The Redline

Author: Peter Anderson

  • Alfa Romeo 4C Spider Race Pack – Carbon Weird

    The Alfa Romeo 4C was a sort of follow-up to the brand building 8C. Tiny, mid-engined, McLaren-style carbon fibre tub, it had pedigree. And weird, weird looks.

    I was really excited about this car. For any and varied reasons, I missed out when the car first launched in Australia. I was excited because this car was technically interesting and I was at its launch at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. I also thought it was a deeply odd car for Alfa Romeo to be making.

    At that time, the range was in decline – no more GTV, Spider or Brera and the beautiful 159 was also gone. The company was making the MiTo and the Giulietta. Two, small, front-wheel drive hatchbacks with Fiat underpinnings and nothing else. It was all a bit sad.

    So what did the powers that were decide to build? A mid-engined sports car with a carbon-fibre tub and wacky styling. Completely mad.

    Words: Peter Anderson
    Images: Rhys Vandersyde, InSyde Media

    How much is the Alfa Romeo 4C and what do I get?

    Pricing:
    Alfa Romeo 4C Coupe: $89,000 (before ORC)
    Alfa Romeo 4C Spider: $99,000 (before ORC)
    Alfa Romeo 4C Competizione: $119,900 (before ORC)

    Well, the present tense is a dangerous thing, as is not reviewing cars as soon as you hand them back. One thing you’ll notice from the photo is that it had been raining in Sydney. That rarely happens, so it was a while ago, which is mildly shameful.

    Anyway, there are three Alfa Romeo 4C models – the coupe, spider and the Competizione. The coupe starts at a not-unreasonable $89,000, with a $10,000 price rise to the Spider. The (even more) madcap Competizione jumps to $119,900.

    Standard specification includes remote central locking, 17-inch alloys at the front and 18-inch at the rear, leather seats and steering wheel, four-speaker Alpine stereo, air-conditioning, rear parking sensors, cruise control, LED headlights, launch control, sports seats and a tyre repair kit.

    The majestic gunmetal Basalt Grey ($2000 option) car you see here is the Spider. Just for fun, it also had a $12,000 Racing package fitted, which I cannot recommend if you fancy using this car as a daily driver. You get even stiffer suspension, Pirelli tyres on up-sized 18-inch (front) and 19-inch (rear) wheels and a racing exhaust.

    Warranty and Servicing

    Warranty: 3 years/150,000km

    Startlingly, I’m not going to rag on how short is the warranty on the 4C. I mean, it’s short and for $90,000-plus it should be better, but this isn’t a car for normal people. It isn’t even a car for normal Alfisti. It’s a car for lunatics, the sort of nutters who would buy a Lotus Elise. It’s that kind of car. So while it should be a minimum of five years, it isn’t and I can’t see anybody caring too much.

    Capped-price servicing: Yes, $6675 over five years.
    Service intervals: 12 months/15,000km

    So this is deeply unusual. Alfa offers 4C owners five years/75,000km (whichever comes first) of capped-price servicing. Now, don’t get me wrong – it’s not cheap, not by a long shot – but at least you know what you’re up for. One of the worst things about cars like these is the hidden running costs and servicing is one of them.

    The first, third and fifth services are an eye-catching $895, the second an eye-watering $1495, the fourth a whopping $2495. That’s $6675 over five years or $1335 per year on average. Ow. That’s AMG-level pricing, but again, this is no ordinary car so it’s to be expected. To be fair, it’s probably a bastard to work on.

    Look and Feel

    Nasty headlights attached, 2013

    The 4C is tiny, mid-engined sports car, but boy is it wide – 1868mm, to be exact. It’s almost half as wide as it is long (3990mm), so it looks pretty aggro, particularly as it’s just 1184mm high. The headlights are, thankfully, not the horrific spider’s eye jobs that turned up in Geneva.

    As a Spider, it does quite a good job of looking like the coupe, with just the section between the roll hoop and the windscreen header rail left unfilled. Look closely enough at the coupe and you’ll see it’s really just the Spider with a cap on.

    Only problem is, the roof is a pain to get on and off, again, much like the Elise’s. There’s a series of levers and slots and you have to get the leading edge into a slot, but it kind of overflows at the sides so it looks like it’s not on properly. Obviously, as an owner, you’ll work it out pretty sharpish, but you have to commit.

    110 litre boot / Flat bottomed wheels make the scenery go round / Digital dashboard / Centre console / Lurid red seats

    Interior

    Thankfully, the 110-litre boot can hold the roof without drama (and there are no extra bits floating around) and you can also fit another squishy bag in there. Or a helmet.

