E D S L E T T E R

Issue 286 September 2016

Welcome With the UKs relationship

with Europe best
described as slightly
strained following the
decision in June to leave
the EU, this month we
felt it best to do our bit
for UKEuropean trade
relations. OK, so TopGears history as cultural attachs
is littered with disenfranchised nations, questions in
The House and some VERY angry ambassadors, but
we werent going to let that stop us
What could be better than a trip across Europe?
Meeting our neighbours in a true British icon, a rolling
statement of all thats good about the UK in one four-
wheeled, shiny package the stunning Aston Martin DB11.
As trade delegations go, Jack and Rowan dressed
in shorts, T-shirts and smelling of four days on the road
following a diet of processed, service-station foodstuffs
might not rival the PM in full flow, but they were the best
we could do in the time available. Plus, they were happy
to drive for days on end.
On the flip side, as an articulation of what the UK
stands for in terms of design, creativity, engineering
and technology, few cars can rival the Aston DB11. As
aspirational automotive brands go, few come close,
and recent history has seen the company at its most
productive, creative and desirable.
Last months reveal of the long-discussed AM-RB 001
hypercar collaboration sees Aston and Red Bull set to
redefine the genus. But while that project will rightly
grab the headlines, its the DB11 the companys core
offering that has to strike a chord if Aston is going to
deliver its ambitious plans.
Over the course of four days, 2,563 miles, 15 countries
and innumerous arguments with border officials due to
some paperwork issues, the team dug into the DB11s
true capabilities, while all the time bringing a little UK
style to proceedings. The adventure starts on page 90.
As it stands, the road ahead for the UK has yet to be
defined, but if we can harness the creativity, ingenuity,
engineering and passion encapsulated in the DB11, we
stand every chance of keeping the Great in Great Britain.
Enjoy the issue.

Charlie Turner E D I T O R - I N - C H I E F
@ TopGearEditor
 TAG HEUER CARRERA CALIBRE 16 DAY-DATE
Ayrton Senna is celebrated as the most infuential driver in the history of FormulaOne.
He was never intimidated by the expectations of others, because his were even
higher. He forever embodies the TAGHeuer motto Dont Crack Under Pressure.
www.tagheuer.com
 Contents

Features 90
084 Big boss Bernie 103 Merc-AMG C63 in ire 122 Toyota Hilux ships out
Just remember. You heard it here first that Mr F1 plans Tom Ford heads to Ireland to retrace one of the most Ollie heads to Namibias Skeleton Coast to find a
to stay on in the job for at least another 25 years... iconic routes of motorsport. May contain shamrocks... shipwreck in the desert. This is as crazy as it sounds...

90 Aston DB11 across Europe 116 Virgin Galactic 132 Nissan GT-R laps Iceland
Weve always thought ourselves cultural ambassadors, so Dont want a supercar, as youve already got too many? Weird landscapes, unorthodox cuisine and now renowned
its time to showcase the best of British across the Continent Why not buy a ticket to space instead? for a Japanese car making itself feel very much at home

Test drive TopGear magazine take out a subscription for 29.99 every 12 months, saving you over 40 per cent. Plus receive a pair of KitSound
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TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 009

 Contents

044

Drives Intake Garage

Driven this month... 044 Wheels of clay 145 Zenos E10 S
016 Clio RenaultSport We take a look at the Caterham that only made it With fatherhood impending, Jack has picked the
as far as some very pretty models. Cue man tears perfect car to rock up to antenatal classes in
021 Bentley Bentayga
023 Hyundai Ioniq
050 Citroen C3 146 Audi A4
023 Volvo S90 It looks like a Cactus, it prickles like a Cactus, but its Maybe another (nameless) car mag wasnt idiotic to name
024 Mitsuoka Roadster not a Cactus. But a cactus rose by any other name... this car of the year. Its leaving is causing Adam sorrow
027 Subaru IoM TT car
028 Cadillac CT6 052 Focusing on RSes
This is not some bootylicious activity. We look
032 Ford Mustang CS700
035 Audi S5 Coupe
at the old and new sporty Ford Focuses 155172 Data
All you need to know about the best cars on sale today.
036 Ford Fiesta ST200 vs 071 Lewis Hamilton Your car not there? Sell it, and buy one that is, then...
208 GTi Peugeot Sport The Formula One World Champ opens up
038 Porsche 718 Cayman S (yes, really!) about his life in and out of cars

TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 011

 BEHIND
THE SCENES
Making it
happen
Who: Paul Horrell
Where: Iceland
Pristine wilderness and
super-rare lupins trampled for
Pauls latest Instagram post
Who: Jack Rix and some men
W h e r e: S o f i a
Jack hugs it out with the team from
TopGear Bulgaria. Thanks for all
your help, guys we owe you one
Who: Ollie Marriage
W h e r e: S a l i s b u r y Pl a i n
When a car has no doors and
a dodgy roof, you have to
improvise your method of entry
Been up to anything picture worthy?
Send your snaps to inbox@topgear.com
or via our Twitter or Facebook pages
facebook.com/
TopGear
012 SEPTEMBER 2016 J
Who: John Wycherley
Where: Namibia
Take one photographer, ratchet
strap him to the bed of a pickup
and, hey presto, tracking done
Who: Rowan Horncastle
W h e r e: A t h e n s
Greece tries to make good on its
enormous debt by writing out a
speeding ticket for TopGear
What: Glitz and glamour
Where: Um... Ireland
George Clooney and your celeb
mates: do not litter. Do you hear us?
Put that sweetie wrapper in the bin
twitter.com/
BBC_TopGear
TOPGEAR.COM
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Drives
EDITED BY OLLIE KEW
w
Every ne
car thast,
matter r
rated o
slated

CONTENTS

Mitsuoka Roadster
p24

IoM TT Subaru
p27

Audi S5
p35

Twin test: hot minis

p36

Porsche 718 Cayman

p38

RSing
around Renault Clio RS16
see box
WE SAY: START THE PETITION
TO PERSUADE RS TO PUT THIS
CONCEPT INTO PRODUCTION
he hot-hatchback market
T
has never been as buoyant
as it is right now. Barely a
month passes without a
new contender upping
power and handling prowess, in turn
sending 062s and Ring times tumbling.
Theres a subplot among it all, though,
and it concerns the Clio RenaultSport.
For the best part of two decades, a fast
Clio was about as much fun as you could
fnd on four wheels. But with the arrival
of the fourth-generation car, and its more
languid personality, 19 years of class
honours came to an abrupt halt.
Perhaps spurred on by this as well as
RenaultSports 40th anniversary a skunk
works team squirrelled themselves away
over winter and spring, and the car you
see here is the result of their voluntary
secondment. Its the Clio RS16, and
its every bit as fghty as it looks.
Beneath its fve-door body is the
drivetrain of the Megane Trophy R, which
TOPGEAR.COM
means a 271bhp 2.0-litre turbo four, a
mechanical limited-slip diferential on
the driven front axle, and a 6spd manual
gearbox. A vast mechanical upgrade
supports the hike in power, highlights
being the Clio R3T rally cars rear axle and
a 60mm increase in track width, which has
necessitated those wonderfully unsubtle
wheelarch extensions. Matching their
muscularity is the rear wing from the
Clio Cup racer, bringing with it plenty
of high-speed downforce.
Clamber in, and the RS16 immediately
feels senior. Up front there are two bucket
seats, resplendent with bright red
harnesses. Behind them nothing, save
for a token fre extinguisher. There are
still back doors, but no back seats. And,
perhaps surprisingly, no roll cage. The
negatives of the extra mass would quite
literally outweigh the benefts, apparently,
Renault aiming for a 1,200kg total.
The cavernous, van-like rear allows the
note of the Akrapovic titanium exhaust to
J SEPTEMBER 2016 017
brood inside. Its raw rather than tuneful,
quickening the pulse as opposed to prickling
the arm hair. For a car with such a racecar
vibe about it, it actually feels spot-on.
Now is the time to assert this is ofcially
a concept Renault is still trying to get
production past the fnance department.
That means a) this is the only fnished car,
and b) because its not in showroom spec,
there are no electronic driver aids. Those
two facts should fll me with jeopardy,
but two corners into the fddly little
Circuit des Ecuyers, theres not an ounce
of it. Partly because its warm and dry, but
ten per cent of them.
predominantly because this Clio RS16
possesses such sweet balance.
Theres plenty of stability if you crave
an efcient lap time, but the RS16 is about
No Alcantara on the
Stephen doesnt mind...
01 8 SEPTEMBER 2016 J TOPGEAR.COM
so much more than that. Like any great hot
Will they hatch, it borderline demands you to roll up
make it? your sleeves and explore its adjustability.
It grips tenaciously into corners, but
will pick up an inside wheel or edge into
oversteer at the drivers will, adjustable
via its throttle pedal without feeling like
RenaultSport boss it operates on a knife edge. Just like fast
Patrice Ratti still Clios past, then. Perhaps a wet, bumpy road
wont commit; if it
would prove more nerve-wracking and its
is rubber-stamped,
expect 200300 rear lightens plenty under hard braking, too
cars, priced around but expect a layer of helpful electronics if
35,000. The UK (when!) it makes production. And perhaps
should get at least no fre extinguisher
The engine isnt a sonorous all-time
great, but its depth of character is a world
away from the standard Clio RSs 1.6. Its so
rich in torque that you dont need to shufe
frequently through gears, but it will keep
ripping rapaciously towards its red line if
youre so inclined. Given youre reading
steering wheel, but
this, you probably are.
Like in the Megane, the gearbox itself
is not perfect. The throw could be shorter
and tighter to match how honed everything
else feels, while the gearknob (and steering
wheel, in fact) would feel more special
covered in Alcantara. But the manuals
appearance alone is fantastic news; lets
hope its not a red herring in regard to
RenaultSports future. And if those are
the most pertinent complaints, then things
are pretty peachy inside the RS16.
They really are, in fact. I feared this
Clios ruthlessly focused spec might have
produced a too serious car: talented but
with its sense of humour buried deep. Its
a delight to report that its damn good fun
whatever your level of commitment; always
happy to play, never intimidating.
Crucially, its also special. Maybe not
quite as special as the mad, mid-engined Clio
V6s that have so clearly inspired it, but then
neither will it be as spiteful when you push
too hard. Put simply, the RS16 is great to
drive its better than most hot hatches. The
car world will be a poorer place if Renault
cant make the sums work. STEPHEN DOBIE
SPECIFICATION
1998cc turbo 4cyl, 271bhp, 265lb ft
38.0mpg (est), 175g/km CO2
062mph in 5.5secs (est), 155mph
1,200kg (est)
VERDICT Serious spec
9
sheet yields a special
driving experience. The
one negative? You cant
buy one. Yet
10
 September I 2016

Hot
hatchling
Smart Brabus ForFour
18,000 est

WE SAY: THE SMART BRABUS

IS BACK. TROUBLE IS, ITS NOT
WHAT WE WERE HOPING FOR

heres one number associated

T with the new Smart Brabus

ForFour we cannot ignore. Not
the power output, increased to
107bhp; not the 20 per cent frmer
suspension nor the 40 per cent more
responsive automatic gearbox. Its the
whopping pile of cash thats needed to buy
this thing, estimated at about 18,000.
Unload your savings at a Ford dealer and
theyll hand you over a shiny new Fiesta ST.
All 179bhp of it, and throw in a permanent
grin for free.
The Smart ForFour counters with much
lower running costs, a tiny, city-friendly
footprint and a turning circle youd struggle
to better with a shopping trolley. But the
standard ForFour ofers all that; whats the
point of this Brabus one?
Brabus offers all the charm
Smart talks about the extensive
mechanical makeover, a suite of updates
that encompasses the turbocharged
three-cylinder engine, the six-speed
paddle-shift automatic, faster steering,
tweaked stability control, a sports exhaust
and considerable chassis upgrades. The net
The Brabus ForTwo is a much perkier
thing, probably because it weighs about
100kg less and its shorter wheelbase gives
it a diferent feel. Its sports exhaust is also
more audible and the chassis more playful,
even at relatively low speeds.
But does anyone buy an (expensive) city
car to chuck it around roundabouts and aim
for a personal best when grabbing a carton
of cow juice from Waitrose? We dont think
so. The Smart Brabus is as much about
being seen in something unique as it is
actually driving the thing. Some will argue
of standard ForFour but that the gorgeous 17in rims, body-coloured
costs way more. Um... trim and rear difuser are worth the price
of entry alone. And those same people will
clearly have no trouble ignoring the pricetag
in the frst place. SHANE ODONOGHUE

No driver aids as yet (its a

result is a ForFour that is a little quicker,
but, despite the inclusion of a sports
SPECIFICATION
concept). But Stephen 898cc 3cyl turbo, RWD,
wouldnt have used them...
exhaust and launch control, no more 107bhp, 125lb ft
dramatic. Theres no manual gearbox, 61.4mpg, 104g/km CO2
which robs it of driving appeal, and 062mph in 10.5secs, 111mph
the chassis changes, while resulting in
1025kg
impressive control and lack of slop in the
cars reactions, stop short of making it VERDICT The Brabus

5
interesting to drive. This is a 107bhp city ForFour looks distinctive
car that has RWD, remember. It should and is a bit peppier than
usual, but its not what
be a hoot, but it isnt. Its too quiet, too
civilised, too competent and too, well, safe.
wed call special.
10
TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 019
 DRIVE AWAY THE

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SEATS NAVIGATION ROAD TAX CHARGE2

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Drive away a pre-owned Outlander PHEV, the UKs most popular hybrid vehicle.
You could own a luxury full size 4WD SUV, capable of delivering up to 156mpg1. Weve got a limited number of
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Option to Purchase Fee (inc in final payment) 10 Representative APR 5.9% APR
Final Payment (GFV) 12,500 Interest Rate (fixed) 3.1%

1. Official EU MPG test figure shown as a guide for comparative purposes and is based on the vehicle being charged from mains electricity. This may not reflect real driving results. 2. Congestion Charge application required, subject to administrative fee. 3. The Alternatives
PCP finance plan shown above is only available to customers resident in the UK, aged 18 and over, subject to status only through Shogun Finance Ltd T/A Finance Mitsubishi, 116 Cockfosters Rd, Barnet, EN4 0DY. Finance Mitsubishi is part of Lloyds Banking Group. Alternatives
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 September I 2016

Acceleration Top speed

NUMBER
(seconds)
010 0.6
020 1.1
030 1.5

187
040 2.3

CRUNCHER
050 3.0
060 3.9
070 5.0
080 6.2
090
0100
7.8
9.5 CARS PUT TO THE TEST AGAINST
mph
0110 11.6 THE CLOCK, TAPE, G-METER, ETC
0120 14.4

3070 3.5 Torque/power

Bentley
Bentayga 664lb ft @ 13504500rpm
600bhp @ 5000-6000rpm

01000 Torque (lb ft) Power (bhp)

664 500
590 450
0 15.1 516 400
350
9.5 accel + 4.8 brake reaction time (0.8) 442
300
369
250
295
200
221 Torque (lb ft)
150
Power (bhp)
G-meter 147
74
0
100
50

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000

Engine speed (rpm)
0.88
Peak
accel g
Weight
43% Weight distribution 57%
Peak
decel g

1.04
A car that, with a driver on
board, weighs over 2.5 tonnes, L 5140mm x H 1742mm x W 1998mm

Braking has barn door aero yet can hit

60mph in 3.9secs. Wow. The
100
4.8secs (103.4m)
0 60
3.0secs (38.3m)
0
Bentayga is bruisingly effective 2440 246 bhp/
at gaining speed, has colossal kg
tonne
momentum once up to
Quarter-mile speed... and is far from good Kerbweight Power-to-weight
ratio
(standing start) at shedding speed. Bit scary.

12.4
But theres something about a
PHOTO: MARK FAGELSON

stately home that can outdrag Economy/range

a BMW M2.

seconds @ 113.2mph
21.6 mpg
(claimed) 404miles
(claimed)

TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 021

September I 2016
The car
in front isnt...
Hyundai Ioniq
19,995
WE SAY: LATE TO THE
PRIUSS PARTY, HYUNDAI
EMBARRASSES THE HOST
ome cars are so engrained
into our senses as the one to
S have in that class, you cant
imagine why anyone would
bother tackling it. Toyotas Prius annexed
the mass-market hybrid territory yonks
ago. Hyundai, undeterred, has had a crack
at usurping it, and succeeded frst time out.
Thats not just because the Ioniq
Hybrid, unlike the Toyota, has styling
viewable pre-watershed. Its due to ftting
a proper dual-clutch box, instead of a
whining, power-sapping, I dont care how
hard you press the throttle CVT. Result?
The Ioniqs combo of 103bhp 4cyl petrol
and 45bhp e-motor actually propel the car
noticeably, and without fear of tinnitus.
All that would be futile if the heavy,
complicated gearbox were chewing those
precious fuel savings, but the 40 per cent
thermally efcient engine (isnt it sobering
thats still the best the internal combustion
engine can do?) isnt hamstrung. The test
car indicated 64.2mpg on an out-of-town
run. Leagues better than Ive scored in the
latest Prius. And get this the Hyundai
is 4,000 cheaper than Toyotas base
contender. Aggressive pricing, much?
Handover between e-motor and engine
is barely perceptible, but its still very tricky cars and its cramped in the back, so the
to make progress on battery juice alone. Prius will remain Ubers late-night vomit
Youll need the plug-in version for that, comet of choice, but next time someone
coming next year. If you can do without asks which is the best boggo hybrid, heres
petrol entirely, theres the third fully your default reply. OLLIE KEW
Not hideous, real-
electric Ioniq. Same looks, same clearly
world 64mpg, laid out but cheap n nasty cabin, but
cheap. Good work packing a 118bhp, 194lb ft electric motor
good for a claimed 174-mile range and
SPECIFICATION
1580cc 4cyl and electric motor,
10.2 seconds to 62mph in Normal mode. combined output 138bhp, 217lb ft
Make that 9.9 seconds in the incongruous, 83.1mpg, 79g/km CO2
23lb ft thrustier Sport mode. An 80 per 062mph in 9.9secs, 115mph
cent recharge takes 33 minutes.
1370kg
So, the standard hybrid is a revelation;
the EV competent but no better or worse VERDICT: Powertrain is
7
than a Nissan Leaf, and the plug-in will what hybrids have been
split the diference nicely. One car you crying out for, and the price
will make Toyota cringe.
pick the powertrain that suits. Clever.
The materials are from Koreas bad old
South Korea beats Japan.
10
Volvo S90 D5 AWD eradicates the pain from driving,
39,555 and is wilfully different enough from
its German rivals to warrant serious
The shape may call on Swedish consideration. Good car. SD
saloons of old, but dont be fooled:
the new S90 is all new-age Volvo
beneath. Same superbly esoteric SPECIFICATION
interior as the V90 and XC90, then, 1969cc 4cyl twin-turbo TD,
4WD, 235bhp, 354lb ft
and similarly effortless dynamics, too.
58.9mpg, 127g/km CO2
8
Its price reflects all that, mind. A
generously specced 235bhp D5 diesel 062mph in 7.3secs, 145mph
like weve tested costs as much as a
10 six-cylinder BMW 530d. But the S90
1763kg
TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 023
 September I 2016
SO, WHAT
EL SE IS NEW?

7
Maserati Quattroporte GTS
What should I know?
Mild plastic surgery, an interior with
a fashy touchscreen and the ability
to go even faster fat-out characterise
the 2017MY QP. This 115,980 GTS

Lost in
GranSport is the daddy, with a 523bhp
twin-turbo V8. It does 194mph.
Should I care?

translation
Yes: although the left-feld QP isnt
as attractive as the old model, its
still prettier than its rivals. No: the
Germans do performance luxobarges
so much better. And for less cash, too.
Mitsuoka Roadster
53,800

WE SAY: JAPAN BASES ITS 8

BRIT SPORTS CAR ON THE
ONE THAT RENDERED BRIT
SPORTS CARS REDUNDANT
erhaps you desire a Jag XK120
but recoil at the cost. Maybe
P youd like a Morgan but are
allergic to wood. Clearly then,
what you need is for a Japanese outft no
ones really heard of to chop a last-gen
Mazda MX-5 clean in half just ahead of the
windscreen, insert a 70cm length of new
chassis, and cloak the resulting phallic
chassis in fbreglass panels which dof their
kasa to Britains fnest classic sports cars.
Actually, its difcult to think of anyone
who needs a Mitsuoka Roadster. Not when
the cost for this elongated MX-5 still
complete with its standard 158bhp 2.0-
litre drivetrain and a grey plastic cabin
left as Mazda scrawled it in 2005 gives
less change from 60,000 than a Porsche
718 Boxster S. For 53,800 (heated seats,
alloys and FM radio included), you could
specify an actual Morgan.
But you cant rationalise the Mitsuoka
as a sports car, in the same way theres no
world cup for comedy, because what makes
your eyes water and jaw ache might leave
The absurdity of its proportions, the
not-quite rightness of its stance, and the
fact no ones got a blind clue what exactly
youre threading through town just reduce
onlookers to almost childlike wonderment.
You cant help but look, and smile. Look at
that. Cruella de Vils out of prison. Oh dear,
Toad of Toad Hall has had to downsize.
Being built around an old MX-5, the
100kg-heavier Mitsuoka inherits its feebly
weighted, remote steering, but also its
terrifcally snickety 6spd manual box
easily the best part about manhandling
The adzuki bean- this baroque dining table. Oddly for such
counters in Japan a gigantic wheelbase, when the back lets
are gloriously nuts
go it does so with a grabby, haphazard
and fairly unpredictable step. But youd
have bought something else if you wanted
a play, right? An M2, a Cayman, an F-Type,
and so on. Desire this? Youre as wilfully
bonkers as it is. OLLIE KEW
SPECIFICATION
1999cc 4cyl, RWD, 158bhp, 138lb ft
n/a mpg, 180g/km CO2
062mph in n/a secs, n/a mph
PHOTOS: SIMON THOMPSON
VW Up Turbo
What should I know?
The worlds best city car now has a
turbo bolted onto its 1.0-litre three-pot,
answering one of its few niggles, namely
it never liked hills and didnt have the
pace on motorways its superb refinement
deserved. Its now got 89bhp and 118lb ft.
Should I care?
Yes, but dont go thinking this is a bonsai
hot hatch. The turbos input is welcome
but doesnt change the cars character.
But the extra gusto, a revised infotainment
fascia and sharper bumpers are more
than enough to keep the Up on top. Ace.
6
MG GS
What should I know?
Its another Qashqai competitor, on
an all-new platform. MG parent SAIC
partnered GM on the new turbo 164bhp
turbo petrol engine. A seven-speed DCT
can be had, but all versions are FWD.

Design was UK-led, and its China-built.

your neighbour downright ofended. This
car exists to make you stand out, and give 1280kg Should I care?
It drives well enough in a class where
everyone else a right good laugh. Drive VERDICT: Can we dynamics hardly influence sales. The

3
a supercar through central London and recommend it? Not on engines pleasant, cornering fine, ride
the cameraphones are out in force, but your life. But are we glad
it exists? Go on, then. a bit bouncy. Its roomy and practical,
so are the sneers. The Mitsuoka provokes if lacking cabin decor finesse. The killer:
downright, unfettered laughter.
Never change, Japan.
10 low prices. Entry is 15k, loaded 20k.

024 SEPTEMBER 2016 J TOPGEAR.COM

 September I 2016
TG S ONE
MINUTE EXPERT

GOT 60 SECONDS SPARE?

READ THESE

Proven BMW 440i

Ignore the badge. You dont need to

track record This isnt a 4.0-litre

4-Series. Its the old
435i by another
name, now with an
cane it, though.
Max torque is held
from 1,300 until
5000rpm, so itll
Prodrive Subaru WRX STI Time Attack extra 15bhp from surge like a diesel.
500,000 (est) its turboed Does a real-
straight-six. world 32mpg.

Besides the Yes, the

M4, this is cheaper 4cyl
WE SAY: BRUTALLY QUICK POINT-TO-POINT, the only petrol 4-Series are as
6cyl 4-Series. Its capable, but
RUBBISH ON THE SCHOOL RUN a lovely engine. theres old-school
Ultra-smooth, itll delight to the 440i.
hy Mark Higgins agreed to let I rip down the frst straight with a rev to 7,000 with Cars like this soon
exhausts rasping. wont exist. Boo.
W a ham-fsted amateur in a
TopGear romper suit drive his
disappointing lack of smoke and sideways
blame the ruthlessly efcient 50:50
Engine 2998cc, 6cyl turbo, RWD, 321bhp, 332lb ft
600bhp Prodrive-developed torque-split 4WD for that. Once running, Performance 42.8mpg, 154g/km CO2, 062mph in
WRX STI, fresh from a 129mph average lap the clutch pedal is redundant you simply 5.0secs, 155mph Weight 1555kg Price 42,065
record around the Isle of Man TT course, smash into a higher gear with a pull of the
Ill never know. But here I am, about to paddle to the right of the wheel, or smash
drive it up the hill at Goodwood. down one by pushing it away.
And then it starts to rain. Oddly, this You can tell this is a car designed to exist
could play into my hands. A few days earlier, on a higher plane: the harder I push it, the
I had the chance to drive this Time Attack more cohesive everything gets, and while
WRX STI for a few familiarisation laps at the turbo lag is signifcant at low revs,
Dunsfold, with Higgins in the passenger keep it lit, and the thrust is enormous and 6
seat. On that day, the heavens also parted instant, but rarely intimidating, even in the
and turned the airfeld into a puddle. wet. For whats essentially a WRC car
Back to Goodwood, and Im queued up turned up to 11, its a pleasure to drive. Mini JCW Convertible
This engine, that
behind the line. The start process goes like name. A tyres Im sure of this, because the moment I
worst nightmare
In relieving the Despite the
this: release the handbrake, fick a switch to cross the line, I want to go again, sure I can JCW of its roof, strengthening
IMAGES: JOHN WYCHERLEY

prime the fuel pump, turn on the digital take chunks out of my time now I know the Mini has added responsible for
display, dip the clutch and press the engine limits are so high. But Higgins wants his 3,480 to its that weight gain,
start button nearly there with the clutch company car back. Spoilsport. JACK RIX already hefty RRP the JCW isnt flex-
still down, rotate the gearbox dial from and 105kg to its free. Problem is
neutral to Stage mode, and twist the engine kerbweight. amplified by
Not good. the stiff ride.
map switch to 0, 1, 2 or 3, depending on
how brave, or stupid, youre feeling.
SPECIFICATION
1994cc, 4cyl turbo, 6spd sequential, But its still a The hard-top
AWD, 600bhp, 600lb ft laugh. The is a better
n/a mpg, n/a g/km CO2 noise is oh-so car, so get that
062mph in 2.6secs, 180mph fake but addictive, one. Open Minis
and it still drives are best enjoyed
1200kg like a proper Mini without the rorty
should rather styling and stiff
VERDICT: About the
well. Fast, too. suspension.

9
quickest way to cover
ground on four wheels
and not as scary as it looks, Engine 1998cc, 4cyl turbo, FWD, 228bhp, 236lb ft
when driven as intended.
10 Performance 43.5mpg, 152g/km CO2, 062mph in
6.6secs, 150mph Weight 1385kg Price 26,875

TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 027


Q & A
Running for
president
Cadillac CT6 Platinum
69,990
WE SAY: GLITZY YANK
SHOOTS FOR A SHARE
OF THE EXEC MARKET
A new Caddy for the UK?
Yep. The CT6 is a full-size luxury sedan,
or in English a big, posh saloon. But
US car categories are different from
ours, so in terms of length it actually
lives somewhere between the E-Class
and S-Class, or 5-Series and 7-Series.
How American is it?
Visually its up there with a Vegas
casino, but it has some European
manners. The chassis is split 60/40
between a-loom-inum and steel,
theres active suspension, 4WD and
even four-wheel steering. And theres
no V8 instead, a 3.0-litre, twin-turbo
V6. Numbers? 411bhp, 409lb ft, 62mph
in 5.7secs and a top whack of 149mph.
Does it handle OK?
Yes, especially for such a big, long
thing. The four-wheel steering helps
effectively shortening the wheelbase
at speed but it also feels lighter than
it is. The magnetic suspension keeps
028 SEPTEMBER 2016 J
Size and price split the
E- and S-Class Mercs, but
theyre still out ahead...
things under control, and theres a
useful difference between the taut
Sport mode and the relaxed Tour
setting. Shiny, 20in alloys live at each
corner, yet it rides with sophistication.
All good, then?
Not entirely. The lazy turbos are
exaggerated by the unmotivated
autobox, which at times feels like its
from an old-school cruiser. It sneaks
back into high ratios, and paddling
6
10
TOPGEAR.COM
September I 2016
down from eighth to third for corner
after corner is tiresome. And the
brake pedal needs a good push.
Whats it like inside?
The reclining rear seats will massage
you, and there are screens everywhere
even the rear-view mirror turns into
one, linked to a camera to give you
a view unobstructed by C-pillars and
rear passengers (it isnt as natural
as looking into a regular mirror). The follows where others lead. Would
cabin is a patchwork of leather, suede, you really buy one over a German or
veneers and plastics some feel a Jag? You should think hard about
upmarket, some dont. The salesman that, especially as its only available
will say it has the air of a European in left-hand drive. DAN READ
boutique, but if you ask us its more
mafia chic. On the plus side, the trunk
can fit at least two bodies.
SPECIFICATION
2997cc V6, 4WD,
How much is it? 411bhp, 409lb ft
The CT6 Platinum, the only UK model, 28.0mpg, 223g/km CO2
is a tenner under 70k. Thats creeping
062mph in 5.7secs, 149mph
into S-Class territory. Theres a huge
amount of standard kit, but you cant 1950kg
deselect anything, so its all or nothing.
VERDICT: Nicely
5
engineered, decent
Worth a look, then? to drive, but this left-
hooker will struggle
It has some worthwhile tech, but its
pricey, and for the most part it merely
to fnd a home here.
10
Mercedes GLC Coupe This is a talented car, though. But
41,735 so is the regular cheaper GLC.
Our heads, including our eyes, would
On paper, its a GLC SUV with a make us stick with that. SD
chopped roofline, sharper dynamics
and a pricetag around 3k plumper.
In practice, its a gloriously slick SPECIFICATION
interior wrapped in an exceedingly 2143cc twin-turbo diesel, AWD,
201bhp, 369lb ft
divisive exterior. And it is indeed
56.5mpg, 131g/km CO2
better to drive than a regular GLC,
but its still a 1.8-tonne crossover that 062mph in 7.6secs, 138mph
struggles in tighter corners. So the
Macans dynamics go on undefeated.
1845kg

Pump
t was only a matter of
time. With Ford bringing
I the Mustang to Europe,
it wasnt going to be long
it up before someone brought
all the tuning possibilities over as well. In
this case, the someone is luxury car dealer
Ford Mustang CS700 Clive Sutton, and the result has 700bhp.
72,500 It doesnt have to look like this one.
You could have it subtle well, as far as a
Stang can be subtle and just have some
WE SAY: NO SOONER IS engine mods. Or you could turn it up
THE MUSTANG IN THE UK loud. This one has everything attached:
9,366 of carbon aero kit, the 5,496
THAN IT GETS RIPPED
20in wheel and KW suspension package,
complete with signifcant suspension
drop (25mm at the front, 35mm at the
back) and the full 13,545 Power Package
with Whipple supercharger, active quad
exhaust and rear valance.
The standard Mustang sounds a
bit plain and wheezy for a 5.0-litre
V8, so a new exhaust system makes
sense, and Sutton ofers a package that
features a new intake system as well.
I reckon that could be the sweet spot.
The charger is something else altogether.
At low revs, its not that poky as theres
a fair bit of inertia to overcome and the
6spd auto is also decidedly slow to react.
However, once everything is hooked
up and the needles start to swing, this
thing romps along. Above 5,000rpm, it
howls, bellows and feels the full 700bhp
ticket. Its hilarious all whining, barely
contained delivery and, er, fallible brakes.
Thats not ideal.
03 2 SEPTEMBER 2016 J TOPGEAR.COM
September I 2016
However, the delivery is progressive
and accurate. If the CS700 packed the
much more instant force of, say, a 911
Turbo, I dont think the rear tyres would
be able to cope. As it is, they can. Just.
It can also hold itself together in
the corners. Theres a hint of low-speed
understeer, which 674lb ft can easily
neutralise (all without troubling the
sluggish traction control), and the
lowered, stifened suspension feels far
keener to change direction. The ride?
Well, its actually quite well damped
considering how shortly sprung it now
is, but even though its fully adjustable,
youd have to say its pretty positive.
You also need to know that neither
this, the charger nor any other mod turns
the Mustang into a sports car. Its too
heavy, the steering is not engaging and
the responses not snappy enough.
Its still a muscle car, and now more
muscular. Happy days. OLLIE MARRIAGE
13,545 gets you a
charger, hiking power
to 700bhp. Adequate
SPECIFICATION
4949cc scharged V8, RWD,
700bhp, 674lb ft
18.3mpg (as tested), n/a g/km CO2
062mph in 4.4secs (as tested) , n/a mph
PHOTOS: SIMON THOMPSON
n/a kg
VERDICT: Even 700bhp
7
fails to transform Mustang
into a sports car. Instead,
a very muscly muscle car.
10
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September I 2016
Audience
approval
Audi S5 Coupe
44k approx.
WE SAY: PEAK AUDI HAS BEEN REACHED.
DULL TO DRIVE, BUT WILL ANYONE CARE?
ew brands know their
customers as inside-out as
F Audi does. Think about it: you
hear about Marks & Spencer
launching an ill-judged clothing line which
expensively tanks, or Apple narking of
its users by releasing must-have software
updates that, oh, were sorry, your half-
used device couldnt possibly support.
When was the last time Audi dropped
the ball, and scared of its faithful? Basing
the dear A1 on a Polo didnt stop it selling
like Mr Kiplings fnest; neither did styling
the original Q7 like a whale shark with
thyroidism. So heres the new S5, and Audis
rival for the sharp new Mercedes-AMG C43
is ofcially peak Audi.
It looks painstakingly similar to the
old S5, which Walter de Silva of R8 and
Lamborghini Egoista fame reckoned was
his fnest piece of design work ever. S5
MkIIs taken a lathe blow to the bonnet
and some chamfering about the edges,
but it couldnt be anything besides Audis
mid-size coupe, could it? The cabin is a far
greater departure from the old cars, but
still lock-stock from the A4. Fit and fnish
are outstanding, the technology (too much
of it optional) a doddle. You sit higher than
in a 4-Series, and its more cramped in the
back than any of its competitors, save for
the sexier but dull-handling Lexus RC.
The new structure sheds 60kg of the
old cars waistline, 14kg of which has come
out of the 3.0-litre V6 engine, which
retains the same bore and stroke but
bins revvy supercharging for an eco
test-friendly turbocharger, bumping
power to 349bhp. Its changed the
character of the car to one similar to
an A5 TDI. Lots of efortless torque
fed through a rapid, unassuming
transmission. Same goes for the ride.
Bearable in Dynamic mode these days.
The S5 is never an entertaining car,
though. It grips, then understeers. It
No A5 seat offers delivers no feedback, no sense of occasion.
fun, but these ones
are more cramped It sounds fne, but not delectable. Its quick,
but so is broadband. Not fun, is it? A lot is
being held back here for the bi-turbo V6
RS5, you sense. And no amount of adaptive
suspension, trick rear dif and badge can
overcome that. Fortunately for the faithful,
the last one is standard. OLLIE KEW
SPECIFICATION
2995cc, V6 turbo, 8spd automatic,
4WD, 349bhp, 369lb ft
38.7mpg, 166g/km CO2
062mph in 4.7secs, 155mph
1615kg
VERDICT: Does everything
6
it should: looks handsome,
goes fast easily, feels totally
modern. But the RS5 needs
to be way more invigorating.
10
TOPGEAR.COM
8
Audi S4 Avant
43k approx.
Do me a favour and read the S5
review first. Ill wait. Done? OK, now
we can explore what it is that makes
the S4 so, so much more desirable
than the more expensive coupe
version with exactly the same 349bhp
V6, identical gearbox and so on.
Partly, of course, its that
rationalising Porsche Carrera
performance with 505 litres of
unspoiled boot and five generous
seats reeks of not-trying-too-hard
cool. As does Audis raging against
the dying of the Q-car. This remains
a deliciously subtle machine.
Debadge a silver one and youre
away. Fast.
Whats more difficult to pin down is
how its a better drive. Perhaps its the
more rearward weight bias bringing
that torque-vectoring rear diff into
play, or the wagon booty acting as an
exhaust noise boombox, but the S4 is
slightly more playful, more rewarding,
and retains all the supple, cosseting
comfort youd want of a wagon. For
sub-lottery spenders, this is one of the
best cars Audi makes right now. OK
SPECIFICATION
2995cc, V6 turbo, 8spd automatic,
4WD, 349bhp, 369lb ft
37.7mpg, 171g/km CO2
062mph in 4.9secs, 155mph
1675kg
J SEPTEMBER 2016 0 35
 September I 2016

Q UICK T WIN TEST

Fiesta ST200 vs 208 GTi Peugeot Sport

WE SAY: ONLY ONE OF THESE TWO UPRATED POCKET ROCKETS IS WORTH 22K...
Arent these The Fiesta7 ancient now and even the STs knocking on, but greatness
little tykes isnt diluted by age and the Fords still the benchmark small fast hatch.
For an extra 2,350, 200 grey run-out editions bag you a shorter final
getting old?
drive and a tickle more poke, tweaked suspension and shouty badges.
The 208s four years younger than the Ford and was facelifted last
year. Peugeot Sport seized the opportunity to do a 30th Anniversary
model dedicated to the 205 GTi. Its front diff, slammed suspension
and power boost were a hit, so its now a permanent range fixture.

