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06. 2021

SONIC BOOM!

Flat stick at Wakefield in the track-focused Mustang Mach 1.

Does it finally exorcise the curse of the overheating pony?

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j u n e 2 0 2 1 w h i c h c a r. c o m . a u /m o t o r

LANDO GRAB

Lando Norris’s plan to firmly establish himself as McLaren’s #1 and what that means for Daniel Ricciardo

993 TURBO ROCKET FROM THE CRYPT

regulars 8

PACE NOTES

A 1000kW+ BMW M2 and landfall at last for the C8 Vette

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THE VENT

Read our Letter Of The Month as an example of what never to do

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FIRST DRIVES

Hyundai’s i20 N, Aston Martin Victor, Alfa Giulia GTAm, BMW i4 M50 and more

114 ICON BUYER

How to buy into one of the greatest engines of all time for less than a Golf GTI

118 TECH

The smart tyres that will make you a quicker, safer and better-informed driver

124 GARAGE

Fish out of water, going nowhere fast and an emotional farewell to the Fiesta ST

141 OPINIONS

Gardner on the perils of nostalgia, Kirby on poor race tracks and Affat’s on a mission

146 LOST IN TIME

The Audi S2 had a tough start to life but look at it now. Damn

features

993 TURBO

54 STEPHAN WINKELMANN

Lamborghini’s boss talks to MOTOR about the very specific challenge of a company renowned for charismatic engines transitioning to an electric future

58 THE ROAD SERIES: LAMBORGHINI URUS The big bull versus the C425. Like that time you tried on size M skinny jeans and got wedged?

68 PORSCHE 993 TURBO’S SILVER ANNIVERSARY Or how the stillborn 989 project gave an opportunistic Pom the licence to revolutionise the 911

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TRACK TEST: FORD MUSTANG MACH 1 Ford insisted on an 80km/h limit for its track event. So we booked a circuit of our own, spirited the Mustang Mach 1 away and drove it as fast as we could. This is MOTOR, people. We have standards

We celebrate the twin-turbo, all-wheel drive weapon that’s the intriguing link between classic and modern 911s.

Spoiler alert: it’s still got it

88 CAYMAN GT4 PDK AT TARGA TASMANIA We moaned about the manual GT4’s gearing. Does the PDK version fix things? Here’s the acid test

98 BMW M3 COMPETITION VS ALFA ROMEO GIULIA Q What’s the greatest sports sedan in the world? The two key contenders duke it out on road and strip

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M FRONT END. ED’S NOTE

IF YOU’RE SUFFICIENTLY CASHED-UP, YOU CAN BUY A ROCKETSHIP ROAD CAR AND COMPETE IN TARGA WITH NO SIGNIFICANT OVERSIGHT OF YOUR BASIC COMPETENCE

Andy Enright “I RESEARCHED WHICH is more deadly,” says random dude on an internet forum. “Racing at the Isle of Man versus storming the beaches of Normandy at D-Day. If a rider contemplates racing the IOM TT for two to three years, his odds of surviving D-Day are the same as odds of surviving the racing.”

That’s an incredible statistic. It’s also completely untrue. One in 36 who braved the beaches at Normandy lost their lives. Some 376 riders competed in the TT in 2019, so to replicate that attrition rate, nearly 10 of them would have to have perished. Only one did. Yet these nonsenses concerning safety in motorsport often go unchallenged.

I write this in the wake of the outcome of this year’s Targa Tasmania, where three competitors lost their lives. Motorsport Australia is setting up an investigatory tribunal, but as tragic as the events are, it’s clear that this year is a statistical outlier. The event has been held since 1992 and, prior to this year, the fatality count stood at two. Statistically, the Tour de France cycling race is a more dangerous event, with four fatalities in that period among competitors and spectators.

Is it too soon to be applying a stark, statistical analysis?

I think not. It serves us well to remind ourselves of the risks, because humans are poor at assessing probability and risk. Our brains are wonderfully adapted for scanning the environment and evading a visible hazard. That’s what they’ve done for millions of years, but evolution has only relatively recently gifted us the ability to predict

the location and timing of an event before it occurs.

This add-on utility is an incredible adaptation of the neocortex but it’s not entirely foolproof. The psychology of risk is a work in progress, as the parts of our brains which intuit and reason wrestle each other.

Are we doing enough though? At Targa, the truly fast cars have never been safer, but they’ve never been faster either. A Porsche 991 GT3 RS is quicker to 100km/h than many Group B rally cars, yet in order to enter you don’t need the skills of Walter Röhrl. You need money. That and a Motorsport Australia National Rally Licence which costs $240. Applicants over the age of 25 aren’t required to complete an observed licence test if they have held a civil drivers licence for five years or more. So, if you’re sufficiently cashed-up, you can buy a rocketship road car and compete in Targa with no significant oversight of your basic competence behind the wheel. Caveat aemulus and all that.

This is in no way a slur on the organisers nor those who tragically lost their lives this year, who by all accounts were experienced and capable competitors. It does bring me to question whether other drivers who are often beyond their prime should be driving flat-out in supercars on a course with some of the most challenging roads and weather in the world. Motorsport Australia has a huge and unenviable task on its hands.

One thing’s for sure. Targa will come under huge scrutiny henceforth. Let’s hope level heads and hard data do the talking.

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M FRONT END. PACE NOTES NEWS / REVIEWS / LATEST TECH / MOTORSPORT

Pace Notes IF IT HAPPENED THIS MONTH, IT’S IN HERE

BY • AN DY EN RIG HT

THE MEG 01 BMW M Division’s 50th birthday present to itself is a 1000kW M2. Yep, a megawatt of M2

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KEEP YOUR EYES open on an industry pool day at the Nurburgring and you’ll see Katharina. You probably won’t hear her coming as she’s not the shouty type, but an encounter is not an experience you’ll forget in a hurry.

She’s rapid. For Katharina is the project title of BMW’s little 50th birthday present to the M Division and it packs a solid megawatt.

That’s a cool 1000kW, or 1321hp.

Koenigsegg Agera RS power, if you prefer, or more than a modern F1 car, all wrapped up in the body of an M2 CS. The iM2, as it’s dubbed within the halls at GarchingHochbruck, is serious business.

Powered by four electric motors and boasting radical four-wheel torque vectoring, the iM2 is, for the time being at least, based on the outgoing F87 M2 body, ahead of the introduction of the rear-drive G24 2 Series in 2022. There’s no official word on whether this vehicle will even make production or whether it will remain one of a long list of M-car one-offs that the company tends to keep to itself. It’s been reported that a British powertrain specialist that is involved in the development of the Katharina project is expecting that a limited production run is a possibility, fitted with ultra-lightweight body panels,

wheels and glazing.

The iM2 is said to be able to lap the Nordschleife in less than seven minutes, which puts it in extremely senior territory. It’ll need to be significantly quicker than the heavier and markedly less powerful Porsche Taycan Turbo S if M Division’s aim of demonstrating that tailpipe emissions-free performance and agile handling can be incorporated in a compelling package for demanding drivers.

There’s word of a 0-100km/h time somewhere between 2.0 and 2.5 seconds, but standing start acceleration fatigue has already set in with many EV potential buyers.

LEFT Tech from the iM2 (left) will bleed over to the inevitable iM4 (right)

THE iM2 IS SAID TO BE ABLE TO LAP THE NORDSCHLEIFE IN LESS THAN SEVEN MINUTES. THAT’S SERIOUS BUSINESS d

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M FRONT END. PACE NOTES NEWS / REVIEWS / LATEST TECH / MOTORSPORT There needs to be additional strings to the bow.

That will come as the technical know-how from the iM2 project trickles down into the forthcoming i4M production car, which looks set to pack a 120kWh battery and 447kW, and is pencilled in to debut sometime during 2023.

The iM2 was foreshadowed in an interview with BMW M’s CEO Markus Flasch last year. When it comes to hybridised and electrified drivetrains, Flasch has a very simple measure of what he wants those vehicles to be. “Success has to be better than the predecessor’s character. We won’t mess around or compromise the distinct

M cars taper off the amount of power they develop. In the five years between 2010 and 2015, the BMW M5 saw its power increase by over 18 per cent. The next five years saw peak power tick up by 4 per cent. As the iM2 so clearly demonstrates, Flasch doesn’t recognise any workable ceiling or gentleman’s agreement to limit the power of M cars.

“Power is nothing without control, right? And if there isn’t something with too much power it’s just a question of how you tune in and hone into a car, and how you make it accessible,” he explains.

“You look 10, 15 years back and if you imagined 625 horsepower in

FIRST LOOK

BELOW Kacher also got to drive the Mexican-built M240i prototype of the next-gen 2 Series for a little perspective from where the next-gen M2 will emerge

iM2 TECH TIDBITS YOU NEED TO KNOW

40 SECONDS That’s how much quicker the iM2 is reputed to be around the ‘Ring than the monster M8 Competition

character that our M cars have today,” he says. “An electrified car, whether it’s plug in the wall, battery electric, has to take it up with the predecessor, and I know that there are physical limits, but within physical limits of working dimensions, we are going to make it happen.”

In recent years we’ve seen some

a saloon car, you’d probably be scared. Now, I can give an M5 this 625 horsepower and only drive to my mum, in winter, and she’d still be okay. It’s all just a question of how you incorporate it into a package that makes it accessible for everyone, and this is what M has always been brilliant in. Don’t expect a power limit.”

BABY DRIVER BMW HAS SOME form when it comes to one-off pocket hot rods as little gifts to itself. Back in 1996, it built the E36 M3 Compact, which would have been comfortably the quickest production hot hatch in the world at the time, had it ever entered production.

Instead, BMW teased us with images of the 1300kg 240kW hatch, built to

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commemorate the 50th birthday of German automotive magazine Auto Motor und Sport. The guts of the E36 M3 Compact would later be resurrected in the form of the Z3 M Coupe, the one-off E36 Compact these days residing at BMW Group Classic.

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DOUBLE IT A 530kW 5 Series Electric prototype debuted at the NextGen event in Munich in 2019.

Two years later, power has escalated crazily

TOTALLY TUBULAR The iM2 will feature hollow-spoked ultralightweight alloy wheels (not pictured here), cutting unsprung weight to deliver the promised agility

SPIN TO WIN Sources report that the iM2 can spin up its rear tyres at more than 120km/h even on bone-dry bitumen. You can replicate this ability far more cheaply by choosing cheap tyres sorted by wear rating

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THERE’S MORE...

The iM2 isn’t the only surprise BMW’s wheeling out for the M Division’s 50th. If Nurburgring spies are correct, there’s also likely to be an M4 CSL, which could arrive in July of 2022

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M FRONT END. PACE NOTES NEWS / REVIEWS / LATEST TECH / MOTORSPORT

02

ALPINE SWALLOWS RENAULT SPORT The end of RS-badged Renaults as Alpine shoots for the stars

ALPINE IS A COMPANY in transition. What was once a minor offshoot of the Renault empire based on the bleak northern coast of France has suddenly been shunted into the limelight.

Rebranding Renault’s F1 team beneath the Alpine banner has boosted brand awareness to the tune of 433 million race viewers a week, but now it’s Renault’s job to turn that recognition into products that people will actually buy.

Thus far that has been a problem.

The A110, for all its critical acclaim, has been a poor seller. Here in Australia, year to date sales stand at a single car, sold through its sole dealer in Melbourne. Only 35 cars found owners in 2019 and a mere seven units were registered last year. Even in stronger markets, such as France and the UK, sales have tailed off drastically.

Alpine has made no secret that the A110 is the last of its line and that the business is looking to pivot rapidly to a full-EV product range.

A collaboration with Lotus pairs the two prime exponents of lightweight agility in the sports car market and promises something quite special.

The timing ties up too, with Lotus’ new Emira also being its last solusICE powered vehicle.

Lotus and Alpine’s memorandum of understanding first creation will sprout from the “E-Sports” electric platform that is set to be flexible and modular. It’ll underpin EV performance cars from Lotus and Alpine, but will also be made available to other car manufacturers.

Lotus is insisting that even with a weighty battery pack on board, it has to be an authentic Lotus. Hethel has encouraging form in that regard, the Evija weighing much

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the same as a modern 911 Turbo.

“The E-Sports architecture will be flexible and modular, and will generate an exciting new sports car icon for the Lotus brand, with contemporary styling, classleading ride and handling, explosive performance and that unmistakable Lotus character – a pure dynamic experience that is ‘For The Drivers’,” Matt Windle, Managing Director of Lotus Cars, says. “I have challenged our teams to target the same weight as our latest combustion engine sports cars.”

The Alpine “Business Unit”, announced in January, merges Alpine, Renault Sport and Renault’s motorsport operations into one entity. The plan for the near future not only includes the Alpine-Lotus collaboration for a sports EV, but also an electric hot hatch and a battery-powered crossover.

Laurent Rossi, Alpine’s CEO, said:

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RIGHT The sublime Alpine A110 has suffered dwindling sales, and will be the last of its kind for Alpine... which is a shame BELOW The Evija is set to launch Lotus’ bold EV strategy. With 1470kW on tap, and a $3m+ price tag, Lotus indicates that a handful of Aussies have expressed their interest

“As part of the reorganisation of the Renault Group by brand, it is essential that the various entities that make up the Business Unit bear the Alpine name and embody the values and ambitions of the brand.

Alpine aims to be a premium sports brand at the forefront of innovation and technology. Alpine Cars with its expertise and experience in sports vehicles is a master card in achieving our goals.”

In the nearer term, Renault Sport is dead, and performance Renaults will carry the Alpine badge instead. Things will remain the same operationally too, with the 300-strong Renault Sport team remaining at its Les Ulis headquarters near Paris. It’s perhaps ironic that Alpine built the first Renault Sport model, the 1996 Renault Sport Spider, and a quarter of a century later, the responsibility has been handed back.

ALPINE HAS MADE NO SECRET THAT THE A110 IS THE LAST OF ITS LINE AND THAT THE BUSINESS IS LOOKING TO PIVOT RAPIDLY TO A FULL-EV PRODUCT RANGE

BY AN DY EN RIG HT

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FRONT END. PACE NOTES NEWS / REVIEWS / LATEST TECH / MOTORSPORT

03

CORVETTE LANDS IN OZ THE CHEVROLET C8 Corvette is nearing an anticipated local launch following the public debut of a lefthand drive model last month.

While a factory-built right-hook model is yet to appear locally, GMSV says deliveries of the Aussie C8 will begin in Q4 this year.

Both the Z51 Performance Package and Front Lift kit will be standard for Australian Corvettes, with the former adding a dual-mode performance exhaust, performance suspension with MagneRide dampers, larger Brembo brakes, an electronic limited-slip differential, extra cooling, and a new, shorter rear axle ratio (a 5.2:1 final drive vs 4.9:1) for the Tremec-built eight-speed dual-clutch transmission.

With the different gearing, the Z51 is able to better deploy the 369kW

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and 637Nm produced by the midmounted 6.2-litre naturally-aspirated V8 for a claimed 2.8 second sprint to 97km/h (60mph).

Both coupe and convertible versions of the C8 will be available locally, with two trim levels (2LT and 3LT) shared across both roof styles.

The range starts at $144,990

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➜

C8 makes first local appearance; price and features finally revealed

ABOVE Get ready to spot the C8 on Aussie streets. Rear spoiler and front lip denotes Z51 pack fitment

before on-road costs for the 2LT coupe, while the 3LT coupe is priced from $160,500 and is fitted with “enhanced interior appointments” according to GMSV. Folding-roof versions are availalble for a $15,000 premium.

A special Carbon Edition couple will also be made available, becoming the halo of the range at launch. The limited-run variant will include “hand-picked interior trims, premium wheels and brake caliper package, an exclusive build plate and owners pack.”

Pricing for the Carbon Edition has yet to be revealed.

It is expected that availability for the C8 will be extremely limited in Australia, with just 200 examples being offered to customers during each model year. - CK

GET READY TO RIDE THE SHOWSTOPPING 2021 TOURING LINE-UP. DON’T MISS OUT, PRE-ORDER NOW AT YOUR LOCAL H-D® DEALER OR VISIT H-D.COM *Overseas model shown. ©2021 H-D or its affiliates. HARLEY-DAVIDSON, HARLEY, H-D, and the Bar and Shield Logo are among the trademarks of H-D U.S.A. LLC.

M FRONT END. PACE NOTES NEWS / REVIEWS / LATEST TECH / MOTORSPORT

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“NO MR BOND, I INTEND TO SAVE THIS COMPANY”

How Tobias Moers plans to steer Aston Martin from its path of self destruction and into a faster, cleaner, more prosperous future

BY CAMERON KIRBY

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BEFORE TOBIAS MOERS jumped ship to Aston Martin from his job at AMG, he probably thought he had a decent grasp on the issues facing the venerable British manufacturer.

Not so, it turns out.

The former head of MercedesBenz’s performance division has had his feet under the desk at Gaydon for roughly a year now, and he has revealed that things at the historic brand were rather dire upon his arrival.

“Some things were obviously fundamentally wrong,” Moers told our sister-publication, CAR. “We were, for instance, wasting cash on a new V6. It did not even comply with EU7 regulations at a point in time when it was already clear that combustion powerplants will soon be a thing of the past.”

In a bold move, that V6, set to be fitted to the mid-engined Valhalla and Vanquish models as part of Andy Palmer’s master plan, has now been scrapped entirely.

In the Valhalla, the hybridised Aston unit is being replaced by the M177/M178 twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 sourced from AMG. It’s not just Valhalla that has caused frustration. The Valkyrie project that is set to be Aston’s flagship model is failing to meet Moers’ exacting standards. “[It’s] so drastically over-budget that it now needs two more variants to pull it out of the red,” was his savagely frank assessment.

Where performance enthusiasts will first see and feel Moers’ effect is in the bread and butter model ranges of Vantage, DB11, and DBS. The Vantage is losing its manual transmission option, while all three will be updated significantly in their mid-life facelift.

“In addition to design changes and functional improvements, the interiors will be totally reworked with up-to-date connectivity, enhanced digitisation and new assistance systems,” Moers said.

“We’re also going to rethink the AMR sub-brand. The cars should be more dynamic in the way they look and drive.”

Additionally, in the DB11 and DBS, the 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12 engine is set to be tweaked, with a boost in power and change in character the edict from above.

Moers wants the engineers to shift from the current low-end torque focus, to one that delivers more

punch higher in the rev range.

Also in the model pipeline are a hybrid, and performance ‘S’ variant, of the DBX SUV, before two new pure-electric sports cars are introduced in 2025. These EVs are being developed by Aston Martin, with backing and support from Moers’ former employer AMG – the two companies are continuing the relationship forged under Andy Palmer’s tenure.

The F1 edition Vantage is an indicator of Moer’s influence and direction, with its creation coming from the head honcho’s request

for a more focused version of the brand’s entry-level sports car.

It also speaks to the brand’s new owner, Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll, and his passion for motorsport – something Moers says will be a larger, expanded part of Aston Martin’s brand identity inthe near future.

“We have only just begun to explore the full halo effect of motor racing. Let’s face it: Lawrence Stroll is in Formula 1 to win the championship. It won’t happen this year, but the title is our ultimate

LEFT An AMR version of the Valkyrie Hypercar could be just the start, with Moers saying the V12 monster needs two more variants to be profitable

ABOVE Aston Martin gave the in-house developed V6 the big billing. It’s now probably a nice glass-topped coffee table in a Gaydon office, replaced

by AMG’s potent M177 V8

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goal,” Moers explained.

Aston Martin cannot escape the hybrid and electric future that is being forced upon European manufacturers, with Moers confirming the V8 engine has a finite shelf life. However, this could prove to be a boon for Australian (along with American and Chinese) performance car fans.

“We have yet to define the end of these production runs, but once the strict EU7 emissions norm is in place, certain petrol-engine versions will only be eligible for export,” he explained.

In just 12 months Moers has done an impressive job in correcting Aston Martin’s path, bringing it back on course with a series of intelligent choices. While the brand isn’t out of the woods altogether – the Lagonda sub-brand has an uncertain future, and stock price volatility continues to be a nuisance – the positives of a V8 engine for Valhalla and some much-needed updates for the existing models should see Aston Martin find a sure footing as it charges into the its second century.

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06 .

M FRONT END. LETTERS SEND US A RANT. OR SOMETHING NICE. MOTOR@AREMEDIA.COM.AU

➜

WIN THIS NEXT MONTH! MOTOR MAGAZINE PRIZE RIZE PACK The magazine subscription for this month is going to be awarded to the reader er who can tell us about their most memorable meal from a truck stop or roadhouse. Whether it be the king of battered attered savs or a ‘roach in a roll, we want to know. Best letter wins a MOTOR subscription for twelve months and our undying admiration/pity.

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MAIN Stunning Porsche 964 911 Turbo... and worth a mint if you’ve got one

LETTER

of the

MONTH

NEVER, EVER DO THIS Guys, I’m afraid I’ve done something inadvisable. I started a spreadsheet that logged what I paid for all of my cars and what I sold them for. It was, not to put too fine a point on it, terrifying.

Over forty years, I’ve lost the best part of a million dollars, which would buy me a fairly decent house in my neighbourhood.

While I probably turn my vehicles over a little more often than most and have no eye for future investment potential (I think I must be the only person on the planet to lose money on a Phase III and an A9X), I now realise that I have an extremely expensive hobby.

Do any of you guys have a story of cars you let go for buttons

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that now make you wince? It’d really help me if I felt I was being welcomed into a family of financial fatheads.

Raymond Kewin, via email Ray – Charge your glass and welcome to the club. I can no longer look at the price of Dino 308 GT4s, having let one go for a price I’m too ashamed to mention. I also managed to lose on a lovely Corrado G60 which I sold for probably 5 per cent of what it would be worth were it sitting in my garage here in Melbourne.

The worst crime? Turning down a Porsche 964 Carrera RS which was offered to me for around $40k because I didn’t like the colour.

That car today would be half a million dollars. – Ed

THE RIGHT FOCUS? I read with interest the GR Yaris vs GR Yaris Rallye review in the May issue of MOTOR. I was on the verge of buying one but spoke to a friend who was complaining of terminal understeer on track, so decided to buy a Focus RS instead.

As much as I love the Ford, I’m starting to get the faintest niggle of buyer’s remorse when I read the road tests of the GR Yaris Rallye. Should I stay with the Ford or chop it in and join the Rallye fans?

Terry McEndry, via Facebook Interesting dilemma there, Terry. The Rallye does feel like the real deal whereas the GR had significant room for dynamic improvement. Much of that can be rectified by fitting a decent set of boots to the GR, but I don’t think even the Rallye would be able to hold station with a Focus RS on a serious piece of road. Short of paying for the far more expensive Mercedes-AMG A45 S or Audi RS3, I think you’ve got the quickest thing available at the price point. – Ed

ANDY WHO? Hi, First of all, great work on the magazine. It’s brilliant to see the paper quality return. The magazine now feels properly hefty in your hands and the content is as good as ever. I have one question though.

Were Andy Enright and Eddie Izzard separated at birth? Whenever I read the editor’s page, I often wonder if Andy is sporting a fetching dress just out of shot. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Brian Kelly, via Instagram John Cleese referred to Eddie Izzard as “the lost Python” and I once lost a python in the Marlands Shopping Centre in Southampton. I think that’s as far as the connection goes. – Ed

CREDIT IS DUE I’ve noticed that the Cool Kit section of the magazine never carries a writing credit. I love the taste of whoever is picking the products and I’ve been doing a bit of amateur profiling in trying to guess who’s putting it together.

Datsun 510 crewneck and a Spoon Sports MOMO wheel in the last issue: would I be right in guessing that Alex Affat is the man with significantly better taste than me?

Garry Kimble, via email Hit the nail on the head there with the first attempt, Garry. Top sleuthing and we’ll make sure Alex gets credited accordingly. – Ed

YOUR MONTH IN SOCIAL MEDIA

On The Wires

Use #motormag so we can find your dodgy pics

1. Add.lightness on ig – Who says the GR Yaris boot is too small??

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2. Strawbs_609 on ig – Six cylinder superheroes...

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3. Esl_media on ig – An extremely rare Mitsubishi RVR Hyper Sports Gear R! 4. Detailedmodelcars on ig – Nice Porsche GT3 RS

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5. Carspottingperth on ig – AMG E63 S in Myaree!

05 GET INVOLVED Pick your channel, enjoy daily content

ON FACEBOOK @motorofficial The tribe: 59,057

ON TWITTER @motor_mag The mob: 3318

I’M STARTING TO GET THE FAINTEST NIGGLE OF BUYER’S REMORSE TYRED ARGUMENT Can you explain what the 99Y bit on our tyre sidewall means? My dad reckons it’s the wear rating of the tyre but a mate of mine says it’s something to do with the amount of weight that can be put on the tyre.

Aaron Campbell, via Instagram Your mate’s right on this one. The letter and the number that come after the width, the profile, the construction designator and the rim diameter is a combination of load index (the number) and speed index (the letter). If your tyres say 99Y on them, that means a load of up to 775kg per tyre can be carried, calculated from the maximum permissible axle load. Therefore the maximum load of your vehicle

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ON INSTAGRAM @motorofficial The voyeurs: 10.5k

at speed should be less than 775kg multiplied by the four tyres, or 3100kg. The letter Y denotes the speed rating, in this instance authorised up to 300km/h.

BE SEATED I read the road test of the MX-5 GT RS in the Feb edition. As the owner of an NC MX-5 and looking to upgrade to an ND, I like the manual soft-top ND but I can’t understand why they set up the RS pack without the one item that is difficult to add later, a pair of Recaros!

I have them in my current car and they hold me in the seat when I use the car as it’s intended as well as being comfortable over longer distances than the standard seats.

If I buy an ND, I can easily upgrade the suspension, add a strut brace, improve the braking or change the wheels. However, the biggest disincentive to upgrading to another MX-5 is the seating available.

The RS pack would be more valuable to me if it had the one thing that’s difficult to add later on. Come on Mazda Aus, give your enthusiast

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M FRONT END. LETTERS

DID YOU CONSIDER SWAPPING THE WHEEL AND TYRE SETS?

customers some consideration.

David Salter, via Email

PLEASE EXPLAIN...

I enjoyed reading your GR Yaris versus Rallye test but I was left with a question; how much of the performance gap is due to tyre alone and how much of the gap remains on road when you swap the Pilot Sport 4S onto a standard variant?

Did you consider swapping the wheel and tyre sets between them and then taking them back out to for a run to isolate the tyre performance and expose how much the diffs are working compared to the base car when wearing its rubber?

I have a feeling that for the everyday back-road punter, a standard Yaris with proper tyres will be all the car that most people would ever need. But I don’t know because nobody has done it! Please consider this for another feature!

Tavis, via Instagram Tavis – had time permitted, we would have certainly swapped the wheels and tyres. I had a chat with

I then rang Shannons, accepting their premium of $892 on a $37,500 valuation – excess is $695! I then checked NSW “classic car rego” requirements. Its only available to cars more than 30 years old (plus other requirements), when Google definition is more than 15 years.

So the cost outcome of my 2500km/pa scenario is: Comprehensive insurance is 35.7 cents/km vs NSW Rego 22.5 cents/km. The former covers me for $37,500 in the event of a writeoff. Rego simply gives me the right to drive on our public roads, bearing in mind this cost is before other State charges.

Is this a rip-off or not? What do you guys think and is it worth reinvigorating/pushing the “classic car” situation?

Gordon Batt, via email

Scotty Newman about exactly how much of the performance advantage is down to tyre and how much is the effect of the Torsen diffs and he’s pretty confident it’d be about 50:50.

You’ve now got me wondering how close a standard GR on Cup tyres would get to the Rallye. – Ed

RIPPED OFF? My BMW E46 M3 (bought new 2003) is up for insurance and rego in June. It’s a second car I regard as a future “classic” and travels less than 2500km a year.

My comprehensive insurer (AAMI) renewal quote was $1007 on a ludicrous insured value of $16,500 – excess was $1270. I advised the car was worth far more than this and they finally offered $1352 premium excluding windscreen on a $23,010 valuation. Excess is $1000.

Stunning PHOTO OF THE MONTH

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The Tiebreaker You send in the two cars you’re stuck on, we pick the one you should get

AFTER A BIT OF MAN MATHS, I CAN RUN TO ABOUT $70K FOR A PRACTICAL PERFORMANCE CAR THAT CAN DO A BIT OF EVERYTHING. I LIKE AWD AND I’VE HAD A GOLF R, SO THE DECISION FOR ME IS NARROWED TO EITHER A BMW M135I OR A MERCEDES-AMG A35. WHAT’S YOUR PICK HERE?

BMW M135i XDRIVE

MERCEDES-AMG A35

1998cc I4, DOHC, 16v, turbo

ENGINE

1991cc I4, DOHC, 16v, turbo

225kW @ 4500-6250rpm

POWER

225kW @ 5800rpm

450Nm @ 1750-5000rpm 1525kg

TORQUE WEIGHT

5.8sec $70,990

0-100KM/H PRICE

THIS IS RARE, someone with no professed tribal loyalty to either Mercedes-Benz or BMW, so we can judge the cars purely on their merits alone. Both cars feature 2.0-llitre turbocharged engines that send 225kW to all four wheels, via a seven-speed DCT in the case of the Mercedes or an eight-speed torque-converter auto with the BMW. While it may seem that there’s not a lot to choose between the two, in terms of go, stop and steer, one car is a decent way ahead. That car is the Mercedes-AMG A35. Not only is the steering crisper and more confidence-inspiring, but the AMG also features a more reassuringly served brake pedal and is quicker off the mark, albeit by a mere tenth through 100km/h.

400Nm @ 3000-4000rpm 1480kg 5.7sec $71,700

The chassis feels more adjustable when driven hard, is more resistant to understeer and the lighter A35 also delivers better overall body control. It’s not a total slam dunk for the AMG-light, though. The BMW can be made to accelerate just as quickly as the more expensive Merc with the fitment of a $1900 Performance Pack that adds an overboost function. The engine enjoys a useful torque advantage, the cabin feels better screwed together and, for what it’s worth, the boot is bigger, too. Being driving enthusiasts, the Mercedes-AMG gets our vote, but if your hot pedalling opportunities are relatively few and far between, don’t discount the BMW completely. - AE

WHO’S WHO IN THE ZOO THAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE CAR MAGAZINE EDITOR Andy Enright ART DIRECTOR Damien Pelletier DEPUTY EDITOR Cameron Kirby STAFF JOURNALIST Alex Affat GROUP ROAD TEST EDITOR Scott Newman STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Ellen Dewar, Alastair Brook DIGITAL RETOUCHER Paul Breen CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ben Barry, Ben Miller, Kyle Fortune, Trent Giunco, Daniel Gardner CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Split Image, Alex Tapley, Jordan Butters EUROPEAN CORRESPONDENTS Georg Kacher, Greg Kable, Michael Taylor DIRECTOR OF COMMERCIAL CONTENT Matt Rice (02) 9263 9706 QUEENSLAND SALES Todd Anderson 0409 630 733 WEST AUSTRALIA SALES Emily Thompson 0408 516 176 NSW AGENCY SALES Max Kolomiiets (02) 8275 6486 VIC AGENCY SALES Adrian Christian (03) 9567 4178 CUSTOMER CARE Regina Fellner 1300 362 355 PRINTED BY Ovato Warwick Farm, 8 Priddle Street, Warwick Farm, NSW 2170 PRODUCTION CONTROLLER Di McLarty ADVERTISING PRODUCTION Kali Cooke CIRCULATION MANAGER Stuart Jones GENERAL MANAGER PUBLISHING, ARE MEDIA Andrew Beecher ARE MEDIA CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Jane Huxley Published by Are Media Pty Ltd, ABN 18 053 273 546, 54-58 Park Street, Sydney, NSW 2000. © 2020. All rights reserved.

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FRONT END. JUST LAUNCHED

06 . 2021 30 BMW I4 50E Bavaria’s electric performance future 42 ALFA ROMEO GIULIA GTA M Hardcore Italian super sedan

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05 36 ASTON MARTIN VICTOR A V12-powered nod to the past 46 BENTLEY BENTAYGA V8 Hungry like the Woolf

RIGHT After 500km behind the wheel overseas, we can’t wait to get the i20 N Down Under

HYUNDAI i20 N The Fiesta ST’s domination ends here Rating

4.5

ENGINE 1591cc 4cyl, DOHC, 16v, turbo POWER 150kW @ 5500-6000rpm TORQUE 275Nm @ 1750-4500rpm 0-100KM/H 6.7sec (claimed) WEIGHT 1190kg • PRICE $32,500 (est.)

LIKE: Fun, accessible dynamics; true performance credentials; loaded with tech DISLIKE: Ride quality on our roads needs to be determined; no aural delight

BY • BEN MILLER + PICS • JORDAN BUTTERS

SIXTY PER CENT of the time, it works every time. I can offer no explanation as to why Brian Fantana’s less than sound statistical argument for the effectiveness of his preferred cologne, Sex Panther (‘a formidable scent… illegal in nine countries’) has entered my thoughts now. Anchorman, starring Will Ferrell as arch-chauvinist Ron Burgundy, has its moments but I wouldn’t say it defines me. But early starts and long drives can do that to you – busy your conscious mind such that the rest of it is left to offer up the most unpredictable trains of thought.

But then, Fantana’s words are kind of relevant. There’s something of the Sex Panther to the i20 N’s chassis set-up as the Hyundai and I get underway at dawn: grumpy mechanical limited-slip diff graunching as I back off the drive; unyielding springs and dampers jarring as we work our way west.

The i20 N doesn’t enjoy these first few kilometres, my pace, the surface quality and the weather – cold, drizzly – conspiring to place this kind of driving outside of the

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car’s laudably focused remit. If this car works 60 per cent of the time, kays like these are firmly in the other 40 per cent. Road noise is generous. Via the unyielding suspension, cats’ eyes tap my internal organs directly like a plenishing hammer working a piece of copper. But it’s not all bad. I’m comfortable; the heated, lightly bucketed and thankfully low-set seat cradling my still sleepy body just so. The steering wheel is lovely to hold. And the car is covering ground at pace without effort, the easy, precise action of its gearbox and torquey drive of the turbo four-cylinder meaning there’s no delay when you want more speed.

Mostly, then, a normal i20 (which isn’t offered in Australia) would be a better bet right now – of course it would. But a normal i20 would also fall apart on a trackday, lack any credibility as an alternative to our reigning small hot hatch king, the Fiesta ST, and fail to do justice to any road worthy of your time.

If the i20 N’s compromised that’s because it’s focused – you don’t get something for nothing, and on

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FRONT END. JUST LAUNCHED paper the i20 N promises to be something pretty special.

The second N car to land Down Under, the i20 N – smaller brother to the existing i30 N; the Kona N arrives soon – is a junior hot hatch from a performance division with a brief but sparkling CV to date. Almost overnight its i30 established N’s credibility as a performance arm every bit as hardcore and as dedicated as M at BMW and GR at Toyota.

For the i20 N, Hyundai’s stuck to the same methodology. Take hatchback. Remove suspension, brakes and wheels and replace, in this case with 215/40 Pirellis on 18-inch wheels, bigger brakes (320mm front discs, up 40mm on the standard i20’s rotors) and uprated suspension with new springs, dampers and anti-roll bars.

Sub the engine for something with more blood and guts; a 16-valve turbo 1.6-litre making 150kW and 275Nm, sufficient for 0-100km/h in 6.7sec if you’re spot-on with your launch. Power goes to the front wheels via a six-speed manual with rev-matching and a mechanical limited-slip diff, which will likely be optional in some markets but standard here. All for around $32,500, we suspect, putting it right up against the Fiesta ST. It’s still early and we’re heading to Donington Park. The Hyundai and I have the world to ourselves, but the roads are faster, smoother, more Fantana-friendly now. Throw a left at one T-junction, get greedy with the throttle and the i20 N flings itself up the road. Traction – with the tyres and diff warm – is impressive; no tugging of the steering, no diff-prompted lateral lunging and no wheelspin. The shift action is so sweet its hit rate is far better than Sex Panther’s: more like 99.9 per cent of the time. And the flat power curve of the 1.6 – indeed, Hyundai badges the unit ‘T-GDI flat-power’ – means in-gear acceleration is strong.

So, the engine has what you need. Just as well since the turbo four-pot isn’t much of a charmer.

There is no musicality here, nor nuance. It’s simply a tool; a gritty, parpy and compellingly punchy tool for the acceleration of front wheels and, by extension, Korean hatchbacks keen to explore slip angles. The Ford’s triple has more character, more to fall for. Like the Ford, the i20 N’s power output

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and rate at which it gathers speed feel absolutely perfect for back roads. Where cars like the Honda Civic Type R and Mercedes-AMG A35 are antisocially rapid when extended, the i20 N’s turn of speed is beautifully pitched. Fast enough to safely overtake and work the chassis, but not so fast that you can’t work it hard without feeling like you’ll be behind bars.

At idle it’s loud – and that’s before you request that it be

WHERE THE HONDA CIVIC TYPE R IS ANTI-SOCIALLY RAPID, THE HYUNDAI I20 N’S TURN OF SPEED IS BEAUTIFULLY PITCHED

loud. There’s woolly, low-boostpressure lethargy from just under 1000rpm to about 2500rpm.

Things then start happening, and from 3000rpm to a redline just shy of 7000rpm the 1.6 hauls in a typically turbo-linear slug of drive that gets the world free-falling past in the side windows pretty quickly.

Threatening to make the engine’s flexibility redundant is the fact that you rarely need to slow for corners, so sorted is the chassis. There’s a lovely rhythm to this stretch, the road snaking along in mostly fourth- and fifth-gear corners,

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MAIN At just 1190kg, the i20 N is lighter than both the Fiesta ST and Volkswagen Polo GTI, making it fun to throw around – even with a torsion beam at the rear

SCREEN TIME

MODE PLAY

DO IT YOURSELF

A BIG HUG

A screen for the customisable instrument cluster sits before the driver, while a high-mount infotainment screen also helps you configure a perfect ‘N’ mode

Both of the key buttons, full-fat, angry N mode and the welltuned rev-matching, are easily accessible via the thick-rimmed steering wheel

According to Klaus Koster, speaking at the Australian prototype drive, “there will be no dual-clutch version” for the i20 N. “The manual is just the way to go”.

Part leather, part fabric seats add much-needed bolstering and N motifs for added visual appeal and support when the red mist descends on road and track

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FRONT END. JUST LAUNCHED

with the occasional drop to third or even second for the really tight stuff. Except that so competent is the i20 N’s chassis that you can leave the thing in fifth and just work the wheel while barely stirring the powertrain.

A stop for fuel and coffee, then up into some hilly terrain. What follows is a frustrating couple of hours of glimpsed greatness but mostly Fantana’s 40 per cent, the roads too bumpy, muddy or busy to get the Hyundai into its preferred Venn diagram of surface quality, speed and road type.

But those glimpses are cause for optimism. It becomes clear that, where the Polo GTI failed to offer the Fiesta ST any real competition, the i20 N surely will.