    Look closely and you’ll see bits of carbon fibre everywhere. Some of it is just trimming, but around the sills and the floor, that’s the structure of the car. It’s an interesting move to leave it open for all to see, but it does have its drawback.

    Some of the interior parts are clearly straight out of something else and the handbrake is way too high. What matters most is that the sets are comfortable if not at all photogenic. The Alpine head unit is ludicrously painful to use and Alfa really should update the dash design to fit a proper screen. But they won’t, because the axe fell on the 4C in late 2019.

    Overall it’s pretty sparse, but apart from the stereo, everything does its job well. Actually, the digital dashboard is a bit of a mess until you go into Race mode and even then it’s a bit 1980s computer game.

    The sill is a bit of a pain to get over, but you soon learn to drop your backside in first, then swing in. No worse than an Evora and way better than a BMW i8 or Lamborghini Aventador.

    Once you’re in it’s reasonably spacious. I didn’t knock elbows with any of the various passengers who came with me. Photographer Rhys, who is A Big Unit, was actually able to drive this car. He couldn’t even get into the Elise and the image of him and sometime co-pilot Steve in the Aventador never fails to make me howl with laughter.

    There are cupholders but they’re in a dumb spot. Problem is, it’s the only spot in such a tight cabin. Still, there are other factors at play that lead me to suggest leaving the liquids at home.

    Drivetrain

    Hard up against the cabin’s rear bulkhead is one of the Fiat group’s miraculous turbo four-cylinder turbo engines. At 1742cc, the internet appears divided as to whether to call it a 1.7-litre or 1.8. Round to the nearest single decimal, folks.

    No matter, it develops 177kW and 350Nm, which is pretty good for an engine of this size.

    The same engine is in the Giulietta, except the 4C packs an aluminium block rather than a heavier cast-iron one. Peak power arrives at 6000rpm while the torque is available from 2200-4250rpm, falling off as you head to the 6000-plus redline.

    As with the Giulietta, you get a seven-speed TCT (twin-clutch) transmission operated by steering wheel-mounted paddles and driving the rear wheels.

    Alfa says you’ll crack 100km/h in 4.5 seconds – the Race pack is no quicker, just louder.

    It’s a characterful engine, with tons of whooshing and huffing and puffing, which I quite like. It’s a pity it’s drowned out by the sometimes-harsh exhaust noise.

    Official fuel economy: 6.8L/100km
    Real world: 9.8L/100km

    The 4C has a tiny 40-litre tank which you have to fill with 98 RON premium unleaded. Alfa claims a combined cycle figure of just 6.8L/100km.

    Chassis

    Alfa Romeo 4C interior wheels

    On your driveway, the Alfa Romeo 4C weighs 1025kg (tare, for some reason). Its dry weight is an astonishing 895kg. Just 52kg of that is the carbon fibre tub around which the car is built. Staggering.

    Brakes come from Brembo, with four pot calipers gripping 305mm discs at the front and fewer pots the 292mm rears.

    The Race Pack rolls on 18-inch wheels in front of you and 19-inch behind you, with a “track-biased” set of Pirellis P-Zeros (205/40 front, 235/35 rear). The rubber wears AR Racing stamps, so one expects they are stickies as specified by Alfa.

    Driving

    Alfa Romeo 4C pedal box

    Once again, I’m not going to recommend the Race Pack. I’m going to get all the bad stuff out of the way first so I leave you with a fair impression.

    The 4C is really loud with the optional exhaust. Like, really loud. The entire cabin buzzes and because a lot of it is (gorgeous) exposed carbon fibre, the sound pings around like a ricochet in a Bugs Bunny cartoon. The ride isn’t great, either, so you’re dodging potholes to save your spine and tooth fillings. Rough roads fill your ears with noise and nonsense and the steering is really vague on-centre, which is weird because it’s unassisted.

    Did I mention it’s too loud? It’s too loud. And you can’t see a damn thing about the back and because there’s no reversing camera, you become crunchaphobic and and a terrible parker. At least in the few days I had it anyway.

    Right. I think that’s the worst of it.

    When you have the 4C on the right stretch of road, with the right density of ear plug, you are going to love it pieces. Because all of the elements come together into a car that feels like a supercar.

    Strong brakes with excellent feel that allow you to place the car where you want in a corner. The brake pedal is soft at the top like a McLaren’s, so learn to love left-foot braking and you will love the way the 4C.

    Brilliant steering that once you’re off-centre is more eloquent about the road surface than Clive James on poetry. While you will need to bulk up a bit if you want to survive more than twenty minutes on a twisting road, the lack of assistance means you’re in complete control and know exactly what’s coming.

