Drive Mag November 2012

NEW

TESTED:

BMW 640i GC and Audi S5 SB TOYOTA REIGNITES MOTORING PASSION

New Chev bringing rugged back!

DRIVE CONTENTS 6

Drive News: All the most exciting, thrilling, and downright tantalising new motoring news from South Africa and the globe. Mostly South Africa.

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New Launch: The Chevrolet Trailblazer

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Drive Test: Audi S5 Sportback

The Chevrolet brand has finally entered the hardcore SUV segment with the release of the much-anticipated Trailblazer, but can the American brand offer enough excitement to entice buyers of the ubiquitous Toyota Fortuner from their high-riding seats?

Although the A5 Sportback five-door coupe isn’t exactly a popular body type at Drive, the supercharged V6 motor in this new S5 flavour can’t ever be discounted. We get behind the wheel for a comprehensive sampling of what this package can do.

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Drive Test: BMW 640i Gran Coupe Although BMW like to go so far as create all-new product categories just so that they can truthfully claim to have been the first to release a certain type of machine, the new 6-Series Gran Coupe has arrived to muscle in on a segment which already includes very established and prestigious players. It certainly looks elegant enough, but can the driving experience live up to this impression?

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Feature Test: Toyota 86 High Auto Apparently, a legend has been reborn. After ruthless and dogged marketing the globe over shoving this epic line down our throats, Drive finally managed to get behind the wheel of the new Toyota 86 for a week to find out if it really is the paragon of affordable, RWD sportscoupe thrills we’ve all been fervently praying they stick to their guns and produce.

Drive’s back! Petrol heads rejoice!

It’s been a while since I wrote an introductory column for Drive Magazine, due to the obvious fact that an actual magazine hasn’t existed now since 2010.

During this hiatus however this well-known brand has flourished online, and taken to the digital platform like a nut to a bolt.

The wild, untamed digital realm has been the perfect arena for continuing to fight the battles this publication has always refused to keep out of. To continue to disseminate increasingly scarce honesty in new-car reviews, and keep the manufacturers’ on their feet by calling them out for peculiar pricing decisions or woeful tales of sub standard service. Over the years we’ve learned a huge amount, possibly more than we ever wanted to, about the digital domain as a business-ready publishing platform, as well as refined our attitude and approach towards the players in this incredible industry we all adore.

Above all else though, we’ve managed to maintain our view that motoring as a pleasurable past time is not dead – just a bit more underground perhaps than it was in the halcyon era of the industry. Driving, to Drive, is still an all-consuming affair redolent with raw passion and other emotions so acute they’re practically tangible. And we’ve managed to continue producing content which reflects this view, which has become ever more unpopular in modern society.

We’ve also been fortunate enough to continue to build on our physical motoring experience, with the generous manufacturers continue to support our efforts despite trying largely to ignore our output with as many new vehicle tests as can be squeezed into the booking schedule.

Now the time has come to take the publication to the next level once more.

What begins today with this first rebooted digital edition, which will be produced monthly from now on, is merely a prelude to the full-scale release of Drive’s return to print media in the next couple of months. Watch your favourite newsagents for copies, because they’re going to move as fast as we tend to in our more powerful test vehicles.

We all appreciate your curiosity and hope to have you all as regular readers as we embark on this thrilling new multi-modal approach. So until next month.

Russell www.facebook.com/DriveZA www.twitter.com/DriveMag

www.drivemagazine.co.za

D R IVE N EWS New Countryman subtly revised Inside there are new, even more “premium” materials used and newly designed housings for the instrument dials. The door inserts have also been breathed on, and now feature (just like very other car basically) electric window and mirror controls which used to be actuated via neat little toggle switches in the centre console.

The options list includes a number of new colours for the interior as well as several new exterior paint options - the only exterior visual clue that you’re looking at a post-November ‘12 model provided you know the old MINI colour list by heart.

And finally, albeit rather pointlessly for our market, the Countryman is now Euro 6 compliant. In SA, we’re not even near to Euro 5 compliance and aren’t going to get there without massive investment..

Best-selling Chinese subcompact due for SA debut April 2013 The Geely EC7 subcompact has outsold all of its competition to claim the top spot in this veritable bun fight of a niche in the Chinese market.

