MOTORING Daily drivers and a stunning sports car from Aston Martin.

MOTORS

SCANDI CHIC

The largest Volvo off-roader, XC90, offers Scandi-chic in its design, seven seats, all wheel drive and masses of equipment plus an eco-friendly plug-in hybrid powertrain. What’s not to love?

Words: Rob Davis.

SOMETIMES, IT’S IMPORTANT to state your case. It’s important to nail your colours to the mast and set out your beliefs. That moment is now, because the facelifted Volvo XC90 reaches showrooms this summer, and I reckon it’s one of the best – if not the best – large 4x4 on the market. Sure, Porsche’s Panamera certainly handles better, and a Range Rover may offer a much greater breadth of off-road capability, but as an all-rounder, a great value and very practical vehicle, I reckon you’ll struggle to better the largest Swedish off-roader. XC90s can be driven off the forecourt for about £55,000, but they top out at £75,000 and though we usually recommend more modest trim levels or engines in Pride, on this occasion we reckon the range-topper is worth the extra outlay.

That’s because the XC90’s most powerful engine is a 2.0V4 unit – modest for a car of the XC90’s size – but with an 87hp electric motor that can be charged via a household socket to supplement the engine or provide about 30 miles of pure-electric range.

Elsewhere in the XC90 range there are two petrols and a diesel engine, but the plug-in hybrid engine, badged T8, is the best fit.

Likewise, there are three key trim levels in the XC90 range, with even Momentum models affording heated and powered leather seats, adaptive cruise control and electric tailgate. >>

Step up to the sporty R-Design for a more urban look, or to the range-topping Inscription Pro trim for a heated steering wheel, ventilated and massaging seats, air suspension and a Harmon Kardon sound system.

Options worth looking at include the Lounge pack which includes an electric panoramic roof, four-zone climate control, whilst the Climate pack provides a heated front screen, but we’d definitely be inclined to spec the 360° surround view camera to make parking the behemoth a little easier.

The XC90, though, doesn’t just look good on paper. It looks good in real life, especially with the chrome highlights that Inscription brings. There’s masses of room inside, too, with seven seats. All wheel drive comes as standard and so, for a snip over £75,000 – bearing in mind that an entry-level Range Rover Vogue is £84,000, and a plug-in hybrid version costs more still – the XC90 will be a workhorse that can serve as a luxury car, a people carrier, a light duty off-roader and an eco-friendly plug-in car for short sorties to and from school or to Waitrose.

The Volvo XC90 is characterised by a sense of Scandi-chic on the inside, and that works best with blonde leather and one of the firm’s light wood trims and (especially if you’ve a full length panoramic roof) you’ll benefit from a light, modern, airy cabin with a large, intuitive iPad-style display controlling many functions. The plug-in hybrid version of the car should offset its higher purchase price with fuel savings and better residuals, and the higher trim level will ensure your XC90 is a joy to live with throughout its life. Overall, we think the big Volvo is one of the most versatile and well-reconciled cars on the market today. n

VOLVO XC90 T8 INSCRIPTION

Price: £75,190 (on sale now). Engine: 2.0V4 petrol with 87hp electric motor and 8-speed auto and all wheel drive. Performance: 0-62 mph: 5.5 seconds. Top Speed: 112mph. Combined economy of 100.9mpg. Electric range of 30.4 miles. Equipment: Heated, ventilated, massaging leather, panoramic roof.

Complete with Seven Seats: Three with room for everyone...

Land Rover Discovery R-Dynamic HSE, £66,145: Perhaps the XC90’s arch rival, the Discovery is not yet available in plug-in hybrid form, only as a mild hybrid, so you can’t plug it in and enjoy eco-friendly motoring. Nonetheless, the Disco provides seven seats, and in HSE trim, the necessary bells and whistles to provide a like-for-like kit list compared to the Volvo. If you’re towing or embarking on serious off-road sorties, the Discovery is the one to choose, but its road manners remain solid too. n

Mercedes Benz GLS AMG Line Premium £79,480: The biggest Mercedes is an S-Class with a 4x4 body style and seven seats. You’ll maybe need to add a few options or opt for a model a little further up the range to achieve the same spec, but there’s masses of space and the GLS’s cabin is cutting edge thanks to digital displays and lots of Mercedes tech. Still no plug-in hybrid option but Mercedes is gradually launching vehicles with electric powertrains so one can’t be too far away. For now, you’ll have to settle for the firm’s creamy and torque-rich 3.0V6 diesel. n

Kia Sorento Plug-In Hybrid '4,' £50,595: In distinguished company, the Sorento might look like an odd recommendation, but the company’s cars have rock-solid reliability, and they’re rapidly gaining admiration. This flagship Sorento has seven seats, a plug-in hybrid 1.6 engine providing a combined 176mpg and an equipment roster that includes adaptive cruise, 360° camera, heated and ventilated seats, and a panoramic roof... plus a £25k saving, which would be a decent deposit on a Porsche Boxster! n

IN MINT

CONDITION

Aston Martin’s DBS-based V12 Speedster is now available in a special edition which pays homage to its forebear, a 1959 Le Mans winning original driven by Sir Stirling Moss, Carroll Shelby and Jack Fairman...