    The chassis is incredibly neutral, like a really well done all-wheel drive car. In the dry, you will only understeer when you’re really pushing your luck or of the road surface is terrible. Kicking out the tail requires commitment, but when you do, it’s easy to control. Well, most of the time.

    On my favourite bit of road, something kept happening. The 4C would grip and grip and grip and then suddenly the rear would break free. It wasn’t violent but it wasn’t fun, either, and a quick lift settled everything down. But it didn’t inspire confidence and with not a lot of room for error, it meant backing off and calming down. On a racetrack you wouldn’t care, because there’s not much to hit, but out in the bush, there’s plenty.

    So, yeah, it was hard to love.

    Competition

    Lotus Elise / Alpine A110

    The obvious one that I keep mentioning is the two-decade young Lotus Elise. The  Elise range starts at $87,990 (plus ORC) for the Sport 220. Powered by a 1.8-litre supercharged Toyota engine, it’s got 162kW and 250Nm. It’s barely slower to 100km/h and has a similarly sparse and dorky interior. Jump to the Cup 250 ($107,990) and get 181kW, but no more torque. Most of the rest of the money goes to the chassis and aero. Lotuses now have three years free servicing and a three-year warranty. And a proper six-speed manual.

    From Renaultsport is the Alpine A110, starting at $99,000 for the Pure and rising to $104,000 for the Légende. Like the Lotus and the Alfa, it’s a mid-engined, rear-drive sports car. Similar to the 4C, it has a seven-speed automatic and a powerful turbo four-cylinder (185kW/320Nm). Like the Elise it has an aluminium chassis and wil crack 100km/h in about the same time as the 4C. You get a three-year warranty which includes two years of unlimited kilometres but if you keep it under 100,000km you’ll get the full three. That’s, uh, odd. Not odd is the three years of servicing that totals $2340, or $780 per year. Not bad at all, but not as good as the Lotus’ service deal. The A110 has a proper interior, a decent central media screen and even has a front boot.

    Redline Recommendation

    Alfa Romeo 4C

    As dumb as this car is, I did quite enjoy it. But, reader, I cannot lie, I would not buy one. There are way too many compromises and its operating window is so narrow that it’s hard to justify. Like the Giulia, it requires such a smooth surface to get the best of it, it’s a race-track only proposition in Race Pack trim. Yeah, you can drive it around, but it will wear you down in a way other cars won’t.

    It’s definitely one for the purists. I’m an ex-owner of an Alfa Romeo, so I know what it’s like to buy a silly car that will delight and disappoint all at the same time. I reckon I also have a pretty high tolerance for flaws – the first-gen Fiesta ST interior, the X4 M‘s styling and hard ride – but a Race Pack-equipped 4C is a bridge too far.

    Having said that, if it meant the 4C’s ultimate salvation, yes, I would buy it. Because giant car companies should make stupid cars like this. Renault makes the Alpine and various huge companies have owned Lotus. I’d even throw the Hyundai Veloster into that list because it’s so wilfully odd. The world needs cars like the 4C and it’s awful that Alfa has axed it and it doesn’t look like another company will be able to buy the tooling and keep it going under another banner.

    Prologue

    Some time after I drove the 4C, I found out that the right rear damper was stuffed. I don’t know if it was buggered when I drove it, but that might explain its weird behaviour.

  • Hyundai Kona Electric 2020 Review

    The Hyundai Kona Electric arrived in 2019 to add to the Korean company’s trio of electrified Ioniqs. Promising Tesla-like 440km-plus range and a price tag to beat it, Hyundai joined the EV big league.

    Hyundai never, ever fails to surprise me. I owned two in the 1990s when they went through a brief purple patch with the Lantra and Coupe (Do. Not. Judge. Me.). The Lantra was surprisingly good and nothing broke while the Coupe often broke and had terrible paint but I loved it anyway.

    The last ten years have seen a steady, inexorable rise to meet the challenge of 21st-century motoring. With the Ioniqs three, Hyundai had a solid grip on a city EV, a very good grip on a plug-in hybrid and a Prius-strangling series hybrid. Boring, not great to look at (the MY20 update is slightly better), but Hyundai showed it wasn’t messing about.

    After the huge distraction of the i30 N hot hatch and Fastback, the compact SUV Kona scored a full EV drivetrain. It changed just about everything we know about the electric vehicle market.

    Words: Peter Anderson
    Images: Rhys Vandersyde
    Co-pilot: Todd Fletcher

    How much is the Hyundai Kona Electric and what do I get?

    Pricing (December 2019)
    Hyundai Kona EV Elite: $59,990
    Hyundai Kona EV Highlander: $64,990

    You have a choice of two Kona EVs, as it happens. The “entry-level” Elite costs a stout $59,900 while the Highlander I had for a week stings you $64,990. For comparison, the bottom-of-the-range Kona Go is $24,000 while the turbocharged all-wheel drive Highlander is $39,990.