Dont these Dated inside? The Fiestas practically retro. Materials are pretty grim Yes, its the tiny steering wheel, but that suits the dinky 208, and the
both have and the infotainments a distant, button-festooned shocker, but Recaro Peugeot Sport seats, albeit with floppy bolsters, sit you purposefully low.
naff cabins? buckets save the plaque-ridden ST200 from cockpit ignominy. So, you can see the dials, the touchscreens now faster, and qualitys high.

Which one Oh, the Ford all day long. A dab of lift-off oversteer is its preferred
cornering stance, it feels so up on its toes. Wayward? Never, just
wants to
keen to slide but always on your side. A chassis for the ages.
play more?
A regular Fiesta ST, a Mountune kit and some track days. Sorry, but
So, my
theres no way the ST200 is worth it. Yes, we like the urgency it chomps
22k should
through gears, but its barely quicker than the standard (bargain) ST,
go on... which now has the 200s damper and anti-roll bar settings. Plus...
Peugeot Sport made a more serious car in the vein of a bonsai
Megane RS or Civic Type-R. It doesnt sound as throaty, but the 208s
vice-like grip on the road and cocking-rear-wheel act are addictive.
...for 22k, Peugeot Sport makes the best hot hatch, because you can
spot where your moneys gone. Its better damped than the firm Ford,
has stronger brakes, a proper differential instead of power-sapping
ESP, and a far plusher cabin. And itll still act the fool like its grandad.

Ford Fiesta ST200

22,745
8 10
Peugeot 208 GTi Peugeot Sport
22,365
8 10
WORDS: OLLIE KEW / PHOTOS: SIMON THOMPSON

1596cc 4cyl turbo, FWD, VERDICT: A modern hot hatch legend, 1598cc 4cyl turbo, FWD, VERDICT: Clever uprating of the 208
197bhp, 214lb ft no question, but so is the standard ST... 205bhp, 221lb ft GTi equals best Peugeot for 30 years.

46.3mpg, 140g/km CO2 52.3mpg, 125g/km CO2

1495mm

1450mm

062mph in 6.7secs, 143mph 062mph in 6.5secs, 143mph

1163kg 1160kg
3982mm 3973mm
03 6 SEPTEMBER 2016 J TOPGEAR.COM
September I 2016

ets keep this straight to

Cayman L
start with. A few months
back Porsche updated the
Boxster. As part of this it

overboard did away with the iconic

fat-six engine, replacing it with a turbo-
assisted fat-four. Now the Cayman is
Porsche 718 Cayman S undergoing the same alterations. If you never drove the nat-
So, the facts. The standard Cayman has asp version, youll like this
48,834 a 2.0-litre motor with a monoscroll turbo
car a lot. But if you did...

delivering 296bhp and 280lb ft, while the S

WE SAY: TURBOCHARGING
MEANS CAYMAN HAS
SWAPPED SOUL FOR POWER
we have here has a wider bore (102mm
rather than 91mm) version of the same
block, yielding 2.5 litres, 345bhp and
310lb ft between 1,950 and 4,500rpm.
Its turbo has variable geometry.
It has more power than the old 3.4-litre
321bhp/273lb ft Cayman S and so is a bit
quicker (062mph in 4.6secs for the 6spd
rear wheels are half an inch wider and the
brakes have been upgraded. Opt for the
1,125 Sport Chrono pack and you get the
mode dial on the steering wheel, and on the
S, the new PASM suspension option lowers
the ride height by 20mm, instead of 10mm.
Inside, not much has changed, but the
fush-ftting infotainment screen is a nice

IMAGES: JOHN WYCHERLEY

manual, where the old one took 5.0secs).
Fuel economy is claimed to be 2.8mpg
better, and CO2 has dropped by 22g/km.
Good news, it would seem. And there
are other mods: stifer springs, revised
dampers, the steering borrowed from the
911 Turbo has a 10 per cent faster rack, the
touch and complements the low, snug
driving position which puts all the controls
just where you want them. Better still,
they all operate with an easy, fuent
precision, and the 718 Cayman is easy
to see out of, easy to place on the road,
compact and well packaged.

Driving position is snug.

Cabin has room for two
humans and 2k buttons
 Pricing hasnt changed much at all
the standard Cayman is a whisker under
40k and the S is 48,834. And heres the
start of the trouble, because thats a lot for
a car with a 4cyl turbo motor. But lets be
charitable and pick out the positives: its
more charismatic than most 4cyl turbos
as the boxer layout does give it an
interesting budda-budda-budda engine
note (and yes, that is reminiscent of an old
camper van). It makes a fair bit of noise,
especially with the sport pipe engaged,
and for a turbo it picks up well (theres a
real jump at 2,400rpm). Lag is minimal
and acceleration forceful.
But where in the old car you had a real
sense of the engine having to work for its
pace, this is more one-dimensional: the
noise, the acceleration. Its all very linear.
And very efective. But engaging not so
much. Whats more, the 4cyl cheapens the
Porsche experience, the Cayman feeling less
cultured and sophisticated than before.
This is a story weve often told in relation
to the rise of newly turbocharged sports
cars, exacerbated with the Cayman because
of the drop in cylinder count. What people
seem to forget is that a cars engine is not
just another component. A good engine can
make a car, casting favourable light on other,
less worthy, components. It works the other
way too: a lacklustre engine takes the shine
of other components.
So when you drive the new Cayman,
because the engine isnt as sharp and zingy,
the steering doesnt feel as bright, the
chassis doesnt initially seem to have the
same appetite for corners as it did before
and the brakes come across as less feelsome.
It feels just a little more ordinary to drive.
Instead of the car coming to you, urging
you on, you now have to go in search of your
kicks a bit harder, which means youre
travelling faster but not having such a good
time. Not ideal. But really concentrate on
each element, and the Cayman does come to
life: you realise the brakes are astonishing,
that the chassis is fully loaded with talent
and ability. Its a delight around corners,
really adjustable and composed. Im not
Six-speed manual is a
delight to use. And thank 100 per cent convinced the steering gives
heavens its there...
you all the communication you need, but
Its a delight
around corners,
really adjustable
and composed
TOPGEAR.COM
on the whole theres not another 50k car
to touch it this side of a Lotus Exige.
Even on the 1,566 20in wheels, the
two-seater rounds the edges of sharp
bumps very well indeed. And the manual
gearchange is lovely slick and satisfying.
If you werent aware of what had gone
before, youd love it. The more I drove it, the
more I got used to it, but then Id think back
to driving the old one and thats the one I
want. I no longer yearn to own a Cayman
thats the diference. OLLIE MARRIAGE
SPECIFICATION
2.5-litre flat 4cyl turbo, RWD
345bhp, 310lb ft
34.9mpg, 184g/km CO2
062mph in 4.6secs, 177mph
1355kg
VERDICT: The new turbo
8
engine casts a long shadow
over the new Cayman.
Skilful chassis ensures it
doesnt lose too much face.
10
J SEPTEMBER 2016 0 39

P P

ss s
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 In 2012, Caterham
and Renault joined
forces to launch a
RWD sports car. In
2014, Caterham
dropped out. Heres
the car we were
deprived of

04 4 SEPTEMBER 2016 J TOPGEAR.COM

 SECRET ACCESS

The
Caterham
that
never
was
IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE RENAULT ALPINES SISTER,
BUT IT NEVER MADE IT BEYOND POLYSTYRENE

WORDS: STEPHEN D OB IE / PHOTOGR APHY: MARK RICCIONI

n this job, it pays to be impartial. You need to approach

I new cars with an open mind, untainted by allegiances

or grudges. Yet sometimes emotion takes hold. As I
walk around the Caterham that never was codename
C120 I cant help but echo some of my hosts melancholy. How
cool would it have been for this to have been put into production?
To tell this cars story, we need to wind back the clock to
2012. Caterham chairman Tony Fernandes brokered a deal with
Renault to team up on a new sports car: a mid-engined, rear-
wheel-drive, two-seat coupe which would simultaneously bring
back the Alpine badge and give the venerable Seven a stablemate.
The cars would share architecture and componentry their
DNA around 85 per cent identical and the companies would
share a factory, namely the Dieppe plant which used to make
Alpines, and which currently assembles the Clio RenaultSport.
It should be small wonder, then, that the design buck you see
before you so closely resembles the Alpine Vision concept weve
seen recently, the production version of which follows soon.
 The Alpine Vision
concept. Time to play
spot the difference
Barely anyone has seen
these designs, even within
Caterham. Which is a shame
Except it shocks me. See, the two companies split
from their deal in early 2014. Details of the break-up
were scant, so, like the falling apart of your favourite
rock band, it was easy to speculate creative diferences
lay at the heart of it. And even the sharpest industry
forecasters hadnt predicted Caterhams half of the
deal could look quite this civilised.
This wasnt a niche, fbreglass sports car,
Caterhams chief commercial director David Ridley
tells me. This was proper grown-up, mainstream
sports car. The aim was for each company to sell
3,000 of its respective model a year, with a 40,000
pricetag, a fgure only achievable thanks to the two
companies working together.
Thats what Renault was bringing to the party for
us, access to their parts catalogue, Ridley continues.
If Caterham tried to do this alone, it would be a
60,000 car. In total, the investment was to total
150 million, split 50/50 between the two companies.
The same for decision-making, too, with no
company having majority say, despite the ratio of staf
swinging heavily in the French companys favour.
04 6 SEPTEMBER 2016 J TOPGEAR.COM
Nothing could be signed of by Renault without
Caterham signing of as well, says Ridley. Caterham
assembled a 110-strong team of former Lotus and
McLaren engineers in Norfolk just for this car, and
every fortnight thered be fights across the Channel
to facilitate working face-to-face.
The car itself is very beguiling. Even if the two
models you see arent even cars. One is polystyrene,
the other decorated clay, and both wear the scars of
Dobie pulls his best journo
face. Below, Caterhams neglect. Barely anyone has seen these designs, even
mood board for TFT dial within Caterham. Which is a shame. The C120 is not
unlike a Toyota GT86 in its size and proportions,
while there are hints of F-Type in its detailing.
And its strikingly similar in shape to the Alpine
Vision, even down to the lights. Both front and rear
units were shared between the two brands, thanks
to the 9 million cost of developing them. Those
additional spotlights on the front of the French car
appear to be a helpful styling diferentiator as much
as a nod to Alpines past, then.
Caterham eyed up key diferences to the Alpine
beyond styling fourishes, too. While both cars would
 1 2

4 5

Bits of Cayman here and

GT86 there, with a
launch with a paddleshift gearbox, the British
sprinkling of F-Type carmaker was determined to respect its enthusiast
roots and ofer a manual shortly after launch. It
fancied diferent stability-control settings, a more
focused suspension set-up and a manual handbrake.
A foray into GT racing would have been inevitable.
I ask about the vision of Fernandes, whod
suggested Caterhams growth called for an extended
range of cars, a crossover included. This was all to
follow the C120, it transpires.
Tonys ambitions were not limited to building a
two-seater sports car, Ridley tells us. Where Tony
wanted to leverage his brand his network was in
Asia. You dont get volume through two-seater sports
cars in Asia. Its through city cars, SUVs, etc.
That was the other appeal of Renault, adds
Caterham CEO Graham Macdonald. Theyve got
so many diferent platforms that we could use. While
the majority of our team in Hingham were working
on this, there were some already starting to spec what
the crossover or the hot hatch was. We had the plan.
That plan saw a hot hatchback spun from the Clio
RenaultSport, and a crossover based on the Captur.
Caterhamise it, that was the word we used to use,

TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 047



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 NEW METAL
Small and spiky
CITROENS C4-INSPIRED C3 HAS LANDED,
BUT WITHOUT THE CACTUS NAME
itroen promised to add a little C4 Cactus
to all its cars, and heres the frst evidence,
C the new C3. Were not just talking about
the foating roof design, the airbump side
protection or the split headlamps, either. Its about an
emphasis on comfort and straightforward good cheer.
Citroen boss Linda Jackson told TG: Its got the spirit
of Cactus, but its not something bizarre or strange. We
aim to stay mainstream.
It comes as a fve-door only, but theres plenty of
decoration choice beyond that. The confgurator will have
a palette of colours and patterns for several parts roof,
mirrors, plus the bezels on the airbump and fog lamp. In
the interior too: the trims for dash, doors and steering
wheel are all selectable.
The fat seats and wide dash obey the same logic as the
Cactuss do. Design inspiration comes from luggage and
travel accessories. Its not about a drivers cockpit or
body-clenching seats. Its built for comfort not speed.
After some stumbling early steps with the connected
apps on the C4 Picasso, Citroen says it is serious about
connectivity this time. One world-frst is a built-in HD
dashcam that can be used both for real-time sharing and
recording which happens automatically if theres a crash.
The C3s platform is a development of whats under
the Peugeot 208, so nothing unexpected there. The
Groups sweet three-cylinder petrol engine features
strongly, at 68, 82 and 110bhp. Diesels are 75 and 100bhp.
No rocket, then, but given the starting weight is around
1,000kg, it isnt too lardy.
05 0 SEPTEMBER 2016 J TOPGEAR.COM
No sports seats or roll
cages in here its built
for comfort, not speed
As with the Cactus, most interior switches have given
way to functions on the touchscreen. But this one is
slicker-acting and has better graphics than that clunky
efort. The interior materials are better too.
I asked Xavier Peugeot [yes, really], Citroens product
planning chief, why the Cactus (to be facelifted next year)
began life with such a poor interface and cheap cabin
Airbump-shape materials. He surprised me by openly acknowledging the
airvents keep the
Cactus vibe going problem, and said in some ways the mainstream Citroens
had been deliberately held back to make the Citroen DSs
look better. Now that the two nameplates are separated,
he said Citroen could stand up for itself.
Jackson said the well-being of buying a Citroen isnt
just about the car itself. Its about the process of buying
and running it too. The company recently launched the
Citroen Advisor website, where customers post reviews of
their Citroen dealers and, soon, cars. The cars software
allows pay-per-mile insurance, and gives drivers feedback
on their driving style to save fuel and reduce maintenance.
No word yet on prices for the C3. Well learn those
closer to the October on-sale date. PAUL HORRELL

NEW
Bristol is back
from the dead
WE THOUGHT IT WAS ALL OVER... IT ISNT NOW. BRISTOL
IS UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP AND HAS A MAGIC BULLET
hances are youve heard of
C Bristol Cars, but dont quite
know why. We like to think of
it as the industrys weird uncle
an interesting backstory but a bit too odd
to spend any time with. However, after a
fnancial hiccup in 2011, Bristol is back and
riding alongside TVR in a resurgence for
Britains cottage sports-car industry.
Its new weapon is the Bullet an idea
born when the new owners discovered a
speedster, neglected and ignored under a
dusty tarpaulin in its old factory. Bristol is
calling the Bullet a 70th anniversary present
to itself, and, true to form, its quite unlike
anything else on the road. With its startled
expression, many round headlights and fns
at the rear, it channels a retro vibe, but the
hardware is surprisingly cutting-edge.
Carbon fibre, aluminium,
touchscreen infotainment?
Has the world gone mad?
4.8 Hercules V8 supplied
by BMW, finished by
Bristol. Badges, then
METAL
WHO THE HELL
ARE BRISTOL...?
It all began after WWII, when to
occupy its massive workforce (which
had nothing to do after the demand for
aircraft dried up), the Bristol Aeroplane
Company decided to start building cars.
Bodywork is of the carbon-fbre variety It took over Frazer Nash (briefly the
for a punchy kerbweight of 1,100kg, while
the dashboard panelling can be had in
two split in 1947) and bought the rights
to pre-war BMWs. The first cars rolled
wood for the traditionalists or a choice off the production line in 1946. It split
of two types of carbon weave for modern from the aeroplane company in 1960.
types. In the middle of the dash, Bristol has Bristol Cars soldiered on until it
eschewed a wind-up clock in favour of a went into administration in 2011,
touchscreen, complete with digital radio, along the way building things like
smartphone mirroring and Bluetooth and the Viper-engined, allegedly
wi-f connections. Mind. Blown. 200mph Fighter. Rescue arrived
Under the bonnet is a 370bhp 4.8-litre a month later, in the form of new
BMW-sourced V8 yep, the old one used owners Frazer-Nash Research.
by Morgan and, formerly, by Wiesmann
The Fighter, built between
propelling you 062mph in 3.8 seconds and
2004 and 11, was just that,
on to 155mph, through a choice of manual courtesy of a Viper V10
and automatic gearboxes.
The price? Under 250,000, with
production starting early next year. And youd
better get a wiggle on... only 70 will be built.
 FOCUS RS MKI
Engine: 1988cc,
4cyl turbo,
212bhp @ 5500rpm,
229lb ft @ 3500rpm
Performance: 062mph
in 6.7secs, 144mph
Transmission: 5spd
manual, FWD
Economy: 27.9mpg,
237g/km CO2
Weight: 1278kg
L x W: 4183mm x 1762mm

hen Ford frst fxed an RS badge to

PROGRESS REPORT W
the back of a Focus, I was too young to
drive, but I remember the furore. And
with my parents Focus 1.6 Zetec out
on the driveway, I felt sorry for its tricked-up 212bhp

Evolution of the relation. I yearned for that halo car to be a blinder.

The RS was as divisive as the Honda Civic Type-R
is now ironically a car built on identical ingredients.

Ford Focus RS Putting 212bhp through the front wheels in 2002

FORD ONLY DUBS SPECIAL CARS
RALLYE SPORT. HERES WHY
WO R DS: O LLIE KE W /
PH OTO GR APHY: S IM O N TH O M P SO N
seemed very irresponsible, in a time when the Imprezas
and Evos were deploying 4x4. AWD was, after all, what
WRC-touting Ford had promised. Instead, we got a
Torsen mechanical dif, and infamous torque-steer.
The RSs front axle was hyper-sensitive to set-up
and tyre wear. Microscopic discrepancies in toe-in or
camber made two seemingly identical Focus RSs behave
like unrelated machines: some ultra-pointy and sorted,
others powerless to resist chasing a camber, like a
determined hound after a fox.
How quaint that 212bhp power output now seems (a
Fiesta ST200 matches it, with little if any unruly front-

05 2 SEPTEMBER 2016 J TOPGEAR.COM

 FOCUS RS MKIII
Engine: 2261cc, 4cyl turbo,
345bhp @ 6000rpm,
347lb ft @ 2000rpm
(on overboost)
Performance: 062mph
in 4.7secs, 165mph
Transmission: 6spd
manual, AWD
Economy: 36.7mpg,
175g/km CO2 Ollie finally gets to drive
Weight: 1599kg the car of his childhood
L x W: 4390mm x 1823mm dreams. Legally too

FA N C Y O N E I N
YOUR GAR AGE?

2009 FORD FOCUS

RS 23,500

2003 FORD FOCUS

axle japes). Funny how a 4cyl turbo, mechanical dif and
proper manual has become the template of choice for
modern hot-hatch royalty like RenaultSports Megane
Trophy, the Seat Leon Cupra and yes, that banzai Civic.
Ford was onto something, 10 years ahead of time.
Ironic too that after upping the ante last time out
by shoving 301bhp of 5cyl turbo mayhem through dif-
adjoined front wheels, the new Focus RS sends power
to the rear too. Seventy per cent of it, if necessary.
You know all about this car already the trick clutch
packs, the Drift Mode, and the addictive, liberty-
threatening ease with which itll allow novice pilots to
carve out Michelin-smearing powerslides. Its arrived
into a diverse, fendishly talented battlefeld of AWD
hot hatches, some with more power, plenty with cooler
badges, and by deploying a genuinely innovative piece
of chassis technology, changed the game overnight.
No one wants to hear about how complete, how superb
a Volkswagen Golf R or the revised Mercedes-AMG A45
is any more. Because they wont drift, will they? End
of discussion. According to the internet, at least.
RS 15,250
These cars dont share a component beyond valve
caps, but its funny how old habits die hard when you
climb aboard. And I do mean climb. Both house lairy
seats mounted absurdly high in the chassis, both feel
horribly unnatural on frst impression. At least the
current one has dialled down the blue fashes inside.
In the MkI, you twist the key in the lightly
sprung barrel, dip the short-travel clutch and prod an
unlabelled green button on the centre tunnel to start
the motor. The turbo blows hoarsely, and frankly it
doesnt feel fast, despite a huge weight advantage. Still
wrestles the wheel from your clenched palms, though.
2008 FORD FOCUS
The long-throw gearchange is tactile if a tad vague, ST 8,995
and though the MkI feels poundingly stif on the road,
it leans like youd expect an eco Fiesta to on circuit.
Damping has come so far the modern RSs two-way
adaptive dampers have far crisper control. In every
parameter besides styling, the gobby new whale shark
has moved the game on light years. Dont be surprised
if, just like the frst Focus RS, its grandson has ignited
a trend the entire fraternity will follow.

TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 053


5 THINGS
YOU NEED TO 2
You can attack
trails flat-out
Land Rover already has a
gadget called All Terrain
Progress Control, a sort-of off-road
KNOW ABOUT...
cruise control designed to maintain
a steady pace in the rough. Upping
the ante is Terrain Based Speed
Adaptation (breathe), which
monitors the cars trajectory, angle
...Autonomous and surface even spotting water
ahead by identifying shimmering
reflection and varying your speed
Land Rovers on a sliding scale of comfort vs
outright speed. Pedals? Where
were going, we dont need pedals.
THE HANDS-FREE GREEN
LANER: COMING SOON?
4 5
Land Rover wants
to learn every
surface on Earth
One of the technologies
very much in babygrows right
now is Surface ID, which uses a
bumper-mounted sensor to work
out the surface the car is heading
for and pre-selects the optimal
Terrain Response settings. Every
time it does, itll upload info to a
This chasing Pokemons database, so each Land Rover is
game is really going too privy to the differences in Welsh or
far now, Andrew...
Cumbrian mud, or if Egyptian sand
is siltier than the desert in Morocco.
05 4 SEPTEMBER 2016 J TOPGEAR.COM
1
Off-roading is about
to go numpty-proof
Imagine youre on a top-level
UN peace mission deep in the
Guatemalan rainforest...or just in a
line of Defenders in a safari park.
Using Dedicated Short-Range
Comms, a convoy of Land Rovers
can constantly chat without line
of sight, with the lead car warning
of a slippery surface, steep gradient
or tyre-killing boulder. Other cars
computers log these observations
and set up their 4x4 systems,
traction control, ground clearance
and so on to tackle the obstacle.
3
Itll remember your
bike is on the roof,
even when youve
forgotten
Picture the scene. Your Discovery
is laden with camping gear, so the
kids bikes are strapped onto the
roof. Its dark when you arrive at the
campsite, you dont spot the low
branch or height restriction and...
tears before bedtime. Land Rover
is working on sensors around the
windscreen that spot pesky trees, or
tight car-park entrances, and beam
an alert onto the screen before
crunch-whoops-sorry-darling time.
None of it is ready
for showrooms
Exciting and potentially
life-saving as all this is,
dont think of these interconnected,
Internet of Things-happy Landies as
you would of radar cruise control or
self-parking: theyre not ready yet.
TG was invited along to try it as a
taster, a showcase of how the Brits
arent being left behind by Tesla,
Mercedes and Google when it
comes to the AI automobile. The
Defender MkII is due in 2019.
Chop-chop then, Land Rover...
C70 Brooklands 1926 Chronometer
 PAT DEVEREUXS...

MODERN How to make a classic

recreate one of Carroll

MUSCLE
Shelbys fast pony cars

#04 I 1965
Shelby GT350
HOW TO TURN A PONY
INTO A STALLION
What is it?
With all the hoo-ha going on around the new
Shelby Mustang GT350 and the unseemly rush
to sell an internal organ to buy the hallowed, red-
badged R version you could reasonably ask: why?
Part of the reason a big part is that the new
8,500rpm-red-lined V8-powered pony car is one of
the best things to happen to Fords line-up in a long
time. But another chunk of the hysteria is being
caused by the fact that the new car is a modern
interpretation of the raucous 1965 Shelby GT350.
Whats that got to do with this car?
The problem with old cars even gorgeous classics
is that they, even being kind, drive terribly. They
dont steer, stop, handle or anything else like their
rapier good looks would suggest. Which is how this
car came about. Matt Alcala wanted all the classic
65 GT350 looks, but all the performance of the
modern Shelby. Being a bit handy with a spanner,
Matts want turned into a project that, four years
after he thought of it, became this car.
Where did he start?
You can breathe out Matt didnt hack up one of
the 521 majorly valuable GT350s created by Carroll
Shelby in 1965. Instead he took a lightly used and
abused example of the 77,000 standard and luxury
Stangs that were made 51 years ago.
Whats he done to it?
Look closely now, as hes done such a good job that,
without the standard car next to it, its hard to see.
But, as is the way with the great restomods, this
smoothness hides an eternity of time to get this
thing just right. The body has been widened by
4.5 inches and reshaped. The bumpers, doors and
quarter panels have all been subtly fared to blend
into the new body. Many of the louvres and grilles
are one-ofs to ft the new form. Those extra
quarter panel scoops? Fully functioning as
housings for the dif and transmission coolers.
And the engine/gearbox?
As glorious as the fat-plane crank V8 is in the new
GT350, Matts choice of a 5.0-litre engine from the
previous gen Boss 302 is just as canny. It still revs
to a crazy-sounding 8,200rpm, making 560bhp at
that point, thanks to a new intake and cams among
other things. The Bosss standard Getrag MT82
box has been swapped out for a Tremec TR6060
along with a lightweight clutch and fywheel.
He must have done something to
the chassis, too...
There are some JRi double-adjustable shocks, front
SLA (short-long arm) front suspension plus a rear
torque arm and cantilevered shocks at the back.
If you speak axle code, the car has a Speedway
Engineering 9in full foater it improves stability
and braking performance with lightened and
polished 4.30 gears.
So how fast is it?
Matt has yet to go head-to-head with one of the
new GT350s, but you sense hes confdent that
anyone driving the new car would get a shock if
they tried to gap the old car on road or track.
What does the guy who designed
the original GT350 think of the car?
It isnt likely youd know such a thing, but Matt
does. The designer of the original GT350, Peter
Brock, stopped by multiple times while my car was
at SEMA, he says. He said it was everything he
could have dreamed of doing to build a GT350.
5.0-litre V8 from previous-
gen Boss 302 revs to
8,200rpm, making 560bhp

TECH CORNER

MERCEDES What has 12 cameras,

two radar systems and
but approaches bus
stops autonomously
workload, which
is another way of

FUTURE BUS
a very bored driver? and opens and closes saying: Hell have
The Mercedes Future its doors autonomously. literally nothing to do
Bus, thats what. Based Merc claims its safer except get stroppy
ALL ABOARD FOR on the 12m-long Citaro, than a regular bus as when you pay with
THE FUTURE it not only drives itself, it relieves its drivers a 10 note.

05 6 SEPTEMBER 2016 J TOPGEAR.COM

 s petrosexuals have been doodling far-
U
fetched car designs on the back of beer
mats and fag packets for decades. But
technology has changed the game. With
the help of digital artistry, these fantastical drawings
can now be photo-realistic speculative renders.
Theyre now a prominent part of the industry. And
have simultaneously opened up our minds and woken
up our saliva glands to new possibilities. Problem is,
with our new instantaneous lifestyles, no matter how
fantastical they are, we want them built now!
Take whats on this page, for example. Its the
Porsche 908/04, a render by some nimble-fngered
Photoshoppists that mashes together Porsches techy
plans within a silhouette of its long-tail heritage.
At this point, Porsches lawyers would like us
to tell you that this has nothing to do with actual
Porsche, is no way a manufacturer-backed Vision
Gran Turismo concept, and only exists within
the realms of digital pixels. But that doesnt mean
we shouldnt start tub-thumping our interest to
Stuttgart for it to become a reality.
FANTA SY METAL
Go on, Porsche,
just build it...
AT THE MOMENT, THIS IS JUST A
PHOTOSHOP DREAM. UNACCEPTABLE!
05 8 SEPTEMBER 2016 J TOPGEAR.COM
A quick glance over its lines may draw your
attention to the fact its a bit, um, lengthy. Thats cos
its a modern-day interpretation of the German frms
low-drag Langheck Deutsche for long-tail cars.
See, during the late Sixties and early Seventies,
racecar designers really started to experiment with
the dark art of downforce. All kinds of weird aero
appendages were riveted, fused and bonded to car
bodies to make them slipperier and scarily fast.
Some of our favourites were long-tails; cars
that had been fed through a mangle and extended
to pierce the air with more prowess and achieve
monstrous top speeds, especially down Le Mans
3.7-mile Mulsanne Straight.
Porsche kind of owned the scene. The
935/78 Moby Dick and granddaddy of
all long tails the 917 L and LH hit
legendary status. But, for this vision
of the future, a car that stood in the
shadows of the big, fast, scary and
utterly dominant 917 was selected for
the main inspiration: the 908/01 LH.
908/04 goes in search of
Pok balls in a retrofuture
virtual mashup thing
 Lean, lightweight and handsome, the 3.0-litre
fat-eight 908 was introduced in 1968. Developed
to survive the worlds toughest endurance races,
its beautiful and efective long tail helped push
monumentally punchy speeds at ultra-high-speed
circuits such as at Le Mans, Spa and Monza.
But aside from being stupidly fast, long-tails were
also pretty hairy to drive. And with the advance of
technology and a better understanding of how the
wind works over the last 48 years, the traditional
long-tail has died out.
Until now, when a team of digital wizards want
lengthened racers to come back in fashion. And who
can blame them? With the Spice Girls and Pokmon

Blinding
coming full circle, surely the long-tail can too, right?
The six guys behind the 908/04 wanted to 3D-
render a modern interpretation of an old long-tail,

IMAGES: PORSCHEVISIONGT AND TOMASZPRYGIEL.BLOGSPOT.COM

but fll it with futuristic bits of Porsche 918 and the
upcoming four-seat, four-door, 4WD Mission E for
good measure. Quite the looker, isnt it?
performance
Unfortunately, powertrains havent been WOULD YOU DRIVE A LAMBO
discussed yet (after all, its just a .PSD fle), YOU CANT SEE OUT OF?
but that engine bay does look remarkably like
the housing for the 4.6-litre 608bhp naturally
aspirated V8 and pair of electric motors from
the Porsche 918. A good thing. How much trust do you imagined a future Lambo
One thing the designers have made clear, is place in a cars on-board that uses a fleet of cameras
that they dont want a spangly fappy-paddle box in technology? Lamborghini to broadcast an image of
it. Oh no, they want an old-school wooden gearstick drivers do so perhaps more your immediate environment
(like a 917, natch) and three pedals to swap cogs. than most, able to deploy inside, rather than simply
We like where theyre going with this. So if youre 600, maybe 700bhp with looking through a pane of
listening, Porsche, save them the hassle and build it unthinking ease, what with glass. With no blind spots,
already. We know youve got it in you. RH their super-wedges adaptive wipers and risk of pointy
all-wheel drive, telepathic shrapnel coming your way

Futuristic Porsche long-tail

paddleshift transmissions
goodness with Martini colours and wally-proof traction
were shaken and stirred control. Justin Bieber has an interesting idea. Tomasz
owned several, after all.
Would Master Bieber,
or anyone, for that matter,
trust their supercars tech
enough to drive one without
windows, though? Thats the
idea of this rendered LV-426
concept, dreamt up by Polish
design whizz Tomasz Prygiel.
Instead of a conventional
windscreen, Prygiel has
in a no-doubt high-speed
interface with scenery, its
says the monitors could
even be configured to
display virtual racers, turning
your opaque supercar into a
sort of full-sized PlayStation
simulator.
Sounds cool, right up until
the buffering wheel of doom
shows up ahead. Well stick
with old-fashioned see-
through supercars, ta. OK

The original: designed for

endurance racing... and
discerning bedroom walls

TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 059

 50ft wide
A TALL STORY
SpeedVegas is a brand-new, 1.5-mile circuit just
10 miles from the Vegas strip, right beside Interstate
15 the main road to LA. But in case you still cant
find it, builders have installed one of the worlds
largest roadside signs right outside its gates.
How large? This large:
100ft tall (with another 26
feet below ground)
1,800 man hours to design
set in
28,000 litres of concrete
19,200 LEDs
Uses just 30 amps of power each day
Withstands winds of up to 115mph
Plate swarmers
BOARD SILLY
For a recent US telly ad starring action hero
Dolph Lundgren, Ford strapped a 1.0-litre,
121bhp EcoBoost engine to a skateboard
and made a slightly wobbly stuntman ride
it down a runway. His top speed, before
bailing out, was 60mph. The engine was
also used to power a pitching machine
that hurls baseballs at over 200mph.
the city. The goal is to track
06 0 SEPTEMBER 2016 J TOPGEAR.COM
A VERITABLE ARSENAL OF
INFO, SOME OF IT USEFUL
for a round-the-world expedition run by Captain
Walter Wanderwell. Over the next eight years, Hall
Biologists at Londons
Queen Mary University
have superglued tiny
numberplates to 500 bees
and released them across
them by asking people to
take pictures if they see
one. Each is identified by a
simple number and colour
code, and although some
of the flashier bees
requested personalised
plates, it was NOT2B.
WANDERLUST
In 1922, aged 16, Canadian Idris Galcia Hall
responded to an advert seeking a female adventurer
who after marrying the Captain changed her name
to Aloha Wanderwell drove through 75 countries in
a Ford Model T and became known as the worlds
most widely travelled girl, famed as much for her
six-foot stature as for wearing mens riding breeches.
GOING BOTTY
A 19-year-old has invented a free chatbot that
helps users dispute parking tickets. Joshua Browder
describes his website DoNotPay.co.uk as the
worlds first robot lawyer, and has so far helped
overturn 160,000 fines in London and New York. It
works by asking a series of questions to determine
if you can appeal, then generates a legal letter
and walks you through the rest of the process.
IMAGES:GET T Y, JOSEPH WOODGATE / QMUL, BRET T SANDERS
PENNY FALLS
A Texas man convicted of driving at 39mph
in a 30mph zone has paid his fine, rather
disobligingly, with 22,000 pennies. Brett
Sanders transported the coins in buckets
and dumped them on a cashiers desk, later
saying: It felt good to stick it to the man.
When the money was eventually counted,
it turned out hed overpaid by $7.81.
 WHY NOT GIVE THEM
ANOTHER REASON
TO STARE....

Use TG16 at checkout for a 10% DISCOUNT

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 M A G A Z I N E

Sennas McLaren DeLorean DMC-12? Bugatti Chiron?

MP4/4?

If you could pick any car ever made

and had somewhere to keep your collection,
what would be in your Dream Garage?
Were asking you to vote for the three cars that you would pick to fill yo96D6eam Garage. You could go for the
latest and greatest hypercar, a classic youve always lusted after, a legendary racing car or one from your favourite
film anything you like really, but you can only have three. Not so easy, is it?

ENTER YOUR TOP 3 AT

TOPGEAR.COM/DREAMGARAGE
Entry closes 6 September 2016
IN THE
COCKPIT...
Mercedes-
Maybach Pullman
TIRED OF THE RIFF-RAFF?
STEP THIS WAY, SIR

othing keeps out the smell of the peasantry

like a Mercedes-Maybach Pullman. Not only are
N you sealed of from the world behind privacy
glass and curtains; you can even silence the
butler with the electrically operated partition between the
drivers quarters and the club lounge in which youre
reclining at precisely 43.5 the preferred posture of the
worlds highest rankers. In short or rather, long its a
6.5-metre super-limo with a 5.9-litre, twin-turbo V12 making
522bhp, which is a sufcient amount of poke, should Jeeves This is the view And this (inset) Standard kit Three analogue
from the VIP chairs, is the view from includes an 18.5- instruments
be feeling frisky. Its a full metre longer than a regular
looking forward the rear-facing inch telly and a inform passengers
stretched S-Class, so theres plenty of legroom, so long as to the cheap seats seats. Notice Burmester sound of the cars speed,
youre happy sitting scissor-legged with the person opposite. and drivers how the executive system. You can as well as the
If you cant bear that sort of physical contact, simply delete compartment. The chairs opposite spec the rest temperature
the fold-down, rear-facing seats and make the bodyguards partition screen have flip-out calf however you like, and time
changes from and therefore and theres barely outside, which
jog alongside. Prices start from around 500,000 for the transparent to cankle supports, a square inch that is presumably
unarmoured version, rising to even sillier amounts for the opaque at the plus a squishy cant be slathered the same as it
full, luxe-apocalypse model. touch of a button. head pillow. in leather. is inside

NEWS IN BRIEF

CRASH-PROOF
This is Graham. survive car crashes. to show the areas of
Graham is what Thats according to the the body most at risk

DUMMY
humans would look Australian scientists during a high-speed
like if, by some freak who created Graham. collision, though they
PHOTO: TAC

So, whats a crash-proof

of Darwinism, we had His inflated skull also prove Phil Mitchell guy like you doing in a
somehow evolved with and several deflated from EastEnders is safe magazine like this?
THE PERFECT
HUMAN IS HERE the physical ability to breasts are designed at any speed.

