pretty content with what is a striking and weirdly seductive car. No engine, no problem – so far, at least. APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 115

Untapped potential

There’s lots to enjoy about the most powerful Peugeot road car ever, but much that’s frustrating too. By Ben Barry

So complex is the 508 PSE’s engineering and character that I haven’t fully explored it heading into this Goodbye. Before I remedy that… last month I reported lumpy running, traced to a rogue spark plug. With all four replaced, it’s now business as usual. Not that this is your usual Peugeot. It’s both the most powerful roadgoing Peugeot ever, and a plug-in hybrid with a 1.6-litre turbo and one e-motor per axle. That equals 355bhp and up to 26 miles of electric running. I like the 508’s design and the interior still feels a treat six months on – the materials, quality and avant-garde look are brilliantly French premium, and fabulous massage seats help soothe long trips. At 4778mm long, this is a big car, with generous room in the back, and we never truly filled the 530-litre boot. While stiffer

than the regular 508, it’s perfectly comfortable for family duties. I charged only at home on a domestic socket, and while I managed 22 e-miles in summer, that almost halved in winter. I suspected my frequent longer journeys would undo the good of shorter emissions-free runs, so I’ve been happy with the 52.0mpg average, this month’s 73.6mpg a highlight (I did the first 865 miles of the month without a charge too). That frugality is partly because it felt wrong to thrash a plug-in but when I did drive the 508 harder I thought it pretty good – great body control, decently rapid, and impressively poised through tighter twists, where the front end bites hard, and you can enjoy a degree of throttle adjustability as well as a contribution from that rear e-motor. Numb and edgily rapid steering robs driver connection,

but the bigger problem is too little configurability – the 508 won’t let you lock in manual mode, soften shocks or disable stability control. I also find the lag between e-mode and the petrol-electric powertrain kicking in dangerous for overtakes, and it’s difficult to pre-empt that by selecting Sport because the selector is behind the gearlever – it needs a button on the steering wheel. I also find the lack of a normal warm-up procedure troubling – you can cover 20 miles, then bez a cold engine. So mostly I babied the 508, maximising its range and leaving much potential untapped. A decent car, and one I’ve enjoyed, but not where I’d get my kicks. @IamBenBarry Count the cost Cost new £55,795 Part-exchange £35,125 Cost per mile 15.7p Cost per mile including depreciation £2.07

Peugeot 508 SW Sport Engineered Month 6 The story so far Peugeot Sport’s first plug-in hybrid and the most powerful Peugeot EVer + Genuine performance with genuine efficiency - Not light at 1875kg

Logbook Price £55,795 (as tested £55,795) Performance 1598cc four-cylinder, twin e-motors, 11.5kWh battery, PHEV, 355bhp, 5.2sec 0-62mph, 155mph Efficiency 138.9mpg, 73.6mpg (tested), 46g/km C02 Energy cost 8.9p per mile (3.9p with electric charging) Miles this month 2273 Total miles 10,810

Alex Tapley

Goodbye

The avant-garde interior is still a treat six months on. It’s brilliantly French

It’s fast, certainly, when you want it to be. Satisfying? Not entirely

116 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

Our cars

Amazon brain porridge

In the hot seat

A voyage into inner space

Two price rises but still a steal

The over-the-air fairies have been at it again: behold, Amazon’s Alexa has materialised in the Velar. After a bit of smartphone account linking on Land Rover’s InControl and the Amazon websites, I’m good to go. It’s given the Velar’s inert voice control its P45. I now request music and there’s a chance of getting Dua Lipa not Don’t Fear the Reaper. It also plugs addresses into the Pivi Pro nav. In transit, connectivity is a bit hit-and-miss though. On the house’s Echo, I’ve enabled the Land Rover Remote skill but seldom say the right things to extract range or charging status from capricious Alexa. It’s quicker to fire up Land Rover’s app instead.

A few minutes into every drive in the i20N I have warm trousers. Every time I put my phone into the wireless charging tray just ahead of the gearlever, my hand catches on the heated seat button. One flaw in an otherwise ergonomically watertight interior – although Ben Miller makes the point that all the icons on the touchscreen’s home menu are blue, making them tricky to pick out while driving. Unlike the ‘N’ display pictured, one aspect of which I love is the way it can clearly display separate temperatures for coolant, engine and oil – making sure you don’t get carried away before they’re all properly warmed through.

The other day I found myself watching a young couple move into a flat above a chemist’s shop. They were in a Vauxhall Zafira, and I assumed the move would involve several journeys. But no. Everything they needed for their new life – including four dining chairs and enough cooking equipment to turn pro – had been carefully packed into their MPV. It made me look again at my Qashqai. It’s bigger than the previous two versions, with more shoulder room up front, more knee room in the back, and bigger rear door openings. Behind the seats, you get 504 litres. With the rears folded, it’s 1593, all easily accessed.

Wily manufacturers rarely want to promote their stripped-out boggo models, but Dacia did eventually agree to let us run the actual cheapest car on sale today: the Sandero Essential. And then someone from HQ rang to explain how a range restructure meant they could no longer swap our Comfort spec for the Essential. Blame the pandemic. Blame the chip shortage. Blame Brexit, oscillating exchange rates and market forces – I think the fact that the entry-level Sandero has leapt from £7995 at launch in 2020 to £9845 last year and now £10,145 speaks volumes about the trends reshaping the small-car market.

PHIL MCNAMARA

JAMES TAYLOR

ALEX TAPLEY

TIM POLLARD

Range Rover Velar P400e S Month 6

Hyundai i20N Month 5

Nissan Qashqai Tekna+ DIG-T 158PS Month 5

Dacia Sandero Comfort TCe 90 Month 4

The story so far

The story so far

The story so far

The story so far

Land Rover hybrid roll-out now includes the Velar + Smooth powertrain, smooth ride, classy cabin - Hell is trying to home-charge a Range Rover hybrid

N’s smaller hot hatch is just the right amount of juvenile + Great brakes; slick autoblip; balanced handling - Latent throttle response; appetite for tyres

Third-generation Qashqai is clocking up the miles + Good compromise between the many roles it’s asked to fill - More reliable infotainment would be welcome

The Sandero’s talents run deeper than its lowly RRP would have you believe + It’s really all you need in your motoring life - Though you might actually want more

Logbook

Logbook

Logbook

Logbook

Price £61,770 (£71,315 as tested) Performance 1997cc turbo fourcylinder plus e-motor, 17.1kWh battery, PHEV, 398bhp, 5.4sec 0-62mph, 149mph Efficiency 109.9mpg (official), 32.9mpg (tested), 49g/km CO2 Energy cost 9p per mile Miles this month 361 Total miles 5355

Price £24,995 (£25,545 as tested) Performance 1598cc turbocharged four-cylinder, 201bhp, 6.2sec 0-62mph, 142mph Efficiency 40.4mpg (official), 36.1mpg (tested), 158g/ km CO2 Energy cost 19.9p per mile Miles this month 1030 Total miles 5453

Price £36,125 (£37,270 as tested) Performance 1332cc turbocharged four-cylinder, 156bhp, 9.2sec 0-62mph, 124mph Efficiency 43.8mpg (official), 39.0mpg (tested), 146g/km CO2 Energy cost 17.1p per mile Miles this month 465 Total miles 14,129

Price £12,045 (£12,890 as tested) Performance 999cc turbocharged three-cylinder, 90bhp, 11.7sec 0-62mph, 111mph Efficiency 53.3mpg (official), 41.8mpg (tested), 120g/km CO2 Energy cost 15.8p per mile Miles this month 837 Total miles 6439 APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 117

With 296bhp wrestling the front wheels, this car has terrible torque steer. I mean, shocking

The fast and the infuriating

Our Megane RS is a lot of fun if you ignore the flaws. But the RS Trophy keeps all the positives and eliminates the negatives… for a price. By Mark Walton

