AFFORDABLE, DESIRABLE CARS FROM THE 1990s, 2000s AND TODAY! ISSUE 16 JUNE 2022 £3.99
SENSIBLE STYLE FOUR-DOOR COUPES
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£10K LUXURY SALOONS
FREELANDER V EVOQUE £8K LAND ROVERS: STYLE V FUNCTION A SUV TOO FAR? BUYING THE PORSCHE CAYENNE
THE FORGOTTEN CELICA DRIVING THE T230
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ISSUE 16 JUNE 2022
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CONTENTS
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Contents 6 SENSIBLE STYLE
The life and times of the Mercedes CLS which set the template for the stylish four-door. Volkswagen was hot on its heels with the Passat CC and the concept is now firmly established as a market niche.
14 NEWS
Industry bodies lobby against antitampering legislation, Citroën bows out of the MPV market it created and Datsun gets the axe a second time.
16 MARKET TRENDS
Tracking the price trends of the lightweight cars which helped rescue Lotus, from Elise to Exige via the Vauxhall VX220.
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2022
PORSCHE 19 BUYING CAYENNE
The Porsche purists were horrified by a pair of 911 lamps tacked on to the nose of a VW Touareg but the brutally fast SUV was a hit. They’re now intriguingly affordable, too.
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£10k LUXURY SALOONS
We pick a selection of chairman’s cruisers which are yours for the price of a budget Kia hatch. Now where did we put those brave pills..?
WITH THE JAGUAR XE 36 LIVING
Don’t mention the Mondeo: the high-tech second go at a baby Jag was a long way from the controversial X-Type.
v 42 FREELANDER EVOQUE
We compare two very different-looking Land Rover products which under the skin shared more than you might think and which are yours for the same money today.
TEST: 50 ROAD TOYOTA CELICA
Revisiting the tremendously affordable and really rather enjoyable T230 generation – a model which we reckon is something of a forgotten gem.
THE MINI COOPER S 56 BUYING
Giant-killing supercharged fun with investment potential and a Bargain Cars price tag.
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June 2022 3
WELCOME
6 KELSEYmedia www.kelsey.co.uk Kelsey Media, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent ME18 6AL Email: bargain.cars@kelsey.co.uk EDITORIAL Group Editor: Paul Wager Art Editor: Lee Caple Markets Editor: Jeff Ruggles Editorial Assistant: James Bowers ADVERTISEMENT SALES & PRODUCTION Tandem Media 01233 228750 Catherine Rowe (Managing Director) catherine.rowe@tandemmedia.co.uk Liam Stone Liam@tandemmedia.co.uk Laura Crawte laura@tandemmedia.co.uk SUBSCRIPTIONS 12 issues of Bargain Cars are published per year UK Subscription and back issue order line: 0845 241 5159 Overseas subscription order line 0044 (0) 1959 543747 Toll-free USA subscription order line 1-888-777-0275 UK customer service team 01959 543747 For customer service support, please visit https://help.kelsey.co.uk Customer service and subscription postal address: Bargain Cars Customer Service Team, Kelsey Media, The Granary, Downs Court,Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent ME18 6AL Find current subscription offers on our website: shop.kelsey.co.uk/CME MANAGEMENT Chief Executive: Steve Wright Managing Director: Kevin McCormick Chief Operating Officer: Phil Weeden Subscription Marketing Director: Gill Lambert Retail Director: Steve Brown Print Production Manager: Georgina Harris Print Production Controllers: Kelly Orriss, Hayley Brown Subscription Marketing Executive: Dave Sage Affiliate Marketing: Kate Chamberlain DISTRIBUTION Distribution in Great Britain Marketforce UK Limited, 121-141 Westbourne Terrace, London, W2 6JR. Tel: 0330 390 6555 Distribution in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland Newspread Tel +35 23 886 3850 PRINTING William Gibbons Ltd Kelsey Media 2022 © all rights reserved. Kelsey Media is a trading name of Kelsey Publishing Ltd. Reproduction in whole or part is forbidden except with written permission from the publishers. Note to contributors: We strongly recommend contacting the Editor to discuss possible articles prior to submission. Articles submitted for consideration by the Editor must be the author’s original work and not been previously published elsewhere. Where photographs are included which are not the property of the contributor, permission for them to be reproduced must have been obtained from the copyright holder. We much prefer material to be submitted electronically, and while every care is taken of submitted material, we are unable to accept responsibility for loss or damage, however caused. We are sorry, but due to lack of time, we are unable to guarantee a personal response to all emails and letters received or to undertake research on readers behalf. Views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the Editor or publishers. Kelsey Publishers accept no liability for products or services offered by third parties. Kelsey Media takes your personal data very seriously. For more information on our privacy policy, please visit www. kelsey.co.uk/privacy-policy If at any point you have and queries regarding Kelsey’s data policy you can email our Data Protection Officer at dpo@kelsey.co.uk
THE OLD CAR WORLD is probably split along broadly equal lines into those of us who simply want a nice, presentable old car to use and enjoy and those for whom nothing less than showroom perfection is acceptable – the people who in the world of fully-fledged classic cars are going to great extremes to find factory-perfect stickers for the engine bay and who are perfectly happy to clean out tyre treads with a toothbrush at dawn on a muddy car show field. You can probably guess where most of the Bargain Cars team falls, especially where our company project cars are concerned: so many have passed through our hands recently that although we always start out optimistically aiming to sort all their problems, in all honesty we’ll never have a bursting trophy cabinet. Which is why I was shocked recently when a friend took his latest modern classic acquisition to a marque specialist. Having asked simply for a knowledgeable expert’s opinion of what needed sorting on a car which after all seemed to be driving very well and had arrived with a long MoT, he was shocked to be handed an estimate for some £30,000. And this on a car which even the very top of the market values at around two-thirds of that.
4 June 2022
Paul Wager Group Editor
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Consternation ensued until we looked carefully at the quote and realised that most of the work related to pre-emptively replacing items which might only at some unidentified point in the distant future become an issue: suspension bushes which were perfectly fine, coolant and fuel hoses which held their respective liquids perfectly well with no signs of deterioration and brakes which looked near enough brand new. Discounting all this plus the outrageous £250 to regas the air conditioning, a hefty sum to replace all the bulbs with LEDs and an equally optimistic £700 to spray a bit of Waxoyl around, the total for the small amount of work which actually needed doing was in the hundreds. Crucially, once we’d narrowed it down it was also work a local general garage within walking distance was quite happy to perform and the joy of ownership was duly restored – especially after they'd commented on what they considered to be the generally great condition of the car. Sometimes it pays handsomely not to chase perfection.
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SENSIBLE STYLE Like the coupe style but need to bring the family along? Mercedes had the answer in its ground-breaking CLS with VW close behind. WORDS: ANDREW EVERETT
6 June 2022
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FOCUS ON FOUR-DOOR COUPES
he four door Coupe as reinvented by Mercedes 18 years ago had been a neglected breed. Long of body, sleek of shape and low of roof, the world had almost forgotten how good such a thing could look if you were prepared to sacrifice some headroom. Who though, had done it best? Not Rover with the P5B Coupe – like a fat man with a small head, it had a solid if slightly gangstery image rather at odds with the regular 3.5 saloon. Rover SD1 even? There is certainly a case for it when you compare its original metal bumper form with the patrician lines of other upright 1976 saloons like the W123 Mercedes, BMW's original 5-Series, Peugeot 604, Volvo 240. You could even argue strongly for the original XJ6 with its tapered rear end, the ultra-low roofline and the way the front arches are cut so high into the wings. It is of course the best looking saloon ever made which is why nobody ever made anything better and certainly not Jaguar whose final X350
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attempt to recreate Lyon’s magic resulted in a taller, slab sided car. No, the 2004 Mercedes CLS is the car that started what we know today as a four-door coupe. It’s been copied with varying degrees of success with Volkswagen getting closest and BMW making a very reasonable job with the 6-Series Gran Coupe, the ‘F06’ generation launched in 2012. Life for the C219 Merc CLS began back in 2004, a very near identical copy of the stunning 2003 Vision CLS concept car that was shown at the Frankfurt motor show of that year. Whilst the Vision CLS used one engine – a special 265 bhp twin-turbo straight six diesel – as well as Airmatic suspension, 19-inch wheels, chrome door handles and a glass panoramic roof skin, the production CLS was toned down but only slightly with the just the glass roof and the quilted full leather interior not making the production car as far as styling and trim goes. Being based on the 2003 W211 E-Class meant that the CLS would be relatively inexpensive to produce for what would be a fairly low sales
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FOCUS ON FOUR-DOOR COUPES volume. In the event, the unusual upturned banana styling with tapered front and rear ends proved to be a hit to the extent where even a 2004 model today still looks up to date. In fact, bolt on a set of recent alloys and a private plate and you’d have to know your onions to realise that this was in fact £4000-worth, with 18 years and 100,000 miles under its belt. Engines were all latest generation units and the Vision’s straight-six diesel did not make the production car despite being built until 2006. Instead, there were eventually five petrols and one diesel. The petrols started off with the new M272 V6 in 3.5-litre form in the CLS350 with 272 bhp. This engine debuted in the CLS and would find its way into the revised E-Class as well as the S-Class, SL and SLK cars later but in brief, it was a revised version of the 1998 M112 V8 that was launched with the bug-eyed W210 E-Class. Mercedes needed to improve refinement and it did this on the M272 by adding a balancer shaft because 90-degree V6s are inherently imperfect in balance. The 90-degree angle is for V8s and V6s should really have a 60-degree angle. Now with four valves per cylinder, electric thermostat control and manifold swirl flaps to alter the manifold runner length, they also reverted to a single-plug design In 2006, the M272 gained direct injection and a CGI moniker for the CLS and the 2008 revisions included higher-compression pistons and new combustion chambers plus redesigned valve springs with lighter sodium-filled valves and a new inlet manifold.
Below: Production CLS remained remarkably faithful to the original Vision concept.
If you needed more grunt, the 300bhp CLS500 was what you needed complete with the new M273 V8. Like the M272 V6, the M273 was a revised version of what went before – including a balancer shaft – with virtually the same modifications to improve efficiency. Right from the start, Mercedes launched an AMG version, the CLS AMG55. Powered by a special hand-built supercharged 5.4-litre version of the old 1990s M113 V8, this 465bhp unit was built at the AMG facility at Affalterbach rather than the regular Stuttgart factory. Based on the 1998 M112 V6, the M113 was old school by 2004 but still advanced enough with three valves and twin spark plugs per cylinder. Whilst regular AMG V8s until 2003 such as the 360 bhp E55 were naturally aspirated, the Kompressor ‘K’ version with its intercooler was something else. Because the 7G-tronic automatic gearbox was unable to handle the power, the CLS-AMG55 was the only CLS to retain the old five speed automatic and as a point of interest, the M113K was revised into the legendary M155 that powered the 640 bhp McLaren SLR. As for diesels, these were always going to be where the money was and the CLS used a new generation of V6 diesels. This in reality was probably the engine to have if feeding an AMG was to prove too costly; the OM642 was a 72 degree unit with 48-degree offset crankpins to give a 120-degree firing interval as well as a counter rotating balancer shaft. With common rail injection and a centrally mounted (Hot-V) turbo, this 220bhp diesel was and is a superb unit, its 376lb.ft of torque
“The unusual upturned banana styling with tapered front and rear ends proved to be a hit”
8 June 2022
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FOCUS ON BOXSTER
through the 7G-Tronic 7 speed auto more than enough to fling the 1730kg CLS 320CDI down the road in style. Reckon on 7 seconds to 60mph and a shade over 150mph top end, all with the potential of 35 mpg. As for the rest of the car, the CLS used a standard W211 E-Class platform although the suspension settings were altered in favour of handling with a quicker-ratio steering rack to give the CLS genuinely sporty feel. Airmatic was a good option when new, but probably worth avoiding now. Changes to the CLS were often unnoticed. For example, the CLS500 became a CLS550 when it switched from the old M113 V8 to a new 380 bhp 5.5-litre version of the M273 in 2007. The year before, the CLS AMG 55 had become the AMG 63. This was powered by an all new M156 V8, the first AMG engine designed by AMG from scratch and one that used little if anything from a production Mercedes engine. Despite being badged as a 6.3 – done to commemorate the first Mercedes V8 used in the 600 and later the 300SEL 6.3 – the capacity is actually 6208cc. With 507bhp from this normally aspirated engine, performance was dramatic with a 4.5-second 0-60mph time and the top speed limited to 155mph, without which it’s reckoned to be a 200mph car. 2008 and 2009 saw the launch of two smallerengined 3-litre M272 powered CLS models, the 280
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Above: The Passat CC was based on the B6 generation. Post-2017 models were marketed as simply CC.
and a year later, the 300. Both engines produced 228 bhp with sales being unspectacular and with a range spanning 300, 350, 550, AMG63 and the 320 CDI.
VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT CC For 35 years, the Volkswagen Passat sold in large numbers and made its parent a lot of money without drawing much attention to itself. Born of an Audi 80, the 1973 original was a two or fourdoor fastback version of Ingolstadt’s life saver, Wolfsburg assembled without the Audi’s plush trim or price tag. Somewhere along the line it went from being a lightweight and lively saloon to automotive Mogadon, probably the 1993 B4 model that was so worthy it ached but was as far down the excitement and desirability food chain as VW got. Of course, the 1997 B5 model with its first-gen Audi A4 underpants on was not so much a return to form but VW finally – almost – catching up with the Ford Mondeo. The one after that launched in 2005 was a bit neater and transverse-engined and despite losing something in character was a solid middle class saloon or even better, estate. But was VW getting just a bit... boring? There is this thing in the German car industry you know. Mercedes, Porsche, VW and Audi. They exchange nods and knowing glances, help each other out, swap ideas, build cars for each other.
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FOCUS
The blue-and-white crowd in Munich are a sworn enemy of Mercedes Benz and the controversy with VW over Rolls-Royce and Bentley tells you all you need to know. Had BMW made the Passat CC feathers would have flown. As it happened, Daimler-Benz probably faxed over some styling drawings to Wolfsburg on a ‘buy us a pint sometime’ basis. Underpinning the Passat CC is a standard B6 model Passat and this as you may or may not know was a car based on a stretched Mk5 Golf platform with its transverse engine as opposed to some of the previous Audi-based Passats. This immediately means that in reality, it doesn’t compete with the Merc CLS but it was never meant to, instead being devised to breathe some life into the Passat and produce a car to appeal to the
10 June 2022
thrusting young exec that didn’t really want an Audi. This strategy didn’t work with the VW Phaeton but it scored a reasonable hit with the CC. Being Golf based, you’re not having any monster engines and sadly not the 275bhp W8 as was used in the pre-2006 Passats. The base engine for UK buyers was the 138bhp 2.0TDI, the redoubtable VW staple available with either a standard sixspeed manual box or a DSG dual-clutch automatic. One up from here is the 168bhp version with the same transmission options. The EA189 is of course the Dieselgate unit and it was an updated common rail version of the previous 2.0 TDI. VAG went through various generations of this starting with the 1.9 with PD (Pump Düse) and its mechanically operated injectors, only twin camshafts, 16 valves and so on until it got to this point in 2008. But whilst petrol was an option, the number of petrols sold here in the UK is small. In the classifieds petrol-engined CCs are outnumbered by diesels 250 to just 15. The base petrol is the 1.8 TSI with 158bhp split fairly evenly again between the manual and the DSG unit that proved surprisingly popular. The 1.8 and 2.0 TFSI are of the Audi designed EA888 family and TFSI means Turbocharged Fuel Stratified Injection, VAG-speak for direct injection where the injector is mounted in the cylinder head as opposed to the inlet manifold and fires fuel directly into the combustion chamber. The EA888 began production in March 2008 and both the 1.8 and 2.0 versions found their way into just about
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FOCUS ON FOUR-DOOR COUPES
Below: CLS influence in the Passat-based CC is obvious.
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every mid-range VAG product, the 2.0 getting its extra capacity from a longer stroke crankshaft. The EA888 was certainly state of the art in 2008: thin wall iron cylinder block castings for lighter weight, the exhaust manifold integral with the cylinder head and extra port fuel injection for cold starts. The latter is what often spoiled direct injection petrol engines where the Piezo injectors had to do everything, so the extra set of injectors in the manifold not only aided cold starts and cold running and prevented misfires but also dramatically reduced carbon build up in the inlet ports that direct injection engines suffer from. A 210bhp unit from the Mk6 Golf GTI and Audi TT amongst others was also available but like the next engine, buyers with that kind of budget weren’t often buying a Passat of any description. Finally, we have the 3.6-litre GT model with 4Motion Haldex four-wheel drive and DSG only. This is the one that comes close to being a cut price CLS - whilst it’s not really the real thing, it’s far more convincing than the later Merc CLA. With 295 bhp from its TSI-fuelled VR6 motor, the CC GT was a 155mph (limited) car with an impressive 6.1-second sprint to 62 mph. Lavishly equipped with leather and so on, the 28mpg GT sold in tiny numbers in the UK. The CC was meant to bring glamour to a model range that was respectable but a bit too
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FOCUS ON FOUR-DOOR COUPES
ON THE BANDWAGON Mercedes and VW kick started the Coupe saloon thing, but this what came next.. 2010 The second generation C218 CLS arrives, based on the 2009 W212 E Class. Is it us, or is it just not as nice as the original?