06 4 SEPTEMBER 2016 J TOPGEAR.COM

 In the blue corner
Name: Jack Rix Age: 32
Occupation: deputy editor
Secret weapon: leather gloves

In the red corner

Name: Ollie Marriage Age: 43
Occupation: motoring editor
Secret weapon: burnouts

Gentlemen, these are your

instructions. Obey the rules,
protect yourself at all times,
and only resort to violence if
you really have to. Ding ding

FIGHT

Is the LaFerrari Aperta

for hairdressers?
 JR: Great news! Ferrari has lopped the roof off the LaFerrari, instantly
making it a better car. Now, I know what youre probably going to TH E K N OW LE DG E
say, that convertibalising a car compromises its performance and
therefore coupes are superior in every way, but theyre just not. The
noise from this thing will trump any nanolosses in torsional rigidity.

15:07

OM: The losses in torsional rigidity should be nanoscale given it has

a full carbon tub, but youve already played your trump card that,
as a convertible, the Aperta will sound better. By the time youve
wound it out in first gear youll be too worried about your trendy
barnet (not a problem I have) and gale-force wind noise will have
overcome the V12. Then again, my counter argument is tenuous

15:15

JR: Go on, then what is it?

15:25

OM: The coupe is cooler. It just is. Do you deny that?

15:27

JR: Theres probably a separate argument to be had on whether

a 1m Ferrari is a bit show-offy to be cool at all, with or without the
roof, but giving it the benefit of the doubt, I wholeheartedly deny
your statement. You do not buy a LeFerrari for its refinement or to
go unnoticed; 950bhp from a screaming V12 with a little electrical
assistance should be a sensory bombardment, and the Aperta will
THINGS YOU DONT KNOW BUT
ARE TOO EMBARRASSED TO ASK
amplify that, which is only a good thing. I totally get that a drop-top
M4 is a wobbly, bloated barge next to the coupe, but, in this case, no
roof is clearly the way forward.

15:36
#05 Wind deflectors
OM: Just as well perhaps, given that I assume youre not going to
be able to carry the carbon roof panels with you and I bet the other
option, a fabric soft-top, will look just dandy. No one will fit that. What do they do?
Besides, Im not sure Ferraris pocket calculator is working any Wind defectors or draught-stops keep your barnet in check by
more, since its claiming this has the same aero as the hard-top reducing the turbulence youd normally experience driving an
with or without the roof. The F1 team clearly hasnt been letting
open-top car at speed. If youre follically challenged, move
them in the wind tunnel. Not even to test an owners Trump-piece.
right along because this doesnt concern you.
15:46
I dont have a PhD...
Us neither, but the basic principle is simple enough. High-
JR: I agree (begrudgingly) it does seem odd that the claimed
performance is identical to the coupe (062mph in 2.9 seconds
pressure air rushing over the top of the windscreen meets
and 218mph, lest we forget), but perhaps Ferrari has punched a the low-pressure air already swirling about in the cabin. This
loophole in the very fabric of physics with this powertrain? Either creates a kind of vortex, which efectively reverses the airfow
way, its unlikely prospective owners will be taking it to the outer and blows your hair forwards towards the dashboard, all over
limits of its performance very often, not when at well over 1m it
your face. Not ideal.
costs more than a four-bed semi in Fulham.

15:52 How do those flimsy things help?

A screen erected behind the front seats (or in a four-seater,
the rear seats) mostly stops that air, which has been whipped
OM: Or a Scottish estate and the title that goes with it. Anyway,
around, from hitting you in the back of the head. They make
what really bugs me about the LaFA is the cynicism. Ferrari
may say theres been significant and extensive modification the cockpit quieter, and more comfortable for those of us with
to the chassis, but I cant see it myself. This is a cost-effective hair easily ruined by even a moderate breeze.
engineering job that allows Ferrari to pump a bunch more
hypercars out to greedy investors eager for a return on investment,
not the thrill of 8,000rpm with no roof. And Gordon Ramsay has
one coming, ergo I win.
BONUS PUB FACT
15:59 It took Merc years to develop its solution, which
pairs a conventional defector over the rear seats
JR: He does, and hes famously precious about his hair. Brave chap.
with a pop-up net/panel at the top of the windscreen,
Ive heard he already has a LaFerrari coupe, so wed better start
lobbying him to facilitate the twin test now. Thats how we settle
which elevates airfow and raises cabin pressure.
this once and for all

16:08

TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 067

 INTERVIEW
Lewis Hamilton
WE CHAT TO THE F1 CHAMPION ABOUT MOTORBIKES,
MERCS AND A POSSIBLE MOVE INTO CAR-MAKING
What do you drive on the road, Lewis?
I usually ride a motorbike. Its what I always wanted to do. I wanted
to ride motorbikes before I wanted to race cars. But my dad got me
a go-kart, and Im grateful he did, but as soon as I was able to buy
something, I got my bike licence and bought a bike.
When I got to McLaren, I had a Mercedes C300, and after I won
my frst Grand Prix, I said: I think its time to give me an AMG,
so I got a CLK Black Series, so there was no need to buy anything
myself. From then, I always had Black Series models.
I do still get to enjoy my cars. Sometimes when I get home to
Monaco, I take a car out. But I always want to keep the mileage low
on all my cars! So I dont ever really go that far. Particularly in the
cars I bought, like the Zonda, which was a serious investment.
What do you enjoy in road cars?
Its the look, the sound, and Im always looking for horsepower.
Everyone wants big horsepower! Though actually, the Bugatti
doesnt do it for me. The Chiron does look good, the GT version
especially. But Im more old-school and I like a V12; the Bugatti
has two engines bolted together. Though it is amazing to drive. But
WORDS: STEPHEN DOBIE
I guess its just a personal feeling, taste.
When you eventually save up and buy that car, or do whatever
it is to get that car youve had your eyes on, its the greatest feeling.
My cars are my babies. I used to say, when I had a girlfriend, Im
taking one of the girls out, so you can come if you want, but you
come second when it comes to the cars
The AMG GT R:
a car capable
of giving Lewis
ideas. That
can only be a
good thing
Sennas one of your heroes. This smile says Im
taking one of the girls
Like him, would you like to go out tonight
into road car development?
Its already something that Im speaking to Tobias Moers
[head of AMG] about, something I want to get involved in. I love
speccing cars up, Im always getting into serious detail with my cars.
With Mercedes, they havent usually gone into the detail that I have
[as standard options], so I have to fnd out if they can actually do
those things I want.
When they frst brought the AMG GT R to me, I had all these
ideas! I was talking to Tobias, Youve got all this F1 technology,
and youve got the world champion driving your car, lets do
something together.
At some stage, I want to do my own car with them, like a GT LH
or something like that. A limited-edition series, which I can test,
which I can set up, and which I can have a real hands-on approach
with the design. When they eventually give me the budget to do so!
Youve got quite lively hobbies like surfing and
snowboarding. How do you get away with them?
Naturally sportsmen and women arent really allowed to do things.
But when I was at McLaren, I said: These are the things Im most
likely to do, and when I joined this team, I said: These are the
things I do; Im not going to stop. Im conscious I never ever
want to watch someone else drive my car, but also I want to live
my life and I try to be as sensible as I can while still having fun.
TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 071


P P

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TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 077

 Watches

How to
red-line
THE WATCHES WE WANT
THIS MONTH

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The latest from the watch workshop of
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TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 079

 WELLMAN.CO.UK
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 help, like when its dark or wet or the lines are faint.
Or if the road has been repaired and they follow the H O R R E LL
patchs boundary instead of the lane line. They also
vs
frequently fail when the side of your lane is a kerb
not a white line. And sometimes get utterly bewildered I NTE R N E T
when lanes merge.
Their speed control is more reliable but has all the
fnesse of a rock ape. It accelerates up to the maximum
youve set, unless a car in front is going slower, when
itll follow at an approximately fxed time gap. A good
human driver (you or, ahem, me) actually smoothes the
fow. You use the brake lights and general body language
of the trafc around and ahead. The radar car has no
anticipation or canniness. It sees only the car directly
ahead, not the ones in the distance. So it brakes later and
PAUL HORRELL ON harder than you, especially when a car politely indicates
STOP WHAT
YOURE DOING:
then pulls into your lane. This shreds your nerves. its the Aston

Autonomous Plus, on busy roads superfuous braking can set up a

compression ripple that spreads back through the trafc
behind, which can bring things to a complete stop.
Martin AM-RB 001

driving The whole experience is like having a frst-day

work-experience kid on the job. It takes more energy to
supervise than youd use if you were doing it all yourself.
AmericanFan#1
Lmafo, theres
nothing remotely
ITS THE FUTURE APPARENTLY, Their ham-fsted jerky driving is bad enough, but Aston Martin
about this. I give
BUT THE PRESENT ISNT PRETTY what unsettles me more is the moment when they hand
it a zero per cent
back control to you. Why would they surrender when the chance of ever
going is easy? They dont. They fash red and sound a existing, because
bong at the moment they cant read the road ahead, or Aston isnt going to
be able to pay for
was of to Gatwick Airport in a Mercedes- some nearby vehicle does something anomalous, or
it, and I doubt Red
Benz E-Class. Ill look like an UberEXEC, vision goes obscure, or some state of afairs arises that
I I thought. I mentioned this to a mate
who, among other jobs, has done a bit
the system simply wasnt programmed to cope with.
This is highly likely to be an acute situation. If youve
Bull will want to.

Paul Horrell
of Uber driving. He said, Just wear a tie, drive really let your attention wander and then youre called back Well, Aston sold
badly and youll ft right in. Well, I had the rubbish- 25 Vulcans and 77
driving bit covered, because this particular E was One-777, 7o it has
optioned up with all Mercedes semi-autonomous
technology. Its seriously maladroit, but then again The whole experience is previous regarding
selling very
expensive cars.
Ive tried the rival systems including Teslas. They
all labour under the same defciencies. like having a first-day work- Not to mention
Zagatos and so
on. Something over

experience kid on the job

I know it takes time to acclimatise to sharing the
300 people have
driving with such a system, so I used the E-Class for
put down serious
a week on the main routes through London and on expressions of
motorways. I began the trial determined to be open- interest in the
minded and receptive. I ended infuriated, mostly AM-RB 001, and
several of those are
keeping it frmly in the of position. to the driving, its going to take you possibly critical
current F1 drivers.
You can ask the car to steer, brake and accelerate tenths of a second to zone back in.
for itself. Some manufacturers insist you keep your Now its true that a prerequisite for a semi-
hands on the wheel, but the E-Class and especially the autonomous system is that many sensors are in You can find Paul
most days overseeing
Tesla dont object if you drop out at length. Anyway, place that can save your bacon. Among them
the TopGear.com
all these systems are meant to move the wheel in the are blind-spot assist, lane-departure warning, comments section
same direction as you would. It feels like following a pedestrian detection, and autonomous braking
set of tramlines. They observe the white lines if its for crash mitigation. Im always glad to have
clear ahead, or if theres something in front they those gadgets active in the background when
follow its speed and path (even absent white lines), its me doing the driving. But thats a very
up to the speed youve set. diferent thing from letting such detection
But the steer-assist always operates in a series of systems and their digital friends take
small bites then corrections. If youre overtaking a truck, over completely.
youd move slightly away to avoid its draught. If the road One day, perhaps quite soon,
curves youd take a line that clips the apex then moves autonomous systems will be
out on exit. The systems dont. They muggishly stick to expert enough to be relied on.
the lane centre. Unless they cant see it. And they often But as of now, Im treating them
cant, especially at times when you could most use the as strictly experimental.

TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 081

 BERNIE ECCLESTONE

The EDDIE JORDAN interview

The head honcho of F1 is

notoriously difficult to access.
Luckily, Eddie Jordan is on our
team, and hes got previous.
As does our editor-in-chief...
Bernie Ecclestone:
I should have sued you.
Im very relieved to report Bernie wasnt talking to me,
but to editor-in-chief Charlie Turner. Fourteen years
ago, Charlie handed in his notice to Mr Bernard Charles
Ecclestone at F1 HQ after six tumultuous months working
on his magazine. Today, much to Charlies unease, were
back in the same room (with its eclectic melange of art
and artefacts, including a supersized bronze of the man
himself, a framed broken plate entitled Let it be and
a World Business Award, presented in 2002 by Mikhail
Gorbachev) for me to interview the F1 ringmaster. Luckily
as he utters these words he cracks a smile and shakes our
hands, but some things never change
At 85, Bernie shows no signs of slowing down or
obvious succession planning for the sport that hes spent
the past 43 years guiding, managing and building into
one of the worlds most valuable sporting commodities...
Eddie Jordan: We wont be long. Kick us out when you
want, will you?
BE: OK, I will. [laughs]

TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 085

 BERNIE ECCLESTONE
EJ: Lets go Why are you a winner?
BE: Who said I was a winner?
EJ: Im saying. Youve been a winner all your life.
BE: Im lucky.
EJ: No, no. Thats diferent. Why are you a
winner?
BE: Im lucky. Thats all.
EJ: Youre a gambler?
BE: Yup.
EJ: Does gambling come naturally to you?
BE: If I feel like somethings gonna be right,
I invest in it, whatever it is.
EJ: Does that mean new races as well?
BE: Yep.
EJ: Ive always described you as a visionary.
I never really wanted to go to Bahrain, Abu
Dhabi, Singapore but these are turning out
to be sensational races. Did you have that in
your mind all the time?
BE: Dont forget I started looking at China a long
time before any of those races happened. I always
thought go east, not west
EJ: What do you think your greatest skill is as
a businessman? I mean, look at what youve
created. Youre the son of a trawlerman. You
didnt have anything like this coming into life.
Whats your skill?
BE: You might have asked that of an artist or
a musician or whatever but with me it just
happens.
EJ: But youre a dealer.
BE: Thats it, Im a dealer. Thats exactly right.
Im a used car dealer.
EJ: What part of this job do you fnd gives you
the most satisfaction?
BE: I suppose its knowing when youve come up
with an idea that works, when youve got it right,
whatever it is. Im very, very happy with these
races, I was delighted with Baku. People said I was
completely mad; I was so happy when it all turned
out all right.
Charlie Turner: Where would you like to go next?
BE: Turkey. Two races weve lost which Im
genuinely upset about were India and Turkey.
EJ: But Ive got to ask you, then... Its
unlikely were going to see a French GP in
the foreseeable future, Italy looks in grave
danger, and Germany. Have you got good
substitutes for these in the future?
BE: Its not as easy as that its disappointing to
think that all these countries spend a lot of money
trying to get the Olympics. Which, obviously, is not
If it was a
two-horse
race it would
be good
the easiest thing to do, and nobody makes any
money out of. Yet, for the small amount of money
they could [invest] in a Formula One race, they
dont want to do it
EJ: Why do you think that is?
BE: I have no idea. Its the same as in England.
Silverstone is not, Id say, super-safe quite the
opposite. These circuits dont need a lot of money
to make them safe.
EJ: Britain had no problem spending billions
on the Olympics.
BE: Ah, yes. Itd be interesting to know exactly how
much they got back, and what the countrys got
back from that.
EJ: Can Monza survive?
BE: The state of Lombardy has got the money, it
wants to put the money up, and the federation
there wants to do what it wants to do, but doesnt
put any money in, but wants to be in charge. Its
very political.
EJ: Are we getting a slightly noisier
engine next year? Because the
noise is an issue
BE: It is, a BIG issue.
CT: And youve been very vocal in
wanting to make the cars louder,
wanting change...
BE: Thats the trouble. We need to get
rid of Lauda thats a problem.
EJ: Yeah, but then youd have no one
to control Toto.
BE: Yeah, maybe youre right, lets
keep Lauda.
CT: But in terms of the noise,
youve been very vocal about
wanting to change it, but it seems
like Mercedes and Ferrari have a
stranglehold on stopping that from happening.
BE: Not really. No, wait a minute. Somebody, engine cover, no one cares whats in there.
Max was the one that said, We ought to have Nobody cares.
smaller engines and youre going to get more BE: Nobody knows.
manufacturers, I said to him at the time, But EJ: But they dont care, either. So, Im one for
why dont we get the manufacturers in, subject saving cost. Should there be more common
to us having smaller engines? Not the other way parts, for example? At present, you have the
around not have the small engine and hope situation where Mercedes supply their teams,
they come, because they come and go when it and only Mercedes win. Ferrari supplies its
suits them. So, thats what the problem has been, group of people. Surely its a two-horse race
and they spend a fortune on these engines, and at the moment. It feels like theres no room
they dont want to dump them. And theyve for the Jordan of years gone by
just convinced the board to spend all this BE: If it was a two-horse race it would be good,
money, and then you say, Well, it seemed its a one-horse race.
a good idea at the time, and nobody knew EJ: Bernie, your relationship with Toto is a
how those engines would fnish up. When little bit strained.
they were designed no one would have believed
they were going to be what we got.
CT: But how much can you infuence the change?
BE: No. Theres no problem. Zero problem.
EJ: Do you see him as a threat?
BE: A threat for what?
BE: We cant really because, as I say, the bottom
line is that they have spent a fortune, and done
EJ: Well, hes very close to Ferrari and hes very
close to Mercedes. Do you see him in a position
a fantastic job. The engine, as an engineering
project, is super.
CT: But its far too expensive.
where he might try to oust you?
BE: Im very happy for him to try. Or anybody else.
It doesnt bother me, these things. I mean its good.
BE: Its not what we want.
EJ: Its not sexy. I remember you, me and Flavio
EJ: Yeah, but Bernie, there have been times that
youve been very frustrated with him. You were
having a discussion and you saying, Under the not happy with him about the engine...
 BE: No, frustrated about the fact that they are in
a position that THEY can not him in particular
decide what theyre going to do. Because they
supply the teams so when theres a vote on
something he votes, Ferrari vote, and all the
teams they supply vote for them because they cant
vote any other way. So its not entirely a level
playing feld.
EJv You have spies out there, and you must be
very aware that hes [Toto] close to Ferrari.
How close is he?
BEv Was.
EJv Has that broken up now?
BEv I dont think theyve ever been that close.
I think they wanted to see Ferrari be a little
bit more competitive, better at beating other
people down the feld, and Ferrari was happy to
get the information it got. Because it got a lot
of information from Mercedes
EJv And thats as much as it is it isnt
anything sinister.
BEv No.
EJv If you were Toto, you were the boss at
Mercedes, what would you say if your two
drivers were running into each other as
often as they are now?
BEv Well, it depends. I mean, this time of the year,
Bernie and Max Id let them race, for sure. If, later in the season,
Mosley back in it was a case of one of them needing to be sensible,
the day. Below and be like a team driver because another team
left and right: a
were going to snatch the championship away from
taste of some of
Bernies art them, Id then say to them, Youd better start
collection having a think about this and maybe you should let
the other person in the team do the winning to get
Shake my
hand. A
deal is a
deal forever
the points. In this case one of those two is
going to win the championship, so thats not
going to be the point.
EJv Is Toto strong enough to be able to deal with
two major drivers like that in the team? What
would you do youre Toto, youre the boss.
BEv Keep racing.
EJv What keep hitting each other?
BE: Try not to hit each other. What do you want
me to do?
EJv Yeah. So you dont think there is a credible
formula to control those two?
BEv No.
CTv OK. Do you think that a situation
has been created where Mercedes is
so dominant that the championship is
obviously between those two and therefore
the interest and excitement is between
those two and those two alone?
BEv Yeah.
CTv Thats a bit of a damning indictment on the
sport, or the dominance of Mercedes within it,
isnt it? Because, in essence, Lewis and Nico are
going to win each race. Everyone knows that.
That for you must be a problem. Isnt it? In
terms of ratings?
BEv Well, of course it is. Massive.
CTv Do you fnd that hugely frustrating?
BEv Yeah. Sure. Before they go to the race, people
want to think four or fve guys could win, but now
Normally youd say, One of those two, and I
think its going to be Lewis, because thats what
had been proved up to now thank God that Nico
has won some races.
CTv What would you do if you were setting out
again to stop Mercedes being as dominant as
it is? What would you do and at what point, to
change it?
BEv Its the engine. They should have never had
that. The biggest mistake people have made...
I say, people, because it wasnt just me alone, was
not insisting Mercedes supply Red Bull an engine.
Because had they supplied the same engine as they
had, you would have seen good racing, you would
have seen Red Bull up there last year.
EJv Bernie, I thought you had that negotiated
with Niki? What happened there?
BEv Well, they changed their mind.
EJv Who changed it for them? Toto?
BEv Yeah, I think Toto. Didnt want competition.
EJv Thats not really in the interest of Formula
One, overall is it?
BEv No, but its in HIS personal interest.
EJ: But he has to think about the sport, does he
not? The sport is paying him an awful lot of
money; surely he has an obligation? Particularly
when a deal was done, Bernie.
BE: They would deny there was a deal done. Didi
(Mateschitz) and Niki, when they shook hands,
Niki said, It was just saying goodbye.
EJ: I always remember something from my
earliest days meeting you. You said, Shake my
hand. A deal is a deal forever. Get me to sign a
contract, and Ill fnd a way out of it. Do you
still hold that view?
BE: Absolutely. Yeah, Id rather the handshake for
somebody that I can trust than a contract. Because
you can read the bloody contract perhaps if you
made a little bit of a mistake writing it in a way
to suit you.
EJ: Max Verstappen is a breath of fresh air.
BE: Great, eh? Youd have had him in your day
EJ: Since last year I said, I think this kid is
absolutely world-class. Have you seen anything
to change that view?
BE: No. Early on, I thought hed got a bit lucky,
and the press had been very much behind him,
and lifted him... but I think hes what you said
EJ: For his age, hes fantastic. So, we have some
great stars on the horizon. Weve got lots of
good drivers there.
TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 087
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Putin, he says hes going to do something, he
gets on it, does it.
CT: Is that a quality that you admire?
BE: Yeah. Super. Its a handshake, isnt it?
EJ: Do you enjoy causing trouble? You like
aggravation? You live on it. I live on it.
BE: If somebody says, You like putting out fres,
and I say, Its not a case of liking it, but I do put
them out, and if there arent fres left I make them,
so I can put them out. Its what we do.
CT: How long do you want to keep doing what
youre doing?
BE: Honestly, Ive never told anybody this, so I
dont know if maybe you shouldnt print it, but Ive
made plans. Im only going to continue doing this
for another 25 years. (laughs)
EJ: No, no, the reality. Bernie, you have the
most adorable wife. Shes intelligent, shes
attractive, shes gorgeous, shes highly
qualifed, she knows how to win a Grand Prix,
shes a lawyer. Would it not be sensible or is
it possible that you could hand over some of
the reins to her to take some of the workload
of you, or do you feel that she wouldnt want
to do it?
BE: I have.
EJ: But we dont see her in the ofce.
BE: No, because shes running the cofee farm
in Brazil.
EJ: Ive seen the beans. They are great beans if
you can get your hands on them. Bernie, have
you ever thought about it? She would run this
brilliantly. She wouldnt or couldnt?
BE: She wouldnt. I love her too much to punish
her with that.
EJ: Well, Im very happy to hear that, but at the
same time, she actually could do a good job.
BE: She could lets put it this way. She certainly
could do a better job than other people that are
involved...
EJ: She is a proper individual. And let me tell
you, you are the luckiest man, other than me,
on this planet. Because Fabiana is an ace.
BE: Its because we both deserve it.
EJ: Best decision you ever made in your life?
Marrying Fabiana. Ill answer that one for
you yes. Boy, I tell you what. She must have
a Labrador and a white stick. How the hell she
ever married you is beyond belief honestly.
BE: My charm. [chuckles]
EJ: Like I said, she must have a Labrador and a
very big white stick.
BE: I tell you what. You should know because youre
not much bigger than me
EJ: I wear bigger bigger heels.
BE: But I suppose, in fairness, it probably doesnt
apply to you, but this hidden talent ... [stands up].
I wont wear shorts. [waves crotch at EJ]
EJ: Actually, those trousers are very tight on
you, Bernie. [chuckles]
CT: What do you see as the future of F1? Would
you like it to be more competitive, more
even-handed, more...
BE: No Our sport is ruled whether its for good
and bad, or whatever, for technical things. Theres
lots of teams out there that could and should have
done better if theyd have had technical things. I
suppose in the end that basically revolves around
how much money theyre gonna get. I mean, lets
be realistic about that. I think Mercedes when it
started the engine [development] didnt have a
budget. It spent. And then lots of teams dont
and cant. I mean Red Bull, for example, that
won four world championships, didnt know the
word budget, and its a case that it hadnt got the
ability to have the engine that it should have had.
Because somebody else [Mercedes] had the engine,
wouldnt let them have it, because they didnt
want competition.
CT: So if you could write the script of F1 going
forwards, would you limit budgets and help the
smaller teams to get the competition back?
BE: No, Id just make sure they all had, frstly, the
same power its good that theyve got the same
tyres, so now its a case of do they need to build
their own chassis or not? We said in the meeting
some time ago, when there was the liquidator of
I put out fires,
and if there
arent any,
I make them
one of the teams unfortunate enough to spend
more than they got, and I was saying then
Ill tell you what Im prepared to do. Ill supply
all of you with engines and chassis, and give you
35 million a year to race, and this guy was the
liquidator. He said, We want to be constructors.
[bangs table] I thought [air out of teeth] I could see
the problems we have.
EJ: Bernie, for someone to take over from you
in these 25 years that youre talking about, its
going to be near impossible. Surely you need
to take somebody on and guide them through
that, Bernie. Do you need to take somebody
on fairly soon?
BE: To do what?
BERNIE ECCLESTONE
EJ: To learn from you. Because who knows
what you know?
BE: Yeah, but Im no teacher. And I think, you
know, the way I do things would be difcult to
teach somebody to do. They need to get another
good used car dealer. Thats what they need. Find
a good car dealer.
EJ: Whats the worst decision you ever made?
BE: Im thinking about it, because Ive made so
many. I dont think theres any one worse than
the other. Theyre all pretty bad.
EJ: Selling Brabham?
BE: No. Probably when I gave things to Slavica,
you know the shares of the company, and things
like that. And she put it all in trust and the trust
sold the shares. Um, would I turn the clock back
if I could and so I still owned the company
completely? Probably yes. It probably wasnt a
good decision, but it was the decision that had
to be made. Was I happy that I made it? No.
EJ: Theres only one picture of a car in your
ofce. I think its Carlos Pace in the Brabham
BT44. Is that an indication of what the greatest
time in Formula One was for you?
BE: Well, I think so, yeah, sure. Not the car. The
people that we were dealing with. Not the people
in Brabham, the people like you, Ken, Colin
Chapman, Mr Ferrari, all those people yeah.
EJ: And the greatest driver? Jochen Rindt your
favourite ever the greatest driver?
BE: Well, because we were very close, and we were
partners, and we were friends and everything, I
would say Jochen, yes, but I think if you said to
me who I think has been the greatest driver
Id say Prost.
EJ: And most people would say, er, Senna
or Michael. Are you doing that just to be
controversial, or what reason do you give
for that?
BE: No, because Michael had a lot going for him,
team-wise, and he always had another driver in
the team who was helping him. For a certain
period, it was the same for Senna, whereas
Prost never had that luxury. He always had
competitors with him. I mean, he had Senna,
and he had a few other people. So I think youd
have to say perhaps its difcult to say but if
you go across the whole lot, Id think Id probably
have to say Prost.
EJ: Which of all the cars in your collection is
the one that if the place was on fre youd want
to save frst?
BE: I think maybe the BT49 which Nelson won the
championship with. Probably, only because of that
reason, I suppose. But otherwise I dont get excited
about cars.
EJ: Bernie, thank you for your time today.
BE: My pleasure.
This interview was conducted on 5 July.
As we went to press, Eddie and everyone
at TopGear were pleased to hear the kidnap
situation involving Bernies mother-in-law
had reached a safe conclusion.
TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 089

 DB11 ACROSS EUROPE
Bad decisions
make good stories.
A wise man once told me that. Well, I say wise,
it was actually Rowan Horncastle somewhere
in the back end of Romania after several pints
of Plop, or whatever the local lager was called.
I shant elaborate on where the evening took
us from there, but the point is this: if theres
even a shred of truth in Rowans mantra, then
this story was destined to be a winner from
the start. Why? Because it began with a very
poor decision indeed.
Wouldnt it be cool if we drove the DB11
to Athens? an overly enthusiastic member of
the TG team proposed. Really? When for 100
easyJet will fold you into an orange tube and
have you there in less than four hours? A quick
Google confrmed it was a road trip of frankly
idiotic proportions, but support for it was
swelling by the minute. And when we spotted
an opportunity to serve our country in the
ambitious but rubbish way only TopGear
knows how, it was all but signed and sealed.
This would be a post-referendum diplomatic
mission, an opportunity to pass through as many
European countries as possible and galvanise
future trade relationships with our neighbours
not only by smiling, waving and politely
sampling their strange cuisine, but by parading
past them in a shining example of UK design,
engineering and manufacturing at its very best.
Oh, and it would be rude not to stop by some of
Europes best driving roads on the way through
The journey would begin in Brussels, a
farewell to our EU comrades, before passing
through Maastricht in Holland birthplace
of the single currency. From there we planned
to take in Luxembourg, France, Germany,
Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Austria, Italy,
Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Romania,
Bulgaria, Macedonia and Greece on a 3,500km
cannonball run via 17 countries. This hastily
scribbled schedule was barring any unforeseen
09 2 SEPTEMBER 2016 J TOPGEAR.COM
circumstances, of course, such
as car trouble, surly border
ofcials or the requirement
for humans to sleep.
Still, it would be an
adventure. Collins defnes
an adventure as: a risky
undertaking of unknown
outcome, suggested things
were unlikely to go smoothly,
but at least we had the tool for the job. The
DB11 is Astons all-new 2+2 grand tourer,
designed to dispatch kilometre after kilometre
with silken grace, but with the ability to
summon up a ballistic turn of pace and
decent agility when you swap your brogues for
Alcantara Stig boots. A DB11 and a racetrack
should neer meet, but if the roads open to the
public, consider it monstered. This road-bias
philosophy and front-engined, rear-wheel-drive
formula are a thread from the DB bloodline, but
the DB11 is the start of a new chapter.
A new, stifer bonded aluminium chassis,
mildly infated dimensions over the DB9, new
600bhp twin-turbo 5.2-litre V12 engine,
clean-sheet styling and a new electronic
architecture supplied by Mercedes are the
headlines, but its what this car signals thats
important: A fresh start for Aston, seven cars in
the next seven years including a new Vantage,
Vanquish, DBX crossover, multiple Lagonda
saloons and a certain AM-RB001 hypercar and,
according to the sums, a return to proftability.
Aston has to build the most beautiful cars in
the world (the words of its CEO, not mine) and
sitting here in car park P1 at an endlessly grey
Brussels airport it is, by and large, a beautiful
thing although massively spec-dependent.
New roof strakes available in bare aluminium,
body colour or black (like our test car) run
from A- to C-pillar and can transform the car
from elegant to gaudy in one click
of your mouse. The proportions,
however, are quintessential Aston.
I prefer the rear, emblazoned with
those boomerang LED lights, than
the front, where the grille has a slight
overbite, but its classy in a way a
Ferrari F12 just isnt, to my eye.
The DB11 even dips its toe in the
muddy waters of aerodynamics. That
Vulcanesque cut-of side strake looks
means but also releases pressure from the
front wheelarch, while at the rear, air is forced
through intakes in the C-pillar, into the bootlid
and out through a slit, creating a vertical jet of
turbulent air that acts like a virtual spoiler.
Whether it works or not is secondary to the
genius of the idea.
More pressing than swage lines and surfacing
right now is whether we can ft Rowans three
outrageously weighty cases of camera equipment
and my one masterfully packed piece of hand
luggage into the car. Aston proudly claims that a
65mm longer wheelbase, 28mm more width and
an overall length increase of 50mm next to the
DB9 frees up 10mm more headroom in the front,
plus 54mm more headroom and 87mm more
legroom in the rear. All you need to know is
those rear seats are still more for bags than real
people. Even little ones.
I shant bore you with all the gritty details of
our drive on day one other than how similar
Belgian, Dutch, Luxembourgish and French
motorways look on a dank Monday, and how
adept the DB11 is at making 100 miles feel like
100km. Instead, we fast-forward to 3pm and
the spiralling D431 in the verdant Vosges
region of France, where with 550km under our
belts the DB11 appears to have jettisoned its
magnifcent V12 and replaced it with a diesel
engine. This is not ideal.


t

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t

tt

 We are on the ascent when it happens. Its as
if 500 of the 600bhp have evaporated, the turbos
are no longer spooling and the engine wont rev
past 3,000rpm. We limp it to the nearest lay-by
and dial the ffth emergency service Astons PR
department. This being a pre-prod prototype
theres a red kill switch in the centre console
thats been tempting us ever since our departure.
Now were instructed to press and release it,
and like magic were back up and running for
precisely four minutes before it happens again,
this time with an engine warning light and
perturbing splutters from the exhaust.
As luck would have it, theres an Aston
engineer three hours away, just south of
Stuttgart, who scraps his plans and rides to our
rescue. In the morning, we learn its a software
issue, not anything physically
broken (huzzah!), and were
free to plough on. Just one
problem, we are supposed to be
in Innsbruck by now, but thats
a further fve hours down the
Weve been driving for
eight hours straight,Ihave
sandundermyeyelids
09 4 SEPTEMBER 2016 J TOPGEAR.COM
road. On a positive note, it gives us plenty of
time to assess the DB11s Mercedesifed interior.
Theres a handmade quality to most things
you touch, like the brogued leather on the doors
and the stitching around the satnav screen. Flick
the metal paddles with your fngernails, and
theres a reassuring ting, ting, likewise the cold
burred surface of the volume dial on the squircle
steering wheel. A digital instrument cluster and
an infotainment system lifted wholesale from
Mercedes defnitely bring the car up to date, but
also cheapen it slightly after all, anyone can
have digital instruments these days. Id prefer
a physical dial with more detail for my 155k,
at least for the tachometer. And is it just me,
or are those doorhandles a bit, erm, phallic?
You sit low... very low, should you wish.
You may notice a cornering shot with only my
substantial forehead visible above
the wheel. Dont worry thats
how I roll, and the visibility is
excellent, besides the fat A-pillar
getting in the way when youre
pulling out of side roads. But look its an Aston,
its swathed in expensive materials and now the
on-board technology is up to date and actually
works. Id call that a win. What we need to get
to the bottom of is this new engine, and our
next stop should have the answers.
We leave France and cut the corner of
Germany, before dropping down through
Switzerland, kissing Lichtenstein, blasting
through Austria and turning right at Innsbruck
towards the Dolomites. Made that sound pretty
easy, didnt I? By the time we arrive at the peak
of the Valparola Pass in Italy for an emergency
pasta lunch, weve been driving eight hours
straight, and I appear to have fstfuls of sand
under my eyelids. Whats kept me alert is
endless tunnels, each a perfect opportunity
to drop the windows and critique the sound
of this new blown V12.
First the numbers, because with 600bhp
at 6,500rpm and 516lb ft of torque at 1,500-
5,000rpm, its the most powerful Aston to ever
wear the DB badge. And for something weighing
 DB11 ACROSS EUROPE

WouldSircarefor
distant,gutteral
thunderorstormyroar?

Behold:theDB11sperfectrump.
Beforewespoileditwithour
childishstickers.Sorry,Aston

DB11corneringonthe
ValparolaPass.Notmuch
roomforerror...

TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 095

 t t t


 DB11 ACROSS EUROPE

ASTON MARTIN DB11

Price: From 154,900
Engine: 5204cc
twin-turbo V12,
600bhp @ 6500rpm,
516lb ft @ 1500rpm
Transmission: 8spd
automatic, RWD
Performance: 062mph
in 3.9 seconds, 200mph
Economy: 25.0mpg,
265g/km CO2 (est.)
Kerbweight: 1770kg

Hairpins, the antidote to

thousands of brain-numbing
motorway kilometres

TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 097


1,770kg dry (10kg more than the DB9), 062mph
in 3.9 seconds and 200mph fat-out is pretty
damn impressive. Inevitably, though, it doesnt
have the same depth of aural character as its
6.0-litre naturally aspirated predecessor. Climb
past 3,000rpm, the point where the turbos really
come on song and the thrust starts to peak,
and theres a wall of sound the kind only 12
thrashing cylinders can generate. Its a booming,
snarling upsurge thats worth listening to all the
way to the 7,000rpm limiter, but theres less
complexity, fewer layers, no grumbles and bangs.
To begin with, Ill admit, its a slight
disappointment, but you can tweak the intensity
of the soundtrack via the three driving modes
GT, S and S+ and considering the more mature
nature of the DB11 compared with
the inevitably sharper Vantage and
Vanquish models still to come, its
a promising starting point. As for
performance, its a big step on.
You can fnd the turbo lag if you hunt for it, but
mostly you have unseemly amounts of shove
constantly poised under your right foot. On
the motorway, the engine doesnt much care
whether your cruising at 50mph or 150mph, it
ticks over silently, utterly unstressed. On a fast
B-road, you fnd yourself instinctively asking for
the next gear from the eight-speed ZF box at
around 4,500rpm, because why gnaw at the
bones when theres so much meat in the middle.
Although bewitching in its beauty, the
Valparola Pass isnt a great ft for the DB11. Up
here, the narrow roads, woven between soaring
jagged towers and teeming with two-wheeled
missiles, only highlight that a sports car the
DB11 is not. It feels wider than its lane and rolls
too much to be able to place with any accuracy
in the hairpins. You can frm
things up by dialling the
adaptive dampers through
three separate modes (also
DB11 ACROSS EUROPE
called GT, S and S+), and body control becomes
noticeably tighter without nuking the ride, but
this isnt the road for cutting loose, more for
pretty pictures. Those in the bag we point our
nose towards Zagreb, via Slovenias impeccable
motorways, for another 500km stint.
We roll up to the Croatian border around
10.30pm wearing our sweetest, please-dont
cavity-search-us smiles, and hand over our
passports. Up until this point, borders have been
marked with nothing more than a blue star-
spangled sign by the road, but Croatia is the frst
of the non-Schengen EU states. The ofcials
demand to see an original V5 document for the
car; all we have is a photocopy. Crap.
We plead, we beg, I ofer Rowan as a slightly
chewy human sacrifce, but they wont budge.
With the original doc back at Astons HQ in
Gaydon, our only hope is to slink back to the
Slovenian capital, Ljubljana, for the night, plot
a new and even longer route through Hungary,
Moments before a highly
embarrassing multiple-point turn
Austin Powers would be proud of
TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 099

 DB11 ACROSS EUROPE

Romania, Bulgaria and Greece, and pray those

borders are manned by Aston fanatics. Ill be
honest, after 19 hours on the road, being turned
around at the eleventh hour has impacted on
team morale. Conversation is sparse.
With a few hours sleep in the bank, our
outlook is decidedly rosier. If we push our fights
home from Athens back by 24 hours, we can do
this; if we dont get thrown in a cell at the
borders, we can do this; if we get a large amount
of Red Bull and Pringles, we can defnitely do
this. We head east and sail through the unpoliced
Hungarian border and into Budapest our frst
big city encounter. The tourists and locals
respond, taking pictures and grinning their
approval as we creep across the extraordinary
Chain Bridge, built in 1849 and rebuilt a century
later. We thank them by playing George Ezras
topical chart-topper at full blast through the
1,000W B&O stereo. Childish, but necessary.
Once clear of the congestion, we bomb south
to the Romanian border, and for a moment its
Croatia all over again. The ofcial wants to see
Check out those puppies!
the original documents, and storms of to consult Oh, I thought you meant
his superior. When he returns hes waving his something entirely different
fnger wildly, clearly a Romanian signal for Pants
down, youre coming with me, but whats this?
He hands back the passports and is actively
encouraging us to boot it away from his booth.
Therell be no burnouts here the gearbox
software wont allow it, but we give him a
full-blooded launch before he changes his mind.
We awake in Resita, the town of paragraph
one fame, and plot a cross-country route hoping
to see small towns of mosaicked houses, stray
dogs and moustachioed locals. Within minutes,
The DB11: goes like a train
Im ecstatic that we did. In every sizeable road and corners like its on rails.
trip there is a turning point, a moment where a Sometimes literally
bond is formed or forever broken, and on the
57B south of Resita, the DB11 and I take our
relationship to the next level. Wide, well sighted
and with only a few horse-drawn wagons for
company, the road barrels through wonderfully
lush countryside and draws out the very best in
the car. With the dampers and powertrain in S+,
the DB11 shows how hard it can grip, and how
responsive the throttle and steering can be.
You have to manage the weight, brush the steel
brakes a touch earlier than you think slow in,
fast out but time everything right and theres
an efortless fow to its movements like a
second row with the dexterity of a ballerina.
Dont, and you sense the weight lurching to the
outside tyres and pushing the suspension to its
limits, but at no point does it feel overly stif; this
is a car designed to fex with the road, even in its
most aggressive settings.
On the other side of the border, the Bulgarian
roads are a diferent story entirely. The main

TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 101

 DB11 ACROSS EUROPE
Ah, the azure Mediterranean,
seafood fresh from the boat...
Damn,werelateforourplane

artery to the capital, Sofa, is narrow, riddled

with potholes and were forced to weave around
behind slow-moving lorries watching our ETA on
the satnav creep steadily up. Were due to meet
the team from TopGear magazine Bulgaria, who
weve scrambled to help with some photography,
and when we pitch up were thrilled to fnd the
road theyve picked is smooth. So smooth in fact
that its like driving on epoxy resin. Traction
control of, and I fnd myself executing perfect
drifts at 20mph, whether I like it or not. For the
record, I like it, a lot, and Rowan has to drag me
away to reach out fnal hotel in Sandanski, just
north of the Greek border.
The feeling when were waved through by
ofcials the next morning is pure relief; mission
complete, were into our 15th and fnal country.
Now all that stands between us and hopefully
some sleep, is a gentle run down the east coast
and into the capital. Within 5km, were pulled
over by the police for speeding. Fortunately
theres no mention of impounding the car, just a
hefty fne that the policeman reduces from 350
to 100 because I know its difcult to go slow in
a car like this. Consider it our contribution to
the ailing Greek economy. We set the cruise for
bang on the speed limit and tiptoe the fnal few
hundred km, the trip computer clicking over the
4,000km mark an hour before we arrive in Athens
for a photo call with the Acropolis.
We are broken men. Dont get me wrong
the car, besides a minor reliability blip, has
been a soldier and turned brutal mileages into
manageable bite-sized chunks, but humans are
simply not designed to sit on their backsides for
fve days solid. Could we have done this in a
The mighty Parthenon was no
matchforJacksbingowings. Five
Ferrari 488, or a Ford Fiesta even? Probably,
days eating crisps will do that yes, but wed have been in even worse condition
at the end. And thats where the DB11s USP lies
that on the right road it can turn in a virtuoso
performance, but also swallow countries whole
at a steady 25mpg.
And what of our diplomatic mission?
We wont be expecting a letter of thanks from
Theresa May anytime soon for our contribution
to the economy, but as far as the UK car industry
is concerned, its obvious our stock is still high.
We lost count of the impassioned compliments
for the car along the way, in a rainbow of diferent
languages; one particularly adoring Athenian
was even moved to tears when we parked up
opposite his street stall. Europe as we know it
might be changing, but even in the light of the
companys brave new dawn, the universal love
for Aston is not.

Total:
4,124km
(2,563 miles)

1 02 SEPTEMBER 2016 J TOPGEAR.COM

 C63 IN IRELAND

In 1903, Mercedes won its first major motor race, the Gordon Bennett Cup.
In 2016, we travel the same Irish route in Mercedes-AMGs newest, raciest
model, the C63S Coupe, to find out how things have changed
WORDS: TOM FORD / PHOTOGR APHY: MARK RICCIONI
TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 103
Can a modern Mercedes-AMG super-
coupe hold a candle to a racing car
from 113 years ago? Time to find out
Contrary to expectation, Ireland is sunny. Hot, Mediterranean-feeling
heat, where you can feel your skin prickling with the expectation of a rosy
glow. Except when it isnt, which is when the rain cannons down like a
tropical storm fat, heavy raindrops blurring the landscape in a brief,
vicious deluge. Bipolar weather: the eternal northern European
conundrum. Were in the Wicklow Mountains National Park just south of
Dublin, fring Mercedes-AMGs newest Edition One C63S Coupe down
narrow, single-track roads that really only barely qualify as such, the
gorgeous Irish countryside laid out before us like Gods own patchwork
quilt. It might be pretty, but this is not, it has to be noted, utopia for a
fast car. No wonder Ireland produces such world-beating rally drivers,
because the way that these roads work with their faky cambers, startling
mid-corner bumps and random narrowness blockaded with uncharitable
lumps of rock, are the ultimate test of every dynamic parameter.
Including the driver. Merc-AMGs newest, raciest Coupe is more than
up to the test, but a large Mercedes lifting a wheel on a mid-corner
bump before segueing happily into a gentle sweep of oversteer feels
slightly more risky than it should, given the lack of run-of. But general
hooliganism isnt the point. Were on the way to a tiny rural village called
Athy, to begin a little adventure. An adventure that started 113 years ago.
This is a story about two very fast Mercedes, a long-lost motor race
and a man called Camille Jenatzy. A Belgian engineer, racing-car driver
and adventurist who held the world land-speed record three times in
the late 1800s the last in January of 1899 when Jenatzy, at the wheel
of his electric CITA 25 La Jamais Contente (The Never Satisfed), ran to
105.88kph. Sounds painfully slow these days its only
about 66mph but in reaching that milestone, Jenatzy
not only made use of the worlds frst purpose-built
land-speed-record car, but became the frst person to
travel at more than 100kph (62mph). Sufce to say, he
was a bit of a legend, willing to push boundaries for no
reason than they were there to be given a decent shove.
But Jenatzy was also famous for his later racing exploits in piston-
powered cars, most notably Mercedes-Benz contemporary Simplex
in the Gordon Bennett Cup of 1903. Bear with me here, because this
is all relevant. The Gordon Bennett Cup was established in 1899 by a
fabulously rich American publisher called James Gordon Bennett, and it
was a kind of forerunner to modern GP F1, except based on geography,
before racetracks were invented and when Bernie Ecclestone was
probably only middle-aged. Each country could enter three cars in each
race, but they had to be entirely manufactured in their country of origin
to excruciatingly exacting rules. The winner of the previous years race
then received the honour of hosting the following year, and so on. Which
is where it gets interesting. Because in 1902, a rakish chap called Selwyn
Edge won in a British-built Napier, meaning England got to be the next
home nation. Except for one problem: back when the motor car was still
considered impossibly new-fangled, road racing was illegal in England.
The British Isles was not to be defeated, mind. Ireland stepped up
as a possible venue, and letters went out to MPs, peers, councils, railway
companies... and eventually the cordial Irish changed their laws so the
1903 GB Cup could be hosted across the Irish Sea. In honour of this,
the British cars raced in Shamrock Green, which later became adopted
as British Racing Green but I digress. Jenatzy turned up to the startline
on the Ballyshannon crossroads near Calverstown, County Kildare, in
Mercedes most sporting model, a 9.2-litre, 60bhp four-cylinder Simplex
a car borrowed from a customer after a fre at the factory destroyed his
12.7-litre, 90bhp race-spec version a car driven from Germany only the
day before. And so began what can only be described
as an epic motorsport moment.
Fast-forward to 2016, and the crossroads could
be the same. Apart from new-fangled Tarmacadam
and the weight of modern trafc, the views from
the innocuous little intersection breathe life into
the notion of the Emerald Isle. Its very, very


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 C63 IN IRELAND

green. The roads are largely straight on the Gordon Bennett route a
nod to safety concerns when motorised transport was still very new
and consisted of a pair of loops: a 52-mile circle that took in Kilcullen,
Kildare, Monasterevin, Stradbally and Athy, and another that fickered
40 miles through Castledermot and Carlow before heading back to
Athy, with three laps of the eastern and four laps of the western circuit.
Back then, 327-odd miles of racing was as much about reliability as
speed, and Jenatzys engine developed by Maybach, no less was
well up with the pace, if not the power.
The modern AMG is something else altogether. With the 4.0-litre
twin-turbo from the AMG GT, this wet-sumped V8 in S format
manages 503bhp and 516lb ft over eight times the power of Jenatzys
Simplex. It weighs about 850kg more but still, in 1903, a car capable
of 062mph (his world-land-speed record, dont forget), in just 3.9
seconds and a top speed of 180+mph with the raised-limiter option into a heaving, writhing nightmare. But as we have been discovering,
engaged, would have seemed impossible. A thing of fantasy. And thats simply not the case for the C63S two-door, because unlike the
although its not painted German Racing White Mercedes wasnt Simplex, you can change its character at the fick of a switch.
associated with the colour silver until much later this Edition One Initially, Sport+ mode feels too stif, but after a while, you realise
gets matte grey/green paint and yellow stripes. Racy enough. that you just have to drive a bit harder. As with a lot of the more
Ireland is the real challenge. Where Jenatzy and his competitors had aggressive sports cars, the more pressure you put on the suspension
closed roads marshalled by 7,000 police ofcers, club stewards and even especially the rear set-up the more compliant and useful it gets,
army troops, the new, modern roads over a century later are largely and the Coupe feels much more than just a two-door C63S saloon.
policed by clotted trafc and less accommodating local law. The smaller The tracks are wider (73mm at the front and 46mm at the rear), and
side roads shrink rapidly, swallowing down into single track in places, that rear suspension is an entirely bespoke multi-link arrangement
and are flled with the wayward mess of camber, bumps, potholes, and that seems perfectly calibrated to want to keep the C63 foor-mounted.
walled with thick hedges. Not the kind of place youd want to be racing Yep, so Track mode really does get too much even to the point that
a car with wooden 12-spoke wheels like Jenatzys Simplex, and the kind mid-corner bumps can have the car skipping but theres so much
of thing that youd think would turn a very powerful four-seat coupe confdence that the whole thing never really feels especially sketchy.

MERCEDES-AMG
C63S EDITION ONE
Price: 68,070
(standard S) (73,000
approx. for Edition One)
Engine: 3982cc
twin-turbo V8,
503bhp @ 5500rpm,
516lb ft @ 1750rpm
Transmission: 7spd
automatic, RWD
Performance: 062mph
in 3.9secs, 155mph 503bhp, 516lb ft
Economy: 32.8mpg, sounds like a pretty
200g/km CO2 perfect gift to us....
Kerbweight: 1800kg

C63S AMG goes for

the lowrider look.
Not for long, mind

TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 107

 Rollinggreenpasture,
narrowroad,absolutely
zerorun-off.Eeeek

Dublin

Limerick

Cork

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CAST
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GORDON BENNETT ROUTE RMO
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MOTORWAY

CAR
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DoingaJenatzyina
modern-dayMerc-AMG.
Stillabitterrifying
THE GORDON BENNETT ROUTE:
1903 BROUGHT TO LIFE
It might not be a racetrack these days, but travelling
the very same roads that Camille Jenatzy raced
on is not only possible, but a brilliant little Irish visit.
Ferries to Dublin run from Holyhead or Liverpool,
and once youve arrived in fabulous Dublin, the
route itself is only a couple of hours away its also
signposted just follow the brown signs with the
vintage racer and theres plenty of history to
ponder. The modern route isnt exactly the most
picturesque in Ireland, so the best idea for some
views and more challenging driving is to detour
through the Wicklow Mountains National Park, like
we did. Head south out of Dublin towards the Sally
Gap and beyond on the R115 old military road, and
a few hours traversing these gorgeous moorland
views will leave you in no doubt as to how beautiful
Ireland can be. As long as the weather holds out
we experienced every season in about ten hours.
We also drove pretty much all of the park, using the
R115, the R759 and R755, routing down towards
Glendalough and then up the R756 towards
Granabeg and Hollywood. Not that one, the one in
County Wicklow. Suspension will get a workout, so
very low cars are not advised. Once there, youre
only about 40 minutes and a quick nip down the
N78 to Athy, which sits at the relative centre of the
two loops used in the 1903 race. Then just cruise the
route and marvel at the men and women who raced
with no seatbelts, airbags or ABS. Stirring stuff.

Itshardnottofeel
humbledbythosewho
havegonebefore
Obviously you can skid about if you want to (516lb ft sets light to pretty
much any tyre bonfre), but if youre just wanting to maintain progress,
then the C63 Coupe feels confdent and competent. Friendly, even. Add to
that an engine that plays a musical scale from distant, gutteral thunder to
stormy roar and a mine-deep delivery that never leaves you in the wrong
gear, and this becomes an easy car to feel a connection with.
God knows what Jenatzy had to deal with. Where this modern Merc-
AMG comes with carbon-ceramic brakes as standard brakes that would,
if not for seatbelts, smack your face into the steering wheel the initial
route north-east to Kilcullen and then south towards Carlow and back
north-and-vaguely west to Athy would have tested both him and the car.
Brakes on a Simplex consisted of a hand-lever-operated set of drums on
the back and a foot pedal that slowed down the chain drives intermediate
driveshaft meaning that simply bringing the car to a stop would need
some careful co-ordination. Mechanically, everything was prone to
overheating immediately, which led to water-cooled brakes (not a modern
invention), and one assumes that brake fade could literally threaten
ones life. The modern Merc-AMG equivalent sufers no such issues, and
with the Irish countryside throwing up some particularly challenging
situations for the suspension to deal with, it lends weight to the thinking
that to go fast, frst you need to be confdent that you know how to stop.
Its hard not to feel humbled by those who have gone before. This
Merc has the ability to make the average driver good and the good driver
even better. But it has modern safety architecture and lots of life-saving
help even if the systems are relatively unobtrusive. Jenatzy had a set
of overalls, goggles and skill. A competitor at the event reputedly
commented afterwards: Throughout the seemingly endless series of
curves, Jenatzy kept his foot to the foor. He skidded at breakneck speed
around the corners, often only narrowly missing the bordering walls in
the process, as was shown by his skid marks. I could not imagine that
he could keep up this daredevil driving style for very long.
C63 IN IRELAND
And yet he did. Jenatzy kept the hammer down, completing the very
route were now driving on, at a scarcely believable average speed of
79.24kph. At 45mph, thats faster than we manage it, even with 503bhp.
Of course we had to stick to speed limits and were driving on a public
road instead of a closed course, but still in 1903, that kind of driving on
these kinds of roads isnt just good, its legendary. It gave Mercedes-Benz
its frst-ever major international racing success, a tradition the likes of
Hamilton and Rosberg are happily continuing. It was a victory that
forever cemented Jenatzys relationship with Mercedes and reputedly
caused him to comment that he would die in a Mercedes-Benz.
A throwaway comment that proved sadly prescient: according to
the New York Times, on 8 December, 1913, Jenatzy was hunting with
friends when he decided, somewhat unwisely, to imitate an animal
while hiding behind some bushes. A bit of a daft joke, seeing as one
of his party then promptly shot him, and he died while being
transported to hospital in, you guessed it, a Mercedes.
But his legend lives on. Its the reason we spent a happy few days
thinking about those brave men and women back at the Big Bang of
motorsport. Seeing what a century of progress has done to the motor
car. And yes, its made them faster, and safer and more brilliant in every
way. In fact, Id go so far as to say that Mercedes-AMG, with the C63S
Coupe, is still making the best of the breed Id rather have this than,
say, a BMW M3. But as it turns out, this is more than just a story about
two fast Mercedes separated by a hundred years. Its about the spirit of
discovery. Adventure? Its all about comfort zones and doing something
new. Pushing boundaries and yourself, but sometimes just fnding a fresh
perspective from the vantage of experience. Camille Jenatzy knew how
to do exactly that, in a big way. More than a hundred years later, a good
story about a man called Camille and a very fast Mercedes reminded
me how to do it as well. Sometimes following in the footsteps of giants
is humbling and an adventure in itself.
TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 109
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 One of the earthbound originals lives in Alfa
Romeos wonderful new museum; its arguably
the best-known example of Tourings patented
superleggera lightweight manufacturing
technique and aluminium-beating artisanal
prowess. Alfas factory test driver Consalvo
Sanesi frst took to the track in a Disco Volante
on 11 June 1952, eventually piloting the thing
to a streamlined, aero-assisted speed of 140mph.
One can only assume that, back in Coventry,
William Lyons and Malcolm Sayer were paying
close attention, because the Jaguar D-type
that emerged two years later and went on to
dominate Fifties sports car racing bears a
notable resemblance to the Italian.
Clive actually owns an Ecurie Ecosse D-type,
along with an ex-Stirling Moss Ferrari 250 GT
SWB and an ex-Gianni Agnelli (and Touring-
bodied) 166 MM Barchetta. The man clearly
has exemplary taste, and his latest acquisition
is further proof. One only has to look at some
of the questionable Ferrari special projects cars
to know that, even with creative freedom and
bountiful resources, some people still manage
to fall into a feld full of aesthetic booby traps.
Not here. The DVS generates so much
charisma, its difcult to know where to begin.
As wide as a Range Rover, its body really is almost
saucer-shaped and faunts the basic tenets of
stance and proportion so fagrantly that it simply
shouldnt work. But it does, brilliantly. Its also
much more than just an open version of the
Touring DV coupe (TG issue 250). The roof is a
two-piece carbon-fbre creation (the panels weigh
3.5kg each), the design of which necessitated a
complete reworking of the windscreen. The
top half of the car now fows seamlessly into
dramatic seat fairings which are reinforced with
carbon, resolving into a rear end whose volumes
look almost impossibly cool. Cool or not, the
sculpted taper on the DVSs rear really would be
impossible if it werent a handcrafted, bespoke
special. Its one of the reasons I love working
at Touring, Louis says. I can do things like
this. Its also a 360 job. We have to take care
of everything, and the fnished car represents
10,000 hours of engineering efort.
We visited the Touring HQ back in February
to see the DVS in fnal assembly during the
countdown to its Geneva show debut, and met
the guys who take sheets of aluminium and
fashion them into heart-stopping curves armed
only with a hammer and expertise. This is what
youre buying, and buying into. The DVS is more
than a car, its part of a priceless continuum.
Its also why Clive elected to go this route,
rather than pick up an of-the-peg supercar.
Ive never owned one, and I have no intention
of ever doing so, he tells me frmly. I visited
Touring to look at the coupe and asked Piero
[Mancardi, the boss] why they hadnt done a
spyder. He said, Well, why dont you? So I fell
right into that one
Beecham, as Ive discovered over the years
Ive known him, is a stickler for detail. The DVS
is well-nigh perfect in this regard; although the
SUPERLEGGERAS
cabin is Alfa 8C, there are ally strips on the sills, SUPERMEN
unique body colour inlays in the doors, and even
HANDMADE IN MILANO
Plexiglas inserts in the seats that pulse gently
with light when you unlock the car. The seats
themselves are trimmed in buttery-smooth
Connolly leather. Theres a little wing between
the fairings, inspired by the Spitfre. Louis likes
that detail, but not as much as Clive. I pushed
them a bit on that one, he concedes.
Its also meant to hark back to the days when
Agnelli and his jammy playboy ilk genuinely did Once the body-in-white is complete, the
car enters Tourings world-class paint shop
tour grandly, usually on nocturnal assignations
with willowy heiresses or casino croupiers. So
theres storage space inside, and a frankly huge
boot under that vast, sweeping rear canopy
(also made of carbon composite). The luggage
matches the interior, natch.
Best of all, though, is the quality of execution.
Tourings in-house paint-shop is so good
Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce frequently use it,
DVSs carbon boot sits in front of wall of reference
and the rest of the car is as glossy and lustrously images. Client reserves right to alter details
fnished as the exterior. Theres one teeny squeak,
and thats your lot. I guess perfection is part of
the deal, as it would be if you were having a suit
tailor-made or even forking out for a pricey
kitchen, but cars can be tricky things to get right.
Few things are more likely to induce heart
palpitations than driving someone elses
multi-million pound one-of supercar onto
an Italian tangenziale rammed with hire cars Once the panels have been created, they are
and mercenary 18-wheelers. But despite its size, positioned on a jig to ensure best fit on chassis
the DVS is user-friendly. And fast. Its powered
by the Alfa 8Cs Maserati-derived, Ferrari-
assembled 4.7-litre, 450bhp V8, so theres huge
personality here, too, the basso profundo
soundtrack amplifed by the absence of a roof.
Even the gearbox the 8Cs Achilles heel is
quicker-shifting and less lurchsome than I
remember. Besides, you can drive around the
DVS is a handcrafted creation. Missing bonnet
torque interruption, and somehow it feels OK
is also made of carbon fibre
in this car anyway.
Over the rhythmic thump of superstrada
expansion joints, theres no sign of any serious or
even semi-serious structural wobbles. This is a
beautifully engineered motor car, underpinned
by 90 years of tradition (there was a gap from
66 to 08, but lets not dwell on that). Theres
no reason why it shouldnt work; Touring has
all the CAD tools and runs all the industry- Owners have choice of logo on the scudetto
standard CFD analyses. (which means little shield)
But as we pass from Emilia-Romagna
into Tuscany, and the roads tighten, our
pace intensifes. We meet a trio of old Italian
gentlemen, one of whom points to the car and
says, Numero uno! Turns out hes good friends
with Italian rallying superstar Sandro Munari.
Into and out of the little villages and towns, its
almost as if a fying saucer has landed. Tourings
Disco Volante is more than just another car. Its Painted car awaits final fitment of badges
and trim. No room for butterfingers here
out of this world.
TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 115
The dream to democratise space travel
draws ever closer to being realised.
Time to meet the team making it happen
WORDS: CHARLIE TURNER / PHOTOGR APHY: ROWAN HORNCA STLE

TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 117

 110,000m
Maximum altitude. Wings
upercar ownership or becoming an astronaut? Not a question feather after rocket burn
many of us will have to grapple with, but for those with the
S disposable income to buy a serious toy, Virgin Galactic is
ofering an even more extreme way to spend your hard
earned... Sure, having a 488, 650S or Huracn on the drive would open
up a boundless set of opportunities for four-wheeled adventure. But how
about trading all that to explore space? Driving at 200mph is all well and
good, but 3,000mph buys you more bragging equity at the bar.
Being able to say youve (almost) slipped the bounds of the planet,
travelled at Mach 4, spent fve minutes weightless while staring at Earth
from a perspective that, until now, has been the preserve of 536 people,
is a swap defnitely worth considering. As VSS Unity is rolled out in
front of its enthusiastic audience at Virgin Galactics HQs in Mojave,
Im contemplating what it must be like to have the luxury of that choice.
Unity is pulled into place in front of the mothership, WhiteKnight, by a
pristine white Range Rover, with Galactics founder, chairman and project
evangelist, Richard Branson, protruding through the sunroof and waving
enthusiastically. Today marks a signifcant milestone in a difcult journey.
At 10:51am on 31 October, 2014, VSS Enterprise, having dropped from
WhiteKnight and fred its rocket motor, sufered a catastrophic failure 11
seconds into the burn, when its feathering system deployed outside of 100,000m
Passengers become astronauts
operational parameters. This resulted in the tragic loss of pilot Michael
once they reach the Krmn line
Alsbury, and debris being spread across a 35-mile area of the Mojave desert.
Somewhat miraculously, Peter Siebold, the second crew member,
survived the 10-mile fall to Earth. In a feat Iron Man would be proud of,
he was knocked unconscious when Enterprise broke up and when he
came round he was battling -70C temperatures, a lack of oxygen and a
desperate need to extract himself from the pilot seat he was still attached
to. Free-falling and dipping in and out of consciousness, he managed to
free himself and came round as his parachute deployed automatically.
It has been tough,
A subsequent National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) investigation
revealed the cause of the accident wasnt mechanical failure, but human.
but ultimately
Inexplicably, Alsbury had unlocked Enterprises feathering system at
Mach 0.92, not its intended speed of Mach 1.4, the aerodynamic pressure
overcame the motor that controls the wings as the craft went through the
I think we can make
sound barrier with catastrophic consequences. Some began questioning
the safety of the craft and Bransons capability to deliver space tourism.
a real difference
When you think of space travel, especially Bransons take on it, you
imagine a 2001: A Space Odyssey style production facility but, like many
boundary-pushing businesses, the reality is somewhat removed from the
fantasy. Virgin Galactic is based at the Mojave Air and Space Port. While
sounding glamorous, its actually a set of nondescript low-tech huts set in a
dusty wasteland 100 miles inland from LA. But their outward appearance
belies the cutting-edge work, engineering and creativity that occurs inside.
Ahead of Unitys glittering reveal, I caught up with Galactic CEO George
Whitesides and asked what they had learned from the accident.
I think we took this all pretty seriously before, but it [the accident]
drove a hard line underneath how serious what were doing is. Where we

172,000 for five minutes

of weightlessness...
A high price to pay?

14,600m
Spaceship is released from
WhiteKnight. It drops 200ft
before starting the rocket burn
 VIRGIN GALACTIC

Former chief
of staff at Nasa
and now CEO of
Virgin Galactic,
George Whitesides
is responsible for
making your next
holiday a space one

are today is where the X1, the X2, all that early stuf happened. There
were a lot of challenges and bad days during that time, but we now
have the advantage of the work that they did 50, 60, 70 years ago in
the high spectrum. Whats interesting today is that the government
has become much less risk-tolerant. The tolerance of risk, of trying
important innovations, has moved over to the private sector. When
we get there, were going to have a system that is really safe, thats
capable of dozens of fights a year. That will be a remarkable thing.
One would never want this to happen, but any anomaly that you
have in a test-fight programme should make your vehicle better.
Thats the whole point of it... to learn as much as you can about your
vehicle, so that when you actually start fying commercially, those
problems or challenges have been driven out of the vehicle.
Following the NTSBs fndings, the feather system now has a
mechanical pin that prevents it being engaged unless its within the
right parameters. Additional assurance comes from the fact that Unity
is the frst craft to be built by The Spaceship Company, Bransons
manufacturing and testing team, which has taken over from Scaled
Composites which had led that side of the project until the accident.
As it stands, 700 people have signed up to go into space, and
bought the 172,000 ($250,000) ticket. Following the accident,
Whitesides says they lost a dozen potential astronauts, but Since
then, everybodys just sort of hung on in there. And hanging on in
there is a common theme. Branson founded Virgin Galactic in 2004
and predicted in 2008 that frst fights would occur in the next 18
months. Over a decade since its formation, its a brutal fact that
natural selection is having a more profound efect on the client base
than aptitude in the vomit comet during astronaut training.
Branson is a natural showman, and the launch and reveal of Unity
is timed to coincide with his granddaughter Evas frst birthday. After
an introduction from Professor Stephen Hawking a signed-up future
astronaut Bransons son, Sam, christens Unity with Eva breaking a
bottle of milk over the ships nose. Its predictably well judged and
while Alsbury and Siebold are respectfully mentioned, the focus is
very clearly on the future, not the past.
Unity is a truly beautiful thing, and the assembled crowd walk
around and touch it, all the while in the shadow of WhiteKnight, the
mothership, that will take Unity and its cargo of future astronauts
to 14,600m before releasing her to cover the remaining distance on
rocket power. As I marvel at the simplicity of the design, its probably
worth a quick recap on what a thrill ride you get for your 172k.
The process starts with several days training at Galactics facility
in the stunning Norman Foster-designed Spaceport America, which
includes some parabolic fying unpleasantness and time in the high-g
centrifuge (the equivalent to being strapped to a propeller). Pass that,
Flights take off from and youll be ready to fy, at which point I hand over to Whitesides...
Spaceport America
The team will have been up half the night preparing the vehicle
(loading the solid HTPB fuel and nitrous oxide oxidiser) getting all


You cant get
to space from
Heathrow, so you
have to come here:
Spaceport America,
New Mexico. Dont
forget to pick up
your duty free
on the way through
the fuids loaded and checking things out. Well wait until the last moment
before we load the passengers and well take of and go north, with WhiteKnight
fying a fgure of eight until we reach 14,600m above Spaceport. Unity will then
be released and will ignite the rocket motor. The trajectory is very vertical, the
burn is about a minute and you pull about 3.54g, but then you have so much
momentum youll keep going up for quite a long time. We have a rocket engine
that tails of at the end because, if we didnt do that, youd be out at 8g.
At this point, passengers will be at 110,000m, having become astronauts at
the 100,000m (62-mile) mark as they pass through the Krmn line. Interestingly,
where space starts is something of a debate: FAI (Fdration Aronautique
Internationale) says 62 miles, but the USAF considers 50 miles enough to earn
your astronaut wings. Big jessies. The passengers will experience weightlessness
and view our planet from a rare and truly privileged perspective. But not for long.
With the whole journey taking about two hours, door-to-door, the time spent
weightless is around fve minutes, before they have to be back in their seats. Given
how tricky it is to get people to sit down on the 08:00 Ryanair fight to Malaga,
there may be issues telling the astronauts the ride is over and its time to go home.
Most people want to co-operate because they want to be safe. The other thing
is if they dont sit down, they will because its a multiple-g entry, says ex-Nasa
pilot and now Virgin Galactic test pilot Michael Sooch Masucci, whose fight
CV includes T38s, U2 (good for high-altitude training) and the Space Shuttle.
In short, hes a man youd trust.
With everyone back in their seats and the wings feathered, Unity begins
its descent. At 21,500m the ship morphs into a glider as the wings defeather
for the fight home. While the passengers have become astronauts and enjoyed
a life-changing experience, arguably its the pilots that get the best deal. So,
whats it like to fy a 3,000mph rocket-powered glider? Back to Sooch:
With modern aircraft theres a lot of things between you and the fight-
control surface. This is raw, just you and the fight-control surface. Its pure
you are moving the controls and the controls move back on you. Its very well
designed, its very sweet in its control harmony and its responsiveness. You
ask it to do something and it does it very well.
VIRGIN GALACTIC
As the crowds disperse, Branson is staring up at his creation. I grab the
opportunity to talk to the man himself. Is this the hardest thing youve done?
Yes. We embarked on this 10 years ago, expected to have it all completed
within fve years, so its taken a lot longer than weve expected. It has been tough,
but ultimately I think we can make a real diference, and were determined to do
so and have a lot of fun in the process.
Ive met wonderful people, like Buzz Aldrin and others, and each one of them
was completely changed from their time in space. Earth is the most beautiful
planet that we know exists. Being able to see it from space, and realise how
precious it is, I think, is important to get as many people as possible to do.
But Bransons vision goes way beyond awe-inspiring views. His wider
aspirations for the project include usurping commercial airliners for long-haul
trips and revolutionising point-to-point travel eventually.
Our spacecraft are built with wings. Most rockets that go into space, theyre
rockets. Our planes have got wheels, and the reason for that is that we want to be
a proper spaceship that goes into space, comes back, can land again and use this
as the pioneering vehicle for point-to-point travel at tremendous speeds. Its a big
challenge. This vehicle can do 300 or 400 miles, point-to-point, already. Going
from that to 3,500 miles across the Atlantic is a lot of work, then going from that
to crossing the Pacifc, 6,000 miles, is going to be even more work, but it is doable.
We want our programme to make a diference, so apart from taking people to
space, weve got to be putting 800 satellites into space that will connect millions of
people who havent got internet or wi-f access, and thats an exciting part of this.
And after space, wheres next? Down. Theres a trench just of our island
which is 30,000 foot down, called the Puerto Rico Trench. Its the deepest place in
the Atlantic. Once this is fnished, Id love to try to build a craft with windows that
could go down there so you could see whats going on. And with that, hes gone
to celebrate the launch of his spaceship and his granddaughters frst birthday.
It would be easy to dismiss Virgin Galactic as a vanity project for the rich
elite, but it is so much more ambitious than that. Pushing the boundaries and
striving to democratise space, while prototyping supersonic point-to-point travel
opens up far greater possibilities than delivering the ultimate thrill ride. It takes
a visionary, unwavering focus to turn these distant dreams into realities. For the
price of a supercar, the next generation of astronauts will have made a signifcant
contribution to the next generation of transportation and communications and,
for that, they and the team in Mojave should be celebrated.
TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 121
 HILUX IN NAMIBIA
On 5 September 1909, the
Eduard Bohlen ran aground
on a sandbank at Conception
Bay on Namibias Atlantic
coast. In a desperate attempt
to dislodge her, the captain
reversed the engines, but
sand had clogged the cooling
system and they seized. All
30 people onboard made it
safely to shore, and a tug was
summoned from Lderitz.
1 24 SEPTEMBER 2016 J TOPGEAR.C
COOM
M
But in the fve days it took to arrive, the sand had welded the Bohlen
into position and the chain they threw across snapped. At that point the
2,272 tonne, 310ft freighter that ran supplies from far-of civilisation to
the remote diamond camps on this desolate coastline was abandoned to
her fate. The Eduard Bohlen was another victim of the Skeleton Coast.
For a while, as the sands shifted and the sea withdrew, she was used
for storage and accommodation. After all, the Bohlen was the biggest
man-made object for well over a hundred miles in any direction. But
then the mines were abandoned and, as it always does in this hostile
environment, nature moved in. Salt and sand have eroded the ship
to a loose agglomeration of rust in a little over 100 years.
Its an eerie sight when it frst appears out of the drifting sea fog that
made this coast so treacherous, a crumbling hulk now home to nothing
more than bleached bones, hyena leftovers.
Id envisaged this as the end of our journey rather than the
beginning: the nearest thing man has to a ship of the desert paying its
respects to the ship in the desert. Were a days drive south of Walvis
Bay, a day since we departed anything that resembles infrastructure
or civilisation or evidence of man. Literally nothing. No black top, no
radio stations, no phone reception, not even a vapour trail in the sky.
Just the Hilux. Its the eighth-gen model, now claimed to be more
refned with car-like NVH levels, a tougher ladder chassis, improved
of-road abilities and a more efcient 2.4-litre diesel. But in essence
nothings changed this is the vehicle that keeps remote parts of the
world turning. From outback farmers to South American loggers, the
Hilux is the weapon of choice. Literally in more testy corners of the globe.
We left Walvis Bay yesterday. Our guide, Paul Lombard, met us at the
airport and led us to two fully loaded Hiluxes, his and ours. Ours is bog-
standard: Euro-spec Bridgestone Dueler tyres, standard intakes and
flters, no extra sump guards. Just a Hilux. His isnt. His last-gen 2015
model has been modded with winches, bull bars, guards, a snorkel, the
works. We drove fve miles, reached the coast, gawped at the famingos
while dropping the tyre pressures to 1.0 bar, engaged Power mode to
 HILUX IN NAMIBIA