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ABOVE While not quite as radical as the i20 N WRC car, the road-going version scores aerodynamic addenda, including the subtle rear wing.

It’s also as happy to lift an inside leg as the Fiesta ST

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The steering feels numb at first, but with more effort you’re rewarded with more feel and feedback – just turn down the ‘sportiness’ of the steering, since the excess weight that brings muddies the waters. The rack is quick (ratio is 12:1, the same as the Fiesta ST), and there’s no slack to the straight-ahead – sneeze and you change lanes. This, together with strong body control and grip, means there’s very little the i20 N can’t unpick, its unfailing front end, faithful rear and rock-solid mid-corner stability breeding a confidence out of proportion with the filthy weather.

Comparisons with an absent benchmark are dangerous. But hell, here we go. My guess is that,

together with the different engine configurations, it is their respective chassis approaches – stability (i20 N) versus ever-present oversteer (Fiesta ST) – that’ll be the principle point of difference.

It’s tempting to suggest the two companies’ respective test tracks (twisty Lommel for Ford; the very, very fast Nürburgring for N) helped steer these two disparate approaches, but doubtless that’s a gross simplification.

The Fiesta ST is supremely good fun to drive because it doesn’t move like most front-drive cars, which are engineered with a cushion of understeer. In its mechanical tune the Ford offers no such buffer. Turn off the stability control and it’s keen to wag its tail.

LEFT Our pre-production tester wears Pirelli rubber wrapping 18-inch alloy wheels

By contrast the Hyundai feels so planted, so of-a-piece that the stability-control electronics could accidentally be left on the factory floor and you feel nobody would come a cropper. My phone told me the mist and rain would clear at noon. It lied. If anything, visibility’s dropping. A quick sandwich, a new Waze destination and we’re off.

The skies clear and we’re racing cross-country on a mix of highways and rollercoaster country roads mired in low speed limits.

Again, the i20 N’s hugely talented chassis takes the strain – set your speed, leave the brakes and powertrain well alone and just surf the curves.

You find yourself smiling at the car’s earnest proficiency, at its

HYUNDAI COULD HAVE PLAYED SAFE WITH SOMETHING SOFTER THAN THE HOT FORD FIESTA ST. BUT IT HASN’T purposeful character, and at its unflinching dedication to the now half-a-century-old art of the hot hatch. Hyundai could have played safe with something softer, more middle-of-the-road than the hot Fiesta. It hasn’t.

Also making me smile is the very Hyundai tension to two elements of its tech. I’m listening to Natural Sounds, blissing out to the soporific symphony of waves

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breaking on a shore when, having clocked an imminent set of tighter curves via its nav, the dash throws up a prompt warning of bends and suggests we go to a friskier drive mode. Were you somehow able to pluck a late-’80s hot-hatch pilot from their 1.6 205 GTI and show them this – a stereo that plays the sounds of the beach, almost infinite adjustment for every aspect of the driving experience, and a system

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FRONT END. JUST LAUNCHED

ALL DAY THERE HAVE BEEN CLUES THAT SOME REAL GREATNESS MIGHT CALL THE HYUNDAI I20 N HOME: NOW WE’RE GETTING DEFINITE CONFIRMATION

that knows interesting corners are coming your way before you do – and, well, mind-blown emoji.

A 500km day but it’s the last 50 that really deliver, and if you can get your i20 N onto the kind of roads for which it was engineered at least 10 per cent of the time then, on this evidence at least, you’ll be a very happy customer.

This is familiar territory; a maze of quiet and spectacular back roads that slink across patchwork valleys, run fast up steep climbs (steep enough to need hairpins in places) and plunge down the kind of toboggan-run descents that make you glad of a responsive, grippy front axle and a trustworthy rear.

Dropping the window lets in a blast of cool afternoon air, jumpstarting my fugged brain. Doing the same is the rare sight of a Lotus doing what Lotus cars are created to do: in this case a Norfolk yellow Exige. It starts as a pair of headlights in my mirrors, rapidly morphs into an overtaking blur

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in my side window (the offside window; the early, pre-production i20 N I’m driving is left-hand drive) and immediately sets about leading the way, its low, wide form bobbing purposefully on its wheels as the blare of its exhaust feeds further violence into the furious wake of its passing.

Down two gears to third, letting the auto rev-matching software do its thing (workaholics can turn it off), and there it is again: that unseen hand of turbocharged torque pace-bowling us up the road with conviction. Credit too to the front suspension, the diff and the rubber, for the steering, while prone to being tugged by shifting road cambers, gives nothing but the lightest wriggle in second gear

The NEMESIS

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ABOVE There’s something liberating about being able to use all of the road in a small hot hatch... and then there’s Hyundai’s track warranty if the mood takes you

as boost pressure builds.

Into one particularly fiendish complex the Hyundai’s myriad strengths outweigh the one or two gripes. Leaning hard on the middle pedal and coming down the gearbox, the shift action is quick and satisfying but the brakes feel adequate rather than awesome.

Ultimately the power’s there, and fade isn’t an issue, but there’s a numbness to the pedal and a lack of bite to the initial application.

Thankfully there’s no such lack of bite to the chassis. Hang on to the brakes a little as you turn, to keep the nose weighted, and pushing the Hyundai into understeer feels frankly impossible, so keen is the little hatch to key its nose onto your intended trajectory and rotate around what feels like a point somewhere just behind the engine block. Poise is outstanding – and really you’d want it to be, given how punishing the ride can be on less than smooth roads.

At the same time the steering keeps you firmly plugged into the action; super-responsive and with a meatiness to its action that encourages neat, deliberate inputs rather than frantic flailing.

All day there have been clues that some real greatness might call this car home: now we’re getting definite confirmation.

Powering out of the last tight turn, the sweetly calibrated mechanical diff does its thing once again, summoning scarcely credibly traction despite hefty throttle demands. The Lotus slips away, of course. But the i20 N and I are having too much fun to care, the powder blue hot hatch arcing into cambered turns with one rear wheel lofted and railing around downhill, off-camber twists like it could do it all again at twice the speed. And all the time the car never loses sight of the point of all this – to weave power, control, feedback and response into such a rich, rewarding and enjoyable driving experience that the journey is the bit that matters, not the destination.

FIESTA ST 1.5-litre 3cyl, FWD, 147kW/290Nm, 0-100km/h 6.5sec, 1217kg, $32,290

WE LOVE the Fiesta ST. It spent time in our garage and also claimed fourth at PCOTY, beating the hyped GR Yaris. Brilliant engine and sorted dynamics... bring on the comparison test!

LEFT While the 1.6-litre turbo four-pot doesn’t have as much character as the Fiesta ST’s triple, it certainly packs enough punch BELOW Sorted front end, tied down rear... yep, you better believe we can’t wait to put this up against the might Blue Oval hot hatch

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FRONT END. JUST LAUNCHED

THE i4 M50 PROMISES TO BE MORE THAN A ONE-TRICK PONY. DRIVING DYNAMICS ARE KEY TO THE MIX

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BMW i4 M50 Bavaria charges into an electric performance future Rating

4.0

ENGINE 3-phase synchronous dual motor POWER 420kW (estimated) TORQUE TBA 0-100KM/H 4.0sec (claimed) WEIGHT 2300kg (est) PRICE $120K (est)

LIKE: Impressive straightline speed; dynamic ability; potential 510km range DISLIKE: More than twotonne kerb weight; brakepedal feedback; soundtrack

BY ! GEORG K ACHER

FORGET THE WEB-LIKE mesh and heavy camouflage cloaking this five-door sedan. Underneath it is Bavaria’s answer to the Tesla Model 3 Performance. No longer able to avoid the push for full electrification, BMW is returning serve with this, the 420kW i4 M50 electric. In other words, it’s M3/M5 straddling performance without a full-fat M badge.

For once in modern times, the aesthetics of a new model emblazoned with the famous roundel isn’t the talking point.

Here and now, exterior design doesn’t matter much. We’re at the flat-as-a-tack Maisach proving ground near Munich to see exactly what putting electric and performance in the same sentence means to BMW. A blast in real road conditions on tarmac surrounding the German marque’s facility will also offer deeper insight into the chassis dynamics – given it shares wheelbase dimensions with the 3 Series, but is both marginally

longer and wider overall.

At a glance it looks like a generic 4 Series Gran Coupe, but it’s based on the CLAR platform. There is a practical 470-litre boot that expands to 1290 litres with the rear seats folded and the charge cable is stowed to the side of the cargo area for easy access. It even sports the typical exhaust cut-outs nestled within the rear diffuser despite there being no tailpipes.

However, the typical combustion-engine snarl on startup has vanished despite the fact this is an M Performance variant.

Essentially, there are no appetitewhetting vibes of the old-fashioned variety. In their place are alien noises, which are, of course, all artificially generated. Admittedly they are calibrated to throttle inputs and are imbued with wavy, rich textures of tone, but they’re fake all the same. However, you can opt for the silence an electric drivetrain offers if you so wish.

So after pushing the starter

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MAIN For once, how an important BMW looks isn’t the talking point.

However, if you want to see it’s potential uncloaked styling, turn to page 34 for a leaked online image

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FRONT END. JUST LAUNCHED button, there’s already so much to comprehend about this newage BMW before I even think about selecting Drive using the conventional gear selector. The steering wheel, too, is familiar, but there aren’t any paddles of which you usually find. Ahead of me, within the digital instrument cluster, are two new technicolour column displays. I’m yet to fully understand what they mean, but given accompanying bar graphs move in correlation to throttle inputs it’s safe to assume they offer regenerative-braking and energy-recuperation information.

Also present is the iDrive system, now in its eighth iteration, and it remains easy to navigate.

However, it’s time to drive.

And thanks to the single-speed transmission, even the first few metres feel as odd as the lack of sound. The i4 M50 is all-wheel drive, made possible by the dualmotor layout which endows the front axle with 190kW and the rear with 230kW – hence the 420kW total output. As you’d expect, it takes off from a standstill like a scalded cat. By my rudimentary hand timing, it clocks 100km/h in 3.9 seconds, which is impressive given that the kerb weight is well into the two-tonne region (2300kg estimated). Official claims sit at 4.0sec to 100km/h for now.

Part of that seemingly relentless down-low surge is due to the way in which EVs deliver torque instantly – this is known. However, the other factor at play is a feature BMW has coined E-Punch, whereby extra power is offered for 10 seconds at any speed (and irrespective of remaining driving range). The fact it’s not just from rest (where launch control can also be activated) is important, because the, ahem, punch between 40km/h right up to 200km/h is unrelenting.

You activate it by fully depressing the accelerator, resulting in an extra 50kW of grunt.

Straight-line figures aside, the i4 M50 promises to be more than a one-trick pony. Driving dynamics are key to the mix. Even though our test mule was almost three years old (its age given away by the vintage cabin trims), the i4 feels surprisingly mature and complete in terms of handling.

However, there’s no getting away from the heft; and that’s despite BMW lowering the centre of

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AS YOU’D EXPECT, THE ELECTRIFIED AND ALL-WHEEL DRIVE i4 M50 TAKES OFF FROM A STANDSTILL LIKE A SCALDED CAT

gravity with the positioning of the 80kWh battery pack and a 48:52 weight distribution.

Under hard braking and through rapid changes of direction, the four-door EV can’t quite escape the laws of physics. The slight exception to this is that how you drive this electrified M Performance liftback greatly impacts its responses. Having patience and keeping a smoother flow helps generate a better outcome.

Prioritising momentum over hamfisted inputs yields the best results.

Despite quite large wheel diameters and wide footwear, the ride comfort is genuinely compliant over most surfaces and body movements are, for the most part, kept in check. Aiding this is fact the M50 gains wide 20-inch rubber and adaptive M Performance suspension along with M Performance parts extending to the brakes, steering and aerodynamic kit. Even the augmented sound gains special M Performance treatment.

A box the i4 M50 does tick is in

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ABOVE The Hofmeister kink is still there, just a modern interpretation of an old-school theme. Don’t expect the mismatched wheels to make production...

terms of the steering, which isn’t something we can always say of modern BMWs – think M135i. It’s accurate, but not too aggressive and the gearing is reminiscent of Ultimate Driving Machines of old.

The underlying vein of artificiality is, like it or not, a now constant reminder of the age we live in that’s filled with myriad driver assistance systems.

Crucially, the brakes go about their business with dedication and determination, doing their best to conceal the threshold where energy regeneration swaps the baton with conventional hydraulic deceleration. Perhaps a more positive response to initial dabs

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FRONT END. JUST LAUNCHED

THE I4 UNDRESSED IT WAS ONLY on the world wide web for a fleeting moment, but that was enough for time for someone to download, screenshot and expose the i4 M50 electric to the internet indefinitely. Website Motor1 swooped in and saved the image off Instagram, highlighting the fact that bold new kidney grille design will transfer over to the performance EV. Functional vents in the front bumper and quards should aid brake cooling, while the aggressive body kit takes inspiration from the recently revealed i4 M Sport package. The satin Blue hue also looks a treat.

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IF YOU’RE A BMW PURIST YOU’LL LAMENT THE PORKY KERB WEIGHT AND THE LACK OF REAL ACOUSTICS

BELOW While the i4 M50 can get a little mobile, it’s less eager to drift than the likes of the M440i and M3/M4 twins. We think Georg just needed to tip it in a bit harder!

of the pedal would further boost confidence, as would a more progressive calibration of low- to mid-speed modulation. It’s in the recuperation phase where a grey area starts to creep into the braking package.

BMW lets you choose from several settings to try and tailor your experience. First up is selecting the B gate – which is for Brake and basically means you can drive with the throttle pedal alone. The car slows quite rapidly as soon as you take your right foot off the gas, using the electric motors for retardation instead of the conventional stoppers. It’s not for everyone, but some people love this sensation and way of driving.

It’s just not something you expect with an M badge.

Thankfully, normal Drive unlocks the alternative algorithm. But even then there are three subset categories comprised of low, medium and high. It’d make sense to be able to adapt the level of regeneration via steering wheelmounted paddles, just like you can

in a Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, but alas, you can’t. What does help energy recuperation are downhill stretches of road where not only are the batteries being replenished, but the car’s speed is also kept in constant check.

While it’s unclear exactly when it’ll land Down Under next year – not to mention how much it’ll cost – you can place a deposit to secure a position on the order list for an expected 2022 delivery slot.

With competition from the Tesla Model 3 sitting at around the $110K mark, we suspect BMW will aim to compete with established EV players already on sale. And with a range of around 510km per charge, including a selection of speeds (150kW DC) to refuel the lithiumion batteries, it’ll be competitive in a pragmatic, day-to-day sense.

While the i4 M50 is more advanced than the derivative iX3, it doesn’t really break new ground like the dramatically sophisticated i3 and i8 did in their heyday. Yes, it’s a worthwhile addition to BMW’s electric lineup, but it’d be naïve to call it a radical game-changer. If you’re a BMW purist you’ll lament the porky kerb weight and the lack of authentic acoustics.

However, in the final reckoning, what really shines through here is an overall proof of concept and convincing substance. It delivers the goods, eases range and charge anxiety, performs to expectation and can be had with a suite of modern tech. If you’re a fan of performance EVs, you’re going to like the BMW i4 M50.

ABOVE The hi-po M50 variant won’t be the only i4 available. If all-wheel drive, dual-motor goodness isn’t your thing and a predicted 590km range from a rear-wheel drive, 250kW version is, then the eDrive40 will be for you

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ASTON MARTIN VICTOR

Ultra-rare, one-off Aston is an assault on all of the senses

Rating

4.0

ENGINE 7312cc V12, DOHC, 48v POWER 623kW TORQUE 821Nm 0-100KM/H 3.0sec (estimated) WEIGHT 1630kg PRICE N/A

LIKE: Ultimate in bespoke and exclusive theatre; track dynamics; V12 soundtrack DISLIKE: Aston is only making one; if you have to ask how much...

BY $ KYLE FORTUNE

I’M A PASSENGER. The Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s have done their best, but there’s only so much water they can shift and currently it’s just not enough. Time slows and I sit it out, pondering the aquaplaning predicament, fortunate enough that I’m on a wide track and there’s nothing around me to hit. My biggest concern is that this is about as much driving as I’ll be doing today. I’d had three

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slow sighting laps around Aston Martin’s Silverstone Stowe circuit to get some heat into the car’s engine and brakes and learning where the circuit goes, before the rainfall became biblical.

I’m not sure I’d be so happy to let anyone drive this car in these conditions, but Aston Martin’s people are remarkably relaxed.

Arriving at the first corner is where those Michelins give up, the track

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is no longer there. Instead, it’s fully submerged, while the vagaries of the weather mean the sunlight to the side of the dark cloud that’s just deposited all that water sees the circuit turn in what can only be described as a huge mirror. Fine in a series production Aston Martin, but the car I’m is unique.

A one-off plaything for an extremely lucky owner, likely to be secreted away in a collection and never seen again? Not so. Its owner has one of the keys for it back home in Belgium, but the car’s still in the UK and the spare key is currently residing in the slot in the centre of the dash.

You’ll need to know your Aston Martin history to get the name. It

BELOW The identity of the owner is private information, as is how much the Victor dented their wallet.

However, Aston says it’s slated to be certified for road use! We approve

refers to Victor Gauntlett, Aston Martin’s Executive Chairman, who presided over the company during the ’70s and ’80s, when the iconic V8 Vantage was the company’s core model. The Victor’s styling makes an unashamedly retrospective nod to those cars, though instead of having a V8 nestled under its bonnet there’s a V12. Specifically, a 7.3-litre naturally aspirated V12 engine that previously powered a One-77 prototype car, which also lends its carbon-fibre chassis.

“We’re always looking for cool things to do and we had a low use One-77 prototype in storage that we couldn’t sell and we thought it would be good to do something with it,” admits Simon Lane, Director Q and Special Project Sales Aston Martin Lagonda.

The decision was made to make something celebrating the V8

THE VICTOR’S STYLING MAKES AN UNASHAMEDLY RETROSPECTIVE NOD TO PAST ASTONS

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Vantage as well as the ’70s DBS V8 that was developed to race at the Le Mans 24 hours as the RHAM/1.

Some initial design work was done, Miles Nurnberger, Director of Design saying: “we don’t usually do retrospective design at Aston Martin, but it’s good to exercise designer’s minds and this was a fun project.” That Le Mans car, built by Robin Hamilton back in the ’70s, with factory support from Aston Martin was nicknamed ‘The Muncher’ because of its appetite for brakes, Nurnberger laughing that it also applied to transmissions, tyres and everything else.

The idea, as well as some early CAD design work and engineering feasibility studies were completed before Aston Martin started approaching its most loyal

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customers asking if they might be interested in such a car. One was, a Belgian gentleman, who’s got a collection of all the modern and limited-edition Aston Martins.

And he’s happy for a handful of people to drive it, which explains why earlier I found myself sliding over the broad sill with a brushed aluminium treadplate with Aston Martin 1 of 1 engraved within it. The interior, like the rest of the Victor is unique, but there’s little initial opportunity to really revel in all the beautiful detailing, with track time limited and the ominous clouds.

Pushing the key into its slot low in the centre console, before I’ve fully tightened the Schroth Racing four-point seatbelts, and pressing the starter button on the wheel, the V12’s starter motor

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THE ASTON MARTIN VICTOR FEELS EVERY BIT A PROPERLY INVOLVING DRIVER’S CAR whirs, before firing and settling into a surprisingly cultured idle.

Cosworth, Aston Martin’s engine partner for the Valkyrie, was tasked with fettling the 7.3-litre V12, stripping it down to its block, before completely rebuilding and tuning it. Its efforts sees the power increase to 623kW and 821Nm. Like the engine, that prototype One-77 chassis was sent back to its original

BELOW The Valkyrie hypercar donated its rear lights, as well as some driveline components, to the bespoke creation

ABOVE MAIN While the cut off, GT3-style steering wheel, carbon fibre and green leather catch the eye, it’s the manual gearstick that’s the real drawcard inside

supplier, Multimatic, Lane admits, essentially rebuilding it as new.

Elements of Aston Martin’s Vulcan track-only car were utilised, it donating its inboard springs and dampers, visible through the rear window there’s six stage settings, Aston’s chassis engineers having set it up to work on the road.

The centre-lock wheels are stunning lattice alloys of 20-inches, with 285/30 ZR20 front and 325/30 ZR20 rear tyres, behind which sit 380mm front and 360mm rear Brembo CCM-R carbonceramic discs grasped by six-piston calipers. Those brakes promise GT3 race car levels of retardation.

Indeed, despite the intended, eventual, road use that reference to race car braking potential isn’t the only one Aston Martin quotes, it

BELOW Inboard springs and dampers, taken from the trackonly Vulcan, are endlessly cool, especially with a viewing portal

stating too that computational fluid dynamic testing reveals the Victor’s unique body develops 60 per cent more downforce at 160km/h compared to one of its Vantage GT4 race cars.

Perhaps I need to be travelling faster to push those Michelins through all that water then.

Aquaplaning moment over, the spot noted for the next lap, there’s the opportunity to stretch that V12 down the long central straight.

There’s plenty of requirement for quick corrections with the steering, as puddles have the rear tyres losing purchase momentarily, before the traction control does its best to gather things up. It’s not intrusive, aiding progress rather than preventing it, the Victor proving surprisingly easy to drive,

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even in horrendous conditions.

The traction control, as well as the ABS, is variable via knobs on the steering wheel, the cut-top ‘wheel’, unsurprisingly looks like it’s been lifted entirely from a Vulcan, but with the buttons more tastefully bezelled with grey and the hand grips finished in green leather. There are no paddles behind it though, because unlike both the Vulcan and One-77, there’s a third pedal, and a walnut-topped manual gearstick situated in the transmission tunnel.

It’s that manual transmission which differentiates the Victor from any number of super and hypercars these days, it, admits Lane, being included from the start because it made the project a bit easier.

More special, too, the gearbox itself

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FRONT END. JUST LAUNCHED being a Graziano six-speed item, which is mated to a racing clutch.

Aston Martin’s engineers have fiddled with the materials to make it work at road speeds. The pedal isn’t light, but neither is it so heavy to be obstructive, the sizeable gearknob traveling through its movement with precision and ease, with its mechanicals open to view down the open carbon fibre gullet that surrounds it.

Grabbing it as the V12 devours another gear as it accelerates down the straight is an absolute joy, but it’s when you’re standing on the middle pedal and roll your foot off to blip the V12 to rev match for downshifts that the gearbox is so engaging. Such old-school thrills feel entirely right in a car with such a retro nod to its looks. Fitting a paddle-shifted transmission would have been wrong, and would have completely changed the Victor’s character. And it’s brimming with it, from the incredible soundtrack of its naturally aspirated 7.3-litre V12, whose exhaust pipes exit to the side of where my backside’s situated, just in front of the rear wheels, and the gearbox that helps orchestrate it, to the playful nature of the chassis.

The driving position is low and focused, embraced by the hold of a beautifully upholstered lightweight carbon-fibre seat, with those race harnesses securing me tightly, the pedal spacing is perfect and the gearstick high and near the steering wheel to minimise time with your hand off the wheel.

That’s proving useful with all the tiny, and sometimes sizeable, corrections required today, as the track dries and the speeds increase. The steering is light, it’s quick and accurate, though there’s not a great deal of lock should the rear axle try to overtake the front.

What’s quickly apparent is how immersive and hugely entertaining it all is, the combination of its mighty, immediate power from that glorious V12, the strength of the brakes and the pedal’s ample feel – and the racer’s squealing that accompanies their use – you really revel in the drive.

It’s adjustable, too, ridiculous as that might sound when applied to something so potent, but within a few laps the Victor reveals a playfulness, starting to move around me, doing so predictably,

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RIGHT The atmo V12 wasn’t left without tweaks when being transplanted from the One-77, with the Victor gaining a significant jump over the ‘standard’ 559kW/750Nm BELOW MAIN Will the expensive, one-off Aston Martin drift? Yes, yes it will

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SUCH OLD-SCHOOL THRILLS FEEL ENTIRELY RIGHT IN A CAR WITH SUCH A RETRO NOD TO ITS LOOKS

transitioning from grip to slip with ease. Entering a corner you need to be patient, some slight initial understeer neutralising before the rear can be coaxed out into a slide. It’s not spiky or difficult doing so, quickly feeling entirely natural to exit each corner with the rears wheels doing some steering under power. All that makes exiting bends as entertaining as working your way down that six-speeder when arriving at them. Through the faster corners it feels planted and secure, despite the track never really properly drying out over the 20 or so laps we had around it.

It’s huge fun around a circuit.

Whether that would translate to an enjoyable road car will be something only its owner will ascertain, but, at this juncture, it’s worth mentioning the caveats inherent in relation to the sheer length of the bonnet, as well as the extremities of its lower front bodywork, which skim close to saw-toothed kerbs.

There’s no recalcitrance from the transmission, the clutch being easy to use, likewise the gearbox. The engine’s mighty output is produced in such a linear fashion there are no concerns there either, with only the brakes squeal being something that might prove tiresome with road use.

It feels every bit a properly involving driver’s car, and despite the huge numbers associated with it, remarkably civilised, too. It’s a car which, I’d guess, the owner will enjoy more than any of their other limited and special edition Astons, primarily because the driving experience is so immersive and enjoyable. A huge portion of that down to the fitment of its manual transmission. The owner could, justifiably, also just park it up and gawp at it, because it’s utterly captivating to look at, with the Muncher and V8 Vantage references mixed up perfectly in its bespoke Pentland Green and satin carbon fibre bodywork. Pictures

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don’t do the Victor’s beauty and proportions justice. This a car that needs to be seen in the metal to be really appreciated.

The same is true inside. Although the Victor a one-off, it’s been built to production car standards. It gets a sensational blend of traditional materials like solid walnut for the gearknob and dash insert, green leather and cashmere headlining with more technical surfaces in satin carbon fibre, anodised aluminium and polished titanium.

It proves to be an exquisitely detailed mix, with the overall result being absolutely stunning, though a conventional instrument cluster, instead of the configurable TFT screen would perhaps sit more suitably with the overall theme.

It’s a project that Aston Martin says is unlikely ever to be repeated, not least because it no longer has any spare One-77 chassis lying around. The Victor’s owner gets not just a unique car, but a genuinely incredible one.

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O4

THE GIULIA GTAm HAS SOME VICIOUS PUNCH, BUT IT’S WRAPPED IN A VELVET GLOVE

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ALFA ROMEO GIULIA GTAm Italian super sedan gets dialled up to 11 Rating

4.0

ENGINE 2891cc V6, DOHC, 24v, twin turbo POWER 397kW @ 6500rpm TORQUE 600Nm @ 2500rpm 0-100KM/H 3.8sec (claimed) WEIGHT 1580kg PRICE $288,000

LIKE: Takes the already brilliant Giulia Q to the next level; pace; V6 soundtrack DISLIKE: It’s, ahem, not cheap; only 500 to be offered globally; steering

ABOVE Composite rear door panels, Sabelt carbon fibre shell seats, and polycarbonate rear windows help shave 40kg weight over the GTA BELOW Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres wrap gorgeous 20-inch centre-locking forged alloys

BY # BEN BARRY

BEAUTY, AS THEY say, is in the eye of the beholder. And to us, this Alfa Romeo Giulia GTAm in Montreal Green, is so beguiling it has us totally capitvated. Of course, a performance car is all about what’s under the skin, but it doesn’t hurt to have sheetmetal this evocative. And that badge, well, as you probably already know, it’s steeped in history.

It stands for Gran Turismo Alleggerita (for ‘lightened’ in Italian), which is apt given the GTAm shaves 100kg from the Giulia’s kerb weight.

Like GTAs of old, the GTAm takes the pretty lines and sweet handling of the mass-market Giulia to the extreme, while it too has been developed at the Balocco test track. Based on the Giulia Quadrifoglio, power rises 22kW to 397kW, weight drops to 1580kg, suspension is stiffened and the track widened, Brembo ceramics fitted and downforce increased

rollercoaster tracks. The GTAm’s extra attitude versus a Giulia Q quickly surfaces – driven gently it’s like it’s tensing its abs, with a chunkier, of-a-piece feel to its braced rear end, a greater sense of connection through bucket seats that are comfortable but supportive, and a deeper, more serious burble through its Akrapovic exhaust, with a rasp when you blip the throttle.

A surprise, then, that a car so extrovert isn’t at all tiresome at a potter. Road noise is nicely damped, especially given the removal of the rear bench, and there’s a real breadth of character between the four driving modes.

Select Normal and the exhaust softens to a refined purr, and while the stiffened suspension can stutter over fragmented surfaces at a crawl, give it more speed and the body becomes an unruffled swan while adaptive dampers toil away beneath the surface.

The steering’s recalibrated, but really this rack is still defined by its striking lightness and startling urgency immediately off-centre.

Early on the skies darken like the Death Star just blocked out the sun, and miniature golf balls ping off the road. It’s no newsflash that you’ve got a fight on your hands with a rear-drive, 500hp-plus sedan on Michelin Cup 2s when it’s wet and cold.

by up to three times thanks to an adjustable rear wing and front splitter developed in Sauber Engineering’s wind tunnel.

Five hundred examples will travel down the Cassino factory line before being hand-finished in a dedicated area, split between GTA and GTAm and left- and right-hand drive according to orders taken from around the globe.

Take a seat and tighten those harnesses, because these things are going to cost $268,000 for the GTA and $288,000 for a GTAm, which is double the Q’s $138,950.

However, it’s time to get behind the wheel and we’ve got the new GTAm on the road. Essentially the ‘m’ means no rear seats with a rear rollcage, as well as Lexan rear and rear side windows to chuck another 40kg overboard.

We head to roads that make like 747 flight paths up mountainsides, and that join the dots with constant-radius curves like wooden

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The way it scrabbles and can’t tame spikes of turbo boost is reminiscent of the BMW M4 GTS. It also underlines the Jaguar Project 8’s all-wheel-drive supremacy and the greater sophistication of the new M3’s multi-stage traction control, where the Alfa’s electronics are either on or entirely off. We decide to wait it out.

But as the sun dries the surface, and the tyres and standard-fit carbon-ceramic brakes warm up, so the Giulia clicks. It settles into quick turns with more authority than the Q, blends prompt and progressive brake feel with massive stopping power, and while there is some body lean, there’s real polish to how it controls and cushions body motions, improving on the original without degrading its trademark comfort – you can toss it about confidently in a way

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that would upset the standard car.

The missing link is a depth of steering communication; while it’s pure and precise, and experience teaches you it’ll stick on a dry or damp surface, any pre-emptive trust signals are snuffed out before reaching your palms.

There’s just a 22kW bump for the bi-turbo V6, and no extra torque, nor shorter gear ratios or final drive, but it feels like it compresses a harder punch into a tighter mid-range – a bit of lag, thump of performance, short rush to the redline. It feels more of a torque car and the weight saving must be key in that. I like it, but I’d be intrigued to try it with a taller final drive – it might give it more bandwidth, particularly in second gear, where it tops out at 87km/h.

But the throttle travel has better progression than the Q, making

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ABOVE It is a rear-drive, 397kW super sedan after all, so it’d be rude not to slide it RIGHT You get a Bell lid in a GTA livery, Alpinestars kit and a ‘driving course’ included in the exorbitant price

it more natural to dose out the performance, and the eight-speed auto’s gearchanges have a real pop to keep things on the boil. There’s some vicious punch here, but it’s wrapped in a velvet glove, and the fact that the GTAm knows how to relax really broadens its appeal.

We finish the day as the setting sun warms the hills with a golden cast, and shadows of wind turbine blades roll over corners below like second-hands round clock faces – it’s an evocative backdrop to a fabulous drive to the hotel, and quite the contrast to the grassroots grit of Llandow race circuit in South Wales. I head out to complete some laps in the GTAm. Even really good road cars can feel sloppy on track, but the GTAm steps up to the plate. It still feels seriously rapid despite the extra space, rolls a little on

LEFT Alfa Romeo’s F1 team is Peter Sauber’s team rebranded – and it did the aero work

IT’LL GRIP AT THE FRONT, READILY ROTATE ABOUT ITS MIDDLE WHEN YOU LIFT THE THROTTLE, AND THEN SMEAR OUT ON OPPOSITE LOCK turn-in but settles sweetly, and it lives with the fast steering and performance because the Michelins are so sticky. You can make the front push a little into understeer before the boost really hits (though time constraints meant we only tested in the lowdownforce street configuration, where high-downforce puts a greater percentage of squish on the front end), and of course you can make it drift, but there’s plenty enough grip to work the GTAm hard and keep it tidy.

Lap after lap the brakes are

fantastic, again the damping sophistication shines as wheels batter kerbs… Alfa says it’ll take nearly five seconds out of the Q around the 12.5km test track at Nardo, and it feels good for it. There’s greater depth here than just smashing out lap times, though, because it’s also delicate and reactive, so when you pile into the slow sections it’ll grip at the front, readily rotate about its middle when you lift the throttle, and then smear out on opposite lock, still gathering speed at a furious rate. Fabulous.

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It’s still questionable value for money no matter how engaging the drive – the content added can’t possibly total $149,050 over a ‘base model’ Giulia Q. Of course, there will be Alfisti out there who just have to have it in their collection regardless of the price. Alfa will no doubt sell them all. Maybe it’s a case of letting those dedicated buyers take the inevitable depreciation hit, then snap up a GTA (with rear seats and all) as the most accomplished and usable highperformance Alfa in decades.

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BENTLEY BENTAYGA V8

Time to find out if Crewe’s war wagon can talk the torque Rating

3.5

ENGINE 3996cc V8, DOHC, 32v, twin turbo POWER 404kW @ 6000rpm TORQUE 770Nm @ 1960-4500rpm 0-100KM/H 4.5sec (claimed) WEIGHT 2416kg • PRICE $364,800

LIKE: Torque; quality; smooth-as-silk gearbox; generous standard kit DISLIKE: Ride may be firmer than you expect; rivals offer greater focus

BY • CAMERON KIRBY

THERE ARE CERTAIN expectations that come with a particular car’s badge. Here at MOTOR, we assess every car on its merits, but there’s no escaping the fact that certain names evoke a specific reaction.

A Porsche is going to be sporty, a Mustang will have more muscle than a juiced bodybuilder, and an S-Class will be at the pinnacle of technological advancement.

For Bentley and its SUV offering, the Bentayga, the weight of expectation is heavy. With more than a century’s worth of experience building some of the finest luxury and grand touring machines, the team at Crewe are renowned for their fine eye. The Bentayga starts at $364,800 in Australia (before any on-road taxes or options are fitted), and customers adding the SUV to their fleet come from a tax bracket that appreciates refined taste.

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As a result, the list of standard-fit equipment is long and generous.

Yes, you can still opt for some ridiculously priced options, but the core fit is appropriate for the price point. So is the quality of material and interior finishing. There are hints at the Wolfsburg origins in the architecture and tech, but the fit and finish is unmistakably Bentley.

New for 2021 are refined styling tweaks which help gently disguise the fact that the Bentayga has been on sale since 2016. Five years is a relatively long time in a market that is obsessed with one-upmanship, but it’s going to be hard to dim the shine of the Bentayga’s new diamond-effect head and tail lights.

Bentley is proud of the fact that its SUV is capable of wearing many hats. They proclaim it has the performance of a supercar, while maintaining the luxurious standards of the brand’s flagship limos, with

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RIGHT In isolation, the styling tweaks are minor, but combine to keep the Bentayga looking remarkably modern.

Little details make all the difference BELOW “Hi there, I’m VAG’s 4.0-litre twinturbo V8. You may recognise me from such hits as...”

O5 THERE ARE HINTS AT THE WOLFSBURG ORIGINS, BUT THE FINISH IS UNMISTAKABLY BENTLEY

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FRONT END. JUST LAUNCHED proper off-road chops thrown into the mix. This concoction of characters places the Bentayga in a challenging box from which to emerge. Thankfully, it has the right tools for the job.

The 4.0-litre V8 under the bonnet is mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox. The duo deliver 404kW/770Nm to a permanent all-wheel drive system with a

Torsen centre and electronic rear differential. With these ingredients combined, the powertrain is buttery smooth. The V8 burbles along like an engine double its size when cruising. Jab it in the kidneys with a forceful application of throttle, and it remains composed, using the significant torque (its peak is spread over better than 2500rpm of the rev range) to pull the horizon closer. There’s no rushed dropping of ratios or dramatic flaring of revs – just an unflustered moving of tectonic plates. In even its sportiest of settings, the Bentayga’s transmission shifts between gears almost imperceptibly, swapping ratios more slickly than the dualclutch in a Continental GT. The test route for our drive was a pock-marked, warped, and deteriorating piece of backroad bitumen. Challenging, yes, but something you’d expect a

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RIGHT Full digital instrument cluster is clean, simple, and easy to read. A nice change, really

Bentayga to chew up and spit out.

There’s a taut readiness to the ride that, on poor surfaces, manifests as a firm edge that may surprise some who mistakenly perceive Bentley as a maker of syrupy limos.

Turn the Bentayga into a set of bends and you are reminded of exactly why the waft is absent. Far from being the wallowing two-tonne-plus handful you’d expect, the Bentayga is impressively capable in dynamic situations. While not as athletic as Volkswagen Group siblings like the Lamborghini Urus, Audi RS Q8, and Porsche Cayenne Turbo, it doesn’t shy away from a challenging road.

Despite having active anti-roll bar technology, the Bentley does have a more pronounced body roll character when upping the ante. However, this subtle body movement actually improves subjective involvement. That

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ABOVE The team at Crewe hasn’t lost its touch when it comes to interior details RIGHT A range of 22-inch wheel designs are available to match your personal style FAR RIGHT The Bentley wouldn’t do something as uncouth as pop and crackle, but its burble has a deep and purposeful tenor

roll and pitch reassures through corners, signalling the limits unambiguously. Allow it to compress and settle into a corner, and you can then ply the throttle, allowing the torque to pull you toward exit, the 285/35 ZR22 Pirelli P Zero rubber rarely troubling the traction control.

While the Bentayga only has three natural rivals (the Lamborghini Urus, Aston Martin DBX and Rolls-Royce Cullinan), they each focus on a subtly different customer demand.

This mid-life facelift has done well to keep the big Bentley wagon looking fresh as it faces down newer competition, but it pays to remember that despite the SUV body, the Bentayga bones are that of authentic, traditional Bentley - a raffish gentleman’s express.

Looking for something respectively more remote or reinvigorating?

Other options are available.

PLY THE THROTTLE AND THERE’S NO RUSHED DROPPING OF RATIOS OR DRAMATIC FLARING OF REVS – JUST AN UNFLUSTERED MOVING OF TECTONIC PLATES

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THE INTERVIEW LANDO NORRIS

BY E D D S T R AW

THE NEXT GENERATION LANDO NORRIS HAS DANIEL RICCIARDO IN HIS WAY, BUT THAT WON’T STOP HIS 2021 STATEMENT THAT HE’S THE DRIVER TO LEAD WOKING’S PROMISED RETURN TO THE FRONT OF THE FORMULA ONE GRID

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BELOW Norris has a great relationship with Woking’s engineers

CLAREN IS ONE of the sporting world’s great sleeping giants, but recently it has stirred. While winless in eight Formula 1 seasons, it was the third-best team in 2020, and if and when it does return to winning ways, there’s every chance that Lando Norris will be integral to that success.