After eight months driving the Megane RS, I have one piece of advice: don’t buy one. Really, don’t. Cough, splutter – the Renault PR person just spat out their cornflakes. But don’t worry, my full advice is: ‘Don’t buy the RS – buy the RS Trophy.’ At first glance the two cars are very similar: the same punchy 1.8-litre turbocharged engine, the same six-speed gearbox, the same body, same interior. The RS has many, many things going for it. It has a great engine that always feels strong and in Sport mode it delivers a really satisfying turn of speed. It has a well designed interior too: I love the dashboard and all the connectivity works well. However, the sports seats are so narrow around the hips that on a long journey they feel like they are pinching me. Which leads to a wider point about comfort: the ride is very firm, jiggling the passengers around, and as a family 118 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

car it didn’t really work for us. So maybe the Megane RS is just a shameless driver’s car, designed to be enjoyed on your own. Fair enough. But here’s the fatal flaw: with 296bhp wrestling the front wheels when you try to accelerate, this car has terrible torque steer. I mean, shocking. A few times I took passengers out and demonstrated – find a stretch of back road, third gear, hold the steering wheel loose in your hands. Now, accelerate hard and the Megane will almost leap sideways, so abrupt is the sudden torque-induced swerve, and you have to grab the wheel and wrestle it to keep the car in a straight line. And this waywardness destroys any selfish, driving-home-alone pleasure. What the RS lacks is a proper diff – a Torsen limited-slip diff, for example, just like the one you’ll find in the RS Trophy. The key upgrade from regular RS to Trophy is the Cup chassis, with firmer

springs and shocks, stiffer anti-roll bars and that all-important diff. It completely transforms the car – seriously, that extra £4.5k doesn’t buy you a marginal improvement. The Cup chassis significantly, dramatically changes the RS, eliminating the torque steer, ironing out the frustrations and delivering exactly the precise, exciting, engaging drive you’re looking for. And for another £1600, you can have Recaro race seats, which are more comfortable. So the Megane RS is a fast but flawed car. The RS Trophy is one of the best hot hatches you can buy. I know it’s easy for a car journalist to simply write, ‘Go on! Spend another £6k!’ But honestly, having lived with the regular RS, the Trophy is worth every penny. Count the cost Cost new £36,055 Part-exchange £26,822 Cost per mile 22.1p Cost per mile including depreciation £1.25

Renault Megane RS 300 Auto EDC Month 8 The story so far We wanted to find out if the regular Megane RS could be a genuine alternative to the Golf GTI as an everyday hot hatch that can do everything. Well, it can’t + A fast, well appointed hot hatch with plenty of character - The lack of a proper diff in the RS ruins the driving experience

Logbook Price £33,555 (£36,055 as tested) Performance 1798cc turbocharged four cylinder, 296bhp, 5.7sec 0-62mph, 158mph Efficiency 34.0 mpg (official), 28.7 mpg (tested), 187g/km CO2 Energy cost 22.1p Miles this month 1001 Total miles 9960

Jordan Butters

Goodbye

Our cars That smell’s going to linger, isn’t it?

The Mazda’s makeover

It was all going so well… By Ben Whitworth Last week I booked in the MX-30 for a ‘service campaign’ – fancy marketing lingo for a recall – to have its software updated. No overthe-air updates from Mazda yet, so I made an appointment at Snows of Chichester. I was offered a courtesy car for the day but as the work would actually only take about 45 minutes, I instead took advantage of some rather good coffee and

ensconced myself in the corner of the immaculate showroom. The service campaign/recall was to reprogramme the Mazda’s ECU to ensure it remained fully dormant when the car was not in use, to avoid draining its 12-volt battery. I’ve not suffered this in the MX-30, but know from experience – try jump-starting a car in the twilight on the Zambesi

Count our blessings Jaguar F-Pace 2.0D 204PS R-Dynamic SE Month 4 The story so far F-Pace with the four-cylinder mild-hybrid diesel broke down early, but is redeeming itself + Good looking, good value and fine handling - Succumbed to early reliability woes

Logbook Price £48,500 (£52,940 as tested) Performance 1997cc turbodiesel four-cylinder, 201bhp, 8.0sec 0-62mph, 130mph Efficiency 4245mpg (official), 38.0mpg (tested), 163-177g/km CO2 Energy cost 17.9p per mile Miles this month 877 Total miles 7970

And the cost. By Ben Oliver

escarpment while avoiding eye contact with a pride of alarmingly interested lions – the carnage a dead battery can cause. An hour later, fully caffeinated and heading home, I noticed three things. One, the indicated range had jumped by 10 per cent, but that might have to do with my driving history being wiped by the update. Two, the MX-30 felt a touch nippier off the line. And three, the electric engine warble piped into the cabin – think autotuned RX-8 accelerating in third gear – had disappeared, making the squeaking from the front windows even more apparent. So it’s back to Snows next week to relocate the AWOL soundtrack, see if the update has affected range and performance, and to have the windows sorted. Oh, and one other exciting event this month – always make sure that when purchasing a tin of paint from B&Q the lid is correctly fitted after it has been mixed. Otherwise the following will occur: the lid will pop off halfway home and dump five litres of white shed paint in the passenger footwell; you’ll get

thoroughly irritated with B&Q’s paltry £50 compensation offer; and you’ll spend that £50 and the rest of your Sunday on a valet as you frantically try to sort it out. @benwhitworth

useful reset between trips in the Jag. It’s easy to take the sybaritic splendour of luxury cars for granted, but getting into the F-Pace now feels like a treat: a reminder I’m no longer lugging three-metre lengths of 3x2 onto a roof in sub-zero conditions. I shower and dress smartly before I drive it.

Such cleanliness doesn’t extend to the exterior, though: mucky site access meant I pretty much gave up washing it over winter. And we pay for the privilege: a full tank plus AdBlue and screenwash came to three figures, though that’s the fault of fuel prices rather than the Jag’s economy.

Mazda MX-30 GT Sport Tech Month 6 The story so far Still loving the Mazda-ness of the MX-30, but it’s not without faults + A recall, an inadvertent new paintjob and squeaky window seals… busy month - Wishing it had 15cm of extra rear legroom

Logbook Price £32,845 (£34,845 as tested, £32,345 after grant) Performance 35.5kWh battery, e-motor, 140bhp, 9.7sec 0-62mph, 87mph (limited) Efficiency 3.5 miles per kWh (official), 2.9 miles per kWh (tested), 0g/km CO2 Range 124 miles (official), 100 miles (tested) Energy cost 3.6p per mile Miles this month 685 Total miles 7864

Regular readers of Our Cars will be familiar with the one where an estate car or SUV gets used for a DIY project or a house move, and we write about how it does a good impersonation of a builder’s van/ removals truck. I have avoided this trope by buying an actual builder’s van to help with a house renovation. So the Jaguar’s fine interior remains unsullied and unscuffed by bituminous roofing sheets or the mouldy contents of that forgotten corner of the shed. And while I love my 10-year-old Vivaro, its basic cabin serves as a

APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 119

2021, the year of our M4 Good bye

BMW’s new M3/M4 pretty much defined Ben’s 2021, suggesting it’s either a special car or his priorities are somewhat out of whack… By Ben Miller

BMW M4 Competition Month 7 The story so far After seven fast and fluid months our beloved M4 Competition is heading home. It’s been a blast + A multiple Giant Test winner; the best M4 in ages - It’s 911 money, but not actually a Porsche 911

Logbook Price £73,130 (£87,745 as tested) Performance 2993cc twin-turbo straight-six, 503bhp, 3.9sec 0-62mph, 155mph/180mph Efficiency 28.5mpg (official), 27.2mpg (tested), 229g/km CO2 Energy cost 23.0p per mile Miles this month 805 Total miles 8411

120 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

This latest-gen M3/M4 entered my consciousness in late 2020, when I interviewed the team behind it and worked to get my head around a car that, according to our early prototype drives, was both heavier than the outgoing car and more M at the same time. Eh? Power was up, naturally, the twin-clutch ’box had gone in favour of an auto and the car’s handling was, thanks to an all new-structure and suspension geometry inspired by the CS version of the previous-gen car, transformed according to initial reports. February 2021 was spent hatching a masterplan: a new M4 and a 911 on a circuit in the UK for a head-tohead video; and a stunning Isle of Man Green M3 in Germany from which our European editor Georg Kacher could merrily hop back and forth into a Porsche 911 Carrera S. The M3 came away with a draw – an outstanding result given the 911’s a

purpose-built sports car. ‘My’ M4 arrived in June. Like all UK-spec M3/M4s it was a Competition. Unlike any other I’ve seen since it was Sau Paulo Yellow (one of two no-cost colour options). The spec was good: no silly-money ceramic brakes, but the extrovert and excellent carbon bucket seats (£3.4k or included in the £6750 Carbon Pack) were present and correct, as were the Technology Pack and four very pretty wheels (the £850 double-spoke 826s, 19-inch up front and 20-inch at the rear). The car looked spectacular but, at £87,745, so too did the on-the-road price. What, six months on, would I go without? Everything but the seats and the wheels (superb though the Laserlights are), which brings the car in at £81,680. Naturally, it was raining the day I collected the car – weather conditions in which the old F80

M3 was the stuff of nightmares. I arrived home both spellbound and gobsmacked. This, clearly, was different gravy. Thereafter we did it all. We went over to Lotus in Norfolk twice, the car mustering a small crowd at the marque’s petrolhead Hethel HQ each time. We met a trio of CAR readers, gleefully blowing the socks off two of them (one played hard to get…). We went on track, at Anglesey and at Bicester, experiences that helped underline the universal truth that, however gifted the car, tyres are the single most important component in achieving fast car happiness. At Bicester, the standardfit Pirelli 4 Ss were sensational. At a cool and damp Anglesey, the M4’s factory-fit track tyre option (a set of Michelin Cups) were a speed-killing, snap-oversteer-laden liability. As soon as an M4 with xDrive four-wheel drive arrived in the UK

Our cars A helpful device being unhelpful

Playing away

Absence makes the heart grow fonder. By Chris Chilton The Kuga’s biggest journey this month was a trip to Gatwick, so we could jet off for a break in sunnier climes. A combination of overlight steering, weight and the CVT transmission means I’d never rank the Ford PHEV as one of Henry’s most engaging cars to drive, but two weeks in an elderly rented Nissan X-Trail provided some context. When I got back the Kuga’s vastly quicker, more responsive steering nearly sent me over the kerb while exiting the parking area, though I was also reminded that the ST’s stiffer suspension does come with a ride penalty.