We’re not sure just how much that actually says about the car however. The mainstream Chinese car buying market is driven almost entirely by pricing. So to outsell your competition you effectively need something with four wheels, a sort of engine, and a list price R99 lower than your nearest competitor. Rah. That said, the EC7 comes with either a 1.5 or 1.8-litre petrol engine, and has been awarded 4 stars in the Euro NCAP crash test rating. Geely South Africa say they’re looking to launch this model locally in April next year with just the 1.8-litre option available at first, but are being particularly coy about the pricing.

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DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2012

DR I V E N E W S SA COTY finalists announced The SAGMJ Car of the Year competition has come around once more, and the list of finalists makes for fairly interesting reading. They are: BMW 3 Series 320i Automatic Ford Ranger 3.2 XLT 4X4 Double Cab Diesel AT Hyundai i30 1.8 Executive Kia Rio 1.4 TEC Hatch MT Lexus GS 350 EX Mercedes-Benz B 180 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY Nissan Juke 1.6 DIG-T Tekna (Leather) Opel Meriva 1.4T Cosmo Porsche Boxster Range Rover Evoque Si4 Dynamic 5-door Toyota 86 High 6MT Toyota Yaris 1.5 HSD Xs

Now we’d immediately tip the Evoque, Toyota 86 or Nissan Juke for the win, but considering the shall we say peculiar (or questionable perhaps?) nature of this local competition it’s more likely that the Kia Rio will walk away with the honours, which is completely ludicrous as there’s no way a Rio is a better car than a Porsche Boxster. There is an outside possibility that sheer national pride will push the locally-built Ranger into the top spot too...

D RIV E M A G A Z IN E N OV E MB E R 2012

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Chevrolet Trailblazer launch

Old story, new author

T

he SUV should, technically, be old news by now. The current drive for environmental consciousness ought to have brushed this niche aside, even if it is just to be replaced by the new breed of crossover or compact SUV which at least boasts smaller engines and lighter weight.

Chevrolet however clearly disagree.

Hence the launch of this, the all-new Trailblazer, which has landed on SA shores remarkably soon after being globally revealed. Which actually makes a lot of sense, when you consider the major selling points of this new model.

Although Chevrolet list Toyota as their main competition, which is in itself a bold proclamation to make given the still-monumental sales this brand produces every year like clockwork, the Trailblazer is also muscling-in to an extent on the premium SUV space. But at a price point which those manufacturers wouldn’t even countenance affixing to their new compact-SUV product line.

The most expensive Trailblazer entering the market for instance, a 3.6-litre petrol-powered 4X4 in the highest “LTZ” spec level, is just R50K more than the mid-range Audi Q3 we recently road tested, at R479 500.

N e w L au nc h

“Proper off-road capability” 8

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2012

New La u nc h

And this model, like all the LTZ-branded Chev products, comes with all the equipment the company can think of included in that list price.

Full leather interior, power-adjustable drivers’ seat, automatic climate control, ultrasonic rear parking assist, an uprated 8-speaker audio setup, a full 7-seats of passenger capacity and a comprehensive bouquet of safety electronics and equipment.

The Chev also includes one feature in particular that cars of the Q3s nature just don’t. Proper offroad capability.

Thanks to the tried-and-tested Body on Frame construction beneath the skin of the new Trailblazer, this SUV has a ground clearance in excess of 260mm to go with decent approach and departure angles and excellent wheel articulation properties.

It’s essentially the formula which has been used to create tough, go-anywhere workhorse 4X4 bakkies since workhorse 4X4 bakkies have existed, and it’s for these same reasons that the Toyota Fotuner is so capable off the beaten track compared to its more upmarket, school-run limited rivals.

BOF construction does have its own particular drawbacks of course. Typically there’s quite a lot of flex in the chassis, which might not be great for

D RIV E M A G A Z IN E N OV E MB E R 2012

on-road driving but can actually be quite beneficial when tackling those truly propshaft-twisting valleys.

The Trailblazer employs no less than 9 lateral strengthening beams across the chassis box-frame to stiffen up the structure, which in turn makes for a more refined driving experience wherever your Trailblazer may take you.

Coupled to this stiff platform is a five-link suspension setup “normally only found on far pricier brands” according to the press gumpf.

Ordinarily the rear end of an architecture like this has to make do with ancient leaf springs, which may be exceptionally sturdy but know absolutely nothing about delivering acceptable ride quality.