However, he’ll have to beat ‘our’ homegrown Daniel Ricciardo first.

A young British driver potentially hitting the big time with McLaren? Given Sir Lewis Hamilton’s astonishing achievements at the start of his F1 career, that story has a familiar ring to it, even if Norris’s trajectory is different.

The 21-year-old from Somerset is already a McLaren linchpin. In just two full F1 campaigns (along with a great start to 2021, highlighted by a third place at the prestigious Monaco GP) he has stood on the podium and racked up consistent points. While Norris’s all-round performance didn’t match that of the more experienced Spaniard Carlos Sainz last year, there wasn’t much in it.

This year, Norris is off to a great start in establishing himself as McLaren’s main man for the long term, a fact that he’s committed to recently with Zak Brown announcing a ‘multi-year’ contract extension for a reported $11m per year.

The trouble is, Sainz’s replacement is Ricciardo, a seven-time winner with a big reputation for being one of the best in F1. And with a $6m difference in their respective pay packets (Ricciardo took a well publicised remuneration cut to a rumoured $17m per season), it’s

clear the Honey Badger is the alpha – on paper at least.

“That’s my aim for the next few years, to be the main guy in the team,” says Norris – often a light-hearted interview subject but one who switches into a far more serious mode as you probe for detail.

“There are going to be things Daniel will bring to the team; he’s going to be able to say some things that I can’t add, because I don’t have the 10 years of experience he has. He has been with different teams, he has won races and he has many more podiums [than me], and I can’t pretend to be better, because experience is a huge factor.

“But there are also things I know and am able to lead on that Daniel can’t, because of my time with McLaren.

It’s not just on-track stuff; it’s the mentality of the team and how I’ve impacted the team itself from a mental point of view, [with the] mechanics and engineers and the charisma and characters that we have within the team.

“I feel very much at home with McLaren, so absolutely my aim is to stay with them and be on this journey from struggling those few years ago, being part of that improvement and, over the next few years, taking those next couple of steps.”

Norris has no shortage of weaponry with which to take on Ricciardo. He’s undoubtedly fast, and that’s the most important element of any racing driver’s armoury. In raw numbers, he has just had the better of Sainz over the past two years on that score – although if you adjust last year’s figures to remove anomalies when external factors distorted the picture, Norris was on average just over four-hundredths of a second slower. Even in F1, where fractions are everything, that’s not a big deficit.

Where he’s particularly impressive is in his ability to hustle a tricky car. When he was first up for the McLaren race seat, having been signed as a junior in early 2017, he showed his prowess in seven free practice runs on grand prix weekends in 2018. He showed that he could extract pace from the car that otherwise needed Fernando

NORRIS HAS THE CHANCE TO ESTABLISH HIMSELF AS MCLAREN’S MAIN MAN IN THE FUTURE

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DROPPING THE CLOWN ACT Lando Norris made his F1 debut in 2019, aged 19, capturing the imagination with his performances on the track and youthful exuberance off it. But with that came the inevitable downside of being a sporting star: he was criticised by some for apparently not taking things seriously.

In 2020, Norris consciously modified his approach. The benefit transcended improving perceptions of him, because it also ensured that he was a more focused and rigorous operator on and off the track.

“I dialled it back a bit. You don’t see as many jokes,” says a serious-faced Norris.

“I’m hoping people will see

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me a bit differently.

“I’ve also shifted more time to working with the team: understanding how to improve my driving and the car, spending time with my engineers to gain that performance.

“I changed a bit, but in a better way to get more performance out of myself.

I’ve not been as jokey and laughing as normal, the nerd I am. It’s not to look better; it’s also for my own benefit.”

That benefit has been made clear on the track, especially the start of 2021.

There’s still more to come, but it’s proof that Norris has already learned a key lesson about the focus required to thrive in elite sport.

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Alonso’s superhuman talents to make work. Watching his first outing at Spa-Francorchamps from Les Combes, the difference between the way he hung onto the car and incumbent Stoffel Vandoorne’s struggles was impossible to ignore. So the raw material has always been there.

Norris’s race pace is also consistent, but the main challenge is just ensuring that he’s attacking enough in battle. That was an objective McLaren set for him in 2020 and one he sporadically lived up to. But that will come with experience, and he sharpened his skills across the board last season which has translated to an early points lead in 2021 against his more experienced team mate.

“I’ve not ticked all of the boxes; there are things I need to improve on and still get better in,” says Norris. “But the big ones I feel I’ve ticked are the most important.

The racing in general, I’ve been a lot more competitive; my race pace and my tyre saving, which were my focus coming into the year, I’m very happy with.

“I’ve been in positions to capitalise with a podium or bigger points. It doesn’t have to be a lot, just a combination of some small things. If you’re one or two seconds ahead you can score a lot more points. I’ve been in those positions a lot more often, and it all adds up over time. I’m very happy with how I’ve done, but of course there are always things I’d like to do that bit better on.”

That’s what makes the difference in F1. While there’s

“I’VE NOT TICKED ALL OF THE BOXES YET; THERE ARE THINGS I NEED TO IMPROVE ON AND GET BETTER IN”

a range of ability across the 20 drivers on the grid, the overall standard is sky high. Even today’s muchderided pay drivers have to attain a good standard in F1 feeder categories, winning races and achieving high championship finishes, so the devil is in the detail when it comes to the difference between being the best or worst on the grid. And while Norris certainly has wealth behind him (father Adam has cropped up on the Sunday Times Rich List in the past), his formidable CV unquestionably makes him worthy of an F1 seat.

Right now, Norris is in what might be called ‘uppermiddle’ territory as a driver. And he will be more than aware of the myriad tiny limitations that add up to be the difference between him and Hamilton. That’s what makes going up against Ricciardo, a proven top-liner, such a big opportunity for him. While the pair have a reputation for tomfoolery when on camera, they’re both deadly serious about their craft. And Ricciardo is as determined to assert his position in the team as Norris is to upset the order.

McLaren won’t fight for wins on merit this year, but the battle with Ricciardo will rage. Forget formal ‘number one/number two’ arrangements: performance dictates who is seen as any team’s spearhead. Realistically, repeating third place in the constructors’ championship would be a triumph for McLaren. To achieve that, it needs to stay ahead of the inconsistent Aston Martin and a

BELOW Lando Norris finished sixth in his second F1 race, making the then 19-year-old the third-youngest driver to score points, after Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll

ABOVE Norris performed on a par with Carlos Sainz in two seasons as teammate to the man snapped up by Ferrari

recovering Ferrari, which is no easy feat, even if it does have the advantage of switching from the Renault power unit to Mercedes-AMG propulsion.

“It’s going to be a step,” says Norris of the future.

“We’ve still got a lot of work to do in terms of the car performance. We need a car that’s more convincingly third on merit, and we weren’t really able to do that in 2020. That step isn’t just going to come from the engine; it’s going to have to come from the car as well.

“We’ll make some improvements over the winter and throughout 2021 but obviously look ahead to 2022, where there’s a new opportunity for everyone. It’s going to need to be a combination of car improvements and driveability, because I think our car is one of the most difficult to drive.”

He’s right to point to the importance of 2022, when arguably the biggest chassis rule changes in F1 history will kick in. That’s McLaren’s big opportunity to take a giant step forward – provided, of course, that it gets things right technically.

Norris has already proved himself to be a very good F1 driver. He has served his apprenticeship, achieved some good results and proved he can cut it at the top table. But what he has to show in 2021 is that he is the driver who can follow in Hamilton’s footsteps and, to paraphrase a discredited slogan, make McLaren great again. d

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THE INTERVIEW STEPHAN WINKELMANN

BY AN DY EN RIG HT

LAMBORGHINI SOUNDS THE CHARGE MOTOR TALKS TO CEO STEPHAN WINKELMANN ON SANT’AGATA’S CELEBRATION OF THE V12 AND THE CHALLENGES OF A NEW ELECTRIC FUTURE 54

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LET’S OPEN WITH bald facts. Lamborghini delivered 7250 cars last year, all of which were solus internal combustion engined, contributing to a fleet average of more than 348g/km across the Urus, Huracán and Aventador model lines. This presents a problem. Unless your average is less than 95g/km by 2021, swingeing fines come into effect. The penalty for being 1g over the target is EUR 95 multiplied by all of your volume so, as it stands, Lamborghini would be fined EUR 24,035 for each car it sold in Europe. Stephan Winkelmann, Lamborghini’s CEO has set in place a plan to cap the fines and reorient the company. The project is called Direzione Cor Tauri.

The more cynical among you may well think that Lamborghini’s European customers could probably absorb a few thousand euros added to the list price of the cars, and that pursuing sales in other markets would be a financially expedient course of action. Winkelmann knows that this strategy isn’t sustainable.

“Now it’s time for the second phase and to really kick start and have new ideas. If we look into our future, we have three different possibilities. We stay with combustion engines, we electrify or we hybridise,” he explains. “What we are committing to now is that we will have all of our

model lineup, the Urus, the Aventador and the Huracán all with hybridisation and this is going to lead us into a CO2 reduction across the entire fleet by 50 per cent.”

“We have to keep the spirit of Lamborghini alive, so performance with design is of the utmost importance for us. We will not stop here though. We will not only have all of our models hybridised by 2024, but in the second part of this decade we will have the first full electric model.

This will be a car that will have at least 2+2 or four seats, so will not be a proper supersports car like Huracán or Aventador, but we are looking in the direction of a car that is more daily useable.”

MOTOR expects that this would likely be a model spun off the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) platform rather than the current Porsche Taycan and Audi e-tron GT’s excellent J1 Performance chassis.

“We are investing the biggest amount ever in our history, so between today and the end of 2024, without the first model, the first electrification, we are going to invest EUR 1.5bn into our company,” he continues.

When asked what the cessation of Audi’s combustion engine research and development meant for Lamborghini, Winkelmann chooses his words carefully. “The follower of d

ABOVE Winkelmann’s first stint at Sant’Agata saw sales rise by 300 per cent and that was before Urus came on stream

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LEFT “I grew up in Rome, so my tastes tend to be mainly Italian. I have a tailor in Italy who does my suits exclusively.” So now you know.

“WE HAVE TO KEEP THE SPIRIT OF LAMBORGHINI ALIVE”

BOTTOM LEFT Lambo’s four-seat electric GT teased in the Direzione Cor Tauri slide deck. The PPE platform could be mixed with some MEB componentry

the Aventador and the follower of the Huracán are fully hybridised, so they will be plug-in engines and they will be all developed by Lamborghini.”

Winkelmann is keen to stress that he doesn’t want Lamborghini to be seen as a Luddite business, the last of the last of the internal combustion holdouts.

“The last combustion engine... this is something that is not yet decided. It depends on the regulations, but also the capacity of the industry in general. Maybe also to have enough synthetic fuel in the future. For the supersports cars, that is an opportunity to stay with very low emissions but with combustion. This is an opportunity we are not going to push off the table.

Hybridisation is going to start in 2023 and will last for at least the next decade, we have time enough to decide whether we dismiss the combustion engine after that or if we have another opportunity.”

Indeed, Lamborghini’s recently unveiled Direzione Cor Tauri plan earmarks 2021 and 2022 as the final two years celebrating the internal combustion engine, with two new V12 models announced. The second phase sees a hybrid series production model launched in 2023, with the rest of the range electrified by 2024. The third phase is full electrification, starting in the second half of this decade with the rollout of full EVs. “I think there are going to be some very nice surprises in the next 24 months about our combustion engines,” Winkelmann says with a smile when asked if the ageing Aventador and Huracán still have the legs to compete in a market that is often looking for the newest, shiniest things. “I don’t want to be seen as last of the kind, but in terms of pure internal combustion engines, I’m pretty sure that before hybridisation kicks in, there will be another jump in terms of demand from customers all around the world for those type of cars.”

Winkelmann is aware of the consequences of moving at the right time. “All of us were different 15 or 20 years ago, in what we were expecting. It’s to be always very cautious in whatever you decide, but when you decide you have to be sure that there is only one bullet in your gun. It has to hit the target without any doubts.”

LAMBO AT LE MANS? Winkelmann usually offers an excellent poker face, but when pressed on whether Lamborghini had any plans to compete under LMH or LMdH rules, he breaks into a broad grin. “It’s a good one, because in the last few days we were looking into this.

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It looks interesting but there is no decision taken and even if we decide, it’s going to be some years down the road before we’d be ready for something like this. But I have to tell you, it’s interesting and we’re looking into it.” We’d take that as a yes. Do you agree?

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FEATURE. LAMBORGHINI URUS

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ROAD SERIES

BY C A M E R O N K I R BY + P I C S E L L E N D E WA R

BIG, BAD BULL WE TAKE LAMBORGHINI’S HEAVIEST HITTER TO GIPPSLAND’S COW COUNTRY AND ENCOUNTER A ROAD THAT BUCKS AND TWISTS LIKE A RODEO BULL

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T CORNER EXIT, for the slightest of moments, there was a suspension of disbelief. With a couple of degrees of steering still applied, and my right foot pressed hard into the firewall, I was transported behind the wheel of a different vehicle. The twin-turbo V8 (aided by a surface change) was able to convince the rear tyres to relinquish their stranglehold on the tarmac and permit the mere hint of power oversteer.

In that fleeting moment when power triumphed over grip I was transposed into a reality more understandable than our own – one where this display of bravado and performance would be executed by a brutish super sedan or slinky coupe. But no, in a perfect encapsulation of our new warped existence, the vehicle in question was an SUV. A Lamborghini SUV, sure, but a high-riding, kiddie-hauling, urban-friendly form of tribal transport none the less.

You will doubtless be familiar with the Urus’ purpose, with the four-door bull being Lamborghini’s most popular model both locally and internationally, re-enacting the Porsche Cayenne’s brand-saving heroics. The recipe is simple; wrap aggressive and eye-catching sheetmetal around shared architecture, send nuclear power to the tyres, and bask in a well-funded victory. However, while singing from this now-familiar songbook, the Urus is forced to perform a series of increasingly difficult magic tricks that require that same suspension of disbelief that was washing over me as I applied the required corrective lock to arrest a two-tonne drift.

➜ RIGHT All the boring stuff is distinctly Audi, but the gear indicator, revs, and speedo are all crazy Italian FAR RIGHT 23-inch rims make the largest brakes ever fitted to a production car look reasonable

THE URUS LOOKS LIKE A $500K SUV FROM THE OUTSIDE, BUT CAN’T SHAKE ITS INGOLSTADT INFLUENCES INSIDE The first is convincing you of its worth. Our test car is fitted with not just cringe-inducing personalised plates, but six-figures worth of optional extras. Starting with a $395,888 base price, the local Lamborghini press office was able to transform this into a $497,803 tax magnet thanks to a focused dedication to box ticking. Highlights include $17K for paint, almost $10K for the 23-inch wheels, another $10K in gloss black detailing, and $6K for the Q-citura seat stitching. Potential owners will want to set aside $500,000 as a starting point, lest they suffer the indignity of being out-gunned when dropping Bonathon off for his weekly fencing lesson.

While the Urus certainly looks every bit like a half a million dollar SUV from the outside, it can’t shake its Ingolstadt influences inside, sharing much of its switchgear with similarly sized siblings. Audi’s fingerprints are everywhere, from the wheel design, to the infotainment; almost everything inside the Urus is German with an Italian veneer. But, for many buyers, that’s almost the point. This is a Lamborghini that isn’t scared of the everyday, that is capable of hauling more than two occupants with actual honest-to-god reliability, refinement and comfort. Value is in the eye of the ultrawealthy beholder, and to them an RS Q8 may as well be a pov-pack Touareg. It just doesn’t have the clout.

To find out if there is more to the Urus than being a rolling display of affluence, we headed to Victoria’s West Gippsland region. The end destination was C425, or Korumburra-Warragul Rd, which connects the two eponymous towns. Running for 39km, it presents a challenging stage for the Urus to stand tall upon and

LEFT Move over The Big Merino, there’s a new oversized farm animal in town, and it’s coming for your lunch money

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ROAD SERIES

KM: 85 BENDS

Number

C425 SITS in the sweet spot in terms of length for both down-and-back runs straight from Melbourne and larger day trips. At night, the return run transforms into a Japanese-style touge, with nearby town lights visible from the winding ridge line.

You can stop for food at the book-end towns, though the Wild Dog Winery offers a more boutique experience. A number of lookouts pockmark the route, but are often only accessible via dirt.

KORRUMBURRA

WARRAGUL

PUT YOUR EAR TO THE BONNET, AND YOU’LL HEAR THE FINAL SCREAMS OF DINOSAURS BEING IMMOLATED

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reach deep into its bag of tricks.

Before we get to the good stuff, there is 100km of lateAutumn highway driving. For any other Lamborghini this wouldn’t be mentioned bar to note it was loud, and an inconvenience that stood in the way of fun. But, the Urus is unlike the Huracan and Aventador in that this transit stage is entirely inoffensive, and actually rather pleasant. In its standard ‘Strada’ drive mode, the big Lambo has a ride quality that defies its 23-inch rims and low-profile rubber – it is tranquil and composed regardless of road surface. It is here I have the first of a series of revelations. Yes, the Urus is an SUV, but it isn’t a successor to the LM002, instead it’s a modern revival of the Espada with styling from the four-door Estoque concept car – just with extra ride height.

Finally I reach Warragul, and begin the descent toward Korumburra. Out here beyond Melbourne’s suburban crawl, the landscape encourages you to take a deep breath, to soak in the soothing beauty of the supersaturated green hills that bump gently to the horizon. C425 starts off slow, with long sweeping bends that play nicely to the Urus’s strengths.

The big Lamborghini is at its best in this environment, given room to play and put on its brutalist display of power. The 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 under the bonnet isn’t unique – it can be found in a range of other products – but it is at its zenith here, deploying 478kW at 6000rpm, and 850Nm between 2250-4500rpm. Transferring that power to the tyres is an eight-speed torque-converter automatic that can deliver gearshifts both soft and smooth, or hard and fast.

Bring the Urus to a standstill before planting the throttle and you are given a clear indicator of its straightline abilities. The V8 has a liquid gurgle at idle that sounds like bubbling lava. Put your ear to the bonnet, and you’ll be able to hear the final screams of dinosaurs being immolated in the eight combustion chambers. At launch the big bull charges forward, the speedo reading

ABOVE Before handing the Urus back, Kirby went looking for an appropriate breeding mate. Came up stumps OPPOSITE The ergonomics are as far removed from a traditional supercar as possible, but the driving experience isn’t

three digits in just 3.6 seconds. But straight-line parlour tricks are relatively easy to perform these days, and with electrification hitting its stride, a mid-to-high three second sprint to 100km/h (while still a gut churner) isn’t the showstopper it once was.

The best of C425 lies in the 10km north of Tetoora Road to south of Strzelecki. It’s here that the Urus’s depth of ability is truly put to the test. Heading south, the road begins to dive hard, with corner radiuses tightening.

I take solace in the fact the 440mm carbon ceramic brake discs mounted to the front axle are grasped by 10-piston calipers, with the rear stoppers in the same size-class as some of Porsche’s finest metal. Despite their impressive size the discs have an unenviable job, with the Urus weighing in at 2280kg while simultaneously being capable of reaching outrageous speeds in short d

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Pirelli P Zero rubber measures 285/35 at the front, 325/30 at the rear). Lamborghini is Pirelli’s only customer for tyres in this size.

The only hint at the technological trickery helping transform this heavyweight boxer into a dainty ballerina is the surreal numbness to its body control during the cornering process. This is an idiot-proofed experience, with a soft-edge to everything. Throttle adjustments do little to perturb the Urus mid-corner yet the feedback through the wheel is consistently remote. It’s all very impressive, but a tad inauthentic.

There are other quirks that chink the Urus’s armour – mainly the ‘Anima’ drive mode selector. The theatre of pulling the lever to change modes is appropriately dramatic at first, but the selector only goes one direction.

Shifted from Strada to Sport and want to revert to standard? Too bad, you’ll need to scroll through all four other modes to get back. Softening the blow is the breadth of ability in Sport. Unless you are at full attack, this setting is the sweet spot in 90 per cent of situations.

Another niggle is apparent the first time you set off. Drive 64

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order. You’ll want to get some heat into them before trying any heroics, though. Once you have, stamping the pedal stands the Lamborghini on its nose, and when the velocity is abated you can chuck the Urus into each bend with vigour.

The road winds down the hill, jinking knife-edge cambers on each left/right transition. The Urus rolls into these bends like a mastiff chasing a pomeranian, unrelenting in its pursuit of the next apex. There is an array of technologies helping the Urus perform athletic feats that’d leave certain sports cars befuddled. A selflocking central Torsen diff shuffles power appropriately, 40:60 normally, and up to 70 per cent front or 87 per cent rear, with the torque-vectoring rear diff directing up to 75 per cent of its twist action to either driveshaft Rear-wheel steering, and active anti-roll bars deliver freakish agility that’s not always that organic in feel.

This athleticism is aided by the direct steering at just over two turns lock-to-lock. Body roll is denied any presence in the experience, while the speeds required to force the front wide is frankly ridiculous. The prodigious grip is no doubt helped by an enormous footprint (the

BELOW “I’m sorry I can’t help you officer, I’ve been parked here the whole time. Did they mention what colour car the suspect was driving?”

RIGHT C425 cuts through the western Strzelecki ranges, named after the Polish explorer, Paweł Edmund Strzelecki.

He battled through the dense forests for 22 days in 1840, before finally emerging starved and exhausted at Corinella on Western Port Bay

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THE BEST OF THE C425 LIES IN THE 10KM NORTH OF TETOORA ROAD TO THE SOUTH OF STRZELECKI. THE ROAD DIVES HARD WITH CORNER RADIUSES TIGHTENING

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The Specs LAMBORGHINI URUS BODY 5-door, 5-seat SUV DRIVE all-wheel ENGINE 3996cc V8, DOHC, 32v, twin-turbo BORE/STROKE 86 x 86mm COMPRESSION 9.7:1 POWER 478kW @ 6000rpm TORQUE 850Nm @ 2250-4500rpm POWER/WEIGHT 209kW/tonne TRANSMISSION eight-speed automatic WEIGHT 2280kg SUSPENSION multi-links, adaptive dampers, air suspension, active anti-roll bars (f/r) L/W/H 5112/2016/1638mm WHEELBASE 3003mm TRACKS 1695/1710mm (f/r) STEERING electrically assisted rack-and-pinion BRAKES 440mm carbon ceramic ventilated/drilled two-piece discs, 10-piston calipers (f); 370mm carbon ceramic ventilated/drilled two-piece discs, 6-piston calipers (r) WHEELS 23.0 x 10.0-inch (f); 23.0 x 11.5-inch (r) TYRES 285/35 ZR23 107Y (f); 325/30 ZR23 107Y (r) Pirelli P Zero PRICE $394,888 ($497,803 as tested) PROS Grand tourer refinement; mind-bending dynamics CONS Frustrating drive mode system; gauche image STAR RATING

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EVEN THE PLUMPEST OF SANT’AGATA’S BULLS CAN MAKE A SMALL CHILD’S DAY MERELY BY BEING PRESENT is selected by pulling the right paddle on the wheel, while park and reverse are found on the centre console.

Half the reason to move away from the standard setting is the vocal theatrics. While relatively tame in its standard ‘Strada’ mode, the exhaust comes to life in Sport and Corsa. Drive around town with the windows up and every lift of the throttle sounds like a bag of gravel being dumped from the Urus’ bumper. Lower the glass and you are treated to a series of crackles and pops that alert everyone within the postcode of your presence.

Thumb the big ‘M’ for manual mode, and the Urus will still auto up-shift in its ‘Sport’ setting. Only in the maximum attack ‘Corsa’ will you encounter the 6800rpm soft-cut.

You can build and save a personalised variation that mixes and matches your preferred gearbox, steering and suspension setting. This can then be activated via the ‘Ego’ lever that sits to the right of the jet-fighter inspired starter button – the plastic covering of which is all a bit childish. But what’s the harm in letting your innerchild have some fun from time to time? This is a Lamborghini, after all.

Further down the road I stop to admire the view at what looks like a clearing on the side of the road. Turns out it’s a stop for the local school bus, which dumps a trio of cherubs out in front of the hulking green machine. Swiftly, the lead child confirms that The Kids Are Alright, casting a knowing eye over the Verde Mantis paint before firing his loaded inquiry my way. “Is that a Lamborghini?” My confirmation of his suspicions is met with the appropriate ooh-ing and aah-ing. It’s nice to

know that even the plumpest of Sant’Agata’s bulls can make a child’s day merely by being present.

While it’s nice to cosplay as a dogecoin billionaire for a day, not everyone is as enamoured with the appearance of the Lambo. Two members of the Victorian Police stop for a look, and simply mutter “The green is a bit much, isn’t it?” with a sneer before leaving. A sincere and enthusiastic thumbs up and ‘A-OK’ sign from what looks like a member of ZZ Top at the next intersection helps level the scales of public opinion.

In building the Urus, Lamborghini hasn’t lost any of its sense of fun. It’s as ridiculous and outlandish as you’d expect from an acid-coloured vehicle with a bull badge.

It has produced an SUV that is as comfortable doing a Toorak school run as it is crossing continents, setting lap times at Phillip Island, or tackling a challenging driving road – cynicism be damned!

The question is now whether you are ready to accept this new reality, warped by a previously unfathomable feat of technology. The answer, for the most part, depends on whether you have it in you to find the Urus’ larger-than-life character charming. While it’ll never persuade with delicacy or subtlety, it’s savagely effective.

The sun dips over the hills as we approach the old coal town of Korumburra. The LEDs flick on, bathing the road in 6000 Kelvin white. In that tunnel of light I try to process the way the Urus dismantled C425. That, in itself, requires a suspension of disbelief that’ll take me some time to work on.

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RIGHT Sounds dramatic, looks blah.

Unlike its siblings, Lamborghini has hidden the Urus’ engine under a slab of boring plastic

BELOW In 2009, a series of earthquakes measuring up to 4.7 on the Richter scale hit Korumburra.

Kirby trips the seismometers one more time

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FEATURE. 25 YEARS OF 993 TURBO

25 years

BY G L E N WA D D I N GTO N

993 911 TURBO

+ PICS DEAN SMITH

A BLAST OF IT’S 25 YEARS SINCE PORSCHE LAUNCHED THE 993 TURBO – THE MOST WE FIND OUT IF IT’S THE BEST OF OLD AND

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FRESH AIR POWERFUL 911 THERE’D BEEN, AND LAST OF THE AIR-COOLED LINE. NEW A QUARTER OF A CENTURY LATER

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ARS, LIKE PEOPLE, are taking longer to age.

When I was a youngster in the 1970s, it wasn’t unusual for a family hack to be worn out by the time it was four or five years old. Resprays were common. They broke down. Stuff stopped working. In the early Noughties, my 1974 BMW 2002 felt far more ancient than my 1989 BMW 320i Convertible does today. My wife’s decadeold daily driver still seems new. And I’m not convinced it’s simply because I’m so much older, too.

In 1994, it was a commonly held belief within senior Porsche management that the 911 had been in this world too long: a rear-engined, air-cooled anachronism. Time for change.

Of course, we’d heard that before, hence the Porsche 928 and the various front-engined, transaxle four-cylinders. In 1989, there had been a step-change from the impact-bumper 911 of the 1970s into the 964 generation.

It was “86 per cent new”, re-engineered to accommodate four-wheel drive and thereby rid the 911 of its widow-maker rep: it was actually launched as the AWD Carrera 4. Yet it barely looked any different. Old before its time.

The 993 generation was regarded as the 911’s last chance, to capitalise on the 964’s regenerated underpinnings but bring the styling into the modern era.

Just don’t get in the way of Porsche’s hope for the future: the four-door 989. However, prescient that may seem in a world used to the Cayenne and Panamera, it was radical thinking back then. As it turned out, too radical. And too expensive. Cue the 989 project’s cancellation in 1992 and 70

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ABOVE It’s all calm in the cockpit despite mountains of grunt on tap. Part of the cost savings meant that the 993’s interior is largely the same as the previous-generation 964 – very old-school indeed

the exit of technical director Ulrich Bez. Bez had two stints at Porsche, working in research during the 1970s before leaving to head up BMW’s Technik department. There, with stylist Harm Lagaay, he developed the characterful Z1 before moving back to Porsche in 1988 and taking Lagaay with him, who succeeded Anatole Lapine as head of design.

Back then, Porsche was in trouble, hit hard by the exchange rate and an ageing model line. The company’s board saw the 989 limo as its way out, and Bez had to push hard to get any attention paid to the 911 at all.

He was committed to producing an improved car that would cost less to build. The air-cooled flat-six would stay, the basic structure would remain the same, so would the glazing, but there was money for new panels and headlamps, though the new multi-link rear axle – commandeered from the stillborn 989 project – came at the expense of a new interior, and those old-fashioned rain gutters would have to stay, too.

Oh, and for starters there’d simply be a Carrera 2, in coupe and cabriolet form. The 911 would live, but there were no plans at launch for anything faster. All hands elsewhere were on the 989. Including Lagaay’s. So the styling of the 993 was in the hands of British-born Tony Hatter, who had joined in 1986. We’ll come back to him.

In the meantime, you’re looking at pictures of a 993-generation 911 Turbo. So clearly things did evolve.

And the whole project was such a success that, on its

25 years 993 911 TURBO

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25 years 993 911 TURBO

300KW, 540NM, 0-100KM/H IN 4.4SEC, FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE, SIX-SPEED ’BOX AND TWO TURBOCHARGERS first test drive of the 993 Turbo, sister publication CAR magazine declared: “You might get used to the Turbo’s tarmac-peeling zest in a straight line, but the way that it corners will never cease to amaze.” Clearly that new rear suspension layout was doing the trick, then.

Some stats: 300kW, 540Nm, 291km/h, 0-100km/h in 4.4sec, 1498kg, four-wheel drive, six-speed transmission, two turbochargers. It cost $299,900 when it was launched in Australia in 1996 and promptly won our inaugural Performance Car of the Year title. So it’s 25 years old now, yet that’s a surprisingly modern set of figures. This was the fastest road-going 911 up to that point, complete with the personality and solidity of the air-cooled generation 72

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yet in a more civilised package. No wonder the owner of this car bought it in place of a much more modern 991.

But I digress. The 993 Carrera 2 had arrived in late 1993, its new rear suspension in place of the 964’s trailing arms as an attempt to expunge the worst effects of all that engine weight hung beyond the rear wheels: the new multi-link hardware tends towards stabilityinducing toe-in at extremes of movement. Despite early plans to amortise 989 development costs by installing its water-cooled V8 (and possibly a V6 spin-off) in the 993, ultimately it was launched with the same 3.6-litre air-cooled flat-six as before, though with about 10 per cent more power and torque thanks to lighter internal componentry. A new underbody contributed to 20 per cent greater structural stiffness, there were anti-intrusion beams, and a six-speed gearbox for the first time – all this in an update of what was already 86 per cent new, don’t forget. And this time it looked new, too.

When the previous-generation Turbo had arrived in 1990, it did so powered by the old 930’s 3.3-litre engine.

The 3.6-litre version appeared in early 1993, shortly before 964 production came to an end, so only 1500 were

built. That engine then translated into the 993, only with two turbochargers instead of one, each placed closer to the relevant combustion chambers rather than above the crankshaft, to quell lag, and power was up by 20kW over the old car’s 280kW. It was married to that new transmission and sent power to all four wheels – as per the Carrera 4, which had come along a few months after the Carrera 2, mainly to assuage Alpine-market demand.

Torque is split front-to-rear by a viscous coupling, there’s a limited-slip differential, and there are geometry changes as well as stiffer springs, gas dampers and antiroll bars. Also fitted are, of course, airbags and antilock brakes, the wheels feature hollow spokes to reduce unsprung weight, and it rolls on sticky 18-inch tyres, proper garden-rolling 285/30s at the back. Bernd Kahnau led the engineering team and the 993 Turbo was launched at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1995.

Much of this mechanical detail won’t be seen by most people. What is more visible, and no less welcome, is the styling. Tony Hatter’s career at Porsche came to an end in 2020 after 34 years. His retirement party might not have been quite what he’d planned, like so much of last year,

but just ahead of that – in a video-link interview – he’s in a buoyant mood. “It wouldn’t matter how long I’d been here, it’d be a big affair. There’s 120 of us in the design department,” he smiles. “We had 30 people in total in the late 1980s at Weissach; designers you could count on one hand, just a few engineers. I’d been hired by Tony Lapine and remember my first day here. I was met by the secretary who collected me at the gate. All the test cars were Guards Red. It was an incredible first impression.”

Hatter is relaxed, softly spoken and slightly husky, his speech flecked with the occasional Germanic influences gathered in three decades, though hints of his native north-east England gradually reveal themselves as our conversation progresses. Every now and then he reaches behind to a low shelving unit and picks up a scale model, better to illustrate a point.

“The 993 was my first big project. What to do with the 911? The 989 program had started yet we still thought it best to keep the 911 going, and I certainly don’t remember thinking ‘this is the last one’. Then came the Turbo. More than 400bhp (298kW) and four-wheel drive. Surely it couldn’t go further than this.” d

ABOVE While not as crazy as the GT2, the Turbo’s whale tail is just as iconic (and an award winner) and fits the less dramatic design of the non-GT 911

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So, where to start when reinventing a legend? “When I got there, there’d been efforts to create the 965, a sort of toned-down 959. It was a bit heavy and bloated, as if a 928 had morphed into a 911. What I set out to do was to make the 993 more refined and visually lighter in weight, plus a bit better-balanced than the 964. We brought the front and rear bumper shut lines to the same height; made highlights in the wings where they’d been slabby.”

But there was a problem. “It was very tricky,” he frowns.

“The body and chassis were more than 25 years old, with tolerances in centimetres rather than fractions of a millimetre. Fitting large polyurethane mouldings to such an old structure – we’d never had to do such things before.

There were big shut lines: they could differ by 3-10mm from side to side, for instance, between the rear bumper and the tail-lights.”

There was modelling expertise on hand to help, at least.

“We had very experienced modellers who’d worked on the 356C, the 901, etc.” His favourite aspect? “For me, the front end.” He picks up that model and points out aspects as he describes them. “It’s a very simple front end, with a two-piece bumper. The shark gills for the oil coolers... I lay on the floor with the modeller as he shaped that area.”

A new family look was occurring within Porsche’s range at that time, though Hatter denies that the 993 was consciously developed along such deliberate lines. “As far as the 993 goes, the 959 had given us curves, and the 989 was happening, too. The 968 also came out before the 993. So, for sure, there’s cross-pollination but we weren’t doing that on purpose, and obviously there are shared parts, such as door handles and mirrors.”

One obvious departure for the 993 was its centrally mounted windscreen wipers. “Old 911s in the rain, well, exciting is the wrong word. I arrived at work one day after a party. Dick Söderberg was the studio chief; he packed me into the back of a 964 with the new set-up and got in the passenger seat, and we set off down the old Wurzheim road in heavy rain. I was stuck in the back, not feeling great, evaluating them. They worked! Brilliant.’

And then came the Turbo. “It’s all about the profile, and that beautiful tapering rear end. The Turbo is 25mm wider each side across the rear. We changed the sills, made it a much more substantial car. Of course, the doors were the same as the 964’s; they dated back all the way to 1962! They look simple but they start to flare out towards the lower rear corner, so it’s a nightmare flowing into the rear, mating old to new. If I could have changed anything else it would have been the doors.”

I’m glad about those doors. They clunk shut with the sound of quality engineering, rather than a sound that’s been engineered: it’s definitively an air-cooled 911 thing, as much a part of its aural signature as the gnashing shriek of that unjacketed flat-six. Also extremely familiar is the interior, though some of the switchgear was new to the 993 and the centre console is tidied up. The glovebox has been shifted downwards to make way for a passenger airbag, and the hockey-stick doorpulls of old have been reshaped to blend with the dashboard’s lower rail, itself more prominent and padded.

In the rear-view mirror you can see the Turbo-specific tail spoiler, permanently in place rather than swinging up with speed as per the Carrera 2’s. Lighting the road ahead are new headlamps, less obvious from within than the 964’s because the wingtops have been smoothed out, but significant in their own right as the angle to 74

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which the light units could be reclined was determined by the technology they contained. Just as similar ones had signalled the end of the 944’s pop-up headlamps as it became the 968, so the 993’s meant the 911’s ‘torpedo tube’ front wings were no more. Turn the key in the dashmounted ignition slot and there’s the familiar churn, whir and thrum as the flat-six erupts into life. As has always been the case with right-hand-drive 911s, you sit slightly skewed, and while the fat hub of the airbag wheel is strange, the tactile nature of its leather rim feels familiar.

Promisingly, there’s lots of travel to the organ-pedal throttle; the brake and clutch pedals are floor-hinged, too.

Curiously, and despite a power output higher than any 911’s before it, there’s less in the way of intimidation here.

Maybe it’s because engine noise is a little less pervasive,

IT WILL SURGE WITH SUPERCAR VEHEMENCE YET DELIVER YOU UNRUFFLED or because power-assistance eases manoeuvring; maybe it’s just the promise of four-wheel drive to safeguard you in extremis. Whatever, I prod the throttle, ease out the hefty, over-centre clutch and head off.

This is a surprisingly refined car for its age. You feel as much in the control actions and the burgeoning power under the command of your right foot. Accelerate and there are no histrionics, simply a linear – if rapid, so rapid – journey around the rev counter. It’s thrillingly addictive, and the silencing effect of forced induction means the vocals do just enough to raise the hairs on the back of

25 years 993 911 TURBO

LEFT On Aussie tarmac, the 993 impressed the MOTOR judges so much it was made our first PCOTY winner in 1996

BELOW The balanced nature of Hatter’s styling, not to mention the Turbo’s wider stance, are most obvious from this angle

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BOTTOM Compared to the contemporary, the 993 Turbo’s cabin is ultra analogue, from the gauges to manual ’box

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The Specs Legend of the past 1996 PORSCHE 911 TURBO BODY DRIVE ENGINE BORE X STROKE POWER TORQUE POWER/WEIGHT TRANSMISSION WEIGHT SUSPENSION STEERING BRAKES

2-door, 2+2-seat coupe all-wheel 3608cc flat-6, SOHC, 12v, twin-turbo 100 x 76.4mm 300kW @ 5750rpm 540Nm @ 4500rpm 200kW/tonne 6-speed manual 1498kg MacPherson struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar (f); multi-link, coil springs, telescopic dampers, anti-roll bar (r) hydraulically assisted rack-and-pinion 322mm ventilated discs, 4-piston calipers (f); 322mm ventilated discs, 4-piston calipers (r) 18.0 x 8.0-inch (f); 18.0 x 10.0-inch (r)

WHEELS PRICE $299,500 (new in 1996) STAR RATING 11112

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25 years 993 911 TURBO

your neck without being so loud as to grate on your nerves. Grab the next gear and it’s the same all over again; you don’t have to wait long for the turbos to spool up.