The friendliest 500bhp car you’ll ever drive

I arrived home spellbound and gobsmacked. Different gravy adaptive cruise (which loved slowing for parked cars on long gentle curves), the occasional bout of unwanted gesture-control interaction and the generous tyre roar on some surfaces. We even averaged 27mpg. In 2022 the line-up expands yet further, with the M4 CSL and the Touring M3 estate joining the existing coupe, convertible and saloon body styles. If my kids weren’t already driving themselves about the place I’d go for an M3 Touring xDrive. But since they are I just want YA70 TWM back in my life.

Ford Kuga ST-Line PHEV Month 8 The story so far A holiday fling with an X-Trail provides context + Kuga has a proper spare wheel - Tyre pressure monitoring system suggests I might need two

Logbook

Count the cost Cost new £87,745 Part-exchange £57,400 Cost per mile 23.0p Cost per mile inc depreciation £3.83

Jordan Butters

(new for this generation M3/M4), we went to meet it. Spoiler alert: go xDrive. The car doesn’t need it, and you’re paying financial and efficiency penalties for the privilege, but it’s like this: I can well imagine scenarios in which you’d wish you had it, but can’t picture a single one in which you’d regret choosing it. To round out the year, YA70 TWM took on a couple of EV upstarts (BMW’s new i4 M50 and Tesla’s Model 3 Performance) and humbled them both to claim headline billing on a CAR front cover, flanked by its elite M predecessors. I can think of no more fitting end to both 2021 and our time with this M4. And now it’s gone. Really, the only niggles were the easily foxed

Speaking of penalties, the cold winter weather seems to be pegging back the electric driving range. The Kuga’s diet of different journey types hasn’t changed, but the predicted range following a night hooked up to the mains is now just below, rather than just above, 30 miles. That said, it’s still more than enough for daily urban duties, and more than rivals can offer. More pressing is a tyre pressure warning that has just appeared. It says two tyres need air, but are still showing the correct pressure. So which is it? I’m off to find out.

Price £37,655 (£40,255 as tested) Performance 2488cc four-cylinder plus e-motor, 14.4kW battery, PHEV, 222bhp, 9.2sec 0-62mph, 125mph Efficiency 201.8mpg (official), 89.4mpg (tested), 32g/km CO2 Energy cost 7.1p per mile Miles this month 1052 Total miles 10,163

APRIL 2022 | SUBSCRIBE TO CAR FOR JUST £4.20 A MONTH! GREATMAGAZINES.CO.UK 121

Aftermarket extras

COSMETIC REPAIR INSURANCE From £7.30 a month Protect the appearance and value of your car with MotorEasy’s Cosmetic Insurance. From £7.30 per month, you can make up to six claims a year against dents, scratches and other minor damage. Whether you’re planning to return a vehicle at the end of a finance agreement, or wary of fellow drivers in the supermarket car park, it’s a great way to buy peace of mind. www.motoreasy.com

PROXES TYRES FROM TOYO Prices vary The Proxes TR1’s tread pattern blends form with function to provide outstanding performance with an individual identity. Innovative ‘star’ wear indicators allow enthusiastic drivers to take advantage of exceptional handling and grip throughout the life of the tyre while also encouraging drivers to avoid changing tyres too soon, thus reducing the environmental impact. www.toyo.co.uk

CLASSIC ADDITIONS CAR COVERS Prices vary Classic Additions supplies a range of highquality indoor and outdoor car covers. The standard-fit range includes the best-selling Super Soft Stretch indoor (pictured) and Ultimate outdoor covers. If you would prefer something bespoke, Classic Additions also offers custom-made indoor and outdoor covers that are fully tailored to the shape of the car and hand-made in the UK factory. www.classicadditions.com

SCRATCH SHIELD From £7.29 Scratch Shield helps prevent scratches and swirls on your car’s paintwork during washing. It creates a protective barrier between your wash mitt and the bottom of the wash bucket, stopping you from picking up dirt, grit and debris and transferring it onto you paintwork. It’s adjustable for different-size buckets, or fits snugly in Scratch Shield buckets. Made in the UK, it comes with a lifetime guarantee. www.scratchshield.co.uk

RIMBLADES From £24.99 Rimblades is a UK company that manufactures a range of wheel rim protection and styling products. These all attach to the rim using an easy-fit DIY system utilising a high-bond tape from 3M with a 3M adhesion promoter. They are available in a range of 12 colours and generally fit wheels up to 22 inches in diameter, with prices ranging from £24.99 to £59.99 a set. www.rimblades.com

CLASSIC ‘TRIPOD’ HEADLIGHTS From £199.99 + VAT New from Better Car Lighting are these reproduction ‘tripod’-style headlights for classic cars running 12-volt electronics. The neatly-detailed seven-inch lights, reproducing the classic PL700 look, are available with either halogen or LED bulbs. Left- and right-hand-drive versions are in stock. They’re high-quality items that come with a five-year guarantee. www.bettercarlighting.co.uk

TO ADVERTISE ON THIS PAGE please contact Claire Meade-Gore 01733 366310 [email protected]

HOW DOES NEW GBU WORK?

Constantly updated, new GBU covers eight of 16 classes in each issue. See p130 for our class kings

The Good, the Bad & the Ugly: The Top 5s

TOP 5 S S KO DA O C TAV IA i V THE GOOD: Usual Octavia strengths – roomy, quality cabin – bolstered here by a 34-mile EV range and as little as 22g/km CO2 THE BAD: Costs and weighs more than some of the simpler, still-frugal non-hybrid Octavias THE UGLY: Well, ugly’s a bit harsh, but it’s not exactly catwalk material Big on space, small on tax. What’s not to like?

THE ONE TO BUY: Sporty vRS is out on cost grounds but a fully loaded SE L is £400pcm

GIANT TEST WINNER

FORD KUGA PHEV

VO LVO XC 4 0 R E C H A RG E

MINI COU NTRY M A N

AU D I A 3 S P O RTBAC K

THE GOOD: Kit; space; impressive 34-mile range in EV mode

THE GOOD: So stylish it deserves its own MOMA exhibition; roomy, too

THE GOOD: Rapid (062mph in 6.2sec); quality interior; made in the UK?

THE GOOD: Handsome, gadget-stuffed hatch with useful electric range

THE BAD: Firm ride on sport suspension; limited trim options for PHEV

THE BAD: R-Design suspension is vicious

THE BAD: Er, no, it’s made in the Netherlands; no fast-charge capability

THE BAD: S-Line looks best; Sport’s smoother ride gets our vote

THE UGLY: PHEV version is pricey; can’t match Kuga’s EV ability

THE UGLY: 18-inch wheels knock e-range from 40 to 37 miles

THE ONE TO BUY: Base-spec Classic (£400pcm) the only one that gets near the budget

THE ONE TO BUY: A3 40 TFSI Sport with Comfort+Sound Pack does it all for £400pcm

THE UGLY: Looks more bloated hatch than SUV; not Puma-grade fun

THE UGLY: Volvo is quoting eight-month delivery times; it must think it’s Morgan

THE ONE TO BUY: Might as well splash for the loaded ST-Line X for a reasonable £380pcm

THE ONE TO BUY: Entry-level Core comes in at £390 upwards; others are all big money

PCM (per calendar month) figures are typical prices for PCP (personal contract purchase) deals available at the time of writing. For guidance only

.

APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 123

TOP 5 £400pcm+ PHEVs Come for the range, stay for the speed

BMW X5 45 e THE GOOD: Massive 54-mile official EV range; horizon-eating 5.5sec 0-62mph performance; great interior and infotainment system THE BAD: Hybrid hardware cuts boot space by 150 litres; no seven-seat option THE UGLY: Enough off-road skill for most but batteries spoil handling THE ONE TO BUY: Almost all Brits go for showy M Sport and its 20-inch wheels: £71k/£900pcm

GIANT TEST WINNER

BIG SELLER

GIANT TEST WINNER

PORSCHE CAYENNE HYBRID

VW GOLF GTE

BMW 33 0e

MERCEDES-BENZ C300e

THE GOOD: Choice of coupe or normal bodies, both with 456bhp; 0-62mph in 5.0sec

THE GOOD: It’s like a Golf GTI without any of the planet-killing guilt

THE GOOD: Goes subsix to 62mph and up to 41 miles on a charge

THE BAD: It’s like a Golf GTI without any of the traction or sparkle

THE BAD: Engine is slightly coarse; plain 330i less heavy, more fun

THE GOOD: Stunning interior borrows heavily from S-Class; incredible 62-mile range does too

THE UGLY: Mechanically similar Octavia vRS PHEV stronger on value

THE UGLY: Hybrid kit eats into boot space so regular 3s are roomier

THE ONE TO BUY: Base car under £400pcm but you’ll need £450 for decent wheels

THE ONE TO BUY: Handsome, vaguely affordable 330e M Sport Touring comes in at £530

THE BAD: Bigger battery from 2021 but EV range is still a poor 25-27 miles THE UGLY: Stingy spec: add £2k for adaptive cruise and lane assist THE ONE TO BUY: If you value the U in SUV, steer clear of the coupe

D p

124 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

THE BAD: Beats the tax man but can’t beat BMW 330e in the bends THE UGLY: That pesky BMW also bests it in the boot-space stakes THE ONE TO BUY: Go for an estate in tasty AMG Line

I The all-new Range Rover will be available with a new PHEV

The Good, the Bad & the Ugly

TOP 5 SPORTS CARS GIANT TEST WINNER

GIANT TEST NNER

PORSCHE 911

ARIEL ATOM

PORSCHE 718 CAYMAN/BOXSTER

ALPINE A110

CATERHAM SEVEN

THE GOOD: Style, like 911s, never goes out of fashion

THE GOOD: A beautiful object as well as a thrilling drive. The Lotus Seven, modernised

THE GOOD: A strong case for the best-handling car on sale today

THE GOOD: The perfectly formed antidote to a world of excess

THE GOOD: A joy as pure as it was eight decades ago

THE BAD: Less characterful than an Alpine; bigger than it needs to be

THE BAD: Nowhere to put anything inside

THE BAD: Road noise means you’ll forever have the radio turned up to 11 THE UGLY: Now more a GT than a sports car; vast lineup is always pushing you to spend more THE ONE TO BUY: Carrera S with Sport Chrono Pack

THE BAD: You’ll need at least £40k – an expensive toy THE UGLY: Borderline terrifying at times THE ONE TO BUY: Do you really need the 350bhp power upgrade option?

THE UGLY: Flat-four versions sound like a VW Beetle in a duet with Eeyore THE ONE TO BUY: Flat-six GTS is a cutprice GT4 at £67k

THE UGLY: Who put the handbrake switch next to the window buttons? THE ONE TO BUY: S adds poise to the handling but base A110 is all you need

THE BAD: Eight decades of development and still no self-cancelling indicators? THE UGLY: Bloodblisters every time you try to adjust the seat THE ONE TO BUY: 170R, with a heater

TOP 5 SUPERCARS GIANT TEST WINNER

GIANT TEST WINNER

GIANT TEST WINNER

NEW ENTRY

PORSCHE 911 GT3

McLAREN 720S

FERRARI F8 TRIBUTO

FERRARI SF90 STRADALE

LAMBORGHINI HURACAN STO

THE GOOD: Spinetingling sound; 9000rpm redline; total immersion

THE GOOD: A game-changing supercar, from its sinuous design to otherworldly pace

THE GOOD: 488 Pista brilliance, made slightly more affordable. Makes you feel like the world’s best driver

THE GOOD: Fascinating tech, long-distance cruising ability, warp-speed pace

THE GOOD: Breathlessly exhilarating, sushiraw V10 soundtrack

THE BAD: Nothing to report THE UGLY: Getting on the waiting list to actually buy one THE ONE TO BUY: PDK nice for traffic jams and lap records. But come on, it’s got to be a manual

THE BAD: Almost too fast for the road THE UGLY: Reputation for fragile reliability THE ONE TO BUY: There’s an openair Spyder but the Coupe’s still airyfeeling, and our pick

THE BAD: Tacky interior; hard work on long journeys

THE BAD: Don’t forget to pack your toothbrush: that’s all you’ll be able to fit

THE UGLY: Not as pretty as 458/488

THE UGLY: Not as pure a thrill as an F8

THE ONE TO BUY: Choose the openair Spyder for al fresco thrills

THE ONE TO BUY: Forego the Fiorano track pack: stronger as a GT-ish road car

THE BAD: Less thrilling on a sixhour motorway grind. We did it so you don’t have to THE UGLY: Playschool-spec sticker kit (optional, mercifully) THE ONE TO BUY: There’s only one

APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 125

THE BONUS FIVE

ALL-WEATHER WEAPONS

Monster winter with a new or used all-wheel-drive masterpiece TOYOTA GR YARIS (NEW) THE GOOD: A mighty, overtly mechanical all-wheel-drive roadgoing WRC replica to make even Paxman smile THE BAD: Rowdy road noise; Yaris interior THE UGLY: The year-long queue for a new one. Jump it with a used car for £35k THE ONE TO BUY: You want the Circuit Pack (£33.5k) with its diffs and sticky tyres

AUDI R8 (USED) THE GOOD: To-die-for 5.2-litre V10; expoitable rear-biased handling THE BAD: You’ll go nowhere quietly; you’ll need £85k to bag a post-2015 car THE UGLY: Cockpit squeaks and rattles THE ONE TO BUY: RWD is sensational but all-wheel-drive cars are more versatile and still steer on the throttle

MERCEDES-AMG A35 (NEW) THE GOOD: Just the right amount of AMG raucousness in a family hatch. Less OTT (and OMG expensive) than the A45 THE BAD: Hard work next to a Golf R THE UGLY: Information-overload interior THE ONE TO BUY: Go Premium Plus for adaptive dampers. Whether you pick the aero kit or not is a matter of taste

VW GOLF R (USED) THE GOOD: Everything that’s great about the Golf GTI, with added power and driven wheels. This shape ran 2016-2020 THE BAD: Many are former lease cars that have been thrashed mercilessly THE UGLY: A magnet for car thieves THE ONE TO BUY: Prices from £15k; pay £20k+ for a post-2017 car with 306bhp

PORSCHE MACAN (USED) THE GOOD: Drives like a tall 911 – really; £46k buys an approved-used 2016 car THE BAD: Rivals have more room THE UGLY: Options list quickly gets terrifyingly expensive THE ONE TO BUY: Any Macan handles well, but the GTS’s bespoke suspension set-up makes it a (lower-slung) cut above 126 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

‘I'LL NEVER SWAP IT’

GR YARIS OWNER BARRY GARTNER ‘Am I pleased with it? Phenomenally so. It’s mechanical and so involving to drive. Key for me is that it’s small enough to be wieldy on a B-road. I do despair of Toyota's infotainment, and the interior is unimaginative, but those issues are insignificant compared with the enjoyment. This is the last car I'll buy.’ THE CIRCUIT PACK: YES OR NO? > ‘I test drove with and without, and the Circuit Pack’s locking diffs do make it more predictable at the limit. But, for me, it’s overkill. I no longer do trackdays and where I live there are few roads to exploit its full potential.’ OTHER KEY OPTIONS? > ‘I chose the Convenience Pack, which includes sat-nav [It’s not standard!], head-up display and slightly less road noise.’

GR’s bespoke AWD system key to its brilliance

The Good, the Bad & the Ugly

TOP 5 SUVS & CROSSOVERS

L A N D ROV E R DEFENDER THE GOOD: All-new reboot brings untold dynamic improvements on road and off it; gorgeous THE BAD: Second-row access is a pain in the 90; expensive THE UGLY: Alternatives to the white steel wheels are offered. Why?

Get off my land

GIANT EST NNER

THE ONE TO BUY: Range spans 90 and 110 wheelbases, diesels, petrols and a plug-in hybrid. Heart says petrol V8, head (and wallet) say glorious diesel six, from £58k/£550pcm in D250 90 form

GIANT TEST WINNER

PORSCHE M ACA N

A STO N M A RTI N D BX

M E RC E D E S G-CLASS

A LPI N A X D3

THE GOOD: Handles better than any other SUV. And some hot hatches

THE GOOD: Glorious noise; masterful chassis balance; rear-axle bias

THE GOOD: Truly epic off-road; retro styling will age well/is already aged

THE GOOD: Is this the best all-rounder money can buy?