Words: Rob Davis.

WHAT PRICE RARITY? A cool three-quarters of a million it seems. That’s the price tag that Aston Martin has attached to a new special edition of its V12 Speedster. Just 88 examples of the Aston Martin V12 Speedster will be made, with a new specification that reflects the heritage of Aston’s 1950s DBR1 racing car. The DBR1 is, to date, the most successful racing machine constructed by Aston Martin, having triumphed in the 1959 staging of both the 24 hours of Le Mans and the 1,000 km of Nürburgring, also winning the latter in 1957 and 1958. After its debut in 1956 the DBR1 recorded a string of famous victories, including at the Spa Sportscar Race (1957, Tony Brooks); the Goodwood Tourist Trophy (1958, Sir Stirling Moss, Tony Brookes; 1959, Sir Stirling Moss, Carroll Shelby, Jack Fairman); and the 1000 Km at the Nurburgring (1959, Sir Stirling Moss and Jack Fairman) in the same year as that famous Le Mans triumph which culminated in Aston Martin taking the World Sportscar Championship. The original car was powered by a 2,992cc straight six mated to a David Brown fivespeed gearbox. At the new car’s heart, though, is a rather more modern 5.2-litre V12 Twin-Turbo, capable of generating an output of around 700 PS and 753 Nm torque, via a ZF eightspeed automatic transmission mounted towards the rear of the car. This translates into a 0-62 mph time in the order of 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 198 mph – no mean feat in a car devoid of roof or windscreen. The car also features Aston’s Racing Green paint finish, Club Sport white roundels, conker saddle leather inside and silver brushed aluminium switchgear, as well as satin black 21” wheels. n

ASTON MARTIN V12 SPEEDSTER

Price/Provenance: £765,000 (limited run of just 88 vehicles). Engine: 5.2 litre twin turbo V12. Performance: 60mph in 3.4 seconds, 198mph. Equipment: Aston Martin Racing Green driver and passenger helmets, conker saddle leather, 21” satin black wheels. n

Bourne to drive...

GRIMSTHORPE CELEBRATION FOR THE UNEXCEPTIONAL CARS WE ALL LOVE!

BOURNE Grimsthorpe Castle this month hosts the... dah dah dah dah dah dah daaaaaa: completely mundane. The Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional returns in 2021, and takes place on Saturday, July 31st at Grimsthorpe Castle near Bourne, celebrating the ordinary, maligned and unloved cars of the 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s... like my first car, an orange and beige Volvo 340, registration A380NAG. There will of course be judging and award ceremonies, so if your Alfa Arna keeps getting turned away from Villa d’Este then there’s always the chance of some silverware in the Concours de l’Ordinaire instead. 2019’s victor was a 1977 Morris Marina, so the bar to entry is high. Or is it low? n See www.grimsthorpe.co.uk. LAND ROVER The appeal of the Range Rover Evoque has been broadened even further with the launch of a new powerful Range Rover Evoque P300 HST. The Evoque P300 HST takes inspiration from the larger Range Rover Sport HST and is exclusively available with Land Rover’s potent P300 Ingenium petrol engine. Reaching 60mph in 6.5 seconds, and with gloss black exterior trim, the new Range Rover Evoque P300 HST is available now, priced from £50,440. n

Sporty new version of Land Rover’s Evoque...

Brrr-illiant new ‘Defender’

RESURRECTION OF LAND ROVER’S ORIGINAL DEFENDER BY CHEMICALS BILLIONAIRE JIM RATCLIFFE DELAYED UNTIL 2022 INEOS Is Land Rover’s new Defender is a little too rich for your palate, we’re afraid you’ll have to wait a little longer for the back-to-basics off-roader from chemical-industry billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Jim’s Ineos Grenadier –named after his favourite pub in Belgravia, incidentally – has been pushed back to July 2022. It’ll be worth waiting for, though; the Grenadier has just completed its cold weather testing in the notorious trails of the Schöckl mountain near Magna Steyr’s in Austria, part of over 1.8 million kilometres of testing in extreme environments around the world. n

MOTORING NEWS

In Brief

COVID RECOVERY

MOTOR INDUSTRY CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT RECOVERY AFTER PROMISING SPRING

Spring saw an artificial 30-fold increase of new car registrations compared to the same month last year, but volumes still remained 12.9% lower than the 10-year average at just 141,583 new units, according to the latest figures released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). April 2020 saw just 4,321 cars sold, whilst April 2021 saw 141,583 driving off forecourts... an increase of 3,176%. Overall registrations for 2021 now stand at 567,108 units, some 32.5% down on the average recorded over the past decade and one in eight vehicles are now plug-in hybrid or electric cars. The automotive industry is a vital part of the UK economy accounting for £78.9 billion turnover and £15.3 billion value added. With 180,000 people employed directly in manufacturing and 864,000 across the wider automotive industry, it accounts for 13% of total UK export of goods and invests more than £3 billion each year in automotive research and development. n 129