In a 930 – introduced in 1975 and in production for 14 years! – you had just the four gears to pull against and a relationship with the turbocharger that was akin to lighting a firework then wondering when it would go off. Suddenly: BOOM! And you entered another dimension. There’s similar intensity in the 993, but far less tension as the thrust is there from the off.

Those six gears and the comparatively lag-free nature of the twin-turbo flat-six are the reason. More power, more torque than had ever been made available to any previous 911 driver (in a road car, anyway) but delivered in a way that takes it way beyond its sports car roots and the 930’s Countach-like supercar pretensions into the world of the GT. Not a lazy, slush-pumping Rothman’s ad 1970s torque-monster GT, but the world of highperformance cars that don’t tire you out despite asking you to do some work, and still reward you with the kind of sensations that matter more than mere performance data. The 993 Turbo offers the best of both worlds here.

So you quickly become more accustomed, more confident. There’s rim-jinking feedback through the steering wheel even though it’s assisted, while the brakes are firm underfoot and make the 911 as astonishing in deceleration as it is in getting up to speed. The ride feels firm yet it’s deftly damped and never harsh. And – perhaps best of all – even though this is a wide-body 993, deliberately made so much more substantial by Hatter and co, today it feels compact. So it’s scaled for back roads. Or the high country. The 933 Turbo is nimble.

And it’s friendly, too, with most of the subtle sensations of a Carrera 2, the added balance and security of the Carrera 4, and even greater acceleration, yet combined in such a coherent package that there are few raw edges. Sure, the nose bobs over bumps, and you still feel the inevitable weight transfer: if you don’t get the 993 planted on its front wheels going into a corner, you’ll curse your lack of expertise in making the damn thing understeer through it.

But you get to appreciate more of it, more of the time. You can relish a vigorous workout yet still drive a long way without feeling worn out. It really is the perfect blend.

Those who’d prefer more of a binary personality could go for the Turbo S, a further development that arrived in the final year of 993 production, with power up to 331kW thanks to bigger turbochargers. Or there’s the nutcase rear-drive GT, the road-going homologation version of the GT2 racer, for ultimate thrills and (inevitable) spills.

We’re looking back 25 years here, astonished at how far Porsche had managed to develop that unassuming sports car of 1962. It consistently defied age and remains a car that charms in ways new ones sometimes can’t.

It feels compact by today’s standards, exudes that ‘they don’t build ’em like they used to’ unburstability, and its soundtrack goes back more than half a century. It will also surge along with supercar vehemence yet deliver you sufficiently unruffled at the end of a journey to want more, and it comes with the reassurance of strong antilock brakes and airbags, too. No stability control, mind.

There’s exhilaration without overt threat. After 25 years, it remains an older car that’ll keep you young.

YOU DON’T HAVE TO WAIT LONG FOR THE TWIN TURBOS TO SPOOL UP

ABOVE Neat nose marked a step-change in design thanks to reclined headlamps LEFT Like most Porsche 911s the engine is typically undramatic in appearance. Tucked away are twin KKK K-16 turbochargers

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FIRST FANG. FORD MUSTANG MACH 1

B Y S C O T T N E W M A N + P I C S A L A S TA I R B R O O K

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RACE TRACKS HAVEN’T BEEN A HAPPY HUNTING GROUND FOR

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MUSTANGS IN RECENT TIMES, THE MACH 1 IS HERE TO CHANGE THAT

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HIS COULD END badly for Ford. MOTOR, Mustangs and maximum attack haven’t exactly been a marriage made in heaven in recent years. The FM Mustang, released in 2015, was a barrel of laughs on a race track; a bit soft and woolly around the edges, sure, but with strong brakes, an adjustable chassis and grunty V8 you couldn’t help but have fun.

We expected big things from the FN facelift in 2018.

A revised engine with lots more power, a 10-speed automatic option, MagneRide adaptive dampers, Racetrack and Drag Strip modes and stickier Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tyres (the FM’s Pirellis were a bit how-yagoin’) all raised expectations and initially all was well.

On road there was plenty to like, but the balloon was popped with a bang at PCOTY 2018. Our auto test car would barely complete a lap before going into limp mode, but any suggestion it was due to the sunny South Australian weather was stymied when the same thing happened at Winton in the dead of winter at the following year’s Bang for your Bucks.

Of course, track performance isn’t everything (or indeed anything to many buyers) but for a car that is marketed so heavily in motorsport its lack of circuit stamina is disappointing, particularly as Australia’s speed limits don’t really offer an opportunity for a car as quick as a Mustang to stretch it legs.

The manual performs better, but still cuts power after a couple of laps and its gearing is so long that you barely ever get to touch the gear lever. For example, the FM achieved the following speeds in each gear: 67-101-146-187-246-

BELOW Mach 1 scores more a aggressive front splitter, a new grille and stripe package BELOW RIGHT Open airbox cleverly seals against the bonnet to pass ADRs; shift lights in the top of the digital instruments are a cool touch

264km/h (the latter its quoted top speed), whereas the FN lifts these figures to 82-133-197-280-344-450km/h (the latter two obviously being theoretical).

Partly this is down to the FN revving to 7500rpm rather than the FM’s 6600rpm but it’s primarily due to much longer gearing in the Getrag gearbox. Enter the new Mustang Mach 1. Ford has revived a famous nameplate, one synonymous with sportier, more focused Mustangs, to fill the gap between the regular GT and hardcore, notfor-Oz Shelbys. The first Mach 1 appeared in 1969 but it’s been 17 years since the last one.

As you’d expect there are some stripes, decals and badges but unlike the Bullitt, the Mach 1 isn’t just a dress-up pack. The sexy retro wheels are a half-inch wider at both ends, now 9.5 inches front and 10 inches rear, stretching the standard Michelin tyres (255/40 front; 275/40 rear) a little further.

The power steering and now-standard MagneRide dampers get a retune, there’s a brake booster from the US-only Mustang Performance Pack 2, stiffer anti-roll bars, front springs and rear subframe bushes, while there’s also a toe link from the Shelby GT500. Power is up 6kW thanks to the induction system, intake manifold and 87mm throttle body from the Shelby GT350 for totals of 345kW and 556Nm, while the GT350’s oil cooler increases cooling capacity by 50 per cent. It’s the GT350’s final donation, though, that makes the biggest difference.

Replacing the standard Getrag ’box is a Tremec TR-3160. To illustrate its closer gearing, here are its in-gear maximums: 86-126-174-226-280-444km/h. As you can see, first and sixth gears are virtually identical but

WE EXPECTED BIG THINGS FROM THE FN MUSTANG BUT THE BALLOON POPPED WITH A BANG AT PCOTY

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1. Flat Chat Down the straight

Along Wakefield’s short front straight the Mach 1 sings, stretching out to 7500rpm and is well into fourth where a standard GT would not reach the redline in third. Shift is nice, too.

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2. Hold On Turn 1-2

3. Up Top Turn 4-5

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Wakefield’s T1 kink and T2 braking zone is really, really tricky. Brake before the kink and you’re too early; brake after it and you’re too late; brake on it and a heavy car like the Mach 1 is very unhappy.

A difficult complex, primarily as any issues through the preceding left will be exacerbated in the next double-left complex. Add plenty of speed and camber change and it can all get a bit busy!

the interim gears are much more tightly stacked. That tall first gear means the Mach 1 is unlikely to improve on the GT’s 0-100km/h time, but it should be quicker through the gears once rolling.

The gearing could be closer again, but sadly Ford saw fit to prioritise fuel economy over performance for righthand drive cars and fit the standard GT’s 3.55:1 limitedslip diff rather than the US-spec 3.73:1 Torsen unit.

Ford has been left red-faced after it initially advertised the Mach 1 as featuring adaptive cruise, rear parking sensors and fog lamps, only for the equipment to be omitted from Australian cars. A couple of features were simply mistakes – for instance, the Mach 1’s revised styling can’t accommodate fog lamps – but there is some kit that isn’t being offered.

What is included is heated and cooled seats (or optional $3000 Recaros), a 12-speaker B&O sound system, Ford SYNC3 infotainment, eight airbags, lanekeep assist and AEB, as well as a numbered build plaque and a choice of five colour combinations, Fighter Jet Grey being the hero hue. Select that and you can add the $1000 Appearance Pack, which includes orange seatback accents and brake calipers.

It’s also worth mentioning that the Mach 1 is available with the 10-speed automatic, which has been upgraded with a new torque converter, revised calibration and second oil cooler. Whether or not that’s enough to cure its circuit phobia we will investigate when we get behind the wheel in due course, but today is all about the six-speed manual gearbox.

There are essentially two questions that need to be answered here: is the Mach 1 a more capable Mustang,

THE SHELBY GT350 DONATES ITS TREMEC TR-3160 GEARBOX, WHICH HAS MUCH MORE TIGHTLY STACKED GEARING

➜ OPPOSITE In fast turns the Mach 1 is more neutral than a GT with more front grip and a looser rear OPPOSITE BOTTOM Bouncing off Wakefield’s sizeable kerbs isn’t advised unless there is a photographer present

therefore justifying its $83,365 price tag, and does it deliver on its claim of track competency? To assess the efficacy of Ford’s work we have Wakefield Park Raceway and as many laps as we wish. Road assessment will have to wait as this is a pre-production prototype, unable to be driven on public roads by anyone other than Ford employees.

As in the standard Mustang there are a number of modes to choose from with Track the most appropriate for our current environment. It’s not just marketing fluff, either. Initially I forget to switch modes and at the first corner the Mach 1 pitches and rolls like it’s entered the Sydney-to-Hobart yacht race. Track Mode sharpens the throttle, relaxes the stability control and, crucially, firms up the adaptive dampers.

The Mach 1 is only 5kg lighter than a standard GT and at 1779kg is still a big, heavy lump to wrestle around a circuit. It requires smooth inputs, particularly through Wakefield’s tricky braking zones and quick changes of directions, as it is easy to overload the tyres. For hardcore track goers Ford offers a Handling Pack with even wider

things that make the Mach 1 go faster 1. MORE GRUNT Under the bonnet the intake from the Shelby GT350 adds 6kW. Different outputs to US cars is down to emissions regulations.

2. MORE GRIP Wheels are a half-inch wider at both ends and there’s a new brake booster and recalibrations for the steering and dampers.

3. SHORTER GEARS First gear is about the same between Mach 1 and GT but whereas fourth is 1:1 in the latter, it’s fifth in the former. Much more tightly spaced!

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4. KEEPING COOL Fifty per cent more engine oil cooling capacity and extra coolers for the gearbox and diff keep temps under control.

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LEFT It’s this decal alone that will justify the near $20K extra that the Mach 1 commands over a standard GT

LEFT MIDDLE Ford Performance gearknob sits atop one of the Mach 1’s biggest modifications, its new gearbox

LEFT BELOW Even without the optional US-only Handling Pack the new Mach 1 is a looker, turning plenty of heads

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wheels, lots more downforce and massive 305mm Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres at both ends, but sadly the pack doesn’t pass ADRs. If you really want it, though, you won’t have to search too hard to find an aftermarket supplier to hook you up.

As long as you set your expectations accordingly the Mach 1 is impressive and enjoyable on track. It has a stronger front-end than the standard GT which not only allows it to turn in more keenly but also mobilise the rear on a trailed brake. This then eases the burden on the front tyres by helping to rotate the car and the whole virtuous circle continues.

It’s the gearbox that most alters the handling, though, as unlikely as that sounds. The shorter gearing not only opens up the possibility of a choice of ratio for certain corners but also allows the throttle to be used to steer the car in corners. In the GT the gearing is so tall that, more often than not, adding acceleration lifts the nose and induces understeer.

For example, around Wakefield a GT would be almost exclusively in second gear with a couple of quick shifts to third, whereas now through turns one and eight I can use second for ultimate speed or third to calm the rear end

AS LONG AS YOU SET YOUR EXPECTATIONS ACCORDINGLY THE MUSTANG MACH 1 IS IMPRESSIVE AND ENJOYABLE down if the tyres are getting a bit hot. In faster corners like those at three, four and nine the Mach 1 sits in the meat of its powerband where a GT would be lugging too low in the rpm. Combine this with a stronger front end and the driver can now loosen the rear end slightly under brakes then get hard back on the gas and four-wheel slide the Mach 1 from entry to exit – very satisfying.

And Ford’s Sports ESP setting is happy to allow such hijinx. It’s very nicely calibrated, allowing up to half a turn of opposite lock before intervening. Manufacturers often trot out the line that their cars are just as fast with ESP engaged as not, but with the Mustang it’s actually the case; in most circumstances if it intervenes you’re having a big enough slide that tenths are ticking away anyhow.

It would be interesting to sample the Handling Pack.

While undoubtedly quicker over a lap and better tied down courtesy of its massive tyre grip, I do wonder whether it would give the Mach 1 too much grip and render it a little one-dimensional. Part of the joy of the 84

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4. Slow Down Turn 8-9

Known as ‘The Fishhook’ for obvious visual reasons, another tricky brakewhile-turning zone leads to a tight, almost blind left-hander and the Mach 1 can struggle to put its power down, wheelspinning through the next left.

5. The Kink Turn 10

This is a great corner. It’s fast, well into third gear, but perhaps tighter than it first looks thanks to a big kerb on the inside and plenty of dirt to fall into on the outside. Get it right, though, and all four wheels will be slippin’ and slidin’.

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6. Last One Turn 11

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Another one of Wakefield’s deceptively tricky turns. The turn-in point isn’t obvious, the correct apex is difficult to find and getting over-eager with the throttle to hit the straight usually results in plenty of opposite lock.

THE QUESTION IS WHETHER THE MACH 1 CAN JUSTIFY ITS HEFTY PRICE PREMIUM OVER A REGULAR GT?

The Specs

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non-Handling car is that it still feels like a muscle car; it needs a bit of a wrestle to really give its best.

Now for the biggest question: what of the Mach 1’s stamina? Good news all ’round, really. At no point during our afternoon track-thrash does it display any signs of performance drop-off, even during constant 15-minute sessions. Not to a degree that is noticeable, anyway.

There are complaints from the drivetrain and the massive brakes fitted to Aussie ’Stangs – 380mm discs with sixpiston calipers at the front – hold up well.

Whether or not the Mach 1 justifies its substantial $20K premium over the GT is a difficult question to answer.

Given the 700 examples coming to Australia are almost all spoken for suggests it is and I can see why; for many buyers simply saying they have a Mach 1, with some cool retro touches to visually distinguish it, will be worth the extra dosh. In which case the upgraded mechanicals are simply icing on the cake.

It’s disappointing that a hero car like the Mach 1 isn’t offered in its ultimate specification; you can buy a Torsen 3.73 from the Ford Performance catalogue, but that’s not really the point. Nevertheless, Ford has delivered on its promise of a track-capable Mustang and in doing so this review can end on a happy note rather than a sour one. As for how the Mach 1 fares on the road, stay tuned for a future test.

FORD MUSTANG MACH 1 BODY 2-door, 4-seat coupe

ABOVE Engine cover gets thrown in the bin to let more cooling air reach the engine.

Looks better, too ABOVE RIGHT Mach 1 badge first appeared in 1969; 4.5-inch exhaust outlets let rip a throaty roar

DRIVE rear-wheel ENGINE 5038cc V8, DOHC, 32v BORE/STROKE 93 x 92.7mm COMPRESSION 12.0:1 POWER 345kW @ 7500rpm TORQUE 556Nm @ 4600rpm POWER/WEIGHT 194kW/tonne TRANSMISSION 6-speed manual WEIGHT 1779kg SUSPENSION struts, coil springs, adaptive dampers, anti-roll bar (f); multi-links, coil springs, adaptive dampers, anti-roll bar (r) L/W/H 4789/1916/1387mm WHEELBASE 2720mm TRACKS 1585/1654mm STEERING electrically assisted rack-and-pinion ventilated discs, 6-piston calipers (f); BRAKES 380mm 330mm ventilated discs, single-piston calipers (r) WHEELS 19 x 9.5-inch (f); 19 x 10.0-inch (r) R19 (f); 275/40 R19 (r) Michelin Pilot TYRES 255/40 Sport 4 S PRICE $83,365 engine; surprising dynamics; now PROS Beaut more robust could be shorter still; limited to CONS Gearing 700 units STAR RATING 11113

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TARGA TOUR PORSCHE CAYMAN GT4 PDK

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BY ALEX INWOOD

Touring the

DARKNESS TARGA TASMANIA IN A CAYMAN GT4 IS ABOUT AS GOOD AS DRIVING GETS BUT THIS YEAR, THINGS TOOK A TRAGIC TURN…

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HE FOOTAGE, DISPLAYED on a phone in my co-driver’s hand, has me speechless.

It’s shot from inside a well-driven MercedesAMG GT R which, aside from carrying monstrous speed, is confidently using both sides of the road. Suddenly the grey AMG twitches left, its driver alerted to something behind. A second later we see it; a Dodge Viper that rips past in a blast of V10 fury and fireworks; titanium skid blocks on its underbelly exploding sparks as they kiss the ground. Speed? What looks like Mach 1. Commitment? Ten tenths. Welcome, dear readers, to the greatest tarmac rally in Australia.

I mention the footage for two reasons. The first is I had just driven that same section of road, wringing the neck of the first PDK version of Porsche’s (rather good) Cayman GT4 to arrive in Australia. MOTOR is part of the growing ‘Tour’ category at Targa and I thought we’d been pretty quick. I was wrong. The pace and commitment of the Viper’s overtake is a confronting realisation of just how hard the really fast guys are pushing.

“So that’s what speed looks like...” I think to myself before playing the footage again.

The second reason carries a heavier edge. So fast and so on-the-edge does the Viper seem, and so close are the gumtrees and telegraph poles on either side of the road, that the clip serves as a graphic reminder of the forces involved should something go wrong. And this year, things did go wrong.

Targa 2021 will forever be remembered as a black year.

Until now, Targa’s fatality rate stood at two deaths from 28 years of competition, but this year, that tally more than doubled. Three competitors died; their cars leaving the road and in doing so, casting a dark cloud of uncertainty over the entire event.

Is Targa unsafe? Have the cars become too fast? Should the event be cancelled? The questions begin in earnest and are accompanied, inevitably, by a healthy dose of pearl clutching and handwringing. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves...

If Targa’s conclusion was black, its beginning couldn’t have been brighter. Finally able to return after a Covid-inflicted hiatus in 2020, the lead-up is thick with pent-up excitement. MOTOR is here with Porsche, partly to drive the PDK GT4 in a bid to answer a question that’s been nagging us for months “Is this a car where the auto might be better than the manual?”, but also to better understand the ‘Tour’ side of the event.

The Tour category is becoming big business, not just at Targa Tasmania but also at Australia’s other tarmac rally events like Targa High Country and Great Barrier Reef.

Multiple brands take part, including Ferrari and Lotus, but Porsche’s contingent is easily the largest. More than 40 Porsches are here to ‘tour’ in 2021, and the mix of metal is salivating. There’s the stuff you’d expect – a GT2 RS, a skittling of bewinged GT3 RSs and a few brand-new 992 Turbos – but also plenty of surprises. A black 993 C2S catches my eye, as does a tidy 944.

Tour drivers tackle the same stages as the full-blown

MAIN With short gaps between cars, it’s inevitable you’ll catch, or be caught, by fellow entrants on certain stages

WELCOME, DEAR MOTOR READERS, TO THE GREATEST TARMAC RALLY IN

Australia

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RIGHT One of the only times Inwood’s Cayman GT4 was seen clean and without crowds ogling its bright hue

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TOP LEFT Dry tarmac, grippy tyres, stiff chassis and a dialled-in driver means the GT4 cocks a leg. Who said a 130km/h speed limit is boring?

competition crews, with the added advantage of being the first cars on the road each day. The appeal is obvious: it’s a serious taste of Targa without the need for helmets or roll-cages, and offers owners the chance to explore their cars on Australia’s best bitumen without the worry of oncoming traffic. Or the relentless pressure of a stopwatch. Pace notes are forbidden and a 130km/h top-speed governs the field, but as one experienced tour driver tells me: “That’s only an issue on the straight stuff.

Everywhere else its plenty fast enough.”

It feels a tight-knit group too, and isn’t, as you might expect, a boys’ club. In fact, the majority of driver pairings are husband and wife, mixed in with father and son combos and lifelong friends. This year there’s a healthy dose of first-timers (see page 72 for costs and details), including Peter who has just bought his first Porsche after selling his company. “It’s a 992 Turbo S and only has 1500km on it, so yeah, I’m throwing it in the deep end!”

Peter is welcomed warmly into the fold by wizened old hands who share some sage advice. “Mate, we’re taping up our cars tonight,” says GT3 RS owner Jerry. “See us in the carpark and we’ll have a few beers and show you the best way to do it.”

Jerry is speaking from hardearned experience; he didn’t tape his GT3 on his debut Tour and it proved costly. “It wasn’t even six months old but I had to respray the entire car it was hit with that many rocks!”

Time to drive. Targa’s first few stages are over suspiciously quickly, as though organisers want to play competitors in off a long run, but even these short, relatively open sections are enough to remind us of the GT4’s magic. The perfectly weighted controls, the precision of its steering, that instant sense of balance and feedback, it’s all there.

That Porsche is now offering the GT4 as an automatic is no surprise, yet it’s still significant. Both because it’s seemingly at odds with the purity of the original GT4’s rear-drive/ atmo/manual driver’s car philosophy, and also because the fitment of a seven-speed PDK offers the chance for Porsche to fix our only real criticism of the manual GT4, its long gear ratios.

Yes, eye roll, those ratios. That second gear tops out at around 140km/h in the manual GT4 has been so widely discussed, so we won’t flog it into oblivion here.

Personally I’ve never found it a major issue, although I will admit the prospect of a punchier gearbox to better lean into the heady heights of the GT4’s atmo 4.0-litre flat-six does sound tantalising...

The seven-speed PDK gearbox itself is a doozy. Smooth and soft-edged on Targa’s many transit stages, it’s also telepathically fast and intelligent when you’re driving quickly. And it’s gifted the GT4 with a healthy turn of speed. Opting for the PDK trims a full half second from the GT4’s 0-100km/h time, meaning this is a 3.9 second car. Keep your right foot buried and the PDK retains a four-tenth advantage both to 200km/h and over the standing quarter mile.

And at Targa, you notice the extra urge. After the morning’s staccato stages, the afternoon is spent

IS THE PORSCHE CAYMAN GT4 A CAR WHERE THE AUTO MIGHT BE BETTER THAN THE

manual?

LEFT With so many entrants in the tour class with Porsche, it’s hard not to meet an array of interesting and like-minded people MAIN Tassie provides an utterly stunning backdrop and being able to use all of the road is liberating

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LEFT Well, it is Tasmania after all. Packing for and preparing to drive in all kinds of weather is a definite must BOTTOM LEFT Distinctive Porsche LEDs light up the road after an epic day on truly incredible roads.

However, the long transit sections do highlight the GT4’s focused nature in terms of NVH

traversing the bitumen around Mount Roland, and the roads are phenomenal. Wait at the timing gate, floor it, and you’re quickly into the thick of it; Tasmania serving up a heady cocktail of fast sweepers with brilliant sightlines and narrow, technical sections with tightening apexes. And the GT4 simply devours them.

Riding on suspension that’s 30mm lower than a regular Cayman’s with firmer springs and adjustable rollbars, the GT4 is noticeably more focused yet it retains a lovely fluidity and balance. That’s crucial at Targa. Drive a car that’s too stiff here and you’ll forever be second guessing whether you’re about to be bounced off the road, but in the GT4 taut body control is paired with superb damping that breeds confidence rather than sapping it.

And that engine. Revs define the experience and all of the hallmark traits of a great atmo donk are there: response, linearity, soul. Power in PDK versions remains unchanged at 309kW at a heady 7600rpm, but torque has crept north by 10Nm to total 430Nm. Wringing out every last rev and feeling the power and noise build as you climb through the rev-range is a true joy.

What’s immediately obvious, however, is that the ratios in the PDK remain relatively tall. I was hoping to write that the PDK had resolved the ratio issue, but first still stretches to an indicated 75km/h and second revs out to 128km/h. Are the long ratios the fun-sapping issue that some will lead you to believe? Not really.

And here’s something I wasn’t expecting: how much the deletion of the third pedal shifts the GT4’s character. Drive the manual GT4 hard and a big chunk of its joy comes from the sensation of nailing crisp upshifts and revelling in the accuracy of the shifter as you juggle heel-and-toe downshifts.

Pedalling the PDK version yields a different kind of satisfaction. With no lever to consider, your focus moves to maximising the other elements at your disposal. You lean more on the chassis; your gratification now linked to how much speed you can carry into and out of bends.

The brakes are a standout, too. Tour cars are set off at three or five second intervals, so it’s inevitable you’ll catch the car in front at some point and there’s a perverse kind of pleasure that comes from closing another car’s gap in heavy braking zones. Carbon ceramics are a $15,000 option but the standard stoppers (GT4 scores six-piston calipers with larger 380mm discs) are so effective and the brake pedal so progressive, that I’d give them a miss.

Negatives? Targa’s transit stages are long enough for the tyre roar from standard Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s to become irritating. And then there’s the question of noise.

The 4.0 sounds great, but whether it sounds as great as it could be, is a contentious issue.

Porsche Australia’s official line is that our cars aren’t fitted with the sound-numbing petrol-particulate filters that are standard in Europe and America. Yet speak with some owners over a beer at the end of the day at Targa, and you’re told a different story.

“They definitely have the filter,” says one. “We’ve had our car on a hoist and I can show you where it is. Plus, you can hear it. This car isn’t as loud and doesn’t have the

POWER IN PDK VERSIONS REMAINS AT 309KW AT A HEADY

7600rpm MAIN You’d think that being limited to 130km/h would be a buzz kill, but that’s plenty fast enough for the twisting ribbons of tarmac on offer

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WANT TO GET INVOLVED?

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Want to Tour? Here’s what you need to know. Getting in early is a must. Porsche runs between 40-50 cars in the Tour class each year and spots fill up fast. Any Porsche owner can participate

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and this year, the total cost reached $11,800 per car. That covers everything: transport of your car, hotels and all meals, stickering of your car and full technical support. It works out to

be roughly $1000 per person, per day. Six days sound like too much of a commitment? Porsche also runs tour groups at Targa High Country and Great Barrier Reef, which run over three days.

FAR LEFT For any Porschephile, this is pretty much nirvana – and it’s great to see so many special cars getting used how they were intended to be used

same rasp as my first-gen GT4.”

This trading of intel and of sharing war stories of near misses and epic stages is a key part of the Tour’s appeal.

Being the first cars on the road each day also means we’re the first back at the pub for dinner.

“This is what I love about the Tour,” says Manuela Marasco, who between herself, her co-driver Tim and her sister have pretty much cornered the market for Cayman Rs in Australia. “It’s this sense of camaraderie. You finish mid-afternoon and have a meal and a drink with people who share the same interests as you.”

Day two dawns wet, miserable and freezing. This provides two realisations. The first is that Tassie motorsport fans are some of the very hardiest in the world. Hundreds of them line the roadside and wave as we zoom past. Entire families turn out to see the cars, which lends the feeling that the whole state is happy that Targa is back. It really is nice to feel liked and welcomed.

And the second? Changing the grip level provides an abject lesson in risk management, weight transfer and keeping your inputs smooth. Our first stage is the famously demanding ‘The Sidling’; a serpentine stretch of blacktop that climbs and plunges just outside of the village of Springfield. In the dry it’d be driving nirvana. In the wet, it’s treacherous.

Watching a GT3 wobble hopelessly off the road in front of us is all the reminder we need to keep things in check, although it’s also clear that we’re contending with another side to the GT4. Deliver a clumsy input in the dry and the Cayman will mostly shrug it off; try the same in these conditions, on Cup 2s that need temperature to work, and it’ll rap you over the knuckles. It’s never unpredictable or nasty but on mossy tarmac, the GT4 offers no excuses either. If you under-deliver, that’s on you, pal.

MOTOR’s Targa stint only takes in the first two days, meaning we’re bugging out four days early. So it’s time to make some conclusions. That the PDK version of the GT4 is a welcome addition to the Cayman range is an obvious one. It’s noticeably quicker and subtly more focused in its intent than the manual, but is it better to drive? That’s harder to answer.

If speed and eking out every last tenth are your priorities, the PDK is superior. But if you place just as much emphasis on the experience of driving as you do outright performance, then the manual still reigns supreme. Personally? I’d stay with three pedals.

And the Tour? Like the rest of Targa’s future, it hangs in the balance as Motorsport Australia investigates this year’s tragic incidents. Yet one thing is quite certain: if you love driving, events don’t get much better. And you needn’t be a squillionaire to take part. Porsche’s event is expertly run but for all the GT3s, Aventadors and 812s, there’s also a strong contingent of Renault Meganes, BMW 135is and Toyota Supras, all here enjoying their cars on Australia’s best roads.

Oh, and that aforementioned hard-charging Viper?

Well, a Dodge Viper did win, but just not the one we saw shooting sparks as it flew by. Fittingly, no one on the podium sprayed champagne.

TASSIE MOTORSPORT FANS ARE SOME OF THE VERY HARDIEST IN THE

world ABOVE MIDDLE Early starts and late finishes aren’t too hard to take when you’ve got horizons like this to take in MAIN Inwood takes advantage of the dry roads and attacks the apex as the red mist descends

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THE COMPARISON: BMW M3 COMPETITION VS ALFA ROMEO GIULIA Q

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CAN BMW’S ALL-NEW M3 COMPETITION ECLIPSE THE CAR THAT REWROTE THE RULES IN THE SPORTS SEDAN SECTOR, THE ALFA ROMEO GIULIA Q?

BY AN DY EN RIG HT + P I C S A L A S TA I R B R O O K

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IN THE REAL WORLD, A GIULIA Q IS NEVER GOING TO MONSTER AN M3 COMPETITION OFF THE LINE

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HREE, TWO, ONE, FIRE. Up through first, big flare of wheelspin, correct quickly, second, third another huge armful of lock as the BMW M3 Competition splashes through standing water at Heathcote dragway. This is terrifying. The surface is cold, damp and there’s a rainbow sheen leaching out of the bitumen patching. The numbers today are barely worth consideration. What is worthy of note is that the Alfa Romeo Giulia Q is a receding speck in the BMW’s overstyled mirrors.

On the face of it, this shouldn’t happen. Both have identical 375kW power outputs yet the Alfa is around 200kg lighter. Both are on focused R tyres, the Giulia on P Zero Corsas and the M3 on Pilot Sport Cup 2s, yet time and again, the BMW hooks up and somehow sniffs out traction. Put it down to a tyre compound better suited to the cold, a fractionally larger rear contact patch and smarter traction control software, but know that in the real world, a Giulia Q is never going to monster an M3 Competition off the line. Drag race done.

WEDNESDAY 8PM – MERRIJIG

LEFT In straight-line drags, this is the view a Giulia Q driver will get of the new F80 M3 Competition

THE REMAINS OF THE DAY are compressed to an occidental ribbon of aquamarine ahead, noctilucent streaks fading from blue to black. Overhead, a carpet of stars explodes out of the near horizon of silhouetted mountain peaks, our galaxy, viewed from our remote location somewhere on its Orion Arm. In the distance, a light clicks on in a remote farmstead sited on a bluff overlooking the Delatite river valley. The car ticks and pings cool on the road’s shoulder after a helter-skelter descent of Mount Buller. I’d already been down once and then turned around and drove back up to the top to do it all over again, for no good reason other than the fact that I could. The BMW M3 Competition is that sort of car. A car that will leave you wrung out and slightly euphoric, standing alone in the night ordering your thoughts to the sound of hopeful cicadas and a chorus of frogs.

Viewed objectively, the BMW ought to be night and day better than the Alfa Romeo Giulia Q. That’s the nature of evolution and it’s clear where a version of automotive natural selection has taken place, the Bavarian sedan adopting those traits that the Giulia introduced back when we first drove it in 2017. It was a revelation then. I was writing for Wheels magazine and realised that it had changed the rules in the class, when it was put up against the prior BMW M3 and Mercedes-AMG C63 S. Here’s how I introduced the car back then.

“You’re supposed to make it look hard? I thought you were supposed to make it look easy,” said extreme skiing world champ Doug Coombs as he watched a fellow competitor huff and puff his way in a series of staccato hops down a competition face. Coombs flowed down the steeps like a water droplet, effortlessly finding the path of least resistance, smearing and melding turns into the contours of the mountain.

I’m minded of that quote right now as I attempt to hold station with a well-driven Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio. The Italian car is all sinew and suppleness, as if gently pressed to the road’s ruts, compressions and decreasing radius corners by a benign celestial hand.

The Mercedes-AMG C63 S I’m driving instead adopts a different philosophy, attempting to bludgeon Australia’s d

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impertinent topography into submission through sheer surfeit of Newton metres; hopping, kicking, shunting and when in doubt, defaulting to a full Wagnerian sonic assault. It doesn’t keep up. It can’t. Nor can the BMW M3 Competition receding in my mirror. Both are attempting to smash a hammer through butter when what’s needed is a hot knife.”

A new hot knife, finished in Portimao Blue, now sits before me on the dark road out of the high country.

Lessons have clearly been learned from the insouciant manner in which the Alfa brushed aside its established rivals. Stone chips start loosening their bond from the cooling tyres and clink to the bitumen. A jet blinks silently high in the heavens, a reminder of when we were something other than a hermit isle. Four years ago seems a very long time given how events have unfolded in the interim, but BMW has certainly packed a lot of development into that period. The M3 Competition feels dense, as if all that intellectual property has a physical mass to contend with, the dizzying ecosystem of buttons, dials, tabs, modes, and esoteric functions layered within its iDrive 7 system.

THURSDAY 8AM MANSFIELD

THE ALFA ROMEO Giulia Q is still a beguiling thing and, after a couple of days with the two cars, I like it more than the BMW. I like the way that it disguises digital

BELOW Front end grip from the M3 is extremely strong, helped in part by markedly wider boots than the Alfa.

Front camera does look like a pimple on the proboscis though

as analogue, how it simplifies and distils the driving experience. But here’s the rub. I don’t think you like it more than the BMW. In fact, I know that you probably don’t. In the period that the Giulia Q has been on sale here, it has totalled fewer sales than the BMW M3’s worst single-year showing over that same period. M3 sales have grown year on year between 2017 and 2021, Giulia sales have nosedived. The 3 Series sedan range as a whole outsells the Giulia range by 17 to one. It seems almost nobody was brave enough to put their hand into their own pocket for the Alfa but look at resale values and they’re pretty much identical. About $95k buys you similarly tidy 2017 examples of Giulia QV (as it was badged then) and BMW M3 Competition. In other words, the fear that you’d lose your shirt on the Giulia created an exclusivity that then served to bolster residuals. Ah, the unintended consequences of supply and demand.

It’s at this point that I probably ought to say that I can understand why because x,y and z went wrong with the Giulia on our test, but it didn’t. It felt as tight as a drum throughout, and the recent investment in refreshing the interior might have been modest, yet it makes itself felt in the quality of the touch points. Remember that unfinished plastic flashing that your fingertips scraped up against on the old gear lever? It’s now a cushioned leather wrap with a lovely Italian tricolore legend at its base. The old postage-stamp infotainment screen has

A NEW HOT KNIFE, FINISHED IN PORTIMAO BLUE, NOW SITS BEFORE ME ON THE DARK ROAD OUT OF THE HIGH COUNTRY

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DESPITE THE BMW’S TORQUE AND TRACTION ADVANTAGE, IT CAN’T GAP THE ALFA ON ROAD

been junked for a slicker 8.8-inch touchscreen and the steering wheel has been redesigned for better quality and control functionality.

We’re at the base of Mount Buller and there’s a section of road here that highlights a key difference between the two cars. It’s a deeply dished left-hander that climbs sharply uphill and then the benign camber just vanishes.

Both the M3 and the Giulia come through line astern and the M3 hunkers down and then holds its line as the camber disappears. The Alfa Romeo lolls into oversteer as soon as its P Zero Corsas lose the benefit of the camber.

Both cars are running on 285/35 rear tyres but the BMW has 20-inch Pilot Sport Cup 2s at the back compared to the Alfa’s 19-inch hoops, so the contact patch is 10.6 per cent larger. Given what we discovered at a cold and wet Heathcote, the Michelins also seem comparatively more tolerant to single-digit temperatures than the Pirellis.

Despite the BMW’s torque and traction advantage, it can’t gap the Alfa on road. These advantages are offset by the Italian car’s superior power-to-weight ratio, which sees it wielding 230kW per tonne against the Bavarian’s 217kW. Put that down to the industrial strength bracing up front in the M3, which cages the S58 lump between bars that run dome to dome, dome to bulkhead and dome to chassis struts and they’re key to how the M3 tackles a road. Get the front end right, finesse the way the car presents its front tyres to the road surface and the rest is easy, reasoned the team at Garching. They’ve certainly aced that assignment.

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LEFT The Giulia Q is still a weapon on roads like these, but as lovely as its engine is, the BMW’s S58 feels a few per cent gutsier

BOTTOM LEFT The firing order of 1-6-3-4-2-5 of the Alfa V6 is the same as the Nettuno engine in the new Maserati MC20.

Coincidence?

I know that the G80 M3 Competition will understeer.

That’s simple physics. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to throw enough physics at it to make that happen. Loosen the electronic shackles with the near-genius M Dynamic Mode and you can happily slither it around heroically, the system deciding whether you’re competent and if it deems you are, and that you’ve dialled in the correct amount of lock, it’ll keep giving you power. Switch everything off and it’s only then that you feel those masses at play. There’s a zone between half a hand of correction and hanging it all out where the combination of electronically controlled diff and the variable ratio M Servotronic electrically assisted steering can feel a bit spiky, but certainly no worse than the last F80 model. That had a distinctly malicious side to it.

Aside from the limit handling, the three most significant areas of change are the weight (up 175kg over its predecessor), the styling (you be the judge on that one) and the transmission, which ditches the whipcrack dual-clutch transmission in favour of an eight-speed ZF torque-converter automatic. While I miss the immediacy of the old DCT ’box, the auto isn’t a whole lot slower, is a good deal more refined around town and in ‘normal’ driving and when you’re really on it, the combination of a bit less rear spring rate and the ZF’s ability to slur seamlessly through the gears doesn’t shock the driveline like the old dual-clutch. A win on points for the new gearbox, in other words.

The Giulia shares the same ZF transmission, just one area where the G80 M3 seems to have watched and learned from Alfa Romeo. The immediacy of the steering and the pliancy of the ride are also characteristics that BMW has subtly cribbed from the Italian. Despite its heft, body control is excellent, with the perfect amount of pitch and roll to cue you in to what’s happening at the contact patches beneath you.