Not only does the five-link arrangement with dualtube damping at each corner mean more refined cruising, it also helps on-road handling dramatically while still delivering superb wheel-articulation characteristics.

There are three engine options to consider if placing your order straight away. The cheapest Trailblazer gets a 2.5-litre Duramax four-cylinder turbodiesel producing 110kW and 350Nm, and moving up the price list gets you into a 2.8-litre version of this same motor whacking out 132kW and 470Nm. The former is available only in LT spec, with 4X2 drivetrain and a 5-speed manual gearbox,

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N e w L au nc h although with the automatic transmission the 2.8 shoots right up to 9.8l/100km.

Unheard of only a few years ago but more and more the trend today, the comprehensive press statistics don’t include performance data.

Apparently we aren’t supposed to care anymore how quickly the cars we’re buying go, but to me this always indicates one thing with absolute certainty these models will have no performance credentials.

Even the V6 petrol is likely to be sluggish, while it’s torque-lite delivery are a concern for off-road driving. I’d recommend sticking to the 2.8 diesel, which appears to offer the best compromise between muscle (it manages a class-leading towing capacity after all) and fuel economy without much of an outright performance disadvantage since the 3.6 won’t be an Olympic gold-medallist sprinter either.

while the larger 2.8 gets the fully fleshed-out LTZ spec and can be ordered with or without 4X4 and with the option of a 6-speed automatic gearbox in place of the standard 5-speed manual item.

Both of these Duramax engines are based on a block featuring a deep-skirt design to try and absorb some of the hideous rattle typically associated with diesel motors through sheer rigidity, piston-cooling oil jets to reduce cylinder temperatures and aid efficiency as well as longevity, high-pressure fuel rails and a toothed cambelt with hydraulic pretensioners. For the 2.8 only the company also adds a variable-vane turbo charger to improve response across the rev range, and a balance shaft integrated into the oil pump to further improve NVH characteristics.

Then there’s the range-topping 3.6 petrol. This quad-cam motor makes a healthy-sounding 176kW, but only 326Nm of torque. It also includes a host of tricks to improve efficiency as well as reliability which we won’t go into the details of here, even if the end result is a remarkably honest-looking fuel combined-cycle fuel consumption claim of 11.9l/100km. The diesel variants incidentally manage 8.2 (2.5) and 8.8 (2.8) respectively,

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Rugged Sophistication is the moniker underneath which the Trailblazer is punting its wares, and on the face of this launch information it looks an apt tagline.

Priced to sell and with a huge whack of versatility included as standard, the Trailblazer is nevertheless not going to entice the brand-conscious away from X5s or MLs, but it stands an excellent chance of eating into the healthy monthly sales of the Fortuner or even Pathfinder, offering more luxurious cruising than the Toyota but with levels of off-road capability similar to the pricier Nissan.

Pricing & Positioning Chevrolet Trailblazer 2.5 LT 4X2

R364,000

Chevrolet Trailblazer 2.8 LTZ 4X2 AT R423,500 Chevrolet Trailblazer 2.8 LTZ 4X4 MT R454,500 Chevrolet Trailblazer 2.8 LTZ 4X4 AT R469,900 Chevrolet Trailblazer 3.6 LTZ 4X4 AT R479,500 Service Plan

5yr/90,000km

Warranty 5yr/120,000km All pricing is inclusive of VAT and CO2 Tax.

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2012

AUDI S5 Sportback quattro S-Tronic Supercharged silliness

S

o yes, I must confess, when Audi just a couple of years ago replaced the relatively short-lived but sweet 4.2-litre V8 for its sporty S-Line range, I wasn’t a happy camper. Forced induction and efficiency simply can’t be placed in the same sentence together, especially when you add a lead foot into the equation. See - that sentence barely made any sense at all. Proof.

Anyway. Then they rubbed salt in the wound by making the supercharged 3.0-litre V6 which replaced it stronger but without any presence or character at all, something which the 4.2 was always characterised by. The low-spec, non-RS versions of this motor had this easy-going V8 beat - you could tell they were built to pull smoothly but without the manic top-end of the performance stuff. High-tech

cuddly baby bears, all just vocal enough and playfulness and untoned brute force.