2012 The F06 BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe is launched, a four-door version of the 2011 F13 Coupe. There's no four-cylinder nonsense here, just a straight 3.0 six twin turbo diesel 640d with 308 bhp, a 315 bhp 640i with a turbo straight-six petrol and 400-plus bhp 4.4 V8s for the 650i.
Below: The swift and subtle 295bhp CC GT is a rarity in the UK.
conservative. Did VW succeed? Yes and no. The Mercedes CLS looked impossibly exotic when new and even now as Mercedes applies the styling to small mass-production front wheel drive platforms with questionable results, the sleek 2004 original is still the most successful in styling terms. Inside and out, the CLS you can buy for three grand or less looks expensive still. The interior is an occasion all on its own, sharing nothing with the E-Class it was based on. The Passat CC though just isn’t that special. Sure, it’s much sleeker than the 2007 Passat saloon but that was never considered an especially attractive car anyway. The interior especially so because it is virtually identical to the standard car with the very same dashboard – if ever a car needed leather and a sliver of polished walnut to pull it out of the taxi rank, it’s this. As an alternative to a Passat saloon, the CC makes sense at the £2500 a tidy early 2.0 TDI will cost you - yes they really are that cheap now and if you think we’re being a bit harsh, we rate the Passat CC as a real Bargain Car, an Audi without the Audi stigma.
2013 The front wheel drive Mercedes CLA is launched, based on the A-Class platform. Alright if you like that sort of thing. Not really a proper Merc though, is it?
2014 BMW bolsters its 4 and 6-Series coupe ranges with the 4 Series Gran Coupe. Is it as good looking as the 6-Series GC? It’s debatable but it’s certainly a great looking car and the way BMW is going, possibly their last pretty car before they started churning out hamsterfaced wheelie bins.
12 June 2022
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NEWS
HCVA seeks govt assurance ith the government developing a Future of Transport programme to create the rules enabling new developments in transport over the next few decades, the Historic & Classic Vehicles Alliance (HCVA) has entered discussions to ensure that the UK’s classic vehicle industry isn’t adversely affected by any changes. The proposal is likely to include new regulations on tampering, specifically aimed at the modification of cars to bypass environmental and safety systems. The idea is to prevent the bypassing of catalytic converters, silencers, ECUs and other safety or environmental systems. But an initial statement from the HCVA revealed the organisation’s main concern: “As written, the proposals might have also prevented modifications to modernise, restore or preserve current and classic vehicles. They would also have threatened businesses that work in the sector, making it harder to get the hardware and software they need, and to learn the skills to use them.” A petition to safeguard the UK’s classic industry in this way attracted 115,000 signatures, resulting in the latest
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parliamentary debate involving input from the HCVA. The debate was opened on behalf of the petitioner, Gareth James, by Nicholas Fletcher MP, who talked about custom cars, racing and modifications. James Sunderland MP, chair of the AllParty Parliamentary Group for Motorsport, spoke about the importance of the historic and classic sector and the threats that this proposal could pose if it isn’t handled carefully – both to current classics and to modern cars that will become classics of the future. He suggested that, should the government go ahead with the bill, specific exemptions are made for owners and businesses in the historic and classic sector. Since then, the HCVA’s consultation with the government has brought extra clarity to the proposals: “The government clarified that it does not want the rules to impact classics, motorsport or their industries, using language very similar to our response. However, the HCVA feels that the regulations might still go too far.” Responding to the recent debate for Labour, the Shadow Transport Minister, Mike Kane, talked about the need to enforce existing rules on anti-social modifications.
Citroën ends MPV era Europe’s shrinking multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) sector has lost another previously dominant manufacturer thanks to Citroën’s decision to end production of its Grand C4 Spacetourer in July, with the firm citing a greater focus on SUVs as the main cause. Citroën has been a major player in the MPV sector for almost 30 years, achieving Europe-wise success since the debut of the seven-seater Synergie (a joint project between France’s PSA and Italy’s Fiat Group) in 1994. The company went on to enjoy healthy sales of the van-derived Berlingo Multispace and Dispatch, before the hugely successful launch in 2000 of the Xsara-derived Picasso – a big seller in the UK. The announcement it’s moving on
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He was broadly supportive of the need for controls on tampering, provided the government does protect the industries. For the government, Minister Trudy Harrison insisted that there was a need for the tampering rules, specifically stating an example around the dangers of tampering with software on future autonomous vehicles – although she emphasised that the government was listening to concerns and the need to protect current, classic and motorsport vehicles, and would publish details for proposals in the summer. The HCVA’s CEO, Garry Wilson, says his organisation will remain involved in the process and will continue to study the detail: “We monitor all such proposals and whatever legislation comes from them and, through our work in parliament, make sure the interests of our sector are protected,” he said “We need to ensure that any future legislation takes into account the interests of the classic vehicle industry, which has an annual turnover of over £18 billion in the UK and supports around 113,000 jobs in thousands of small businesses and supply chain firms.” For further information on the organisation, go online to hcva.co.uk.
Dacia milestone Budget brand Dacia has celebrated the production of its 10 millionth vehicle. The Romanian brand was originally established back in 1968 producing licence-built Renaults, but the bulk of the 10 million Dacias was produced during the modern era: 2.6m Sanderos, 2.1m Dusters and 1.95m Logans. The Sandero has been the bestselling retail car in Europe every year since 2017 and since entering the UK market in 2013, Dacia has sold us 220,000 vehicles.
from MPVs follows Citroën’s recent decision to leave the city car market, with the entry-level C1 having now ceased production and no replacement planned.
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NEWS
Renault offloads Lada Bentley’s recruitment drive Crewe-based Bentley Motors has announced a recruitment drive for 100 talented engineers as the company accelerates its Beyond100 strategy, described as “the boldest plan of its kind in the sector”. Working across multiple disciplines within engineering, a key responsibility will be to support delivery of the ambitious Five-inFive plan, which commits Bentley to launching a new electric model each year from 2025. Further information on the current vacancies can be found at bentleycareers.com, with applications currently open for the first 50 vacancies but set to increase to 100 over the coming months. The positions cover multiple disciplines of engineering, plus research and development, although around half the vacancies are focused on electrical competencies as Bentley aims for full electrification of its product range within eight years.
French firm Renault has announced it will be transferring its 68 per cent stake in Avtovaz, Russia’s biggest carmaker best-known for its Lada brand, to an auto research institute for a symbolic single rouble – the equivalent of 1.2 pence. The deal was first reported by Russian news agencies citing the country’s Trade Minister, Denis Manturov, who also announced that Renault’s factory in Moscow – which produces cars under the Renault and Nissan brands – will be passed to the city’s government. The moves are likely to build on concerns that Russian firms and institutions are buying up prized assets for bargain sums, as Western companies rush to comply with sanctions over the Ukraine conflict, as well as threats from the Kremlin that foreign-owned assets may be seized. The Russian government is drawing up legislation that could see control of foreign companies handed over to external local management and make it a criminal offence for foreign executives and companies to implement sanctions. Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24 has prompted a mass corporate exodus from Russia, with more than 750 companies announcing the
curtailing of operations there. Renault, the Western carmaker most exposed to Russia, said last month it would suspend operations at its Moscow plant and was considering a 2.2 billion euro (£1.85 billion) non-cash write-down to reflect the potential costs of the suspension. Low-volume UK imports of the all-wheel drive Lada Niva – which recommenced last year via Mark Key of Lada4x4.co.uk – ceased in February, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The next-generation Niva, which was expected to use the platform of the Dacia Duster (another Renault subsidiary) will now be under threat, as will all future Lada models intended for Renault/Dacia platform sharing.
Nissan axes Datsun he Datsun brand has been discontinued once again by Nissan, less than a decade after it was resurrected for a small number of emerging markets. Datsun, which was taken over by Nissan in 1933, was revived in July 2013 – after being wound down by the company three decades earlier. During the relaunch, the firm said it wanted Datsun to be a lowcost car brand, selling affordable vehicles in Indonesia, Nepal, South Africa, India and Russia. It marked a major shift for the Datsun marque, which rose to prominence in the second half of the 20th century by selling a wide range of well-equipped, familyfriendly models – many of them wearing Cherry, Sunny and Bluebird badges – that were hailed for their reliability. It also transformed its image via a line-up of sports cars, kicking off in 1969 with the Datsun 240Z, a highly successful six-
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cylinder coupe that became the world’s bestselling sports car of the early ’70s. Datsun began exporting cars to the burgeoning US market in 1958, following with the UK a decade later. Sales built steadily here, and by the 1970s Datsun was the biggest Japanese car brand in Britain. The name was finally phased out here in 1984, when all new models were
rebranded as Nissans. The latest announcement from Nissan means the end of the road for models like the Datsun Go, which has proved itself a success in the rapidly expanding Indian market. In a statement, Nissan stated it will now focus on “core models and segments that bring the most benefit to customers, dealer partners and the business.”
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MARKET TRENDS
LIGHT RELIEF The Lotus Elise was instrumental in keeping Lotus alive, and formed the basis for some of the most focused sports cars on the planet. We chart the values of three appreciating favourites. WORDS JEFF RUGGLES
LOTUS ELISE S1/S2 (1996-2010) Beloved by enthusiasts and instrumental in taking Lotus forward, the back-to-basics Elise has become an icon. Launched in 1996 with a K-Series putting out 118bhp, its light weight ensured performance that belied its modest power. But far more was to come. The first power hike came with the Sport 135 in 1998, which was tweaked to produce around 138bhp. This was initially a limited edition of 50 before a second batch arrived in 1999, but the next uprated Elise was a full production model. Named the 111S, the car was created simply by installing the VVC version of the Rover engine, which offered variable cam timing and 143 bhp. In 2000, the 16bhp Sport 160 arrived to replace the 111S, joining the rare 190bhp Sport 190 which was built to order by Lotus Special Vehicle Operations. Further special editions included the green/gold 50th anniversary model of 1998, the black/gold JPS version and the red/white Gold Leaf edition (both 1999). There was also an Atlantis Blue Millennium Edition. Updated European crash regulations saw the end of the original Elise in 2000, but work to develop a more
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aggressive and modern-looking Series 2 version had already been ongoing in conjunction with General Motors. Model-wise, a 120bhp version was joined by a new 111S variant with a 160bhp VVC unit. There were also Sport 135 and harder-riding 135R upgrades, plus Type 72 and Type 25 special editions in 2002 and the green/white Type 23 in 2003. With an eye to sales in the USA, the more powerful Rover engines made way for a 16-valve Toyota unit in 2004 as the K-Series had not been tested for Federal emissions regulations. It was made available for the UK with 190bhp and a six-speed gearbox under the name 111R, and later solely R. Joining it in 2006 was the new Elise S base model, which used a 134bhp Toyota unit. Minor facelifts to badging and headlights came in 2007, and in 2008 a supercharged S2, badged SC, landed with 219bhp. This, plus the aforementioned S and R models, underpinned the S2 line-up until the arrival of the S3 in 2010. From the outside this was distinguishable from the S2 by its new nose with bigger, more triangular headlights, but used ones are hard to find at under £30,000 – more than the newly introduced 1.6 base model cost at launch.
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MARKET TRENDS
While it would be stretch to call the earlier cars bargains, you need to get in now as prices only appear to being going one way. They’ve always been strong on the used market, but in 2003, an early standard S1 could be had for £12,000, and by 2010, the same car was worth £9500. Prices then softened a little more – in 2011 we noted that we’d seen a ’98-R with 114,000 miles on the clock advertised privately at just £6299. By 2016, a sub-£10k S1 Elise was still possible, but by 2020, the S1 entry point had risen to £14,000 and £16,000 last year, but in reality, most cars are now in the mid-£20k bracket and up. The S2 has more creature comforts and practicality than the S1, but has less appeal to purists and an inferior injection-moulded glassfibre composite body that can soak up water. That means that an S2 can sometimes be the cheaper choice, but the entry level is generally similar at £16k, and is also rising. Play your cards right and you could effectively run one for a few years for free, which sounds like a proper bargain to us.
Above: Exige begins at £30,000 today.
LOTUS EXIGE S1/S2 (2000-2011)
The Exige was originally launched in 2000 as a hardcore, 177bhp hardtop version of the Elise with a Kamm tail-style rear end and a pylon-mounted rear wing. Only 600-odd were built and it wasn’t replaced until the Toyota-powered S2 version arrived in 2004. The S2 used the 189bhp engine as per the Elise 111R, but had wider wheels, stiffer dampers and a new aero kit to create extra downforce, meaning it was faster than its stablemate on track. However, Lotus added a supercharger to create the 50-off 240R in 2005. It delivered 0-62mph in 3.9 seconds and reached a maximum of 155mph, but cost a fiver shy of £44,000. A halfway house arrived a year later in 2006 with the £33,995 Exige S, which produced 220bhp from its supercharged 1.8-litre motor. In 2008, the Exige S was replaced by the Exige S 240, which as the name suggests boosted power to 240bhp. An S 260 producing 252bhp followed it in 2009. The S2’s run ended with the Final Edition in 2011 and subsequent launch of the 3.5-litre S3, but there were numerous specials beforehand. Among them were the seemingly endless Cup models, the S British GT Special Edition, the Club racer and RGB to mark Roger Becker’s retirement from Lotus. There were also
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Touring, Super Touring and Super Sport option packs. Still with us? S2s have always held their value well, especially as they don’t come to market too often. Around 5500 were built, but a good number were exported and others were crashed. It’s thought that around 50 per cent of cars registered in the UK now remain, which has reduced supply. In 2016, prices started at around £20,000 for an early, high-mileage car, while late model versions and the rarer special editions ran to £40,000. Nowadays, the entry point is close on £30,000 for a naturally-aspirated one. Supercharged cars are in the £30,000-£40,000 range, while the rarer editions can push towards £50,000. We expect them to keep rising, too. Want an S1? It’s thought only around 200 remain, so you’ll struggle to find one. Prices have risen to the extent that £45,000 will be needed as an entry point.
VAUXHALL VX220 (2000-2005)
Below: VXR220 commands a premium due to its rarity.
Lotus wouldn’t have been able to develop the S2 Elise without financial help from GM, but the trade off was that GM could market its own Opel/Vauxhall badged versions known as the Speedster and VX220 respectively. Launched in 2000, the GM car was built at Hethel, but only shared about 10 per cent of parts with the Elise. It had a longer wheelbase and a wider rear track, and was also modified to accept a 148bhp 2.2-litre engine as seen in the Astra SRi. Folk couldn’t get excited about a hot Vauxhall and the VX220’s sales stumbled, but the 197bhp Turbo version of 2003 helped. The third and final model was the last-gasp VXR220 of late 2004. Limited to just 60 cars, it was a lightened version of the Turbo tweaked to produce 216bhp. Sadly, the following year saw the end of the VX220 altogether. The VX220 wasn’t the success Vauxhall hoped for, and for years it was seen as cheaper version of the Elise. Prices bottomed out around 2017, when a 2.2 car could be had for £7000 and a Turbo for £11,000. Now though, a growing appreciation of its credentials and a lack of supply means they are much more on par with the Lotus. A 2.2 is likely to be around £14,000£17,000, with the Turbo pushing towards £20,000 and often £25,000 for good low-mileage cars. VXR220s are ultra rare, and will command a significant premium if you can find one.
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June 2022 17
YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO
Sunday 12th June 2022
Norman Park, Bromley, BR2 9EF
Bromley Pageant is a superb celebration of all things motoring and provides one of the best opportunities available to soak up Bromley’s unique atmosphere of friendly club stands, displays and meet fellow enthusiasts. From an Alfa Romeo to VW Karmann Ghia and everything in between, Bromley Pageant is famous for its one-make section where vehicles of each make can be entered and parked together. With a packed trade area, autojumble, live action arena including the Tigers Motorcycle Display Team, Reme display, car parades and a kids zone, come along and join us for a brilliant day jam-packed full of fun for all the family.
BOOKINGS
Bromley Pageant of Motoring A-ME Event Management, The Fairways, Roman Bank, Holbeach Clough, Spalding PE12 8DH
www.bromleypageant.co.uk
07375 554 420
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BUYER’S GUIDE
SPICEWORLD Porsche’s first foray into the SUV market may have been a fancy VW underneath, but makes an intriguing alternative to a modern Range Rover. WORDS: PAUL WAGER
n today’s automotive landscape, you’re not a serious player without an SUV in your range, but back in 2002 things were less clear-cut, making the Cayenne the most controversial Porsche to date. Just how worried Stuttgart top brass were at the enforced dilution of their pure-bred sports car philosophy is obvious from the pre-launch advertising campaign. Using imagery of the ParisDakar winning Porsche 959, the advert announced “At this moment we are testing a five-seater version of this idea. The Cayenne is on its way.”