Jump into the Giulia and it feels as if you’ve stepped back in time. Everything is simpler to operate and that’s no bad thing. The DNA drive mode controller is easy to get to grips with, a long anti-clockwise twist switching it into Race mode, where the Ferrari-influenced 2.9-litre V6 really finds its voice. It’s louder than the BMW outside the car and the sound effects inside are more authentic, too.

Not that the BMW sounds bad. In fact, I had to ask the video team which of the two cars sounded better from the outside at which they looked at me as if I’d just been kicked in the head by a horse. “The Alfa, of course. It’s about twice as loud as the BMW.” That impression of parity from the cabin is largely due to some very clever sound symposer work from the engineers at Garching, which fills the interior with a decent approximation of a building straight-six howl from as little as 3500rpm.

That helps, because the S58 isn’t an engine you’ll go pinging the redline with. It’s effective and feels gutsy and bulletproof, but it isn’t tinged, subjectively at least, with the top-end hedonism of Alfa Romeo’s Ferrari F154influenced powerplant.

The 690T engine in the Giulia Q retains the F154’s 90° cylinder angle, 86.5mm bore, 82.0mm stroke and dual d

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IN DYNAMIC MODE, THE GIULIA’S ESC WILL STEP IN RATHER HEAVY-HANDEDLY

IHI-sourced single-scroll turbochargers but gets a revised aluminium cylinder head, a forged nitride steel crankshaft and a different crankcase. If you were ever slightly sniffy about the appeal of a V6 versus an inline-six, consider this an education. Alfa claims that peak torque of 600Nm runs from 2500 to 5500rpm, but dyno plots I’ve seen suggest a 3500rpm peak, after which the torque begins to tail off, with 96 per cent of peak torque generated at 5000rpm.

The BMW’s S58 makes its peak figure of 650Nm at 2750rpm and retains that strong and long to 5510rpm.

Because of this, you never feel as if you need to be plucking gears like crazy in the M3 and you also feel reassured that even a modest glitch in the transmission’s logic will be easily mopped up by that huge swathe of torque on offer when you pick up the throttle at the apex.

There are very pronounced differences in feel on the way into a corner too. Whereas you heave the BMW’s obese steering wheel into a corner as if you’re hefting a baseball bat, the Giulia’s thinner wheel feels as if you’re always guiding it with your fingertips. Yes, as we already know, the Brembo brake-by-wire system takes a bit of getting used to, but within a few hours you’ll have the hang of finessing the brake pedal.

What the Giulia signally lacks is any sort of stability control safety net when you are in Race. You’re on your

own there. Fortunately, it’s such a talented chassis that this rarely feels a problem. In Dynamic, the ESC will step in rather heavy-handedly just when you think you’re about to go all Chris Harris. There’s no halfway system like the BMW’s M Dynamic Mode and that would be something for the replacement, but it looks like this Giulia Q will be the end of this particular line, if Alfa’s recent pronunciations about the death of the multi-billion euro Giorgio platform are anything to go by.

Originally slated to be used by 15 models, it now looks like the Giulia and its SUV sibling, the Stelvio, will be the only vehicles to ever use the chassis. Alfa Romeo’s new CEO, Jean-Philippe Imparato, has stated that future Alfa Romeo models would use Stellantis’ STLA large-vehicle architecture instead of the Giorgio. While that’s a shame, it instantly makes the Giulia Q one of the most nailed-on future collectible classics currently on sale.

These are two truly excellent cars. It’s a testament to the Alfa Romeo Giulia Q that the decision is this close. It’s had a modest interior refresh of late, but to all intents and purposes this is the same car that we first drove in 2017 and it ought to have been chewed up and spat out by the pace of change. It hasn’t. If anything, it feels refreshingly shorn of the sort of expensive and pointless frippery that burdens many modern cars. You don’t need a Drift d

ABOVE “No, I didn’t touch the centre line, officer.”

Giulia’s precision makes it an easy car to position to millimetric perfection RIGHT Quality of interior touch points have improved in the latest Giulia Q but cabin execution still a step behind the BMW

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Analyzer or Remote Engine Start or an automatic bootlid.

Really. They’re the reason – along with the optional $26k M Carbon Package – why this M3 Competition carries a price tag of $183,980 before on-roads.

Even stripped back to its bones, the M3 Competition is $154,900, which contrasts with the $138,950 asked of the Giulia Q and even with the BMW’s extended carbon pack, which includes the carbon ceramic brakes and incredible carbon bucket seats, its bonnet will still be made of aluminium, rather than the Alfa’s beautiful carbon fibre item. You no longer even get the lovely carbon brace in the M3’s engine bay, the workmanlike steel structures possessing no great beauty.

No great beauty. That could sum up the latest BMW M3 Competition were it not for the fact that beauty can be found in strange places and that things are beautiful if you love them. Whether you could find a place in your heart for the G80 M3 is a vexed question. It’s brutish and undeniably effective, and is probably the best M3 we’ve had since the E46, which puts it on an exceedingly high pedestal. It’s a towering achievement and has the Giulia Q covered in most dynamic regards, as indeed it ought to.

Were I paying my money the BMW is the car I’d probably buy, yet on the rare occasions that I chanced upon a Giulia Q passing the other way, I’d curse my lily-livered soul.

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WHETHER YOU COULD FIND A PLACE IN YOUR HEART FOR THE G80 BMW M3 IS A VEXED QUESTION

Those curses would be charged with the knowledge that these cars rage against the dying of the light for solus internal combustion sports sedans. Mercedes-AMG has already blinked and pursued a hybrid future with its next C63e. Therefore the choice between the Alfa and the BMW could well prove the last new car purchase of this particular type you ever make. Choose wisely, but know that whichever of these two you choose will be a car revered for many years to come. If these are the end of days for cars like this, then perhaps I’ll be forgiven for breaking off the convoy in the Alfa, swinging it back towards the dark mountain forests and drenching the night with the howl of a dying breed.

BELOW Who needs Google Maps when Enright knows the location of every Hungry Jack’s in Australia?

The Specs Mountains of mumbo BMW M3 COMPETITION BODY 4-door, 5-seat sedan DRIVE ENGINE BORE X STROKE COMPRESSION POWER TORQUE POWER/WEIGHT TRANSMISSION WEIGHT

ALFA ROMEO GIULIA Q 4-door, 5-seat sedan

rear-wheel

rear-wheel

2993cc inline-6, DOHC, 24v, twin-turbo

2891cc V6, DOHC, 24v, twin-turbo

84.0 x 90.0mm

86.5 x 82.0mm

9.3:1

9.3:1

375kW @ 5510 - 7500rpm

375kW @ 6500rpm

650Nm @ 2700-5510rpm

600Nm @ 2500-5500rpm

217kW/tonne

230kW/tonne

8-speed automatic

8-speed automatic

1730kg A -arms, coil springs, adaptive dampers, anti-roll bar (f); SUSPENSION double multi-links, coil springs, adaptive dampers, anti-roll bar (r) L/W/H 4794/1903/1437mm

1633kg double A-arms, coil springs, adaptive dampers, anti-roll bar (f); multi-links, coil springs, adaptive dampers, anti-roll bar (r) 4639/1873/1426mm

WHEELBASE 2857mm TRACKS 1617/1605mm (f/r) STEERING electrically assisted rack-and-pinion

2820mm

ventilated discs, 6-piston calipers (f); 370mm ventilated discs, BRAKES 380mm single-piston floating caliper (r) WHEELS 19.0 x 9.5-inch (f) 20 x 10.5-inch (r)

TYRES PRICE PROS CONS STAR RATING

1555/1607mm (f/r) electrically assisted rack-and-pinion 360m ventilated discs, 6-piston calipers (f); 350mm ventilated discs, 4-piston calipers (r) 19.0 x 8.5-inch (f) 19 x 10-inch (r)

275/35 ZR19 100Y (f) 285/30 ZR20 99Y (r) Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2

245/35 ZR19 95Y (f) 285/30 ZR19 98Y (r) Pirelli P Zero Corsa

$154,900

$138,950

Huge grip; punchy engine; slick interior; clever drive modes

Engine note; charismatic power delivery; styling; ride; handling

Styling not to all tastes; weight/size; brutish in feel; getting expensive

No halfway ESC mode; cabin a little basic; brakes take getting used to

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M BACK SECTION. SWEET DREAM FORD FIESTA RS

Sweet Dream CARS THAT DON DON’TT EXIST, BUT SHOULD

BY CAMERON KIRBY I L L U S T R AT I O N T H E O P H I L U S C H I N

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We imagine what a Blue Oval homologation special would look like THIS IS THE Toyota GR Yaris-beating hot hatch that Ford is too scared to build – a Fiesta RS! The official line from Blue Oval executives on the prospect of a more focused sibling to the already brilliant Fiesta ST is ‘wishful thinking’, with the kibosh put on a Fiesta RS for several years now.

Well, at MOTOR HQ, we are big fans of wishful thinking, so we’ve envisaged a world in which the Fiesta hot hatch family exists with a two-tier system.

A Fiesta RS isn’t completely unheard of historically, with Ford putting its Rally Sport badge on the back of a blown third-gen XR2 in 1990 to create the Fiesta RS Turbo. While it may seem odd initially for the smaller of Ford’s hatches to become the hotted-up hero, and not the more storied Focus, there are strong motorsport links for a ‘baby’ RS to play on, with the three-door Fiesta bodystyle being a regular rally winner in WRC, and a dominant force in feeder categories (wearing badges R2-R5). As a result, the Fiesta RS would be

available only as a three-door – much like the Toyota Yaris GR that would become its main competitor.

The previous generation Focus RS set a high water mark for Blue Oval hot hatches, and it forms the mechanical basis of what could make the Fiesta RS a haunting nightmare for Toyota’s Gazoo Racing division.

The Blue Oval already has all the ingredients it needs to build the hypothetical halo, it’s just a matter of making them work in a smaller package.

There are plenty of reasons why the Fiesta RS will remain a figment of our imagination – obliterated profit margins and threats to the Focus’s market position being chief concerns – but hot damn do we wish it would become a reality. How would we make it happen? Read on.

We are incredibly excited that Sweet Dreams has returned to the pages of MOTOR. Want to play fantasy product planner with us? Send your best ideas to MOTOR@aremedia.com.au

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M BACK SECTION. SWEET DREAM

THERE ARE PLENTY OF REASONS WHY THE FIESTA RS WILL REMAIN A FIGMENT OF OUR IMAGINATION, BUT WE WISH IT WOULD BECOME A REALITY

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HOW WE’D

Build it

01. RALLY INSPIRED

RS badge demands widened bodywork heavily influenced by Fiesta WRC and R5 racers. Rear bumper gets twin exhausts and diffuser treatment. Front lip benefits from aggro spoiler.

02. BIG BLOCK

Gone is the ‘regular’ Fiesta ST’s 1.5-litre three-cylinder, replaced with a 2.3-litre four from the Focus ST, with a slight tune-up to produce 210kW and 440Nm (a lift of 63kW and 130Nm).

03. RUBBERED UP

Where the Fiesta ST has Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres in 205/40 specs wrapping 18.0 x 7.5-inch wheels, the RS would add an S to the tyre sidewall and step up to 235/35 rubber on 19.0 x 8.0-inch wheels from elsewhere in the Ford Performance catalogue.

04. WEIGHT SAVER

Fiesta ST already tips the scales at a slim 1217kg. By adding a new, bigger engine, along with a trick all-wheel drive system, the RS will come in nearer 1300kg. A 63kW/130Nm power bump will make up the difference for PTW.

05. WHAT’S THE DIFF? 01

Sending power to all four corners is a GKN-supplied Twinster differential set-up similar to the previous-gen Focus RS, along with a six-speed manual transmission. Three pedals ahoy!

06. THE SLOW DOWN One of our only major criticisms of the Fiesta ST is its lack of braking hardware. Brembo comes to the rescue with the RS, supplying track-ready discs, pads, and calipers front and rear.

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M BUYING A MODERN CLASSIC WORSHIPPING THE DEPRECIATION GODS

M E R C E D E S - A M G

MERCEDES-BENZ’S GLORIOUS 6.2-LITRE M156 V8 IS WORTH THE PRICE OF ADMISSION ALONE W O R D S A L E X A F FAT

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WHILE THE USED market may have gone nuts in recent times, it pays to keep an our ear to the ground looking for the hidden gems of the performance car world.

The C209-generation CLK 63 is one we unearthed recently, and were surprised that this thumping V8 coupe had somehow slipped under the radar.

Despite costing more than $200K when new, the going rate for a CLK 63 today sits at about $45K; making it one of the cheapest ways into owning the revered M156 6.2-litre V8 (although an ML63 can be had for about half that, again).

It’s that glorious V8 that proves the centrepiece of the CLK 63, and is a reason to get into one soon. With the C63’s future promising downsized powerplants and electrification, the M156 is already regarded as a desirable watermark for a bygone era of motoring.

In a historical sense, the M156 also represents the first engine wholly designed by Daimler’s then-new subsidiary, Mercedes-AMG; whose design was led by Bernd Ramler – famed designer of the Carrera GT’s 5.7-litre V10. We should point out that, while MercedesBenz erroneously badges the cars as 6.3-litres, the

ABOVE Button-heavy interior is a stark comparison to Benz’s interiors of today

M156’s actual 6208cc displacement was rounded up as a historical nod to Benz’s first V8: the 6332cc drysumped, forged internal, single-cam M100.

Quoted at 354kW and 630Nm when new, the C209 CLK 63 can hold its own amongst current performance cars – clocking 100km/h in about 4.5 seconds.

Peak power is reached at 6800rpm, and peak torque at 5000rpm. Rev cut-out kicks in at a dizzying 7200rpm, which is impressive for a V8 of this size.

Fuel economy isn’t fantastic, in fact under hard use the big V8 can drink upwards of 20L/100km. But the C209 made real strides in development, replacing the old recirculating ball steering with a rack-andpinion system, as well as introducing a three-link front suspension design and an aluminium multi-link rear.

It may not be scalpel sharp dynamically, but in the frame of a muscular grand tourer, the CLK 63 makes a lot of sense as a second-hand weekend vehicle.

With a rising tide facing much of Benz’s increasingly popular back catalogue, the C209 CLK 63 will surely be hot property in the future as Benz’s quad-headlight era of cars increasingly moves into the limelight. d

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M BUYING A MODERN CLASSIC MERCEDES-AMG CLK 63 BODY ENGINE POWER TORQUE TRANSMISSION WEIGHT USED RANGE

2-door, 4-seat coupe 6208cc V8, DOHC, 32v 354kW @ 6800rpm 630Nm @ 5000rpm 7-speed automatic 1755kg $40,000-$45,000

THE 354KW CLK 63 CAN STILL HOLD ITS OWN AGAINST TODAY’S CROP OF PERFORMANCE CARS

OTHER OPTIONS YOU MAY CONSIDER 116

1. BMW E92 M3 Another Icon Buyer alumnus, the E92 generation M3 similarly trades on its characterful 4.0-litre V8. Bottom of the market is line-ball at $40-45k, although there are far more examples to choose from out there.

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2. AUDI S8 V10 The S8 may not cut the same sharp and exotic silhouette as the svelte pillarless CLK, but how can you say no to a Lamborghini-sourced 331kW 5.2-litre V10, with room for five of your mates. This is sharp buying at $45K!

3. MERCEDES-AMG W204 C63 If the CLK tickles your fancy but you’re in need of more doors (or another coupe), the popular W204 C63 is readily available in plentiful numbers, with prices beginning at $40k. The mileages are generally much higher though.

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IN THE MARKET Available in coupe and cabriolet ESSENTIAL configuration, the CLK was CHECKS positioned above the C-Class it was based on, and somewhere CLK 63 below the E-Class of the time.

Production numbers for the standard CLK 63 are a little hazy, however, there were also 800 Black Series’ produced, and a further 100 of the widebody DTM Edition cars.

You’ll struggle to find either of the latter mentioned vehicles on the local market, with only 120 Black Series produced in RHD, and just 32 delivered to Australia.

The value prospect loses its shine in this space, with just one Black Series observed on the market for an eyewatering $495,000.

BODY & CHASSIS Of the few CLK 63s currently on the market, all bear similar odometer readings which work out to a rather sympathetic 7500-odd kilometres per year. Likely enthusiast-owned since new, it is fair to assume that most CLK 63s have lived rather pampered lives. You should still inspect for rust and corrosion to the rear wheel arches, doors and boot.

Keyless entry is also known to malfunction, as has the third brake light. Electro-hydraulic roof mechanisms on the cabriolet have also been known to play up if the hydraulic fluid level drops due to seals which begin to perish around 10 years of age.

ENGINE & TRANSMISSION The M156 V8 is generally regarded as a durable and reliable engine, however, there were known issues afflicting early iterations.

ONE Powerful bent eight and rear-drive dynamics... the CLK 63 knows how to let its hair down TWO Pundits are already lamenting the loss of the M156 V8. Get yours today THREE A rising tide for classic Benzes will soon see this era of cars in demand FOUR Its understated and handsome pillarless design has only grown more graceful with age

The most widely reported issues pertained to cylinder head bolts which were corroded and stretched by coolant in the engine. Despite the possible head lift, the head bolts could also break down and release damaging metal shavings into the engine – possibly leading to terminal failure in a worst-case scenario. Valve lifters were also known to seize and cause damage and wear to the camshaft.

Mercedes-Benz eventually came up with a fix, replacing the bolts and valve lifters with uprated units.

Issues usually arose around the 160,000km mark and you should be able to verify your engine number with Mercedes-Benz as to whether or not your vehicle has received the upgrades.

SUSPENSION & BRAKES Despite examples on the market retaining reasonable odometer readings, an inspection by a marque specialist is recommended as roll-bar end-links and control-arm bushings were known to wear out prematurely.

Elsewhere, owners (likely with heavy right foots) have reported accelerated tyre wear. Inspect for noticeably uneven wear, as a full set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres will set you back about $1200; comprising a pair of 225/40 18s up front and 255/35 18s out back.

INTERIOR & ELECTRONICS The odd rattle can afflict the 209-series cars, most often pertaining to windows that no longer seal due to faulty regulators.

Non-functioning AC is often caused by a faulty stepper motor, or broken plastic arms which control the vents. These are dash-out jobs, and an audible ‘click’ from behind the dash on ignition should be a red flag. d

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M BACK SECTION. TECH TALK PIRELLI CYBER TYRE

BY CAMERON KIRBY

Smart rubber After more than a century of development, tyres are entering a brave new digital arena PITY THE TYRE. WHILE the internal combustion gets all the attention as it faces an existential threat, the tyre – vital to every car big, small, fast and slow – has probably made even larger proportional gains but has done so with little fuss or bother.

While the masses prepare to mourn the death of the internal combustion engine, a new era is poised to dawn for the tyre. One that promises ever greater vehicle integration, improved safety, and most importantly, easier to access levels of data.

The first example of this is Pirelli’s Cyber Tyre – fitted as standard to the new McLaren Artura. What makes the Cyber differ from the P Zero rubber fitted to other performance cars of the Artura’s ilk is a sensor that is built into the carcass of the tyre. Say hello to the world’s first ‘smart tyre’.

Tyre sensors aren’t completely new. However, previously they were located in the valve stem in the wheel rim. This limited both the amount and accuracy of information that could be relayed back to the car’s computer.

Pirelli is working with OEMs to ensure that the Cyber tyre and a vehicle’s ECU communicate directly to each other.

In its simplest form, Pirelli’s Cyber tyre creates a ‘passport’ for the rubber, which documents whether it’s a winter or summer unit, the speed rating, load index, and ideal pressure. Adding to this it records up-to-date information such as current temperature and pressures.

Currently, the Cyber tyre’s functions are rudimentary – warnings when speed ratings are exceeded, along with the basic functions of current tyre-pressure monitors. The main difference is how accurate the information is, and how quickly it is transmitted.

By linking the vehicle’s computer and tyre sensor, Pirelli says its tyres have the potential to assist adaptive suspension settings, detecting heavy loads, and telling

the car to increase settings like, say, pre-load to suit.

Additionally, systems like ESC and traction control can be tweaked to correlate with decreasing tyre wear, or changed conditions such as wet or icy roads.

Where McLaren’s application of the technology has us at MOTOR excited is on the track. With the in-tyre sensors providing more accurate information in regards to pressures and temperatures, the Woking engineers, alongside Pirelli, were able to develop a pseudo digital race engineer.

This provides drivers with an indication when the tyres have reached their optimal temperature, as well as warnings on when to cool the rubber back down.

There are further developments in the near future, which will appear alongside expansions of 5G technology and infrastructure. The sensor used in Pirelli’s Cyber tyre is 5G compatible, allowing it to transfer information to not just the car it is fitted to, but surrounding vehicles as well. Say a vehicle fitted with smart tyres is driving down a road, hits a large patch of water and begins to aquaplane.

With the right 5G infrastructure, it would be able to ping a nearby cell tower, which would then alert a following vehicle of the hazard ahead, helping make the driving experience safer for other road users.

While debuting on a McLaren, Pirelli says its technology will soon be able to filter down to more affordable vehicles. This is because while the Cyber tyre doesn’t do much to a vehicles profit margins on a perunit basis, higher-end vehicles are currently best suited to maximise the smart rubber due to more advanced safety, suspension, and drivetrain systems.

Want the secret to unlocking extra speed at a track day in 2031? It’ll probably have more to do with what rubber you have on each corner of your car than a trick set-up or power-boosting turbo.

THE CYBER TYRE PROVIDES DRIVERS WITH AN INDICATION WHEN THEY HAVE REACHED OPTIMAL TEMPERATURES

RUNNING BEFORE YOU CAN WALK Why performance cars will benefit first Pirelli’s Cyber tyre is currently only available in two variations – the P Zero and P Zero Trofeo. That’s because performance applications will make the most of the 118

technology in the early days. Expect other tyre manufacturers with high-performance manufacturer links to reveal similar systems and products in the not-too-distant future.

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➜

CHANGING PRESSURES Continental is working on what it calls a ‘Dynamic Pressure’ system, which will be able to change a tyre’s pressures on the fly. This means you can go from pressures best suited to improving fuel efficiency, to track-ready readings, without needing to stop.

➜

V2X GON’ GIVE IT TO YA The Cyber tyre concept works perfectly for vehicleto-everything (V2X) communication systems.

Once properly developed, your tyres will be linked to other road users, traffic lights, and more.

➜ ➜

EVS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN With more performanceorientated electric vehicles on the market, Michelin has had to develop a new tyre that caters to their specific requirements.

The Pilot Sport EV has been designed with the eco-friendly track day enthusiast in mind.

MATERIAL DEVELOPMENT Moving away from performance and toward sustainability, several tyre companies are experimenting with building tyres out of renewable materials. Goodyear uses waste from processing rice husk ash, and converts it into silica for tyres in China.

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06.2021

M PRODUCTS

GEAR YOU NEED, NOW

Cool Kit 1

assouline.com This coffee-table book 1 recounts 100 memorable moments in F1, and tributes the heroes and achievements that forged the sport.

Normal charging pad won’t do? Porsche can 2 offer you this one, constructed out of an originalporsche.com Porsche 911 piston. It boasts a 10-watt maximum output.

Pre-orders are open for 3 Thrustmaster’s latest sim add-on, this one a faithfulpagnianimports.com.au replica of Ferrari’s 2020 F1 wheel from its SF1000 race car.

Little chance of losing your AirPods with these 4 silicon cases from GaragePodz. Not agaragepodz.com GT-R fan? There are more to choose from, inspired by a range of cars.

FORMULA 1: THE IMPOSSIBLE COLLECTION $995

911 WIRELESS CHARGING PISTON $579

THRUSTMASTER FERRARI SF1000 $599 RB26DETT AIRPOD CASE $25

THINGS WE WANT

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3

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Ed’s pick STRAIGHT TO THE POOL ROOM

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TAG HEUER CARRERA CAR SPECIAL EDITIO EDITION $9650 tagheuer.com

Green dials are well and ttruly in vogue in i the th watch t h indus iindustry d this year, and we are here for it. Tag Heuer joins the party with wit a green special edition of its Carr Carrera reissue. Just 500 are bei being made.

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6

GARMIN CATALYST $1699 garmin.com

Ed’s pick PRODUCT OF THE MONTH

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Garmin is getting into lap telemetry with its Catalyst Driving Performance Optimiser. It features GPS-based ‘True Track Positioning’, optimal lap times, real-time data, apex analysis and video capture.

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racedeal.com.au An evolution of Sparco’s popular RG-3.1 entry 7 level gloves, these ultralight and flame-retardant gloves are great for added grip, feel and protection.

A classic twist on Recaro’s 8 popular modern bucket seat. If houndstooth doesn’tdemon-tweeks.com fit your car, you can get GTI-esque tartan, or corduroy, too!

Keep your lid clean and shiny between track days 9 with these affordable and effective pyrotectstore.com fleece-lined nylon helmet bags from US manufacturer Pyrotect.

Limited edition Sparco suit looks straight out of 10 the ’70s, but is produced with modern techniquessparco.com and offers superior comfort, breathability and fire protection.

SPARCO FIA ‘LAND’ GLOVES $150

RECARO CLASSIC POLE POSITION $2938 PYROTECT HELMET BAG $25

MARTINI RACING REPLICA SUIT $1294

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THINGS WE WANT

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BACK SECTION. THE GARAGE

06 . 2021

05

the Garage MONTH 1497cc I3, FWD, 147kW/290Nm, six-speed MT, 1217kg, $32,290

THIS MONTH 7.86L/100KM AVERAGE 8.05L/100KM

THIS MONTH 361KM TOTAL 26170KM

FORD FIESTA ST

1

LIGHT, FANTASTIC Fiesta out! It’s been a blast

IT’S CHECK-OUT TIME for the Ford Fiesta ST in the MOTOR garage, and while it’s comfortably been the least powerful and least expensive piece of kit through the shed over the past six months – it’s also easily been one of the most beloved.

It certainly entered The Garage on a high, fresh off a fourth place finish at PCOTY 2021 and displacing some heavy-hitters such as

the Audi R8 and RS6 Avant, Porsche Cayman 4.0 GTS manual and even Toyota’s GR Yaris in the process.

The question, however, remained whether the tiny terror would lose its lustre when asked to become a true live-in companion in the real world. Spoiler alert: the answer is no.

As an urban runabout, you’d struggle to find a better package at this price-point.

E ND OF TE RM

Goodbye

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LOVE

RELATIONSHIP GRAPH

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BELOW Purists may lust for the three-door, but the five-door makes practical sense for most buyers

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MTH

In fact, at $32,290, the Ford Fiesta ST is the sixth-cheapest car in our expansive Hot Source data section at the back of our magazine.

For your money, you get a practical five-door hatchback body, with useable rear seats and a 311-litre boot. The rear seats, too, fold down 60:40; transforming the Fiesta into a pseudo mini van, and providing a more vacuous acoustic chamber for the baritone exhaust to tickle your ears. It’ll make you chuckle.

Its deceptively tractable threecylinder turbo powerplant is a hugely characterful and intoxicating lump, with a distinctive rush as the

LEFT An urban warfare specialist: the 1217kg Fiesta ST’s small dimensions make light work of surviving the inner-city bump and grind

little turbo comes on boost, reaching its peak power output at 6000rpm.

For months now, Sport mode has been my default driving setting. It wakes up the throttle response while hefting up the steering weight just so. The exhaust also seems to drop a few tones, gain a few decibels, and – once the car gets to temperature – signals off-throttle overrun with a satisfying array of pops and bangs.

Its compactness and flea-like agility are a blessing in the urban climate, able to exploit gaps in traffic – and the car park. In today’s motoring landscape, dominated by SUVs and dual-cab utes; it’s easy to forget just how fantastic it is to pedal a small car about town.

The real magic, however, of Ford’s pint-sized performance hero is the ability to row gears around suburbia without any real risk of attracting the disapproving eyes of local law enforcement.

It’s one of those special cars that offers the sensation, and the smiles, of spirited driving without ever needing to reach truly consequential speeds around town. That’s not to say there are diminishing returns as the pace increases, on the contrary, the Fiesta ST is a car that gets better with speed.

It’s a car that truly makes almost any commute, errand or journey, a fun one. And that’s something to be celebrated in an age where most buyers are more concerned with getting the latest tech, or the flashiest cabin.

However, the Fiesta isn’t without fault. The interior isn’t the most dramatic or finely finished. Hard plastics aren’t always a big issue at this price point, but you are getting your value elsewhere.

While overseas Fiestas can be chosen in no less than three different levels of specification, plus an optional Performance Pack on top, the local offering gets no such choice –we simply get it all.

It’s easy to recommend the Fiesta ST to the driving enthusiast.

As a pint-sized performance offering, it’s virtually unmatched. All the more impressive is that it took almost two years for it to arrive in Australia, and yet still shot straight to top of its class.

PROS and CONS

03

THINGS WE LOVE

THE FIESTA ST IS A CAR THAT MAKES ALMOST ANY COMMUTE A FUN ONE

TOP 18-inch wheels fit snugly under the arches, and almost look like 20s on the diminutive hatch ABOVE Supercar owners: this badge should be cause for concern at the bottom of a mountain road

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THINGS WE RUE

1. Exhaust pops 1. Interior materials 2. Versatile interior 2. Highway comfort 3. Fun without speed 3. Ford wants it back d

Indeed, it’s all the performance car most drivers will ever want, or need.

Where it may fall flat, however, are the needs of others. My girlfriend has been a constant critic of the Fiesta’s firm (yet, always well-controlled) ride and, while the rear seats are just about okay for adults; long highway trips will grow weary no matter what seat you’re sitting in – and that includes the driver’s.

The rapid rate of technology change means the absence of features like a wireless charger are increasingly conspicuous.

Of course, all that fades away by the first corner, and the Fiesta ST should be revered as a champion of accessible performance. Sadly, however, I’ve turned my last corner.

As the micro-fighter departs the MOTOR garage and returns to the mothership, it leaves behind big shoes to fill for whatever is to come next. Bring it on! – AA

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BACK SECTION. THE GARAGE

THIS MONTH 9.5 L100KM AVERAGE 9.4L100KM

THIS MONTH 1046KM TOTAL 2371KM

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2480cc I5, AWD, 294kW/480Nm, 7-speed DCT, 1510kg, $83,800

LOVE

RELATIONSHIP GRAPH

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AUDI RS3 SPORTBACK

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LA DOLCE VITA Does Dan’s RS3 live up to some slightly rose-tinted expectations?

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intrigue and my brother and I would spend all day in rivers, ruined castles and vineyards eating like the locals and slowly turning brown.

Years later, however, I retraced the hire-car tracks back to one of these secret spots and it was disappointing. Through the eyes of an adult and without my older brother to blow stuff up with cheap fireworks, the magic had faded. The beach was still perfect, and the sun still beamed the rays of Mediterranean warmth but something was absent. That’s kind of how I’m feeling about the RS3.

In my first full month with the Audi

j u n e 2 0 2 1 w h i c h c a r. c o m . a u /m o t o r

ABOVE Melbourne doing its best impression of an Italian beach... in winter. Dan braves the cold to take some holiday happy snaps

➜

FOR MANY YEARS of my childhood I was annoyed by my parent’s abject aversion to theme parks and each time we headed off on a family holiday it was never to go and visit Mickey or spend 10 days lost in an intestinal plastic maze of water slides. Instead, we would usually arrive at a semi-derelict farmhouse in northern Italy and spend two weeks cruising white beaches and hilltop villages away from the hordes and traditional tourist traps.

It took me until my 20s to admit it, but it was heaven. Mum and Dad had a knack of finding incredibly special places full of adventure and

I wasted no time throwing the baby of the RS range straight into some frontline performance tests and wasted even less time berating its understeery chassis, lying ESC and muted exhaust note.

But now I’m thinking it might not have been the small changes Audi has made to the model that are to blame – maybe it’s me that has grown up or moved on? In the ensuing years since I first fell in love with the RS3, MercedesAMG has introduced its astonishing new A45 S, the Volkswagen Golf R got its claws into me and I also spent as much time as I could in

➜ BELOW The RS3’s wheels carry over an updated, but iconic design and remain unmarked. Dan keeps an eye on anyone who grabs the keys just in case

the now discontinued BMW M140i.

That’s a serious amount of pedigree performance hatchback for the revenant Audi to compete with.

But even the most unforgettable of my family holidays ended in a rainy Heathrow long-term car park.

That’s why the last four weeks have been all about acknowledging that, despite its intent, a hot hatch will not spend all its time on a skidpan or attempting to snap the needle-stop at the redline. That stuff is for heydays and high days and sooner or later the holiday is over.

One of the reasons hyper hatches like the RS3 appeal to a relatively broad audience is their supercarembarrassing performance is built on the bones of a sensible small German runabout, and if you wanted to be unfairly simplistic, the 294kW all-wheel drive RS3 rolls on the same platform as an entry level Golf Mk7.

And while that might sound like I’m throwing dirt on the Audi’s credentials, it’s actually a compliment when it comes to

practicalities. The second row of seating easily accommodates two adults or three at a push, the RS3’s external dimensions are a breeze to live with even in the city and its 19-inch wheels are even shod in a special P Zero that makes it almost impossible to kerb a rim. As for the boot? The rear differential does rob a little space but the 280-litre compartment is still a useful shape and expands through the folding rear seats to 1120 litres.

Its ride is on the firm side and, even with the drive mode selection in Comfort, the stiffness would probably be a bit much for someone who doesn’t read MOTOR or who has never chopped a coil off their suspension with an angle grinder.

Generally speaking though, the Audi RS3 has been performing daily duties without complaint and it’s easy to forget it has that incendiary five-cylinder turbo engine poised under the bonnet bolted to the automotive equivalent of Araldite for a transmission system. Especially

➜

I WOULD CUT A LAP OF MY FAVOURITE DRIVING ROAD EVERY DAY IN THE RS3

ABOVE It might be small in on-paper stats, but the RS3 boot is surprisingly handy ABOVE RIGHT On-trend puddle lamps are actually tastefully done

PROS and CONS d

as its handsome but understated exterior continues the ruse and belies the performance levels right up until the moment you choose to destroy something with a V8 and rear-wheel drive.

I would love nothing more than to cut a lap of my favourite driving roads every day in the RS3 but that’s an impossible treat for almost all mortal motoring beings.

Instead, I’m enjoying its only slightly compromised day-to-day attributes and planning the next long weekend away like a reunion with a long-lost holiday romance.… - DG

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THINGS WE LOVE

1. Sleeper looks 2. Practicality 3. Surprising pace

03

THINGS WE RUE

1. Jarring ride 2. Smallish boot 3. Reduced sound

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BACK SECTION. THE GARAGE MONTH 3456cc V6, RWD, 233kW/378Nm, 8-speed auto, 1685kg, $75,000

THIS MONTH 9.52L/100KM AVERAGE 9.79L/100KM

THIS MONTH 1353KM TOTAL 3938KM

1

LEXUS IS350 F SPORT

SHORT CIRCUIT Will a track session sour Enright’s regard for the IS? I FEEL A BIT self-conscious. Ahead of me, queueing to get on track is a Lotus Exige Sport 350, a Lamborghini Huracán and a Porsche 911 GTS. Behind me a Tickford Mustang, a gaggle of BMW M2s and an Audi TT RS wearing a light bar.

They’re warming fluids, checking tyre pressures and adjusting HANS devices. I’m sitting on plush white leather, tickling up the seat coolers and listening to a podcast.

If anything was going to take the Lexus out of its very comfortable comfort zone, this is it.

If you’ve ever been to Haunted 128

HATE

LOVE

RELATIONSHIP GRAPH

Hills, you’ll know that it’s tight.

Corners, crests and compressions assault you seemingly in fast forward and putting anything seriously quick onto the circuit feels like hosting the Collingwood versus Essendon Anzac Day match in your en-suite.

Air-con off, Sport S+ on, manual transmission mode engaged, I headed out. I disabled the traction control but left the stability control on for the first lap on cold tyres. I’ve said some pretty ripe things about Dunlop SportMaxx rubber in the past as a performance choice and, true to form, they howled round the circuit

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ABOVE What am I doing here? No, Enright isn’t having an existential crisis, he’s at Haunted Hills in a premium midsize luxury sedan

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offering a decidedly modest degree of lateral grip. Bigger picture? I’m fine with them.

They’re relatively quiet on road and are great on dirt tracks, so unless you’re doing something like battering them at Haunted Hills, their reputation has been rehabilitated somewhat, with me anyway.

With the tyre sidewalls respectably warmed to something approaching the temperature of a McDonald’s pie filling, I disengaged the stability control system. Despite its F Sport badging, there’s no limited-slip diff at the back and sure enough, trying to rotate the car under power just sees the unweighted inside rear screech like a banshee. Get a little more imaginative with weight transfers and you can slide the car about a

AS AN OWNERSHIP PROPOSITION, THE IS350 F SPORT IS A HONEY. AS A FOCUSED SPORTS SEDAN IT HAS ITS IDIOSYNCRASIES

E ND O F TE R M

Goodbye

little. Curiosity sated, I settled back to think of the typical use-case for the car, wondering whether many typical Lexus IS350 buyers would be tempted to play in this way. I suspect not.

As the car pinged and ticked cool in the paddock, I realised that I’d had a really great time. The engine sounds metallic and zingy in the upper registers, the paddle shifts keep you engaged and planning ahead through corners, the fundamental chassis balance is sweetly benign and the steering and brakes were up to the task. No, I didn’t break any lap records, but sometimes three laps is enough to tell you what you need to know and plaster a big grin on your face.

Nobody exemplified that better on the day than the guy beating round

TOP We wanted to see how grey those seats would go during our tenure.

Verdict? Quite.

ABOVE Yes, that’s a Ford Territory Turbo on a race track. The IS isn’t the only fish out of water...

PROS and CONS

ABOVE How do we send off the IS350 F Sport in style? Take it out of its comfort zone for a surprising, grininducing farewell

Haunted Hills in a 290kW Ford Territory Turbo who was having the time of his life playing chase with the Mustangs in the event’s spicy twocar touge format.

The IS350 F Sport goes back to Lexus next week, whereupon I’ll swap for another vehicle that you’re probably going to like a lot.

I’ll miss the 350’s easy-going charm, supreme comfort and more than reasonable fuel economy which, despite some determined driving, saw an average consumption of 9.79L/100km over nearly 4000km,

03

THINGS WE LOVE

1. Character/charm 2. Comfort 3. Sound system

03

THINGS WE RUE

1. Can feel lazy 2. Missing some tech 3. Not a track car d

almost on par with the factory’s 9.7L/100km claim. I’ll miss the Mark Levinson stereo that seems powerful enough to tear a hole in the spacetime continuum and that moment when you snap the car out of its genial torpor and paint the tacho orange as you wind the V6 to its redline. As a multifaceted ownership proposition, the IS350 F Sport is a honey. As a focused sports sedan it has its idiosyncrasies.

