Free Car Mag 89

Motor Pickers

What a real Racing Driver looks like...

James Hunt We go to the moon.

For a drive.

With NASA and Toyota. freecarmag.co.uk 1

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freetorial ISSUE 89 / 2020

J

ames unt simply drove racing cars very uickly unt never told me what to think or how virtuous he was he ust smoked drank and en oyed li e would like to think that although the and CC ca al has masked up unt would have re used to go along with the mu les Also despite the cancellation o the London to righton Run unt would have nicked au hall s old croc and done the London to righton with his Mrs Anyway Motor Pickers on uest now here is a proper programme a out uying cars Paul and elen are wonder ul company and we had a great chat with them a out what they get up to ts our how o the year ur ook o the year is he ltimate no cial ui ook y David Milloy ur scoop o the year is hah ad heikh who has driven the latest Land Rover De ender e ore anyone else ee you ne t time

ames unt and his au hall iva turn up at the ree Car ag o ces in and tells us to man up e s right

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News Events Celebs otor Pickers oon ugg Stor To ota

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James Ruppert ED T R ames

THE TEAM

Cover Credits

Editor James Ruppert Publisher Dee Ruppert Sub Editor Marion King Product Tester Livy Ruppert Photographer Andrew Elphick Web Design Chris Allen Columnist Shahzad Sheikh Reporter Kiran Parmar Tel 07 0 77 Email contact reecarmag com Phassouri ouse chool Road or olk P 7

The Free Car Mag is distributed free.

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News, Events & Celebs

In 1976 James Hunt was in e in a t a e ts an m ti ns w au a

JAMES + SUZY HUNT + 1904 VAUXHALL LIGHT 6HP JNM 4

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Sporting Heroes accepted challenge to drift, slalom and donut Caterham Seven

HOW TO DRIVE THIS VETERAN VAUXHALL

News, Events & Celebs

In 1976 SPOTTED OUT AND ABOUT

WE LOVE THIS PICTURE OF JAMES + SUZY HUNT...

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Get The Look

GUY MARTIN BUYS A HONDA E

Guy Marti Honda e £26,160 Shoes - Walking Shoes £59.99 Shorts - Lightinthebox.com £23.16 acket - ress ass £30.99 Socks - and irect£9.99 6 -Shirt - sos £5.00

Cars on TV

MOTOR PICKERS ON QUEST THURSDAY 5TH NOVEMBER 10PM

Pick Perfect NEED A NEW, USED CAR? NOT SURE WHAT TO BUY? CONFUSED, FRIGHTENED AND LOOKING FOR EXPERTS TO GIVE YOU SOME GUIDANCE? HELP IS ON ITS WAY. BRAND NEW MOTOR PICKERS: HELEN STANLEY AND PAUL COWLAND PRESENT SPEED DATING FOR PETROL HEADS FREE CAR MAG ASKS THE QUESTIONS. 9 freecarmag.com

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Motor Pickers

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THURSDAY 12TH MARCH 8PM

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Moonshot

Dune Buggy

Photography by NASA

Kiran Parmar drives to the moon.

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Porsche 911 Turbo

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Photograph by Kiran Par ar

Ëš

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Moonbase Alpha

Corolla on the Moon...

Well not quite, but at least if Toyota are involved it won’t break down. .Which is handy...

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Porsche 911 Turbo

.

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ELECTRIC AVENUE

Back-Seat Driver

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Skoda Listens Š Š Š

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Wanted

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REVIEW

Land Rover Defender 90

H

ere’s the first review of the new Land Rover Defender 90. I know what you’re thinking, surely the new Defender has been out a while already? Indeed, and with some success. The Defender 110 clocked up 4500 sales in July, one of the best months ever for the company - under pressure from the pandemic and slowing export sales - but that’s the four-door long-wheel base version. The two-door edition was delayed.

And now here it is, with prices starting from £43k (for the entry-level car with coil suspension rather than air suspension as standard) and rising to over £77k for the top spec X P400 (compared with £45k-83k for the 110).

Spending a day traversing the bogs of the Eastnor hills in a coil-sprung Defender 90 proved beyond question it maintains its credentials as a hard core off-roader, even more capable and versatile in the short-wheelbase guise, proving virtually unstoppable and able to deliver seemingly impossible traction in absurd conditions.

The terrain response makes it easy and features such as the all-round cameras aid the conThat was the 300bhp petrol inline six-cylinder. And while 28 freecarmag.com

the diesel six-pot with 250bhp endows it with enough torque to better its 0-62mph acceleration from 9.8 seconds to 6.7, the real powerhouse is the 400bhp petrol six, achieving the same run in 6 seconds dead and 130mph - though I witnessed a few mph more on Land Rover’s test track.

Sliding the 90 X HSE P400 around a dirt track to prove the merits of its stability aids (more fun without though), running it hard over crude developing world-simulated surfaces, jumping it at 50mph, deploying the active cruise control on a long motorway run, and proved the 90’s astonishing versatility.