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The phrase ‘a real Porsche’ also appears anxiously several times in the early press releases, Dr Ing HCF Porsche AG conveniently forgetting that the Cayenne owed more to the larger VW Group than even the Audi-derived 924 of the 1970s. Like the 924, the VW Group ‘PL71’ platform was developed by Porsche at its Weissach R&D centre for use under Porsche, VW and Audi brands. For despite the 911-esque lamps awkwardly grafted on to the nose, the Cayenne was under the skin essentially a VW Touareg which in turn also formed the basis for the Audi Q7.
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BUYER’S GUIDE
Launched in 2002, the Porsche Cayenne was initially offered only in petrol-fuelled V8 form as the 340bhp Cayenne S and the 450bhp Cayenne Turbo, both using a Porsche-built dry-sump 4.5-litre V8. Both were available in six-speed manual or automatic form and all models featured a rearbiased permanent four-wheel drive, backed up with Porsche’s electronic ‘Porsche Traction Management’ system which used a multi-plate clutch and electronic differentials to continually distribute power to the wheel with the most grip. The Cayenne Turbo and S, known as Porsche Type 955, went on sale in the UK from 2002 and the following year the V8 was joined by a six-cylinder model using the VW Group’s 3.2-litre VR6 engine – whimsically referred to by Porsche as coming ‘from an outside supplier’. With inlet manifolds modified by Porsche, the engine was good for 250bhp and was offered initially only as a Tiptronic automatic with a manual added in early 2004. In 2006, a Turbo S model was added to the range
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Below: GTS is marked by flared arches and intakes.
packing 521bhp, with both the turbocharged V8s upgraded in 2007 to 4.8 litres, lifting the Turbo to 500bhp and the Turbo S to 521bhp. The Cayenne was facelifted at the same time, gaining a new Porsche Type number 957 as well as revised bonnet, bumper, wings and more neatly integrated lamps. At this point the V6 was enlarged to 3.6 litres and 290bhp. November 2009 saw the GTS model added, based on the non-turbo 4.8-litre V8 but with direct injection lifting power to 405bhp and featuring flared arches, intake scoops, sports suspension and 21-inch wheels. In February 2009, the Cayenne range gained diesel power, courtesy of the VW Group’s 3-litre V6 TDI engine, rated at 240bhp. In December 2009, production of the firstgeneration ‘E1’ model at Porsche’s Leipzig plant ended, with the second-generation ‘E2’ model launched in April 2010 and again closely based on its VW and Audi siblings. Today the first-generation Cayenne represents incredible value, with the entry ticket currently
9a347045-5cfb-4fa3-9144-8a7ff2edadd8
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BUYER’S GUIDE
hovering around £3000 but as ever with an ageing prestige car, the wrong one can be an expensive proposition. Here’s what you need to know.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR BODYWORK
Above: A manual was offered in the UK but most Cayennes are automatics. The 4.8 V8 is reckoned to avoid the coolant pipe issues of the non-turbo 4.5.
All Cayennes were built using galvanised bodyshells so despite their age, well cared-for examples should still be very presentable and you’re on the look-out for damage rather than corrosion. Despite its on-road bias, the Cayenne was surprisingly capable off the tarmac so it’s worth at
least a look underneath to check for off-roading damage. They’re good to tow 3.5 tonnes and cars with a tow hitch may have seen a fair bit of heavy horsebox action too, so check for general wear and tear. The cost of bringing tatty examples up to scratch can mount up, so make a good assessment of the general appearance: good used door mirrors are £100 each, while a split plastic bumper will cost £200 to fix with a used replacement. Halogen headlamps will set you back around £150, but the HID units are £250 each for used items.
TECH SPECS MODEL
3.2 V6
4.5 V8
4.5 V8 TURBO
4.5 TURBO S
ENGINE
3189cc VR6
4511cc
4511cc turbo
4511cc turbo
MAX POWER
247bhp at 6000rpm
335bhp at 6000rpm
444bhp at 6000rpm
514bhp at 5500rpm
MAX TORQUE
229lb.ft at 5500rpm
310lb.ft at 2000rpm
457lb.ft at 2250rpm
531lb.ft at 2750rpm
LENGTH
4.8m
WIDTH
1.9m
WEIGHT
2160kg
2300kg
2355kg
MAX SPEED
133mph
150mph
158mph
0-60MPH
9.1secs
6.8secs
5.4secs
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2355kg
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BUYER’S GUIDE
engine and difficult to access. Alloy aftermarket replacements are available, but replacing the pipes is a £1500 job in a workshop. If you smell coolant, suspect the car has this issue. Misfiring and a ‘check engine’ light can be caused by failed coil packs, but they’re cheaper than they once were at around £40. In contrast, the V6 unit is generally reliable, although it doesn’t offer the same blistering pace. The good news is that the post-2007 4.8-litre V8 doesn’t suffer from the same issues, while the 4.5-litre Turbo used a Nikasil bore coating rather than Lokasil which doesn’t suffer the issue so if your budget stretches that far then it’s a neat way to avoid the problem. The choice of engine may ultimately be down to other factors though: the V8 is good for a realistic best of 19mpg, the Turbo can dip into single figures but the V6 can be coaxed to 30mpg.
ENGINE For the full-fat Cayenne experience you’ll want the V8, but it comes with a few issues. The 4.5-litre non-turbo unit is known to suffer with issues around the Lokasil-coated cylinder liners, which can become scored or fail entirely – both leading to major engine failure. A lack of compression, appetite for oil and an engine tick is the initial result but it can get much worse very quickly. The V8 can also suffer from collapsing coolant pipes, which are hidden in the vee of the
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Above: The V8 offers blistering pace but the V6 can crack 30mpg.
Below: Air suspension gives the better ride but can be troublesome in old age.
TRANSMISSION Both manual and automatic units are sourced from ZF and are reliable, as is the rest of the drivetrain. Manual cars are relatively rare, but drive a couple to get a feel for them as a heavy clutch action was standard. Make sure the automatic shifts from drive to reverse cleanly and that the shifts are smooth. In extreme cases the unit will snatch as it loses drive momentarily, which is a sign that the valve block has gummed up. An oil change might just fix it, but it might mean a replacement box.
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BUYER’S GUIDE
INTERIOR As expected from a car at this level, the 955 Cayenne came loaded with luxury kit but not all of it was reliable, with the air conditioning a common failure on early cars. Check everything works properly and check for damp caused by a fractured rear screenwash pipe which runs up the offside A-post. The main fuse box also lives in the scuttle tray and electrical gremlins will be dire if it gets damp.
WHAT TO PAY
SUSPENSION Air suspension was an option on all models but standard on the Turbo and here you have a dilemma: the coil-sprung cars are less complex with little to go wrong, but the ride is considered harsh compared to the air system. Air springs can collapse and are £150 for aftermarket parts or around £100 for used original items. Check the car sits level, while a continually running compressor is a sign that the system is leaking. A frequently flashing warning light means either the system is losing air or the compressor is getting lazy, but aftermarket units are available at around £120.
Above: Brakes are impressive but have a hard life in this two-tonne SUV.
The entry ticket to the 955 Cayenne is just £3000 and the selection here at the bottom of the barrel includes both V8 and V6 models. You might just get lucky at this price level but it’s unlikely, making it sensible to budget around the £5000-£7000 level, at which point you have a great choice of Cayennes, many of them even dipping below the 100,000-mile mark. At around £6000, the Turbo comes into range and its fuel economy means it doesn’t command the premium you might expect. Low-mileage examples will command £10,000£12,000, with the top whack for the first-gen Cayenne around the £20,000 mark. At this price level though, it makes sense to go for the post2007 facelifted car with the 36 V6 or more reliable 4.8-litre V8.
BRAKES These are big heavy cars which tend to get driven hard and the brakes take a beating. Budget on £107 for a set of front pads and £270 for a pair of Brembo discs for the V8. ABS wheel sensors are around £70. The ABS control module lives in the scuttle tray, which can fill with water when the drains become blocked, with predictable results.
TECH SPECS MODEL
3.6 V6
4.8
4.8 TURBO
4.8 TURBO S
GTS
ENGINE
3598cc VR6
4806cc V8
4806cc turbo V8
4806cc turbo V8
4806cc V8
MAX POWER
290bhp at 6200rpm
400bhp at 6500rpm
500bhp at 6000rpm
550bhp at 6000rpm
405bhp at 6500rpm
MAX TORQUE
284lbft at 3000rpm
369lb.ft at 3500rpm
516lb.ft at 4500rpm
553lb.ft at 4500rpm
369lb.ft art 3500rpm
4.8m
LENGTH
1.9m
WIDTH WEIGHT
2160kg
2065kg
2355kg
2355kg
2225kg
MAX SPEED
141mph
160mph
171mph
174mph
157mph
0-60MPH
8.1secs
6.2secs
5.1secs
4.7secs
6.3secs
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A 53 AA 487 AAA 592 AAE AAN 2G AAW 333 AAZ 855 ABB 364M ABH 464C ABH 497C B741 ABH ABH 488C ABH 463C A858 GAL 804 ABK 24 BLE AB07 TTT ABO 77T AB07 TTS 477 ABU ABW 806D 8169 AC ACC 967A AAC 70N KAC 70N LAC 70N ADV 661X W866 ADW ADY 550D ADY 455D X21 AEC AEW 994A AFW 950A G454 AFW 302 AFW AFW 709A AGU 35T AGW 59N 6484 AH 212 AHK 754 AHR S877 AJL 667 AJO J26 AJS J29 AJS J27 AJS 628 AKV 444 LAN HAL 4N JOA 14N RAL 41N 4 LFE JAL 150P DAL 107T A11 COT CAL 150P ALM 274B R29 ALY ALZ 559 PAM 11D 465 AMJ AMJ 40L H3 ANN ANN 783H ANN 797H ANP 265A 4784 NT ANT 287 ANT 177A ANV 199A A417 WAR ANZ 377 AOR 21V 6989 AP APA 13Y 547 APA APP 567J APP 520J APP 13S APP 502J APY 227A ARA 122A ARB 590A ARC 116R ARF 80Y AR71 ZAN XAR 7X ARV 523 ARY 642B A5 FAD H15 HBY 973 ASM 741 ATD ATF 257 ATL 233A G151 ATL ATL 199A G428 ATL G425 ATL ATV 36Y AUD 151V AUD 135V AUD 145V 936 AUG AVG 358S AVG 990D AVG 718D 7864 AW 788 AWA AWF 732 AWG 400 720 AWN AWT 461 YEL 848S G84 CON
B BAD 57T BAG 913S 6 BAG 9 BAG BAG 935S BAG 909S BAH 778X BAH 192W BAH 77T B4 NEY K8 ANK BAR 123T BAR 121N BAR 120N BAR 77N BAR 71N BAR 121K
BAS 477 BAS 835 BBA 570N BAS 11L BBA 53Y B4 SET EBA 570N YBA 73S 8 ATY 8 ATY 730 BAX BAZ 1657 BAZ 668 BAZ 993 BAZ 996 BAZ 933 BBC 929B 200 BBD BBH 703P BBK 69 BBM 628 74 BCE 82 BCJ 555 BCJ 296 BCJ BCL 108X BCV 559T BDK 85 49 BDL 3333 BE R98 EAL R128 EAL B834 VER R148 EAL B6 ATY BEA 1T BEA 570N R108 EAL E8 ECK Y831 ONY ABE 17T 86 ND F83 RRY B3 REL E78 ERY TBE 57T EDB 35T F149 ETH BET 228 BF 7561 569 BFM 555 BFW BG 6372 3333 BG BGF 2H BGR 36 3374 BH 9301 BH BHA 77T BHD 24 BHO 74R BHW 526A BIG 188 YEL 816S B16 GER BIG 655 BIG 8411 J81 GGS A81 GGS 81 MBO BNG 114M B125 TAL A81 RKE B15 CHO B55 HOP 913 BKE BKN 2T A959 BKU BLA 993Y E81 AKE KBL 41N B115 ETT 544 BLO BLO 77S 3333 BM YGY 320S YEL 820S Y840 ONY BNR 8Y S108 BNT S144 BNT 5555 BO 562 BOB BOB 805S BOC 891A BOD 56Y 801 L BOL 7T 751 BOL BOL 701N BOL 701V BOL 77S Y828 ONY Y848 ONY BON 533R K28 ONE 13 ONS BOO 856X B60 OTH BOO 853X SHT 805S REE 805S CAB 805S VET 805S BOB 805S ROT 80S FAB 805S SBO 55Y POW 805S PEE 805S 1305 S BOU 108H BOU 107H BOW 967E D80 WES BOW 36N LON 680X WWW 80X WAC 180X FUM 80Y 5018 BP 8713 BP 7334 BP 3722 BP
5061 BP BPR 654A 957 BPW 674 BPW BRA 7T BRA 77T BRA 99 BRA 991T BRA 550K BRA 17T BRD 996 BRE 70Y BRE 14D BRE 51N BRE 771Y BRE 78Y BRE 35Y BRE 770T GBR 199S FBR 199S BBR 166S EBR 199S GBR 150N PB21 DGE GB21 DGE MB21 DGE TB21 DGE PB21 GHT RB21 GHT AB21 GHT 996 BRL 11 BRS BRU 116A BRU 3L BRY 110T B168 RYN BRY 417T CBR 750N 526 BSR 126 BTA BTM 92L 368 BTP BTW 756 31 BTW A18 UNK K13 URN SBU 12R TBU 12R BUR 61S B1 JST CBU 7T PBU 7S ABU 7T BBU 7T EBU 7T JBU 770N BVG 458E BVP 629 63 BVT BVV 376S 563 BWD BWP 888M 555 BXS 800 BYE AB19 BYK 5 BYLL
C CAB 608W CAB 50N CAB 574R HU11 CAB CAB 135H CAB 805S K28 CAB CAC 53Y CAD 50N CAE 110S BCA 10W XCA 10W C4 LEL WCA 10W CAL 110W C411 LOW CCA 116W J24 CAM J23 CAM K24 CAM J29 CAM CAN 1F C4 NES C412 SFE BCA 120L PCA 123Y V8 OAR CAR 14A CAR 6N C4 REN CAR 185T C412 ONS CAR 105K DCA 120L CAR 70N CAR 15N RCA 53Y CAS 579A UCA 551D CAS 11W PCA 50N C47 ONS K28 CAT CAV 380Y 952 CBK 353 CBK 542 CBK 567 CBM CBW 32V CCA 665M 401 CCE 536 CCE CCN 580B 9999 CD 5715 CD 7996 CD X389 CDA CDM 804M CEH 785Y 8888 CF 208 CFC C974 CFG CFM 112W 7777 CG CG 4844 CG 3478
CHA 210T RCH 41M RCH 34M RCH 33M CHN 430B CHO 74L C11 OKA CHR 930 CHU 88Y CIL 6575 CIL 7601 C12 RON 545 CJO 37 CKA CKE 188 2222 CL TCL 41R WCL 45S CLU 88S CMB 161S COA 57S COA 77S YEL 427S G6 COD COE 693 303 COJ COL 30V COL 173R CON 4V CON 311V COO 165T COO 180X 333 COP KCO 2T COR 541R T38 COS COV 800K COV 80S COV 311S COX 576V COX 31V COX 792C M311 COX CPA 107T CPE 76 CRA 138L CRE 59Y CRE 4T CRE 45T CRE 3T CR15 PCO C912 CRU CSF 37B CSH 824E CSJ 215 CST 91A CTC 558M CUP 5S CUR 715E JCU 77S CUT 53T CUT 810W CVG 611F 17 CVJ CY 5241 CYB 46 CYN 700
D 1466 D 222 DA 5833 DA 7 DAD DAH 107F DAJ 135Y DAK 117S A99 DAL DAL 113S OAN 16L E290 DAN E859 DAN 768 DAN DAN 316 DAR 7S DAR 12T D4 SSU OAS 70R M737 DAV DAV 3N DAV 15F DAV 135N DAV 135D DAV 15L DAV 135V DAW 54T 720 AWN DAW 17T DAY 5C 529 DAY DBC 766T 477 DBM DBR 23S J317 DCD 729 DCH DCK 241B DCK 75B DCM 94Y 8553 DD 7479 DD DDE 98P DEB 19S DEB 501V DEE 3L DEE 585L DEE 41L DEL 661T DEL 128Y DEM 953Y P733 DEP D111 ERY DES 1N DEV 3Y 6044 DF 8422 DF 2986 DF 9074 DF 46 DFC DFW 99 2733 DG DGW 428B DH 9336 DHJ 818B DHK 499 Y359 DHN