Would I recommend one? Most certainly. Would I recommend one to a MOTOR reader? Yes, but with caveats. It’s a cerebral undertaking and one that forces you to take stock of where and how you derive your joy in driving, reminding us that there’s light and shade to the latter.

A performance car that gets you thinking? Treasure that. - AE

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BACK SECTION. THE GARAGE

MONTH 1991cc, I4, AWD, 310kW/500Nm, 8-speed DCT, 1765kg, $108,100

THIS MONTH 9.2L/100KM AVERAGE 9.8L/100KM

THIS MONTH 913KM TOTAL 5572KM

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RELATIONSHIP GRAPH

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AMG GLA 45 S

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THE THREE MONTH HIATUS Kirby’s love affair with the baby AMG is put on an unexpected pause THE MERCEDES-AMG GLA 45 S has a way of making the mundane exciting. It’s calm and palatable when desired, but with a simple touch of a button it transforms into a sleeper that can get the better of the likes of a tuned VW Golf R, HSV GTSR Maloo, and Porsche Cayman. On a recent commute all was going splendidly. I was humming along with the active cruise set, tunes on blast, flicking between suspension settings to 130

get a better understanding of the ride compliance (I can confirm the firmest setting is redundant away from the smoothest of bitumen).

Then it happened.

A warning flashed up on the dash, informing me that the right rear tyre had just experienced a sudden and significant loss in tyre pressure.

Cue much swearing. Full credit needs to be given to Mercedes’ tyre pressure warning system, which alerted me to the drop in pressure

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ABOVE If you get a bad enough puncture in the GLA 45 S, this is the only way you’ll be getting home

instantly. Without it, I likely wouldn’t have noticed the deflating rubber as quickly, and been able to adjust my driving accordingly. The instant alert allowed me to do some rapid mental calculations on where the nearest off-ramp was, with the slow countdown of remaining PSI allowing me to adjust the plan on the fly. Thankfully for me, I was able to limp the GLA to our work car park, stored safely until a truck arrived to take it to a tyre shop.

I’D BE WILLING TO SACRIFICE SOME BOOT SPACE TO HAVE THE PEACE OF MIND A SPARE TYRE WOULD PROVIDE

This was important, because otherwise I’d be stranded on the side of the road getting frustratingly intimate with the process of using a puncture repair kit. Frustrating, as the item that screwed me over was a bolt of not insignificant size that managed to obliterate the side of a tread block. This was one tyre that couldn’t be resurrected.

I understand that not every vehicle has space for a full-size spare tyre in the boot. However, it remains a failing of the packaging department that a space-saver isn’t hidden

ABOVE A paradox of modern motoring can see a $100K feat of engineering stopped in its tracks by a 10c screw

PROS and CONS

underneath the GLA’s boot floor. I suspect I wouldn’t be alone in being willing to sacrifice some boot space to have the peace of mind a spare tyre would provide.

As for the rubber itself, the GLA 45 S wears Continental SportContact 6 tyres in 255/40/ R20 sizes on all four corners. While there are times when I yearn for something more aggressive to really highlight the GLA 45 S’s incredibly potent performance credentials, the Continental hoops do an impressive job taking care of the everyday duties. There is a reason it won our tyre test in 2018, offering impressive performance in both wet and dry conditions, allowing AMG’s 4Matic+ all-wheel drive system to excel.

If you find yourself in a similar

THINGS WE LOVE

THINGS WE RUE

1. Warning system 1. No spare tyre 2. Pumpin’ stereo 2. Rubber availability 3. Everyday useability 3. Squealing brakes d

situation to me, expect to pay roughly $500 a corner for new boots, depending on the tyre shop.

That is, if you can find a tyre to begin with; the new rubber fitted to ‘my’ GLA had to be shipped down from Queensland.

Once fresh rubber was fitted and I had the keys back it became readily apparent that my honeymoon period with the GLA was over. I’ve started to notice that the brakes produce a god awful wail during very light applications at low speed. Heavier inputs are fine, but when being gentle in heavy traffic you’ll be subjecting everyone around you to a deeply unpleasant sound.

Before an errant bolt ruined my commute I had some grand plans for the GLA this month – including a solo drive through some of the Victorian alpine region’s finest stretches of tarmac before winter road closures set in. Can some quality one-on-one time rekindle the passion? That’ll have to wait until next time, dear readers. - CK

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BACK SECTION. THE GARAGE MONTH 3342cc V6TT, RWD, 274kW/510Nm, 8-speed auto, 1793kg, $63,760

THIS MONTH 10.52L/100KM AVERAGE 10.14L/100KM

THIS MONTH 1166.6KM TOTAL 2829.5KM

KIA STINGER GT

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PEELING OUT

With four matching tyres, Newman does his best to destroy the rears

I’VE BEEN SEEING Kia Stingers everywhere. As far as I’m aware there’s not a term for this phenomenon, though there should be as it undoubtedly exists.

Whenever a car enters your life that particular model suddenly becomes particularly prevalent; I reckon I’ve probably seen maybe a dozen Stingers over the past few years, perhaps a couple more, but ever since I’ve had this long-termer you’d swear it was one of Australia’s bestselling cars. It’s not.

It might be part of some clever manufacturer scheme. Once you’ve

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bought a car (or blagged a free one in this case) the manufacturer sends out a fleet of similar variants to follow you around and make you feel special, like you’ve become part of some sort of club. So far there’s only been one acknowledgement from a fellow Stinger driver, though, a middle-aged gentleman raising a finger of recognition, thankfully not the middle one.

Anyhow, I digress. The Stinger’s USP is its rear-wheel drive layout.

Theoretically, it should be the perfect candidate for satiating Aussies’ thirst for a practical,

j u n e 2 0 2 1 w h i c h c a r. c o m . a u /m o t o r

BELOW It’s good to know that muscular rear-drivers haven’t disappeared from the local landscape

powerful machine that subscribes to the ‘two turnin’, two burnin’ mantra. To test this hypothesis we have the Bryant Park hillclimb circuit (Haunted Hills) which should tell us everything we need to know about the Stinger’s behaviour at the limit.

Why not Winton or such? To be honest, the Stinger GT is not a track car. Nor was it designed to be, so that’s fine, but given the brakes aren’t overly fond of circuit work there’s no point toasting them to find out what we already know!

Being slower, tighter and twistier, Haunted Hills is much closer in

character to a typical road and also easier on the gear.

To have any fun at all in a Stinger you need to select Sport mode, the car signalling its approval by having the driver’s seat give you a hug as it tightens the active bolsters. Sport mode allows the deactivation of the stability control, which is necessary for Kia’s sport sedan/hot hatch (it’s technically a five-door…) to show its true colours, as in other modes it’s very restrictive.

The Stinger has a custom mode that allows the driver to mix ’n’ match different settings, but because the stability control is linked to Sport chassis instead of Sport engine you might as well select the do-it-all Sport mode. This also livens up the throttle response, adds some unwelcome weight to the steering – though in reality it’s not too bad – and firms up the adaptive dampers quite significantly.

I set off for a lap time because, well, why not? The end result is a 1min4.4sec lap which is pretty handy.

An HSV Clubsport Track Edition managed a very similar time a few years back, though more recently it’s about a second quicker than the base GR Yaris. Given Haunted Hills is heavily biased towards handling over

WHEN THE MASSIVE HIT OF TWIN-TURBO TORQUE ARRIVES IT’LL VAPORISE ITS REAR TYRES AT WILL, WHICH IS HILARIOUS power, that’s a pretty good result.

Power is certainly something the V6-powered Stinger isn’t short of.

When the massive hit of twin-turbo torque arrives it’ll vaporise its rear tyres at will, which is hilarious fun, though certainly not the fastest way.

Happily, when you do want to drive neatly the facelifted GT is now more happy to accommodate. The original V6 could be a wild and wayward ride, with a looser rear end than a twerking Tik Tok addict. It’s an inherent trait, but it was exacerbated by the Continental Conti 5P tyres, which were an older design and struggled to contain the power and weight of the Stinger.

Kia cheekily replaced the Contis with Michelins for the original

TOP LEFT Now-standard bi-modal exhaust gives a bark to the Kia’s sting TOP RIGHT The Stinger isn’t a natural born track talent, but is big on fun factor

PROS and CONS d

press launch, but happily Pilot Sport 4s have made their way onto the standard-fit list for updated V6 Stingers. The sportier ‘S’ specification would be even better, but let’s not look a gift horse in the mouth. The Michelins give the car a more stable, trustworthy base and grip no longer just disappears.

Selecting Sport for the dampers makes them extremely stiff; even on the smooth circuit surface the Stinger hops and skips over small imperfections, but overall it controls body movements well enough.

Small tweaks haven’t turned the big five-door Kia into a natural track athlete but they have undoubtedly improved its composure and it’s plenty of fun in an environment such as this, especially for those who have traditionally coveted powerful rear-wheel drives.

Next month a long road trip is on the agenda, which may provide a chance to think up a term for the Stinger’s sudden proliferation. - SN

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THINGS WE LOVE

1. Bulk grunt 2. Rear-driveness 3. More grip

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THINGS WE RUE

1. Non ‘S’ tyres 2. Brakes just ok 3. Too-firm damping

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06 . 2021

M HOT SOURCE. FAST CAR GUIDE

POWERED BY

Hot Source THE FAST GUIDE TO QUICK CARS CRACKING THE CODE

COMMENT

RATING

FUEL CONS

0-400M

DRIVE

0-100 KM/H

KW/TONNE

• All performance figures are manufacturer claims, those in italics are as-tested by MOTOR. • Figures for an automatic variant have an asterisk.

• Prices listed are manufacturer RRP, exclusive of on-roads. “DA” denotes driveaway price.

• Italicised fuel consumption figures are those collected on test. Italicised weight figures indicate dry weight.

• Engines are listed by configuration, capacity and means of induction. For example, I4/1.6T= turbocharged 1.6-litre inline four. Torque figures made by an engine’s over-boost function are contained in parentheses.

• Red denotes a new addition. Green denotes a model update.

KW/NM

PRICE

TESTED

1 TERRIBLE 11 TOLERABLE 111 NOT BAD 1111 BRILLIANT 11111 BLIMEY

KERB KG

Rated

ENGINE

400 CARS

Abarth www.fiat.com.au/abarth $26,990 (5m) $28,990 (5s)

I4/1.4T

107/206

front 1054 103

7.8

–

6.0

2.5 Abarth entry point comes with a rorty engine note, but barely qualifies as a performance car

595C $29,990 (5m) $31,990 (5s) 595 Competizione May 18 $31,990 (5m) $33,990 (5s) 595C Competizione $35,990 (5m) $37,990 (5s)

I4/1.4T I4/1.4T I4/1.4T

107/206 front 1097 100 132/250 front 1045 126 132/250 front 1085 122

7.8 6.7 6.7

– – –

6.0 6.0 6.0

2.0 Stylish and torquey urban runabout struggles for fast-car cred 3.0 Last year’s power hike and price cut welcome, though serious ride/handling issues remain 2.5 Monza exhaust is fantastic with the roof down, just avoid the MTA gearbox like the plague

124 Spider Aug 17 $41,990 (6m) $43,990 (6a)

I4/1.4T

125/250 rear 1060 118

7.31

15.24 –

595

4.0 Sounds great, looks cool and feels faster than an MX-5, but actually isn’t

Alfa Romeo www.alfaromeo.com.au 3.5 Involving handling and impressive pace blighted by poor ride, intrusive ESP and flawed driving position

$42,995 (6dc)

I4/1.7T

177/340

front 1299 133

6.02* 14.29* 6.8

4C May 15 $89,000 (6dc)

I4/1.7T

177/350

rear 1025 173

4.5

–

6.8

3.5 Clever construction and a proper driving event, but we’re suspicious about its ride on Aussie roads

4C Spider Jun 19 $99,000 (6dc)

I4/1.7T

177/350

rear 1035 171

4.5

–

6.9

3.5 Carbon monocoque means there’s almost no dynamic penalty – or room to put the roof

13.92 6.1

Giulietta Veloce

Giulia Veloce Sep 17 $71,450 (8a)

3.5 Impressive road car, but QV looks and fine handling undermined by light steering and unkillable ESP

I4/2.0T

206/400 rear 1429 144

5.71

Giulia Quadrifoglio Jun 21 $138,950 (8a)

V6/2.9TT

375/600 rear 1585 246

4.21 12.11 8.2

4.5 Alfa returns to form in style with great engine and brilliant chassis. Just lacks that final few percent

Stelvio Quadrifoglio Feb 20 $149,900 (8a)

V6/2.9TT

375/600 all

3.79 11.95 17.2

4.0 Like a Giulia SUV, but compromised by extra 245kg unless you must have all-wheel drive

1830 205

Alpina www.alpinaautomobiles.com.au XD3

$114,900 (8a)

L6/3.0TTD 261/730

all

2115 123

4.9

–

6.8

4.0 If you’re looking at a BMW X3 M40i but want more comfort and frugality, look this way. Surprisingly good

B3

$142,900 (8a)

L6/3.0TT

340/700 all

1860 183

3.8

–

9.9

TBC Essentially an M3, for M3 money, with added luxury and comfort with a bespoke design

B3 Touring

$145,900 (8a)

L6/3.0TT

340/700 all

1940 175

3.9

–

9.9

TBC This is Alpina beating BMW to the Touring punch. Watch out Audi, the B3 is gunning for the RS4’s niche

XB7

$264,900 (8a)

V8/4.4TT

457/900 all

2655 172

4.2

–

12.0

TBC Big, brash and outrageously powerful. Enough torque to tow a house – and it’s almost as expensive

Alpine www.alpinecars.com.au Pure Legende

$97,000 (7dc)

I4/1.8T

185/320 rear 1103 168

4.5

12.7

6.2

4.5 Stripped back, driver-focused version to go up against the S55-powered BMW M2 Competition

$103,500 (7dc)

I4/1.8T

185/320 rear 1103 168

4.5

12.7

6.2

4.5 Pays homage to the 1960s-era A110 Berlinette 1600S with two-tone wheels and adds more luxury

Aston Martin www.astonmartin.com 375/685 rear 1530 245

3.6

–

10.5

4.5 Looks fantastic and pairs beastly AMG V8 with a playful rear-drive chassis

$369,950 (7m)

V8/4.0TT

375/625 rear 1499 250

4.0

–

10.5

4.5 Flat-shifting, manual-only track weapon destined to delight on Aussie roads

Vantage Roadster

$314,635 (8a)

V8/4.0TT

375/685 rear 1628 230

3.8

–

11.7

4.0 An even prettier take on the V8 rear-drive British open top sportscar Jaguar no longer makes

DB11 V8

$382,495 (8a)

V8/4.0TT

375/675 rear 1760 213

4.0

–

9.9

4.0 Sportiest DB11 benefits from AMG twin-turbo V8 and revised suspension for a sharper drive

DB11 V8 Volante

$398,495 (8a)

V8/4.0TT

375/675 rear 1870 201

4.1

–

10.0

4.0 V8 only, with the ability to whip the soft-top off in 14 seconds via remote

3.7

–

11.4

4.5 AM Racing version replaces Launch Edition with more power, faster performance, same price

V12/5.2TT 533/900 rear 1693 315

3.5

–

–

4.0 Drop-dead gorgeous, stunning acceleration, very comfortable, but no 812 Superfast in the corners

V12/5.2TT 533/900 rear 1863 286

3.6

–

14.0

4.0 Even better looking without a roof and arguably the best way to express the Superlegerra recipe

V8/4.0TT

4.5

13.1

4.5 Shifts its monumental weight with ease, but its stunning interior is let down by old infotainment tech

Vantage V8 Sep 18 $299,950 (8a) $278,900 (7m) V8/4.0TT Vantage AMR

DB11 AMR Jun 19 $435,035 (8a) DBS Superleggera Aug 19 $536,900 (8a) DBS Superleggera Vol.

$559,000 (8a)

DBX Oct 20 $357,000 (9a)

V12/5.2TT 470/700 rear –

–

405/700 rear 2245 180

Audi www.audi.com.au

134

A1 40 TFSI

$46,450 (6dc)

I4/2.0T

147/320

A3 40 TFSI quattro

$52,900 (7dc)

I4/2.0T

140/320 all

j u n e 2 0 2 1 w h i c h c a r. c o m . a u /m o t o r

front 1260 117 1380 101

6.5

–

6.0

3.5 A fancier, better-looking alternative to the Polo GTI, only way more expensive

6.8

–

6.6

3.0 Quicker than you’d expect, but quattro unnecessary at this power level

Research your next new car at whichcar.com.au

$64,200 (7dc)

I4/2.0T

213/380 all

1530 139

4.8

–

S3 Sedan Jan 17 $65,800 (7dc)

S3 Sportback Apr 17

COMMENT

RATING

FUEL CONS

0-400M

0-100 KM/H

KW/TONNE

KERB KG

DRIVE

KW/NM

ENGINE

PRICE

TESTED

ABARTH – BMW

6.6

4.0 Under-rated and really quite fun, but give us the Euro-spec 221kW! 4.0 Sleek looks, compact size, pokey performance and good value. We’d opt for the hatch, though

I4/2.0T

213/380 all

1530 139

4.8

–

6.5

$73,400 (7dc)

I4/2.0T

213/380 all

1670 128

5.2

–

6.8

$83,800 (7dc)

I5/2.5T

294/480 all

1510 195

4.01 12.18 8.4

4.0 Screaming five-pot RS now back with a particulate filter – and a slightly quiter tone

RS3 Sedan May 17 $86,136 (7dc)

I5/2.5T

294/480 all

1515 194

4.1

–

8.4

4.0 The perfect car if you need pace more than space

S3 Cabriolet RS3 Sportback Jul 18

3.5 Finally, a good-looking small convertible, but can’t escape the inherent compromises

A4 45 TFSI quattro

$68,900 (7dc)

I4/2.0T

185/370

all

1510 122

5.8

–

6.3

3.5 Beautiful inside and surprisingly capable, but not a car to raise the heart rate

A4 Avant 45 TFSI quattro

$73,300 (7dc)

I4/2.0T

185/370

all

1540 120

6.0

–

6.6

3.5 Possibly the most sensible car in this whole section, but who wants to be sensible?

S4 Sep 17 $99,900 (8a)

V6/3.0T

260/500 all

1630 159

4.95 13.12 11.02 4.0 A surprise package – subtle looks, cracking engine and (with the sports diff) engaging handling

V6/3.0T

260/500 all

1675 155

4.9

S4 Avant Apr 17

$102,400 (8a)

–

7.8

4.0 Arguably even more appealing than the sedan and makes a mockery of the fast-SUV craze

V6/2.9TT

331/600 all

1790 185

3.87 12.02 8.9

4.0 Buff yet practical body, sledgehammer pace, with a ride subtlety missing from the C63 S Estate

A5 45 TFSI Coupe

$79,900 (7dc)

I4/2.0T

185/370

all

1500 123

5.8

–

6.5

3.5 Crisp looks and deceptively quick, but expensive when the A4 does the same thing (with less style)

A5 45 TFSI Sportback

$79,900 (7dc)

I4/2.0T

185/370

all

1535 121

6.0

–

6.5

3.5 More versatile and better looking than A4 sedan – more expensive and cramped than A4 Avant

A5 45 TFSI Cabriolet

$93,400 (7dc)

I4/2.0T

185/370

all

1710 108

6.3

–

6.7

3.5 Big price and weight hike over the coupe but cures most of the previous car’s ills

RS4 Avant Feb 19 $147,900 (8a)

S5 Coupe May 17 $106,900 (8a)

V6/3.0T

260/500 all

1615 161

4.7

–

7.5

4.0 Creamy turbo V6 blends luxury and dynamics. Optional Sport diff a must-have

S5 Sportback July 17 $106,500 (8a)

V6/3.0T

260/500 all

1660 157

4.7

–

7.5

4.0 Coupe with back doors and space for three in the rear ... or you could just buy the roomier S4 Avant

S5 Cabriolet Dec 17 $120,000 (8a)

V6/3.0T

260/500 all

1840 141

5.1

–

7.9

3.5 Stronger, swifter than old S5 Cabriolet with not much to moan about apart from weight increase

RS5 Oct 18 $150,900 (8a)

V6/2.9TT

331/600 all

1730 191

3.96 12.04 8.8

4.0 If you can get over the lack of an atmo V8 (which is tough to do), you’ll find a more rounded, capable car

RS5 Sportback May 19 $150,900 (8a)

V6/2.9TT

331/600 all

1840 180

3.70 11.90 –

4.0 Same cost as coupe, but with extra (pillarless) doors. We’d still have an RS4 Avant

V6/3.0T

250/500 all

A6 55 TFSI

$115,636 (7dc)

S6 Jul 20 $149,900 (8a) RS6 Avant Feb 21 $216,000 (8a) A7 Sportback 55 TFSI

$133,236 (7dc)

S7 Oct 20 $159,136 (8a) RS7 Sportback

$224,000 (8a)

A8 55 TFSI Apr 19 $197,036 (8a)

1835 136

5.2

–

7.0

4.0 The cheapest ticket into Audi’s vastly improved MLB-based handling package. Looks good too

all

1910 173

4.38 –

8.4

3.5 Easily carries four in plush comfort but fails to feel truly sporting when it counts

V8/4.0TT

446/800 all

2075 212

3.6

–

12.0

4.5 Don’t let the ‘mild-hybrid’ talk fool you, this is still a gloriously turbocharged supercar-eating wagon

V6/3.0T

250/500 all

1890 132

5.2

–

7.1

4.0 Superb engine and technology poached from new-gen A8 ... for $63K less 3.5 Injects welcome visual aggro into the S6’s mix rather than a new personality

V6/2.9TTS 331/750

V6/2.9TTS 331/750

all

1910 173

4.6

–

8.4

V8/4.0TT

446/800 all

2075 212

3.6

–

12.0

TBC The swooping version of the RS6 is set to be just as exhilarating

V6/3.0T

250/500 all

1995 125

5.6

–

8.2

4.0 Faster and almost as efficient as old-gen diesel V8. New chassis sparkles, only slightly remote

A8 L 55 TFSI

$209,642 (8a)

V6/3.0T

250/500 all

2315 108

5.7

–

8.2

4.0 An A8 with even more legroom and (optional) rear-seat foot massage. We’re serious...

S8

$260,000 (8a)

V8/4.0TT

420/800 all

2230 188

3.8

–

11.4

TBC Audi’s executive express bulks up with RS-worthy grunt from its twin turbo V8

TT 45 TFSI quattro

$79,900 (7dc)

I4/2.0T

169/370

all

1365 124

5.2

–

6.6

3.5 New, simplified TT range kicks off with a seven-speed all-wheel drive variant

TT S Ann 19 $99,900 (7dc)

I4/2.0T

210/380 all

1385 152

4.7

–

7.0

3.5 Extremely quick, great interior and involving handling ruined by spine-crushing ride

$134,900 (7dc)

I5/2.5T

294/480 all

1450 203

3.7

–

8.0

4.0 Its recent refresh may be light on changes but it thankfully leaves its enchanting straight-five alone

$64,400 (7dc)

TT RS

I4/2.0T

221/400 all

1585 139

4.9

–

7.0

TBC Essentially an S3 on stilts, it will be up against stiff competition from its German rivals BMW and Merc

(▲$1200) RS Q3

Apr 21 $91,100 (7dc)

I5/2.5T

294/480 all

1790 171

8.8

4.0 Drives much like an RS3 on stilts, but we’ll reserve judgement for when we drive it on-road

(▲$1200) RS Q3 Sportback

$94,100 (7dc)

I5/2.5T

294/480 all

1775 171

4.5 – TBC – 4.5

8.8

4.0 Sounds like half an R8 V10 and looks like a baby Lamborghini Urus, but is a bit too heavy and high

SQ5 TFSI

$101,136 (8a)

V6/3.0T

260/500 all

1870 139

5.4

–

8.7

4.0 Polished family hauler that’s surprisingly adept, though lacks the old diesel’s character

SQ5 TDI

$104,900 (8a)

V6/3.0TD

251/700

1980 129

5.1

–

6.8

4.0 Diesel grunt takes the SQ5 back to its roots before an all-new generation arrives

Q8 55 TFSI

$128,542 (8a)

V6/3.0T

250/500 all

2265 111

5.9

–

9.2

4.0 Not as quick as SQ7, but petrol-turbo V6 is sweeter. Five-seat cabin is as slick as exterior design

V8/4.0TTD 320/900 all

2320 137

4.8

–

7.6

4.0 High-tech seven-seater every bit as good as the Bentayga for half the price

V8/4.0TTD 320/900 all

2365 135

4.8

–

7.8

4.0 The SQ7’s package wrapped in a sexier dress; we can’t wait to drive one TBC Promising specs on Audi’s Nurburgring record-lap holder target AMG’s new GLE 63 S Coupe

SQ2

SQ7 TDI Feb 17 $161,900 (8a) SQ8

$165,500 (8a)

RS Q8 May 21 $208,500 (8a)

all

V8/4.0TT

441/800 all

3.8

–

12.1

$295,000 (7dc)

V10/5.2

397/540 rear 1595 249

3.7

–

12.9

TBC The bargain choice among the new R8 range still offers plenty of pukka supercar for the money

R8 V10 Performance Feb 21 $395,000 (7dc)

V10/5.2

449/560 rear 1595 282

3.2

–

13.4

TBC Offers organ squeezing acceleration but you’ll miss the front-end (and rear-end!) of the RWD

R8 Spyder V10 RWD

$316,500 (7dc)

V10/5.2

397/540 rear 1695 234

3.8

–

13.1

TBC A bit soggier than the coupe but a minimal cost against the added V10 volume

R8 Spyder V10 Performance

$416,500 (7dc)

V10/5.2

449/560 rear 1695 265

3.3

–

13.4

TBC For the ulimate flex on Hollywood Boulevard; it’s bleeping fast

R8 V10 RWD

2315 191

Bentley www.bentleymotors.com V8/4.0TT

404/770 all

2165 187

4.0

–

11.2

4.0 Fresh Panamera-based V8 Continental handles crisply and still bellows nicely

$441,300 (8dc)

V8/4.0TT

404/770 all

2335 173

4.1

–

11.4

3.5 Tanning-booth opulence makes the drop-top the better cruiser, but cops a 170kg (!) weight penalty

Continental GT Feb 18 $422,600 (8dc)

W12/6.0TT

467/900 all

2244 208

3.7

–

12.2

4.0 It took 15 years to get an all-new coupe, with proper pace and physics-defying dynamics

$473,900 (8dc)

W12/6.0TT

467/900 all

2414 193

3.8

–

12.4

4.0 Brutal W12 makes a lot more sense in this open-air cinema on wheels

$378,197 (8a)

V8/4.0TT

373/660 all

2342 159

5.2

–

10.9

3.5 British alternative to an S63 AMG feeling its age and not long for this world

Continental GT V8 Apr 21 $400,900 (8dc) Continental GT V8 Convertible Continental GT Conv.

Flying Spur V8

$469,000 (8dc)

W12/6.0TT 467/900 all

2437 191

4.6

–

14.8

TBC Still a wafting beast but invites a front seat drive more than ever before

Mulsanne

$662,858 (8a)

V8/6.75TT 377/1020 rear 2610 150

5.3

–

16.9

3.0 Opulent old-school Bentley is surprisingly dynamic, yet fearsomely expensive and thirsty

Mulsanne Speed

$733,387 (8a)

V8/6.75TT 395/1100 rear 2610 151

4.8

–

14.6

3.0 The torquiest car on sale in Oz. For those to whom money is no object

V8/4.0TT

4.0 Sweet V8 soundtrack makes the ‘entry-level’ Bentayga arguably the most appealing

Flying Spur W12

Bentayga V8 Jun 21 $334,700 (8a)

404/770 all

2395 169

4.5

–

11.4

$335,000 (8a)

V8/4.0TTD 320/900 all

2499 128

4.8

–

8.0

4.0 Bentley buyers don’t shop in Audi showrooms, but the SQ7 is the better choice

Bentayga W12 Nov 16 $427,300 (8a)

W12/6.0TT 447/900 all

2440 183

4.1

–

13.1

4.0 For those who have to have the ultimate SUV, there’s now the Rolls-Royce Cullinan to consider

Bentayga V8 Diesel

BMW www.bmw.com.au I4/2.0T

180/380 front 1445 125

6.3

–

6.1

4.0 A direct rival to the Volkswagen Golf GTI. Cutting drive to the rear solves some of the M135i’s ills

$65,990 (8a)

I4/2.0T

225/450 all

1525 148

4.8

–

7.1

3.5 Pure option bids farewell to high-spec items like LED lights as well as $5K from its price

M135i xDrive Dec 19 $70,990 (8a)

I4/2.0T

225/450 all

1525 148

4.8

–

7.1

3.5 Fine up to seven tenths but can unravel beyond; practical and effective; RIP M140i

128ti Ann 20 $56,900 (8a) M135i xDrive Pure M235i GC xDrive Pure

$70,990 (8a)

I4/2.0T

225/450 all

1570 148

4.8

–

7.1

3.5 New Pure version offers the M235i xDrive’s four-door coupe looks for the M135i hatch’s money

M235i GC xDrive

$75,990 (8a)

I4/2.0T

225/450 all

1570 148

4.8

–

7.1

3.5 All-wheel drive 2 Series offers a grippier, roomier alternative to the M240i that we didn’t really ask for

I6/3.0T

250/500 rear 1455 172

4.6

–

7.1

4.0 A relic of BMW’s rear-drive focused past, but one we’d happily cough the premium for

I6/3.0T

250/500 rear 1620 154

4.7

–

7.4

3.5 Engine makes light work of the extra heft for a not inconsiderable sum

M2 Competition Feb 19 $102,900 (6m) $109,900 (7dc) I6/3.0TT

302/550 rear 1550 195

4.5* 12.52* –

M2 CS Mar 21 $139,900 (6m) $147,400 (7dc) I6/3.0TT

331/550 rear 1575 210

4.0

–

–

4.5 Sharper, sweeter and now even more comfortable with adaptive dampers, but $32K over an M2 is a lot

190/400 rear 1470 126

5.9

–

5.7

4.0 If you had to recommend a car to suit absolutely everyone, this would be high on the list

M240i Ann 16 $81,900(6m/8a) M240i Convertible

$91,900 (6m/8a)

330i Aug 19 $77,900 (6m/8a)

I4/2.0T

4.5 Even with more kit, M2 Competition is still nearly $25K cheaper than an M3 Pure...

d

m o t o r o f f i c i a l f m o t o r_ m a g

135

COMMENT

RATING

FUEL CONS

0-400M

0-100 KM/H

KW/TONNE

KERB KG

$78,900 (6m/8a) M340i xDrive Jan 20 $111,900 (8a) $144,900 (6m) M3 M3 Competition Apr 21 $154,900 (8a)

I4/2.0T I6/3.0T

185/350 rear 1540 120 285/500 all 1730 159

6.0 – 6.1 4.07 12.26 7.5

4.0 The above with added practicality and style (and weight)

I6/3.0TT

4.2

–

–

TBC We thought only the M4 was getting ‘that’ grille. We were wrong. Rear-drive-only at launch

330i Touring

DRIVE

ENGINE

KW/NM

POWERED BY

PRICE

TESTED

M HOT SOURCE. FAST CAR GUIDE

4.0 BMW plugs the gap between 3 Series and M3 with a capable, fast, semi high-performance sedan

I6/3.0TT

353/550 rear 1705 207 375/650 rear 1730 217

3.9

–

–

4.0 Competition gains full-fat S58 power output, paired with eight-speed auto and rear-wheel drive

$90,900 (8a) M440i xDrive Jan 21 $118,900 (8a) $149,900 (6m) M4 M4 Competition May 21 149,900 (8a)

I4/2.0T I6/3.0T

190/400 rear 1545 123 285/500 all 1730 159

5.8 4.5

– –

5.9 6.9

4.0 BMW’s controversial looker promises more familiar performance 4.0 The M340i’s feral performance gets a face to match

I6/3.0TT

4.2

–

–

TBC Two-door M3 gains controversial grille... but the driving experience will be up to M standards

I6/3.0TT

353/550 rear 1700 207 375/650 rear 1725 217

I6/3.0T

285/500 all

1965 145

3.9 4.9

– –

– –

4.0 Watch out AMG, the M Division has been busy. Kerb weight increases and AWD is yet to land Down Under

$135,900 (8a)

430i

M440i xDrive Convertible

TBC Extra weight dulls performance over its two-door coupe sibling

V8/4.4TT

390/750 all

1810 215

3.62 –

8.9

4.0 Baby M badge brings serious torque, active diff and adaptive dampers, all for a bargain price

$152,900 (8a)

V8/4.4TT

390/750 all

1915 204

3.8

–

8.9

4.0 Full-fruit version adds laser headlights and luxury, along with active roll bars and rear-wheel steering

M5 Competition Feb 19 $244,900 (8a) $274,900 (8a) M5 CS

V8/4.4TT

460/750 all

1895 243

3.78 11.53 10.6 4.5 Less weight would have been preferable to more power, but 3.3sec 0-100km/h is silly fast

V8/4.4TT

467/750 all

1825 256

3.0

M550i xDrive Pure Aug 20 $137,900 (8a) M550i xDrive

–

–

TBC Does the M5 need a ‘Club Sport’ version? Either way it’s endowed with BMW’s highest output engine ever

740i

$199,900 (8a)

I6/3.0T

250/450 rear –

–

–

–

4.0 Has all the bells and whistles yet somehow lacks the luxury vibe of the S-Class

750i xDrive

$277,900 (8a)

V8/4.4TT

390/750 all

1965 198

4.0

–

9.5

4.0 A fair chunk of the V12’s performance for a lot less

M760Li xDrive

$373,900 (8a)

V12/6.6TT 430/850 all

2220 194

3.9

–

12.5

3.5 Top-dog limousine heroically fast and surprisingly dynamic, but what’s the point?

M850i Gran Coupe Feb 21 $277,900 (8a)

V8/4.4TT

390/750 all

1995 196

3.9

–

9.9

4.0 Four doors on BMW’s new blistering GT doesn’t spoil its sleek looks. Will report back when we drive one

M850i Jul 19

$280,900 (8a)

V8/4.4TT

390/750 all

1890 206

3.7

–

9.8

4.0 New 6-Series replacement makes serious strides forward for the brand

$289,900 (8a)

V8/4.4TT

390/750 all

2015 194

3.9

–

10.6

4.0 Easier access to the retuned V8’s great new soundtrack

M8 Competition Dec 19 $357,900 (8a)

V8/4.4TT

460/750 all

1885 244

3.2

–

10.6

4.0 Monstrous luxury coupe is blisteringly quick, but still no 911 Turbo beater

1980 232

M850i Convertible

–

$354,900 (8a)

V8/4.4TT

460/750 all

3.58 –

10.6

4.0 Extra doors add practicality and strengthen the M8’s GT credentials for $3K less, but you can feel its flab

Z4 sDrive 20i M Sport

$88,900 (8a/6m)

I4/2.0T

140/320 rear 1405 100

6.6

–

6.8

4.0 Manual transmission set to make the ‘slow one’ a more involving experience

Z4 sDrive 30i M Sport

$109,900 (8a)

I4/2.0T

190/400 rear 1415 134

5.4

–

6.1

4.0 High-output turbo four and a light rear-drive chassis is good on paper, but the six is much faster in reality

Z4 M40i

$129,900 (8a)

I6/3.0T

285/500 rear 1535 163

4.1

–

6.3

4.5 More grown-up BMW roadster (now with Toyota links) can genuinely fight the Porsche Boxster

X2 M35i

$73,900 (8a)

I4/2.0T

225/450 all

1610 140

4.9

–

7.4

3.5 Mini-based all-paw small SUV with ‘M’ treatment a brave new world for compact BMWs

X3 M40i

$113,900 (8a)

I6/3.0T

265/500 all

1810 146

4.8

–

8.9

4.0 Superb performance takes it right to Mercedes-AMG GLC43 (if not GLC63)

I6/3.0TT

375/600 all

1970 190

4.11

12.10 –

4.0 Our first taste of next M3/M4’s S58 turbo inline-six

I6/3.0T

265/500 all

1825 145

4.8

–

9.0

4.0 Hefty $10K premium over an X3 M40i with a slanted roof. Wouldn’t you prefer an Audi S4 Avant?

M8 Competition Gran Coupe

X3 M Competition Jan 20 $157,900 (8a) X4 M40i Jan 19 $121,900 (8a) X4 M Competition

$164,900 (8a)

I6/3.0TT

375/600 all

1970 190

4.1

–

–

4.0 Like the X3 M Competition, but with a slicked-back roofline

X5 M50i

$157,900 (8a)

V8/4.4TT

390/750 all

2250 129

4.3

–

11.5

3.5 Monster engine, plenty of space and decent looks define the new M50i

X5 M Competition

$212,900 (8a)

V8/4.4TT

460/750 all

2310 199

3.8

–

13.0

4.0 Dynamic talent beggars belief for a 2.3-tonne ‘off-roader’ that’ll never leave sealed surfaces

X6 M50i

$163,900 (8a)

V8/4.4TT

390/750 all

2345 166

4.3

–

10.5

4.0 Does a glowing grille make the SUV-cum-SUV body style ‘cool’? Capable, tuneful and dynamically capable

X6 M Competition

$218,900 (8a)

V8/4.4TT

460/750 all

2295 200

3.8

–

13.0

4.0 Basically the same as the X5 M, but with less rear boot space and headroom. Bonkers fast

X7 M50i

$181,900 (8a)

V8/4.4TT

390/750 all

2480 157

4.7

–

11.6

3.5 Behind the huge kidney grille is a lovely V8 twin turbo beast, but it tips the scales at two and a half tonnes

Caterham www.caterhamcars.com.au Seven 275 Sep 17 $73,700 (5m)

I4/1.6

100/160

rear 590

170

6.53

14.8 6.2

3.0 Entry-level Caterham is great fun to steer. It’s an emotional purchase for the cash – there’s quicker

Seven 485 S

$114,000 (6m)

I4/2.0

177/206

rear 675

262

4.5

–

7.7

3.5 The proper, full-fruit, no-electronics Caterham experience. Just be prepared to pay for it

Seven CSR

$115,000 (6m)

I4/2.0

177/206

rear 700

253

4.5

–

7.7

4.0 A truly special driving experience, but it’s 718 Boxster money for a car without a proper roof...

Chevrolet www.hsv.com.au Camaro ZL1 Feb 20 $159,990 (6m) $162,190 (10a) V8/6.2S

477/881

rear 1807* 264

3.93* 11.73* 16.8* 4.0 Serious performance and impressive ride/handling, but more a potent grand tourer than a two-door W1

Chrysler www.chrysler.com.au 300 SRT Apr 19 $77,450 (8a)

V8/6.4

350/637 rear 1965 178

4.87 12.97 –

4.0 Great value, rides well and sounds mint. Just remember it’s no ballerina in the bends, and it’s thirsty

Ferrari www.ferrari.com.au Portofino Apr 19 $398,888 (7dc)

V8/3.9TT

441/760

rear 1664 265

3.5

–

–

3.5 Fitter and faster than California T without capturing the magic of Ferrari’s more established models

Roma Oct 20 $409,888 (8dc)

V8/3.9TT

462/760 rear 1570 294

3.4

–

11.2

5.0 Quite a bit more than a ‘Portifino Coupe’, but also quite hardcore

488 GTB Feb 17 $469,988 (7dc)

V8/3.9TT

492/760 rear 1475 334

3.3

11.0 11.4

5.0 A stunning achievement with performance to burn and truly involving dynamics

488 Spider Dec 16 $526,888 (7dc)

V8/3.9TT

492/760 rear 1525 323

3.0

–

5.0 All the driving experience with even more involvement ... it’s just not as stiff as the coupe

488 Pista Dec 18 $645,000 DA (7dc) F8 Tributo Nov 19 $484,888 (7dc)

V8/3.9TT

530/770 rear 1385 383

2.85 –

–

5.0 Mind-altering performance, with an even sharper focus, though it comes at an almighty price

V8/3.9TT

530/770 rear 1435 369

2.9

–

12.9

5.0 Ferrari’s mid-engine V8 staple now so fast your brain might not be able to keep up

V8/3.9TT

449/760 rear 1840 244

3.5

–

11.6

4.5 Rear-drive family Ferrari adds fun factor at the expense of V12 soundtrack

GTC4 Lusso T May 17 $503,888 (7dc)

11.4

GTC4 Lusso Oct 16 $578,888 (7dc)

V12/6.3

507/697 all

1920 264

3.4

–

15.4

4.5 Prettier and more powerful than FF predecessor, comes with a scary price tag and fuel use

812 Superfast Oct 18 $610,000 (7dc)

V12/6.5

588/718

rear 1630 357

2.9

–

14.9

5.0 F12 successor wraps possibly world’s greatest engine in a prettier body for less money

812 GTS Dec 19 $675,888 (7dc)

V12/6.5

588/718

rear 1705 345

2.9

–

–

5.0 It’s $65K more expensive, but that’s the price to hear one of the best engines around sans-roof

2.5

–

–

TBC Ferrari’s mid-engine products reach new levels of traction with a three-motor hybrid setup

6.5

–

6.0

4.5 Mini performance hero is reportedly everything we hoped for but we have to wait until 2020 to drive one 3.5 Focus makes an attempt at reclaiming warm-hatch royalty, but with three pots and no manual

SF90 Stradale

$846,888 (8dc)

V8/4.0TTE 574/800 all

1570 360

Ford www.ford.com.au Fiesta ST Feb 21 $32,290 (6m) Focus ST-Line

$28,990 (8a)

Focus ST Aug 20 $44,890 (7a/6m) Mustang 2.3L HP Jul 19

136

$51,490 (6m) $54,490 (10a)

I3/1.5T

147/290

front 1217 115

I3/1.5T

134/240 front 1369 98

8.3

–

5.5

I4/2.3T

206/420 front 1508 137

5.6

–

7.9

4.5 More liveable, still incredibly capable and better poised to fight the Golf GTI than ever

I4/2.3T

236/448 rear 1716 138

6.0

–

8.5

3.5 Don’t sneer, the four-pot Mustang is a great steer, but a Mustang without a V8 just isn’t quite right

j u n e 2 0 2 1 w h i c h c a r. c o m . a u /m o t o r

Research your next new car at whichcar.com.au

Mustang 2.3L HP Conv. Apr 19 $60,790 (10a) Mustang GT Jul 19 Mustang GT Conv.