THE BAD: ‘The name’s Bond, Dadbod Bond’

THE BAD: Side-opening boot door a nuisance at the supermarket

THE BAD: Its heart yearns for the autobahn, and you can only give it the A1(M)

THE BAD: Hardly an original choice – but with good reason

THE UGLY: How you’ll feel when you meet someone with the new 707 version

THE UGLY: People might think you’ve bought the four-pot (still a good car)

THE ONE TO BUY: Just give up avocado toast and get the DBX 707. Worth it for 697bhp

THE ONE TO BUY: Macan S is the everyday sweet spot

O it

THE UGLY: Influencers will scratch your bonnet taking selfies THE ONE TO BUY: G63 if you play up front or on the wing; G400 for the back four

THE UGLY: Cleaning those wheels on the weekend. All weekend THE ONE TO BUY: One version, many options, potential £80,000 total

I Ford’s all-electric SUV accelerates 0-62mph in less time than

APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 127

TOP 5 SMALL HATCHES BIG FUN

EV PTION

EV OPTION

PEUGEOT 208

FO FIESTA

RENAULT CLIO

FIAT NEW 500

BM MW i3

THE GOOD: Style; big-car character; knockout interior; EV version available

THE GOOD: Magic handling; salessmash popularity not by accident

THE GOOD: Renault’s given its baby hatch a beautiful interior...

THE GOOD: Chic, cheeky, charming – and now charged up as a pure EV

THE GOOD: Still looks fresh, with an interior nicer than most houses

THE BAD: So-so handling; a squash for adult rear-seat passengers

THE BAD: Not the comfiest of cars

THE BAD: ...but didn’t bother changing the outside

THE BAD: Laggy touschscreen; chunky blind spots; tight fit for tall folk

THE BAD: Titchy range; twitchy handling

THE UGLY: People might think you’ve bought the old one

THE UGLY: Won’t scratch that aircooled 500 itch

THE ONE TO BUY: TCe 90 petrol manual – expect to pay £210pcm

THE ONE TO BUY: You need the bigger 42kWh battery: £280pcm

THE UGLY: Dumping the wheel in your lap like a TV dinner to see dials THE ONE TO BUY: The 100bhp petrol at £250pcm

THE UGLY: Tragic interior unchanged in recent facelift; grille was, needlessly THE ONE TO BUY: 1.0-litre EcoBoost a good fit for most, at around £270pcm

THE UGLY: It’ll be replaced soon by the far duller iX1 THE ONE TO BUY: S version is fast but adds little tangible fun; regular 120Ah i3 from £390pcm

TOP 5 FAMILY HATCHES GIANT TEST WINNER

GIANT TEST WINNER

BMW 1-SERIES

VO LKSW VOLK SWAG AGEN EN GOLF

MAZDA 3

FORD FOCUS

MERCEDES A-CLASS

THE GOOD: Premium and practical; now available in GTIalike Ti spec

THE GOOD: Brain-out default choice still a solid all-rounder

THE GOOD: Pretty, non-turbo alternative definitely listens to indie music; fun to drive

THE GOOD: Ford still knows how to make the mundane shake a tail feather

THE GOOD: More tech than an Apple Store; punchy engines

THE BAD: Strangely meanspirited dashboard places everything just out of reach

THE BAD: More tech than an Apple Store; visibility issues

THE BAD: Purists droning on about rear-wheel drive

THE BAD: Seat Leon offers a very similar package for a lower price

THE UGLY: Can BMW spot a goodlooking car, let alone design one?

THE UGLY: Getting caught publicly raging at the infotainment system

THE UGLY: Being humiliated for torque by basespec diesels

THE ONE TO BUY: 118i M Sport is the sweet spot

THE ONE TO BUY: 1.5 TSI 150 at £230pcm

THE ONE TO BUY: Kit-packed 2.0 Skyactiv-X SE-L Lux

128 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

THE BAD: Having to explain why. Every. Single. Time

THE UGLY: Trying to actually buy one #chipcrisis THE ONE TO BUY: 1.0-litre 125 Titanium is keen and posh

THE UGLY: Not as good as a 1-series. Deal with it THE ONE TO BUY: A200 AMG Line Edition does it all (except ride well)

The Good, the Bad & the Ugly

TOP 5 HOT HATCHES

TOYOTA G R YA R I S THE GOOD: Toyota’s made the kind of rally-rep homologation special we thought was gone forever THE BAD: Road noise is like being up the front at a death-metal gig. Bring earplugs for the motorway THE UGLY: Waiting list longer than an Andrex multipack Not your typical Toyota in any way

THE ONE TO BUY: Circuit Pack adds locking diffs front and rear. No satnav, though. Luckily there’s CarPlay

GIANT TEST WINNER

FO R D F I E S TA S T

AU D I R S3

M E RC E D E S -A M G A45 S

R E N AU A U LT LT M E GA N E R S

THE GOOD: Most tailhappy Ford since the Mk2 Escort

THE GOOD: As fun to drive as it is fast, in any weather. Five cylinders

THE GOOD: Rapid pace, rabid character; a bomb of an engine; Drift Mode

THE GOOD: Balletic handling; goes forever on a trackday; fab arches

THE BAD: Doublevision-inducing ride comfort

THE BAD: A Golf-based hatch (or saloon) that costs over 50 grand

THE BAD: Four-wheel steering feels odd initially

THE UGLY: Interior by Fisher Price

THE UGLY: Shunty gearbox turns passengers into nodding dogs around town

THE BAD: Informationoverload interior; alwayson edginess can be wearying (especially for passengers)

THE ONE TO BUY: Performance Pack option an absolute must (adds Quaife limited-slip diff key to the ST’s character)

THE ONE TO BUY: Saloon looks slick but Sportback more usable

G m

THE UGLY: A hatchback (or CLA coupe) that costs the thick end of 60 grand THE ONE TO BUY: A45 S only, at £58k/£770pcm

THE UGLY: Jiggly ride; tuggy torque-steer; niggling feeling a Golf GTI’s easier to live with THE ONE TO BUY: Trophy version brings must-have limited-slip diff but adds £4.5k

I Honda’s Civic Type R is only just off sale and still the best big

APRIL 2022 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 129

The Good, the Bad & the Ugly

OUR REIGNING CLASS KINGS Buying a car? Check it’s one of our top picks TH I S M O NTH

B E S T SU B - £4 0 0 pcm P H E V S KO DA O C TAV I A i V

In pure car-for-the-money terms, nothing can touch it

B E S T H OT H ATC H TOYOTA G R YA R I S

Cult car of the moment, with substance to match the hype

B EST £4 0 0 pcm+ PH E V BMW X5 45e

Smooth, soothing, practical, and rapid too

B E S T FA M I LY H ATC H BMW 1-SERIES

Yes, it’s gone front-wheel drive. Still fun, now has space

BEST SUPERCAR P O R S C H E 9 11 GT 3

BEST SPORTS CAR P O R S C H E 9 11

Is it a supercar or sports car? Either way, it’s stupendous

If the GT3’s too hardcore, the Carrera is anything but

B E S T S M A L L H ATC H PE U G E OT 2 0 8

B E S T S U V/C R O S S OV E R L A N D R OV E R D E F E N D E R

Premium-car feel and interior style in a teeny, chic package

Doesn’t ruin the original’s legacy. Adds lifestyle appeal

N E X T M O NTH

B EST £4 0 0 pcm+ E V P O R S C H E TAYC A N

B EST SU B - £4 0 0 pcm E V H Y U N DA I I O N I Q 5

Now a bigger seller than the 911 Looks like it’s from the future; – and deservedly so a great car for today

BEST £400pcm+ FAMILY CAR BMW 5-SERIES

Still the de facto big saloon/estate choice

130 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | APRIL 2022

BEST SUB- £400pcm FAMILY CAR BMW 3-SERIES

B E S T CO U P E /C A B R I O BMW 2-SERIES

BEST GT FERRARI ROMA

Pick the M240i version for a miniaturised M4

Beautifully balanced design, and a drive to match

B E S T S P O R T S S A LO O N B M W M3/M 4

B E S T LU X U RY C A R B E NTLE Y F LY I N G S PU R

Looks great, drives great, makes Bewitching front-end grip and you feel great balance. Utterly stellar

Epic interior; a joy whether you’re up front or in the back

Superb lighting upgrades All 12v classics catered for

NEW! Superb reproduction PL700 Tripod headlights now in stock from £199.99+VAT (pair). Headlights Flashers Dashboards Stop & tail More