Y361 DHN D34 BLO DIL 6646 DJI 7757 DJO 946R DJO 918R 947 DK 4859 DK 3333 DL DLZ 3850 6462 DN DN 3754 2800 DN E149 DNB DNG 34 DNP 481N DOD 580Y K21 DOG K23 DOG K27 DOG 443 DOL DOL 781 DOL 50N F636 DOM DON 875V DON 42V 518 DOR DOR 668 454 DOR DOU 6K DOV 688 DOW 17S 5905 DP 5469 DP DRR 499E DRE 64N DRE 5S DRR 517B S90 DRU DS 8369 DSD 44 DSJ 852 DSU 378 8908 DT DT 9695 3049 DT 872 DTP 671 DTT L20 DUB P598 DUD H634 DUF DUG 528C DUG 55S DUJ 240T DUR 120Y DUT 81C A907 DUX DVG 620G 60 DYB DYL 101V DYW 15
E R122 EAL R97 EAL EAM 518 F6 EAN F8 EAN M26 EAN K31 EAN JEA 501V EAS 153X SEA 701V J5 EAT GEA 70N E17 VES EAZ 7 EAZ 998 EB 9035 153 EBK Y836 ONY 9 ECD 667 ECD 148 ECD EDD 11T B16 EDD EDD 17T EDD 171T AB19 EDD E6 ENS EDE 87R EE 9471 EE 9941 EEL 540T EFC 308A EFC 416 Y9 EFC 405 EFH 4 EFJ EFX 355C 509 EHA EHL 50 EHN 328H 548 EHR EJT 119C 3 EJU EKJ 348 6284 EL YEL 476S SEL 150N LEL 150N ELL 155X ELL 4Y YEL 114S ELL 187T ELL 152J SEL 50N ELS 16W ELW 15Y ELY 823C ELY 107T 5411 EM EMA 808X EMA 65K EMA 635S EMA 53X EMD 57B EMV 455T EMV 498T ENG 147D ENN 73 90 ENR ENR 38 ENY 4S
EPD 59V ERG 73 Y978 ERH 999 ES ESE 536 EST 116D E551 TON 1306 ET 8361 ET ETA 18 ETH 310V F114 ETH EUI 20 8619 EV EVE 383 EVG 559H EVL 505 EVN 241L 32 EWD 7 EYLL
F 4428 F FAB 118S FAB 59S 141 FAE F46 ANS FAJ 53L FAJ 51L 5 FAJ FAJ 56L S499 FAJ FAK 13Y FAL 805S FAR 7Y TFA 12R FAS 77T FAT 80Y FAT 138Y FAV 147C FAX 11V FBR 83 2222 FC 533 FCG FCR 888 62 FCY 9229 FD 1 FDG F36 ANS HFE 1N FLE 517Y RCA 550B FET 332 FEY 308D FEZ 9999 FHH 396K 700 FL FL 3887 FLA 66S FLA 91T 91 FLA 645 FLD FLE 33T 86 FLF 179 FLY FLY 440T 8179 FM 3588 FM FMA 575F FMA 572F 441 FMC FMW 190J FMW 115J FMW 114J FMW 360J 2641 FN 7553 FN FNB 629C FON 6L FOO 711E FOO 71Y YGY 460S AFO 12D FOR 883S FOR 576R FOS 733R 572 FOT FOW 153X FOX 245L 7 FPP 361 FRH FRO 664T FRO 661T FRO 57T FRO 64T FRY 5V FRY 5S FUG 3Y SFU 110N FUR 12Y FUR 70N 477 FUR F116 FVF FVG 540J A114 FVO 9999 FW
G 5555 GA 174 GAB LSG 41N T264 JAL GAL 73N GAM 811N A631 GAP A635 GAP GAR 1H GAR 1X GAR 16N GAR 501N G4 ROT GAR 1D GAR 189L T6 ASK TPG 4S GAT 3N GAV 117S GBA 69 GBH 185 GBR 499 GCN 254 GDE 444W D198 GDL GDR 46S
1111 GE GE 1414 2222 GE GEF 340V GEJ 20 GEN 77S 63 RRY GER 1A 166 ERY 68 GFR GFX 488D 3 GGJ GHB 739V 89 GHN GIL 15 GJ 114 GJI 4728 GJK 608 GJT 110D GJY 401 5555 GK 527 GKB GKC 50 GL 5918 2222 GL GLA 231T GLE 350N GLZ 2222 GLZ 7777 4 GMT GNJ 63 GNR 74 GNT 271M Y106 OAL Y46 OAL GOB 81L GOB 5W GOB 58N OOO 560D T260 JAL 548 GOK NGO 1D GOL 81N 90 LF GOL 50N GOO 1E GOR 84N GGO 55S GOV 88W GOW 9N 999 GP P154 GPE P275 GPF GRA 990N GRA 70N GRA 713V GRA 758N GRA 78N 624 CE GRD 23 GRE 610N HGR 33N GRE 950N GRE 169N 83 GRE GRE 16K GRE 50N GRE 609N GR69 VES 264 GRP 6 RUB GRZ 999 2222 GS GSK 337 GSK 741 GSK 535 GSL 734 GSU 933 R13 GSX 76 GTG 772 GTW 55 GU GUI 1 GUN 58N GUR 111T GUS 74R GUY 534L 456 GUY GVG 618K GVG 619K GVG 803K 9999 GW T8 GYM
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I IIL 9999 K21 NCE 8596 IW
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684 JRR JRS 971 JS 4835 JSA 228G JSK 204 A104 JSO A103 JSO JSS 885N JST 284N 552 JTA 326 JTB 469 JTO 232 JUB JUD 68S JUF 648 JUK 5W JUL 104N JUL 106N JUL 113N
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817 KBM 87 KBP 73 KBP 742 KBP KBS 3 KBS 5 564 KC KCH 55N B16 KCH KCH 74N KCH 38N KCK 897F KCK 892F KCW 335 KDG 977 KDG 89 KDZ 911 KEA 524 KEL 10G K21 VYN KEN 14P KEN 33P K3 NOC KEN 5S S30 KEN 402 KEW KFC 47 KFM 73 KFX 545F KFX 565F KFX 575F 111 KGE 58 KGG KGL 83 KGY 466V KGY 502V K1 DUM K25 NGS KJ 1673 KKH 819N N658 KLA N258 KLB KLJ 378N 342 KM 252 KMA 8 KNW KOB 201 491 KOD KOR 12Y KOT 6Y 889 KOV 4884 KP 2258 KP KPR 41 KPW 494N 364 KRA 93 KRD KRG 99 F837 KRM KRU 25L KRW 724 KS 5531 KSA 178F KSC 226D KSL 137 KSP 3 KSV 777 700 KTF X495 KTG C540 KTH 90 KTW KUG 123 KUN 189 KUO 3 KV 4505 2591 KW KWA 83 KWC 688 KYA 51N K77 KYD 84 KYD KYL 13S KYL 13M KYL 38K KYM 774X
LCC 663P LCK 348N LCL 887A LCR 539 LDD 87 46 LE LEE 366 LEE 5N LEG 37T LEG 6P LEG 785W YEL 499S LEN 941H LEN 297P LEP 84 LES 13R LE22 TER L355 TER YEL 377S LEV 177J LEV 177V LEV 177Y LEW 847H LEW 307P 4 LFE LFM 380N D620 LFX 568 LHA 1 YMO LJ 5961 H653 LJA H660 LJO H767 LJO LJR 691 LKK 273B LKO 555 753 LKP 400 LL 7777 LM LMO 51 96 LN LNB 269 LNH 979 LNO 901 LOC 41X LOM 45S LON 680X K31 ONG 630 LOO B10 PES 708 LOP LOR 3R LOU 153P B10 UTH LOU 158P 59 LOV LOV 3P LOW 312Y 12 LOW LOX 500 LRE 8P 8888 LS LSA 425 LSD 578 LSD 823 LSG 47N P872 LSM P867 LSM 874 LUB LUC 180X LUE 7V LUE 5P LUG 70P LUR 4L LVA 11 LVG 910B LWG 66 LYB 11E LYC 3E LYL 3N LYN 78P LYN 87X E282 LYN
L
MAB 813Y MAB 837T MAC 15S MAC 346V 938 MAE 832 MAE NMA 660T MAH 33D MAH 41E MAH 41P C701 MAK OMA 110Y MAL 261W MAL 357P MAL 338W MAL 980P C54 MAL MAP 55S MAR 771V MRR 19W MAR 647E M425 HAL MAR 63L MRR 10W MAR 63P MAR 9E LFM 454N MAS 537 MAS 6Y MAT 235S T503 MAU MAZ 366 MAZ 399 853 YMB MBW 911E MCV 4N MCW 94G MCY 92E MDM 735G 3511 ME NME 110R MEL 145P A873 MEL MEL 15F LFM 310N E390 MEL MEP 145A M23 RCS ME21 VYN
801 L LAB 377E LAB 37T N910 LAG LAL 14W LAM 85P LAM 222A LAW 59W BUY 14W LAZ 8 LBF 57 31 LBF LBS 105 1884 LC
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W866 ADW AFW 709A BCV 559T S499 FAJ A103 JSO R134 EAL URM 344X F992 OFG NWT 178A A716 GAP
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X495 KTG Y309 NAL Y366 RVU
ALL £100 EEL 209T F567 FVF G919 UNU GVG 698K H977 NRU HGU 889J JAJ 349V JVG 817M KFX 565F
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MES 53Y LFM 354N MFA 54 MFF 949 MFO 283 MFX 514W MFX 451G MG 5725 MGL 976 5728 MH 3165 MH 5543 MH 9267 MH 222 MHY MIG 4444 CFM 115S MIL 38 MIW 996 MJI 551 MJI 344 6728 MM 5312 MM 167 MMT MNG 72L MNH 155K MNN 34D S41 MNP 1155 MO MOA 72X MOC 7P K21 MOD MOE 333X MOE 566X MOE 856P 985 MOE MOG 735X MOG 331P RMO 113R MOL 73N MOO 14H MOR 155R MOR 318Y MOR 73R MOS 51S MOS 55S MOT 3L MOT 1X CMO 713Y MOT 76Y MOV 13X MOW 3R MOW 13R MOW 9R MOY 124P 6 MPR E697 MPV 5555 MR MRR 45W MSA 27 B9 MSR MSV 878 MTJ 26 MTU 41C MU 550 MVG 740C MW 8743 R6 MWC MWJ 292 MWL 45 MWV 229F 777 MYC MYR 4P MYR 46X
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805 NNN 95 NNO NNW 5 NOB 13X 279 NOB NOB 80X NOB 56X NOH 712 NOM 88 JNO 74Y NOW 938 NPA 910 570 NPE NRG 71 H964 NRU H977 NRU NSX 346A 2222 NS NS 4570 NSX 390A NSJ 871 NST 270Y NSX 412A 83 NSY NTG 269P 79 NTW 5180 NU NUS 7Y NUT 1E NUT 741S NUX 221W NV 850 NV 9830 T658 NWL NWT 5 NWT 178A NWX 5 E6 NYC NYK 5Y
O O 3012 OAK 7M OAK 3S Y76 OAL OAN 20 B1 OAP R348 OAY OBU 311P OBU 330P OCL 106V OD 7902 OD 620 ODE 112F OER 1M F992 OFG OGU 767D OJI 711 OK 310 OLY 268P OMY 456P ONE 7L ONE 11H ONE 41L ONO 73V 13 ONS Y921 ONY OO 3840 1942 OO P50 OOC OPP 992V ORR 160P ORR 189P OVV 377P
P P20 000 PAD 63T PAD 260W PAD 1P PAE 49 PAG 33E S418 PAG PAL 70R 819 PAL 60 PAM E5 PAM PAM 222R PAM 11D PAM 153R D872 PAM PAM 14R PAO 106P PAR 37H PAR 53L PAS 533S PAS 5S PAT 18M E5 PAT E3 PAT D735 PAT A972 PAT PAT 34M PAT 31S A460 PAT S121 PAT PAU 144R PAV 62J MPY 17E PAZ 1 PAZ 6 PBE 39 PBJ 49 PBN 822 PCD 667 PCR 8M PCS 81R PEA 73R PEE 805S PEG 555 PEG 5R PEG 199 PEN 155S PEN 677S PEP 53Y PEP 3R PER 121N PES 183M PET 80Y RPE 73R PET 73R RPE 76R 2620 PF PFB 112
PFE 792P 19 PFM PFN 25S 5695 PG 246 PG 9074 PG F11 PGH 8 PGJ S6 PGJ PGU 957K 109 PH 1531 PH PHA 998 748 PHA PHH 408P PHH 57P PHH 541P P111 LOK P111 LUK PHO 563 59 PHW PIA 9746 PIJ 3252 PIL 111 PIL 15 PIL 4 3588 PJ 7461 PJ 7612 PJ 5189 PJ 655 PJH 701 PJH PKH 130P 3546 PL PL 5049 BPL 47T APL 47T PLA 73R PLE 888 PLM 69 PMY 482W PM 9510 PMB 890L PN 7018 1111 PN K2 PNA A112 PND PNS 6 LPO 111Y POM 3Y POM 333Y Y809 ONY A911 DUX POT 312S POW 805S POW 311F 4288 PP 2688 PP 482 PPE PPM 449 P91 PPO P125 PPO P64 PPO P154 PPO PRE 553R PRO 553R PRU 783 PSN 690H PTA 827 PTH 37S PTH 51S PTK 90 7 PTS 843 PTT PTU 973B PUA 455D PUB 186D PUE 236 PUI 3333 GPU 113N PUL 14N PUL 58Y A6 PUM 922 PUO PUT 73R PUT 71N PUT 3R PVL 382V N524 PVL PVL 847V PVL 366V 6795 PW 52 PWC PWN 6Y PWN 900R PWU 144P 49 PYD
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RCA 294Y RCA 507B RCD 499G RCH 805S RCH 510M RCS 18 RD 8371 RD 3197 RD 3350 RDB 3R 224 RDV 751 RDV R92 EAL R91 EAL 916 REA R191 EAL REC 703R RED 64R REE 744S REE 805S REG 417R REG 51R REG 417M REG 428G REG 417X RET 120F RET 20S REY 379S REY 4T 333 RFM RFM 828L RG 8305 RG 6659 RG 3805 RH 1508 RHR 256C R185 EAL R188 NGN R133 EAL J21 LEY K121 LEY DR21 LEY MR21 LEY R155 EAL R174 EAL K21 VET RJG 176G RJI 211 6475 RK 9401 RK 267 RKJ A8 RKM RLC 210 RMA 498 207 RML RMO 415 RMO 112R RN 908 ROB 83Y ROD 53N ROF 3R R86 ERS ROG 63R ROG 33R 1206 ER ROH 17B ROJ 570 R9 LER R6 LER ROM 93Y RON 586R RON 843M RON 581R RON 851Y RON 579Y Y812 ONY ROO 173Y TED 120S K21 OSS ROW 113Y ROW 417S F843 ROY RPE 8 RPF 9 RPR 97 RRH 874 RRS 621X RRS 619X H362 XRS RST 855S RSY 4L P22 RTS 743 RTW 2020 RU RUB 3R ARU 8Y RUB 83R 146 RUB RUD 4L RUG 63R RUG 504 RUG 8R RUG 3R RUL 911E RUS 683M RUS 31W LRU 5H RUS 3L RUV 41N RUX 75 Y366 RVU 227 RW 8 RWG RYK 895 RYL 3S RCA 544B S17 JNA T254 JAL WSA 11Y
S SAL 73R SAL 7T LSA 11Y H541 MON CTC 654M SAN 580Y E54 NDS W54 NDS T2 SAP SAR 81R SAV 49E SAY 3R SAY 170R
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R157 EAL W57 OCK H57 ONE STO 788F S701 NES F57 OCK W570 KES STR 470N STU 813L A451 STU 607 STU 5 TUD STU 601R S7 UBS STU 427M SUB 4R SUB 84R SUB 3R 8025 UE 78 SUE 83 SUE SUL 114N SUN 70R SUS 51R SUT 13R SUT 78N SUT 16R SV 7757 SV 6078 SVR 760W SVS 233 KSW 413S SWE 3D 5 WP SYD 769 SYM 78 L66 SYM 2536 SZ 9886 SZ
T 215 T TA 8009 333 TA 74 BBS TAF 50N TAH 533N TAL 881R TAL 131R TAL 9R TAL 87R TAL 181R TAL 81R 5 TAM TAN 170Y TAN 14Y TAO 469S TAO 458S TAO 355S J74 PPA TAR 44M TAS 235 TAS 491 TAS 799 TAV 875 TAW 83Y G2 TAX TAY 116R TAY 119R ETA 710R TBD 5W T710 TBD TBE 95 A860 TBW A849 TBW TCE 7 5309 TD TDU 8 T34 MUK TED 978S TED 298S TEF 51R TEF 132R TEF 97R TEK 7N TEN 15 TEN 77T TEN 7T TES 54K TFC 489 TGU 656E T11 ATS THE 984 THH 59R THH 58R TIB 8 T188 UEE TIL 15 71 MMO TJA 918R TJA 930R TJA 871R TKA 33 97 TKE TLE 858 TLJ 257R TLJ 291R TLJ 740R 896 TMK TNC 94J TNC 7 TNU 700 TNW 81 TOB 813Y C13 TOD TOG 3Y TOL 5H TOL 16Y TOM 45N TOM 45S Y837 ONY K27 ONY Y917 ONY TOS 80X B165 TOW TOW 117G TP 926 290 TPE 212 TPL TPP 813 TPP 1 4407 TR TRA 173R 7124 CY
£10k LUXURY SALOONS
BUSINESS CLASS For most of us, £10,000 is a sizeable chunk, but in today’s economy, even a base-spec Kia Picanto costs more than that to buy outright. So, if you want a car that feels as though it’s worth every penny, then the used market is where you’ll have to turn. Here’s six of our favourite ten-grand luxury picks. WORDS: JAMES BOWERS
26 June 2022
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Bargain Cars
£10k LUXURY SALOONS
JAGUAR XJ (X351) Jaguar XJ versus Kia Picanto is a twin test that even the most loony road tester would deem utterly onesided, and yet, you can score either for the same price. Right now, an early X351 can be had for £10,000 or less, which seems bizarre considering that it’s a car deemed to be of prime ministerial quality. Even in 3.0 litre diesel V6 spec (which is what this budget will afford you) the XJ is as well-equipped as its Downing Street presence would suggest. In this price range, a lot of the examples that you’ll come across will be Portfolio trim vehicles with at least 100,000 miles on the clock, though you can also find Premium cars with a slightly less concerning 80,000-mile history too. Either way, they’re likely to be showing minor signs of natural wear and tear by now. However, if you can look beyond that, Ian Callum’s design still holds up remarkably well today, more than a decade since the X351 was unveiled. Besides, you’ll soon forget about any scruffy outer edges once you sink into the XJ’s plush leather interior, accented nicely by tasteful doses of aluminium sculpting. Audio stems from a 1200-watt Bowers & Wilkins sound system, but the XJ’s real party trick is its digital display. Thanks to some clever tricks of the electronics trade, the car’s bi-directional touchscreen can show two different pictures at once, depending
Bargain Cars
Below: Despite the bold style of the final XJ, it was largely based on the firmly retro ‘X350’ model from 2002.
upon which side of the car you’re sitting in. So, if your passenger wants to watch a DVD while riding beside you, distractions are kept to a minimum as only their eyes will be caught by the flickering change of frames. The XJ makes good use of the outside environment too, thanks to its panoramic glass roof. This can be partially raised and withdrawn like a conventional sunroof, but also comes with an electronic blind should you wish to block out the sun entirely instead. What’s more, the tinted passenger windows are complemented by an electronic sun shield for the rear windscreen – perfect for when the outside elements (or onrushing paparazzi) are proving too invasive. Dynamically, the XJ is a joy. Its lightweight aluminium body gives it more agility than many of its contemporary rivals, while the steering is also nice and precise. Grip levels are good and there’s an impressive lack of body roll too. As for that diesel V6, it’ll provide a fuel economy of 40mpg and a 0-60 time of just 6.4 seconds, though perhaps not in the same instance. There’s no dreary rumbling to be heard from the power unit either, thanks to superb refinement. The trade-off, however, is the ride. It isn’t quite as smooth as some alternatives, but let’s be honest, it’s still an comfy luxobarge at heart.