Fast-forward to 2012, and beneath me is this new Audi S5 Sportback, then. Which immediately is one of those totally self-contradictory and insane things that only the established German brands seem able to effortlessly get away with. So it’s an S5, which is Audi’s sleeker and sexier A4 basically a little bit like the 3-Series Coupe is to the regular range from BMW, but this one has a huge hatchback boot and four actual doors with full seating to accommodate what that implies. Um....

As well as being barmy and actually quite funny at the same time, this weird thinking does immediately cause a bit of a problem.

D r i ve Te s t

That low roofline which looks so sleek and sporty on a coupe, is just fine when you’re dropping into the low seat through the wide door which 2-doors have. But when there are two significantly smaller doors per side and the cabin has to accommodate that many more passengers, well the two adjustments don’t really work all that well together, and it’s now actually quite a squeeze for a big guy to get in or out because the steering wheel sits halfway along said door’s opening aperture. It’s just a bit too much of a faff really, and reminds you as the driver every time you enter or exit the car, that it’s some kind of peculiar self-paradox you’re parading about in - a practical German sports coupe.

Inside, as is typical of Audi, it’s pretty lavish to be honest. You pay, quite a few thousands of Rands, for pretty much every over-the-top comfort in here of course, but then why else are you busting your guts driving to and from the office every day, right?

Anyway if you’re happy packing another R100K or so onto the already R665K list price of this car for B&O sound and overpriced GPS and all those other accronyms, Audi can make a cabin which is positively fully-loaded with the latest toys for you.

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DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2012

Dr i v e T e s t

The important bits are, well, they sure sound like there’s promise. The V6 makes 245kW at 5500rpm, and 440Nm at just 2900rpm. No, these are not figures which in any way humble a lightly breathed on 335i motor, but they’re still ample for a 5.1s sprint from rest to 100km/h. Power in the S5 is, naturally, channelled to all four wheels through a seven-speed S-Tronic automatic gearbox. Seldom the most entertaining of combinations, but certainly devastatingly effective with leech-like grip in all conditions.

I am happy to be able to report, that the blown V6 has quite a bit more bark in this latest flavour.

Perhaps it’s the meaty quad tailpipes protruding from beneath the sculpted rear bumper playing their part, but there’s even more induction noise now with nary a hint of supercharger whine until you’re asking of it all it’s got. And right there at the top-end of the 7000rpm rev range that napetingling tight V6 howl is in place and correct which is something worth celebrating.

I’m not sure if it’s a psychosomatic effect of the soundtrack, but this motor also seems much, much

D RIV E M A G A Z IN E N OV E MB E R 2012

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D r i ve Te s t

“ Although it’s mostly quite a serious machine, it can let it’s hair down”

happier to rev than the first-gen. Although the torque and power curves will show that the majority of the surge is available through a wide spread of engine speeds, on the road it seems to spike, hugely enjoyably to petrolheads like me, just past the 6000rpm marker. And it spins to this rate with tangible enthusiasm, ripping the air and clawing at the road in a very rude and visceral way.

Despite being quite a bulky proposition overall, the S5 Sportback handles the generous turn of speed its engine effortlessly kicks out admirably. The Quattro setup provides loads of grip while seemingly actively trying to induce some oversteer when prodded just

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for the fun of it. It never feels wild or out of control, just like it’s making sure that you know that even though it’s AWD, it’s OK with some power oversteer now and again. Very accommodating.

Sure, it does like some petrol. In fact I’m still saying that the old 4.2-litre nat-asp V8 wasn’t as thirsty as this supercharged motor is in one very specific state - full-bore full-throttle punishment. Unusually for an Audi, this is the way this car is built to drive, so you’re not likely to get average fuel consumption down below 14.5l/100km. It’s a lot, but I can live with that, after all with great power comes great - well gaping big holes in my fuel budget really. Never mind.

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2012

Dr i v e T e s t And yes, I still don’t “get” the five-door coupe thing.

At all. It just seems a bit silly to me.

But, I do quite like the S5 SportBack. No it isn’t as dynamically thrilling as a competitive BMW, as per usual, but it is just about as fast. It now also makes a pretty stirring noise in the process, and certainly can handle itself in the bends. Although it’s mostly quite a serious machine, it can let it’s hair down and headbang a bit too without hurting its neck within 10 minutes if you know what I mean. After all, it is actually quite mad at it’s core - a supercharged V6 for fuel economy and a five-door four-seat coupe has to be.

I must say, I quite like that in a car.