COMMENT

3.5 Great value for a head-turning convertible. Just don’t call it a muscle car

236/448 rear 1765 127

–

$63,690 (6m) $66,690 (10a) V8/5.0

339/556 rear 1732 196

4.53* 12.49* 13.0 4.0 With hugely improved steering and suspension, it’s what ‘Stang should have been from the start

$75,025 (10a)

V8/5.0

339/556 rear 1802 188

–

–

12.7

3.5 Copped the power and torque hike, but even more of a price rise. Go the GT coupe

V8/5.0

345/556 rear 1732 199

–

–

13.9

TBC With only 700 units slated for Australia, you better get in quick for the ultimate atmo ’Stang

Mustang Mach 1 Jun 21 $83,365 (6m/10a)

I4/2.3T

–

RATING

FUEL CONS

0-400M

0-100 KM/H

KW/TONNE

KERB KG

DRIVE

KW/NM

ENGINE

PRICE

TESTED

BMW – JAGUAR

9.5

Genesis www.genesis-motors.com.au G70 Sport

$72,450 (8a)

V6/3.3TT

272/510

rear 1719 158

4.7

13.3

G70 Ultimate Feb 20 $79,950 (8a)

rear 1762 154

10.2

4.0 Brawny compact sedan delivers benchmark ride quality but falls short on the finer things 4.0 Premium audio, interior finish and wheel package steps up ambience and appeal for range topper

V6/3.3TT

272/510

4.91

13.12 14.3

G80

$68,900 (8a)

V6/3.8

232/397 rear 1872 124

–

–

–

3.5 Revised flagship for the now standalone Genesis brand scores extra local chassis tuning

G80 Ultimate

$88,900 (8a)

V6/3.8

232/397 rear 1935 120

–

–

–

3.0 Added kit struggles to justify extra $20K. Please can we have the V8? Pretty please?

Honda www.honda.com.au Civic Type R Jan 21 $54,990 (6m)

I4/2.0T

228/400 front 1393 164

5.81 13.79 7.7

4.5 Possibly the best front-driver ever now receives revised suspension, brakes and Active Sound Control

Hyundai www.hyundai.com.au i30 N Line i30 N Line Sedan

I4/1.6T

150/265 front 1315 114

–

–

7.5

3.5 SR-replacing N Line is still a terrific warm hatch with a punchy engine and good dynamics

$30,290 (6m) $30,290 (7dc) I4/1.6T

–

7.5

3.5 Essentially an Elantra with a new name, the booted i30 gains radical new styling with proven powertrain

$29,420 (6m) $31,420 (7dc)

150/265 front 1310 114

–

i30 N Feb 19 $41,400 (6m)

I4/2.0T

202/378 front 1429 141

6.24 14.26 8.0

4.5 Finessed, flavoursome, but not wickedly fast. A sweet blend of virtues for the price

i30 Fastback N Mar 20 $42,910(6m)

I4/2.0T

202/378 front 1441 140

6.22 14.28 8.0

4.0 Broadens the i30 N tasting, which is great, but adds weight to a hot hatch that needs to lose some

I4/2.5T

213/422 front 1623 131

–

–

8.1

TBC Eye-catching design with a powerful four-pot and eight-speed dual-clutch ’box – an interesting recipe

6.9

3.5 Pairs lovely ride and handling with smooth steering, just don’t look at the options list 3.5 Scores 221kW four-pot with lovely steering and ride quality, now adds all-wheel-drive traction

Sonata N Line

$50,990 (8dc)

Jaguar www.jaguar.com.au XE P300 R-Dynamic HSE

$72,391 (8a)

I4/2.0T

221/400 rear 1558 142

5.9

–

XF P300 HSE AWD R-Dynamic

$102,500 (8a)

I4/2.0T

221/400 all

1744 127

6.1

–

7.1

F-Type P300 R-Dynamic Coupe

$128,065 (8a)

I4/2.0T

221/400 rear 1525 145

5.7

–

7.2

3.5 New four-pot sheds weight and sounds a lot better than you’d expect, but the options list is a minefield

V6/3.0S

280/460 rear 1594 176

4.9

–

8.6

3.5 Extra grunt and LSD makes it a sharper package, but more noise than actual pace

F-Type P380 R-Dynamic Coupe May 21 $174,765 (8a)

CHART ATTACK

NEW PERFORMANCE CAR SALES UPDATE

ROAD TO RECOVERY ...but not for everyone WE’RE A THIRD OF the way through 2021, and the auto industry continues its road to recovery after a shambolic year for reasons apparent. April was a particularly fruitful month with segments across the board yielding a net positive growth of 22% across the entire market.

The sports car market is currently up by 9.1% year-todate, thanks to a number of vehicles with good results.

In pure volume, the Ford Mustang still rules the roost, posting 202 new registrations last month, rebounding by 38% after last months curious sales slump which saw it fall from 220 in February down to 130 units in March.

Other winners in the sub $80k segment include Mazda’s MX-5, which enjoyed a 142% surge in sales last month thanks to 80 new registrations, following on from last month’s 33. Subsequently, its YTD figures are up a significant 80%, the best of the segment.

Things are more volatile as we move towards the pricier end of town. In the $80k-$200k segment, the Toyota Supra benefited from a 333% surge in new registrations, with 39 of the joint-venture coupes unleashed onto the road – a stark comparison to the nine registered last month.

It’s Mercedes-Benz’s C-Class which owns the mid-range segment in volume, with 104 new cars registered (a 173% increase compared to the previous month), followed closely

by BMW’s 4 Series (95 new registrations last month).

In the $200K+ club, Aston Martin enjoyed the strongest leap forward with a 600% increase in new registrations last month, which edges them ahead in YTD data by 14.3%.

The year-to-date figures don’t look so hot for Ferrari which, despite enjoying a 155% boom this month, remains down by almost 20% compared to this time last year – even with a more optimistic economy. The reverse is true for arch-rival Lamborghini, which is ahead by 44% YTD - AA

TOO COOL

PIPING HOT TOYOTA SUPRA Most people had every reason not to buy a new car last year but Toyota Supra fans have come out in force.

Last month saw a 333% surge in new registrations for Toyota’s A90 Supra, with 39 total new registrations, compared to the previous month’s effort of nine. That also sees its YTD data ahead by a significant 47%. Jaguar’s F-Type is also well ahead in YTD data, up by 166%.

PER CENT

PER CENT

BMW Z4 It looks like a serious case of step-sibling favouritism, with Toyota’s Supra enjoying significant sales success while its close relative, the BMW Z4, struggles to move the needle.

The past month saw new registrations dwindle from 16 in March, to just four in April.

That widens its year-to-date deficit from 62% to 65%.

Other stragglers include BMW’s 8 Series which saw just two new examples hit the road, a 50% decrease from the previous month, with a YTD deficit of -72%.

COMMENT

RATING

FUEL CONS

0-400M

0-100 KM/H

KW/TONNE

KERB KG

DRIVE

KW/NM

POWERED BY

ENGINE

PRICE

TESTED

M HOT SOURCE. FAST CAR GUIDE

F-Type P575 R Coupe

$264,965 (8a)

V8/5.0S

423/700 all

1730 234

3.7

–

11.3

4.0 Brutally quick and a great drive, with stunning looks and soundtrack to match. We miss the rear-driver

F-Type P300 R-Dynamic Conv.

$146,756 (8a)

I4/2.0T

221/400 rear 1545 143

5.7

–

7.2

3.5 Takes the fight to the new Boxster flat-four, but is four cylinders enough for this cool cat?

F-Type P380 R-Dynamic Conv.

$193,456 (8a)

V6/3.0S

280/460 rear 1597 157

5.3

–

8.4

3.5 Throaty V6 snarl perfect for four-pot snobs. Extra weight means it’s only marginally faster

F-Pace SE P400

$98,654 (8a)

I6/3.0TS

294/550 all

2008 146

5.4

–

–

TBC New mild-hybrid straight six promises silken engine response

F-Pace SVR Jan 20 $142,294 (8a)

V8/5.0S

404/680 all

2070 195

4.21 12.20 11.9

Dual EM

294/696 all

2133 138

4.8

–

–

4.0 Sexier than a Tesla Model X, with price and performance to match an Audi S4 Avant

3.0 SRT-lite Grand Cherokee thunders with Hemi V8, but might struggle to get all that weight moving

I-Pace EV400 May 19 $128,100 (1a)

4.0 Superb V8 for not a lot more than XF Sportbrake, it’s no wonder people buy SUVs

Jeep www.jeep.com.au Grand Cherokee S-L

$72,950 (8a)

V8/5.7

259/520 all

2302 113

–

–

13.0

Grand Cherokee SRT

$95,950 (8a)

V8/6.4

344/624 all

2289 150

4.9

–

14.0 3.5 Stonking engine is finally mated to an eight-speed auto; not the bargain it once was, though

V8/6.2S

522/868 all

2399 218

3.70 11.80 16.8

Grand Cherokee Trackhawk Aug 18 $139,950 (8a)

4.0 Cheapest way to the 500kW club, though you’ll spend the rest on fuel bills

Kia www.kia.com.au $24,990 (7dc)

Rio GT-Line

I3/1.0T

88/172

front 1176 75

–

–

5.4

3.5 New turbo triple is a refreshing change from old 1.4-litre atmo, but still fails to inspire

$34,190 (7dc)

I4/1.6T

150/265 front 1370 110

–

–

6.8

3.5 Polished dynamics and turbo grunt, but ride is firm and engine sounds strained

Stinger 200 S

$50,050 (8a)

I4/2.0T

182/353 rear 1693 108

6.0

–

8.8

3.0 Alluring entry price for Korean Falcon EcoBoost, but why wouldn’t you extend to the twin-turbo V6?

Stinger GT-Line

$57,730 (8a)

I4/2.0T

182/353 rear 1693 108

6.0

–

8.8

3.5 Four-pot pick thanks to adaptive suspension and premo cabin. Misses out on an LSD and Brembos

$53,830 (8a)

V6/3.3TT

274/510

rear 1780 154

5.07 13.26 10.2 3.5 Every V6 scores Brembos and LSD. The steering needs work and it isn’t all that polished

Stinger GT Feb 18 $63,760 (8a)

V6/3.3TT

274/510

rear 1780 154

4.82 13.01 10.4 4.0 Adaptive suspension adds much-needed support to the chassis. Update adds 2kW to overall output

Cerato GT Jul 19

Stinger 330 S Jul 18

KTM www.simplysportscars.com X-Bow R May 16 $169,990 (6m) X-Bow GT

$189,990 (6m)

I4/2.0T

220/420 rear 790

279

3.9

–

8.7

4.5 Literally face-peeling performance in a package that’s not exactly a pragmatic choice

I4/2.0T

220/420 rear 847

260

4.1

–

8.7

4.5 It adds a windscreen, but is still about as ‘GT’ as a turbocharged skateboard

12.7

4.0 Modern-day LM002 guaranteed to frighten the other parents on the school run

Lamborghini www.lamborghini.com Urus Apr 19

$390,000 (8a)

Huracan LP580-2 Jan 17 $378,900 (7dc)

PIPELINE

478/850 all

427/540 rear 1389 307

2200 217

3.6

12.8

3.55 11.25 14.3

4.5 More involving and playful than the LP610-4, but it still feels like it needs to be let off the leash

HOT STUFF COMING SOON

Note: all timings are a guide only given disruptions related to COVID-19.

H1 2021 Alpina B3 Touring The unofficial M3 Estate BMW M5 CS M5 gains Club Sport treatment Honda Civic Type R LE Less weight and sticky tyres Hyundai i20 N N set to take on Fiesta ST Hyundai i30 N facelift Confirmed with a DCT Hyundai Sonata N Line 138

V8/4.0TT V10/5.2

Gains 213kW 2.5-litre four-pot Maserati Levante GTS Twin-turbo Ferrari-derived V8 Mercedes-Benz C-Class C63 to be a hybrid four Renault Megane RS300 Frenchie comes in for a quick mid-life nip’n’tuck

H2 2021 Audi S3 More grunt, new interior Alfa Romeo Giulia GTA A winged, 397kW super sedan AM Vantage Roadster BMW M3/M4

j u n e 2 0 2 1 w h i c h c a r. c o m . a u /m o t o r

xDrive for all-paw traction Chevrolet C8 Corvette American supercar set for Oz Ferrari Portofino M Hyundai Kona N All-paw-turbo SUV is serious Land Rover Defender Supercharged V8... yes please!

McLaren Sport Series Mercedes-AMG GT Black Halo car gains flat-plane crank Mercedes-AMG Project One AMG’s tin-top F1 road car Mini JCW Nissan 400Z Turbo V6, manual and RWD.

It’s a slice of old-school cool Porsche 911 GT3 Porsche Taycan Cross Subaru BRZ/WRX Tesla Model S Plaid Sub-9sec passes, Musk says Toyota GR 86 Bigger boxer, increased fight Volkswagen Golf Mk8 Golf R and GTI incoming Volvo S60 T8 Polestar-tuned Volvo V60 T8 Polestar-tuned

2022 BMW M3 Touring Porsche 911 Carrera GTS

Research your next new car at whichcar.com.au

COMMENT

RATING

FUEL CONS

0-400M

0-100 KM/H

KW/TONNE

KERB KG

DRIVE

KW/NM

ENGINE

PRICE

TESTED

JAGUAR – MCLAREN

$429,000 (7dc)

V10/5.2

427/540 rear 1509 283

3.6

–

14.5

4.5 The cheapest way to let that soaring V10 soundtrack into the cabin

Huracan LP610-4 Spyder Sep 16 $470,800 (7dc)

V10/5.2

449/560 all

1542 291

3.4

–

14.6

4.5 Ultimate extrovert’s car with a fab noise. Ultimately it isn’t the purist’s choice given its heft

Huracan Evo Jan 20 $459,000 (7dc)

V10/5.2

470/600 all

1422 331

2.9

–

13.9

4.5 More power, aero and handling ... has the ‘Baby Lambo’ just become the Raging Bull of choice?

$483,866 (7dc)

V10/5.2

470/600 all

1382 340

2.9

–

13.7

4.5 Hardcore Huracan matches Aventador’s performance, but at this price you could have a 488 GTB

$532,635 (7dc)

V10/5.2

470/600 all

1507 312

3.1

–

13.7

4.5 Performante says ‘hardcore’, but heavier Spyder barely quicker than Huracan LP610-4

$596,000 (7dc)

V10/5.2

470/565 all

1339 351

3.0

–

13.7

TBC More hardcore and track-focused than the Performante with extensive aerodynamic addenda

V12/6.5

544/690 all

1575 346

2.9

–

16.9

4.0 S brings worthwhile upgrades to agility, brakes and ride, but gearbox remains a bugbear

Huracan LP580-2 Spyder

Huracan Performante Huracan Performante Spyder Apr 19 Huracan STO

Aventador S May 17 $788,914 (7s) Aventador S Roadster

$825,530 (7s)

V12/6.5

544/690 all

1625 335

3.0

–

16.9

4.0 Will make you feel a million bucks, which is just as well as that’s basically what it costs

Aventador SVJ

$949,640 (7s)

V12/6.5

566/720 all

1525 371

2.8

–

–

4.5 Hard to tame, but epic potency and amazing soundtrack worth the challenge (and then some)

Lexus

www.lexus.com.au

IS350 F Sport Feb 21 $75,000 (8a)

V6/3.5

233/378 rear 1685 138

6.10 14.10 9.7

3.5 Great value, enjoyable dynamics and a responsive V6 is tied to an intrusive ESP and old engine tech

V6/3.5TT

310/600 rear 2240 138

5.0

–

9.5

3.5 New turbo-torque king also drinks much less than LC’s V8, but when will LC get it?

LS500h F Sport Aug 18 $195,953 (4a)

V6/3.5E

264/350 rear 2280 116

5.4

–

6.6

3.5 Prime efficiency, but a dreary power-to-weight ratio that barely matches a base RC

RC300 F Sport Feb 16 $75,636 (8a)

I4/2.0T

180/350 rear 1620 111

7.0

–

7.5

3.0 Turbo four-pot is frugal and more flexible than V6 despite lacking pace and the V6’s chassis upgrades

RC350 F Sport Jan 18 $78,636 (8a)

V6/3.5

233/378 rear 1680 139

6.42 14.41 12.15 3.5 Good value and entertaining rear-drive coupe; added LSD adds much-needed traction and agility

V8/5.0

351/530 rear 1780 197

4.5

V8/5.0

351/530 rear 1715 205

4.79 12.90 15.9 4.0 An unlikely prospect for a track-focused reinvention, but looks and sounds the business

V8/5.0

351/540 rear 1935 182

5.18 13.23 11.6

V6/3.5E

264/348 rear 1985 134

5.0

–

6.7

3.0 Near half the V8’s fuel usage, but feels slower than it is and it’s missing the NASCAR-like soundtrack

V8/5.0

351/540 rear 2035 172

–

–

12.7

4.0 Retains the coupe’s delicious looks and only improves on its cracking sound – but has gained some flab

LS500 F Sport Aug 18 $195,953 (10a)

RC F Aug 19 $136,636 (8a) RC F Track Edition Feb 20 $165,117 (8a) LC500 May 21 $194,757 (10a) LC500h Oct 17

$195,165 (4a)

LC500 Convertible Ann 20 $214,000 (10a)

–

11.2

3.5 Improved ride/handling and sounds great while not being all that fast; ancient-feeling interior 4.0 Concept-car looks, atmo V8 and lovely steering is let down by the chassis, ESC, weight and firm ride

Lotus www.lotuscars.com.au Elise Sport 240 Final Edition

$97,990 (6m)

I4/1.8S

179/244

rear 922

194

4.5

–

7.8

4.0 Made even better by a supercharger. A car that’s hard to get out of – literally. Now with more power

Elise Cup 250 Final Edition

$109,990 (6m)

I4/1.8S

183/244 rear 931

197

4.3

–

7.8

3.5 More hardcore than a Cayman for similar coin. Final Edition to farewell iconic nameplate

Exige 390 Coupe Final Edition

$149,500 (6m)

V6/3.5S

296/420 rear 1138 260

3.7

–

10.2

4.0 Cheapest ticket to supercar power-to-weight ratios. Just don’t expect it to be a daily driver

Exige Sport 350 Roadster

$139,500 (6m)

V6/3.5S

258/400 rear 1125 229

3.9

–

10.0

4.0 Pop-top barely compromises the Exige’s ferocity, meaning it remains a hardcore proposition

Exige 420 Coupe Final Edition

$169,990 (6m)

V6/3.5S

313/427

3.4

–

10.2

4.0 Hardcore driving experience and supercar-fast, but tricky at the limit. Now in Final Edition-guise

Exige Cup 430 Final Edition

$209,990 (6m)

V6/3.5S

321/427

rear 1098 292

3.3

–

10.2

4.0 It’s a lot of money for a Lotus, but what a glorious alternative to a Porsche. Get it while it lasts

$179,990 (6m) $181,990 (6a) V6/3.5S

313/410

rear 1325 231

4.2

–

9.7

4.5 Brilliant driving experience, fine day-to-day manners and much cheaper than before

Evora GT410 Sport Jul 19

rear 1110

282

Evora GT430 Sport Nov 18 $239,990 (6m)

V6/3.5S

320/440 rear 1289 248

3.8

–

10.1

3.5 Wedges powered-up Elise engine into larger, but stripped-out Lotus GT

Evora GT430 Aug 18 $259,990 (6m)

V6/3.5S

320/440 rear 1299 246

3.7

–

10.1

3.5 20-way adjustable suspension and carbonfibre buckets top off priciest Lotus

Maserati www.maserati.com.au Ghibli

$144,990 (8a)

V6/3.0TT

257/500 rear 1810 142

5.6

–

9.6

3.0 Great looks and alluring engine note but we still haven’t driven it locally

Ghibli S GranSport

$175,000 (8a)

V6/3.0TT

321/580 rear 1810 166

4.9

–

9.6

3.5 High-tune twin-turbo V6 gives the Ghibli real punch and sits in an unusual spot in the market

Ghibli Trofeo May 21 $265,000 (8a)

V8/3.8TT

433/730 rear 1969 220

4.3

–

12.3

3.5 Twin-turbo V8 grunt from Ferrari going to the rear wheels only... sounds like a lot of fun

Levante GTS

$268,990 (8a)

V8/3.8TT

405/730 all

2170 186

4.2

–

13.5

4.0 Ferrari-powered Levante is finally an appealing, if pricey, alternative to other small super-SUVs

Levante Trofeo

$330,000 (8a)

V8/3.8TT

433/730 all

2170 200

3.9

–

13.5

4.0 Feels proper fast, but maybe not fast enough for this sort of money

QuattroporteTrofeo

$376,900 (8a)

V8/3.8TT

433/730 rear 2000 217

4.5

–

12.2

TBC Turbo V8 has mega mumbo and a classy interior ... and so it should for the price!

GranTurismo MC Sportline

$345,000 (6s)

V8/4.7

338 /520 rear 1880 187

4.7

–

15.5

3.5 Drop-dead gorgeous coupe finally gets extra grunt. More of a grand tourer than proper sportscar

GranCabrio Sport

$335,000 (6a)

V8/4.7

338/520 rear 1980 171

5.0

–

14.5

3.5 Made for a coastal road, not a race track

GranCabrio Sport MC

$355,000 (6s)

V8/4.7

338/520 rear 1973 171

4.9

–

14.9

3.0 ‘MC’ shifts the trans rearward and cuts shift times. Will any Cabrio drivers feel the difference?

V6/3.0TT

463/730 rear 1470 315

2.9

–

11.6

4.5 A mid-mounted twin-turbo V6 in a carbon-fibre body. Welcome the Trident back to the supercar league

MC20 Jun 21 $438,000 (8dc)

Mazda www.mazda.com.au 3 G25 GT

$34,090 (6m) $35,090 (6a)

I4/2.5

139/252 front 1339 104

–

–

6.2

3.5 Next-generation Mazda3 is a crucial car for the Oz market – we’re keen to drive the sportiest version

MX-5

$35,890 (6m) $37,890 (6a)

I4/1.5

97/152

–

–

6.2

4.0 Superb dynamics matched with lightness and a keen engine – but larger folk will struggle

$43,820 (6m) $45,820 (6a)

I4/2.0

135/205 rear 1035 130

6.37 14.54 6.8

I4/2.0

135/205 rear 1033 131

6.8

I4/2.0

135/205 rear 1087 124

6.55 14.65 6.9

MX-5 GT Jul 19

MX-5 GT RS Feb 21 $47,020 (6m) MX-5 RF Oct 18 $41,200 (6m) $43,200 (6a) MX-5 RF GT RS Feb 21 $51,100 (6m) MX-5 RF GT

$47,900 (6m) $49,900 (6a)

rear 1021 95

I4/2.0

135/205 rear 1085 124

I4/2.0

135/205 rear 1112

121

–

4.0 Powered- and revved-up 2.0-litre distances itself from 1.5-litre, but it now starts with pricey GT 4.0 Upgraded brakes shave 2kg; lighter 17-inch wheels, revised Bilstein dampers and strut brace also added 4.0 Hardtop adds class and coupe looks ... along with a bit more weight

6.9

4.0 Electrically folding hardtop adds convenience with the touch of a button, but also adds weight...

–

6.9

4.0 GT hardtop stacks up as the most premium pick, hence it comes with a significant sticker price

McLaren www.cars.mclaren.com 540C Nov 17 $350,000 (7dc)

V8/3.8TT

397/540 rear 1311

303

3.5

–

11.1

4.0 Supercar price leader that hits 200km/h in 10.5sec, yet it still lacks a little soul and interior options

570S Jul 17

$395,000 (7dc)

V8/3.8TT

419/600 rear 1344 312

3.2

–

10.7

4.5 Insane performance and involving dynamics. It’s a shame it doesn’t ride as well as the 720S

570S Spider Oct 17

$435,750 (7dc)

V8/3.8TT

419/600 rear 1359 280

3.2

–

10.7

4.5 Structural rigidity claimed to be unchanged from coupe. Hefty premium to be able to remove the roof

570GT

$415,000 (7dc)

V8/3.8TT

419/600 rear 1381 303

3.4

–

10.7

4.5 Best-looking Sport Series, with extra luggage space and slightly softer responses than 570S

GT Nov 19 $399,995 (7dc)

V8/4.0TT

456/630 rear 1530 304

3.2

–

11.9

4.0 It’s more practical than a ‘regular’ McLaren but still no proper GT like the 911 Turbo

600LT Aug 19 $455,000 (7dc)

V8/3.8TT

441/620 rear 1356 325

2.9

–

–

4.5 720S pace for $35K less, but are they too close? McLaren claims it corners harder than old 675LT

720S Mar 18 $489,900 (7dc)

V8/4.0TT

530/770 rear 1419 374

2.9

–

12.2

4.5 Otherworldly speed matched to outstanding dynamics. If only it sounded better

720S Spider

$556,000 (7dc)

V8/4.0TT

530/770 rear 1468 361

2.9

–

12.2

4.5 Weight increase is marginal over the coupe, and the chassis remains just as rigid with the carbon tub

765LT

$609,650 (7dc)

V8/4.0TT

563/800 rear 1339 420

2.8

–

12.2

TBC The 720S gains track-focused Longtail treatment – is it almost a Senna now? We think so

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COMMENT

RATING

FUEL CONS

0-400M

0-100 KM/H

KW/TONNE

KERB KG

DRIVE

KW/NM

MERCEDES-BENZ – MORGAN

ENGINE

PRICE

TESTED

M HOT SOURCE. FAST CAR GUIDE

Mercedes-Benz www.mercedes-benz.com.au 3.5 A smartphone on wheels, but kerb weight is up and power below average for this price

A250 4Matic Feb 19 $57,300 (7dc)

I4/2.0T

165/350 all

1430 115

6.2

A35 AMG Feb 20 $71,700 (7dc)

I4/2.0T

225/400 all

1480 152

4.86 13.16 12.1

A45 S AMG Feb 21 $94,100 (8dc)

I4/2.0T

310/500 all

1550 200

3.9

–

8.4

4.5 An improvement in almost every way on the old one, but you’ll pay a whole lot more for the pleasure

A250 4Matic sedan Feb 19 $59,600 (7dc)

I4/2.0T

165/350 all

1450 111

6.3

–

6.7

3.5 All-wheel drive seems to add safety rather than performance

–

6.2

4.0 Accessible performance but hardly game-changing in face of the Civic Type R or Golf R. Still, underrated

A35 AMG Sedan

$72,700 (7dc)

I4/2.0T

225/400 all

1495 151

4.8

–

7.3

4.0 Same as above, only packaged in sleeker sedan body. We’d prefer the hatch for practicality

CLA250 4Matic

$70,100 (7dc)

I4/2.0T

165/350 all

1475 112

6.3

–

6.5

3.5 Classy looks, decent powertrain and lots of tech help justify pricey tag

CLA35 AMG

$85,900 (7dc)

I4/2.0T

225/400 all

1515 149

4.7

–

7.3

4.0 A35’s respectable performance wrapped in a more stylish, swoopy package

CLA45 S AMG Sep 20 $112,000 (8dc)

I4/2.0T

310/500 all

1600 194

4.09 12.21 8.3

V6/3.0TT

287/520 all

1630 176

4.7

–

9.1

4.0 A quick, comfortable and entertaining drive that’s more subdued than most AMGs – now with more grunt

$116,300 (9a)

V6/3.0TT

287/520 all

1685 170

4.8

–

9.3

4.0 Engaging chassis wrapped in a wagon package. Looks quite subtle, but then that could be a plus

C63 S AMG May 19 $168,300 (9a)

V8/4.0TT

375/700 rear 1680 223

4.44 12.30 10.4 4.5 Amazing engine and brilliant chassis offset the terse ride and occasional gearbox stumble

C63 S AMG Estate Jan 16 $171,000 (9a)

C43 AMG Jun 17 $113,700 (9a) C43 AMG Estate

4.5 Getting a little exxy but you do get a lot of car for the money. And what a car. And engine!

4.5 The ultimate do-everything car, though it’s quite small in the back

V8/4.0TT

375/700 rear 1725 217

4.0

–

8.7

C300 Coupe

$90,300 (9a)

I4/2.0T

190/370

6.0

–

6.6

3.5 A quality product and a decent steer. Less convinced about that rear styling

(▲$4300) C43 AMG Coupe

$122,200 (9a)

V6/3.0TT

287/520 all

1675 171

4.7

–

9.2

4.0 The car you buy if the C63 feels a bit too full-on, and it would be the quicker car in the wet

(▲$4900) C43 AMG Cabriolet

$142,300 (9a)

V6/3.0TT

287/520 all

1810 159

4.8

–

9.5

3.5 Solid mix of class and performance; hefty price tag, though

C63 S AMG Coupe Aug 19 $173,500 (9a)

rear 1490 121

4.5 Thunderous power and engaging handling, but pricier than rivals and a heavy so-and-so

V8/4.0TT

375/700 rear 1725 217

4.56 12.48 8.7

C63 S AMG Cabriolet

$194,000 (9a)

V8/4.0TT

375/700 rear 1850 202

4.1

–

9.3

4.5 Front-row seats to hear AMG’s thumping 4.0-litre eight. Not the keenest handler of the C63 bunch

E53 AMG

$162,300 (9a)

I6/3.0TT(E) 320/520 all

–

4.4

–

8.7

4.0 Plenty of pace and stunning interior, but it doesn’t feel very ‘AMG’

V8/4.0TT

450/850 all

1955 230

3.40 11.28 9.3

4.5 The prototypical super sedan lacks only a smidge of refinement

I6/3.0TT(E) 320/520 all

1895 169

4.53 12.68 8.7

4.0 New inline-six as smooth as the styling, plus it’s among the first AMGs to get an electric kick

I6/3.0TT(E) 320/520 all

1980 162

4.5

–

8.7

3.5 Introduction of ‘53’ cab and coupe make for the quickest two-door E-Class AMGs

I6/3.0TT

270/500 all

1940 165

4.8

–

7.8

3.5 Great car, gorgeous interior, swift acceleration, but handling tuned for mass market, not the enthusiast

I6/3.0TT(E) 336/520 all

1980 162

4.5

–

8.7

4.0 Beautiful interior and eye-catching looks backed by high-tech new inline-six

E63 S AMG Mar 21 $253,900 (9a) E53 AMG Coupe Dec 18 $164,800 (9a) E53 AMG Cabriolet

$173,400 (9a)

CLS450 Sep 18 $164,600 (9a) CLS53 AMG Apr 18 $189,100 (9a)

–

S450

$240,700 (9a)

I6/3.0TT(E) 270/500 all

2001 135

5.1

–

8.2

TBC Tech tour de force continues for new Mercedes flagship – overhauled cabin adds massive screen

S450 L

$264,900 (9a)

I6/3.0TT(E) 270/500 all

2074 130

5.1

–

8.4

TBC Incredible fuel economy and grunt from new mild hybrid inline-six

S560 Cabriolet

$349,235 (9a)

V8/4.0TT

345/700 rear 2075 159

4.6

–

9.9

4.5 Vitamin-D exposure in opulent style, though it’s very showy

S63 AMG Cabriolet

$414,735 (9a)

V8/4.0TT

450/900 rear 2110 209

–

–

10.2

4.0 Hell-raising acceleration and gorgeous looks, but don’t get too enthusiastic in the bends

GT53 AMG

$256,235 (9a)

I6/3.0TT(E) 320/770 all

1970 162

4.5

–

9.1

3.5 Cheapest ticket to AMG 4-door town, but you’ll forever be answering why you didn’t buy the V8

V8/4.0TT

470/900 all

2025 229

3.16 11.08 13.5 4.5 AMG has bolted wheels to a Tomahawk cruise missile; this car will still be spoken about in 50 years

V8/4.7TT

335/700 rear 1720 187

4.3

AMG GT C Feb 19 $341,200 (7dc)

V8/4.0TT

410/680 rear 1625 252

3.66 11.55 12.4 4.5 Monster performance for those who find the GT R a bit ostentatious

AMG GT R Jun 19 $373,400 (7dc)

V8/4.0TT

430/700 rear 1575 273

3.6

–

12.4

4.5 AMG GT in its ultimate form, yet ride also improved. This or a 911 GT3?

AMG GT R Pro Feb 21 $453,200 (7dc)

V8/4.0TT

430/700 rear 1575 273

3.6

–

12.4

5.0 Brilliant on a twisty road, epic on a race track. And that’s why it is our 2021 Performance Car of the Year

AMG GT C Roadster Jun 17 $367,400 (7dc)

V8/4.0TT

410/680 rear 1660 247

3.7

–

11.4

4.5 Steals choice bits from the GT R to create one hell of a drop-top experience

$83,700 (8dc)

I4/2.0T

225/400 all

1582 142

5.1

–

7.4

4.0 Slightly confused as to what it wants to be, but it is a quick small SUV with a premium badge

GLA45 AMG Feb 21 $108,100 (8dc)

I4/2.0T

310/500 all

1731 179

4.3

–

9.3

4.0 Higher A45 S will handle speed humps better, but its centre of gravity will cost it in corners

GT63 S AMG Feb 20 $363,700 (7a) SL500

$292,135 (9a)

GLA35 AMG

–

9.1

3.0 Fantastic engine and sleeker looks undermined by previous-gen interior and body wobbles

GLB35 AMG

$89,300 (8dc)

I4/2.0T

225/400 all

1857 121

5.2

–

8.3

TBC Baby AMG GLB mates ‘35’ spec donk with new eight-cog DCT but suffers from a weight problem

(▲$5600) GLC43 AMG

$120,600 (9a)

V6/3.0TT

270/520 all

1855 146

4.9

–

8.8

3.5 We’d buy a C43, but most people will probably buy this. Strong engine

(▲$5900) GLC43 AMG Coupe

$127,700 (9a)

V6/3.0TT

270/520 all

1855 146

4.9

–

8.8

3.5 $7500 premium over GLC43 in the pursuit of questionable style ... we’d choose a C43 Estate?