    It’s a lot, but we’ll talk about why it isn’t really a bit later. It would be great if EVs were cheaper, but the less you spend, the fewer kilometres you will cover. It’s going to get better, though, so if you don’t have sixty-large, sit tight for a few more years.

    The Highlander lands with 17-inch alloys, an eight-speaker stereo, climate control, reversing camera, keyless entry and start, front and rear parking sensors, pretty much everything is electric, sat nav, LED headlights, fake leather interior (nothing wrong with that), head up display, auto wipers and headlights, Qi wireless charging, sunroof, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, heated and cooled front seats, active cruise control and a heated steering wheel.

    And instead of a spare tyre, you get a tyre repair kit. Gotta put the batteries somewhere.

    Do you need all the Highlander’s extra stuff? Not really. Most of it is just cosmetic or luxury stuff like the sunroof or the wireless charging. The latter is a bit pointless because you don’t get wireless CarPlay, so, you know.

    The Elite misses out on front parking sensors (honestly, you don’t need them in the Kona), auto high-beam, keyless entry, the screen is an inch smaller, the front seats aren’t electrically adjustable, there’s no head-up display and there are some either minor spec differences. You get a lot of stuff for the money when you remember this is an EV with a good range.

    Safety: 5 stars (ANCAP, October 2019).

    The Kona Electric has six airbags, blind-spot monitoring, forward collision warning, forward AEB (high and low-speed) with pedestrian detection, active cruise, front and rear parking sensors, lane keep assist, lane departure warning and reverse cross-traffic alert.

    The Elite’s safety package is identical.

    The Kona EV holds the distinction of the first electric car ever crash tested here in Australia by ANCAP.

    Warranty and Servicing

    Warranty: 5 years/unlimited km
    Battery Warranty: 8 years/160,000km

    The standard Hyundai new car warranty applies to the Kona electric, with a separate warranty for the battery. It’s still pretty early in the car’s life to know if there are any persistent or common problems, but most EV owners wax lyrical about their cars, so they’re less likely to broadcast drama. Tesla owners are the most patient people I know.

    However, given this one is going to appeal more mainstream buyers – a bit like the Nissan Leaf – I wonder if people will be more willing to get cranky if they feel the Kona doesn’t meet expectations.

    Servicing:
    Capped-price servicing:
    Pre-paid service plan: $495 (3 yrs/45,000), $660 (4 yrs/60,000km), $825 (5 yrs/75,000km)

    Hyundai offers two ways to pay for maintenance. If you pay up-front for pre-paid servicing, you can roll the cost into your finance (if you have any). Otherwise you can keep checking back on the website (when they fix it) to see the costs associated with the Lifetime Service Plan program.

    Whatever happens, every time you service the car at a Hyundai dealer you get another 12 months on roadside assist.

    Look and Feel

    At first glance, it’s obviously a Kona.

    Inside and out, though, you’re left with little doubt that this is the Kona Electric. For a start you have the two-tone colour scheme, different front and rear bumpers and that wacky, blanked-out grille. The wheels are also weird-looking. All of those things add up to a lower drag coefficient to make the car slippery through the air and use less juice.

    The Kona EV also has its own set of colours – Phantom Black, Galactic Grey, Ceramic Blue (pictured), Pulse Red, Lake Silver and Chalk White. Only that last colour is a freebie, the rest are a teeth-grinding $595.

    The interior architecture is mostly the same as other Konas, barring the new centre console. The drive selector is a funny-looking cluster of buttons that look like afterthoughts. It’s as though the designers forgot to put something there. The new console also has a storage tray underneath because there’s nothing in the way.

    As with other Konas, you get four cupholders (two upfront, two in the back), a storage bin under the armrest and big door pockets. The rear doors have small bottle holders, too.

    Boot space is 39 fewer litres than the ICE cars, with 332 litres, which isn’t a lot. Also remember there’s no spare under there, it’s all Li-ion batteries. Having said that, 39 litres is going to make or break this as a load lugger, is it? You can drop the rear seats for more space, rising to 1114 litres.

    Kona Electric Drivetrain

    Weird drive select buttons

    Rather amusingly, the Kona’s electric heart is dressed up to look like an engine. That’s weird.

    The Kona’s electric motor sends power to the front wheels only (boo!) via a single-speed transmission. With 150kW and a massive 395Nm of torque on tap. That’s almost as much as, say, a BMW Z4 30i. Both figures are available from zero rpm, obviously.