Audi S5 Sportback quattro S-Tronic Drive Ratings: Handling: 16/20 Ride:

16/20

Performance:

18/20

Fun Value:

14/20

Practicality:

16/20

Total:

Drive likes: Revised 3.0T engine now much more thrilling at high rpms.

S-Tronic gearbox sharper than ever.

Drive dislikes: Epic thirst.

Uncomfortable to get in and out of, as the driver particularly.

A 5-door sports coupe!? I’m so confused!

Pricing:

R665 000

Engine:

2995cc supercharged V6 petrol

Power:

245kW @ 5500 - 7000rpm

Torque:

440Nm @ 2900 - 5300rpm

0-100km/h: 5.1s Top speed: Kerb weight: Transmission:

250km/h 1745kg 7-speed S-Tronic dual-clutch

80/100

D RIV E M A G A Z IN E N OV E MB E R 2012

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640i Grand Coupe

Coupe no more I

8 gone for well over a decade, the 6 stood alone as representative of a BMW which only offers 2 doors.

And no, the X6 just does not count.

t just goes to show how far the copy cat mentality has sunk into the automotive industry, that as soon as one manufacturer pushes out something unusual which subsequently enjoys any level at all of sales success, the others quickly rush to jump on the bandwagon and follow suit.

And now not even the 6 does it anymore, with the introduction of the 6-Series Grand Coupe. Which is BMW marketing-speak for a 6-Series which isn’t a Coupe, but is in fact a four-door saloon just in a sleeker-than-usual frock. Think of it as the sensually feminine version of the 7-series limousine.

Barring the Z4, the 6-Series was the only pure BMW Coupe the company makes. You get 2-door versions of the 3-Series of course, as well as coupe flavours of the 1, but these are merely addenda to the mainstay of these product sales, the regular 4(or 5-) door versions of each shape. Even the M3 can be had as either a saloon or a coupe. With the

It’s certainly lengthy enough to attest to the reality of this comparison. A 6 has never been a shortwheelbase affair, and the extra cms makes it look positively gargantuan. Parked alongside a Jaguar XF-R, itself no compact hatchback, the 6-Series seems to stretch for at least another foot at both the front and the rear.

D r i ve Te s t

However, there is immediately no denying the effectiveness of this amalgamation of shapes. The 6-Series Grand Coupe is, to my eyes and most of the people I know, even better-looking than the 2-door version of itself. It’s more of an elegant appeal than the sporty edge the shorter model suggests, but remains decidedly more focussed-looking than like the rather flabby and undefined 7, with that long shapely nose beginning the liquid flow of lines which are never broken all the way down the flank of the car and into the seemingly truncated tail.

A similar kind of treatment lifts the interior as well. It’s less obviously different to a 7 or even a 5 inside, but there’s something about the low, laid-back driving position that always reminds you that this is a car defined by elegance and grace, rather than the bulk which you’re always aware of when traversing narrow Cape Town streets. It’s very comfortable and very generously specced, with a HUD and full iDrive computer for you to mess about with as well as all the comfort options you’d expect, including a moodlit BMW script on the door sills, heated front seats and a sunroof which doesn’t actually open.

But fire up the 3.0-litre turbocharged straight-six under the hood of this particular 640i model, and

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you instantly know you’re in business. The engine is predictably silken wherever you happen to be revving it to, but also makes its voice clearly heard when you stretch that floor-hinged throttle to the end of its travel. And the 6 lifts up its skirts and shimmies off down the road with athletic intent when you do, the 8-speed Sport Auto gearbox shifting almost seamlessly and the thrust remaining unabated deep into the 200km/h-plus zone.

Thanks in part to the mammoth (and optional) 20-inch alloys fitted to our example, the ride doesn’t quite match the graceful demeanour of the bodywork however. This 640i whacked painfully against compressions making you wince for those costly mags every time, and is extremely busy over ruckled tarmac. Not unstable or tail-happy or dynamically challenged, just firm without the suspension actually being the direct cause of the constant juggling. As you’d expect when you add extra unsprung mass as well as ultra low-profile run-flat rubber.