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June 2022 27
LEXUS LS430 After the industry-wide shockwaves created by the Lexus LS400, it was always going to be difficult for an eventual successor to live up to such perilously high expectations. And so it proved. When the LS430 did finally arrive at the turn of the century, it failed to earn the same level of adulation – not because it was a bad car, but because it didn’t push the game forward in the same way that the original had. The LS430’s capabilities raised nobody’s eyebrows, this was merely the level of competence and quality that had become expected of the Lexus brand. As such, whereas many people still remember the ground-breaking LS400 with great fondness, it feels as though the LS430 has mostly been lost to time; a footnote in the history books, rather than the main feature. In isolation though, there’s still plenty to like about it. Equipped with a larger 4.3-litre V8 (hence the name), the LS430 delivers a brisk turn of pace in a tremendously smooth manner. Plus, compared to contemporary rivals, its touchscreen infotainment system was one of the most user-friendly solutions around. It doesn’t skimp on comfort either, with cushiony leather seats cradling its occupants and a suspension set-up perhaps best described as silky. When driven, the purpose bestowed upon the LS430 becomes increasingly apparent. While it can eat up long distances with ease, its soft set-up creates a bit of body roll through harsh bends if taken at speed. As such, it can’t be considered a driver’s car like the
28 June 2022
Above: US influence is all too obvious in the Lexus LS430's plush ride.
Jaguar. Instead, it casts excitement aside in favour of a more tranquil approach to transportation. That mindset translates into how the car looks too. The LS400 could never be described as a striking thing to look at, and the same is true of the LS430. Its basic shape is a surprisingly aerodynamic one, but one which also incorporates some rather derivative styling. The rear end bears a noticeable resemblance to the Mercedes-Benz S-Class of the period, while up front, the LS430’s somewhat gawky face manages to be both bland and borderline unattractive at the same time. Plus, although the car does come with big 18inch alloys, they do little to add any sort of aggression to the car’s stance. That, however, seems to be the entire point. Of all the luxury saloons that you could buy, the LS430 is one of the more modest options out there. Under the skin, it’s packed with the sort of power train and spec sheet that you’d want from a car like this but provides it all in a package which blends seamlessly into the urban background. This is luxury without any of the fuss or flaunting, and the price tag attached to these cars nowadays is equally as understated. Despite costing £54,000 when new, higher mileage examples can now be had for less than 10% of that figure. However, our full £10,000 budget will land you a near-mint 2004/05 model – the best of the bunch. That said, given the small number of examples currently floating around online marketplaces, you may find it easier to pay for such a car than actually find one.
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£10k LUXURY SALOONS
BMW 7-SERIES (F01) It’s no question that current BMW design trends have got the automotive world up in arms. From Twitter to print, everywhere you look there’s somebody bemoaning the rise of the ‘big grille Beemers’. However, this isn’t the Bavarian marque’s first rodeo with controversial styling cues. Back in the early 2000s, BMW was again being criticised for some awkward looking designs, though in the face of cars like today’s X7 SUV, they seem rather tame indeed. The man overseeing operations back then was Chris Bangle, an American designer who had earned critical acclaim for his work on the daring and angular Fiat Coupe of 1993. Unfortunately though, many consumers and journalists felt that his efforts while at BMW were a little too experimental for their own good. One such car was the E65 generation 7-Series, a vehicle which took a sharp turn away from the tried and tested lines of its predecessors. Developed in partnership with Adrian van Hooydonk, the E65 was seen by many at the time as one of BMW’s worst visual offenders. In fact, the car’s pre-facelift rear-end became so notorious that it earned its own derogatory nickname – the ‘Bangle Butt’. Today, BMW appears defiant and proud of its brutalist sculpting, but back in the Bangle era, it was apparent that similar public murmurings had taken a more negative hold at board level. As such, when the time came for a
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Below: The F01 was a return to traditional style after its adventurous predecessor.
new 7-Series to arrive, the keys to the design were handed over to Karim Habib. What Habib came up with was certainly a lot safer than the outgoing E65, but was all the more conventionally handsome as a result. A more traditional rear came as one of the biggest remedies, while the car’s sleeker face gave it a more dynamic stance compared to the slab-like car of old. Under the skin, the F01 generation 7-Series is as equally impressive as it is on the outside. As a testament of its quality, the platform was deemed good enough by Rolls-Royce to use on its first-gen Ghost, and in fact up to 20% of the total parts used in either car are completely transferable. The F01 was offered with a gluttony of onboard equipment too, ranging from cabin comforts like massage rear seats, to complex driver aids such as radar-assisted cruise control. On top of that, you could also benefit from features like pedestrian recognition, blind spot monitoring, and a thermographic night vision display. As a driving experience, the BMW sits somewhere between the Jag and the Lexus. It’s not the most dynamic, but is certainly capable of being hustled. Prices start at around £6500, but for that money you’ll be getting a long-legged car or one with a slightly colourful history. £8000£10,000 is where you’ll start to find some more sensible examples, and for that money you could be looking at either the 3.0 litre diesel straight-six, or the much rarer 4.4-litre petrol V8.
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£10k LUXURY SALOONS
AUDI A8 Of course, BMW has never had the German executive saloon market all to itself. The MercedesBenz S-Class, for example, has long been considered the benchmark of the genre. However, the third of the big three Deutsche marques also has an enticing personal limo in its range that you can now steal for just a fraction of its original retail price. First introduced 20 years ago, the second generation of Audi A8 had a seven-year lifespan which involved a major facelift at around the midpoint of the noughties. For £10,000, both the older models and big-grilled facelifts will be available to you, with prices for the earlier cars starting as low as £2500. For the most part though, that tier of vehicle is something that you’ll want to steer clear of. Instead, respectable facelifted cars with high miles start at £4000, but to avoid as many maintenance bills as possible, we’d recommend spending at least £7500-£9000 on an example with less than 90,000 miles on the clock. To the average passer-by, the A8 is unlikely to seem more attention-worthy than any other saloon
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Above: Audi A8's aluminium construction rivals the Jaguar for weight saving.
bearing the four rings on its bootlid, but underneath that bulky yet unassuming body there’s plenty of premium kit. The engine range, for instance, even includes a W12 option – made famous by Jason Statham in Transporter films. Before you get too excited though, it’s only really the V6 and V8 variants that fall within our ten-grand budget, so you’ll have to quash your action hero dreams for now. On the plus side, you do at least get to choose between petrol and diesel variants of the smaller power units, whereas the twelve-cylinder car only comes in a petrol guise. As for the tech packed within it, the A8 also boasts adaptive cruise control like its BMW rival, as well as an onboard computer (MMI) which rivals the 7-Series’ iDrive system. Powerful bi-xenon headlights come as standard, and on the A8 these come with an adaptive range. As such, light will be dispersed in line with your trajectory of travel, effectively helping you to peer around bends in the dark. There’s air suspension at all four corners of the car too, and thanks to continuous damping control, the Audi will adjust itself on the fly to give you the smoothest ride possible. Dynamically,
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£10k LUXURY SALOONS
the A8 is one of the better performers within this market. When referencing kerb weight amongst vehicles of this sort, lightness is always relative, of course. However, with on average around 150kg less weight onboard than the BMW and comparable power outputs from their V6 engines, the Audi can often feel a bit more agile. That said, where V8s are concerned, the more modern eight-cylinder power unit in the BMW will comfortably power it ahead of the equivalent Mk2 A8. Meanwhile, if you plan on spending more time as a passenger in this car than actually driving it, you’ll be glad to hear that rear legroom is perfectly good, as is the headroom (although perhaps not quite as roomy as an S-Class). To complete the experience, audio is provided by a bespoke Bang & Olufsen sound system.
VOLKSWAGEN PHAETON If you’re familiar with the Volkswagen Group, you’ll know that it’s no stranger to the idea of sharing chassis platforms between marques. Take the current Mk8 Golf for example – you’ll find the core skeleton of that car packaged in various other guises, whether it be in the shape of an executive Audi A3,
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Below: The Phaeton is something of a Bentley in disguise.
sporty Cupra Leon, or budget-friendly Skoda Octavia saloon. However, it’s not just mass-market models which are derived from the same gene pool. In fact, the Audi A8 which we just spoke about shares its DNA with some other prestigious cars too. The first-gen Porsche Panamera is one, as is the Bentley Continental and Flying Spur (though, more on that later), and of course… the Volkswagen Phaeton. Right from the offset, it seemed blindingly obvious to everyone that a Volkswagen-badged mega-saloon was never likely to succeed in showrooms; obvious to everyone that is, apart from Volkswagen itself. Inevitably, the Phaeton never really managed to compete in a marketplace crowded by plenty of far more opulent brands, and therefore there was a point where it became one of Europe’s biggest automotive loss-makers. Perplexingly, the Phaeton managed to withstand its poor sales figures and lived on across five distinct iterations between 2002-2016. As a used car though, the Phaeton seems like a much more enticing prospect than when it was new. If you’re able to put your badge snobbery aside, the value for money that this car represents is
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tremendous. Prices start at £3500, but even at the £4500 mark, it’s possible to find mid-2000s examples that have covered 90,000 miles. Increase the budget to our full £10,000 total, and you’ll open the door to a selection of facelifted 2011-2013 cars, typically with around 80,000 miles on the odometer or sometimes even less. For the most part, this will cover vehicles with the 3.0 litre V6 TDI engine rather than the monstrous W12 that it also shared with the Audi. At 240bhp, the V6 is still perfectly capable though. Ultimately, it’s not as if the Phaeton is some sort of underequipped poser. A lot of the tech found in the Audi, whether it be the adaptive cruise control or the auto-levelling suspension, can also be found in the Volkswagen. That said, the two cars do differ a little in their approach. Whereas the A8 can tentatively be described as ‘sporting’, the Phaeton is tuned to favour comfort over dynamism. The interior design can also perhaps be labelled as a bit of a step down compared to the Audi. Still furnished with plenty of leather (and wood), the Phaeton’s cabin does feel luxurious, but isn’t quite as suave as the A8’s. Overall, the Phaeton makes for a really tempting prospect now that it’s firmly entrenched within the used market. It’s a highly capable vehicle and would be a great option for those of you who prefer that more incognito form of luxury. Built to a similar design brief as the Lexus LS430, nobody will bat an eyelid at either car, however the Volkswagen’s silhouette is perhaps more pleasing on the eye – especially in the case of later models.
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£10k LUXURY SALOONS
BENTLEY CONTINENTAL FLYING SPUR From one end of the Volkswagen Group spectrum, to the other. As promised, it’s time to talk about the Bentley Continental Flying Spur, but admittedly, we’re having to bend our own rules slightly here. Yes, you can buy one for ten grand, but to be perfectly honest, you’d have to be bonkers to do so. At that price point, you’ll be looking at an eclectic array of ticking timebombs, ranging from super high-milers, to cars best described as ‘spares or repairs’ jobs. Instead, if you’re dead set on owning one of these personal limousines, you should look to pay around £15,000 as a bare minimum, so think of this entry on our list as a bit of wildcard. That extra five grand will open the door to examples which have travelled between 50,000-90,000 miles, but even then, there’s an element of financial risk involved. Nevertheless, if you do decide to take a few Brave Pills and sign on the dotted line, you’ll be getting an awful lot of car for the money. Once upon a time, the Mk1 Flying Spur demanded retail prices upwards of £133,000, and as such, if you’re able to nab one now it’ll give a real insight into how the other half live. Despite its soft, modern curves, it’s a car which still looks right at home on the imposing gravel driveway of any aristocratic manor house. And yet, you can now get your hands on one, even if there’s only some weedinfested tarmac outside your front door. Upon
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Below: You could buy a Flying Spur for ten grand... but you probably don't want to.
first encounter, the gravitas of this vehicle will be immediately apparent. Its weighty doors, slathered in leather upholstery and wood, do well to set the tone. Then, as you sink into an interior plastered with enough hide to make vegetarians weep, the quality of everything around you will leave you in awe (save for a few common Volkswagen parts hidden about the place). After all, there’s a reason why the Bentley nameplate has always stood a league above the rest. For ultimate luxury though, it’s the rear passengers which are treated to the best conditions. Strictly a four-seater rather than the regular compromised five, the two rear seats in the Bentley are given ample space for their occupants to recline in, complete with individual climate control options which are accessed via the veneer divider that sits between them. If optioned by the original owner, there’s even a telephone handset for conducting important business affairs while on the move. When you do get out onto the open road, the Flying Spur’s cavernous 6.0 litre W12 will propel it to enormous speeds, even though it tips the scales at nearly 2.5 tonnes. However, as glorious as that mammoth engine may be, it’ll drain your pockets dry as quickly as it drains its fuel tank, which brings us back to the overarching problem with this car. It’s one thing being able to buy it, but can you afford to maintain it, or simply run it? Unfortunately, there’s no such thing as a cheap Bentley.
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FORGOTTEN HERO
FIAT PANDA 100HP Fed up with complication? The simple appeal of this Italian pocketrocket marks it out as a classic of the future. WORDS: CHRIS RANDALL
T
ake a look at the cars on sale today, and you’d be forgiven for thinking that any sense of modesty had gone out of the window. It seems to be all about, well, more of everything: more power, more gadgets, and when it comes to the fashion for SUVs, a lot more size. Maybe that’s just automotive progress, but there are times when a little can be just enough which is what brings us to this fun little supermini. There’s no need to come over all Luddite about this, but as driving becomes governed by digital this and electronically-assisted that a bit of simplicity never comes amiss. Oh yes, and there’s another reason; this feisty Italian hatchback is simply fun. And there’s nowt wrong with enjoying a bit of that. Making its UK debut back in October 2006, a few Panda devotees might have blanched at the 100hp’s £9995 asking price but they would surely have been mollified by the thorough job Fiat had made of its new flagship. This was no entry-level shopping car with a few extra baubles to tempt buyers into the showroom, but a proper little warm hatch that not only looked the part but could walk the walk, too. And it did look the part thanks to the addition of beefier wheelarches, sporty-looking bumpers, side skirts and a tailgate spoiler. It also sat noticeably lower on its alloy wheels compared to the Pandas that occupied supermarket car parks in their droves. So it definitely caught the eye, but it could perform, too, thanks to its 1.4-litre 16v FIRE engine that managed (surprise, surprise) 100hp and a useful 97lb. ft of torque. OK, so you had to rev it a bit to access those numbers but that was no hardship, and if you were handy with the six-speed manual gearbox they were certainly enough to put a smile on our face. And given that it weighed in at just 1015kg it really didn’t need any more power. The stats say it cracked 0-62mph in 9.5 seconds, managed 115mph flat out, and claimed a wallet-friendly 43mpg, which definitely falls into the category of just enough. Pleasingly, it still feels ample today. Fiat hadn’t just stuffed a bigger engine under the bonnet, though, as they’d taken the time to improve
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Above: Panda made good use of its modest power.
stopping power with discs all round and uprated the suspension with firmer springs, dampers and bushes. They’d also equipped the little tearaway with a ‘Sport’ button that, when pressed, reduced the steering’s power assistance and sharpened the throttle response. The differences over ‘Normal’ mode weren’t night and day but with plenty of grip and a secure, chuckable feel it all added up to an engaging and grininducing driving experience. And that’s not something to be sniffed at if the other car in your garage is an electric SUV weighing the same as a small bungalow. The classified ads aren’t exactly awash with them, though, so if the idea of this fun Fiat appeals then now’s the time to get your skates on before the best ones are snapped-up. Values range from £2000 for high-milers to around £5500 for an immaculate example, so this is motoring enjoyment without breaking the bank. There’s not much to worry about either - concentrate on finding one that boasts a castiron MoT and maintenance history with evidence of a fresh timing belt every five years, and watch for issues with the electric power steering. If you fancy a bit less of everything then the Panda 100hp is going to feel very much the antidote to the cars of the future. And you can’t really ask more of a classic than that.