Suspect that this drag

race is going to be an
easy win for the Hilux

The locals give the

Hilux their, wait for it,
seal of approval. Arf

Salt water holds

no fear for the
intrepid Hilux

TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 125

 rs

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TOYOTA HILUX
2.4D-4D INVINCIBLE
Price:26,173
Engine: 2393cc 4cyl TD,
148bhp @ 3400rpm,
295lb ft @ 1600rpm
Transmission: 6spd
automatic, 4WD
Performance: 062mph
in 12.8secs, 106mph
Economy:41.5mpg
(11.5mpg as tested),
178g/km CO2
Kerbweight:2095kg
a fair bit up here, so we end up scouting on foot before fnding the
right set that lead back down into camp. Its a warning.
The following day, we continue south, past the wreck of the trawler
Shawnee that ran aground in 1976 and onwards to the Eduard Bohlen.
The weather is overcast, the wreck is brown, sad and lonely and the
Hilux sounds bored as it rumbles up to it reaching here was meant to
be the challenge, but the Toyota has barely broken sweat or traction.
An anticlimax, then? Far from it. Its utterly surreal.
We have a careful walk over the crumbling wreck (the stern only
collapsed a year or so back) and formulate a plan. We need to test the
Hilux properly, so were going to go deeper into the desert, back past
the mining camps to the tallest dunes, some 20 miles distant.
This is why a few hours later, I fnd myself in mid-air. I have
departed the desert, achieved temporary orbit over the crest of a dune;

1 28 SEPTEMBER 2016 J TOPGEAR.COM


Ive winded myself
and Im pretty sure
Ive killed theHilux
behind me I can sense all the luggage on the back seats rising up as
gravity stalls sand is not soft when you hit it at 45mph. Everything
explodes: the glovebox pops open, the weightless bags turn instantly
to lead, my back crunches into the seat and my stomach muscles seize.
Ive winded myself, and Im pretty sure Ive killed the Hilux. The load
bay is full of tents and gas canisters and extra fuel and toilets, theres
no way the leaf springs could have coped. Im pretty sure the only way
back to civilisation now is for us to be strapped to Pauls Hilux.
Not a single warning light. Not one. The diesel still sounds bored.
Right, if it can cope with that
The desert is now our playground sandpit, as Paul leads us on to
other adventures. We surf down near-vertical slip faces, the only
warning of their impending arrival is when I see the rump of Pauls
truck tilting up to the sky, then I tip over to join him, crawling down
HILUX IN NAMIBIA
these sheer slopes, axle deep, pushing slow avalanches of sand ahead of
us. We run vast bowls, banking over to daft angles. In the biggest, the
size of a football stadium, I follow Paul in, the speedo nudging 70mph,
the horizon canted over to a ludicrous degree, heart in my mouth,
everything compressed, sucked like water down a plughole before
exiting with a whoop of sheer, unbridled relief.
No part of this scenery is of-limits, so we try everything. We
plunge into deep holes where the fossilised sand shows through at
the base, we lock it into 2WD and attempt to coax enough power
from the engine to drift, we stand at the top of mammoth dunes
and survey the possibilities. And sometimes we get stuck. The frst
thing to learn about sand driving is that power matters. The second
thing to know is that there comes a point where it doesnt. And at
that point, delicacy is everything.
JusttheHilux,thesand
dunesandthenever-ending
embraceofthenightsky
TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 129
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Sand, which youd been pounding over to stay on top of will
apparently dissolve and swallow you to the belly pan and then
you have to gently, slowly rock the car back and forth to try to
compress a path out. On some occasions it takes much coaxing
and many runs, reversing back, then getting a little further each
time; on others we need Pauls tow rope.
The tyres are our issue. The 265/60 R18s may be broad and plump,
but they dont have an open, blocky enough tread pattern to bite at the
loose surface. Penrich moans about the placement of the front towing
eye under the bumper, I complain about the gearbox. Its a six-speed
auto and wont shift into low range on the fy. Left in low range we
have a top speed, engine screaming, of about 40mph, which doesnt
give us enough momentum to get up the biggest dunes. The box
doesnt respond promptly to manual shifts either, but I still reckon
its quicker than the manual would be.
Theres so much to learn about the sand, too. Its frmer in the
mornings when its moist on top (60 per cent of the 15mm of annual
precipitation in the Namib desert, the second driest on Earth, comes
from fog), frmer also where the wind compacts it. But there are
diferent types of sand: theres one type that we dont sink into at all,
but has precisely no lateral grip, but telling one from the other, or why
ridges develop in some places but not others... no idea. Paul, whos
been brought up driving in these dunes his whole life, has a sixth
sense for it. Perhaps Im over-thinking it, but only because the
Duelers seem to struggle with so much of it.
A set of sand tyres like Pauls Hilux is wearing, and I reckon ours
would be near unstoppable. It feels properly tough, but its a stretch
to consider it as habitable as any other SUV. The plastics are stark,
the interior utilitarian its not family transport. But neither should
it be. Sand is everywhere, dragged in by our feet or churned up by
the spinning wheels, but we dont mind itll brush out. This is a
workhorse, and its working.
And its role is utterly vital. Rescue (via satellite phone) is a long,
long way of when there isnt a single human within 100 miles of our
position. Namibia is careful with its tourism on average only one
trip every two weeks is allowed out into this vast, vast area, and with
the exception of ash and urine, everything that goes in has to come
back out. Everything.
HILUX IN NAMIBIA
The plastics are stark,
the interior utilitarian.
Sand is everywhere
The Hilux is our lifeline; at night ours powers the shower, Pauls runs
the lights and cooking and a windbreak is strapped between the two. No
longer is it a hoon machine, something to play with, now its our most
vital bit of equipment, our survival blanket we are utterly dependent
on it. As we sit around the fre that night, burning wood weve carried
with us, drinking cold beer and eating meat, salad, bread and fruit,
before showering and crawling into a padded roll mat, I realise how well
the Hilux is looking after us. I resolve to treat it better the next day.
We had hoped for a stunning sunrise, but 20 miles inland isnt
enough to escape the cloud bank. The high dunes end abruptly, so
we drive to the top, stand among the crisp wind-blown folds and
watch the wall recede, then chase it back towards the coast.
If we needed a reminder that this phenomenal place is more
than just an of-road playground, it comes as we pass through the
mining settlements at Warsasha and Conception Point. Abandoned
before WWII, each used to support 600 or so hardy souls whod
fnd diamonds on the surface, literally sifting through sand on
their stomachs in 45C heat. Talk about a bleak, stark existence.
These are haunting places, their nearby graveyards a testimony
to the brutality of the Skeleton Coast.
Imagining the life those people had out here tempers our
enthusiasm, casts a diferent light on this environment and how man
intrudes into it. We walk in silence past the corrugated iron and the
restored shack that commemorates the sacrifces made here. Its
tempting to consider how a Hilux would fare left out in this corrosive
environment for a hundred years. Well, I suspect; certainly better than
most other SUVs. Because like this place, like the Eduard Bohlen itself,
the Hilux is designed and built for a more primal existence.
Not another soul for
10l miles. Apart from
the photographer, obvs
THANKS TO: PAUL LOMBARD AT SIDEWINDER 4X4 NAMIBIA,
AND HEIN TRUTER AT WWW.LIVETHEJOURNEY.CO.ZA
TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 1 31

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Long summer days see a riot of
lush purple lupins sprout from
apparently barren land
140 SEPTEMBER 2016 J
are hayfelds again, and the road is bounded by
vivid purple lupins and a blue ocean beyond. The
sun arrives, a blazing saturated contrast to the
low-key tones that have washed most of the day
so far. At length what looks to be a bank of low
cloud forms on the distant horizon. In fact its
our frst view of the Vatnajkull, a glacier the
size of Norfolk plus all four Yorkshires. Swirly-
outlined chunks of deep turquoise ice foat lazily
away into the meltwater lagoon. They have a
story to tell. This ice cap is so big, it has an
active volcano underneath.
Now the land goes fat and gravelly, Route 1
aiming along it as straight as light rays, doing
nothing to stave of my fatigue. Except every few
miles it crosses a braid of glacial meltwater, and
because it carries so little trafc the bridges are
single-width steel-girder structures. Each time I
slow down to burble over the crossing, and then
2017 GT-R has a tidier
drop to second and foor it. The V6 flls its lungs,
dash. and plusher finish. the rev-counter swings, change-up lights glow
Audi still not scared orange and red, it grabs another gear, and in no
time another, and again. Better than cafeine.
Rain is driving back at us now, and with it
comes a powerful sense of night impending. Yet
it never comes; dim never surrenders to dark.
West of Vk, sinister black-sand beaches are
crowded with nesting seabirds. At Skgafoss
another towering waterfall photo-stop.
Afterwards, a slowly increasing frequency of
habitation. Eventually a short stretch of dual
carriageway. Then at last Rejkavik.
Our trip has
become an
Icelandic social-
media meme
Yeah, were going the reverse The sky says 8pm; the clock says just before
direction here. Wasting time to midnight. Made it. We return for our fnishing
bring you the perfect shot
photo to the point in front of the glassy new
opera house where, 21 hours and 898 miles
earlier, wed called it a start. The day passed
at a surprisingly reasonable 27mpg because we
hadnt wanted to make a high-speed spectacle
of ourselves. Probably just as well, because
several cars now stop and phonecam the GT-R.
Theyve been expecting us. Our trip has become
some sort of Icelandic social-media meme,
and weve been Snapchatted multiple times
over the circumnavigation.
One single day, one country, two continents,
and the powerful suggestion of other planets.
Steam and ice, mountains and plains, endless
swings of weather and climate. This might
be the frst visit by a GT-R to the country,
but in all those circumstances, on all those
highways and tracks, it never felt the slightest
bit out of place.
TOPGEAR.COM


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 EDITED BY OLLIE MARRIAGE

TopGears long-term cars. Tested & verified

152
Audi R8

145 Zenos E10S 147 Mini Clubman 148 Range Rover SVR 150 BMW M3
Jack is about to undergo two life changes We welcome a stuffed-to-the-gills Clubman Jason pays a visit to JLRs SVO division The M3 is off. Time for a last blast to Dartmoor
TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 1 43
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Zenos E10 S
Price 32,995/39,995 Model E10 S Driver Jack Rix Why its here Is this the most liveable lightweight you can currently buy?
1999cc, turbo 4cyl, RWD, 247bhp, 295lb ft 38.5mpg, 190g/km CO2 062mph in 4.0secs, 145mph 850kg

Remember the Zenos E10? Allow me
HELLO to refresh your memory: its the latest
addition to a growing roster of British lightweights and
star of episode fve in the most recent telly series. And
now we have an already run-in one in our possession...
for a few months, at least. We plan to use it as its
designers intended, of course, but itll have to deal
with all the mundane bits in-between, too. And this
isnt just an exercise in self-fagellation for the sake of
it: the E10 is pitched as a more usable alternative to
the usual track special suspects. But theres a problem
already our Zenos sucks.
No, not like that. Im talking about the air intake
located millimetres behind the drivers head that
amplifes every rush, hiss and chirrup from the turbo
directly into your lughole. Lift of at 30mph, and its
as if someones opened a can of Coke the size of a
wheelie bin in your immediate vicinity. Its great fun
for the frst ten minutes, then comes the splitting
headache, so Ive taken to wearing earplugs for any
journey longer than that. Ollie Kew even had a friend ask
him to turn the noise of because it was scaring her.
I suspect this will be just the frst of a number of
compromises Ill be facing, but I must remember I
entered into this willingly. You see, with my wife
expecting in December, I lodged a request to run
something fast and unruly before sick-stained baby seats
become my new reality. For the record, I live in south
London, work in west London, and have to navigate
at least 20 miles of speed bumps and jams before
encountering anything resembling a driving road.
Approach it from the vantage point of an Ariel Atom
or Caterham owner, and the bodywork and windscreen
ofer glorious semi-seclusion from the wind and rain,
while the cabin is palatial and wont roast your left thigh
against the transmission tunnel. Approach it from the
vantage point of any other car, and this is a fairly
extreme undertaking. It has a roof (part of the 2,295
GARAGE LOGBOOK
weather pack that includes the heated windscreen and Good stuff Bad stuff
wipers, its largely to keep the seats dry if parked outside This thing The four-step
overnight) but no windows and no doors you step over accelerates hard. start-up procedure
Yep, 247bhp is a bit much. Cant
the sides before clipping into the six-point harnesses. driving just 850kg we just hit the Ford
Luggage space is limited to the passenger seat, or if tends to do that starter button?
youre two-up, your passengers lap, while theres no
If you like getting Six-point
satnav, no brake servo, no power steering, no radio noticed, then our harnesses hold
(you wouldnt hear a thing anyway) and no aircon, Kermit-spec you in place firmly
E10 S makes jaws enough, but three-
but you are treated to heated seats (245 per side) hit the floor. Just point belts would
so your bottom is lightly toasted while the wind get used to saying be so much quicker
frosts your front half. what it is and easier

Living with the Zenos is going to be a challenge. Lets TOTAL MILEAGE AND OUR MPG
hope the good stuf outweighs the cold and wet bits. 0
0 0 2 4 9 9 1 21.7

TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 1 45

Audi A4 Avant
Price 35,430/43,920 Model 2.0 TDI S line Driver Adam Waddell Why its here Is the all-new A4 really as conservative as it looks?
1968cc, 4cyl turbodiese0, FWD, 187bhp, 295lb ft 65.7mpg, 113g/km CO2 062mph in 7.9secs, 143mph 1530kg

The question that has headed this column
GOODBYE for the past six months is Is the all-new
A4 really as conservative as it looks?. One couldnt really
argue that the styling has moved on a great deal since the
last model, but its still a good-looking car. In any case,
Audi styling tends to gently evolve over time as a result,
the cars date slowly, which is an important consideration
if youre thinking of buying one and sticking with it for a
few years. And then theres the handling...
Those of a sideways persuasion in the TopGear
ofce moan that the A4s handling isnt as pin-sharp as a
BMWs 3-Series and, though they may have a point, this
is a 2.0-litre turbodiesel estate, and youre not going to
choose one of these if getting the back end out around
roundabouts is your thing. But thats not to say that
the handling is soft it just leans a little more towards
comfort than out and out handling, and thats fne by
me. So far, so conservative but in a good way, as far
as Im concerned.
One area in which Audi isnt remotely conservative
is adopting new technology, and it is known for fast-
tracking the latest ideas throughout the range. For
instance, Audi Phone Box will wirelessly charge your
mobile, and Ive had great fun fguring out how Trafc
Jam Assist works. And work it does, as efectively the car
will drive itself. Though, to be honest, once the novelty
had worn of, I didnt actually use it again. But it does
make the point that truly autonomous cars are closer
than some might think, and if there is new technology
that can be applied to a 30 grand car, then Audi is as
likely to be ahead of the curve as anyone.
Our test car came in S line spec and, as with VWs
R-Line, I reckon its well worth the money. For an
additional 3,000 over the basic SE model, you get
upgraded seats, alloys and a styling kit, which along with
a host of other features completely transform the cars
exterior looks. That goes for the interior too, although
Audi has always punched above its weight in that
GARAGE LOGBOOK
department. For my money, Audi interiors are the best Good stuff Bad stuff
in the business, and the S line doesnt disappoint. It has S line package Im a massive fan of
a smart layout and quality, tactile materials, such as is well worth it Audi interiors so
makes such a why does the main
beautifully perforated and stitched leather. difference both nav screen look like
A few months ago, another car magazine that shall outside and in an iPad Mini glued
to the dash?
remain nameless voted the new A4 its Best Compact
I love the drivers
Executive Car and also its overall Car of the Year. I can dash that can Considering every
see why. Its a brilliant all-rounder and, if you spec it also be used as other detail is so
an alternative nav well thought out,
right, it has the air of a much more expensive car. Perhaps screen. I actually its a surprise there
Audi has played it a little on the safe side, but it hasnt use it more than isnt more useful
compromised on quality or overall capability, and Ive the main nav cabin storage

thoroughly enjoyed our 5,000 miles together. The A4 does TOTAL MILEAGE AND OUR MPG
everything that is asked of it, and if you are thinking of 0
0 0 5 2 3 0 1 37.1
owning one, I dont think youll be disappointed.

146 SEPTEMBER 2016 J TOPGEAR.COM

Mini Clubman
Price 23,310/34,285 Model Cooper S All4 Driver Paul Horrell Why its here In moderating its eccentricities is this still a Mini?
1998cc, 4cyl, 4WD, 192bhp, 221lb ft 40.9mpg, 159g/km CO2 062mph in 7.0secs, 142mph 1525kg

The 34,000 Mini is here. No, not a We have a big glass sunroof. Sunroofs harm the
HELLO limited-edition, JCW hatch running cabin acoustics and usually rattle after a while, so Id
expensive semi-race componentry. Its an over-optioned
GARAGE LOGBOOK have avoided that 800 spend. At least my back-seat
Clubman. Still, the Clubman is a bigger car these days, Good stuff Bad stuff kid likes the glass overhead.
and this example has All4 drive. Audi wants similar Consumption In search of That makes seven cabin openings. At last the Mini
not bad for a kart-like feel,
for a comparable A3 quattro. Clubman has proper side doors, and being wider than
mid-size petrol, steering is light
The JCW Chili pack is 3,865 and brings 18s, mild at 33.6mpg. at centre, so it the old one, it has a three-person rear. Good. But I still
body kit, sports seats, LED headlamps, heated seats Mostly motorway easily wanders in dont get the double tail doors. You cant open them if
at, shall we say, motorway lane
and some smaller bits. Were also rocking the other 70mph plus VAT
youre parked close to another car or wall. What was
big-ticket pack, called Tech, at 2,150. This adds fancier Related Journey wrong with a hatch again?
nav and hi-f, better Bluetooth, a reversing camera and Interior still Mate app has Nice to be in a petrol car. Its pleasantly quiet most
Mini-ish, but good points but
head-up display. The HUD is useful. Sos the camera more grown-up opaque to use of the time, but makes an OK noise when you rev it
because those split doors block vision. out. However, it doesnt feel worth the Cooper S badge,
But the navigation upgrade is a waste of money though: the 192bhp has to work hard to overcome the
because it lacks the one thing all good navs have: hi-res TOTAL MILEAGE AND OUR MPG 1,525kg weight a staggering 165kg penalty over FWD.
trafc. You only get this via a clunky and slow app on the 0 In the dry, All4 is pointless, but well see how it helps in
0 0 1 5 8 9 1 33.6
central screen, which draws data from your phone. Boo. the wet over the long-term.

TOTAL MILEAGE AND OUR MPG

Mazda CX-3
Price 20,495/21,035 Model Sport Nav 2WD Driver Dan Read
Why its here Has Mazda made the worlds best little crossover?
I know its annoying when people
REPORT 4 go to Glastonbury and spend the
next month telling you about it, but hey, sometimes
I can be annoying. Besides, I have an excuse,
because I snuck the Mazda in to see how it coped
with the famous poo-mire.
My main worry wasnt getting stuck, but getting
stuck and having to explain that even though it looks
like one this particular CX-3 isnt a four-bee-four, as
0
0 0 4 2 8 7 1 37.7
they say in the West Country, and that someone
should fetch a tractor immediately.
Actually there was no need despite being FWD
(theres a 4WD elsewhere in the range), it does have
two off-roady tricks up its sleeve. Firstly, its light, and
therefore light-footed. Secondly, it rides a useful 5cm
higher than the Mazda2 on which its based, and that
allowed it to skim over the furrows that trapped other,
lower cars around me. Much to their annoyance.

1998cc, 4cyl, FWD, 118bhp, 150lb ft 47.9mpg, 137g/km CO2 062mph in 9.0secs, 119mph 1230kg

TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 1 47

Range Rover Sport SVR
Price 95,150/102,635 Model SVR Driver Jason Barlow Why its here Does JLRs first SVO model hit the spot?
5000cc V8 scharged, 4WD, 549bhp, 502lb ft 22.1mpg, 298g/km CO2 062mph in 4.5secs, 162mph 2333kg

A year ago, a Renault Zoe sat on the a relatively slow, extraordinarily comfy car. The Range
HELLO driveway. Now theres this. The Range Rover Sport SVRs portfolio of abilities includes lapping
Rover Sport SVR is the anti-Zoe, a car that makes the the Ring in 8:14, an impressive achievement Im glad I
neighbours angry, consumes more of the worlds dwindling wasnt on board to experience. Im also not sure quite
natural resources than is seemly, and actually caused a how relevant it is back on Planet Not-Bonkers.
man in a posh North London enclave to shake his head Well, the bigger picture here revolves around JLRs
in dismay as I drove past. (He was probably en route to SVO division, the Midlands answer to AMG, M Division
his local Labour party champagne tasting.) or quattro, now at full tilt in a 20,000m2 bespoke industrial
Its the noise. The Sport SVR has a two-stage active unit near the old Peugeot-Talbot plant in Ryton. Luxury,
exhaust, and bigger-diameter pipes than the standard car. performance and capability are the three key parts of its
Electronically controlled bypass valves keep everything manifesto, and the RR Sport SVR is the frst production
discreet until around 3,000rpm, at which point it lets rip car to get the beneft of this semi-skunkworks makeover
with an aural ruckus you imagine a thousand Vikings (discounting the limited-run Jaguar Project 7). This
kicking in Valhallas front door would make. makes it signifcant.
To be honest, this isnt really my sort of car. Im not SVO also manages the controversial continuation
against big SUVs; in fact, I ran a turbodiesel Discovery E-type lightweight and XKSS programmes, and the
a few years ago and still regard it as the best all-rounder expectation is for the place to become a client destination
assuming you have kids and a dog, or a genuine need for on a par with, say, Afalterbach. TGs Sport SVR arrived
Land Rovers famous breadth of capability. But that was already pre-loaded and specced (with 12,000 miles on
GARAGE LOGBOOK
the clock, too), but anyone in the market for a 100k Good stuff Bad stuff
high-performance SUV ought to get themselves along JLR is chasing The Sport SVR is
the A45 near Coventry pronto. Its an awesome place. AMG-style not what youd call
ber-engineering a poster boy for
Personalisation director Greg Clark admits that most depth with its SVO scarce resource
people spend the frst 30 minutes experimenting division, and this management. Its
thing certainly also a car thatll
cocking about, in other words. Our car is Firenze red, but
feels like the real swallow more than
there are 287 other exterior colours to choose from, and deal. Itll also 100 of unleaded
30 diferent leathers. The process is done on a huge tablet- defy physics, if in one sitting. Gulp.
you really want But its averaging
style MultiTaction table, onto which colour lozenges and it to 1.3g peak around 22mpg,
interactive widgets are positioned to project a rendering cornering? which isnt utterly
of the car onto a big screen. disastrous. Erm

This isnt just about buying a car, this is a next-level TOTAL MILEAGE AND OUR MPG
customer experience. Lets see if the Sport SVR can 0
0 1 2 9 5 0 1 22.1
recreate the magic on a daily basis.

148 SEPTEMBER 2016 J TOPGEAR.COM

Renault Kadjar
Price/as tested 23,595/24,120 Model Dynamique S Nav dCi 110 Driver Simon Carrington Why its here Can it out-Qashqai a Qashqai?
1461cc, 4cyl TD, FWD, 108bhp, 184lb ft 72.4mpg, 103g/km CO2 062mph in 11.7secs, 112mph 1421kg

The Nissan Qashqai is a bit like Usain Kadjar is also taller, so, getting in and out is also easier. And
REPORT 4 Bolt. Yes, there are other athletes and in the world of practical SUVs, thats a big advantage.
there are other SUVs, but at the end of the day, Usain Bolt
GARAGE LOGBOOK The Kadjar is newer, of course, and so you would expect
always wins, and so does the Qashqai. It is consistently Good stuff Bad stuff the interior to be a step forward. Thats not really the case,
the UKs best-selling SUV and the Nissan Qashqai is the Am averaging We all know though there are lots of fat dark plastics in the Renault
45mpg. Given SUVs are
countrys ffth best-selling car this year. We Brits love SUVs, and design-wise its a bit bland. The multimedia screen is
Im mainly town- sensible, but they
so its no wonder that manufacturers have got the Nissan based, thats dont have to be strangely of-centre, and in the Nissan there are hints of
in their sights, not least Renault. pretty good dull too. Sadly, I chrome all over which make it feel a bit more premium.
dont find myself
As I reported previously, I am one of those Qashqai MMI is intuitive approaching
Renaults multimedia set-up is better, the satnav more
owners, but my frst impressions were that the Kadjar could and easy to use the Kadjar with intuitive and we also have a digital display so, tech-wise,
take Nissans crown. However, with a few months of running anticipation... the Renault is a clear winner.
Key card is
the Kadjar under my belt, is this still the case? wonderfully My biggest disappointment with the Kadjar is the drive,
On the looks side, if you like curves youll prefer the sculpted (but though. There is not much to split the 062mph times, but
easy to lose!)
Kadjar the Nissan is much more angular. Of far more dynamically the Nissan wins.
importance, however, are the comparative sizes. The Kadjar TOTAL MILEAGE AND OUR MPG Its a close call, and with the Hyundai Tuscon and Mazda
is 8cm longer, the boot has an extra 30 litres capacity and 0 CX-3 also on our feet, there are other pretenders to the
0 0 4 9 9 2 1 44.8
front and rear seats are more spacious than its rival. The crown, but like Usain Bolt, dont bet against the Qashqai...

TOTAL MILEAGE AND OUR MPG

Peugeot 308 GTi 270
Price/as tested 28,155/29,920 Model GTi 270 Driver Ollie Kew
Why its here Does Peugeots first family hot hatch in two decades cut la moutarde?
Meet the 308s enemy within. Do
REPORT 3 you remember the 208 GTi 30th
Anniversary? A 22k limited-edition supermini with
stiffer ride, a proper diff, a tickle more power and
bucket seats. It was a revelation. A genius step
on from the supple, subtle 208 GTi. So pleased
with it were the suits, its become a full-time range
member, dubbed Peugeot Sport. Bet the fans that
shelled out for the limited edition were chuffed.
0
0 0 3 1 0 0 1 31.4
Where the 208 PS succeeds over Peugeot Sports
308 GTi is focus. It upgrades the normal GTis
agility, traction, driving position and stance but
its not been hamstrung with garnish. No massage
seats here. No glass roof. A human-sized driving
position. Still a tiny steering wheel, but its more
appropriate, more usable, in the pocketable 208.
Its a sensation. If these seats and this tenacity had
made it into the 308, wed be getting along better.

1598cc, 4cyl turbo, FWD, 266bhp, 243lb ft 47.0mpg, 139g/km CO2 062mph in 6.0secs, 155mph 1205kg

TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 1 49



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 Price 56,505/64,560 Model M3 Driver Ollie Marriage
Why its here Which side of the lairy/liveable line does the M3 live on?
2979cc, twin-turbo in-line 6cyl, RWD, 425bhp, 405lb ft
232g/km CO2
1. Winter tyres were the
same size as summers, but
came on polished silver rims
2. New exhaust system had
titanium finishers. Could
have had carbon but this
looked better with the
paintwork 3. Toothless
played chase car when we
drove the first Focus RS
back to the UK 4. Lapping
up the Valparola Pass in
Italy. Happy Toothless!
wishes I hadnt added (in issue 284) was the
3,599 M Performance exhaust. This removed any
criticism of the M3s fake engine note, and I love
the extra intensity, but its so penetrating that its
managed to loosen a nut somewhere, and theres
IMAGES: ROWAN HORNCASTLE/MARK RICCIONI/OLLIE MARRIAGE
now a zzzzzing noise at low revs.
Other issues? Squeaky door seals were rectifed
with GT85 but will need another reapplication
soon, the windscreen was replaced post crack, and
on a couple of occasions recently the infotainment
has refused to fre up. The frst service is still 2,500
miles away I never cease to be amazed by how
far relatively highly strung machines can now go
between check-ups. The gearbox shunted shifts
unnecessarily, but the car averaged an impressive
27.2mpg (and the trip readout was accurate).
Mileage has been accumulated mainly on
motorways, but its done family weekends away
(the boot is surprisingly roomy), a few days at
Dunsfold (one with Matt LeBlanc driving) and was
home to Rowan Horncastle and I for 2,500 miles
BMW M3
Hyundai
32.1mpg, Tucson
062mph in 4.1secs, 155mph 1560kg Price 32,450 Model
2.0 CRDi Premium SE
Driver Esther Neve
Why its here Is there more
to the Tucson than an
attractive pricetag?
4
1995cc, 4cyl TD, 4WD,
183bhp, 295lb ft 43.5mpg,
170g/km CO2 062mph in
9.5secs, 125mph 2250kg
There is a lot of
REPORT 2 building work
occurring in the car park at TopGear
Towers currently. You may not care
and 12 days around Europe. It wore Continental about this, but it bothers me for two
winter tyres for that trip, and they were perfect, but reasons: one the noise, and two
in the mild UK, the soft compound wasnt quite up the punctures.
to the task of coping with 405lb ft of squirm. The Tyres these days are not cheap,
Conti CSC 5Ps its worn the rest of the time are and with the state of the roads
now close to shot after around 9,000 miles. Theyve causing more and more sidewall
been good, but a bit noisy on long runs. Chris tears (thank you potholes...), I take
Harris had a near-identical M3 that he had on extra care not to crunch down into
Michelins, and sang their praises. the craters that litter our streets. But
Wanting a ftting last hurrah, my son and I went all that effort was wasted when I still
mountain biking on Dartmoor for a few days. The got a puncture thanks to a huge nail
bikes might have ftted inside at a push, but I liked embedded in my rear offside tyre.
having them outside, delivering extra drag to the A nail that, in reality, can only have
back axle. We listened to tunes on the ace 675 come from the building site.
Harman/Kardon system, sent satnav destinations Luckily, UK Tyres is just moments
to the car from the BMW Remote app (the thing its from work. The guys there mended
most useful for), moaned about the shunting shifts the puncture with minimal fuss and
and how it was as cantankerous as us frst thing in maximum professionalism. Ten quid
the morning. But most of all, we felt sorry that this for the repair, and just 20 minutes
would be the last time. Because when alls said and later I was mobile again. If only
done, Toothless has been a special, special car. everything was this easy.
TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 1 51
Audi R8
Price 134,520/150,720 Model V10 Plus Driver Ollie Marriage Why its here Is Audis everyday supercar still special to live with?
5204cc V10, 4WD, 602bhp, 413lb ft 23.0mpg, 287g/km CO2 0-62mph in 3.2secs, 205mph 1454kg

Eight months of build up and anticipation, Two useful nuggets of knowledge came from this:
REPORT 2 and this was the expression I chose to frstly, the laser lights only work with auto high beam
pull. I can only apologise. So yes, the R8 has landed, for safety reasons, you cant manually activate them.
although as yet my eyebrows havent. Secondly, he warned me that in Comfort, the Magnetic
Solid Vegas Yellow with glossy black detailing Ride has a tendency to bounce over speed bumps, which
emerges slowly from under the covers at West London can feel a bit weird. Half an hour later, I realise hes not
Audi. Its not a moment Im going to forget in a hurry, wrong Ill cover this in more detail in future, but speed
not least because this is a moment Ive been anticipating bumps are best tackled in Dynamic
for months and want to savour as long as possible. I The R8 also likes a gentle running-in process.
even insisted on a tour of Audis fagship showroom I know several knowledgeable people who reckon
this morning, just to further heighten the build-up. running-in is pointless, but you already know I dont
So yellow bonnet emerges, then black wheel, yellow mind a bit of anticipation So, frst 600 miles no more
door, carbon side panels, glass engine cover, and fnally than 5,000rpm and no full throttle and from there up
the soft blanket falls from the carbon spoiler. Cor. For a to 1,500 miles, gradually build the revs, but still avoid
couple of minutes I have a good gawp, dont even touch full throttle. Funnily enough, 5,000rpm on light throttle
it for fear of fngerprints. Once Ive overcome the sense openings in a 602bhp supercar is, well, enough to keep
that its too precious to actually be driven, sales specialist pace with trafc.
James Barr-Miller gives me the full walkaround, talking I fre it up for the frst time, recording the moment
me through everything from the laser lights to the toolkit. on my phone for posterity. The V10 woofs into life,
GARAGE LOGBOOK
deep, gruf and smooth, like its already spent a lifetime Good stuff Bad stuff
gargling super unleaded. And then with frequent wincing The day I took Low gearing and
at every nearby bus or kerb, I drive tentatively away. The delivery, my mate tight engine mean
Andrew collected fuel economy is
last time I was this careful I was driving my frst child his Focus RS. The poor. Not sure
home from the hospital. next morning we how much it
could be found will improve
Since then, 1,300 miles have slipped easily past.
kicking tyres and
The running-in has been fne, and Ive taken the long taking each other In Comfort, the
way home almost every night, not only to pile the miles out for (gentle) R8 porpoises over
rides. Sharing your speed bumps,
on (the appeal of running-in is wearing of), but to car experience is bouncing on its
experience the chassis, if not the full reach of the engine what its all about springs with little
just yet. First things to note? Fuel economy isnt clever, damping effect

the gearing is surprisingly low, the ride is exceptional, TOTAL MILEAGE AND OUR MPG
the drivetrain silken and, above all, it feels special. 0
0 0 1 3 2 5 1 18.2
Really, really special.

152 SEPTEMBER 2016 J TOPGEAR.COM

Volvo XC90
Price 60,455/ 66,830 Model T8 Momentum Driver Tom Ford Why its here Is the hybrid worth the premium over the basic diesel?
1969cc petrol + electric, AWD, 407bhp, 472lb ft 134.5mpg, 49g/km C02 062mph in 5.6secs, 140mph 2296kg

After six months and just under 10,000 in Momentum spec costs 45,750 a T8 Momentum
REPORT 6 miles sampling the delights of the basic similarly without options comes in at 60,455. The
D5 XC90, its time to trade in and up for the T8 Twin
GARAGE LOGBOOK Momentum T8 we have here is relatively light on extra
Engine variant, to see if the hybrid is worth the premium. Good stuff Bad stuff kit, making it 66,830 as tested, while our Inscription
The basics stay the same, with seven seats, stoically The T8 can The mpg claims top-spec D5 had all the toys plus some toys we hadnt
silently sneak are ludicrous.
handsome good looks and Sensus iPad-alike infotainment thought of, and weighed in at 67,145. So the question
away/arrive It can only do
being all big n portrait in the centre console, but this home on EV- about 10 miles is, should you go for D5 and a funfairs worth of on-board
time weve got a 2.0-litre petrol four boosted by an electric only motivation on EV-only amusements, or basic T8 with much more vim?
motor and plug-in capability instead of the D5s identical- The smaller The smaller
To make the most of the T8s plug-in component,
capacity (1969cc) 2.0-litre diesel. 19-inch wheels wheels look like we need a chunkier plug than the three-pin variety. Step
That means the D5s 225bhp and 347lb ft for 48.7mpg make the ride pram ones forward Pod Point, Volvos preferred supplier of home
positively liquid
plays a combined 407bhp and 472lb ft for 134.5mpg. Yeah, Theres no point charging points. Installation is simple: choose a place
that doesnt really make sense, does it? As ever, the plug- Its faster than going faster where the cable and Frisbee-sized charger unit can hang
the D5 than the D5
in component of PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) out, and an installer comes around and... erm... installs
ownership makes the car eye-wateringly attractive to TOTAL MILEAGE AND OUR MPG it. Two hours, 390 all in, minimum fuss. With the cable
feets, but isnt exactly as honest as the ofcial 49g/km 0 installed, I can charge the T8 to the claimed 21-mile EV-
0 0 5 6 4 0 1 36.9
might suggest. Theres a decent price hike, too: a basic D5 only range. Well, lets fnd out and see if its worth it.