    More to the point, no other compact SUV on the market has this kind of poke except maybe for the Audi Q2, and even then…

    Battery and charging

    A 356-volt lithium-ion polymer battery pack lives under the car with a 64kWh capacity. On the WLTP (or more snappily, Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure) cycle, the Kona scored an astonishing 449km of range.

    WLTP is a good measure because it’s much closer to real life and actually takes into account driving the car for longer than 13 minutes on a rolling road where Volkswagen got itself into trouble.

    To charge the battery, you have the usual options. At home it will take a day or so to get to 80 percent if you charge from flat to full. With the optional wallbox and onboard 7.2kW charger, that drops to about nine and a half hours.

    If you can find a 50kW charger, you’ll get 0-80 percent in 75 minutes and 54 minutes if you score a 100kW charger. Good luck. But the key here is that the Kona is ready for those fast-charger boxes.

    If you look closely at the photo of the engine, you’ll see an old-fashioned 12-volt battery sitting next to the motor. That’s because the Kona Electric is based on a standard internal combustion-engined (ICE) platform. It made me laugh, but it means Hyundai didn’t have to completely re-engineer the car’s electrical system.

    Kona Electric Real World Range

    Official Consumption Figures: 131Wh/km (ADR81/02 & NEDC), 153Wh/km (WLTP)
    Claimed range: 557km (ADR91/02 & NEDC), 449km (WLTP)

    This is the best bit. Hyundai has always been pretty good with its claimed fuel figures in its petrol and diesel cars. Always within about 10 or 15 percent where most carmakers are off by around 30 percent. Some even more, way more. NEDC figures are laughably off-beam, so it’s safe to disregard them. Hyundai pretty much does, too, which is heartening. More carmakers need to make sensible choices like that.

    Even so, I thought 449km was going to stretch the truth a fair bit.

    I had the car for a week and absolutely drove the wheels off the thing. I still managed 412km on the full charge it came with, with range to spare. That means I was using about 15kWh/100km, which is damn close to the WLTP figure. On a 30c/kWh tariff, that’s about $4.50 of power for every 100km. Contrast that with a Kona Active’s average of about 8.9L/100km and do that at a very generous $1.20 per litre, that’s $10.68 per 100km.

    Do the sums over 15,000km per year and it’s a saving of $927 at the generous $1.20 figure. The real figure will be more because that’s rare and if you go with a certain power company, they’ll give you unlimited charging for $1/day at home. If you’ve got solar, then the savings will be greater again.

    Driving

    “I spy with my little eye…” / Energy recovery setting

    I really like the standard Kona. I ran one for six months as a long-term test car for carsguide. It was a terrific car, even though it was a bit slow. Handled well, space for my family, decent boot. All that normal stuff.

    The Kona Electric is one of the shrewdest moves Hyundai has ever made. The SUV market is going bananas so that’s a no-brainer. It’s a normal car for normal people, you just don’t fill it with fuel.

    But to drop a car in the market with a genuinely massive range that silences even the most committed range anxiety adherents is brilliant. Range anxiety is a genuine thing – my wife won’t drive the i3 far if it isn’t the REX and panics when an ICE car drops to a quarter full. Something to do with her dad always running out of petrol because he’s a goose.

    You don’t have to worry about that so much in the Kona. With such a long range, most people will only have to charge it once per week. Or, if you’re sensible, just plug it into the mains every night. It’s really about habit.

    Anyway.

    The Kona is one of the most capable urban cars I’ve driven. It’s fast off the line, meaning you can get ahead of traffic easily. That first jump is impressive and you never get bored of the shove from the traffic lights.

    Like the i3 and Leaf, the Kona recovers energy when you lift off the throttle. You’ll find paddles on the Kona’s steering wheel. Obviously, given it’s a single-speed reduction gear, you’re not changing gears. What it does is change how aggressively the electric motor recovers energy. You have three settings to choose from and I always go for the most hardcore. You can then pretty much drive the car on the throttle pedal. It’s a lot of fun (hey, don’t judge me) working out when you lift off to roll the car to a stop at the lights or stop sign.

    The standard Kona is pretty handy in the bends and the electric is even better. Probably partly to do with the way you can slingshot out of corners with that huge slab of torque. The steering is really good, just enough life to let you know what’s going on and the suspension soaks up the bumps beautifully.

    Even though it runs on very tall sidewalls (215/55), the car has plenty of grip and rides really well. It walks a pretty good line between comfort and handling, like just about every Hyundai on sale today.

    There’s not much to grip about – I’d like better tyres on it, but that would slightly increase consumption with the grip. Bigger wheels would also increase power consumption, but with such a long, dependable range, it can cope. I would also like it to look a little less electric-ey both inside and out. I reckon the interior is a bit chintzy with all the silver buttons everywhere.