(0044)121 773 7000 www.bettercarlighting.co.uk [email protected]

“MotorEasy made the process of 1Ѳ-blbm]oml�ovl;�1!;r-bu Insurance simple… ...I sent some images of the damage, and they approved the claim later that day. Their mobile repairer remedied the damage the following week.”

use code CARBUNDLE -|lo|ou;-v��1ol=ouƑƏѷo@ѴѴo�ķ $�u;-m7ovl;ঞ1mv�u-m1;

PROTECT YOUR CAR WITH MOTOREASY ALLOY, TYRE AND COSMETIC INSURANCE TO KEEP YOUR CAR GLEAMING MotorEasy Ltd, Company No. 08423198 and MotorEasy Services Ltd, Company No. 10109424 are registered in the UK at Staverton o�u|ķ"|-�;u|omķ_;Ѵ|;m_-lķѴo�1;v|;uv_bu;�ƔƐƏ&*�o|ou-v�|7bv-mm|uo7�1;urrobm|;7!;ru;v;m|-ঞ�;o=o|ou;-v� Services Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, Register No. 747890

Based on over 7,000 reviews

The car cover people T: 01938 561717 E: [email protected]

www.classicadditions.co.uk

Reader discount code: CA-CAR *Discount applies to standard ft car covers & accessories only

PROTECT & PRESERVE WITH A TAILORED CAR COVER Since 1981, we’ve been the market leader in supplying innovative solutions in automotive protection. Tailored to your make and model, our covers protect from the elements outside, or dust, knocks and scrapes that can happen when your vehicle is in storage. CAR reader discount: CAR-2022 T: 01943 864 646 E: [email protected] W: specialisedcovers.com

THREE GREAT WAYS TO BUY OUR MAGAZINES TODAY! GET THE LATEST PRINT ISSUE DELIVERED

DOWNLOAD AN ISSUE ON YOUR DEVICE

SUBSCRIBE AND NEVER MISS AN ISSUE

FREE UK DELIVERY

BUY YOUR ISSUES TODAY

GREATMAGAZINES.CO.UK/ MOTORING

JI23 ABS £750 J29 ABY £850 M24 ACE £850 B9 ACN £750 L24 ACY £750 T7 ADA £II00 KI23 ADE £750 J26 ADM £750 R2 AER £750 J32I AJB £750 J24 AJH £I500 J32I AJH £750 J2 AJK £I600 J26 AJK £750 J23 AJM £950 JI2I AJR £750 J32I AJS £850 K32I AJS £750 M4 AKC £II00 J28 AKR £850 J80 AKS £850 L2I ALA £950 S30 ALA £850 J23 ALB £750 J28 ALE £850 J28 ALF £I300 K29 ALF £I200 K4 ALG £I300 J29 ALL £750 J3I ALX £850 JI23 ALX £750 FI9 ALY £850 K24 ALY £750 J222 AMB £750 J25 AMC £750 M6 AMJ £950 JI23 AMY £I500 J28 AND £I400 J8 ANG £2500 L2I ANG £2I00 J27 ANG £I500 JI23 ANG £I400 P200 ANG £I300 S2 ANN £3700 PI8 ANN £I700 E522 ANN £850 F39 ANT £II00 B2 APH £950 5603 AR £2300 J26 ARB £850 L5 ARG £950 W2 ARN £2400 K25 ARN £850 LI0 ARY £850 J26 ASM £750 J24 ASN £850 M5 ASR £I200 R4 ATE £I300 B8 ATR £850 F5 ATS £2I00 PII ATY £I200 K25 ATY £I500 KI2I ATY £II00 B5 AUD £I500 AI9 AUD £850 946 AVE £850

L3I AVY £850 J2I BAK £750 J26 BAS £750 BAS 9I7 £I500 BAZ 6II £I700 BAZ 6I63 £750 P28 BBY £750 J24 BEC £I400 JI23 BEC £II00 P3I BEE £750 BEK 4A £2700 K24 BEK £750 LI6 BEL £750 J23 BEL £850 BEL 70K £I300 J3I BEN £I600 D5 BES £850 E5 BES £750 P20 BEV £I300 R23 BEV £I300 K24 BEV £I200 K900 BEV £850 2833 BH £2I00 BIG 977 £I500 BIL 3408 £750 H5 BJB £850 PII BJB £750 BL 632 £3900 292 BLC £I300 X25 BMW£I500 W3I BMW£I300 S44 BMW£I400 T900 BMW £750 K24 BOB £I500 P24 BOB £I400 B2 BOR £850 P28 BOW £750 G9 BOY £850 324I BP £I500 TI BRM £I400 W7 BRY £I200 N33 BRY £750 726 BTU £750 M24 BUT £750 L5 CAE £II00 W2 CAF £I300 T28 CAM £850 JI2I CAM £750 F7 CAP £I500 VI9 CAR £II00 CAR 20K £I600 L29 CAR £850 J23 CAS £750 TI CBH £I300 T40 CHA £750 DI3 CHR £850 CHZ 966 £750 J2I CJB £950 J24 CJS £750 J28 CKO £2300 JI2I CKO £I300 CI5 CLK £I200 CLK 767 £2200 J26 CMB £750 X5 CMR £850 T6 COD £I400

W8 COE £950 M47 COE £750 B33 COL £I500 S66 COL £I500 H6 COM £I200 J3I CON £750 J27 COS £850 J29 COX £850 B555 COX £850 9867 CR £I800 W6 CRA £950 J27 CRG £750 L9 CSW £950 CUJ 442 £750 BI DAC £I400 H9 DAG £I200 47 DAH £3500 BII DAJ £750 WII DAN £3I00 KI2I DAN £I600 L32I DAN £I500 G778 DAN £850 J26 DAS £750 RI6 DAV £I300 J26 DAV £750 J5I DAV £950 G8 DAW £I600 DAZ 388 £I500 A4 DBW £750 K9 DCL £750 L4 DCW £I400 8335 DD £I400 MI9 DEB £I900 JI2I DEB £I500 J28 DEC £950 RI3 DEE £950 L2I DEE £II00 M23 DEE £I300 P23 DEE £II00 DEE 884 £2500 C4 DEK £I200 RI8 DEL £950 V20 DEL £850 K2I DEL £II00 J3I DEL £I200 JI2I DEL £750 J23 DEM £750 L2I DEN £I400 P24 DEN £I300 N3I DEN £I200 M70 DEN £I300 Y28 DES £750 D45 DES £I400 DES 48C £I500 M700 DEV£750 DIB 76I £I600 DIG 566 £I700 DJ I944 £3200 J32I DJB £850 J24 DJC £850 KI23 DJC £750 J29 DJH £750 K24 DJW £850 JI23 DJW £750 I789 DK £I700 E4 DMD £II00

P4 DMH £I200 J26 DMS £750 PI2 DOC £850 J3I DOG £750 V4 DON £2300 K25 DON £I500 Y400 DON £850 B6 DOT £950 S66 DOT £850 686 DOT £I800 D2 DPH £I300 P4 DPM £850 BII DRB £750 A3 DRD £I300 M6 DST £850 WII DUB £750 SI0 DUG £750 F2I DUG £750 J24 DUN £850 K24 DUN £750 J32I DYL £750 J90 EAN £850 JI2I EAN £750 EAR 8L £2500 J28 ECK £I200 N2I EEL £750 K27 EEN £750 J28 EEP £750 J24 EFF £750 LII EGS £750 3097 EH £II00 559I EL £950 J25 ELS £950 K27 ELY £750 ELZ 644 £I500 K32I EMA £850 V400 EMA£950 BI EMC £I400 K24 EMM £850 J3I EMM £II00 J29 EMS £850 HI8 ERB £II00 K24 ERN £850 V27 ERN £850 XI ERP £850 K25 ERR £850 KI2I ERR £750 J28 ERT £750 N2I ESS £750 J24 ESS £I900 J32I ESS £I400 LI EST £I200 W4 ESY £I600 B5 ESY £I800 P5 ETA £I700 L9 ETH £II00 K27 ETH £750 K32I ETH £950 J26 EVE £750 K28 EVE £I200 L4 EVS £I600 K24 EVS £750 EWB 42 £I500 T6 FAD £850 PI FAS £I500 FAS 562 £I900