TOTAL MILEAGE AND OUR MPG

Ford S-Max
Price/as tested 32,260/39,460 Model Titanium Sport Driver Andy Franklin
Why its here Is the S-Max still the answer for families?
It wasnt that long ago that future
REPORT 5 gadgets would be shown off in
premium cars and then eventually passed down. Even
then, some of the more sophisticated tech wouldnt
make it to family cars as it was deemed too pricey.
But I reckon TGs S-Max has pretty much most of
the gadgets and tech that Ford do. One particularly
clever piece of kit is the active glare-free headlamps.
Which allow you to drive around with your full beam
0
0 1 1 2 2 5 1 32.1
on at all times. Using LEDs, lots of cameras and
some clever maths, it blocks out part of the beam
for an oncoming car, bike or pedestrian. Clever
stuff, and it works, but only up to 800m away, so you
do often get people flashing you from a distance.
But if like me, you have driven FOR years dipping
your beam, its a hard habit to break. But roll on
2025 because at this rate, your kids, on their iPads,
will drive family cars

1999cc, 4cyl TD, FWD, 210bhp, 332lb ft 51.4mpg, 144g/km CO2 062mph in 8.8secs, 135mph 1766kg

TOPGEAR.COM J SEPTEMBER 2016 153

 PRODUCED BY

Everything you need to know about buying new cars

ALFA ROMEO
TopGear on Alfa Romeo:
The best badge in the business, now worn by two hatches,
a saloon and a divisive sports car. History repeating?

4C
Lotus by Alfa, with the odd Alfa foible to
boot. But when a cars this pretty, light
and engaging, you just want one.
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
1.7T Coupe 52,505 4.5 160 240 258 41.5 157 5/10
1.7T Spider 59,505 4.5 160 240 258 41.5 157 7/10
Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 3989x1864x1183, 40-litre fuel tank,
110-litre boot, 1 engine, 1 trim, 2 models in total.

GIULIA
At long last, Alfas back in the small sports
saloon game with an agile, comfy, RWD
blinder. Wonders shall never cease.
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
2.9 BiTurbo QV 59,000 3.9 190 510 442 TBA 189 9/10
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4639x1426x1873, 58-litre fuel
tank, TBA-litre boot, 1 engine, 1 trim1, 1 model in total.

ARIEL
TopGear on Ariel:
Artfully shaped metalwork containing frenzied engines
and a man clinging on for dear life. Hectic, addictive.

ATOM
The single most insane car on sale. Even
the regular version will redene your
sense of whats possible in a car.

TG SPEAKS SOME WORDS... YELLOW BAR FUEL ECONOMY 2.0 245

PRICE 062 MPH BHP
32,255 3.2 141 245 154
LB FT MPG CO2
N/A N/A
RATING
9/10
Our verdict on the brand ...about the car Denotes the TG Favourites Less is, um, more
2.0 SC 350 R 64,800 2.5 155 330 243 N/A N/A 9/10
MODEL CHOICE CRASH TESTING BOOT VOLUME NOT EVERY ENGINE Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 3410x1890x1195, 42-litre fuel tank,
Just the ones that count You want five stars here Two numbers? Seats up/down is available with every trim! n/a-litre boot, 4 engines, 4 trims, 4 models in total.

NOMAD
Part special forces all-terrain fast attack
vehicle, part latter-day beach buggy. This
is Tamiya made real, and its mega.
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
2.4 Nomad 33,000 3.4 125 235 221 N/A N/A 10/10

Aston Martin DB11 p156

Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 3215x1850x1425, 42-litre fuel tank,
n/a-litre boot, 1 engine, 1 trim, 1 model in total.

PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING ASTON MARTIN

TopGear on Aston Martin:
5.2TT V12 154,900 3.9 200 600 516 TBA TBA 8/10 Achingly cool cars that make up in beauty and charisma
what they lack in technical and dynamic ability.

VANTAGE
Audi Q2 p156 PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
The car that took on the 911. And lost.
But its an Aston, which means brogues
to the Porsches two-a-penny trainers.

PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING

1.4 TFSI Sport 23,930 8.5 131 150 184 52.3 124 7/10 4.7 V8 S 92,795 4.8 189 430 361 20.4 321 8/10
6.0 V12 S 140,495 3.7 205 573 458 17.2 388 8/10
6.0 V12 S Rster 149,495 3.9 201 573 458 19.2 343 8/10
Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4380x1870x1260, 80-litre fuel
tank, 300-litre boot, 4 engines, 2 trims, 4 models in total.

TOPGEAR.COM SEPTEMBER 2016 155



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 GTC4LUSSO
FERRARI-FORD
A much-needed sharpening for the FF,
FORD
TopGear on Ford:

CAR +
now with an even sillier name. In a wonder-
ful V12 shooting brake class of one. Proof that mass market motoring can have an edge.
Note: this does not apply to the disappointing EcoSport.

6.3 V12
PRICE 062 MPH BHP
240,430 3.4 208 690
LB FT
514
MPG CO2
18.3 360
RATING
9/10
FIESTA

CLINIC
Arguably the best supermini on sale.
Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4922x1980x1383, 91-litre fuel tank, Pace-setter or pacemaker, theres some-
450/800-litre boot, 1 engine, 1 trim, 1 model in total. thing for everyone here.

FIAT 1.0T Zetec 3d

PRICE
14,395
062 MPH BHP
11.2 112 100
LB FT MPG
125 65.7 99
CO2 RATING
8/10
TopGear on Fiat: 1.6T 182 ST 1
Good when they do the small stu, bad when they go AUDI Q2 17,745 6.9 139 182 177 47.9 139 9/10
beyond it. Buy a Panda and be content. 1.6T 182 ST200 22,745 6.7 142 200 214 46.3 140 8/10
1.5 TDCi Ztec 5d 16,495 11.9 111 95 159 88.3 82 8/10
PANDA Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 3950x1720x1480, 42-litre fuel
Its back, its slightly rounder and its tank, 295/979-litre boot, 10 engines, 8 trims, 48 models in total.
still entirely brilliant. Come ere cuddly
Panda, we want to give you a hug.
DATA IN NUMBERS: POWER UP
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
TwinAir 85 Easy 11,510 11.2 110 85 106 67.3 99 8/10 Ford Fiesta ST200 22,745 (+ 28% over ST 1)
1.2 Easy+
Euro NCAP
10,710 14.2 102 69 75 55.4 119
LxWxH in mm: 3650x1640x1550, 35-litre fuel
8/10
VS FOCUS
tank, 225/870-litre boot, 4 engines, 5 trims, 15 models in total. New engines, new interior design, even
a tweak to perk the handling back up.
Focus is back to its best.
500
Not quite the Sixties revival Fiat was PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
angling for, but the 500 is a refreshing 1.0T Zetec 19,345 11.0 120 125 147 60.1 108 8/10
alternative to Mini-shaped ubiquity.
2.0T ST 1 22,750 6.5 155 255 250 41.5 159 8/10
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING 2.3T RS 31,000 4.7 165 345 325 36.7 175 9/10
1.2 Pop Star 11,925 12.9 99 69 75 60.1 110 7/10 1.5 TDCi Zetec 20,045 10.5 120 120 199 74.3 98 7/10
0.9 85 Pop Star 13,225 11.0 107 85 NISSAN JUKE
107 74.3 90 7/10 Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4358x1823x1484, 53-litre
fuel tank, 363/1148-litre boot, 10 engines, 6 trims, 52 models in total.
500C 0.9 Lounge 17,230 10.0 117 105 107 67.3 99 6/10
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 3571x1627x1488, 38-litre fuel MONDEO
tank, 185-litre boot, 3 engines, 5 trims, 26 models in total. "Ive just had my first child, so I Been on sale in the US for three years
quite fancy swapping my three- now. Smooth, rened and not too
500L door Mini for something a bit
American. Well done Ford.
Dont be misled by the badge and the more substantial. The Countryman PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
headlights. The 500L is more Panda
than 500, and bigger than you expect. does absolutely nothing for me 1.5 TDCi Style 21,445 11.7 119 120 199 78.5 94 7/10
and I like a good badge. What 1.5T Zetec 21,895 9.2 138 160 177 48.7 134 7/10
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING are my options for around 20K?" 2.0 TDCi Est Tit 26,245 9.5 130 150 258 67.3 109 7/10
1.4 95 Pop 13,665 12.8 106 95 93 46.3 143 5/10 Hillary Dorsey, Ipswich Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4780x1890x1500, 70-litre fuel
1.6 MJet Lounge 20,265 10.7 117 120 236 67.3 112 5/10 tank, 540/1460-litre boot, 7 engines, 4 trims, 34 models in total.
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4147x1784x1667, 50-litre fuel
tank, 343/1310-litre boot, 3 engines, 4 trims, 11 models in total. B-MAX
Not as plentiful as you might Fords reply to the Vauxhall Meriva. Sliding
ABARTH 500 think. See, Audi is really the only
rear doors and no B-pillars means easy ac-
cess and brilliant packaging. Fine car.
Short on talent, long on appeal, thats premium manufacturer that
the rufty-tufty Abarth. Pogo stick ride PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
but ever so eager with it. builds a crossover of this size and
1.4 Studio 13,295 13.8 106 90 94 47.1 139 7/10
price (for now, anyway). The
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
1.0T Titanium 17,395 11.2 117 125 147 57.7 114 8/10
cheapest Merc GLA is more than
595 15,090 7.8 131 145 152 47.1 139 7/10 Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4080x1860x1600, 48-litre fuel
25K, and the BMW X1 is over tank, 318/1386-litre boot, 6 engines, 4 trims, 14 models in total.
695 Biposto 33,060 5.9 143 190 185 43.5 155 7/10 27K, but Audis new Q2 starts at
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 3660x1630x1490, 35-litre fuel nearer 20K. You could always C-MAX
tank, 185/610-litre boot, 2 engines, 3 trims, 8 models in total. Now with added grille. C-Max gets Fords
go for something like a well- new family face and myriad very welcome
500X equipped Nissan Juke instead, improvements elsewhere.
The quest to cash in on the 500 continues. but then youre sacrificing
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
Similar lights, but otherwise theres nothing interior space and (arguably)
500-ish here. Not a bad crossover, mind. 1.0T Zetec 19,645 11.4 116 125 125 55.4 117 6/10
kerb-appeal. Wed go Audi - the
2.0 TDCI Ti Gr 24,945 9.8 126 150 273 61.4 119 6/10
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING Q2 is a better-quality product.
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4380/4519x1860x1620, 53/60-litre
1.4 MAir PStar 18,065 9.8 118 140 170 47.1 139 6/10 fuel tank, 432/1723-litre boot, 4 engines, 3 trims, 20 models in total.
1.6 MJet PStar 19,565 10.5 116 120 236 68.9 109 6/10
2.0 MJet Cross 22,565 9.5 118 140 258 57.6 130 6/10 AUDI Q2 1.0 TFSI S-MAX
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4248x1796x1600, 48-litre fuel Price 20,230 (SE) Second-gen of Fords low-roofed MPV
tank, 350/1000-litre boot, 4 engines, 6 trims, 13 models in total.
keeps its dads ne dynamics, with a
Engine 999cc 3cyl turbo, much smarter interior
113bhp, 148lb ft
DATA IN NUMBERS: 500X-TRA VALUE Performance 062 in N/A
1.5 SCTi Zetec
PRICE 062 MPH BHP
25,145 9.9 124 160
LB FT MPG
177 43.5 149
CO2 RATING
8/10
secs, N/Amph, N/Ampg,
Entry-level Fiat 500X 1.6 110 Pop Star 14,295 N/Ag/km 2.0 TDCi Zetec 26,595 10.8 123 150 258 56.5 129 8/10
Entry-level Jeep Renegade 1.6 110 Sport 17,495 Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4796x1916x1655, 70-litre fuel
tank, 285/2200-litre boot, 7 engines, 5 trims, 11 models in total.

124 SPIDER NISSAN JUKE 1.6 DIG-T

Price 19,890 (Tekna)
GALAXY
Turbo torque and rmer chassis means Fords agship seven-seater oers extra
Fiats MX-5 gets right up Mazdas nose. If Engine 1618cc 4cyl turbo, headroom, but is otherwise upstaged by
only it didnt look like a Dodge Viper kit car 187bhp, 177lb ft the livelier and more desirable S-Max.
Performance 062 in
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
1.4T
7.8secs, 134mph, 47.1mpg,
19,545 7.5 134 140 177 44.1 148 8/10 2.0 TDCi Zetec 28,945 10.9 123 150 258 56.5 129 7/10
139g/km
Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4054x1740x1233, 45-litre fuel tank, Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4848x1916x1747, 70-litre fuel
140-litre boot, 1 engine, 3 trims, 3 models in total. tank, 300/2339-litre boot, 5 engines, 3 trims, 13 models in total.

FOR ALL THE FACTS AND STATS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EVERY CAR ON SALE IN THE UK GO TO TOPGEAR.COM/REVIEWS
KUGA HYUNDAI Q50

FORD-JEEP
The Kuga has grown up and bought More sharply styled but otherwise anony-
some sensible slacks. Sure, its highly TopGear on Hyundai: mous saloon from Nissans lux wing. This
competent, but so are others. Value-packed Korean has earned a proper reputation for time aimed at the BMW 3-Series.
capable cars. Excuse us while we tuck into our hats.

1.5T Titanium
PRICE 062 MPH BHP
23,145 9.7 121 150
LB FT MPG
177 45.6 143
CO2 RATING
6/10 I10 Q50 2.2d SE
PRICE
29,320
062 MPH BHP
8.7
LB FT
144 170 295 65.07 114
MPG CO2 RATING
5/10
2.0 TDCi AWD Lacks the charisma of the Panda and the
26,845 9.2 126 180 295 54.3 135 6/10 sheer polish of the Up! but actually, if Q50 Hybrid 41,070 5.1 155 364 402 43.0 144 5/10
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4520x1840x1700, 57-litre fuel you dont care about cars, buy this one. Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4790x1820x1450, 74-litre fuel
tank, 456/1653-litre boot, 4 engines, 4 trims, 16 models in total. tank, 400/500-litre boot, 2 engines, 4 trims, 8 models in total.

EDGE 1.0 S
PRICE
8,995
062 MPH BHP
14.9 96 66
LB FT
69
MPG CO2
60.1 108
RATING
8/10 JAGUAR
Like the Mustang, the Edge is pinched
from Fords US line-up. Is tasked with tak- Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 3665x1660x1500, 40-litre fuel TopGear on Jaguar:
ing on the Audi Q5 and BMW X3. tank, 252-litre boot, 2 engines, 3 trims, 7 models in total. Gorgeous Callum design and a rash demeanor get you so
far. Over-powered engines take you the rest of the way.
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING I20
2.0 TCDi Zetec 29,995 9.9 124 180 295 48.7 149 7/10 Its the latest i20! Its not that exciting! XE
Otherwise a very worthy and competent Forget the F-Type, this is actually the most
Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4777x1927x1742, 60-litre fuel supermini, now with decent 1.0 engines.
tank, TBA/1788-litre boot, 2 engines, 3 trims, 5 models in total. important Jaguar of the last decade. Needs
to banish all memory of the X-Type. Oops.
MUSTANG PRICE 062 MPH BHP
1.0 T-GDI Active 15,225 10.9 109 100
LB FT MPG
126 58.9 110
CO2 RATING
8/10 PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
At last, a muscle car to call our own.
Mustang now here in right-hand drive, 1.2 S Air 11,745 13.6 99 75 90 58.9 112 7/10 2.0T SE 26,995 7.7 147 200 206 37.7 179 8/10
still feels very American. Also large. 3.0 V6 S/C S
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4035x1734x1474, 50-litre fuel 44,995 5.1 155 340 332 34.9 194 8/10
tank, 301/1042-litre boot, 7 engines, 6 trims,34 models in total. 2.0D 180 SE
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING 30,275 7.8 140 180 317 67.3 109 9/10
2.3T 30,995 5.8 155 314 320 35.3 179 7/10 I30 Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4672x1850x1416, 47-63-litre
fuel tank, 450-litre boot, 5 engines, 5 trims, 14 models in total.
5.0 V8 GT 34,995 4.8 155 418 387 20.9 299 7/10 Coo, Hyundai seems to be catching up
Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4784x1916x1381, 61-litre fuel
with Kia in the design stakes, and catching
up with everyone else everywhere else. XF
tank, TBA-litre boot, 2 engines, 2 trims, 4 models in total. New XF is good. Probably-better-than-a-
5-Series good. Lovely inside too, just not
HONDA 1.6 CRDi BD SE
PRICE 062 MPH BHP
18,595 10.6 117 110
LB FT MPG
206 78.4 94
CO2 RATING
7/10
big enough for plutocrat bellies.
TopGear on Honda: PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4300x1780x1470, 53-litre fuel
Reliable, practical model range that seems a lot brighter
now the Civic Type-R is here. tank, 378/1316-litre boot, 5 engines, 5 trims, 18 models in total. 3.0 V6 S/C S 49,955 5.1 155 380 332 34.0 198 9/10

JAZZ IONIQ 2.0D 180 R Sp 35,100 7.7 136 180 317 65.7 114 9/10
Hyundai takes a swipe at Toyotas Prius 3.0D V6 S 49,995 5.8 155 300 332 51.4 144 9/10
Latest Jazz is clever. Very clever. De-
serves to be bought by more under 80s and oors it rst time. Its 4,000 Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4954x1880x1457, 55/66/74-litre
than it almost certainly will be. cheaper too. Korea one, Japan nil. fuel tank, 540/963-litre boot, 4 engines, 4 trims, 8 models in total.

PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING XJ
1.3 SE Navi 15,605 11.2 118 102 91 56.5 116 6/10 1.6 hybrid SE 19,995 10.8 115 106 108 83.1 79 8/10 Zoinks. The XJ is rapid, rened and just
plain beautiful. The interior is so special
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 3995x1694x1550, 40-litre fuel Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4470x1820x1450, 45-litre fuel we invented an award for it.
tank, 354/897-litre boot, 1 engine, 5 trims, 5 models in total. tank, 443/1,505-litre boot, 2 ptrains, 3 trim, 5 models in total.

DATA IN NUMBERS: ALL THAT JAZZ

I40 5.0 V8 XJR
PRICE 062 MPH BHP
91,775 4.4 174 550 502 25.5 264
LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
7/10
Not long ago, a Hyundai would be beige
and so would its driver. The stylish i40 3.0D V6 R-Sport 70,980 5.9 155 300 516 49.6 149 7/10
Honda Jazz boot space 354 litres has changed all that. Estate is the pick.
Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 5130/5260x1890x1490, 77/82-litre
Mini Countryman boot space 350 litres fuel tank, 520-litre boot, 3 engines, 5 trims, 13 models in total.
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
CIVIC 1.7 CRDi S Tour 21,745 10.5 124 141 251 65.7 114 7/10 F-PACE
Facelift helped add interest to the fading Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4775x1815x1470, 70-litre fuel Not as pointy as a Porsche Macan, but
Civic; Type R introduced a rocket into tank, 553/1719-litre boot, 2 engines, 4 trims, 16 models in total. cleverly pitched and therefore bound to
dealerships for guaranteed reworks. become a best-seller...
TUCSON
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
Just what the world needed. Another
2.0 Type R 30,000 5.7 167 310 295 38.7 170 8/10 compact SUV. Silly name, but if youre into 2.0D Prestige 34,170 8.5 130 180 317 57.7 129 8/10
this kind of thing, quite good. 3.0 S Diesel
1.6 DTEC Sport 21,190 10.5 129 120 221 76.3 98 7/10 51,450 5.8 150 300 517 47.1 159 8/10
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4370x1770x1470, 50-litre fuel Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4731x1936x1652, 60-litre fuel
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
tank, 477/1378-litre boot, 4 engines, 6 trims, 25 models in total. tank, 650-litre boot, 4 engines, 5 trims, 9 models in total.
2.0 CRDi 2WD SE 24,545 10.6 116 136 275 58.9 127 8/10
HR-V Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4475x1850x1645, 62-litre fuel F-TYPE
Honda Jazz with a bit more chunk and tank, 513/1503-litre boot, 5 engines, 5 trims, 18 models in total. Over-priced Cayman rival, or cut-price
the option of 4WD. Smaller than a 911 alternative? Who cares, when the
Qashqai. Think Mazda CX-3. SANTA FE F-Type is this sodding good?
Can't aord a Disco? Then step this way,
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING as savvy Santa Fe shows there is another PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
1.5 S 18,495 10.7 119 130 114 50.4 130 7/10 way. Gymkhana mums might not agree. 3.0 V6 S Coupe 60,775 4.9 171 380 339 31.8 213 8/10
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4294xTBAx1605, 50-litre fuel 5.0 V8 R AWD 91,680 3.9 186 550 501 25.0 269 8/10
tank, 453/1026-litre boot, 2 engines, 4 trims, 8 models in total. PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
2.2 CRDi Prem 31,850 9.8 118 197 311 46.3 161 7/10 5.0 V8 SVR 110,000 3.5 200 575 517 25.0 269 8/10
CR-V Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4660x1890x1760, 70-litre fuel Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4470x1920x1300, 70-litre fuel
A car engineered for accountants. Its a tank, 534-litre boot, 1 engine, 3 trims, 5 models in total. tank, 196/315-litre boot, 4 engines, 4 trims, 16 models in total.
great all-rounder but deeply boring with
it. There are few more reliable SUVs.
INFINITI JEEP
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING TopGear on Inniti: TopGear on Jeep:
1.6 DTEC SE N 29,230 9.6 125 160 258 57.7 129 6/10 Posh Nissan oshoot desperately aiming to emulate Lexus. Oblong-obsessed 4x4 experts still trading o WWII heroics.
In Europe, were still struggling to notice. Or care. Dont mention the Italian and German oily bits underneath.
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4570x1820x1685, 58-litre fuel
tank, 589/1648-litre boot, 3 engines, 4 trims, 11 models in total. Q30 RENEGADE
NSX An Inniti people may actually buy, or so it
hopes. Dierent, for sure, but that doesnt
Meet the Fiat 500Xs Yankee cousin. The
stylings a bit yee-hah, but it drives with
New NSX has had maybe longest gesta- necessarily mean better Euro sophistication, with added fun.
tion of any car ever. Weve only driven it
in the States, but early signs are good
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING 1.5d SE 21,500 12.0 118 108 192 68.9 108 6/10 1.6 Sport 17,495 11.9 111 112 112 47.1 141 6/10
3.5TT hybrid 130,000 <3.0 191 573 406 TBA TBA 8/10 2.2d Business 28,280 8.6 134 170 258 64.2 115 6/10 1.4 MAir Longi 20,895 10.9 112 142 170 47.1 140 6/10
Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4470x1940x1215, 60-litre fuel Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4425x1805x1495, 50-litre fuel Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4236x1805x1667, 48-litre fuel
tank, TBA-litre boot, 1 engine, 1 trim, 1 model in total. tank, 368-litre boot, 4 engines, 4 trims, 38 models in total. tank, 351/1356-litre boot, 5 engines, 5 trims, 15 models in total.

FOR ALL THE FACTS AND STATS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EVERY CAR ON SALE IN THE UK GO TO TOPGEAR.COM/REVIEWS
 CHEROKEE
JEEP-LAND ROVER
After a leave of absence, the Cherokee
LAMBORGHINI
TopGear on Lamborghini:
is back to do battle with the Freelander.
Its priced well and looks... interesting. HOW TO The supercar for those who dont care about lap times.
Or The Green Party. Or visibility. But like hexagons.

HURACAN

SPEC
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
2.0 MJet 140 26,345 10.9 116 140 258 53.3 139 6/10 Lambos riposte to the 458 and 650S.
2.2 MJet 200 4x4 37,245 8.5 127 200 324 49.6 150
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4623x1859x1669, 60-litre fuel
6/10 A... Smoother, slicker, but is still essentially
Gallardo v.2.0.
tank, 714/1267-litre boot, 4 engines, 4 trims, 11 models in total.
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
GRAND CHEROKEE LP 580-2 156,575 3.4 199 580 398 23.7 278 9/10
Jeep may be under Fiat's control, but PORSCHE PANAMERA LP 610-4 181,895 3.2 202 610 413 22.6 290 8/10
no-one appears to have told the Grand
Cherokee. Big, thirsty, pricey. Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4459x1924x1165, 80-litre fuel tank,
TBA-litre boot, 1 engine, 1 trim, 1 model in total.

6.4 V8 SRT
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT
65,995 5.0 160 461 460 20.0 328
MPG CO2 RATING
6/10
AVENTADOR
Murcielago replacement doesnt disap-
3.0 CRD Oland 48,195 8.2 126 237 405 37.7 198 6/10 point. A hint of Audi has crept in, but
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4820x1940x1760, 93-litre fuel
the Aventador is still bonkers.
tank, 782/1554-litre boot, 2 engines, 7 trims, 7 models in total.
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
LP 700-4 264,035 2.9 217 700 509 17.6 370 8/10
DATA IN NUMBERS: AINT NO SUBSTITUTE LP 750-4 SV 319,073 2.8 217+ 750 509 17.7 370 9/10
Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.0 CRD 2,987cc Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4780x2030x1140, 90-litre fuel tank,
Jeep Grand Cherokee 6.4 SRT8 6,417cc (+3,430cc) n/a-litre boot, 2 engines, 2 trims, 4 models in total.

CENTENARIO
KIA Hyper-Aventador celebrates Ferrucios
100th with more power, rear-wheel steer
TopGear on Kia: and more carbon than a coal mine.
Seven year-warranty-backed range of whitegoods with Basic price: 91,788 (4S Diesel)
barely a duer among em. Were as surprised as you are. Engine: 3956cc, V8 twin-turbo diesel, PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
PICANTO 416bhp, 627lb ft, 42.2mpg, 178g/km
Performance: 062mph 4.3secs, 177mph
LP 770-4 1.7m 2.8 217 770 517 TBA TBA TBA
A Kia cracker. Latest Picanto looks Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4924x2062x1143, TBA-litre fuel
good, drives well, costs little and is Weight: 2,050kg tank, TBA-litre boot, 1 engine, 1 trim, 1 model in total.
warrantied to the max. Colour: Carmine Red (2,808)
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
Wheels: 21" 911 Turbo Design (3,143) DATA IN NUMBERS: LP 770-4(0)
1.0 1 3d 8,345 13.9 95 68 70 67.3 99 7/10
Trim: Black/Crayon leather (515)
1.25 2 5d Standard equipment: Park assist, two- Lamborghini Centenario production total 40
10,745 11.0 106 85 89 65.7 100 7/10
zone climate control, Connect Plus
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 3600x1600x1480, 35-litre fuel
tank, 200/870-litre boot, 2 engines, 7 trims, 11 models in total. Options: LED headlights w/PDLS+ LAND ROVER
(1,451), keyless entry (791), Surround TopGear on Land Rover:
CEED View (1,005), rear wiper (249), air A genuine UK success story with the whole range
as at home on a eld as the red carpet.
Still a white goods car, but now its white suspension w/PASM (1,541), Sport
goods by John Lewis. Build quality is a
rival for VW now, as is much else. Chrono Pack (1,344), adaptive sports DISCOVERY SPORT
seats (2,352), F&R seat heating (353), Freelander gets a new name, and much
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING Burmester HiFi (4,869), TV tuner & DAB more besides. Not cheap, but its what
yummy-mummys will be driving this year.
1.0T-GDi GT Li 20,220 10.3 118 118 26 57.6 115 7/10 (987), adaptive cruise control (1,718)
1.6T GT 23,610 7.3 143 201 195 38.2 170 7/10 PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4310x1780x1470, 53-litre fuel 2.0 TD4 150 SE 31,095 11.0 112 150 280 57.7 129 7/10
tank, 380/1318-litre boot, 3 engines, 5 trims, 18 models in total. TOTAL PRICE: 114,914
2.0 TD4 180 SE 32,795 9.4 117 180 317 53.3 139 8/10
SPORTAGE Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4599x1895x1724, 54-litre fuel
tank, 195/1698-litre boot, 2 engines, 4 trims, 4 models in total.
Kias are normally somewhat pleasant-
looking. This one isnt. Good though, so
dont discount it. DISCOVERY
The best practical SUV on sale. Massive
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING inside, thoughtful design, astonishing
1.6 GDi 1 18,000 11.1 113 130 119 42.2 156 7/10 ability. Revised once again in 2014.
2.0 CRDi GT-Line 25,850 10.1 114 134 275 54.3 139 7/10 PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4480x1855x1635, 62-litre fuel 3.0 SDV6 Graph 47,505 8.8 112 256 443 35.3 213 9/10
tank, 491/1480-litre boot, 5 engines, 6 trims, 13 models in total.
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4830x1880x1890, 84-litre fuel

KOENIGSEGG tank, 280/2560-litre boot, 1 engine, 4 trims, 4 models in total.

RANGE ROVER EVOQUE

TopGear on Koenigsegg:
Swedish purveyors of deeply outrageous supercars. A Range Rover for a younger, more
Big and shouty - yes. But also quite clever. stylish, more urban audience. One for
fashionistas, not farmers.
AGERA
The P1, LaFerrari and 918 are all well PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
and good, but there is a fourth way. 2.0 eD4 SE 2WD 30,600 10.6 113 150 317 65.7 113 8/10
The Swedish way
2.0 TD4 SE Tech 35,200 9.5 124 180 317 58.9 125 8/10
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4360x1960x1610, 60/70-litre
5.0 V8 T RS fuel tank, 550/1445-litre boot, 3 engines, 3 trims, 12 models in total.
1.27m TBA TBA 1160 944 TBA TBA TBA
Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4293x2050x1120, 82-litre fuel
tank, 150-litre boot, 1 engine, 1 trim, 1 model in total.
RANGE ROVER SPORT
A prettier RRS would be a contradiction in
REGERA terms, but the new one denitely comes
with less thuggishness.
True to form, latest Segg is maddest yet.
Petrol-electric hybrid with a weird single
speed box. We cant wait for this one. PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
5.0 SVR 95,900 4.5 162 550 502 22.1 298 9/10
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING 3.0 SDV6 HSE 62,700 6.8 130 292 442 37.7 199 9/10
5.0 V8 T PHEV 1.45m 2.8 248+ 1480 1475 TBA TBA TBA 3.0H SDV6 HEV 86,595 6.4 130 345 517 45.6 164 9/10
Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4560x2050x1110, 82-litre fuel Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4850x1983x1780, 80-litre fuel
tank, 150-litre boot, 1 engine, 1 trim, 1 model in total. tank, 784/1761-litre boot, 6 engines, 6 trims, 8 models in total.

FOR ALL THE FACTS AND STATS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EVERY CAR ON SALE IN THE UK GO TO TOPGEAR.COM/REVIEWS
 LAND ROVER-MAZDA
RANGE ROVER 3-ELEVEN

TOP 1O
This is not an SUV. Thats too common The extraordinary Lotus 3-Eleven is a re-
a badge. Instead, think go-anywhere markable drivers car with thrilling speed
luxury car. Or GALC. Hmm, catchy. and mesmerising on-road talent.

PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
5.0 SC Autobi 103,350 5.1 140 510 461 20.5 322 8/10 MOST ECO 7 SEATER 3.5 SC Road 82,500 3.4 174 410 302 n/a n/a 8/10
3.0 TDV6 Vogue 75,850 7.4 130 258 442 37.7 196 9/10 Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: tba, tba-litre fuel tank, 40-litre
4.4 SDV8 Vge SE 89,750 6.5 135 340 517 32.5 229 boot, 2 engines, 2 trims, 2 models in total.
9/10
Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 5000/5199x2070x1840, 85/105-litre
fuel tnk, 909/2030-litre boot, 4 engines, 4 trims, 11 models in total.
1 Citroen Grand C4 Picasso
1.6 BlueHDi 100
MASERATI
LEXUS
TopGear on Maserati:
Ferraris moody cousin. Every model beaten in every way
74.3mpg by German opposition, save for cachet, cool, and style.
TopGear on Lexus:
Angular luxo-Toyotas reverting back to hybrid slumberland
after mad, intoxicatingly awesome LFA supercar. GHIBLI
Maserati builds a BMW 5-Series. Its
IS 2
available with a diesel engine. Well, they
think its a good idea.
3-Series drive too well for you? Then buy Peugeot Partner Tepee
this, its worse. In other areas, IS gives the 1.6 BlueHDi 7seater
Germans a much tougher time. PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
68.9mpg 3.0 V6 53,590 5.6 163 330 369 29.4 223 6/10
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING 3.0 V6 TT S 64,510 5.0 177 410 405 27.2 242 7/10
IS 200t Sport 28,995 7.0 143 180 258 39.2 167 7/10 3.0 V6 Diesel 49,165 6.3 155 275 442 47.9 158 6/10
IS 300h Exec 29,995 8.4 125 220 163 65.7 101 7/10 Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4970x1950x1460, 80-litre fuel
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4670x1810x1430, 66-litre fuel 3 Fiat 500L
tank, 500-litre boot, 3 engine, 2 trims, 3 models in total.
tank, 450/480-litre boot, 2 engines, 6 trims, 10 models in total.
1.3 MJet QUATTROPORTE
RC 68.9mpg Noooo what have they done? The old
Bit heavier than we hoped, but roaring one was soul personied, this looks a
V8 is sure to give BMWs M4 a few bit... meh. Still, at least it drives better.
headaches. Good thing, too.
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING 3.8 TT V8 GTS 110,405 4.7 191 530 523 26.4 250 7/10
RC 300h Lux 34,995 8.6 118 477 391 57.6 113 6/10
4 Renault Grand Scenic 3.0 V6 Diesel 69,565 6.4 155 275 443 45.6 163 6/10
RC F 59,995 4.5 167 450 384 26.2 252 7/10 1.5 dCI s/s Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 5050x1900x1440, 90-litre fuel
tank, 450-litre boot, 3 engines, 3 trims, 3 models in total.
Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4705x1845x1390, 66-litre fuel tank, 68.9mpg
366-litre boot, 3 engines, 5 trims, 7 models in total.
GRANTURISMO
RX Muscular, pretty coupe that's more GT
than sports car. Nothing wrong there
Lexus takes NX and scales up. However and the MC Strad has bite if you need it.
good the RX is, it will almost certainly
be better than the old one. 5 Toyota PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
Prius+ 4.7 460 Sport 91,440 4.8 185 460 383 19.7 331 8/10
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
RX 200T S 39,995 9.2 124 238 258 36.2 181 6/10 68.9mpg 4.7 MC Stradale 110,765 4.5 188 450 376 19.5 337 8/10
RX 450h SE 46,995 7.7 124 266 247 54.3 120 6/10 4.7 GranCabrio 98,970 5.2 177 440 361 19.5 337 8/10
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4890x1895x1690, 65-litre fuel Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4880x1920x1350, 86-litre fuel
tank, 453-litre boot, 2 engines, 5 trims, 7 models in total. tank, 260-litre boot, 3 engines, 3 trims, 5 models in total.

6
LOTUS BMW 216d
Gran Tourer
MAZDA
TopGear on Lotus: TopGear on Mazda:
Overlook shaky economics and turnip farmer jokes
and youll nd sports cars close to driving nirvana.
68.9mpg Remember when every single Ford was the best to drive
in its class? Well, Mazdas nicked that mantle.

ELISE 2
Still a joy, the current Elise oers vis- The last 2 was a sleeper it never set out
ceral driving thrills in a relatively usable to be sparky, but somehow achieved it.
package. This is steering feel. 7 Vauxhall Zara Same again. Just with a hint more polish.
Tourer 1.6 CDTi 136
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
1.6 Sport 29,900 6.5 127 134 118 44.8 149 8/10 68.9mpg 1.5 SE 12,195 12.1 106 75 100 60.1 110 7/10
1.8 SC Sport 220 36,500 4.6 145 217 184 37.7 173 8/10 1.5 Sport Nav 16,095 8.7 124 115 109 56.5 117 7/10
1.8 SC Cup 250 45,600 4.3 154 243 184 37.7 175 9/10 Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4060x1695x1495, 44-litre fuel
tank, 280/950-litre boot, 4 engines, 4 trims, 12 models in total.
Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 3790x1850x1120, 44-litre fuel tank,
112-litre boot, 2 engines, 3 trims, 3 models in total. 8 Peugeot 5008 1.6 3
EVORA BlueHDi 120 The 6s design language moves to the 3. So
does the handling verve. After that were
More power = good, more price = bad.
400 is astonishingly good to drive but an
65.7mpg less sure why youd have one over a Golf.
uphill struggle against Cayman and 911.
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
1.5 SE 17,095 10.8 113 100 110 55.4 119 6/10
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
3.5 S 61,895 4.6 172 345 295 28.7 229 8/10 2.0 Sport Nav 22,170 8.2 130 165 154 48.7 135 6/10
9 Kia Carens 2.2D SE
400 73,115 4.1 186 400 303 29.1 225 8/10 19,745 8.1 130 150 280 68.9 107 7/10
Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4340x1850x1220, 55-litre fuel tank,
1.7 CRDi Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4465x1795x1450, 51-litre fuel
160-litre boot, 3 engines, 3 trims, 5 models in total. 64.2mpg tank, 364-litre boot, 4 engines, 3 trims, 17 models in total.