    Competitors

    Nissan Leaf / Jaguar I-PACE (not really)

    Electric isn’t cheap, I don’t care what anyone says. You can’t scream blue murder about this kind of pricing when there is nothing else like it on the market. Punters want SUVs and the next cheapest SUV is the Jaguar I-PACE, closely matched (in price) by the Tesla Model X. Both are completely different cars and twice the price. Neither can really cover the number of miles of the Kona and probably should, given the price differential.

    Deep breath – the Tesla Model 3 is about $3000 more than the Kona Electric. Tesla claims a range of 460km on the NEDC cycle, so you can comfortably knock 80-100km off that. It is faster than the Kona to 100km/h by two full seconds. You also have no idea when you’ll get, tiny dealership network and you might get a car built well or not well at all. Luck of the draw. By all accounts, it’s a great car to drive, but in its basic form, is probably not going to get the job done the way the Kona does. Spend another $18,000 for the Long Range and you’ll leapfrog the Kona. The Tesla Model 3 is a good car. Whether it’s a good car for you in its basic form is up to you.

    Next up is the second-generation Nissan Leaf. I’m not going to pretend it’s the world’s most interesting car, but it’s not a bad choice. It’s $49,990, so an easy $10,000 cheaper than the Kona Elite, but has a shorter range (270km). It’s well-specced, though.

    Then there’s the hilarious little Renault Zoe, complete with the Jetson’s pedestrian warning sound. I really quite like the wee beastie, but it has a real-world range of 300km. Renault’s claimed figure of 400km with the ZE 4 battery set is a little optimistic. It costs about the same as the Leaf, which is mildly disappointing, but I reckon it looks better.

    Redline Recommendation

    There’s nothing fancy about all this – it’s a sensible, low-risk, low complexity approach. It’s not a technological tour-de-force like the Tesla, but we all know how that’s worked out for them. Hyundai has a huge dealer network, a long-term commitment to the Australian market and an excellent warranty and servicing package.

    This car changed a few minds – one of my regular co-pilots, Mark, drove the Kona and couldn’t believe how much fun it was. He’s not on board with electric cars but the Kona might just have started the process of changing his mind.

    This is the electric car I would buy today – my heart would be screaming BMW i3 S, but my head knows the Kona Electric is the best (silent) bang for your buck you can buy.

  • 2019 Mazda 3 G20 Evolve Hatch Review

    The Mazda 3 G20 is the starter engine for the new-generation hatch and sedan range from Mazda. After weathering attacks from Hyundai and Toyota, is the latest 3 a star?

    The Mazda3 is one of the breakout cars of the last decade. After a long, long period in the styling wilderness, the first-generation landed looking great and packing plenty of gear.

    And I hated it. I truly hated it. I owned an SP23 sedan for nine months (with dodgy Bose pack) and begged someone to set fire to it so I could get the insurance. In the end, BMW relieved me of it for about what I had paid for it (right?). I didn’t miss it.

    Lucky for me, Mazda is a persistent bunch of folks. I’ve driven just about every 3 since 2014 and they just get better and better. And finally, in 2019, the fourth-generation Mazda 3 landed and it was good. And given the competition, it has to be damn good to make a mark.

    How much is the Mazda 3 G20 Evolve and what do I get?

    Pricing:

    Mazda 3 G20 Evolve Manual: $26,240 (December 2019)
    Mazda 3 G20 Evolve Auto: $27,940 (December 2019)

    The Mazda 3 range consists of four trim levels and three engines. The G20 in the name tells you it has a 114kW 2.0-litre engine and you can have a six-speed automatic or manual transmission.

    If you pick an Evolve G20, you’ll get a head-up display (fancy!), 18-inch alloys, auto LED headlights, auto wipers, radar cruise control, dual-zone climate control, cloth trim, leather steering wheel and shifter, eight-speaker stereo with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and a big 8.8-inch MZD Connect screen with sat nav.

    Colours include blue, black, the grandly-titled Titanium Flash, two greys, the gorgeous Soul Red, silver and a white pearl. There seems to be a mission creep on the premium colours – Soul Red, Machine Grey and Polymetal Grey are now $495, quite a bit more than before. Never mind, it’s still a good price for paint this good – the Soul Red is so, so pretty.

    Safety – 5 Stars (ANCAP, May 2019)

    The Mazda 3 has a five-star ANCAP safety rating for all variants.

    All G20s have seven airbags, forward and reverse AEB, forward collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, lane keep assist, lane departure warning, traffic sign recognition, reversing camera and rear cross-traffic alert.

    Spend another $1500 for the Vision Package and you’ll pick-up stop and go functionality on the active cruise control, an around-view camera, driver monitoring, front cross-traffic alert, paddle shifters on the auto and added front parking sensors.