It can’t stop you enjoying the talents of this car however. I’ve always preferred the 6-Series in its purest most original form with a straight-six in the nose rather than a hefty V8, and once again

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2012

THE OLD SHANGHAI FIRECRACKER FACTORY 702996

BETTER

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PROFIT L TTER FUE FROM BE TION CONSUMP

FE6-109 with Van Body

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W W W . F U S O . C O . Z A

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D r i ve Te s t

in the Grand Coupe the combination is a winner.

With less mass over the front wheels the nose is positively keen to turn in, although the supercarlike footprint and slight softness in the automatic transmission don’t ever translate this level of frontend enthusiasm into oversteery fun. The 6-Series does not break traction at the back for any amount of hooliganism apart from low-speed full-lock fullpower provocation.

The delivery of the 235kW is enough to get you pretty excited though anyway. It’s not brutal, overwhelming power, but the relentless and linear swelling of effort as the revs spin round to the 7000rpm marker feels natural and deeply satisfying. It puts to shame the efforts of the 3.0-litre supercharged V6 in the stock A4 I drove a few days before, giving this motor an unforgettable lesson in fusing power, passion and performance without compromising on economy. Which is exactly what you’d expect of the engine size and configuration, around the 12l/100km mark if you regularly tap the potential lurking in the bay - entirely comparative to the far wimpier-feeling output of the new Ingolstadt lump.

It’s also palpably more sporting than the ActiveHybrid 5 which it shares this iconic motor with, I can only assume thanks to lower overall weight and a more earth-bound centre of gravity. And the extra 10kW of

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power and 40Nm of torque liberated from the motor for this application of course. The 640i Grand Coupe is a gem to drive whether cruising quietly or charging at breakneck pace.

However, the caveat is that this car costs a lot of money. Pushing-on for a million bucks in fact, just tick a few of the options boxes and you’ll be looking at a 7-figure car. And it’s for this reason that I never quite completely fall for the sultry illusion it weaves.

And that’s because you can get a 335i, which is more fun dynamically and delivers very comparable performance, for a lot less money than this 6. It just lacks the beauty of this shape, and it’s a big premium to pay for little more than a pretty face.

The 3-Series is also more spacious for rear-seat passengers because the roof-line doesn’t dive so aggressively towards the boot.

And if you’re a proper performance enthusiast, well a four-door M3 is cheaper, a lot faster, and just as practical as this car. Slightly easier to park too, and on a whole other level in terms of sheer dynamic driving pleasure. And actually a full five-passenger possibility - the 6-Series Grand Coupe can seat no more than 4 thanks to the bulky transmission tunnel running the entire length of the cabin.

So for these reasons, and despite it being a very enjoyable car in its own right, the 6-Series Grand

DRIVE M AGAZINE NOVEM BER 2012

Dr i v e T e s t

BMW 640i Grand Coupe Drive Ratings: Handling:

15/20

Ride:

16/20

Performance:

14/20

Fun Value:

10/20

Practicality: 9/20 Coupe ends up being a tool for tools who use their car purchases as little more than a means of showing off how much more money they have than anyone else. It’s an elitist offering majoring on a new, elegant form over function, and charging a stiff premium for this voyeuristic pleasure in the process.

It’s also the death knell for the famous BMW Coupe.

The only actual Coupe BMW now make isn’t a coupe at all, but in fact a roadster. And that’s a whole other ball game really. Sure the 6-Series is still available in 2-door form, but the addition of the Grand Coupe dilutes the offering enough for it to lose its bespoke coupe status.

You wouldn’t regret buying this 640i GC of course - it’s too good a car for that. But you will be immediately recognisable as a person who doesn’t know their cars too well and doesn’t understand what automotive value for money actually means. If those are labels you can live with, then this could be the perfect choice. I’m sure there are many, many wellheeled punters out there who will make exactly this decision despite the niggling shortfalls expressed in this road test.

Just, although they look the business, stick to standard rims - the 20s hurt the ride just enough to compromise the 6 as a commensurate Grand Tourer, and that’s really the job this car will do best of all.

D RIV E M A G A Z IN E N OV E MB E R 2012

Total:

64/100

Drive likes: There’s no denying the appeal of the sexy shape.

3.0-litre straight-six still a paragon.

8-Speed Sport Auto silken but quick.

Drive dislikes: Choppy ride on optional 20-inchers.

Maximum of four people including driver.

Rear seating not the most spacious.

Quite unwieldy due to extreme length.

Pricey.