EXIGE 6
Lotus track car has grown up and got Handsome mid-size saloon with some
heavier. But dont worry, this makes it clever engine tech underneath. Drives
more usable. Deliriously good to drive. well, possibly a bit middle management.
10 Ford Grand C-Max
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING 1.5 TDCi 120 PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
3.5 Sport 350 55,900 3.7 170 350 295 28.0 235 9/10 2.0 Sport Nav 24,595 9.1 134 165 154 47.8 135 6/10
3.5 Roadster S 55,500 3.8 145 350 295 28.0 236 8/10
64.2mpg 2.2D Sport Nav 26,395 9.1 131 150 280 72.4 107 7/10
Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4084x1802x1129, 40-litre fuel tank, Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4870x1840x1450, 62-litre fuel
n/a-litre boot, 1 engine, 3 trims, 4 models in total. tank, 489-litre boot, 3 engines, 3 trims, 13 models in total.

FOR ALL THE FACTS AND STATS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EVERY CAR ON SALE IN THE UK GO TO TOPGEAR.COM/REVIEWS
 MX-5 B-CLASS S-CLASS COUPE
MAZDA-MERCEDES-BENZ
Ignore the stereotypes: the MX-5 is This Volkswagen Golf SV rival remains Loads of tech, loads of power, loads of
back and, crucially, better than its ever oddly proportioned but has plenty of class, quite a bit of cash. New coupe is
been before. Happy, simple fun. tech inside. Not to mention space. good enough to justify it all.

PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
1.5 SE 18,495 8.3 127 131 111 47.1 139 10/10 B 180d SE 23,245 11.6 118 109 184 70.6 104 6/10 S 500 98,050 4.6 155 455 516 30.0 219 9/10
2.0 Sport Nav 23,700 7.3 133 160 148 40.4 161 10/10 Electric Drive 32,670 7.9 100 179 250 N/A 0 6/10 S 63 AMG 127,675 4.3 155 585 663 27.9 237 9/10
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 3915x1735x1225, 45-litre fuel Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4360x1790x1560, 50-litre fuel Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 5027x1899x1411, 80-litre fuel
tank, 130-litre boot, 2 engines, 5 trims, 9 models in total. tank, 488-litre boot, 5 engines, 6 trims, 57 models in total. tank, 400-litre boot, 3 engines, 3 trims, 3 models in total.

CX-3 C-CLASS
Because the Nissan Juke doesnt have Sleek and sophisticated C-Class takes DATA IN NUMBERS: THE LONG TAIL
enough rivals already. CX-3 is pretty the ght to the 3-Series. Better looking
and drives well, though. and highly desirable, especially the C63. 585bhp S 63 AMG 127,675
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
630bhp S 65 AMG 185,480 (Cost of each extra bhp: 1,284)
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
2.0 SE
1.5D SE
17,595
18,995
9.0
10.1
119 120
110 105
151 47.9 137
199 70.6 105
8/10
8/10
AMG C 43 4M 44,460 4.7 155 372 384 34.9 183 TBA SLC
AMG C 63 S 67,450 4.0 155 517 517 34.5 192 9/10 An all-new name but not an all-new car
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4275x1765x1535, 48-litre fuel C 220d AMG L 34,295 7.7 145 170 295 70.6 108 8/10 and you can tell. The V8 AMG is gone
tank, 350/1260-litre boot, 3 engines, 3 trims, 12 models in total. too. Prices keener to compensate.
C 350e PHEV 38,900 5.9 155 293 258 134.5 48 7/10
McLAREN Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4685x1810x1447, 66-litre fuel
tank, 480-litre boot, 9 engines, 6 trims, 99 models in total.
SLC 43 AMG
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
TopGear on McLaren: 46,360 4.7 155 367 384 36.2 178 6/10
Hyper-clinical British outt spinning ever more baing SLC 250d Sport 32,995 6.6 152 204 369 70.6 114 6/10
model choices o its bi-turbo V8 and carbon tub. DATA IN NUMBERS: WHO KNEW? Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4143x1810x1300, 60-litre fuel
SPORTS SERIES Mercedes-Benz C 200d 1.6-litre turbodiesel
tank, 225/335-litre boot, 4 engines, 3 trims, 6 models in total.

Meet McLarens bonny, bouncy baby.

As if. 570S is as focused and fast as its Mercedes-Benz C 350e 2.0-litre turbo petrol SL
siblings. Just cheaper. Perhaps the best all-round, usable hard-

PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING

E-CLASS top convertible on sale today. Practical,
fast, excellent quality and dynamics.
Laden with tech and wonderfully calming.
540C 126,020 3.4 199 540 399 25.5 258 TBA New E gets Merc back in the big exec PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
570S 143,270 3.1 204 570 443 25.5 258 9/10 game. Even if it does look like a C-Class
SL 400 AMG L V6 73,810 4.9 155 367 369 36.7 175 7/10
570GT 154,015 3.4 204 570 443 26.6 249 9/10 PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING SL 63 AMG V8 114,115 4.1 155 585 664 28.0 234 7/10
Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4530x1910x1202, 72-litre fuel E 220d SE 35,935 7.3 149 194 295 72.4 102 9/10 SL 65 AMG V12 173,315 4.0 155 630 737 23.7 279
tank, 150-litre boot, 2 engines, 3 trims, 3 models in total.
7/10
E 220d AMG Li 38,430 7.3 149 194 295 72.4 112 9/10 Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4631x1877x1314, 75-litre fuel tank,
SUPER SERIES E 350d AMG Li 47,425 5.9 155 258 457 54.3 144 9/10 364-litre boot, 4 engines, 3 trims, 5 models in total.

Not a facelifted 12C, says McLaren, but an Euro NCAP n/a LxWxH in mm: 4923x1852x1468, 66-litre fuel
all new car. Has a P1 nose, more speed, is tank, 540-litre boot, 2 engines, 2 trims, 4 models in total.
the car the 12C should have been. DATA IN NUMBERS: PRICE RANGE
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING S-CLASS Price span, cheapest to dearest SL 99,505
650S 195,305 3.0 207 650 500 24.2 275 9/10 Meet the car that has single-handedly
saved the luxury car class from the SUV
AMG GT
MAZDA-MERCEDES-BEN

650S Spider 215,305 3.2 207 650 500 24.2 275 9/10 incursion. Sublime in most ways.
675LT Spider 285,470 2.9 203 675 517 24.2 275 9/10 AMG gets serious about hammering Por-
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING sche. Doesnt quite have a 911s nesse,
Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4512x1910x1199, 72-litre fuel but boy does it make you feel good.
tank, 145-litre boot, 2 engines, 2 trims, 3 models in total. S 400 L Hybrid 72,900 6.8 155 333 272 44.8 147 9/10
S 500 L 90,525 4.8 155 455 516 31.7 207 9/10
MERCEDES-BENZ S 350 L d 68,870 6.8 155 258 457 50.4 148 9/10 GT
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT
97,210 4.0 189 462 443 30.4 216
MPG CO2 RATING
8/10
TopGear on Mercedes-Benz: S 600 Maybach 165,730 5.0 155 537 613 24.1 274 TBA GT S 110,510 3.8 193 517 480 30.1 219 8/10
More letters combos than a bath of alphabet soup. Slurp
through that and the cars are very tasty. Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 5110/5250x1900x1490, 70/80-litre Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4546x1939x1287, 85-litre fuel
fuel tank, 510/530-litre boot, 7 engines, 5 trims, 21 models in total. tank, 285-litre boot, 2 engines, 2 trims, 2 models in total.
A-CLASS CLS
Despite the bulbous drunkards nose, GLA
this is a conventional hatch. Watch the One of the most competent cars in On paper little more than a pointless cu-
spec or you'll muck it up. Mercs range. It no longer denes cool riosity, but in reality a rather well judged
like the rst one, but it's all top drawer. crossover. Better than the CLA at least.
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
A 45 AMG 40,695 4.2 155 381 351 40.9 162 8/10 PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
A 180d SE 22,485 11.3 118 109 192 80.7 89 6/10 CLS 350d 50,695 6.5 155 265 457 51.4 142 8/10 GLA 45 AMG 44,860 4.4 155 381 351 38.2 172 8/10
A 200d AMG L 25,850 9.3 130 136 221 62.8 116 6/10 CLS 63 AMG SB 87,025 4.2 155 593 590 28.0 235 9/10 GLA 250 4Matic 31,455 6.6 143 211 250 43.5 153 7/10
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4299x1780x1433, 50-litre fuel Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4920x1850x1470, 580-litre fuel tank, Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4417x1804x1494, 50/56-litre fuel
tank, 341/1157-litre boot, 5 engines, 6 trims, 57 models in total. 520-litre boot, 4 engines, 3 trims, 11 models in total. tank, 481-litre boot, 4 engines, 8 trims, 23 models in total.

FOR ALL THE FACTS AND STATS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EVERY CAR ON SALE IN THE UK GO TO TOPGEAR.COM/REVIEWS
 GLC

MERCEDES-BENZ-MITSUBISHI
MINI
TOP 5
Take one Merc C-Class Estate, add a bit
of length, some height and a pinch of TopGear on Mini:
o-road ability. Et viola - the GLC. New hatch uglier but more sorted. Pointless Paceman
and two-seaters soon to die. Good riddance.

GLC 220d
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING MINI HATCH
34,950 8.3 130 170 295 56.5 129 8/10 CROSSOVERS Yes, its bigger, and no, that isnt neces-
GLC 250d 36,105 7.6 138 204 369 56.5 129 8/10 sarily a good thing. Apart from that, the
new Mini is predictably excellent.
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4759x1890x1644, 66-litre fuel
tank, 550/1600-litre boot, 2 engines, 8 trims, 16 models in total. 1 SEAT ATECA
2.0 TDI 150 SE PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
GLE Price 22,930 Specs 150bhp, One 13,935 9.9 121 103 133 61.4 108 7/10
The MLs got a new nose and a new 251lb ft, 0-62mph N/Asecs, VMax Cooper 15,485 7.9 130 136 162 62.7 105 8/10
name to go with it. GL for SUV, E for
the one in the middle. Simple. 126mph, 64.2mpg, CO2 114g/km Cooper S 18,840 6.8 146 192 206 49.5 133 8/10
Cooper D 16,635 9.2 127 116 199 80.7 92 7/10
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING Seat's rst crossover, and one of the rst VAG Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 3821x1727x1414, 40/44-litre
GLE 250d 49,285 8.6 132 204 369 47.9 155 7/10 crossovers on the MQB platform. Sounds tedious, and fuel tank, 211-litre boot, 6 engines, 6 trims, 12 models in total.
GLE 350d 56,285 7.1 140 258 458 42.8 179 7/10 is. But looks good, drives well and should be a success. MINI 5-DOOR
GLE 63 AMG Cp 96,575 4.2 155 585 561 23.7 279 7/10
See above. And remove good looks. Not
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4932x1935x1796, 93-litre fuel
2 RENAULT KADJAR the nicest in prole, but handily bigger
and only 600 more. Fills a(nother) gap.
tank, 690/2010-litre boot, 5 engines, 9 trims, 26 models in total.
1.6 DCI
GLS Price 23,295 Specs 130bhp, PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
The bigger, seven-seat version of the 236lb ft, 0-62mph 9.9secs, Cooper 5dr 16,085 8.2 129 136 162 60.1 109 7/10
ML gets a new name and even more
luxury. Meant for Americans. VMax 118mph, 65.7mpg, CO2 113g/km Cooper SD 5dr 20,235 7.4 140 170 266 68.9 109 7/10
Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 3982x1727x1414, 40/44-litre fuel
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
Based on the same platform as the Qashqai, with an tank, 278-litre boot, 6 engines, 6 trims, 12 models in total.
GLS 350 d 69,110 7.8 138 258 458 37.2 199 7/10 equally bewildering name. Bit bigger, bit cheaper, bit
Euro NCAP n/a LxWxH in mm: 5162x1982x1850, 100-litre fuel more Renault-y. Not sure if thats a good thing. CONVERTIBLE
tank, 360/2300-litre boot, 2 engines, 3 trims, 3 models in total. Take Mini, lop the roof o, et viola. Mini
Cab is exactly like youd expect. Good
G-CLASS 3 NISSAN QASHQAI news for inner-city estate agents.
Now 37 years old, still quite lovable in 1.6 DCI
a weird sort of way. Only vehicle here PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
with an optional third axle. Kinda.
Price 25,060 Specs 130bhp,
Cooper 18,475 8.8 129 136 162 57.6 114 7/10
236lb ft, 0-62mph 9.9secs,
Cooper S JCW 28,635 6.5 150 231 236 43.5 152 7/10
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING VMax 118mph, 64.2mpg, CO2 115g/km
Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 3821x1727x1415, 40-litre fuel
G 350d 87,815 8.9 119 245 443 28.5 261 4/10 tank, 215-litre boot, 4 engines, 5 trims, 5 models in total.
Quite good at most everything it attempts. But then,
G 63 AMG 131,695 5.4 130 571 561 20.5 322 4/10
Euro NCAP n/a LxWxH in mm: 4662x1760x1951, 96-litre fuel
Nissan was the one that pretty much started this whole CLUBMAN
tank, 699/2126-litre boot, 2 engines, 2 trims, 2 models in total. crossover thing, so itd better be. No rear-hinged doors this time round.
New Clubman is based on BMWs

Z
MG 4 MAZDA CX-3 1.5D
2-Series and shares its mediocrity.

TopGear on MG: Price 21,895 Specs 105bhp, PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
Chinese-backed resurrection. Sells fewer cars annually
than Ford shifts in the time youre reading this. 199lb ft, 0-62mph 10.1secs, 1.5T Cooper 19,965 9.1 127 136 162 55.4 118 6/10
VMax 110mph, 70.6mpg, 2.0 Cooper D 22,245 8.6 132 150 244 68.9 109 6/10
MG3 CO2 105g/km Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4253x1800x1441, 48-litre fuel
After the startling success of the MG6, tank, 360/1250-litre boot, 3 engines, 3 trims, 3 models in total.
MG unleashes a supermini on the world. A genuinely interesting-looking crossover. This is the
World can hardly believe its luck.
only time those words will appear in the same sentence MITSUBISHI
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING as one another. Handles well, too. TopGear on Mitsubishi:
1.5 3Time 8,399 10.9 108 106 101 48.7 136 5/10 Hard to care now Evo is dead, but electro-Outlander actually
Britains top-selling EV. Nope. Still not fussed.
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4018x1729x1507, 45-litre fuel HYUNDAI TUCSON
tank, 285-litre boot, 1 engine, 4 trims, 4 models in total. 5
2.0 CRDi OUTLANDER
GS Price 24,545 Specs 136bhp, No-nonsense seven-seat SUV. Fair to
middling. Plug-in hybrid version oered
Finally, MG Mk2 approaches relevance 275lb ft, 0-62mph 10.6secs, VMax too. Green, but only gets ve seats.
with a smart-looking, tidy-driving
crossover thats predictably cheap. 116mph, 58.9mpg, CO2 127g/km
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING New-age Hyundai at its best. ix35 replacement is PHEV GX3h+ 35,304 11.0 106 164 244 156.9 42 6/10
1.5T Explore 14,995 9.6 118 166 185 46.3 139 TBA stylish comparatively spacious and rened enough to 2.2 DI-D GX3 27,784 10.2 124 150 280 52.3 140 5/10
Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4500x1855x1665, 55-litre fuel compete with the class heavyweights. Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4655x1800x1680, 60-litre fuel
tank, 2335/1,366-litre boot, 1 engine, 3 trims, 3 models in total. tank, 436-550/1755-litre boot, 2 engines, 5 trims, 7 models in total.

FOR ALL THE FACTS AND STATS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EVERY CAR ON SALE IN THE UK GO TO TOPGEAR.COM/REVIEWS
 MORGAN X-TRAIL
MORGAN-PEUGEOT

TOP 7
TopGear on Morgan: The X-Trail used to be a rufty-tufty
thing. Now its been emasculated. As a
Idiosyncratic British sports cars designed to give you wood result, we think its better. Fickle, us?
and a healthy exposure to the elements. Poop poop.

3WHEELER PRICE 062 MPH BHP

1.6 dCi 130 Visia 23,745 10.5 117 130
LB FT MPG
236 57.6 129
CO2 RATING
8/10
Eccentric and impractical, but for putting SUPERCARS
a smile on your face, nothing this side of Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4643x1820x1695, 60-litre fuel
a Tiger Moth competes. tank, 135(550)/1982-litre boot, 1 engine, 4 trims, 14 models in total.
1 McLAREN 675LT
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING Price 259,500 Specs 675bhp, 370Z
2.0 Bespoke 2d 30,000 4.5 120 110 100 n/a n/a 8/10 515lb ft, 0-62mph 2.9secs, Z still looks great, but wheres the re-
breathing manliness of the old one, Nissan?
Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: n/a, 40-litre fuel tank, n/a-litre boot, VMax 205mph, 24.2mpg, GT86 has highlighted its shortcomings.
1 engine, 2 trims, 2 models in total.
CO2 275g/km
CLASSIC A 650S made, in every conceivable way, a little bit
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
The only car to look like a restoration 3.7 V6 Standard 27,860 5.3 155 326 269 26.9 249 7/10
when actually new. The reasonably new better. And longer. The result is maybe the best 3.7 V6 Nismo 38,050 5.2 155 344 274 26.6 248 7/10
Plus 8 is a fearsomely fast thing. McLaren since the iconic F1. Pity theyre all sold out Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4250x1850x1320, 72-litre fuel
tank, 235-litre boot, 2 engines, 3 trims, 3 models in total.
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
FERRARI 488 GTB
2.0 Plus 4 36,290 7.5 118 154 148 40.4 164 6/10 2
Price 183,964 Specs 670bhp,
GT-R MY17
4.8 Plus 8 85,200 4.5 155 367 370 23.0 282 7/10 Cheap at twice the price, the GT-R is an
Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4010x1500/1720x1220, 50-litre
560lb ft, 0-62mph 3.0secs, VMax uber-techy, violently capable, ruthlessly
fuel tank, n/a-litre boot, 4 engines, 6 trims, 6 models in total. 205mph, 24.7mpg, rapid speed machine. Drive one.

AERO 8 CO2 260g/km

PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
Some ash still lurks in the frame of this Controversial, this. We doubted the 488 GTB could Pure 79,995 TBA 196 570 469 23.9 275 9/10
sports car. Creaks a bit, but otherwise match the 458 Speciale for sheer, erm, specialness. It Track Edition
not as antiquated as you might think. 91,995 TBA 196 570 469 23.9 275 9/10
cant quite, but that wouldnt stop us from buying one. Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4710x1895x1370, 74-litre fuel
tank, 315-litre boot, 1 engine, 4 trims, 4 models in total.
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
4.8 V8 Coupe 99,950 4.5 170 367 370 23.0 282 8/10 McLAREN 570S
4.8 V8 Ssports 126,900 4.5 170 367 370 26.0 256 8/10
3
Price 143,270 Specs 570bhp, NOBLE
TopGear on Noble:
Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4120x1770x1200, 57-litre fuel
tank, 227-litre boot, 1 engine, 2 trims, 2 models in total.
443lb ft, 0-62mph 3.1secs, VMax Yes, its from the home of pork pies. Yes, the engines from a
204mph, 25.5mpg, school-run bus. Doesnt stop Noble being a supercar force.

NISSAN CO2 258g/km

M600
TopGear on Nissan: Since when did entry level translate to 570bhp and a Powered by a twin turbo Volvo XC90
Bizarre Addams family of geriatric hatches, cash-cow V8, the old school M600 is epically fast
crossovers and the mind-scrambling GT-R freak show. 200mph plus Vmax? Mighty 675LT excepted, this is and amazingly supple. Major want.
the McLaren to buy. A bargain at 143K.
JUKE PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
Clever little SUV crossover that looks
like... well, looks like nothing else we can 4 AUDI R8 PLUS 4.4 V8 T 650 248,184 3.0 225 650 604 n/a n/a 9/10
think of. Very nice, if a little odd. Price 134,520 Specs 610bhp, Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4360x1910x1120, 68-litre fuel tank,
FOR ALL THE FACTS A

NISSAN-PEUG

n/a-litre boot, 1 engine, 2 trims, 2 models in total.

413lb ft, 0-62mph 3.2secs,
1.6 94 Visia
PRICE 062 MPH BHP
13,995 12.0 104 94
LB FT MPG
103 47.1 138
CO2 RATING
5/10
VMax 205mph, 22.8mpg,
CO2 289g/km
PAGANI
1.6T Nismo RS 22,180 7.0 137 218 207 39.2 165 6/10 TopGear on Pagani:
You used to be able to get an R8 with a V8. And a The greatest exponents of artistic Italian pageantry
1.5 dCi Visia 15,895 11.2 109 110 192 70.6 104 6/10 and Hulk-spec power the world has yet seen.
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4135x1765x1565, 46-litre fuel manual gearbox. Now you cant, because the new one is
tank, 350/1181-litre boot, 6 engines, 5 trims, 17 models in total. V10 and auto only. Wed care more if it wasnt so mega. HUAYRA
LEAF The name is what you exclaim when
you nail the throttle in this twin turbo
The rst mass-produced leccy car. Its 5 NOBLE M600 V12d, active aerod hypercar.
impressive, but our infrastructure needs Price 248,184 Specs 650bhp,
sorting before it really makes sense.
604lb ft, 0-62mph 3.0secs, PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
6.0 V12 990,000 n/a 230 730 811 23.5 300 8/10
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING VMax 225mph, n/a mpg,
Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4610x2040x1170, 85-litre fuel tank,
EV Visia 26,030 11.9 90 109 206 n/a 0 7/10 CO2 n/a g/km n/a-litre boot, 1 engine, 1 trim, 1 model in total.
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4450x1780x1570, no fuel tank,
Built in a shed in Leicester with an old Volvo engine.
330/680-litre boot, 1 electric motor, 3 trims, 3 models in total.
Doesnt sound too promising, but the Noble is as scarily PEUGEOT
DATA IN NUMBERS: RANGE EXTENDER scintillating as nude mako-wrestling, yet friendly, too. TopGear on Peugeot:
Chassis bods have refound their mojo with 208 GTi and
RCZ R. Design needs to be more Onyx, less ordinary.
LEAF max battery range, highest 30kW spec 155 miles PORSCHE 911 TURBO S
6 108
NOTE Price 145,773 Specs 572bhp,
New nose, same commodious cabin. 553lb ft, 0-62mph 2.9secs, VMax Now more rened and comfortable.
Otherwise precious little to tempt Can be had with a 1.2. Have the 1.0.
Doris out of her Jazz. 205mph, 31.0mpg, CO2 212g/km Thats the one Toyota made.

PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
The normal 911 may not be a 'supercar' in a conventional 1.0 69 Access 3d 8,495 14.3 99 69 70 68.9 95 6/10
1.2 Visia LE 9,995 13.7 106 80 81 60.1 109 5/10
sense, but the Turbo S surely is. It's the right money, plus Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 3475x1615x1460, 35-litre fuel
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4100x1695x1530, 46-litre fuel
tank, 411/1495-litre boot, 3 engines, 4 trims, 9 models in total. it's maybe the quickest accelerating thing here. tank, 196/780-litre boot, 2 engines, 4 trims, 12 models in total.

QASHQAI LAMBORGHINI HURACAN 208

Nissan started the Qashqai craze, so the 7 Congratulations Peugeot, its only taken
new one is predictably safe. Its better Price 188,000 Specs 602bhp, you 25 years to reimagine the 205. 208 is
than ever for, you know, family stu. 413lb ft, 0-62mph 3.2secs, light, likeable and French. In a good way.
VMax 202mph, 22.6mpg,
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
1.2 DiG-T Visia 18,545 11.3 114 115 140 50.4 132 8/10
CO2 290g/km 1.0 Access ac 3d 12,065 14.0 103 68 66 64.2 102 6/10
1.6 DiG-T n-Con 23,280 9.1 124 163 177 48.7 138 8/10 Not as sharp as a McLaren or as punchy as a Ferrari, but 1.6 THP GTi 19,515 6.5 143 208 221 52.3 125 7/10
1.6 dCi N-Con 25,060 10.5 118 130 236 64.2 115 8/10 perhaps better than either at making passers-by stop 1.6 BHDi Allure 16,815 13.3 106 75 169 94.2 79 6/10
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4370x1800x1595, 65-litre and take notice. Worthy successor to the Gallardo. Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 3970x1740x1460, 50-litre fuel
fuel tank, 430-litre boot, 4 engines, 4 trims, 19 models in total. tank, 285/1152-litre boot, 6 engines, 7 trims, 39 models in total.

FOR ALL THE FACTS AND STATS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EVERY CAR ON SALE IN THE UK GO TO TOPGEAR.COM/REVIEWS
 308

PEUGEOT-RENAULT
911

TOP 5
Well, knock us down with a feather, out Styling is evolutionary and cabin shared
of nowhere, Peugeot gives us a hatch with Panamera, but this is Porsche prov-
good to drive and own. Gobs smacked. ing it's the worlds best sports car builder.

PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
1.6 GTI 270 28,455 6.0 155 270 243 47.1 139 8/10 CHEAPEST 8CYL 3.0T Carrera S 85,857 4.3 191 420 369 32.5 199 9/10
1.6 BHDi Active 20,345 9.7 122 120 207 91.1 82 8/10 3.0T C4S 90,843 4.2 189 420 369 31.7 204 9/10
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4253x1804x1457, 53-litre fuel 4.0 GT3 RS 131,296 3.3 193 500 339 22.2 296 10/10
tank, 470/1309-litre boot, 11 engines, 6 trims, 27 models in total.
1 Ford Mustang
4.0 R 136,901 3.8 200 500 552 21.2 308 9/10
508 GT Coupe 3.8 Turbo S 145,773 2.9 205 580 552 31.0 212
Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4490x1800x1300, 64-litre fuel tank,
8/10

Peugeots replacement for the 407 is

actually quite nice in an average sort of
34,995 135-litre boot, 5 engines, 12 trims, 17 models in total.
way. Facelift helps. A bit.
PANAMERA
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING Four-door, four-seat family Porsche. Very
fast, quite hard to fall in love with, apart
2.0 BHDi Active 24,325 9.8 130 150 273 67.3 109 5/10 2 Chevrolet
from the rather outrageous GTS model.
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4830x1853x1456, 72-litre fuel
tank, 473-litre boot, 5 engines, 4 trims, 17 models in total. Camaro Coupe PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
37,020 4.8 V8 GTS 93,391 4.5 179 400 368 25.4 260 7/10
RCZ 3.0 V6 Diesel 65,289 6.8 150 250 405 43.5 172 6/10
Peugeots stunning coupe marks a S E-Hybrid
renaissance. Good-looking, fun to drive, 82,439 5.5 167 338 325 91.0 71 6/10
tolerable value. Now go buy an Audi TT. Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4970x1930x1420, 80-litre fuel tank,
3 Vauxhall VXR8
445/1263-litre boot, 8 engines, 8 trims, 9 models in total.
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
1.6 THP 156 GT 24,750 8.3 133 156 177 44.1 149 7/10
Maloo MACAN
1.6 THP 200 GT 27,500 7.6 146 200 206 42.1 155 7/10 54,520 Porsches Range Rover Evoque is a tidy
looker that has image by the bucket-
2.0 HDi 163 GT 26,600 8.7 137 163 240 53.2 139 7/10 load. Thus, soon to be everywhere...
Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4290x1850x1350, 55-litre fuel
tank, 309-litre boot, 3 engines, 3 trims, 4 models in total. PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
4 S 45,945 5.4 157 340 339 32.5 204 8/10
2008 Inniti QX70 S Turbo 62,540 4.8 165 400 405 31.7 208 8/10
High-rise supermini that's increasingly Premium S Diesel 45,942 6.3 142 258 427 46.3 159 8/10
popular in the wake of the Juke. A little
mash-up which just about works. 55,270 Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4684x1923x1624, 65-litre fuel
tank, 500/1500-litre boot, 4 engines, 4 trims, 4 models in total.

PRICE 0-62 MPH BHP

1.2 VTi Access ac 13,615 13.5 105 82
LB FT
87
MPG CO2
57.6 114
RATING
5/10
CAYENNE
Sporting SUV thats very capable and
1.6 BlueHDi Allu 18,865 11.3 112 100 187 76.3 97 6/10 5 Vauxhall
now better to look at. It no longer has a
ride that ruins your spine, either.
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4160x1740x1560, 50-litre fuel
tank, 360/1172-litre boot, 6 engines, 4 trims, 14 models in total. VXR8 GTS
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
ND STATS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EVERY CAR ON SALE IN THE UK GO TO TOPGEAR.COM/REVIEWS

EOT

5008 55,550 S E-Hybrid 64,512 5.9 150 422 435 83.1 79 7/10
Turbo 94,063 4.5 173 527 554 25.2 261 6/10
Large seven-seat MPV that looks pretty
good and does everything a family might S Diesel 65,495 5.4 156 383 626 35.3 209 8/10
want, although its less brilliant to drive.
PRICIEST 4CYL Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4855x1939x1705, 100-litre fuel tank,
670/1780-litre boot, 7 engines, 7 trims, 7 models in total.
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
1.6 BHDi Active 23,720 12.2 114
Euro NCAP
120 221 65.7 114
LxWxH in mm: 4530x1837x1638, 60-litre fuel
5/10 1 Mercedes-Benz S 300
RADICAL
TopGear on Radical:
tank, 679/2506-litre boot, 3 engines, 2 trims, 4 models in total. CDI Hybrid L AMG Line Super-fast, super-intense range of Nrburgring-humbling
race cars. Wait what, theyre road-legal? Oh my.
74,250
PORSCHE SR3
TopGear on Porsche: Few are as extreme, and few cope as
Irritatingly great to drive, even when its a 4x4. Theres a badly with British roads. A car for dry,
reason every sports car is dubbed 911-ghter smooth, clear tarmac. Such as a track.
2 Alfa Romeo 4C
718 BOXSTER Spider LE 2.0 245 Std
PRICE 062 MPH BHP
69,850 3.4 160 245 265
LB FT MPG
n/a
CO2
n/a
RATING
8/10
Gasp at-six engine becomes boxer
turbo four. More speed, economy but 67,050 Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4100x1790x1130, 50-litre fuel tank,
less aural satisfaction. Er, sound good? n/a-litre boot, 1 engine, 1 trim, 1 model in total.

PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING RXC

2.0T 42,094 5.1 170 300 280 38.2 168 8/10 Now heres a trick: Radicals second
3 Volvo XC90 road car has much more power and a
2.5T S 51,105 4.6 177 350 310 34.9 184 8/10 roof, but is far tamer to drive.
Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4379x1801x1281, 54/64-litre fuel
T8 Inscription
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
tank, 130/275-litre boot, 2 engines, 2 trims, 2 models in total. 64,555 3.7 V6 94,500 2.8 175 350 320 n/a n/a 8/10
718 CAYMAN 3.5 V6 Turbo 107,500 2.6 185 454 500 n/a n/a 8/10
Still the worlds best sports coupe, but Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4300x1960x1127, 50-litre fuel tank,
now in spite of its dulled four-pot turbo, n/a-litre boot, 2 engines, 1 trim, 2 models in total.
rather than because of a sonorous six. 4
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
BMW X5 xDrive40e
M Sport RENAULT
TopGear on Renault:
2.0T 39,878 5.1 170 300 280 38.2 168 TBA 56,705 Still a pervading sense of imsiness about Renaults. We
2.5T S 48,834 4.6 177 350 309 34.9 184 8/10 hope the ageing RS Megane isnt the end of an era.
2.5T S PDK 50,756 4.2 177 350 309 38.7 167
Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4379x1801x1295, 64-litre fuel tank,
8/10
TWINGO
150/425-litre boot, 2 engines, 2 trims, 4 models in total. Rear-engined, rear drive, its a mini-911!
5 Toyota Land Cruiser
Only its actually a cheeky little city car.
Turbo is only one with any nous, though.
2.8 D-4D Invincible
DATA IN NUMBERS: CAYMAN S VS S PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
54,905 0.9 TCe 90 11,695 10.8 103 90 99 65.7 99 7/10
Porsche Cayman S (prev gen) 48,783
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 3595x1646x1554, 35-litre
Porsche 718 Cayman S (current gen) 51,105 (+ 2,322) fuel tank, 188/980-litre boot, 2 engines, 3 trims, 4 models in total.

FOR ALL THE FACTS AND STATS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EVERY CAR ON SALE IN THE UK GO TO TOPGEAR.COM/REVIEWS
 TWIZY
RENAULT-SEAT
PHANTOM S2

TOP 1O
God knows whats got into us, but we Luxury British land-yacht which man-
badly want a Twizy. Mainly to sneak up ages to drive as well as it soothes. Cars
on other cars in electrical silence. come no more opulent than this.

PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
13kW EV 7,595 n/a 50 17 42 n/a 0 7/10 FASTEST ACCELERATING N/A 6.75 V12 EWB 373,824 6.1 150 453 531 18.9 349 9/10
Technic
Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 2340x1240x1460, no fuel tank, 6.75 V12 D'head 367,632 5.8 150 453 531 19.1 347 8/10
31-litre boot, 1 electric motor, 3 trims, 3 models in total. 6.75 V12 Coupe 347,256 5.8 155 453 531 19.1 347 8/10
ZOE 1 Lamborghini
Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 5830/6090x1990x1640, 100-litre fuel
tank, 460-litre boot, 1 engine, 1 trim, 4 models in total.
This could be the point where electric
Aventador LP750-4
cars start to prove themselves. The Zoe
looks great and costs little.
2.8secs
WRAITH
If the Grand Tour still existed, this is how
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING the aristocracy would get to Vienna. A
majestic symbol of Britain.
EV Expression 18,445 13.5 84 88 162 n/a 0 6/10
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4090x1730x1560, no fuel tank, PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
328/1225-litre boot, 1 electric motor, 3 trims, 3 models in total. 2 Ferrari 6.6 V12 235,416 4.4 155 624 590 20.2 327 9/10
CLIO F12tdf Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 5269x1947x1507, 82-litre fuel tank,
470-litre boot, 1 engine, 1 trim, 1 model in total.
A return to form for Renault. Clio 4 is
2.9secs
good-looking and drives well. Just avoid
the gutless lower-powered 1.2 petrol. DAWN
This is how you do luxury in 2016. Not
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING just a car, but a practically unbeatable
luxury experience.
0.9 TCe Dyn Nav 14,675 12.2 113 90 99 62.8 104 7/10
1.6T RS Trophy 21,780 6.6 146 220 207 47.9 135 7/10
3 Lamborghini Huracan PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
1.5 dCi Play ECO 15,225 12.0 112 90 162 88.3 82 6/10 LP610-4 6.6 V12 264,000 4.9 155 563 575 19.9 330 9/10
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4060x1730x1450, 45-litre fuel
tank, 320/1200-litre boot, 5 engines, 6 trims, 20 models in total.
3.2secs Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 5285x1947x1502, 82-litre fuel tank,
244/295-litre boot, 1 engine, 1 trim, 1 model in total.

DATA IN NUMBERS: GOOD DIRECTIONS SEAT

TopGear on Seat:
Percentage of Clio range with standard sat nav 75% 4 Audi R8
Supposedly the sporty arm of the VW Group behemoth.
So why does it make a seven-seat MPV, then?
CAPTUR V10 Plus
Renault's take on the Juke that's, 3.2secs DATA IN NUMBERS: 6 SEAT-ER
perhaps unsurprisingly, more style than
substance. Clio for us, please. Number of model variants in Seat range 6
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING MII
0.9 TCe Exp+ 14,575 12.6 106 90 99 56.5 115 7/10 5 Dont go expecting loads of Spanish air
1.5 dCi Exp+ 16,275 12.6 106 90 162 76.4 95 7/10 Aston Martin here. VW doesnt permit that. This is
Vanquish just a very sensible Up-based city car.
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4120x1780x1560, 45-litre fuel SKODA-SUZUKI

tank, 377/1235-litre boot, 3 engines, 4 trims, 10 models in total. 3.6secs PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING

MEGANE 1.0 SE Eco 3d

1.0 75 FR Li 3d
10,570 14.4 100
11,065 13.2 106
60
75
67
70
68.9 95
60.1 108
7/10
7/10
New Megane takes cues from Talisman
and Espace, neither of which we get in Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 3560x1640x1480, 35-litre fuel
the UK. Early impressions are good. tank, 238/951-litre boot, 2 engines, 5 trims, 12 models in total.
6
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
Aston Martin
V12 Vantage S
IBIZA
1.2 TCe Exp+ 16,600 10.6 122 130 151 52.3 120 TBA Looks sharp, and pricing is good, but
1.5 dCi Dyn S 20,400 11.3 116 110 192 76.4 96 TBA 3.7secs hasn't quite made the leap that the
Leon has. Ride could be better.
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4359x1814x1447, 47-litre fuel
tank, 384-litre boot, 4 engines, 7 trims, 15 models in total. PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
1.0 EcoTSI SE 5d 13,975 10.4 119 95 118 67.3 98 6/10
DATA IN NUMBERS: BARGAIN HUNT 7 1.8 Cupra SC 18,100 6.7 146 189 236 47.1 TBA 7/10
Chevrolet Corvette Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4030x1690x1430, 45-litre fuel
Renault Megane 1.2 TCe 130 Expression + 16,600 Stingray tank, 284-litre boot, 9 engines, 5 trims, 34 models in total.