(▲$7800) GLC63 S AMG

Jun 20 $175,800 (9a)

V8/4.0TT

375/700 all

1935 194

3.8

–

10.7

4.0 Sprog-hauling and supercar-chasing talents, but the dynamics aren’t a patch on a Macan

Jul 18

V8/4.0TT

(▲$8000) GLC63 S AMG Coupe

$182,000 (9a)

375/700 all

1945 192

3.92 12.05 10.9 4.0 Engaging wagon on stilts is easier on the eye, but tall rear passengers won’t be so impressed

I6/3.0T(e) 320/520 all

2250 142

5.3

–

9.3

3.5 Hybrid powertrain suits the GLE’s comfy character well, though it’s far from delivering a 63’s gut punch

(▲$9800) GLE63 S AMG

$230,400 (9a)

V8/4.0TT(e) 450/850 all

2270 198

3.8

–

11.5

3.5 Bonkers power levels from twin-turbo V8... and significant heft. Yet, its directional stability is impressive

(▲$10,000) GLE63 S AMG Coupe

May 21 $235,500 (9a)

V8/4.0TT(e) 450/850 all

2270 198

3.8

–

11.5

3.5 A car that you really don’t want to like, until you drive it and experience its pace. Also drive an Audi RS Q8

Jan 21 $267,100 (9a)

V8/4.0TT(e) 450/850 all

2555 178

4.2

–

13.0

3.5 It’s reason for existence is tenuous, but we’re kinda glad it does. Too fast for its own good?

Apr 19

V8/4.0TT

2485 173

4.5

–

13.1

3.0 New chassis and 850Nm 4.0-litre, old looks and side pipes

(▲$7400) GLE53 AMG

(▲$11,400) GL63 AMG (▲$9100) G63 AMG

Sep 20 $167,100 (9a)

$299,000 (9a)

430/850 all

MINI www.mini.com.au I4/2.0T

141/(300) front 1195 118

6.8

–

6.3

3.5 Solves all the old model’s problems, but creates a new one ... it’s not as engaging. Needs better tyres

$46,800 (7dc)

I4/2.0T

141/(300) front 1255 112

6.9

–

6.4

3.5 A smaller alternative to a VW Golf GTI, but yet further away from the original ‘mini’ ethos

$51,100 (7dc)

I4/2.0T

141/(300) front 1295 109

7.2

–

6.5

3.5 More practical and a better drive than the old Cabrio. But that’s not saying an awful lot

Cooper S Classic Jun 18 $40,700 (6m) $45,100 (7dc) Cooper S Classic 5-door Cooper S Convertible

I4/2.0T

141/(300) front 1360 104

7.1

–

6.0

3.5 Smart interior and supple chassis, but extra heft burdens the poor 2.0-litre. Then there’s the weird looks..

I4/2.0T

141/(300) front 1505 94

7.4

–

6.5

3.5 Surprisingly cohesive looks, with extra practicality. It’s not very mini, or overly fast, and it is heavy

I4/2.0T

170/320

front 1220 139

6.3

–

6.9

3.0 More power and playful handling, but the steering’s iffy, the ride is firm and it is expensive

I4/2.0T

225/450 front 1210 145

5.2

–

7.3

4.0 The ultimate Mini returns, claimed to lap the Nurburgring North Loop in less than eight minutes

$59,250 (8a)

I4/2.0T

170/320

6.6

–

7.0

3.5 Drop-top suits the Mini vibe and it’s combined with strong performance – sadly, handling is diluted

Cooper JCW Clubman Pure Jan 20 $57,900 (8a)

I4/2.0T

225/450 all

1550 114

4.9

–

7.3

3.5 Clubman chassis scores the power it deserves, but power doesn’t solve everything

Cooper JCW Clubman Jan 20 $62,900 (8a)

I4/2.0T

225/450 all

1550 114

4.9

–

7.3

3.5 Since it ditches adaptive dampers for bigger 19s, the full-fruit JCW Clubman feels somewhat juiced

Cooper JCW Countryman Nov 17 $59,900 (8a)

I4/2.0T

170/350

1555 109

6.5

–

7.4

3.5 Mini with the lot gains a maxi price tag. Clubman is much cooler, cheaper and lighter

Cooper S Clubman Feb 16 $45,900 (6m/8a) Cooper S Countryman

$49,200 (8a)

Cooper JCW Pure Aug 16 $50,400 (6m) $53,700 (8a) JCW GP Jan 21 $63,900 (8a) Cooper JCW Convertible

front 1320 129

all

Morgan www.morgancars.com.au 4/4

$94,000 (5m)

Roadster

140

82/132

rear 795

103

8.0

–

6.4

3.0 Ye olde charm and definitely a unique drive experience. You’re essentially buying a brand-new antique

V2/2.0

60/140

rear 550 220

6.0

–

9.3

3.5 An utterly unique car to be behind the wheel of. You’re either going to love it or hate it

$105,000 (5m)

I4/2.0

115/201

rear 877

117

7.3

–

7.0

3.0 It’s all about living in the past while being in the future, something that can be an acquired taste

$145,00 (6m)

V6/3.7

209/370 rear 950

220

5.5

–

9.8

3.0 Power-to-weight rivals a 911 Carrera S. However, you’d really have to love it to live with it

3 Wheeler Apr 16 $107,000 (5m) Plus 4

I4/1.6

j u n e 2 0 2 1 w h i c h c a r. c o m . a u /m o t o r

BEING ALONE IN A CAR ON A RACE TRACK CAN BE ONE OF THE MOST LIBERATING EXPERIENCES YOU CAN HAVEE

Alex Affat PERHAPS I GOT OVEREXCITED in my column last month, as it was only afterwards that I realised – in my haste to rant about the exorbitant prices of once-cheap JDM dream machines – that I never properly introduced myself to you, the MOTOR clan.

So here we go: Hi, I’m Alex. And I love track days!

The bug bit me hard many moons ago and, while there’s little logic in spending significant amounts of money and time so you can drive around in circles racing nobody but yourself, I’ve truly found it to be one of life’s greatest pleasures.

The events I primarily take part in are club level sprint days, and grassroots time attack events. But I think there’s a universal attraction in whatever your chosen poison is, be it drag racing, drifting, rallying or autocross.

It’s not always smooth sailing, however. The days can be incredibly long and taxing, the car maintenance is never ending, and – even if you never bin it or break anything – it’s never what you’d call a ‘cheap’ hobby. But being alone in a car on a race track can be one of the most liberating experiences you can have.

Of course, from the outside, the consequence of speed and risk can seem unnerving, but that quickly fades away once you have an event or two under your belt. A colleague once asked me whether there’s much pressure at these track days, but I’ve found it to be quite the opposite.

In fact, track days to me are one of the few instances in life where there isn’t any pressure. It’s just me and my machine, constantly trying to best my own lap record on a never-ending quest for incremental self-improvement.

And I do believe it’s a universal appeal. I never ‘understood’ the appeal of drag racing, until the first time I had to performance benchmark a car at Heathcote. It’s that same dopamine hit you get from time attack, that process of making repeatable movements with fine adjustments and trying to get the best result. Except you get that hit every 13 seconds at the drag strip,

instead of every minute and 40 seconds at Winton. It’s true what they say, don’t knock it ’til you try it. The best thing is, though, you’re not thinking about work, or the home life. You’re not trying to be the fastest (believe me, you won’t be). But it will teach you more about driving, and about your car, than you’ll ever learn in the public domain, no matter how flash your vehicle is, or how ‘spirited’ your Sunday morning drives are.

There’s an incredible social aspect at track days, too, with a tight-knit and supportive community that is increasingly absent elsewhere in the car scene these days. Even at competition days: I’ve been in the garages at World Time Attack and have seen competitors lending tools, even pairs of hands, to help their opponents get back out on track.

Of course there are rivalries, but we’re all trying to push each other. And the driver whose lap times you’ve been side-eyeing because you’re both close to setting a PB, will be the first to come up and give you a high-five when you finally break that barrier.

Grassroots motorsports isn’t as inaccessible as many would think. Modern cars need little in the way of prep to stand up to a day at the races, with most needing little more than a fresh service, perhaps some brake pads, and a mounted fire extinguisher.

My friends at Nugget Nationals have been holding a budget time attack league for years, complete with an upper limit cost cap of $5000; which includes cost of vehicle purchase and modification, excluding safety items, with further limits on engine capacity, forced induction and certain modifications.

There’s even romance in the pre-dawn slog to Winton. Everyone from Melbourne stops at the Wallan BP for fuel and breakfast. It’s still dark, but about 30 minutes further along the Hume Highway, the sky begins to turn a deep murky blue, then purple, then pink.

And then daylight breaks, and the world turns gold. It’s soul cleansing stuff, like going on a camping trip with your mates – but with race cars. What could be better?

d

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COMMENT

RATING

FUEL CONS

0-400M

0-100 KM/H

KW/TONNE

KERB KG

DRIVE

KW/NM

NISSAN - RENAULT

ENGINE

PRICE

TESTED

M HOT SOURCE. FAST CAR GUIDE

Nissan www.nissan.com.au $50,490(6m) $52,990 (7a)

V6/3.7

245/363 rear 1468 162

5.85 14.04 10.4 3.5 Now old, but latest in a long line of Z-cars. Still has an agricultural engine and snappy handling

370Z Roadster Jun 18 $61,490 (6m) $63,990 (7a)

V6/3.7

245/363 rear 1478 168

5.8

$61,990 (6m) $64,490 (7a)

V6/3.7

253/371

$193,800 (6dc)

V6/3.8TT

419/632 all

5.87 14.07 10.6 3.5 A visual and aural refresh courtesy of Nismo. Performance suspension lacks sophistication 3.20 11.21 11.7 4.0 Improved ride and transmission tweaks for MY20 are welcome, feels suited to the street more than ever

370Z Apr 19 370Z Nismo Jul 18 GT-R Premium

rear 1480 171 1765 237

–

10.9* 3.0 Suffers little in the conversion to drop-top, but $11K for a creaky roof is too much

GT-R Track Edition Nov 16 $235,000 (6dc)

V6/3.8TT

419/632 all

1760 238

2.7

GT-R Nismo Ann 19 $378,000 (6dc)

V6/3.8TT

441/652 all

1715 257

3.14 11.04 11.7

–

11.7

4.0 In a track environment, it’s simply awesome. Question marks remain over road suitability 4.0 There’s the Track Edition, and then there’s this. However the MY20’s price is verging on ridiculous

Porsche www.porsche.com.au (▲$2900) 718 Cayman

Ann 16 $116,000 (6m) $117,932 (7dc) F4/2.0T

220/380 rear 1335 165

5.1

(▲$4100) 718 Cayman S

Feb 18 $139,600 (6m) $144,180 (7dc) F4/2.5T

257/420 rear 1355 190

3.95 12.02 8.1

(▲$3200) 718 Cayman GTS 4.0

Mar 20 $175,200 (6m) $180,590 (7dc) F6/4.0

294/420 rear 1405 209

4.5

–

10.8

(▲$3600) 718 Cayman GT4

–

7.4

4.5 Porsche’s entry sportscar sets the bar high, but it’s hardly a cheap deal in anyone’s language 4.5 An almost flawless sports car that only struggles to stir the emotions 4.5 We haven’t driven it yet but fair to say expectations are through the ceiling

257/420 rear 1355 190

4.2* –

10.9 5.0 Not as special as the old one but still utterly brilliant 6.9* 4.5 Turbo grunt means base Boxster will offer more than enough performance for most 7.3* 4.5 Approaching supercar speed with beautiful chassis balance. Now much more expensive than it was

(▲$3200) 718 Boxster GTS 4.0

$178,000 (6m) $183,390 (7dc) F6/4.0

294/420 rear 1405 209

4.5

–

10.8

TBC Big-bore, howling atmo six-cylinder replaces downsized turbo-four. What decade is it again?

(▲$3900) 718 Boxster Spyder

$200,700 (6m) $205,280 (7dc) F6/4.0

309/420 rear 1420 217

4.4

–

10.9

5.0 With a chassis that’s just as good as the GT4’s, this is open-top motoring at its finest

$191,100 (2a)

Dual EM

390/640 all

2241 174

4.0

–

0.0

TBC A reasonable step-up in luxury and finish over a Tesla Model S, but not in performance

$269,100 (2a)

Dual EM

500/850 all

2305 217

3.2

–

0.0

TBC Arguably a faster alternative to the Panamera 4E-hybrid if you’re not subject to range anxiety

Taycan Turbo S Apr 21 $339,100 (2a)

4.5 State-of-the-art EV performance from Porsche might struggle to justify $180K over the top Model S

Aug 19 $210,200 (6m) $214,780 (7dc) F6/4.0

309/420 rear 1420 217

4.4

–

(▲$2900) 718 Boxster

Jun 16 $118,800 (6m) $120,732 (7dc) F4/2.0T

220/380 rear 1335 165

4.7*

–

(▲$4100) 718 Boxster S

Jun 16 $142,400 (6m) $146,980 (7dc) F4/2.5T

Taycan 4S Taycan Turbo

Dual EM

560/1050 all

2295 253

2.8

–

0.0

$201,000 (2a)

Dual EM

420/650 all

2245 187

4.1

–

0.0

TBC ‘Affordable’ Taycan gets dirty with jacked-up ride height and extra body cladding

Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo Apr 21 $271,200 (2a)

Dual EM

500/850 all

2320 216

3.3

–

0.0

4.5 If you need a high-performance, off-roading EV, then consider this a niche filled

Taycan 4S Cross Turismo (▲$5000) 911 Carrera

Mar 20 $241,300 (8dc)

F6/3.0TT

283/450 rear 1505 188

4.2

–

9.4

4.5 The entry ticket into the 992 series range is slightly more expensive but no less sublime

(▲$4900) 911 Carrera 4

$253,500 (8dc)

F6/3.0TT

283/450 all

4.2

–

9.5

4.0 Extra grip cancels out the extra weight but the experience is not as pure

(▲$5000) 911 Carrera S

Feb 20 $279,600 (8dc)

F6/3.0TT

331/530 rear 1515 218

(▲$5000) 911 Carrera 4S

$296,800 (8dc)

F6/3.0TT

331/530 all

(▲$4800) 911 Carrera Cabriolet

$263,000 (8dc)

F6/3.0TT

283/450 rear 1575 180

4.4

–

9.6

4.0 Less than half as stiff as the coupe but still a damn fine driving experience

(▲$4800) 911 Carrera 4 Cabriolet

$280,200 (8dc)

F6/3.0TT

283/450 all

1625 174

4.4

–

9.6

4.5 Seriously versatile with all-wheel drive but $267K buys you a lot in Jaguar’s F-Type range

(▲$4800) 911 Carrera S Cabriolet

$301,300 (8dc)

F6/3.0TT

331/530 rear 1585 209

3.7

–

–

4.5 Even new Cabriolet can’t dent epic performance previously the domain of Porsche GT models

(▲$4800) 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet

$318,500 (8dc)

F6/3.0TT

331/530 all

1635 202

3.6

–

–

4.5 Tips the $300K mark, and we’d rather an R8 Spyder for this coin

(▲$4800) 911 Targa 4

$280,200 (8dc)

F6/3.0TT

283/450 all

1665 170

4.4

–

9.7

4.0 It’s heavier than the Cabriolet but that’s all you pay for its slick looks since it’s priced identically

(▲$4800) 911 Targa 4S

$218,500 (8dc)

F6/3.0TT

331/530 rear 1675 198

3.8

–

9.7

4.0 Has the thrust to mask the extra flab from the Targa’s gorgeous roll-hoop

(▲$8500) 911 Turbo

May 21 $405,000 (8dc)

F6/3.8TT

427/750 all

1640 260

2.8

–

–

TBC The benchmark for all super sportscars to meet

(▲$8300) 911 Turbo Cabriolet

$425,800 (8dc)

F6/3.8TT

427/750 all

1710 250

2.9

–

–

TBC Slashes the price on a S but retains most of the performance

(▲$8200) 911 Turbo S

Jun 20 $481,700 (8dc)

F6/3.8TT

478/800 all

1640 291

2.7

–

11.5

5.0 The sports car king remains ridiculously fast, comfortable and quite expensive

(▲$8100) 911 Turbo S Cabriolet

$502,600 (8dc) 911 GT3 May 21 $369,700 (6m/8dc) Panamera 4 $209,700 (8dc)

1555 182 1565 212

3.54 11.56 14.3 4.5 All-new 992 delivers increased comfort, handling and speed, though no manual (yet!)

4.5 All-wheel drive emphasises weight gain; we say grab the rear-drive one 3.4 – –

F6/3.8TT

478/800 all

1710 280

2.8

–

11.7

TBC Probably the best drop-top Porsche yet doomed to be written off by enthusiasts

F6/4.0

375/470 rear 1435 261

3.4

–

–

5.0 Just when you think Porsche can’t beat perfection, it does. New 992-gen brings valid upgrades

V6/2.9TT

243/450 all

1900 129

5.3

–

–

4.0 Stuttgart’s fresh limo doesn’t hang around. All-wheel drive is of questionable relevance in Oz

Panamera 4 S.T.

$217,300 (8dc)

V6/2.9TT

243/450 all

1930 128

5.3

–

–

4.0 A good-looking Panamera! And it can seat five, though you might need to ditch the rugrats to buy one

Panamera 4S E-Hybrid

$292,300 (8dc)

V6/2.9TT[E] 412/750

all

2225 183

3.7

–

–

4.0 Hybrid limo allows zero-emissions commuting without paying a performance penalty

Panamera GTS

$309,500 (8dc)

V8/4.0TT

353/620 all

2020 175

3.9

–

4.0 No more high-rev natural aspiration here, but two-tonne Pana likely all the better for it

Panamera GTS S.T.

$316,000 (8dc)

V8/4.0TT

353/620 all

2040 173

3.9

–

4.0 A mix of prettiness, practicality and performance only challenged by an RS6. Or Pana Turbo...

Panamera Turbo S

$409,500 (8dc)

V8/4.0TT

463/820 all

2080 223

3.1

–

–

4.0 Crushing on-paper performance and cosseting luxury. Yes, it’s lighter, but still a big bertha

Macan GTS

$112,300 (7dc)

V6/2.9TT

280/520 all

1910 147

4.9

–

10.0

4.0 GTS badge returns to the Macan range and again hits a nice sweet spot between price and performance

Macan Turbo

$145,200 (7dc)

V6/2.9TT

324/550 all

1945 167

4.5

–

10.0

4.0 Refreshed Macan adopts new hot vee twin-turbo V6 but fails to match rivals on outputs

(▲$5900) Cayenne S

Jun 19 $167,400 (8a)

V6/2.9TT

324/550 all

2020 160

5.2

–

9.2

4.0 New 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 as fast as old Cayenne GTS, and now lighter and slightly cheaper

(▲$4400) Cayenne S Coupe

$176,900 (8a)

V6/2.9TT

324/550 all

2120 153

5.0

–

9.2

4.0 Claimed to be quicker than its five-door sibling despite being heavier and with no extra power

(▲$5800) Cayenne GTS

May 21 $198,300 (8a)

V8/4.0TT

338/660 all

2145 158

4.5

–

12.2

TBC V8’s added sound and performance should easily justify the 13 per cent price hike over an S

(▲$4600) Cayenne Turbo

Ann 18 $250,600 (8a)

V8/4.0TT

404/770 all

2175 186

4.1

–

11.7

4.0 Continues to redefine physics to power oversteer the kids to school

(▲$3300) Cayenne Turbo Coupe

$262,300 (8a)

V8/4.0TT

404/770 all

2275 178

3.9

–

11.4

4.0 See above, just with a swoopy coupe-like design. Will be popular in suburbs like Toorak and Vaucluse

(▲$2000) Turbo S E-H. Coupe

Apr 20 $299,900 (8a)

V8/4.0TT

500/900 all

2535 197

3.8

–

3.9

4.0 Beserk-accelerating 2.5-tonne Cayenne a little too bulky to appeal to your inner Walter Rohrl

Range Rover www.landrover.com.au $85,767 (9a)

I4/2.0T

221/400 all

1850 120

6.6

–

8.1

3.5 All-new version of the baby Rangie now packs 221kW but has also put on the pounds

Velar SE P400 MHEV R-Dynamic

$127,000 (8a)

l6/3.0ST

294/550 all

2010 146

5.5

–

8.9

3.5 With the hilarious SV Autobiography axed, this is the pseudo performance variant – and it’s a hybrid six

Sport P525 HSE Dynamic

$175,613 (8a)

V8/5.0S

386/625 all

2323 166

–

–

12.8

4.0 Great handling, wonderful engine and good looks. Some will see it as the poor man’s Range Rover

Sport P525 Autobiog. Dynamic

$205,283 (8a)

V8/5.0S

386/625 all

2323 166

–

–

12.8

4.0 Drives like an enormous hot hatch. However, it’s thirsty and the off-road ability is wasted on most

Sport P565 SVR

$244,249 (8a)

V8/5.0S

423/700 all

2310 183

4.5

–

12.8

3.5 Ludicrous acceleration with an anti-social exhaust noise. This performance-4x4 thing is a bit silly

V8 Autobiography Apr 18 $273,845 (8a)

V8/5.0S

386/625 all

2383 162

5.4

–

12.8

4.0 Like an off-road S-Class with its incredible ride and feel-good factor. Fuel tank has a hole in it...

V8/5.0S

415/700

2497 167

–

–

12.8

3.5 Snarling F-Type engine adds plenty of theatre, but adds a confused personality and little speed

7.5*

4.0 Class-defining Meg RS returned with five doors and a tough new look, ready to throttle i30 N

Evoque P300 R-Dynamic

SV Autobiography Dynamic

$345,805 (8a)

all

Renault www.renault.com.au Megane RS 280 Mar 19 $51,790 (6dc)

I4/1.8T

205/390 front 1407 146

5.8* –

I4/1.8T

205/390 front 1407 146

5.98 14.07 7.4

4.0 Drivers will want the Cup for its Brembos, LSD and 19s. Now with a DCT option

Megane RS Trophy Mar 20 $53,490 (6m) $56,490 (6dc) I4/1.8T

220/400 front 1419 155

5.83 13.89 8.1

4.0 New turbo, better tyres and dual-material brakes enhance the Cup chassis RS

Megane RS 280 Cup Jul 19

142

$52,490 (6dc)

j u n e 2 0 2 1 w h i c h c a r. c o m . a u /m o t o r

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MOST POPULAR CIRCUITS AROUND THE WORLD THAT CAN ONLY MANAGE TO ELICIT A ‘MEH’ FROM YOU?

Cameron Kirby EVERY MOTORSPORT FAN HAS a personal list of favourite race tracks – big, small, local, and international. But what about overrated? The lauded layouts that really shouldn’t be as popular as they are. It was a topic of discussion at MOTOR HQ recently, and it got me thinking.

The first that came to mind was the Monaco street circuit. In all honesty, Formula 1 outgrew the Monegasque streets two decades ago. Since then, cars have become longer, wider and faster. F1 insiders praise it, but I can’t think a less interesting grand prix on the current calendar – and that includes Sochi! This year’s return to the Principality was a depressingly processional stinker.

One of the most exciting Monaco races in recent history was in 2018, when Daniel Ricciardo had to nurse a broken car, which was on three-quarter power and had just six of its eight gears available, while defending a full-attack Sebastian Vettel for 50 laps. That’s not a race, it’s a traffic jam.

If Monaco is worthy of its slot on the grid for its age alone then I’m officially starting a petition for Formula 1 to return to Indianapolis. And not the meandering infield ‘road course’, I mean the proper full-fat oval for 500 miles.

Formula 1’s crown jewel isn’t the only circuit that draws my ire, with one of North America’s premier endurance races run on a track that uses its dilapidation as a selling point. I’m talking about Sebring, which proclaims to be one of the oldest continuously operating race tracks in the United States. Originally an army airfield, the circuit still occupies a portion of the local airport.

If you listened to the track owners – and one-eyed US racing fans – Sebring’s defining feature is its bumps. But one man’s bumps is another’s disrepair. The track owners have done a hell of a job dressing up the awful surface as some sort of unique offering. Well, it is unique in its brutality, but that doesn’t make it something worthy of adulation. Want to be great? You need to bring more to the table I’m sorry.

To its credit the first and last corners have plenty of character (and challenge), but in between are 15 turns of middling

mediocrity. I should be clear; unless a new layout is built, Sebring shouldn’t be repaved – that’d take it from overrated to just plain bad. But a one-trick pony doesn’t deserve your respect as a race fan. The owners can either let it sink into a sinkhole with the rest of Florida, or shut the doors for a while, do some homework, and not return until they’ve come up with something decent.

The Americans aren’t the only ones guilty of taking a disused airport and trying to reshape it as a crown jewel, with the Brits having a confounding love with Silverstone I’m yet to understand.

It wasn’t always overrated though, with previous iterations being fast and fearsome. But since then it’s been sanitised and rejigged into something that barely resembles what it started out as. Despite its slew of iconic bends, the circuit as a whole is altogether a bit soulless. If Hermann Tilke was handed a briefcase of unmarked Euros to build a new grand prix track and delivered the modern Silverstone, there would be righteous indignation abound. Sorry cobbers, but Silverstone is merely decent at best.

To round this out, it’s time to look at our own backyard and the host of the biggest motorsport event in Australia – the Albert Park Grand Prix circuit. I understand the location of our only F1 grand prix and its benefits are largely commercially driven – the lake is very pleasant and, hot damn, don’t the helicopter shots with the CBD in the background make Melbourne look like a half-pretty city on television.

Yet as a circuit, it fails to do anything exciting, new, or interesting. When was the last properly entertaining F1 race at Albert Park? There have been engaging moments in isolation, but the full-length races are traditionally a snore-fest. If the circuit was dropped from the F1 calendar altogether, would it be any great disappointment? Not really. If we are paying huge sums to host a Formula 1 grand prix, it should at least be at a half-decent circuit. Australian racing fans deserve better.

To end this diatribe I put it to you, what are some of the most popular circuits around the world that can only manage to elicit a ‘meh’ from you? Ping our inbox and let us know!

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143

COMMENT

RATING

FUEL CONS

0-400M

0-100 KM/H

KW/TONNE

KERB KG

DRIVE

KW/NM

ROLLS-ROYCE – VOLVO

ENGINE

PRICE

TESTED

M HOT SOURCE. FAST CAR GUIDE

Rolls-Royce www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com V12/6.75TT 420/900 rear 2560 164

5.3

–

13.9

4.5 Comes with twin turbos and 130kg in sound deadening. And this is the ‘small’ one?

V12/6.75TT 420/900 rear 2610 161

5.4

–

13.9

4.5 Packs a small apartment’s worth of legroom and 900Nm but some details are over the top

Wraith Dec 14 $635,000 (8a)

V12/6.6TT 465/800 rear 2360 197

4.6

–

14.0 4.5 Incredible comfort and luxury with traffic-stopping styling. Definitely no drivers’car, though

Dawn Jun 16 $710,000 (8a)

V12/6.6TT 420/780 rear 2560 164

4.9

–

14.2

4.5 Jaw-dropping looks and a ‘you’ve-made-it’ driving experience that’s best suited to wafting

V12/6.75TT

–

–

15.0

4.0 OTT SUV looks like a pimped London cab, including ‘suicide’ doors. Also meant for back-seat relaxing

Phantom Nov 17 $855,000 DA (8a) Phantom EWB

$990,000 DA (8a)

Cullinan

$659,000 (8a)

420/850 all

2660 158

Skoda www.skoda.com.au Octavia RS Ann 18 $47,790 (7dc)

I4/2.0T

180/370

front 1445 125

6.6

–

6.6

4.0 With the base model having an LSD and 180kW, the RS becomes a luxe-pack model grade

Octavia RS Wagon Jan 18 $49,090 (7dc)

front 1467 123

I4/2.0T

180/370

6.7

–

6.7

4.0 So much better than a Subaru Levorg. New styling miles better than previous gen. Thinking buyer’s GTI

Superb 206TSI Sportline

$56,790 (6dc)

I4/2.0T

206/350 all

1537 134

5.8

–

7.3

3.5 Golf R speed in a practical package. Trade off is that it’s not as agile and needs adaptive suspension

Superb 206TSI Sportline wagon

$58,490 (6dc)

I4/2.0T

206/350 all

1600 129

5.8

–

7.3

3.5 Great combo of looks, speed and smart packaging. A bit more low-down urge would be nice

Kodiaq RS

$65,990 (7dc)

I4/2.0TT

176/500

1858 95

6.9

–

6.6

3.5 Swift and well specified but it’ll be hard to walk past the cheaper, more entertaining Octavia RS

all

Subaru www.subaru.com.au WRX Nov 14 $40,990 (6m) $43,990 (cvt) F4/2.0T

197/350

all

1476 138

6.08 14.15 9.2

3.5 Gains a harder edge with entertaining handling, but the lumpy power curve and firm ride remain

WRX Premium May 14 $47,390 (6m) $50,590 (cvt) F4/2.0T

197/350

all

1514 138

6.24 14.27 9.2

3.5 Extra kit makes it a more habitable place, which isn’t what the WRX has traditionally been about

221/407

all

1548 146

5.29 13.51 12.1

3.5 Looks tough, with handling prowess and affordable price. Interior can’t match class benchmarks

WRX STi Jul 18

$52,640 (6m)

F4/2.5T

WRX STi Premium Apr 16 $57,390 (6m)

F4/2.5T

221/407

all

1572 146

5.49 13.62 10.4 3.5 You can delete the wing, but it isn’t actually any faster than the last STi and the steering’s iffy

WRX STi Spec.R Ann 17 $59,440 (6m)

F4/2.5T

221/407

all

1572 146

–

–

F4/2.0

152/212

rear 1242 122

7.12

15.08 8.4

4.5 Looks better than the 86, with loads of handling balance. Engine really needs to be spanked for pace

$37,270 (6m) $38,780 (6a)

F4/2.0

152/212

rear 1242 122

–

–

4.5 Extra nicities are welcome in an otherwise spartan-esque cabin

$41,190 (6m) $43,190 (6a)

F4/2.0

152/212

rear 1255 121

7.48 15.37 8.6

4.5 JDM special scores Brembos, Sachs dampers and STI springs, which weakens the value equation

7.86 15.72 6.1

4.0 Perky engine, light chassis and loads of kit makes this back-to-basics hot hatch a winner

4.0 An M3 killer? We’ll see, but it’s quicker, cheaper and has a Track Mode!

BRZ Aug 17 $35,270 (6m) $36,780 (6a) BRZ Premium BRZ tS Jul 18

10.4 3.5 Luxo seats and upgraded brakes for the top STI. Still not sure why it gets the hallowed ‘R’ badge 8.4

Suzuki www.suzuki.com.au Swift Sport Jul 18

$26,990 (6m) $28,990 (6a)

I4/1.4T

103/230 front 970

106

Tesla www.teslamotors.com Model 3 Performance

$103,994 (1a)

Dual EM

353/639 all

1847 191

3.4

–

0.0

$161,311 (1a)

Dual EM

568/967 all

2241 253

2.7

–

0.0

4.0 Dual electric motors provide epic acceleration, but Oz infrastructure limits it to urban duties

Model X Ludicrous Sep 18 $179,511 (1a)

Dual EM

568/990 all

2487 228

2.9

–

0.0

4.0 A bloody quick, and now much cheaper, way to haul a family in silence

Model S Ludicrous

Toyota www.toyota.com.au 86 GT Aug 17 $32,180 (6m)

F4/2.0

152/212

rear 1239 123

86 GT

7.63 15.36 8.4

F4/2.0

147/205

rear 1261 117

–

F4/2.0

152/212

rear 1258 121

7.47 15.27 8.4

4.5 Revised 86 scored more power and chassis tweaks, but the BRZ offers better value equation

86 GTS

$39,680 (6a)

F4/2.0

147/205

rear 1278 115

–

4.0 Starting to get up there in price, yet with Performance Pack still optional

GR Yaris Jan 21 $49,500 (6m)

I3/1.6T

200/370 all

1280 156

5.16 13.20 –

I3/1.6T

200/370 all

1280 156

5.2

–

–

TBC Amazing engine and ride quality of standard car, but with better rubber and mechanical diffs for traction

Supra GT Jan 21 $87,126 (8a)

I6/3.0T

285/500 rear 1495 167

4.4

–

–

4.0 Impressive return for the Supra nameplate, but it’s not the sportscar Toyota thinks it is

Supra GTS Feb 20 $97,126 (8a)

I6/3.0T

285/500 rear 1495 167

4.44 12.62 12.3

$54,500 (6m)

–

7.1

4.0 As above but with less power. Road noise and ride can get irritating

$34,480 (6a)

86 GTS Aug 20 $37,380 (6m)

GR Yaris Rallye

–

4.0 About as much fun as you can have in a car, regardless of price. Performance Pack option a must

7.1

3.5 Toyota’s WRC-inspired creation adds all-paw grip and punch to the mini hot hatch class

4.0 As above with more kit, including bigger brakes, head-up display, fancy audio and 19-inch wheels

Volkswagen www.volkswagen.com.au Polo GTI Jul 19

$32,890 (6dc)

I4/2.0T

147/320

front 1355 108

6.7

–

5.9

4.0 Larger, more polished hot hatch, but heavier, no faster and still no manual

Golf GTI Jul 19

$47,190 (7dc)

I4/2.0T

180/370

front –

–

–

–

4.5 Full-phat 180kW and LSD in five-door guise to challenge i30 N, but tragically DSG-only. Next-gen coming

$51,490 (7dc)

I4/2.0T

213/370

front 1410 151

5.7

–

7.5

4.5 Golf R power for the ultimate and final mark seven GTI

Golf R Mar 18 $55,990 (7dc)

I4/2.0T

213/380 all

1450 –

4.8

–

7.2

4.5 Faster than before, with a beefy engine note. New Mk8 iteration soon to arrive

–

–

–

4.5 This wagon trumps any premium medium SUV, but price is getting into S3 Sportback territory

5.7

–

7.4

3.0 Extended hatch lends practical appeal, but the light-footed Golf R wagon is far more tantalising

5.2

–

2.1

3.5 High power-to-weight ratio, but the fuel economy claims are unrealistic

Golf GTI TCR

–

Golf R Wagon

$57,990 (7dc)

I4/2.0T

213/380 all

–

Passat 206TSI R-Line wagon

$63,790 (6dc)

I4/2.0T

206/350 all

1639 127

–

Volvo www.volvocars.com.au XC60 T8 Polestar Engineered Mar 20 $98,990 (8a)

144

I4/2.0TS (E) 311/670

j u n e 2 0 2 1 w h i c h c a r. c o m . a u /m o t o r

all

2215 147

MANUFACTURERS HAVE BEEN SO SUCCESSFUL IN INFUSING CAR QUALITIES INTO SUVS THAT THEY ARE BECOMING, WELL... CARS

Dan Gardner THERE’S NO DENYING THAT, when a manufacturer puts its mind to it, an SUV can be transformed from a benign and unremarkable workhorse into an immensely capable high-performance machine. There are examples to be found in every segment of the market from a Mini Countryman to a Lamborghini Urus but, regardless of the deft tuning and development, relatively heavy, high-riding vehicles are inherently compromised when compared to their passenger counterparts.

Okay, if the Purosangue cuts a lap of Spa faster than an SF90 then I’ll gladly eat my cat but, until then, an SUV will never represent the pinnacle of performance for a driving enthusiast.

Concerningly, if this evolutionary trend continued on in a basic linear trajectory you might predict the death of the traditional mainstream performance car. As consumer demand stokes the SUV furnaces the popularity and availability of hot hatchbacks, coupes, wagons and sedans will slowly fade in parallel with the decline in sales of their less performance-focused variants.

And this apparently imminent extinction should keep me awake at night – but it doesn’t. I can foresee a very different fast car future and the automotive landscape as a whole. The developmental path of high-performance vehicles is not a line, it’s a circle and I can explain using your mobile phone as an example.

The world’s first cell phones were so big it was more practical to shout. But electronic miniaturisation started to shrink them and generations later, personal communication devices have reached the equally stunning opposite end of the spectrum.

During the late 1990s, many production cell phones dipped under the 100g milestone and measured less than 100mm in length. However, this was the turning point and devices started to swell along with the amount of information they could access via the internet. After that, display and battery technology advances inflated screen sizes further still – especially when people realised they could watch porn on their phones.

As a collective conscience, consumers realised things were getting stupid and something had to change and a phone reversion started. Today, you can still buy an iPhone that looks like the Coburg drive-in but, critically, the same company is also offering two smaller models that offer all the same features but will actually fit in your pocket without maternity pants.

Almost exactly the same thing is happening to cars. When the SUV revolution started, options were limited to large, boxy and rather ungainly models that, while slightly better to drive on road than full 4x4s, had the handling of a billiard table. But pioneers such as the Toyota RAV4 and Subaru Forester started to introduce more car-like traits into the gene pool. Since then, all manufacturers have been striving to make their SUV offerings as safe as cars, as fun as cars, and as pretty as cars.

Manufacturers have been so successful in infusing car qualities into SUVs that they are becoming, well... cars. Audi, BMW and Mercedes all offer a version of each of their SUV models openly referred to as a ‘coupe’. And it’s happening across the board – tall sidewall tyres are shrinking around growing alloy wheels, hilldescent buttons are being swapped for launch-control, and more durable unpainted plastic expanses of bodywork are receding like a pre-tsunami tide. A continuation of this evolution therefore leads not to a desolate and dull car wasteland but a new (not completely unfamiliar) performance car nirvana.

Marketing departments will always try and sell the emperor’s new clothes with invented classes such as Rolls-Royce’s highbodied car (HBC), Kia’s grand utility vehicle (GUV) and the sports activity vehicle (SAV) from BMW. But this circling back around from ‘all-terrain’ vehicles that never see anything more challenging than a nature strip to models that are more fun to drive, more efficient, faster and better looking is demand-driven and an indication that the world’s carbuying community could slowly be coming to its senses.

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06 . 2

M FORGOTTEN FAST CARS

BY AN DY EN RIG HT

AUDI S2

ENGINE POWER TORQUE 0-100KM/H WEIGHT

2262cc inline 5, DOHC, 20v 162kW @ 5900rpm 309Nm @ 1950rpm 5.8s 1420kg

AUDI S2 Or how comparisons can be odious WE DIDN’T LIKE the Audi S2 because it wasn’t an ur-quattro. We didn’t like it because it was heavy. We didn’t like it because it had no motorsport pedigree.

We didn’t like it because the Bosch Servotronic power steering weirded us out. Above all, we didn’t like it because it seemed cynical. Here was Audi carrying over the old 20v engine into new bodywork and glomming off the legend of the Quattro S1 rally car with the badge. We just didn’t like it.

And yet now, some 20 years later, we like this car a lot. Few sports cars are quite so rehabilitated in their appeal after an initial savaging by press. The Porsche 964 Carrera RS might be the one that springs to mind as having suffered a similar critical resurrection.

The steering still takes a bit of getting used to, but what’s interesting is how Audi presaged many modern vehicle development directions with the S2. That Servotronic rack now feels way more communicative than the EPAS systems we use today, while a kerb

07/21

ABOVE The S2 received an update in 1992 which saw power and torque rise to 169kW/350Nm respectively, while the manual ‘box gained an extra ratio

weight of 1420kg is lighter than modern hot hatches like a Focus ST or an i30 N. And that motorsport history thing? Audi copped the flak and, a year later, BMW rode in on the coat tails with the E36 M3.

The S2 was faster, cheaper, better finished and rode better than the last of the ur-quattros yet you can pick one up for less than half the price of a WR quattro 20v, should you be able to track one down.

Look under the bonnet and you’ll see that the slant five wasn’t an easy fit. The radiators, oil cooler and intercooler have been creatively shoehorned in, while the inlet and exhaust manifold display similar creative thinking. The big Audi five-speed from the ur-quattro didn’t fit without a lot of sheet metal changes, so an uprated version of the B-series unit found in 80/90 series cars was chosen instead. This had a torque limit of 310Nm, so boost pressure was dropped from the 200 quattro’s 0.85 bar to 0.75. The plus side? Second gear ran to 100km/h for better acceleration times.

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LEXUS LFA Ten years on: Japan’s greatest sports car

ISSUE

PLUS: MOTOR delves into the detail of torque vectoring and drives the Rimac Concept Two

ON SALE JULY 8 146

j u n e 2 0 2 1 w h i c h c a r. c o m . a u /m o t o r

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