Pricing:

R877 000 (Standard)

Engine: 2979cc straight-six turbocharged petrol Power:

235kW @ 5800-6000rpm

Torque:

450Nm @ 1300-2500rpm

0-100km/h:

5.4s

Top Speed:

250km/h (Limited)

Kerb weight: Transmission:

1702kg 8-speed Sport Auto

Consumpt. (Claimed): 7.7 l/100km (combined) Consumpt. (Tested):

12.4 l/100km (combined)

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TOYOTA 86 Pure beauty

I

’ve got almost all the steering lock which can be wound on in place and am about to attack the throttle with full force from standstill for the first time. The skinny rear tyres and perfectlybalanced RWD chassis, which have together been hailed as a stroke of genius for entertainingly rear-led dynamics, will surely produce only one result. One big, smoky slide with the rear wheels spinning while the back end swapped positions with the fronts. Only, to my surprise, in this revival of a legend (and already a legend in its’ own right), to find that I’d been misled once more. The 86 doesn’t really do power slides, despite the combined and overexcited clamouring of the whole motoring media world.

At least, not in this form. The 6-speed automatic gearbox fitted to our test car makes an unhappy noise and causes the rear axle to hop about messily as the torque converter struggles to cope with channelling the sudden command for violent acceleration to the driven wheels. But while there seems to be enough power to upset the drivetrain, there isn’t really enough to get the rear rubber spinning even with ample lock applied and the TC firmly disengaged, so the rear end squats down and launches you as manfully as it can up the road, hopefully with the wheel now straight, without any further drama or fuss.

In fact mating the new, high-revving 2.0-litre boxer petrol engine to this transmission just automatically doesn’t seem to be the best of choices. Although it boasts an impressive power peak of 147kW (or the same as a dolphin-shaped BMW 328i, or the first-gen Golf 6 GTI), it only achieves this at very high revs with the redline on the tacho only starting at 7500rpm. And, predictably, it has effectively no torque whatsoever – 204Nm but all of it beyond the 6000rpm marker on the dial.

However, while it’s immediately clear from this demonstration that Toyota’s new superstar the 86 severely lacks raw power, that, shockingly, does not mean that it it’s destined to be yet another mainstream media darling shunned and castigated by us at Drive for being boring, dull, and basically just a bit of a snooze festival on wheels. In fact, it turns out that this deficit actually becomes just one aspect of a thoughtfully-woven dynamic tapestry which just seems to reveal more and more astonishing artistry the closer you examine it from.

F e atu re Test

Even slightly crippled by this dodgy, old-school automatic, the strengths the 86 was built to pull into sharp focus, strengths which have abandoned the Toyota brand many years ago, become crystal clear within half a kilometre of setting off. Although not exactly superlight at 1200kg, this car feels as energetic and eager as a lightweight. Maximising the wheezy and rather flat performance of the high-revving boxer engine, but not going so far as to actually move into proper sports car levels of performance, like an Elise.

However with straight-line pace not the 86s strength, and wild sideways hooning not really on the cards in the auto, what can really be left of the experience to enjoy?

Perhaps partially because of these two critical shortcomings, it’s the remarkable chassis balance which you quickly get hopelessly addicted to.

The 86 sits low among traffic and manages to combine an almost hyper alert responsiveness with remarkably supple suspension and a fairly compliant ride. Although the engine note can’t really be called soulful there is a purposeful rasp to the higher parts of the rev range in particular, while the low end does include a strong sense that a boxer burble could well be waiting to be unleashed with the right set of pipes installed.

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But despite not having the clutch/gearlever avenue of communication to fully immerse yourself into the act of driving, the information flowing to your fingertips through the steering wheel and the seat of your pants through the pinched, part-leather part-velour seat more than suffices. This isn’t just a talkative car, by modern standards it’s positively bubbling over with feedback and natural charisma.

When you do start taking liberties with entry speeds you can start inducing slip at the rear which you then simply mash the throttle into the carpet to ride out – there’s absolutely no throttle subtlety or modulation needed because there’s only enough power to keep the rear wheels spinning for just long enough to catch the slide cleanly and line yourself up for the next entry.

Because of the compact dimensions, good visibility, this almost supernatural sense of connection with the car and road beneath it, and complete lack of power to get you into any trouble, you soon start throwing the 86 at a challenging road with gay abandon, relishing the sharpness of the front end and the playful but benign attitude of the rear through the corners.