    Warranty and Servicing

    Warranty: five years/unlimited km

    A five-year warranty with unlimited mileage brings Mazda into line with just about every mainstream manufacturer that isn’t German or Kia. The company had to be dragged kicking and screaming to it, but it’s done and it’s good.

    Mazda also broke and added five years of roadside assist. Excellent stuff.

    Fixed Price Servicing: 12 months/10,000km
    $1635 for first five services (December 2019)

    The 12 months bit is good, the 10,000km is not so good. It kind of messes up working out the annual running cost because 10,000km is about nine months motoring for the average Australian family.

    At least you know how much you’re up for and the Mazda website breaks down exactly what you get for your money. Services one, three and five cost $309 and the other two are $354, so you know in advance and don’t have to pay upfront when you buy the car. Mazda also outlines extras like brake fluid ($68) and cabin air filter ($92), so it’s all very thorough.

    Look and Feel

    Pretty interior / Very pretty lights / Extremely pretty taillights / House and car. For some reason.

    One of the greatest things about the fourth-gen Mazda 3 is that it looks and feels amazing inside and out. And for the first time, the hatch is the one to get. Everything about it is cool, from the evolved look of the front end to the unique backside that had everyone talking at launch.

    Those rear lights look amazing and really set the car apart in a fairly me-too part of the market. Mazda is developing an Audi-like obsession with lighting and I am absolutely on board with that.

    The cabin looks terrific, too. The new MZD Connect screen is packed with features and has a lovely big rotary dial on the centre console to control it. Mazda has ditched touchscreens, saying they’re too distracting. You get CarPlay and Android Auto as well as the usual AM/FM and DAB as an added bonus.

    I really like the cloth trim in the car, too (not pictured). It looks good, feels good but if you spill something on it, you can wipe it straight off.

    The only real downside with the hatch is the tiny boot. With just 295 litres, packing stuff in is tricky if it’s bulky. If you need more space, perhaps the Evolve sedan is for you. What isn’t better in the sedan is the legroom. The Mazda 3 has always been a bit tight in the back and the fourth-gen is still not overly-generous. Better than a Corolla, though.

    You get four cupholders and bottle holders and up front you get a USB charger for your phone.

    Drivetrain

    2.0-litre four-cylinder naturally-aspirated, direct-injection petrol

    Mazda seems to slap a SkyActiv badge on everything, but it started with the engine. In the G20, as the name suggests, you get a 2.0-litre four-cylinder. With 114kW and 200Nm, you have yourself a very normal car. Not fast, not slow.

    It is quieter these days, which is a blessing. Mazda doesn’t really do small-capacity turbo engines (yet), so it’s 2.0 or 2.5-litre engines for the moment. A SkyActiv-X that uses a mix of spark and compression ignition is on the way. It’s supercharged, but only so it can get that dizzying compression ratio rather than outright grunt.

    The automatic transmission is a six-speed from Aisin (if you must know). The Mazda 3 is resolutely front-wheel drive these days.

    Official fuel economy (automatic): 6.2L/100km (Vision Package)/6.4L/100km
    Real world: 9.1L/100km

    Manufacturer’s figures are always a bit squiffy, but that’s only one reason it’s a bit over. The other you’ll find out about in the Driving section. With a 51-litre fuel tank, you’ll be reasonably familiar with your local servo, but not extravagantly so.

    And as it’s Japanese and non-turbo, you only have to run the 3 on standard unleaded.

    Chassis

    Being a normal hatchback, there are the usual MacPherson struts up front and torsion beams in the rear. Nothing to see here, nothing to worry about. The old car had a multi-link rear end but they’re expensive and the vast majority of buyers don’t care.

    Mazda includes something nifty called G-Vectoring Control (GVC). A few cars here and there have torque vectoring and VW, for instance, calls it “XDL”. Those systems generally use the brakes to nip the brake on the inside wheel to help tighten the car’s line through a corner, or reduce understeer.

    GVC is different. Instead of using the brakes, it briefly – and smoothly – cuts the ignition. This shifts the weight forward to the front wheels. This in turn makes the car feel like it’s biting the road a bit harder. The idea is to make the experience feel more natural.

    Mazda reckons they studied the way humans move under their own steam and then looked at the way race drivers will lift off before a corner. It’s very clever but the upshot is, it’s not as clumsy as brake-based torque vectoring. You don’t even know it’s happening. It’s nice. And it means whether you care or not, the 3 feels more secure in your hands.

    Mazda also thinks that the momentary forward pitch tells your body that something is about to happen. That way, it’s more prepared for the change and (apparently) can reduce motion sickness. Sure, why not?