How much does it loose in space? Very little, the front row’s middle ‘jump seat’ remains and rear accommodation is surprisingly capacious even for tall six-footers like myself - the only proviso is that you need a bit of dexterity to embark and disembark. Plus it still gets hatchback-sized luggage room.

Part of me wanted to hate this car - too precious and expensive to be a proper Defender - but that old car was crude, drive. The new Defender is the opposite of all those things.

And if you don’t need the extra doors, just get the 90.

Brown CarGuy Says...

A

ctors fake it, movie sets are not real and stunt cars are never what they seem. You may see a Bugatti Veyron on the screen, but it’s more likely a Beetle chassis with a a Chevrolet V8 motor – until the point it drives off the cliff, when it’s entirely CGI. But there are exceptions. Like the Land Rover Defenders in the continuously delayed next Bond movie, ‘No

Time To Die’ – the ones in the trailer that do massive jumps, crash through trees, roll over and keep going.

Those are real; I know because I drove one.

Okay the interior is stripped out, there’s a roll cage and racing harnesses, but the drivetrain and suspension is mostly stock.

With a stuntman yelling at me to go faster on a treacherous off-road course, the Defender proved its durability, performance and star quality. So if it’s good enough for 007…

REVIEW

Kia Sorento

T

his is the all-new fourth generation Kia Sorento 7-seater large SUV. Prices start from £38,845 for the ‘2’ spec entry-level petrol version. That gets a 1.6 T-GDi four-cylinder hybrid engine producing 226bhp, which propels this two-tonne beast from rest to 62mph in 8.7 seconds and on to 119mph. Fuel consumption is about 40mpg and CO2 emissions are up to 168g/km.

There’s also a 2.2-litre diesel unit producing 200bhp and achieving 0-62mph in 9.1 seconds and 127mph. Fuel consumption is slightly improved by a couple of mpg but emissions are 176g/km. In mid-level ‘3’ spec this will set you back about £41k. All cars come with all-wheel drive, including a terrain-select system. The diesel gets an 8-speed dual clutch auto, while the petrol has a 6-speed automatic.

At the top end, the ‘4’-spec car comes with all the gadgets, leather upholstery, allround cameras and a price tag to match.

Driving a ‘4’ petrol you learn three things.

Firstly you want for nothing; it’s got all the kit and more. Plus the third row works for regular sized adults, though ideally children, who get their own A/C controls and USB charging ports.

WATCH MY VIDEO REVIEW OF THIS CAR

Secondly, this thing is big! At the front there’s two massive screens which add to the sensation of bigness, plus you sit high and can really stretch out. Yet on the go, the size doesn’t intimidate or concern, the car feels at home in town and its impressive road presence doesn’t translate to dif-

Finally, forget the diesel and just go for the petrol, it’s smoother, accelerates more eagerly off the line, is just as thrifty and clean, has better brakes and is more satisfying to drive. This is an awesome full-size family carry-all that is impeded only by price – the top spec car is £47k!

REVIEW

Suzuki Vitara Hybrid

WATCH MY VIDEO REVIEW OF THIS CAR

T

he immensely likeable and usable Suzuki Vitara is now a hybrid. However those that know, know that the Vitara is normally a surprisingly enjoyable drive, with good steering, decent dynamics and useful around town performance – plus it comes with an excellent manual gearbox.

So should the alarm bells be ringing?

No because the handily-sized family SUV -

gage, as well as off-roading ability, should you need it, comes with a mild-hybrid system featuring a 48V system and an extra battery pack.

The 1.4-litre Boosterjet is mated to a six-speed manual. There’s 129bhp on offer, giving the front-wheel drive version a 0-62mph time of 9.5 seconds or 10.2 seconds for the AWD. It’s a fuel-sipper at over 45mpg – in fact it is said to be 15 percent

more economical and 20 percent cleaner in terms of emissions.

Prices range from £22k-25k and the Vitara is very well specced for the money, with the range topping SZ5 as tested coming with adaptive cruise control, seven airbags and it remains as satisfying to peddle as always and now with its added virtuousness it’s one of the no-brainers in this segment. freecarmag.com 29

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FCM 90

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M OTO R I N G M A D E E A SY

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AMBITION INSIDE THE REMARKABLE MARILYNMONRO THELEGACY OF A LEGEND EXHIBITION

RUSSELL CROWE & RYAN GOSLING GO BACK TO 1977 FOOTBALLER’S DRIVES ZLATAN – THE VOLVO MOVIE freecarmag.co.uk 1

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AMBITION INSIDE THE REMARKABLE MARILYNMONRO THELEGACY OF A LEGEND EXHIBITION

RUSSELL CROWE & RYAN GOSLING GO BACK TO 1977 FOOTBALLER’S DRIVES ZLATAN – THE VOLVO MOVIE freecarmag.co.uk 1

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