It’s such a simple machine to pilot, it seems any driver could extract maximum performance as well as maximum enjoyment in any given situation.

There are literally no surprises waiting to bite you if you overstep any marks, the included tractioncontrol system is completely pointless in fact, and you’re always so completely instinctively aware of how much composure each corner of the car still has in hand that keeping it smooth and tidy and maintaining the highest speeds possible just seem to happen naturally.

In slower-speed corners you can even start doing the ridiculous – when I was in the mood for a little tyre torture I found myself yanking briefly on the e-brake to get some lateral movement and again just holding the throttle flat for a few moments of opposite lock just brings the car back into line.

D RIV E M A G A Z IN E N OV E MB E R 2012

Yet the lucid stream of chatter that enables this style of hooliganry doesn’t even become a chore when all you’re doing is commuting in the 86.

Although the seats were a little snug about my oversized frame, and the driving position slightly too offset for long-distance comfort levels, the 86 is truly useable every day. And presents opportunities for fun on every drive, be it wet, dry, open or crowded with traffic.

The cost of all this fun is predictable. Rev the motor regularly into the 7K-plus rpm range, and your fuel consumption shoots past the average

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F e atu re Test Corolla, and although they may feel slightly cheap I do like the sports car touches like the bank of toggle switches just in front of the gear selector. This high-spec model even comes with heated seats for early-morning escapades, while the rear seats are really only for the flotsam that gathers in the interior of the car to end up, not people. Not even kids.

of 9.1l/100km we recorded for the duration of our term with this car. But with a mixture of a judicious right foot and leisurely acceleration away from lights, you can settle into a 150km/h cruise and show instantaneous fuel consumption of under 9.5.

Which is pretty good for a modern car, although some miles away from the claimed combined-cycle consumption of 7.1.

Fortunately the interior is also nicely built and thoughtfully arranged. The materials used are definitely of a grade above what makes it into series-production models like the coma-inducing

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Yes, the 86 is crying out for more power. Throw in some forced-induction and this car will be a serious challenger against some much more serious kit – think Porsche Boxster, Elise, Z4 and SLK – and it feels as though dynamically it could show these far pricier machines a few new tricks. But even in the standard form, it offers the kind of driving pleasure we’ve been starved of in the last decade.

Genuine levels of unadulterated driving passion at a relatively reasonable price point.

In fact it’s this energetic and talkative nature that ends up causing the Toyota 86 to leave me both happy and sad all at once. Happy – thrilled even – to be reminded of the quintessentially pure enjoyment of analogue sportscar driving. But depressed by the certain knowledge that, just a decade ago, these types of affordable thrills used to actually be common, and a primary differentiator in the car choices we made. Now it takes an

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especially unusual product like this niche little coupe to remind us of what that felt like.

I’m sure I’d be happier still with the cheaper, lowerspecced 86 and a manual transmission, but on the evidence of this hobbled example it’s clear that this car is all that Toyota said it would be, and everything the enthusiast market could reasonably expect from this highly-anticipated product of the Toyota/Subaru partnership. For a car of this type in today’s market, the 86 is going to sell like wildfire, and it really ought to. I’d strongly recommend parking one in your garage as soon as realism might allow it – it’s cheap enough to be an impractical weekend car and fun enough to fulfil that role to perfection, or it’ll work as your sole transport provided you don’t have a family to cart around.

Drive likes: Classic Japanese sports car looks.

Cammy four-cylinder needs revs to sing.

Electric, precise, balanced handling.

Supple ride.

Drive dislikes: Auto transmission isn’t a paragon.

Not enough power to drift all that easily.

When revved to peak power fuel consumption goes south fast.

Pricing:

R346 500

Engine:

1998cc four cylinder petrol

Toyota 86 High AT

Power:

147kW @ 7000rpm

Drive Ratings:

Torque:

205Nm @ 6400-6600rpm

Handling:

19/20

0-100km/h:

7.5s

Ride:

18/20

Top Speed:

226km/h

Performance:

13/20

Kerb weight:

1200kg

Fun Value:

19/20

Transmission:

Practicality:

16/20

Consumpt. (Claimed): 7.1 l/100km (combined)

85/100

Consumpt. (Tested): 9.1 l/100km (combined)

Total:

D RIV E M A G A Z IN E N OV E MB E R 2012

6-speed automatic

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