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LIVING WITH JAGUAR XE
THE X FILES Don’t even think about cracking any Mondeo jokes. Jaguar’s second crack at a 3-Series rival was all its own work and is now an affordable alternative to German premium. WORDS: PAUL WAGER PHOTOGRAPHY: PAUL WAGER, PAUL WALTON
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’ve always felt there was something of an Alfa Romeo vibe to the entry level Jaguar, a trait which is perhaps particularly obvious in the British market. Before the Browns Lane faithful get going with the hate email, I’ll explain: just like all those cars which were supposed to save Alfa Romeo, we all really wanted the XE to be a viable 3-Series challenger, offering a genuine – and crucially, British-built – alternative to the usual parade of premium German saloons. And just like pretty much any Alfa, we were also prepared to overlook the inevitable foibles for the privilege of being just that little bit different. And yes, there were foibles aplenty with the XE, not least its woeful packaging which managed to provide a cramped front cabin, little rear space and
I
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a tiny boot, especially on diesel models where the aperture was compromised by the AdBlue tank. Aside from this, the car was a winner though and in technical terms a match for any of the Germans, with its lightweight aluminium architecture. The XE story is a fascinating one and in concept it’s intertwined with a very different car: the X-Type which was Jaguar’s first tilt at the 3-Series market and which was a brave effort, if rather undermined by the constant carping on in the media about its platform sharing with the Mondeo. In reality of course, Ford’s state-of-the-art Mondeo platform was actually a very good starting point and the X-Type was in fact a far more credible car than history and urban rumour would have you believe. Improved incrementally over the years, the final cars were really very different from the
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LIVING WITH JAGUAR XE
early examples with much improved detailing and general quality, yet the sales figures failed to dent the BMW and Audi dominance of this sector and when production ended in 2009 its place on the Halewood line was ultimately taken by the Range Rover Evoque. It’s rumoured that Jaguar – or rather, Ford – lost money on every X-Type made, but the car had at least proved that the idea of extending the model line downwards had potential. Almost as soon as the final X-Type had left the line, the headlines scooping a ‘new baby Jag’ were appearing, but progress was slow. The sale of Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata saw a focus on the larger cars as the brand’s image was rejuvenated by the bold modern style of the new XF and XJ models. Behind the scenes a master plan was also at work which would give the new baby Jaguar a unique USP in the market while also assisting with production economies. The company had debuted its aluminium construction technology with the X350 generation XJ in 2002 and would extend it to the second generation of the XF in 2015. Naturally, using the same platform for the smaller model too would allow greater economies of scale and so it was that the car which was launched as the XE in 2014 also featured JLR’s aluminium architecture. This was a confused time for Jaguar Land Rover as it slowly disentangled itself from the Ford era, which explains why the XE first came to market with Ford-sourced Ecoboost powerplants in the
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Above: Cabin is nicely finished. Expect the odd rattle on early cars but nothing serious.
petrol models. Diesels meanwhile were powered by JLR’s own family of newly developed Ingenium engines made near Wolverhampton. This doesn’t help anyone struggling to get their head around the XE’s model range which has changed frequently throughout its life. At launch in June 2015, the car was offered with petrol engines including the 2-litre Ford Ecoboost fourcylinder in either 197bhp or 237bhp flavour, plus
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LIVING WITH JAGUAR XE
Jaguar’s own V6 derived from the AJ-V8 engine and supercharged to 335bhp, alongside the Ingenium diesel in either 163bhp or 180bhp form. Initially buyers had the choice of a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic and all were rear-drive except for the rarely-seen AWD option which was introduced in November 2015 and rather curiously was offered only with the 180bhp diesel and automatic box. A full four-wheel drive system with a proper transfer box driving the front axle, the system was capable of varying the power distribution from front to rear and in normal use the car operated in rear-wheel drive. A version of the Terrain Response Control found in Land Rover products was also used under the name Adaptive
Above: XE's handling is right up there with the best of BMW.
Below: The rare supercharged V6 is a real gem.
surface Response to offer different driving modes for different conditions. In 2017, a 300bhp version of the Ingenium engine was added, with 200bhp and 247bhp versions of the Ingenium quietly replacing the Ford Ecoboost engines. In February 2019, the V6 option was discontinued as the range was streamlined: the manual gearbox disappeared entirely and the badging was simplified: P200, P250 and P300 for petrol engines and D163 and D180 for the diesel, with the all-wheel drive now also available on the P250 and P300 petrol models as well as the D180. For now the XE remains a mainstay of the range, although currently in a slimmed-down offering in
TECH SPECS Model: Engine: Transmission: Max power: Max torque: 0-60 mph: Max speed: Length: Width: Weight:
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Jaguar XE 180D 2000cc 6-speed man 178bhp at 4000 rpm 317lb.ft at 1750rpm 7.4secs 140mph 4.7m 1.9m 1550kg
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common with many car makers as the production squeeze continues. It’s looking increasingly unlikely however that the car will be replaced in a similar form, as Jaguar as a brand struggles financially in the shadow of its more profitable Land Rover sibling and the current management has publicly indicated a shift into upmarket EVs. All of which means if you want an affordable Jaguar from the modern era which can mix it with the best of Germany then now’s your chance.
OUR CARS We’ve run a couple of XEs on our company fleet since the model was introduced and the one which spent the longest time with us was also the most curious. A 2017 car, it ran what is now a very rare combination of the 180bhp Ingenium diesel and six-speed manual box which on paper sounds like a winning combination. In reality though, it proved to be possibly the worst of all worlds, masking the XE’s many talents and creating a car which was hard work. The Ingenium unit is quite a peaky engine for an oil-burner and its lack of punch right at the bottom of the rev range made it tricky to drive the car smoothly, especially in heavy traffic. Pulling out into traffic confidently required more revs than one would normally use, but this had to be balanced with the car’s rear-drive layout, which sees the rear wheels only too eager to spin – even with quality tyres. The result was either a scrabble for grip or a worrying lack of forward progress thanks to the traction control’s intervention. It’s for this reason that many of us who lived with the car felt that it would be a better package either with the less powerful diesel motor or with the automatic box. Certainly, having tried the 180bhp model in automatic form it was like a different car, providing effortless punch in all conditions. The flipside of course was that on a fast A-road our curiously specced XE was a formidable weapon, its poise and balance every bit the equal of a 3-Series. That this was coupled with a ride quality which in typical Jaguar tradition was head and shoulders above the brittle Germans was one of the most impressive things about the XE. In R-Dynamic spec, our XE sat on 19-inch rims yet it soaked up urban potholes as well as a mid-range Golf, helped by the beautifully rigid-feeling bodyshell. On the subject of which, various road testers in the regular car titles have commented over the years on the XE’s interior, pointing out cheap-feeling plastics in less prominent areas, but in reality we reckon they must have been desperate to find something to criticise. The overriding impression is one of premium quality from all the bits you touch and feel on an everyday basis. Yes, you can find hard plastics and the odd rough edge if you look for them but you’ll need to grovel about under the seats and in the corners of the footwells. As for everyday life with the XE, it’s the cramped boot which most people will find the limiting factor, with the clunky infotainment set-up on pre-2017 cars coming a close second. On the other hand, anyone who likes their music will do well to hunt out a car with the uprated
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Top: Aluminium bodywork is vulnerable to car park impacts. Above: Ingenium diesel is capable of impressive economy. Above right: You won't be getting a bike in the boot..
Meridian stereo which includes a sub-woofer and is a really punchy set-up. These cars can also be hard work to keep looking nice, especially on the bigger wheels which are so easily kerbed – and very obviously so if you’re sitting on the black alloys. The aluminium construction also seems to make the panelwork unusually vulnerable to car parking mishaps – something familiar to anyone who once owned a Peugeot 205 – so it’s not a car to leave in commuter car parks every day. On the positive side, without the AdBlue tank the petrol models enjoy slightly better boot space and many Bargain Cars readers will be intrigued to learn that the entry-level XE in 200bhp petrol automatic form is perhaps the best of the bunch. Sadly, it’s the diesel which is the more affordable though, with miley examples starting at £8000 where the petrols kick off at around £12,000 – largely because they simply haven’t clocked up enough miles to drag the price down.
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TWIN TEST: FREELANDER v EVOQUE
SOFT OPTION Two very different takes on the idea of a compact Land Rover, both with the same Ford-derived powerplant. We try to pick a favourite between form and function. WORDS: PAUL WAGER PHOTOGRAPHY: PAUL WALTON, PAUL WAGER
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TWIN TEST: FREELANDER v EVOQUE
“There was no small degree of horror among the Solihull old guard at the idea of ditching the rugged chassis, permanent four-wheel drive and lowrange”
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TWIN TEST: FREELANDER v EVOQUE
Y
ou can blame the semiconductor shortage, the Covid pandemic and changing international markets for the change in emphasis, but Jaguar Land Rover’s focus today is firmly on the upmarket end of things – even to the point where its sibling Jaguar marque is set to be reinvented as an upscale EV-only brand. Naturally if production is squeezed then it makes sense to concentrate on the products generating the most profit, which explains the continued prominence of the Range Rover, yet in reality the climb upmarket for the Land Rover badge began a long time ago. Having surprised even itself with the success of the Range Rover, British Leyland then proceeded to criminally neglect its cash cow as it attended to its many other more pressing problems during the ’70s and early ’80s. Indeed, the corporation finally woke up to the promise of the vehicle only in the early ’80s, when a flurry of updates suddenly arrived: the factory fourdoor in 1981, an automatic box in 1982 and then the upmarket Vogue specification in 1984. From here, updates would come relatively fast, with the ultimate incarnation of the original Range Rover sporting a 108-inch wheelbase, 4.2-litre V8 and air suspension. All of which naturally created a massive gap in the range between the agricultural Land Rover and the now costly Range Rover. With the Japanese already eyeing up the lucrative potential, Land Rover’s solution was ingenious, taking the Range Rover chassis and giving it a more modern
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Below: The family resemblance to the Range Rover is obvious.
seven-seater body to create a more affordable option in double-quick time while minimising development cost. The result worked as intended to stave off a Shogun-led takeover of Land Rover’s core market and it wasn’t long before the Discovery represented 70 per cent of the Solihull plant’s output and was outselling the Range Rover, which was then free to move even further upmarket in its second generation P38a guise. Inevitably though, history repeated itself as the Discovery also inched upmarket, a process which was accelerated once BMW took control of Rover Group and which culminated in the extensively revamped Discovery 2 in 1998. Once again, a gap had been created in the range and this time it required more than simply a new body on an old chassis. Just as before the market was changing rapidly and new entrants like the Toyota Rav4 and Honda CR-V reflected consumer tastes for a smaller, more efficient and car-like all-wheel drive multi-purpose vehicle. An old Rover Cars project named Project Oden was dusted off for inspiration, which used monocoque construction and a drivetrain which was essentially that of a front-wheel drive vehicle but with a viscous coupling to send power to the rear axle as required. Legend has it that there was no small degree of horror among the Solihull old guard at the idea of ditching the rugged chassis, permanent four-wheel drive and low-range transfer box but after a series of prototypes was constructed disguised as Austin Maestro vans, the project was refined into the first-
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TWIN TEST: FREELANDER v EVOQUE
generation Freelander. Of course in reality the Freelander’s modest offroad ability was exactly what the market needed and in fact the vehicle would later prove itself to be surprisingly capable. One factor which did limit its ultimate wildernesstaming ability was the lack of a transfer box which in turn meant the omission of the low-range gearing which had traditionally been a feature of full-sized Land Rover products. As so often in times of crisis however, this in turn presented its own opportunity when the idea was proposed to control off-road descent speed using the car’s ABS electronics to operate individual wheel brakes. The concept was duly proven to be workable and the result was the Hill Descent Control which has been found on all LR products since. Launched in 1997 with 1.8 and 2.5 V6 petrol plus the L-Series diesel borrowed from the Rover Cars range, the Freelander went on to become Europe’s best-selling 4x4, taking Land Rover’s annual production past the 100,000 mark. Having proved itself as a concept, that original Freelander would bow out in 2006 when the all-new Freelander 2 arrived, by which time ownership of the brand had passed from BMW to Ford. Impressively, the second generation would live on until 2015, but would overlap its own successor for several years. The Range Rover Evoque was launched in 2011, with two-door versions of the new car effectively replacing the two-door Freelander models
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Above: Freelander 2 cabin may not quite be up to the premium aspirations of the Evoque but it's a big step up from th previous model.
until 2017 and it remains in production today. All of which means values of late-model Freelanders and early Evoques now overlap, with each having its champions. Which gets our vote though? With a notional budget of £12,000 we try to choose.
FREELANDER 2
After the swoopy concept car lines of the Evoque, the Freelander seems resolutely sensible, but sometimes that’s what you want – especially when there’s a Land Rover badge on the nose and muddy British weather in the frame. The second generation Freelander owed precisely nothing but its name to the older model and a great deal of Ford influence was obvious in its development. Sharing its platform with the Mondeo, Galaxy, S-Max and larger Volvo models, the Freelander 2 used a mixture of Ford and Volvo engines but retained the viscous-coupled transmission layout and the unitary construction. At launch in 2006, the so-called L359 was offered in the UK with Ford’s 2.2-litre four-cylinder Duratorq diesel in two different flavours, marketed as the 187bhp SD4 and 157bhp TD4 alongside the 230bhp Volvo-sourced 3.2-litre straight-six petrol. The TD4_e with stop-start technology was introduced together with a minor facelift in 2009 – at which point the much-loved but thirsty six-pot petrol was dropped – and for 2011, the Freelander 2 gained notoriety in Land Rover history for being
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TWIN TEST: FREELANDER v EVOQUE
the first vehicle in the brand’s lifetime to offer a two-wheel drive model. Badged as eD4, the frontdrive model naturally went without the Hill Descent Control or Terrain Response and although it was somewhat lighter and was good for 47mpg, it was less than £1000 cheaper than the 4x4 models and remained an oddball choice, never a big seller and was discontinued in 2012. The Freelander was facelifted in 2013 for the 2014 model year with a revised grille, electronic handbrake, reshaped centre console and ‘keyless’ key paired with a start/stop button. The effect was to create a family resemblance with the Range Rover and Discovery and it was a neat job which worked well to update the Freelander’s style in the face of more modern opposition – not least the sharp-looking in-house competitor, the Evoque. Production finally ended in 2015, by which time the Evoque was already well into its stride and opinion is split as to whether it was the Evoque or the Discovery Sport which replaced it as the compact Land Rover model. Jaguar Land Rover would point you towards the Discovery Sport but with our Bargain Cars hat on it’s the Evoque we’ve chosen, simply on the grounds of price: the very top of the Freelander 2 market sees cars advertised at just over the £20,000 mark while the early Evoque is yours for as little as £8000.
Above: Ford-sourced Duratorq diesel gives the TD4 respectable pace.
If you’re familiar with the original Freelander, the second generation comes as something of a surprise... but in a good way. The general standard of construction is recognised as being noticeably higher than the original and the chunky door handle shouts Land Rover rather than Rover. Naturally it’s a swing up into the seat, which reinforces the feeling that here is not so much a beefed-up car but a downsized Range Rover. The cabin styling is very much Land Rover in its no-nonsense chunky style which takes a consciously different path from the sleek interiors of premium hatchback competitors. It’s not quite at the level of the older Discovery which was designed to allow operation even while wearing Arctic-spec gloves, but has a pleasing usability to it as well as a welcome uplift in quality over the older model. The car in our photos is a 2012 TD4, which means it uses the ‘passive’ key system which involves slotting the keyfob into the dash and then pressing the stop/ start button to wake the Duratorq diesel. Although sometimes referred to as ‘the Transit engine’ that’s not correct, since it was the earlier unit found in the ubiquitous van and this is the 2005-on version of the 2.2-litre Ford/PSA engine which was also used in the Jaguar XF. It’s a suitably refined unit for the Freelander’s upmarket aspirations and feels entirely at home in the Land Rover; not as refined as the V6 diesel also used in the XF, but notably smoother than the often vocal VW Group units. More Ford influence comes to bear in the driving experience, where the Freelander retains the car-like driver appeal of its predecessor. Clutch, shift and steering are nice and light at parking speeds, while visibility from the boxy body is great and the car shrinks around you after the first few minutes. In truth, very few owners ever ventured into proper off-roading territory but the everyday benefit of the Freelander’s generous ground clearance is a cossetting ride which sails over potholes. Yes, there’s noticeable body roll and the steering isn’t as sharp as a German saloon, but it’s sharp enough and in fact the end result is a laid-back character which revels in brisk but gentle progress without being demanding to drive. In comparison to the older model, the Freelander 2 feels immensely more competent in a greater range of conditions from urban grind to long-distance motorway work and as an alternative to the costly-torun Range Rover, it makes a compelling case for itself. How though does it compare to the sleeker Evoque?