Elite Registrations OPEN: MON-FRI 9AM-7PM, SAT 9AM-5PM, SUN I0AM-5PM

Tel: 01380 818181 elitereg.co.uk All registrations are offered on a first come, first served basis. All are subject to VAT and the £80 Dept. for Transport transfer fee. Prices may fluctuate. See website for full terms. We have been trading for over 45 years. THOUSANDS MORE AVAILABLE. Write: P.O.Box 100, Devizes, SN10 4TE FAZ 770 £850 GYC 207 £750 S50 JAY £I600 K23 JOE £I700 R700 LAW£750 EI2 MAH £850 FCM 965 £750 84II HA £I600 JAZ 722 £2200 J28 JOE £2I00 I05 LBP £I300 W29 MAH £750 6235 FD £II00 W5 HAL £950 Y5 JBW £850 J32I JOE £I600 K32I LEA £750 MAL IW £3400 FDP 295 £750 DI2 HAL £850 KI JCA £850 K24 JON £2300 AI0 LEC £I400 MAL 5W £2400 FF 7I94 £I200 LI8 HAL £750 WI JCC £I600 J50 JOY £950 B9 LED £I400 L2I MAL £I500 9696 FH £I500 I39 HAL £I500 P5 JCL £I300 X77 JOY £750 K25 LEE £I900 N23 MAL £850 FIL 47I £I500 E4 HAM £I300 N7 JCT £850 J27 JPS £750 J27 LEE £2300 J27 MAL £I200 FIL I823 £750 K24 HAM £750 J28 JDB £750 J23 JRS £750 KI23 LEE £I600 K28 MAL £I300 K2I FLY £750 J26 HAN £I300 YI JDT £850 JS 99I6 £3700 J32I LEE £I700 T600 MAL £750 J23 FOX £II00 J29 HAR £750 J27 JEB £750 J32I JSH £750 B2 LEG £850 J3I MAM £750 T4 FRE £I400 HAZ 772 £I600 VI6 JEF £950 V7 JTS £850 YI LEN £I500 J26 MAR £950 J3I FRE £750 HB 9705 £2300 R2I JEF £850 J28 JWB £750 LEN 6P £I400 K29 MAR £850 Y6 FRS £I200 HG 8270 £2500 J24 JEF £950 Y9 KAN £850 BI2 LEN £850 LI6 MAS £850 AI2 FRY £850 HIL 533 £I600 NIII JEF £750 N2I KAS £950 DI8 LEN £950 J32I MAS £750 K888 FUN £I400 HIL I947 £I500 K24 JEM £950 J3I KAS £750 L2I LEN £II00 P7 MAT £2200 V9 GAB £I300 K3 HMW £750 K23 JEN £I700 S40 KAS £850 Y29 LEN £750 J24 MAT £I500 K23 GAB £750 F7 HOB £750 J24 JEN £2500 T66 KAS £850 RII LEO £850 K26 MAT £850 L2I GAR £750 K25 HOL £750 V400 JEN £950 P2I KAY £I500 L2I LES £I800 PI2I MAT £750 GAZ 866 £I700 HUG 2H £3900 J23 JES £I500 J29 KAY £I600 J29 LFC £750 K24 MAX £I500 S2 GCH £950 HUG 88H £I500 R77 JET £850 KBR 562 £850 LIL 227 £950 J26 MAX £I700 I964 GD £2200 544 HUL £II00 N9 JGW £750 FI KEE £I900 JI2I LJH £750 L26 MAX £I600 B2 GEF £850 NI2 JAB £850 JIL 779 £950 K23 KEL £I300 T6 LOR £3I00 K2I MAY £850 E5 GEF £750 K2I JAB £750 K27 JJB £750 J26 KEL £II00 N24 LOR £850 R24 MAY £850 HI0 GEF £750 K27 JAC £I700 J27 JJC £750 JI23 KEL £950 J26 LOR £750 J27 MAY £I600 GEF 807 £2I00 JI2I JAC £I700 J27 JJH £850 LI0 KEN £I700 JI LOS £I700 MI2I MAY £750 M2I GEL £750 N30 JAG £I200 J28 JJM £950 EI2 KEN £I800 M2I LOS £750 MAZ 766 £I200 JI2I GEM £950 K60 JAG £I500 J32I JJM £850 T2I KEN £I600 J2I LOT £850 MBZ 233 £950 KI2I GEM £850 JAG 233V £850 W600 JJM £750 T32I KEN £850 J27 LOU £I700 JI2I MCC £750 B6 GEN £750 K2I JAK £I500 V65 JJS £850 J25 KES £750 JI2I LOU £I400 L50 MCD £850 D5 GER £950 JI2I JAK £I300 JI2I JJS £750 K23 KEV £I500 N9 LRS £750 J27 MCG £750 MII GER £750 JAK 4I2N £II00 GI0 JJW £850 WI23 KEV £950 J28 LUC £750 AI6 MCH £750 GGL 686 £850 E9 JAL £I400 D3 JKE £750 KEZ 884 £850 PI LUM £2400 J32I MCL £750 M28 GGS £750 KI2 JAM £950 JI23 JLB £750 N23 KJB £750 HI4 LYD £850 A4 MCM £I900 GIL 558 £I500 Y6 JAN £2300 K27 JLH £750 KJI 6I3 £750 J32I LYD £750 L28 MCM £750

REGISTRATIONS URGENTLY WANTED FOR IMMEDIATE PURCHASE GIL 83I4 £750 E4 GJD £950 GJK 886 £I200 X9 GLE £950 KI8 GMC £750 B9 GOS £950 BI4 GOS £750 DI GRN £2700 B20 GUY £I400 K24 GUY £850

J28 JAN £I700 K28 JAN £I600 JAN I69W £I200 M28 JAR £750 J3I JAR £750 EI9 JAS £I300 K27 JAS £I300 N27 JAS £I200 J24 JAX £850 K24 JAX £750

WATCH & LEARN

J23 JLM £750 P2I JLS £750 J24 JMB £850 K32I JMC £750 K2I JMD £750 K28 JMP £750 A20 JMR £750 JI2I JMS £850 2947 JN £I500 RI7 JOE £I800

A3 KSB £750 G7 LAD £2I00 T88 LAH £750 H2 LAP £I300 LAR 3Y £2I00 C8 LAS £I400 J27 LAU £850 K200 LAU £750 K24 LAW £950 L3I LAW £950

L2I LYN £I400 K26 LYN £I300 324 LZ £I600 N23 MAC £I900 J29 MAC £2I00 JI23 MAC £I700 J26 MAD £850 P777 MAD£750 NI9 MAG £850 X27 MAG £850

TII MCP £750 E4 MCS £I200 J32I MEG £I200 J29 MEL £I700 S40 MEL £I600 R44 MEL £I800 PI2I MEL £II00 T700 MEL£I300 A8 MGF £850 MIL 688 £I500

MIL 7729 £850 MJ 6708 £2600 N27 MJB £I300 J32I MJB £850 XI00 MJC £850 J32I MJC £750 J23 MJD £850 N24 MJD £750 EI9 MJH £850 J32I MJH £750 K27 MJL £750 S44 MJS £950 JI2I MJS £750 K27 MJT £750 J24 MJW £950 J32I MJW £750 EI6 MKE £750 C9 MKP £750 M2 MLG £I400 M8 MLP £750 M24 MMA£750 L8 MMS £950 KI23 MMS£750 K2I MOG £850 J32I MOL £750 D3 MPL £950 J28 MRH £750 K23 MRK £750 BI MTB £I300 350 MTB £I700 MTP 299 £II00 W3 MTS £II00 TI0 MUM £750 J2I MYS £I400 E9 NAL £750 394 NAL £I500 J26 NAN £750 B6 NAR £750 J29 NAS £850 K28 NDY £950 K3I NEL £850 F2 NET £950 N24 NET £750 J2I NGO £I900 983 NKM £950 NL 4772 £I800 N28 NNA £750 S2 NOR £I500 K2I NSY £750 K23 NTH £750 J23 OAN £I500 JI2I OAN £850 J23 OBY £850 J29 OCK £I200 JI2I OCK £950 JI23 ODY £I300 OEN 74 £2500 J3I ORD £I400 J25 OUL £I400 J28 OWL £850 JI23 OWL £750 J2I OYD £950 J23 PAB £750 P8 PAG £I500 M5 PAM £I800 E8 PAM £I700