Volkswagen Golf 1.2 TSI 85 S 5dr 18,280 (+1,680) 4.2secs LEON

KADJAR Seat has really upped its game with
the all-new Leon. Super-hot Cupra is
Thankfully heaps better than Renaults rather tremendous.
last crack at a big crossover the Koleos.
Qashqai rival with genuine appeal. 8 PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
Chevrolet 1.4 EcoTSI FR 20,525 8.0 134 150 184 60.1 110 7/10
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING Camaro Coupe 2.0 TSI Cupra SC 28,380 5.8 155 290 258 42.2 156 8/10
1.2 TCe Exp + 18,495 10.1 119 132 151 50.4 126 6/10
1.5 dCi Exp + 20,395 11.9 113 112 192 74.3 99 7/10
4.4secs 2.0 TDI FR SC 23,045 7.5 142 184 280 67.3 109 7/10
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4260x1780x1460, 50-litre fuel
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4449x1836x1607, 55-litre fuel
tank, 380-litre boot, 7 engines, 5 trims, 37 models in total.
tank, 864/1620-litre boot, 3 engines, 4 trims, 14 models in total.
ATECA
ROLLS-ROYCE 9 Aston Martin Seats rst crossover is so good youd
think it was an old hand. Handsome, well
TopGear on Rolls-Royce:
Wheeled pleasure yachts thatve seen o the challenge of Rapide S built, and its not another Qashqai, is it?
Maybach and oer more charm than Bentley.
4.4secs PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
GHOST S2 1.0 TSI S 17,990 TBA 113 115 148 54.3 121 TBA
A car for the junior plutocrat, since his 2.0 TDI SE 22,930 TBA 125 150 251 64.2 114 8/10
boss will clearly be in a Phantom. Wave
at him - he needs your pity. Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4363x1841x1615, 50/55-litre fuel
10 Lexus
tank, 510-litre boot, 4 engines, 4 trims, 11 models in total.

PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING RC F

6.6 V12 222,888 4.7 155 571 576 20.8 327 9/10 DATA IN NUMBERS: POWER TO WEIGHT
6.6 V12 EWB 253,944 4.8 155 571 576 20.6 329 9/10
4.5secs
Ateca 1.0 TSI 115 bhp per kg 11.1
Euro NCAP n/a LxWxH in mm: 5399/5569x1948x1550, 82-litre fuel
tank, 490-litre boot, 1 engine, 1 trim, 2 models in total. Ateca 2.0 TDI 150 bhp per kg 9.4

FOR ALL THE FACTS AND STATS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EVERY CAR ON SALE IN THE UK GO TO TOPGEAR.COM/REVIEWS
 SEAT-SUBARU
ALHAMBRA FORFOUR
One of the very best MPVs around. If Same front end as the car above.
you don't want an S-Max, this is a worthy Concerning. Otherwise, its a decent
alternative. Lots of seats, lots of space. city car. But our eyes hurt.
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
1.0 Passion 11,620 15.9 94 71 67 67.3 97 6/10
2.0 TDI SE 28,965 10.2 126 150 251 55.4 132 7/10
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 3495, 1665, 1555, 35-litre fuel
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4850x1900x1720, 70-litre fuel
tank, 185/975-litre boot, 1 engine, 4 trims, 4 models in total.
tank, 267/2297-litre boot, 4 engines, 4 trims, 8 models in total.

SKODA SSANGYONG
TopGear on Skoda: TopGear on SsangYong:
Supposedly the cheapncheerful arm of the VW Group Still mired where the rest of the Koreans languished
behemoth. So why does it make a 30k barge, then? decades ago. Very cheap, for very good reason.

CITIGO TIVOLI
Of course you recognise it the Citigo Neat-looking crossover is SsangYongs
is a lightly altered VW Up. Which makes more practical take on the Nissan Juke.
it a very ne city car indeed. Storming value but not bad to own either.

PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING

PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING 1.6 eXGi SE 12,950 12.0 106 128 118 44.1 149 5/10
1.0 Green SE 3d 9,495 14.4 100 60 70 68.9 95 7/10 Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4195x1795x1590, 47-litre fuel tank,

HERO
1.0 Gre SE L 5d 10,815 13.2 107 75 70 67.3 98 7/10 423-litre boot, 2 engines, 3 trims, 8 models in total.
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 3560x1640x1480, 35-litre fuel
tank, 251/951-litre boot, 2 engines, 4 trims, 12 models in total. KORANDO
Bigger than the Tivoli and also less
FABIA good. Still, not as oensive to look at as
it could be: a lot of car of the money.
Only 9 per cent of the old Fabia was
carried into the latest one. So its 91 per
cent better, says TG maths. BENTLEY CONTINENTAL GT PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
2.2 e-XDi SE4 17,500 9.9 115 178 295 48.7 152 5/10
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4410x1830x1710, 57-litre fuel tank,
1.0 S 10,750 15.7 99 60 70 60.1 106 6/10 ts the car that saved Bentley. 486/1312-litre boot, 1 engine, 5 trims, 6 models in total.
1.2 TSI 90 SE
1.4 TDI 90 SE
13,600 10.9 113
15,600 11.1 113
90
90
118 60.1 107
169 83.0 88
7/10
7/10 I OK, thats a bit strong given
that it was VWs billions that
SUBARU
TopGear on Subaru:
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 3992x1732x1467, 45-litre fuel
tank, 330/1150-litre boot, 7 engines, 5 trims, 34 models in total. did the legwork, but the Conti GT Ex-WRC legend rebuilding its brand with chunky, rugged
4x4s. Rally heritage lives on in old-skool WRX.
was - and still is - pitch perfect. It's all
OCTAVIA the rms brand values distilled into one OUTBACK
Skoda, VW's practicality-obsessed arm,
gives you all the car youll ever need. consummate grand tourer. Bentley has More of the unfashionable same from
Provided youre slightly dull. Subaru, but thats what owners love.
created other cars since, but none of New one is handily sized, very capable.
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING them sums up what a Bentley is as well PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
1.2 TSI SE 17,865 10.2 124 110 129 57.7 114 7/10 as this, the plushest sports coupe of all. 2.0D SE 27,995 9.7 119 150 258 50.4 145 6/10
2.0 TSI vRS 24,460 6.8 154 220 258 45.6 142 7/10 When it rst arrived back in 2003, the Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4815x1840x1605, 60-litre fuel
1.6 TDI SE 19,925 10.6 122 110 184 74.3 99 8/10 tank, TBA-litre boot, 2 engines, 2 trims, 3 models in total.
Conti GT was a single model, powered
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4660x1810x1460, 50-litre fuel
tank, 590/1740-litre boot, 9 engines, 8 trims, 45 models in total. by a 6.0-litre W12. Since then the LEVORG
range has expanded out to include a Yet another big estate from Subaru.
SUPERB convertible and a less powerful V8
Hard to see where it ts in, particularly
with just a single petrol engine choice.
Enormous Skoda catches Audi-itus.
Styled with ruler, but we dont care version, as well as more sporting models. PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
because its like an A8 for A3 money
It boils down to a choice of two for us: 1.6 DIT GT 27,495 8.9 131 172 185 39.8 164 6/10
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING a wafty W12 convertible at 165,600 Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4690x1780x1490, 60-litre fuel tank,
1.4 TSI S 522/1466-litre boot, 1 engine, 1 trim, 1 model in total.
19,060 9.9 129 125 147 52.3 125 8/10 or the tauter, more focused 149,800
2.0 TDI SE 22,555 8.9 135 150 250 68.9 108 8/10 V8S coupe. Tough call, but we'd go V8.
2.0 TDI SE L Est 28,985 8.1 146 190 295 67.3 110 9/10 DATA IN NUMBERS: MPG CHOICE
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4861x1864x1470, 66-litre fuel
tank, 625/1760-litre boot, 7 engines, 5 trims, 50 models in total. Subaru Levorg and BMW M140i auto Both 39.8mpg
YETI WRX STI
Skoda's SUV-lite is a favourite of TopGear. The Scooby turbo is back, minus the
It looks chunky, acts chunky and drives Impreza name but with the same huge
chunkily, too. Facelift spoils purity though. wing and heinous thirst.

PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
1.2 TSI S 17,210 10.9 111 110 129 52.3 124 7/10 2.5T STi 28,995 5.2 159 300 300 27.2 242 7/10
2.0 TDI SE L 4x4 24,875 9.1 121 150 251 55.4 134 8/10 Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4595x1795x1475, 77-litre fuel tank,
460-litre boot, 1 engine, 1 trim, 1 model in total.
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4222x1793x1645, 55-litre fuel
tank, 322/1760-litre boot, 4 engines, 5 trims, 21 models in total. BRZ
SMART An entirely excellent small, sharp coupe
that's not at all like an Impreza. In a
good way. Rather like a Toyota GT86...
TopGear on Smart:
Best yet execution of a awed idea. Well have the
cheaper, mechanically identical Twingo, thanks. PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
2.0 SE Lux 2d 23,995 7.6 130 200 151 36.2 181 9/10
FORTWO Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4240x1780x1430, 55-litre fuel tank,
A doddle to park, a delight around 245-litre boot, 1 engine, 2 trims, 2 models in total.
town, but what on earth was Smart
thinking when it signed o the design? SPEC FORESTER
Price 149,800 Lacks school run glam, but thats not the
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING point - this is rugged transport. Pity the
Engine 3993cc, twin-turbo V8, 240bhp XT Turbo is so ignorable.
1.0 Passion 11,125 14.4 94 71 67 68.9 93 6/10
521bhp, 502lb ft
0.9T Prime 12,415 10.4 96 90 83 67.3 97 6/10 PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
Performance 060mph in 4.5secs,
0.9T Proxy Cab 14,555 10.8 96 90 83 65.7 99 6/10 2.0D XC 26,995 10.2 118 147 258 47.9 156 7/10
192mph, 26.4mpg, 246g/km CO2
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 2695, 1663, 1555, 35-litre fuel Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4560x1780x1700, 64-litre fuel tank,
tank, 260/350-litre boot, 2 engines, 4 trims, 16 models in total. 450/1610-litre boot, 3 engines, 4 trims, 6 models in total.

FOR ALL THE FACTS AND STATS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EVERY CAR ON SALE IN THE UK GO TO TOPGEAR.COM/REVIEWS
 SUZUKI YARIS
SUZUKI-VAUXHALL
TopGear on Suzuki: A key car for Toyota in Europe. The
engine choice is reasonable, the Hybrid is
Only the lovable Swift Sport appears to have been fed OK, but it's not as clever as it used to be.
the enthusiasm from Suzukis mental motorcycles.

SWIFT 1.33 Icon 5d

PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING

By not trying too hard, this no-nonsense 14,265 11.1 109 98 92 57.6 114 4/10
supermini succeeds in being really rather Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 3890x1700x1510, 42-litre fuel
good. The Sport is thriving, too. Rejoice! tank, 347/768-litre boot, 4 engines, 4 trims, 11 models in total.

PRICE
1.6 Sport Nav 3d 13,999
062 MPH BHP
8.7 121 136
LB FT
118
MPG CO2
44.1 147
RATING
7/10
AURIS
For people who want a Prius, but dont
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 3850x1700x1510, 45-litre fuel want to be seen in a Prius. Possibly
tank, 213/562-litre boot, 2 engines, 4 trims, 10 models in total. Britains worst driven car. Maybe.
BALENO PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
Cheap and, thankfully, quite cheerful. Five- 1.8 Hybrid
door only Baleno might look a bit odd, but 20,345 10.9 112 138 105 80.7 79 6/10
delivers on the value front. Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4330x1760x1475, 50-litre fuel
tank, 435/1199-litre boot, 5 engines, 5 trims, 30 models in total.
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
1.0T Boost SZ-T 12,999 11.4 124 111 125 62.7 105 7/10 PRIUS
Euro NCAP n/a LxWxH in mm: 3995x1745x1470, 37-litre fuel It looks totally bizarre but the weird
tank, 320/756-litre boot, 2 engines, 2 trims, 4 models in total. ECO HATCHES styling conceals a well-resolved hybrid.
Note the economy: who needs diesel?
S-CROSS
Out with the SX4, in with the S-Cross.
Same Qashqai-rivalling concept, same
slight surprise at how decent it is.

PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING

GROUP 1.8h Active
PRICE
23,295 10.6 112
1.8h Business + 25,995 10.6 112
Euro NCAP
062 MPH BHP
99
99
LB FT MPG
105 94.2 70
105 86.0 76
CO2

LxWxH in mm: 4540x1760x1470, 45-litre fuel

RATING
7/10
7/10

TEST
1.6 DDiS SZ3 tank, 445/1120-litre boot, 1 engine, 4 trims, 4 models in total.
15,499 12.0 111 120 236 67.2 108 6/10
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4300x1765x1575, 50-litre
fuel tank, 430-litre boot, 2 engines, 4 trims, 11 models in total. MIRAI
VITARA Powered only by hydrogen and smug-
ness, the Mirai is proof hydrogen cars
are ready for the mainstream. Nearly.
This one caught us rather by surprise.
Vitara is a perfectly good alternative to a
Qashqai or Juke. Well done, Suzuki. PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
VW Golf 1.0 BlueMotion Mirai FCV 66,000 9.6 111 152 247 N/A 0 7/10
1.6 DDiS SZ-T
PRICE
17,499
062 MPH BHP
11.5 112 120
LB FT MPG
236 70.6 106
CO2 RATING
7/10
1 Pricey but classless, and irritatingly
good at everything it attempts.
Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4890x1815x1535, 5kg hydrogen
tank, 361-litre boot, 1 powertrain, 1 trim, 1 model in total.
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4175x1775x1610, 47-litre fuel
tank, 375/710-litre boot, 2 engine, 3 trims, 7 models in total.
ithout serious flaws, and therefore
W GT86
TESLA easy to recommend. Most economical
of the bunch, too.
The best Toyota in donkeys (with a
nod of thanks to Subaru). Light 'n' lithe FOR ALL THE FACTS A

TopGear on Tesla: coupe proves that 200bhp is enough.

All-electric cars done properly. Model S is so good; you Pricey in this company. Could argue it
could almost use one as your one and only car. Almost. looks a bit staid alongside the swoopy PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
Astra. We wouldnt, though.
MODEL S 2.0 Primo 22,705 7.7 140 200 151 36.2 180
Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4240x1780x1430, 50-litre fuel tank,
9/10

The most credible alternative to the Vauxhall Astra 1.0T 245-litre boot, 1 engine, 4 trims, 4 models in total.
German execs yet launched. Fast, well
designed and utterly silent. 2 Better all-round than the Focus - great
tech and decent to look at. RAV4
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
Still a bit o the pace, despite a recent
60 53,780 5.5 130 298 325 N/A 0 8/10 facelift. Petrol-electric hybrids a little like a
Cheap but loaded with kit. New cut-price Lexus RX.
P90D Ludicrous 101,480 2.8 155 770 713 N/A 0 9/10
infotainment system is ace, bags of
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4970x1964x1445, no fuel tank, space inside. PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
745/1645-litre boot, 4 power outputs, 4 trims, 4 models in total.
2.5 Hybrid Bus 26,695 8.4 112 178 155 56.5 115 5/10
1.0-litre engine isnt as good as Fords or
MODEL X VWs. Comfy, but the least engaging of Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4570x1845x1660, 60-litre fuel
tank, 410-litre boot, 3 engines, 4 trims, 9 models in total.
An SUV EV with Porsche pace. And fal- the three to drive.
con doors. Very pricey, but isnt this what
the future was supposed to look like?
Ford Focus 1.0T EcoBoost
LAND CRUISER
P90D
PRICE 062 MPH BHP
100,180 3.8 155 773
LB FT
713
MPG
N/A
CO2
0
RATING
9/10
3 Old and feels it, but has no right to
drive as well as it (still) does.
Happy in the hands of armed militia and
jolly farmers from Lincolnshire. One of
the most robust o-roaders ever.
Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 5036x1999x1684, no fuel tank,
TBA-litre boot, 3 power outputs, 3 trims, 3 models in total. PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
uch improved since the facelift of
M
3.0 D-4D Icon 48,405 11.7 109 171 302 34.9 213 5/10
a couple of years ago, still the best
DATA IN NUMBERS: XTRA FAST thing here to drive. Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4760x1885x1890, 87-litre fuel tank,
403/1695-litre boot, 1 engine, 3 trims, 3 models in total.

Tesla Model X P90D 0-62mph 3.8secs Feels ancient despite Fords best efforts
Porsche Macan Turbo 0-62mph 4.8secs
to keep it fresh. Interior and infotainment
still disappoint. VAUXHALL
TopGear on Vauxhall:
TOYOTA Along with Ford, the bread and butter of British motoring.
Thing is, Vauxhall forgets to put tasty llings in.
TopGear on Toyota:
Maker of many boring things. And the GT86. Which is
so good, it almost makes up for the rest of em. ADAM
They called it the Adam. They should
AYGO have called it the Cheryl. Cute, but
short of panache. Blame its upbringing.
Citroen C1 with added face fungus. Still
cheap, still good around town. Now
more capable elsewhere. PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
1.4 100 Slam 14,980 11.5 115 100 96 53.3 125 7/10
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING 1.0T Rocks Air 17,625 9.9 121 115 125 56.5 115 6/10
1.0 x-play 5d 10,745 14.2 99 70 70 68.9 95 7/10 1.4T S 17,625 8.5 130 150 162 47.9 139 6/10
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 3455x1615x1460, 35-litre fuel Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 3740x1680x1590, 45-litre fuel
tank, 168-litre boot, 1 engine, 5 trims, 10 models in total. tank, 170/663-litre boot, 5 engines, 7 trims, 18 models in total.

FOR ALL THE FACTS AND STATS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EVERY CAR ON SALE IN THE UK GO TO TOPGEAR.COM/REVIEWS
 VIVA VOLKSWAGEN

VAUXHALL-VOLKSWAGEN
TOP 7
Vauxhall revives Viva name, but only in TopGear on Volkswagen:
the UK. Viva is called Karl elsewhere. Is
quite cheap. Also quite cheerful. Quietly brilliant, thoroughly deserving of every accolade
chucked its way. Up and Golf particular highlights.

1.0 SE
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING UP
8,745 13.1 108 75 70 62.8 104 6/10 POSH SUVS A VW city car you want to own. Neat
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 3675x1595x1485, 32-litre fuel styling and packaging to shame Ikeas n-
tank, 206/1013-litre boot, 1 engine, 2 trims, 3 models in total. est, we like the Up. Recently facelifted.
1 VOLVO XC90
CORSA D5 INSCRIPTION PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
Lovely little 1.0-litre turbo, very rened 1.0 Take 3d 8,995 14.4 100 60 70 64.2 101 8/10
and vastly improved all round. But its
Price 51,550 Specs 235bhp,
1.0 TSI High 5d 12,455 9.9 114 90 118 60.1 108 8/10
still a Vauxhall. Need we say more? 354lb ft, 0-62mph 7.4secs, VMax
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 3540x1640x1490, 35-litre fuel
137mph, 48.7mpg, CO2 152g/km tank, 251/951-litre boot, 3 engines, 4 trims, 24 models in total.
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
1.4 Sting 3d 9,745 14.9 101 75 96 55.4 118 6/10 Old TG favourite becomes new TG favourite thanks
to nut-and-bolt reboot. All-new platform is incredibly
POLO
1.0T 90 SE 5d 15,480 11.9 112 90 122 65.7 104 6/10 The Golfs mini-me was facelifted for
1.6T 205 VXR 3d 18,630 6.8 143 205 180 37.7 174 6/10 versatile, and seats seven with comparative ease. 2014. Its safe and solid, and now has a
(little) bit more soul.
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4020x1736x1479, 45-litre fuel
tank, 285/1120-litre boot, 7 engines, 8 trims, 76 models in total.
2 RANGE ROVER SDV8 PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING

ASTRA VOGUE SE 1.0 S 3d

1.2 TSI Mtch 5d
11,495 15.5 100 60
14,705 10.8 114 90
70 60.1 106
118 60.1 107
7/10
8/10
Yes, yawn, its the new Astra. Trouble Price 89,750 Specs 344bhp,
is, this one really takes the ght to the 546lb ft, 0-62mph 6.5secs, VMax 1.8 TSI GTI 3d 19,095 6.7 146 192 236 47.1 139 7/10
Focus. Onboard connectivity is superb. 1.4 TDI Mtch 5d
135mph, 33.6mpg, CO2 218g/km 15,770 12.9 108 75 155 83.1 88 8/10
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 3970x1682x1462, 45-litre fuel
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING The large SUV to be seen in. Big Range Rover tank, 280/952-litre boot, 9 engines, 8 trims, 32 models in total.
1.0T Design 16,145 10.5 124 105 125 65.7 99 7/10 redenes luxury in the SUV class, to the point GOLF
1.4T 150 SRi 19,045 7.8 134 150 181 51.4 128 7/10
where its now a rival for the S-Class.
1.6 CDTi Design 18,330 9.0 127 136 236 76.3 99 7/10 The best done better than ever. You
need no other hatchback. So dont
waste your time looking.
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4370x1871x1485, 48-litre fuel
tank, 370/1210-litre boot, 8 engines, 5 trims, 41 models in total. 3 RANGE ROVER SPORT
INSIGNIA SDV6 HSE DYNAMIC PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
Price 67,900 Specs 310bhp, 1.4 TSI GT Ed 5d 24,870 8.2 134 150 184 57.6 115 8/10
The Vectra replacement that changed
its name to avoid incrimination in past 517lb ft, 0-62mph 6.8secs, VMax 2.0 GTI 5d 28,515 6.5 153 220 258 47.1 139 8/10
crimes. Good to drive, smart design. 130mph, 40.4mpg, CO2 185g/km 2.0 R 5d 31,840 5.1 155 300 280 39.8 165 9/10
1.6 TDI Match 5d 22,350 10.7 119 110 184 74.3 99 8/10
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING Little short of a transformation as the thuggish old RRS
2.0 GTD 5d 27,975 7.5 143 184 258 67.3 109 8/10
2.8 T VXR SS 30,884 5.6 170 325 320 25.7 249 6/10 was replaced by one of the most multi-talented cars in
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4260x1800x1450, 50-litre fuel
2.0 CDTi SRi ST 23,924 9.4 137 170 295 60.1 124 6/10 the class. SDV6 is the one to have if you can stretch tank, 380/1270-litre boot, 13 engines, 9 trims, 48 models in total.
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4830x1860x1530, 70-litre fuel
tank, 530/1470-litre boot, 9 engines, 6 trims, 106 models in total.
AUDI Q7 3.0 TDI 272 BEETLE
4
ND STATS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EVERY CAR ON SALE IN THE UK GO TO TOPGEAR.COM/REVIEWS

VXR8 S LINE A sportier Beetle? Does that make this a

cockroach? Never mind, the retro VW now
No-nonsense Aussie saloon is back. TG Price 54,540 Specs 268bhp, has a smattering of driver appeal.
cheers loudly. Particularly as it now has
nearly 600bhp... Strewth. 443lb ft, 0-62mph 6.5secs, VMax PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
145mph, 47.9mpg, CO2 153g/km 1.4 TSI Sport 22,760 8.7 126 150 185 48.7 134 7/10
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
6.2 V8 GTS 55,500 4.9 155 584 545 18.5 363 7/10 The last one had an image problem. This one doesnt. Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4640x1770x1480, 68-litre fuel
tank, 510-litre boot, 5 engines, 4 trims, 20 models in total.
Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4940x1900x1470, 73-litre fuel tank, Much better to drive than the old one, but not quite as
495-litre boot, 1 engine, 1 trim, 1 model in total. clever inside as the Volvo. Dash is lovely, though.
DATA IN NUMBERS: BARGAIN BEETLE
DATA IN NUMBERS: YOU RIPPER 5 PORSCHE CAYENNE Entry-level Beetle 1,085 less than entry-level Golf
S DIESEL
Porsche 911 Turbo S max power 580bhp
Price 65,495 Specs 385bhp, PASSAT
Vauxhall VXR8 GTS max power 584bhp The driver likes to pretend hes an exec,
626lb ft, 0-62mph 5.4secs, VMax when in truth hes a rep thats made his
MERIVA 156mph, 35.3mpg, CO2 209g/km monthly bonus. Fine car, though.
Mini-MPV with rear suicide doors to We must be heretics condoning a Porsche SUV, and a PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
ease child installation and ejection of
drunks. Like a Black Cab, minus vomit. diesel one at that. But Porsche has the Cayenne nailed 1.6 TDI S 22,650 10.8 128 120 185 70.6 105 7/10
now h it drives better than a Panamera. 2.0 TDI S 23,775 8.7 137 150 251 70.6 106 7/10
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING 2.0 TDI SCR GT 28,225 7.9 147 190 295 68.9 107 7/10
1.6 CDTi Tech L 17,590 9.9 122 136 236 64.2 116 7/10
6 BMW X5 Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4767x1832x1456, 59/66-litre fuel
tank, 586/1152-litre boot, 4 engines, 5 trims, 26 models in total.
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4290x1810x1620, 54-litre fuel
tank, 400/1500-litre boot, 4 engines, 4 trims, 11 models in total. M50D
MOKKA Price 65,240 Specs 381bhp, CC
545lb ft, 0-62mph 5.3secs, VMax Facelifted CC has dropped the Passat
There are many good little crossovers name, but not the underpinnings.
on sale. The Vauxhall Mokka isnt one of 155mph, 42.8mpg, CO2 173g/km Cheap, able alternative to the Merc CLS.
them. Looks quite nice, though.
There may be something a bit generic about the latest PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING X5, but tted with the tri-turbo diesel engine its hard to 2.0 TDI 184 GT 30,910 8.6 141 184 258 64.2 114 7/10
1.4T 140 Tech 17,524 9.3 120 140 148 45.6 145 4/10 have complaints. Mind-bending speed. Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 4800x1860x1420, 70-litre fuel tank,
1.6 CDTi Tech 19,064 9.3 119 136 236 68.9 106 4/10 532-litre boot, 4 engines, 2 trims, 5 models in total.

Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4278x1777x1654, 54-litre fuel

7 MERCEDES-BENZ GLS SCIROCCO
tank, 362/1372/663-litre boot, 3 engines, 5 trims, 17 models in total.
350D AMG LINE Still great looking, but now resting on a
ZAFIRA TOURER Price 69,110 Specs 254bhp, platform two gens behind the Golf. Mi-
nor facelift isnt enough to disguise this.
Whod of thunk it? The words Zara 457lb ft, 0-62mph 7.8secs, VMax
and desirable in the same sentence.
Boomerang eyes are locked on S-Max... 137mph, 37.2mpg, CO2 199g/km PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
2.0 TSI 180 23,065 7.4 140 180 207 47.1 148 7/10
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
GLS is quite big, but its mostly for Americans, so well 2.0 TSI 280 R 32,885 5.7 155 280 258 35.3 187 8/10
2.0 CDTi SRi 25,555 9.1 129 170 280 54.3 137 7/10
give it a pass. Great at cruising, massively capacious and 2.0 TDI 150 23,730 8.6 134 150 199 67.3 109 6/10
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4600x1850x1760, 65-litre fuel
leather-lined surprisingly good. Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4256x1810x1406, 55-litre fuel
tank, 420/1420-litre boot, 5 engines, 5 trims, 22 models in total. tank, 312/1006-litre boot, 6 engines, 4 trims, 11 models in total.

FOR ALL THE FACTS AND STATS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EVERY CAR ON SALE IN THE UK GO TO TOPGEAR.COM/REVIEWS
 TOURAN S90
VOLKSWAGEN-ZENOS

TOP 1O
New Touran sits on same MQB architec- Think XC90, only a bit lower and without
ture as latest Golf. As before, a dull but the two extra seats. Much Swedish cool-
capable way to ferry many people. ness thrown in for free.
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
1.6 TDI SE 25,230 11.9 116 110 185 64.2 116 6/10 2.0 D4 Moment 32,555 8.2 143 190 295 64.2 116 8/10
CHEAPEST CONVERTIBLES
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4527x1814x1628, 58-litre fuel 2.0 D5 Inscrip 42,055 7.0 149 235 354 58.9 127 8/10
tank, 137/1857-litre boot, 5 engines, 4 trims, 11 models in total.
Euro NCAP n/a LxWxH in mm: 4963x1895x1443, 55-litre fuel
SHARAN 1
tank, 500-litre boot, 2 engines, 2 trims, 4 models in total.

More VW MPV-ery, this time quite

good. Its comfortable, practical, seats
Smart Fortwo
Cabrio 1.0 71 Passion
V90
seven easily and gets decent engines. Big estates are back, and the V90 might just
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
13,265 be our favourite. But we havent driven it in
the UK yet, so well get back to you
1.4 TSI 150 SE 28,835 10.7 122 150 177 43.5 150 7/10
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
2.0 TDI 150 SE 30,465 10.3 TBA 150 251 56.5 130 7/10
2.0 D4 Moment 34,555 8.5 140 190 295 62.8 119 8/10
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4850x1900x1720, 70-litre fuel
tank, 300/2297-litre boot, 4 engines, 4 trims, 11 models in total. 2 Fiat 500C
2.0 D5 Inscrip 44,055 7.2 149 235 354 57.6 129 8/10

TIGUAN 1.2 Pop

Euro NCAP n/a LxWxH in mm: 4936x1895x1475, 55-litre fuel
tank, 723/1526-litre boot, 2 engines, 2 trims, 4 models in total.
Smart-looking all-new Tiguan is bigger
than the old car and now a much more
13,700
able Discovery Sport alternative. DATA IN NUMBERS: SUPERB BOOT
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING Volvo V90 max luggage capacity 1,526 litres
2.0 TDI SE Nav 28,005 9.3 127 150 251 58.9 125 7/10
3 Skoda Superb max luggage capacity 1,950 litres
2.0 TSI R-Line 34,430 7.7 129 180 236 38.2 170 7/10 Abarth
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4486x1839x1632, 60-litre fuel 595C XC60
tank, 615/1650-litre boot, 2 engines, 5 trims, 12 models in total.
17,090 Mid-size SUV stued with health and
safety kit. It should come in uoro yel-
TOUAREG low with a loud hailer as standard.
If a large SUV can be inoensive, this is
it. Shares much with the Cayenne, ex- PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
cept the price and cock-wafting image. 2.0 D4 SE Lux 34,360 7.6 130 190 295 62.8 117 6/10
4 DS 3 Cabrio Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4630x1860x1490, 70-litre fuel
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
tank, 495/1455-litre boot, 3 engines, 4 trims, 14 models in total.
3.0 TDI SE 43,900 8.7 128 204 332 42.8 173 6/10 1. 6 BlueHDi Chic
3.0 TDI R-Line 48,700 7.3 140 262 373 42.8 174 7/10 18,195 XC90
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4801x1940x1709, 85-litre fuel Everything we hoped it would be, and
tank, 493/1555-litre boot, 2 engines, 3 trims, 5 models in total. more besides. Superb safety systems,
fantastic tech and practicality.

DATA IN NUMBERS: IN CLOSE RANGE 5 PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
Mini Convertible 2.0 D5 46,250 7.4 137 228 347 49.6 149 9/10
Price range: bottom to top of Touareg line 4,800 Cooper 2.0 T6 49,705 6.1 143 324 295 36.7 179 9/10

VOLVO 18,475 2.0 T8

Euro NCAP
60,455 5.3 140 406 295 104.6 99 9/10
LxWxH in mm: 4950x2008x1776, 50/71-litre fuel
TopGear on Volvo: tank, 397/1951-litre boot, 3 engines, 3 trims, 9 models in total.
Far removed from Volvo of old, and far more than just
boxes on wheels. Even though they are boxy.

V40 6
VUHL
Mazda MX-5 TopGear on Vuhl:
Volvo nally pulls its nger out and gets 1.5 SE Thought up by a pair of Mexican brothers with a
serious about the premium hatchback. background in industrial design. 05 is a promising start.
Now facelifted with an XC90 front end. 18,495 05
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING Looks like a little British track thing.
2.0 T2 Moment 20,255 9.2 118 122 162 51.4 127 TBA Isnt. Mexican money, Italian design,
2.0 D3 R-Des Ford power. Good eort.
25,345 7.9 130 150 236 74.3 99 TBA
2.0 D4 CC 26,405 7.3 130 190 295 70.6 104 TBA 7 Volkswagen Beetle PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4370x1857x1470, 62-litre fuel Cabrio 1.2 TSI 2.0T 59,995 3.7 152 285 310 n/a n/a 7/10
tank, 335/1032-litre boot, 7 engines, 7 trims, 87 models in total.

S60 19,495 Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 3718x1876x1120, 40-litre fuel
tank, 70-litre boot, 1 engine, 1 trim, 1 model in total.

At last, a BMW 3-Series rival thats actu-

ally a 3-Series size. Good engines, nice
interior, but no 3-Series to drive.
DATA IN NUMBERS: PRICE POINTER
8 Vuhl 05 59,995
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING Fiat 124 Spider
Zenos E10 S 29,995
1.5 T3 Business 22,740 8.1 130 154 185 48.7 135 6/10 1.4 Classica
2.0 D4 Business 24,295
Euro NCAP
7.1 143 190 295 72.8 102
LxWxH in mm: 4630x1860x1490, 67-litre fuel
7/10 19,545 ZENOS
tank, 339-litre boot, 8 engines, 5 trims, 36 models in total. TopGear on Zenos:
Upstart staed by ex-Caterham execs. It shows
V60 Ford-engined E10 is admirably well-executed.
Estate version of the S60, only Volvo
insists its not actually an estate, but a
9 Volkswagen Golf E10
sportswagon. Its an estate, Volvo. Cabrio 1.2 TSI S What do you get when former Cater-
ham chiefs leave to design their own
PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING 22,880 car? Um, a 21st century Caterham.

2.0 D4 Business 25,495 7.2 140 190 295 70.6 104 7/10 PRICE 062 MPH BHP LB FT MPG CO2 RATING
D6 Plug-in 50,175 5.8 143 220 325 155 48 7/10 E10 S 29,995 4.0 145 250 295 n/a n/a 8/10
Euro NCAP LxWxH in mm: 4628x1865x1484, 67-litre fuel Euro NCAP n/a, LxWxH in mm: 3800x1870x1130, n/a-litre fuel
tank, 430/1241-litre boot, 6 engines, 9 trims, 36 models in total. 10 Vauxhall Cascada
tank, n/a-litre boot, 1 engine, 2 trims, 2 models in total.

1.4T SE
DATA IN NUMBERS: LARGE CAPACITY DATA IN NUMBERS: 10 OUT OF 10
25,340
120bhp V60 D2 engine size 2.0-litre Zenos E10 kerbweight 700kg
190bhp V60 D4 engine size 2.0-litre Hyundai i10 1.0 kerbweight 933kg

FOR ALL THE FACTS AND STATS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EVERY CAR ON SALE IN THE UK GO TO TOPGEAR.COM/REVIEWS

he Matra Murena died in 1983 meaning that fans
of three-abreast front seating had nothing to waste
T their money on, until the arrival of the Fiat Multipla some
15 years later. And when it did turn up, a long-overdue
replacement for the original (and unbelievably cute) 600
Multipla of 1956, everyone promptly forgot the two-rows-of-three layout
as they were too busy gawping at the thing.
The ugliness of the Multipla trod that fine line the Ford Scorpio so
notably failed to people felt sorry for it. Didnt mean they bought it,
of course, but they did point. And often roared with laughter. Lots of little
round headlights dotted the front end, and it appeared to have had the
glassy superstructure of a Popemobile plonked onto the lower body of
a supermini. It was daft, silly to look at and utterly brilliant inside.
As long as you werent the middle passenger in the front row. Sure,
you had the best view out, but every time the driver changed gear
you got elbowed in the stomach. Today it wouldnt be an issue as it
would have been fitted with a paddly gearbox, but back then the
passenger flinched every time the driver went for second, fourth
or double flinch reverse.
DEFENDING THE INDEFENSIBLE SINCE 2015
18 6 SEPTEMBER 2016 J TOPGEAR.COM
o
N
11
FIAT
MULTIPLA
I tell you, its a future
classic. Buy them now
while theyre going cheap
Behind, though, everyone was having a
high old time of things the back seats all slid,
tilted, reclined and removed individually, and, if you
did hoick them all out youd find the Multipla shorter than the Fiat
Bravo it was based on could swallow more tip-run paraphernalia
than the Mercedes-Benz E-Class wagon of the time.
WORDS: OLLIE MARRIAGE IMAGE: MANUFACTURER
Seats back in, the low scuttle meant the kids could see out happily
(the other side of this is they looked quite vulnerable...), and, if they got
bored and there was no one being elbowed in the stomach at that
moment, that centre front seat folded down so they could once again
see just how much the airvent stack looked like a robots head.
In 2004, Fiat ballsed the whole thing up by facelifting the Multipla
and giving it a sloping bonnet. Now what were people going to do
when they were driving along at night and forgot what colour their
car was? Previously theyd just been able to flip main beam on, and
the spot lights would illuminate the bonnet. No more. It was the
end of an era. So, yes, the original was fugly, but it was also clever,
neat, well-packaged and above all unique. And theres not
enough of that about these days.
 WAT CH AL L NE W
RIS D RIVES
CHRIS HAR O N L Y O N

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