THE FACTS MODEL
FREELANDER TD4
EVOQUE TD4
ENGINE
2179cc
1999cc
POWER
158bhp at 4000rpm
148bhp at 4000rpm
TORQUE
295lb.ft at 2000rpm
281lb.ft at 2000rpm
TOP SPEED
112mph
113mph
0-60
10.9secs
10.8secs
LENGTH
4.5m
4.4m
WIDTH
1.9m
2.0m
WEIGHT
1770kg
1735kg
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RANGE ROVER EVOQUE
Officially the Evoque is a Range Rover, despite being the smallest model in the current Land Rover line-up and sitting below the Discovery size-wise. Ironically, despite its ambitious badging it’s actually in many ways a throwback to the car-derived genesis of the original Freelander. The Evoque first appeared in 2008 as the LRX concept, the culmination of a development plan which had begun two years earlier as an exploration of the idea of introducing a smaller, more compact ‘lifestyle orientated’ model – the SUV coupe which is so popular today. Its unveiling coincided with the sale of Land Rover by Ford to Tata, where it would be combined with Jaguar again for the first time since the BL era. The positive reception to the concept meant that Tata was keen to see it enter production as soon as possible, but what’s not well known is that the whole programme was predicted to fail by many inside Land Rover. And to be fair, with good reason: the financial crisis had just hit, the idea of a coupe-SUV would have seemed almost impossibly niche back then and predicted sales volumes were apparently tiny. It’s design chief Jerry McGovern who is credited with insisting that the concept make it to production as little altered as possible, but in spite of this, the production car actually uses an evolution of the Freelander 2 platform. The wheelbase and front bulkhead structure are in fact shared with the older car, but the track is 20mm wider and the rear lower structure was redesigned to facilitate a lower rear seating position to permit the falling coupe roofline.
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BUY ONE Thanks to NJS Cars in Pershore, Worcestershire for the loan of the Freelander 2, which is a 2012 TD4 showing just 65,000 miles. In lovely condition and with a good history, it comes with a great spec including side steps, Alpine stereo, privacy glass and leather seats It’s yours in return for £11,495 at njscars.co.uk.
Below: Evoque went to production very little altered from the ‘LRX’ concept.
This being the modern green-aware era, much aluminium was used in suspension componentry to reduce weight to the benefit of emissions and economy, with the final production-ready version weighing in at 1770kg. The Evoque was launched in July 2010 in both two and four-door versions and carried over the 2.2-litre diesel from the Freelander at both 150bhp and 190bhp, but with the addition of a new Ford Ecoboost petrol engine rated at a handy 237bhp. Both two and four-wheel drive versions were offered, but in this smaller, more car-like vehicle the twowheel drive option was more popular than the shortlived Freelander eD4. Perhaps more controversial was the unveiling in 2016 of a convertible version, not the first opentopped Land Rover by any means but a long way from the utilitarian canvas-topped Series models. It proved sufficiently popular however for the two-door (dubbed ‘coupe’ by JLR) to be discontinued in 2017.
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TWIN TEST: FREELANDER v EVOQUE
In 2015, the Ford-derived engines were replaced by Jaguar’s own newly-developed Ingenium units, offered at broadly the same power outputs: a 2-litre diesel at 150bhp or 180bhp and a 2-litre petrol at 240bhp. The first-generation Evoque was replaced by a new aluminium model in 2018. The 2016 Evoque you see in our photos runs the Ingenium diesel and apart from the similar sound, the two are very different in character. The Evoque feels more car-like, falling firmly into the crossover category rather than the bona-fide 4x4 as the Freelander does. There’s less of a step up to board the Evoque and once inside the ambience is a long way from the sensible Freelander, all aluminium accents and softfeel surfaces. If you want style, the Evoque has it in spades – complete with the rotary auto shift selector shared with Jaguars – but it doesn’t offer much
48 June 2022
Above: Evoque is more carlike from behind the wheel.
confidence that it will stay looking nice when used as a work vehicle. The driving experience is also much more familiar, apart that is from the upright driving position which was apparently dictated by the stumpy overall length of the Evoque (it’s shorter than a Golf) and the need to retain usable rear legroom. The extensive use of aluminium shaves 100kg off the scales compared to the Freelander and it does feel lighter on its feet, with noticeably sharper steering – the result of the rack being positioned on the subframe. Despite that, an oil-burning Evoque still comes in at around 1800kg, meaning even the 180bhp unit offers merely brisk rather than outstanding performance. In the workaday Freelander it wouldn’t be an issue, but the Evoque’s racy looks do suggest more of a GTIstyle experience. For which of course your Land Rover showroom would have been only too happy to point you towards the turbo petrol. Few people did though at least in the UK which means the bulk of affordable early cars for sale today run the diesel powerplants. As for the rest of the ownership experience, it’s no surprise to discover that the Evoque loses out handsomely on practicality to the boxy Freelander Not so much in terms of outright volume but in its packaging, where the lower roofline compromises the loading of fridges and bikes into the rear and the three-door models come with their own very obvious compromises. All in all though, the Evoque vindicates itself as a bold new way to take the Land Rover spirit in a new direction and as a less utilitarian approach than the Freelander without the image issues of the equally sleek Range Rover it justifies its own market niche.
THE VERDICT Below: BoxyFreelander has the edge on practicality.
For a notional budget of £12,000 you’ve got a whole world of Land Rover choice out there. This kind of budget buys a 2013 Evoque SD4 showing around 80,000 miles, mostly four-door models and split neatly between auto and manual. The better economy of the lower-powered TD4 means there’s not a noticeable premium for the more powerful SD4 but all at this price level will be 4WD models. Meanwhile, your cash also secures a Freelander 2 of the same age with perhaps fewer miles and a nice spec – again, split neatly between auto and manual or TD4 and SD4. It’s a tricky one to choose but my money goes for the Freelander as the more honest offering, as ideally suited to mucky work and bad winters as long family road trips and the school run. To my mind, a Golf GTI fills the Evoque’s brief much better... and Freelander prices dip low enough for your 12 grand to buy both a nice Land Rover and a nice Mk5 Golf GTI...
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ROAD TEST
“This is one of those where the headline figures tell only half the story.”
50 Jan-Feb 2021
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ROAD TEST
FAST BUT NOT SO
FURIOUS The almost-forgotten seventh-generation Celica is something of a hidden gem and an affordable one too. WORDS & PHOTOS: PAUL WAGER
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ROAD TEST
T
oyota’s Celica badge has been with us for so long – since 1970 to be precise – that it means wildly different things to different people. It began life as a kind of stylish Japanese Capri with the US market firmly in its sights, went through a square-edged phase in the ’80s and set the rally stages alight in the ’90s in GT-Four form but was more often seen in anonymous mid-range spec. Without the wings and scoops of the range-topping GT-Four its anodyne ‘generic Asian coupe’ styling slipped past unnoticed, but all that changed with the seventh generation launched in 1999. Known as the T230 in Toyota circles, the car was one of several product initiatives inspired at least partly by a project of the firm’s US division investigating ways of attracting a younger demographic. This explains the sharp styling of the T230, which was the product of Toyota’s satellite styling studio in California, dubbed CALTY. The sharp edges and dramatic creases made the car look very different from its bar-of-soap predecessor and it also boasted a much more aggressive stance, thanks to a 61mm stretch in wheelbase paired with a 101mm cut in overall length. The result was certainly distinctive and set the Toyota apart from other small coupes on the European market with a more cohesive appearance than efforts from the likes of Ford and Renault. Where previous Celicas had at times offered a bewildering range of engine options, the seventh generation – at least in the British market – was
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Below: Premium pack added leather and air. Sixspeed box works well with the 140bhp motor.
refreshingly simple. We got Toyota’s 1ZZ four-pot motor in 1.8-litre capacity and rated at 140bhp in the ‘VVTi’ model or 190bhp in the ‘VVTL-i’. Both featured Toyota’s VVT-i variable valve timing, with the more powerful variant using the VVTL-i system to vary lift on the intake cam by engaging a second set of cam lobes at 6000rpm. It’s Honda’s VTEC which gets all the attention, but the Toyota was redlined at a heady 8400rpm and boasted an impressive 100bhp per litre, while the shift in character as the VVTL system did its stuff was if anything even more abrupt than a Honda. Testers at the time remarked on how the car needed commitment to get the best from it, with a distinct lack of heft at lower revs. The car which launched first in the UK – and which would prove to be the bigger seller – was the more easygoing 140bhp model which arrived in 2000, with the VVTL-i arriving later that year and a T-Sport model added in 2001 which was essentially the VVTL-i car with additional kit. The Celica range was revised in 2003 and a slightly curious last hurrah for the T230 was the GT launched in 2005 which combined an outrageous tall rear spoiler with uprated suspension and a body kit but these are rare since the car left the UK the following year. It’s the cooking VVT-i model we have here and at a casual glance it’s hard to tell the 140bhp and 190bhp models apart, obvious differences limited to details like the VVTL-i’s bigger brakes, fatter tyres and the boot spoiler which also appears these days on countless 140bhp cars too. Revisiting the T230 several years after I last
9a347045-5cfb-4fa3-9144-8a7ff2edadd8
Bargain Cars
ROAD TEST
sampled one, the first impression is just how dainty these cars are – think MX-5 size rather than 3-Series. The front-drive layout lends it decent packaging efficiency though and they’re a proper four-seater even if the rears are child-sized. Up front it’s pretty spacious though and Toyota made a decent job of giving the interior design a sporting character. The swooping console and wraparound dashboard make a good fist of convincing you that this is more than a stylish twodoor Corolla, while details like the integrated stereo mark this out as a car from the modern era. Fire it up and there’s a typically muted Toyota exhaust note and it’s not until you move off that you get any sense of the car’s character – at low speeds the light pedals and shift make it as undemanding to drive as a bog-basic Yaris. Give it some revs though and the car reveals a surprisingly engaging character. It may not boast the 8400rpm potential of the more powerful model but the 140bhp motor is free-revving and works well with the six-speed box. More than any other car I can remember recently this is one of those where the headline figures tell only half the story: yes, the VVTL-i is much quicker on paper but it’s hard work to extract the power and below the 6000rpm switchover it’s no quicker than the 140bhp version which in truth is the easier car to drive hard. Weighing in at1145kg, the Celica also brings tidy handling to the party thanks to MacPherson struts
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Above: Chunky style was the work of Toyota's Californian studio.
up front wth an independent wishbone rear and indeed was judged by road testers back in the day to be one of the finest-handling front-drivers on the market which is praise indeed. Naturally it tends towards safe understeer but there’s a nice sharp turn-in coupled to unusually responsive steering which is almost in the MINI league. Being frontdriven it’s nicely predictable, too. It’s also capable of nearly 40mpg if you believe the official figures which gives it a useful added practical edge.
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TECHNICAL ROAD TEST TOPICS at well under £1000, with lower-mileage examples at the £1200-£1500 mark and a £2000 budget buying a really nice car. The more powerful VVTL-i doesn’t command a significant premium and our advice would be to buy on condition rather than getting too hung up on the extra power. In everyday use the two cars are very evenly matched and the 140bhp model is definitely the easier car to live with, whereas bringing a tatty VVTL-i or GT up to scratch will be hard work. Find a nice VVT-i model in a good colour, hunt out a car with the Premium pack which brought leather and air con to the table and you’ve found yourself an interesting alternative to something more obvious like an early MINI.
TECH SPECS
With the Japanese performance crowds generally picking the older Celica generations as a modifying canvas, the T230 remains something of a forgotten generation and as a result they’re remarkably affordable, with plenty of nicely-kept examples ready to escape from long-term ownership. And when we say affordable, we mean it: MoT’d and surprisingly presentable-looking cars come in
Above: Don't be put off by shabby paint on the wheels – it's a common issue.
Below: Rear spoiler is a common aftermarket fitment.
Model: Engine: Transmission: Max power: Max torque: 0-62 mph: Max speed: Length: Width: Weight:
Toyota Celica 1796cc 6-speed man 140bhp at 6400 rpm 125lb.ft at 4200rpm 8.7secs 127mph 4.3m 1.7m 1185kg
54 June 2022
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S CLUB The first hot hatch versions of the new MINI appeared in 2002. Here’s what you need to know about buying a MINI Cooper S or the even spicier JCW. WORDS: CRAIG CHEETHAM espite an outpouring of bitterness from purists, which is more diluted these days than it was just a decade ago, the BMW MINI has quite a cult following, especially among younger enthusiasts for whom the awkward divorce between BMW and Rover Group isn’t even a memory. As a result, early MINIs are fast becoming collectors’ items and while the holy grail of MINI ownership is probably still a Y-registered Cooper or One (of which just a handful remain), an early ‘R53’ is also hot property – R53 being the internal model code for the supercharged Cooper S. It arrived in showrooms in May 2002 to instant acclaim. With an Eaton supercharger bolted to the original 1.6 ‘Tritec’ engine, the Cooper S was good for 163bhp and 0-60mph in 7.4 seconds, with added drama
D
courtesy of a hugely addictive induction noise. It also got a Getrag six-speed manual gearbox, which was a vast improvement over the Rover-sourced transmission in the standard Cooper. Styling was largely the same as the Cooper, the big giveaway being a central air scoop on the bonnet to force-feed the supercharger, along with twin centreexit exhaust pipes at the rear. A year later, following the appearance of several specialists offering add-on bits and tuning parts to make MINIs go faster, along came the factory response. The JCW Kit (or John Cooper Works, named after the iconic MINI tuner) gave more poke and perkier looks, but without endangering the factory warranty in the way that a third party conversion usually would. It involved a revised pulley for the supercharger to create more boost and a gas-flowed and ported
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LANCASTER INSURANCE RELIABILITY Insurance Costs Quotation supplied by Lancaster Insurance www.lancaster-insurance. co.uk 01480 809176 2004 Mini Cooper S 1.6, value £4000: £214.57 with £150 excess Based on 45-year old, with a second vehicle. It’s garaged, covers 3000 miles a year and lives in an SP2 postcode. They have no claims or convictions, are a club member, and are employed as a marketing manager. Policy benefits, features and discounts offered may vary between insurance schemes or cover selected and are subject to underwriting criteria.
cylinder head, along with a collection of JCW styling options that could be added to the already bulging MINI accessories programme. The JCW kit was a £3000 option when new and was offered through dealers, who would fit the parts to a standard Cooper S – thus giving the dealer an upsell opportunity and avoiding the challenges of type approval in making the JCW an official model. This allowed MINI to react quickly to the rapidly developing tuning market while it set the wheels in motion to make the JCW a factory model, something it became from 2005 until the end of R53 production the following year.
As with any used car the two key checks are oil and coolant, not least because the Tritec engine is known for head gasket failure. The R53 also uses oil naturally – around 250ml per 1000 miles in a heathy one – so proper maintenance is essential. A low oil level shows carefree maintenance and is a good enough reason to walk away. Start it up, then listen for any odd top or bottom rattles. A top end rattle suggests hydraulic tappet, or timing chain tensioner problems. Bottom end noises could suggest the engine has been run low on oil and may need a costly rebuild. The R50/R53’s radiator is right at the front of the engine, making it vulnerable to failure from stone damage, make sure you check for leaks. Plus, the main cooling fan thermostat on the Cooper S is a known failure point and can lead to overheating, which again can cause head gasket failure. Superchargers rarely give any trouble (they’re essentially big air pumps) but the extra boost takes its toll in other areas, notably the transmission, so listen for untoward noises from the gearbox or slack or delayed take-up of drive, which points to driveshaft wear. Suspension takes a battering (largely because there’s not much travel) so look for worn anti-roll bar links, bushes and shock absorbers. Also, a nasty whine from the power steering should set alarm bells ringing. It’s an electric set up and a steady whine when manoeuvring is normal – but any change in volume, grinding noises or smells are signs of imminent electrical failure.
BRAKES ABS pump failures are common, a secondhand replacement being the only cost-effective solution - but you may have to get it coded to your car.
INTERIOR
Below: Interiors generally last well but rattles and squeaks aren't unknown.