CI0 PAM £I400 JI2 PAM £I300 K33 PAM £I500 L7 PAT £2700 CI8 PAT £I600 J29 PAT £I600 D48 PAT £I500 PAT 95W £I700 PAT 482W £850 T3 PCS £850 G6 PDB £I200 J2I PER £750 K2I PER £750 PET 404 £I800 9469 PF £I400 PGS 334 £I700 J29 PJM £750 7235 PL £I500 F8 PMS £750 998 POO £I800 3382 PP £I800 SI PRH £I400 M5 PST £I300 E5 PSW £850 W9 PTR £850 K2I RAC £750 L2I RAD £750 S40 RAE £850 J29 RAF £850 P23 RAJ £I200 J27 RAJ £I300 J2I RAM £I400 RAO 223 £950 VI4 RAY £I200 RI7 RAY £I600 K24 RAY £I300 T26 RAY £I500 RAY 209W£850 RC 6097 £3300 RE I896 £I500 J23 RED £II00 K2 REG £II00 N2 REG £II00 G9 REM £950 T555 REV£I400 A5 RGW £I400 8I79 RH £2I00 N8 RJF £II00 RL 4807 £2300 748 RME £I200 GII RMH £850 J23 RMY £I500 K2I ROB £I800 J28 ROB £I800 KI2I ROB £I400 JI23 ROB £I700 ROB 944Y £I200 SI5 ROD £II00 K55 ROD £950 JI ROG £2900 CI6 ROG £I500 V2I ROG £I300 ROG 22Y £I500 W28 ROG £I200 X88 ROG £I400 M777 ROG£II00

AI3 ROM £I500 X2 RON £I800 H9 RON £I700 DI2 RON £I400 R2I RON £I500 W23 RON £I200 S33 RON £I400 RON 47A £I600 J66 RON £I400 N77 RON £I300 S77 RON £I500 E78 RON £II00 S333 RON£850 RON 948£2500 K24 ROS £850 MI0 ROY £I400 SI5 ROY £I500 FI9 ROY £I400 ROY 26W£2500 T29 ROY £I400 S900 ROY £850 M23 RRY £II00 J24 RRY £I200 G322 RRY £I400 KI2I RSH £850 L2 RSM £850 K23 RST £950 M29 RUS £850 N3 RUT £850 J3I RYS £850 B4 SAG £850 LI0 SAL £I500 J2I SAL £I200 K29 SAL £I300 L3I SAL £I400 J26 SAM £2500 LI7 SAN £950 M55 SAN £II00 C90 SAN £I300 J27 SAS £850 SAZ 552 £750 C7 SDR £850 L3I SEL £850 M44 SER £950 N24 SHE £850 J9 SHW £I600 SHZ 855 £850 T555 SJB £850 SI0 SJH £II00 NI4 SJH £950 P28 SKA £850 E7 SLK £I200 J27 SLW £850 I86 SMA £I500 C3 SON £I200 L3I SON £850 K3I SSO £950 K24 STU £I600 J27 STU £I600 KI23 STU £II00 SU 395 £3300 SUE IC £5300 J3I SUE £I800 SUE 56M£3600 SUE 232W£I200 L4 SUM £950

CI SUS £I700 R6 SUS £I200 TAD 945 £I900 92I TAF £2300 I40 TAL £I900 JI TAP £I400 J2I TAY £I200 N40 TED £850 TED 879 £2300 TEL IY £2700 S7 TEL £2I00 LII TEL £I500 WI9 TEL £II00 TER 643 £2I00 E5 TEV £I300 S98 TEW £I200 F4I THE £3800 TIL 552 £750 9267 TJ £I500 D8 TOL £850 K28 TOM £I600 N77 TOM £I700 KI23 TOM£I300 TOM 398Y £I400 TOM 6I7 £3900 J800 TOM£I200 J2I TOP £850 TOT 348 £850 46I5 TR £I300 K28 TTH £850 J23 TTY £950 K28 TTY £II00 S555 TVN £850 TWS 703 £850 K3I TYS £850 J32I UDE £I400 J24 UDY £I800 J32I UDY £I200 LI7 ULU £850 577 UTN £750 UVK 60I £850 KI0 VAL £I300 CI4 VAL £I400 T50 VAL £950 KI55 VAL £I700 683 VAL £I900 EI3 VAN £2500 6648 VB £950 VEZ 9II £2500 7432 VF £850 VLE 498 £850 WAA 494 £950 WAX 23 £2I00 WAZ 477 £750 K2I WEB £850 XI WHY £950 WIL 887 £I400 WIL 2448 £750 WOL 6II £I500 DII WST £850 7483 WY £750 WYL 889 £850 N9 WYN £850 XAN 83 £I800 4956 XJ £850 K3I YYS £850

NEW

Learn from car restoration experts you can trust

unlimited access! Become a member today to watch as many videos as you want!

Tuition videos that give you the essential skills you need to maintain, improve and restore your classic car

A library of professionally answered technical questions

New videos added every month!

Watch 100+ videos on any device

BUY NOW AND SAVE 25%

Quote MAGSAVE25 at our online checkout to SAVE 25% off an annual membership

Visit www.skillshack.co.uk/join

Merc has plenty of G-badged SUVs, but they all rely on the OG for credibility

Hall of fame No. Mercedes G-Wagen

Popes, farmers, aid agencies, armies... they all swear by Merc’s cult-hero G-Wagen/G-Class

The CAR Hall of Fame immortalises the people, the ideas and the cars that changed – or are changing – the game. Submit your nominees to [email protected]

It started badly. The German military initially showed an interest but then opted for the cheaper VW Iltis. The Shah of Iran placed a huge order shortly before being deposed by an Ayatollah not inclined to honour the deal. The G finally made it into production in 1979, since when it has tended to sell in modest quantities. Too expensive. Too odd-looking. Too much competition. And yet here it still is, in 2022. Still expensive. Still odd-looking. Now facing vastly more competition. But if what you need is a Mercedes G-Class, nothing else will do. Pitched from the off as a more sophisticated road car than the Jeep Wrangler, Toyota Land Cruiser and Land Rover Defender, but not as fancy as the Range Rover, it still occupies much the same space. The Ineos Grenadier may turn out to be its most direct competitor. Whether that will dislodge the loyalty of the G faithful is another question, because they love it. It started as a military/utility project involving Mercedes and Steyr-Daimler-Puch, with a trace of Unimog in its DNA. Two generations later it’s still being built by Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria. It’s evolved, just enough. The ladder-frame chassis, three locking diff and transfer case have been joined by double-wishbone front suspension and electrically assisted rack-and-pinion steering. Mercedes has tried to evolve the name to G-Class but the cultists stick with G-Wagen, short for Geländewagen, or terrain vehicle. In 1983, Jacky Ickx won the Dakar in a G-Wagen. Not standard, of course, but definitely recognisable. Of today’s 4x4s, the current G is one of a very select band you feel would actually be capable of taking part in that desert race, and still be in one piece at the end, cool air whirring from the finely crafted vents. COLIN OVERLAND

US postal information: CAR magazine, ISSN 0140-4547 (USPS 9287), is published monthly by H Bauer Publishing Ltd. The US annual subscription price is $103.56. Airfreight and mailing in the USA by agent named WN Shipping USA, 156-15, 146th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY 11434, USA. Periodicals postage paid at Jamaica NY 11431. US Postmaster: Send address changes to CAR magazine, WN Shipping USA, 156-15, 146th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY 11434, USA. Subscription records are maintained at Bauer Media Subscriptions, CDS Global, Tower House, Sovereign Park, Lathkill Street, Market Harborough, Leics, LE16 9EF, UK. Air Business Ltd is acting as our mailing agent. H Bauer Publishing is registered in England and Wales, company number LP003328, VAT number 918561701. Registered address: Academic House, 24-28 Oval Road, London NW1 7DT.

GAP INSURANCE

“MotorEasy topped up my insurers pay out when my car -v ub ;mo@ĸĸĸ

ĸĸĸo|ou-v 7;-Ѳ| b|_l bmv u-m1;1olr-m 7bu;1|Ѳ  -m7; ;ml-m-];7|obm1u;-v;|_;bubmb -Ѳo@;uij Ļ ;ru;ou7;u;7l m; |1-u-m7 bѲѲ0;ruo|;1 m]b| b|_ MotorEasy GAP Insurance again” )_ 1_oov;o|ou-v mv u-m1;ĵ check-circle Five star Defaqto rated cover check-circle 75% cheaper than main dealers check-circle Free MotorEasy digital garage

&v;1o7;ƐƐ=ouƐƐѷo@mv u-m1; m|;uu;]-|lo|ou;-v 1ol or scan the !1o7;0;Ѳo ij

CAR WARRANTY | "&! | "$!!"&! | +)"&! | BREAKDOWN | $ | "!(

MotorEasy Ltd, Company No. 08423198 and MotorEasy Services Ltd, Company No. 10109424 are registered in the UK at "|- ;u|omo u|ķ"|- ;u|omķ_;Ѵ|;m_-lķѴo 1;v|;uv_bu; ƔƐƏ&* o|ou-v |7bv-mm|uo7 1;urrobm|;7!;ru;v;m|-ঞ ; of Motoreasy Services Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, Register No. 747890

Based on over 7,000 reviews