Inside, the MINI was marketed as a premium small car, with quality trims and plastics, but over time these show their true colours. Door handles pack up, windows start to rattle in the door frames and front seats start to squeak and creak – though in
ON THE ROAD It’s insanely easy to fall in love with an R53, be it in standard tune or in JCW make-up. It’s just one of those cars that it’s impossible to drive slowly or sensibly. From its addictive induction shriek, which is so much more beguiling than the chitter-chatter of a turbo engine despite supercharging being a far more archaic approach to forced induction, to its point-andsquirt handling, the Cooper S is one of the single most entertaining cars you’ll ever drive. The JCW, meanwhile, dials things up a notch. The simplicity of supercharging means a smaller pulley drives the unit faster and creates more bhp – as simple as that – so it feel a tiny bit more lively. But it’s the popping and rumbling of the JCW exhaust that’s the most appealing trait. Now that prices are sensible, there’s not much you can buy at the money that’s anywhere near as much fun.
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LANCASTER INSURANCE VALUES The days of waiting lists may be well and truly gone, but the R53 Cooper S still has some value attached – a starting point of £1500 for a high mileage 18-year old car suggests the bottom has already been reached and that an R53 will always be worth that in parts value. But then, if you’re spending £1500 to £2000 on a careworn but usable example, you’re unlikely to find anything as much fun for so little outlay. If you want a car to cherish, though, our advice would be to set the bar a little bit higher. Spend £3000 to £3500 and you’ll get yourself a Cooper S in relatively fine fettle and one that you should be able to turn into a stunner. JCW models are worth around 20% more, though the very early JCW kit-equipped cars have become collectable in themselves so bank on a bit extra for one. As with any modern classic that already has a collector following, though, truly exceptional examples will see the pricing rule book torn up and thrown out of the window. £5000-plus for a superb Cooper S isn’t unheard of, and will be worth every penny in the long term.
most cases such problems will fall into the ‘live with it’ category. More irritating faults include drooping headlining and central locking. A litany of electrical problems points to a more serious fault though. A leak through the car’s A-pillar can lead to water getting into the body control unit (BCU) which can then throw up all manner of random failures, the only cure for which is a new unit, which needs to be recoded to your car's exact spec.
TECH SPECS
BODYWORK Sills and rear subframe mounts can be prone to corrosion, while rust can also occur in the lower inner wings and door bottoms. Rough paintwork and lacquer peel are also common, with dark metallics worst. Badly scuffed alloys are common on both models with the larger diameter wheels on the Cooper S having little in terms of rim protection. Likewise, check that the car drives straight and true, as badly damaged alloys could result in tracking problems.
MODEL
COOPER S
JCW
ENGINE
1598cc
1598cc
POWER
163bhp
177bhp
TORQUE
155lb.ft
177lb.ft
0-60MPH
7.4secs
6.9secs
TOP SPEED
133mph
138mph
MPG
37
37
YOU MIGHT ALSO CONSIDER….
PAUL WAGER, GROUP EDITOR MINI CLUBMAN Yes, it’s another MINI and a ‘Marmite’ one at that but the Clubman was the ideal choice for buyers wanting just a bit more practicality. It also rode better thanks to its longer wheelbase, but the model was only introduced with the 2006-on R56 generation, which means the Cooper S sported the turbo engine in place of the R53’s supercharged unit.
ADRIAN EVANSON LANCASTER INSURANCE RENAULT CLIO 182 No, the Renault’s flimsy build quality won’t stand comparison with BMW, but in Renaultsport form the 170bhp Clio was more than a match for the Cooper S, complete with similarly lively handling. They’re currently level-pegging on price, too.
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July issue on sale June 17 PLUS Cooper S v Clio 172 Buying the Volvo XC90
Living with the XK8
Road test: VW Scirocco
All the info on the Swedish family hauler.
The reality of owning the E-Type for the ’90s.
Is the second-gen coupe more than a stylish Golf?
Pocket rockets compared
Long legged luxury £5k grand touring bargains
LAST OF THE
SAABS
Details correct at time of going to press
BARGAIN CARS IS AVAILABLE THROUGH ALL GOOD NEWSAGENTS AND BY DIRECT POSTAL SUBSCRIPTION FROM KELSEY MEDIA To find out more, go to www.shop.kelsey.co.uk and follow the on-screen prompts; you’ll find us listed under Classic Motoring, and you can buy subscriptions or single issues.
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MOTORFREE ADS TO ADVERTISE VISIT
WWW.MOTORFREEADS.CO.UK CURRENT LISTINGS AUSTIN METRO GTA
BMW 325
BENTLEY TURBO
2006, 142276 miles, £4,200. E92 325i se manual 1989, 40000 miles, £7,950. Time warp condition, no rust, many new parts, includes reg G20 GTA (£900), multi MUC award winner. May part-ex. Please call 07765 235204, West Midlands.
m sport rear bumper M3 side skirts genuine lci rear lights modified headlights lowered M sport roof lining. Please call 07415147278 , Greater
113733
London. 113532
BMW 125
CHRYSLER 300
1985, 108000 miles, £8,995. Bentley turbo r this is one of the first of the turbo r with the solex carb the car has the rare option of the velour interior the car has had the gearbox rebuilt. There are some faults with the car ie turbo is seized..Please call 07490929394, Wales. 113854
FORD FOCUS
2006, 74000 miles, £3,500. 300C 3 litre V6 2008, 101000 miles, £7,500. I’m reluctantly selling this beautiful car (could be a future classic). 3.0 straight six petrol engine, 6 speed manual gearbox, M sport package, full service history, 2 Keys, Fully loaded with features, Will come with new MOT. I’ve owned it for 2 years with not a single issue. I was planning to keep it for many years but now selling due to change of plans. Please call 07910578828, Greater London.
diesel (Mercedes). MOT to 26/01/23. Last serviced 27/01/22. Full service history. Tow bar (though little actual towing done). Good condition, very clean tidy interior with everything functioning correctly. My father’s who can no longer driver her. Please call +447702109901, South East.
2008, 90754 miles, £2,500. Manual Good condition. Please call 07459770921, South East.
113609
113677
113853
FEATURE YOUR MOTOR IN YOUR FAVOURITE MAGS!
OR FIND YOUR NEXT! 9a347045-5cfb-4fa3-9144-8a7ff2edadd8
FORD MONDEO
2005, 108340 miles, £1,550. In good condition for age. Very good tyres all round. MOT until 28 August. Has never failed. Service book stamped up to 78398 miles and has been serviced myself since owning it at just under 100000 miles and has currently done 108340 miles. Very reliable and economical. Has cruise control, climate, stereo controls, electric windows front and back. Please call 07502220626, South West. 113743
JAGUAR S-TYPE
JAGUAR X-300
1996, 34000 miles, £8,250. This is an almost time-warped example of this fast-emerging
JAGUAR S-TYPE
2007, 83000 miles, £3,795. S Type 2.7 diesel XS 2007. Silver with unmarked grey leather interior.
classic. For the first 20 years, it was a Managing
Just had MOT with no advisories. All minor
Director’s ‘chariot’ in Tokyo with a full-time
corrosion dealt with including sill covers removing.
chauffeur and air-conditioned garage (it has
Near perfect and drives like new. Please call
continued to be garaged throughout). The mileage
07956843084, East Midlands.
is verified and the vehicle was fully inspected and
113700
reconditioned by North Wales Jags in 2018. There have only been 2 updates: rear parking sensors and upgraded main beam lights. The reason for
JAGUAR X-TYPE
the sale is lack of use - it needs to be driven regularly and fully enjoyed. MOT’d until 22-06-22. Any inspection and test drive welcomed. Please 2006, 89000 miles, £3,250. 3.0 Litre V6 XS Limited Edition,automatic,metallic black,black leather upholstery,last owner 10 years,MOT February 2023,excellent condition. Please call 07714263355, Scotland. 113649
call 01886830183, West Midlands. 113525
JAGUAR XJ8
JAGUAR XJ 2006, 67000 miles, £2,250. Jaguar X-type 2.0 SD Manual 5-speed.
Genuine 67,000 miles.
MOT December 2022. Indigo Blue Metallic with black/charcoal grey half-leather trim. Excellent 2003, 109000 miles, £3,250. Lovely XJ 3.0L sport. Ours for 6 years. Previously used as a wedding car, so very little use, (1500mls between MOT’s). Silver/Black leather sport interior. Bodywork and interior in great shape. Sat Nav, elec windows/heated memory seats/electric headrests. Service history/book pack/ 2 keys plus valet key. MOT until October 22 - minor advisories which have been attended to. Please call 07958697329, East of England.
2002, 49600 miles, £6,950. 2002, 49,600 genuine miles, £6,950 ovno, Topaz light Gold with Ivory/sable piping. Extensive MD service/MOT history. Jaguar Drivers Club member, original book pack, 2 keys, Heritage Certificate, New Bosch battery, Brembo brake pads, Wheels refurbed and 5 Falken tyres all round less than 200 miles ago. Drives like day it left Browns Lane. Exceptional condition for year. Please call 07769906353, North West.
112828
113682
TO ADVERTISE VISIT:
unmarked bodywork.
The vehicle has been
owned by me for two and a half years. It drives beautifully and I can provide lots of old MOTs and invoices. I have now purchased an XF Jaguar which is the only reason I am parting with it. Please call 01663745494, North West. 113681
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MOTORFREE ADS MAZDA MX5
MERCEDES-BENZ 500
MG MGB
2004, £9,500. Silver with Grey Leather Interior Mot’d 1year. Lovely car to drive. Good condition and all standard SL refinements. Please call 07711 308415, Scotland. 113716
1990, 67000 miles, £5,000. All new brakes, tyres, exhaust, battery and timing belts. New trim, seats door card, centre console and more. Hard top available. New radio. Please call 01623650432, East Midlands.
1969, £6,950. Good engine and gearbox with
MERCEDES-BENZ C
overdrive, 4 new tyres, recent exhaust, 2 new 6 volt batteries, excellent floors and sills, black
113730
leather seats with red piping, some service history, bills and books. Please call 07885 251762, Wales.
MAZDA MX5
113717
MG MIDGET
1994, 90000 miles, £3,750. MK1 1800. Owned nine years, excellent condition, many extras. Body kit, full stainless steel exhaust, panelled hard top, air con, cam belt, good hood. Please call 01978790820, Wales.
1995, 60000 miles, £1,800. C220, diesel, 4 door saloon. MoT till Jan 2023, genuine 60,000 miles, very tidy for its year. Please call 07836 598208, South West. 113719
MERCEDES-BENZ CLK
113732
MERCEDES-BENZ 190
2004, 63000 miles, £6,995. 2004 convertible Mercedes, 63,000 miles from new, Full service history and years MOT will be provided, New tyres and brakes overhauled. Air-con re-charged. In good condition and drives well. Please call 07771 700783, East of England.
1979, £4,750. Midget
1990, 206.000 miles, £2,500. 1990 Mercedes 190e, 2.0 auto. Owned for 22 years, with full service history and bills from new. Very good condition. 206,000 miles. Mot Jan 2023. Please call 07875688001, North West. 113695
113745
113731
1500 Chrome Bumper
conversion body rebuild and photos lamination. Engine rebuilt. All new interior. Please call 01978790820, Wales.
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MINI COOPER
1991, 48500 miles, £8,950. Rover Mini Cooper Carburettor model. Manufactured 1991 and first registered in Japan in 1992. Imported back to the UK in 2010 when it was fitted with two new door skins and given a full windows out respray. Otherwise completely original sills, floors, wings, subframes. Never been welded. I cannot find any rust or evidence of previous rust anywhere on the car, either above or below. Just been fitted with new interior Newton Commercial panels as well as new brake discs and ball joints. Mot until 17/8/22 Comes with original UK Philips R570 radio and original UK Owners’ Handbook. Please call 07842460700, Ireland.
MORRIS MINOR
MORRIS MINOR
1957, £25,000. Frilford Grey with maroon leather interior and maroon mohair hood. 1098cc. Nut and bolt restoration. Please call 01227 720306, South East. (T)
1954, £19,500. Morris Minor ex GPO rubberwinged van. 4 owners from new, with loads of history. Extremely rare. Please call 01227 720306, South East. (T)
113017
113020
MORRIS MINOR
NISSAN SILVIA
113675
MINI MAYFAIR
1955, £19,500. A Concours Winner, with only 3 owners from new. Original Maroon leather interior. Please call 01227 720306, South East. (T) 113018
MORRIS MINOR
1976, £23,995. An incredibly rare S10 Silvia, possibly the only one in Europe! Lovely fresh paintwork that presents very well, our Silvia has two great things going for it – no rust, and all of the utterly impossible to source interior and exterior trim is present and in good condition, down to the delicate centre caps on the wheels. The interior is a nice place to be – the seat could do with being re-dyed and there is a cigarette burn in the drivers seat. Every dial on the dash works, including the four big red warning lights. The engine bay is completely original as is the boot area. Please call 07711645465, South East. (T) 113000
PORSCHE 944
1989, 30000 miles, £7,500. Fully restored to a high quality standard and all parts renewed with heritage parts full paintwork done by professionals to exact colour when new. M.O.T till March 2022. Great running we car never misses a beat. All reasonable offers considered. Please call 07763 140880, South East. 113715
TO ADVERTISE VISIT:
1955, £18,500. Empire green with green leather interior and Tan mohair hood and hood-bag. 48,000 miles from new with 3 owners. Never welded. Much history. Stunning original example. Please call 01227 720306, South East. (T)
1990, 133000 miles, £12,950. 944S2 Cabriolet, Guards red, black interior. Lovely condition, total 3 owners, doting last one for 29 years. Every document for that period. Serviced at Northway Porsche, always garaged. MOT to February 2023. Spent £3,800 over last 1,500 miles including mega service. Very original. Please call 07711703542, South East.
113019
113090
OR EMAIL:
WWW.MOTORFREEADS.CO.UK CARS@KELSEYCLASSIFIEDS.CO.UK 9a347045-5cfb-4fa3-9144-8a7ff2edadd8
COLUMN
ROLL WITH IT Sometimes complex technology is best when it’s of the old school. WORDS: ANDREW EVERETT
J
ust the other day I was asked for advice on buying a 2010 BMW 116i. I can’t remember offhand but my answer was along the lines of ‘don’t’. In fact, I think I said just that, followed by a litany of reasons why they really should give such a vehicle a very wide berth and buy a Civic instead. Or a Focus. As a lifelong lover of BMWs I'll admit that when they run properly they’re pretty good with decent performance and economy (the 116i is a bit flat) but when they go wrong... oh dear. A lot of them are now at the stage where they are simply unfixable within a sensible budget and there are two groups of problems: mechanical (timing chain and guides, oil leaks, worn out balance shaft bearings etc etc) and fuel/ignition. The N43 is a direct injection engine and they were trouble from day one with the dreaded VDO Siemens Piezo injectors being the main problem. These highpressure injectors operate at around 35,000 psi and there have been several revisions or ‘indexes’ to get them to run right. We’re currently on Index 11. One particular car, a 108,000 mile 59-plate 120i arrived here for an unrelated mechanical repair, running on two cylinders with a serious smell of fuel. Closer inspection with the engine cover off revealed that when running, you could see fuel spray being pumped out past the injector which itself was loose – it was number four at the back of course. What had happened is that the Teflon seal on the end of the injector had vanished and unable to seal, the cylinder had no compression and when one goes, the cylinder next to it packs in as well. With the injector fixed and refitted the car ran on four cylinders but with a weird clicking/tapping sound. A closer look involving pulling out the coils revealed that all four plug wells were full of fuel, this being a build-up of petrol vapour from that leaking injector. This was cleaned up and a new set of plugs fitted after which the car ran fine for about two days before the EML warning light pinged on. The trouble is, the unburned fuel washing through the exhaust had probably ruined the catalytic converter as well as the NoX sensor. Really it needed new injectors but they are £217 each plus VAT and currently unavailable. The owner was advised to get rid of it, using a hand-held device to clear the fault codes and engine light just as they were trading it in. Oh, and the diff was
66 June 2022
Above: Could cutting-edge tech from 2008 be easier to live with than today's engineering?
getting noisy, another common fault. There is one saving grace to all for this and that’s the fact that nothing, and I mean nothing, drives like a BMW which is why I’ve owned little else since 1992. A family member had a 2011 320d automatic, an M Sport model of the final E90 variety. Using it to go to the pub recently, I revelled in how nice to drive it was. Too many modernish cars since 2011 are pretty awful as far as I’m concerned. The Saab 9-3 with its ‘interesting’ handling, unsettled Vauxhall ride and ropey gearshift, the second generation Qashqai with its appalling ride, gutless engine, rock-hard seats and a gearshift British Leyland would have been ashamed of, and the Citroën DS3 whose only good feature was its 50 mpg diesel economy. After this lot, the old 320d is actually a proper ca. The driving position is perfect and the handling beyond reproach. It rides firmly but comfortably with excellent seats, pulls like a train with an excellent sixspeed automatic and the steering is sharp, accurate and full of feel. There is nothing this car does badly because although BMW is in the business of making cars for profit, it had the right people making important decisions - well, at least they did until they started making front-wheel drive stuff and upmarket Zafiras masquerading as ‘Active Tourers’... That sort of stuff you can push into the sea as far as I’m concerned, but should you feel the need to own a 2008 750i with a walloping V8 or a 2007 530i with that splendid N52 straight six – well, go ahead, roll with the punches it might give you, and don’t kid yourself that anything else is anything like as good.
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