    Driving

    I won’t mess about, I really like the way the Mazda 3 drives. There’s a proper fluidity to the way it rides and handles that makes the car feel so much more expensive than it really is.

    The “worst” bit about the G20 Evolve is the engine. While 2.0-litre 3s of the past were a bit gaspy, this one seems to mask that a bit better. It’s not going to win you any races at all – unless you’re after the wooden spoon – but it will easily keep up with traffic.

    Well, I say easily. I had to pedal it a bit hard, which explains the solid miss on the fuel figures.

    The other drama is that fat C-pillar. You can’t see much out the back when you’re in tight spaces, so the standard reversing camera isn’t generous, it’s a requirement. Still, given how good it looks, I’m happy to live with the compromise.

    Urban driving is where the G20 is most suited. While it will happily drone along a motorway for hours on end, overtaking will be a pain – especially if you’re loaded up – and bigger hills will mean the transmission will find a lower gear and settle in.

    You can forgive all of that, though. The steering is absolutely bang-on – great weight, good feel and the nose does what you ask of it. You can send it into corners pretty quickly, the brakes will join the party and the G-Vectoring ensures it’s a smooth transition from entry to apex to exit. It’s terrific fun, but I reckon the G20 would be way more fun in manual.

    Competitors

    There’s a lot going on here. You can forget about the current Volkswagen Golf, it’s way older, costs more and is about to be replaced. Unless you’re desperate for a bargain, dizzying depreciation, dumb servicing costs and indifferent dealers, it’s not a match for the 3. It’s certainly not a bad car, but it’s hard to recommend today.

    The Kia Cerato is moving pretty quickly, largely because it’s cheaper. It has plenty of gear and a pretty big interior but can’t match the 3 for safety equipment or driving dynamics. A good car, though, and it has a seven-year warranty.

    Hyundai’s i30 has been my benchmark for a couple of years now. It was my go-to car for the segment, especially the N-Line version with the 1.6-litre turbo engine and locally-tuned chassis. Timid-looking, though and hasn’t got the interior quality of the 3. Excellent car, sharply-priced along with a good warranty and capped-price servicing package.

    The name might have been around forever but the new Corolla is finally a car you can compare like-for-like. The old car was a duffer to drive with a rubbish CVT, breathless engines and dire technology inclusions. Sold like mad, for reasons I’m not clear on. The new car is way better, based on the TNGA platform and is even nice to drive, despite the CVT. Not as nice as the 3, though – the Corolla is still a basic car. Cheaper servicing ($180 each and every time for the first five services up to 75,000km) and a similar warranty makes it a close run thing on paper. But the 3 is better to drive and better-looking with more interior space for people.

    Redline Recommendation

    If it was my money, the Mazda 3 G20 Evolve is not the one I would choose. Forgetting that for a moment, it has plenty going for it – smooth, quiet, fun to drive and reasonable value, even if you’re paying a bit extra for its undeniable style.

    This is the first Mazda 3 I would cheerfully own and definitely the first time I would choose the hatch.

    But really, if you can afford a G25 – or forthcoming SkyActiv X – then stretch to that. Otherwise, as I’ve already said, the 3 is very hard to beat.

  • 2020 BMW X4 M Review: Power can be ugly

    BMW’s high-riding X4 M is a fast SUV coupe with a belter of an engine strapped into a polarising chassis to match its looks.

    Look, I’ll come clean with you. I do not like the look of the BMW X4. The great thing about driving an ugly car, though, is that you don’t have to look at it. Beauty, as ever, is on the inside. And so I was pretty excited to get my hands on the S58-powered X4.

    You see, the X4 is based on the X3, a car I drove in M40i guise and liked very much indeed. It’s fast, fun, and here in Australia, a bargain for what you get.

    There is, of course, the X3 M (review soon) and but first, we have the inexplicably popular swoopy version.

    Words: Peter Anderson
    Images: Mr Black

    How much is the X4 M and what do I get?

    Chunky M wheel / Merino leather / Adaptive LED headlights

    Price before on-roads: $164,900 (December 2019)

    We’re quite lucky here in the Antipodes. Well, more accurately, we like the full-fat version of everything, so we only get the X4 M Competition (same with the X3), priced at $164,900. For comparison, the X3 M is seven grand cheaper at $157,900.

    Overseas buyers can choose an X4 M with “only” 353kW. Slumming it, they are.

    Bear in mind, this is a full-on M-car with all the M goodies as well as a metric ton of standard equipment, something BMW is getting better at as the days go by. The recent announcement that you don’t have to subscribe for Apple CarPlay might be a small matter, but believe me, that really stuck in my craw.

    You get a mostly-digital dash, big central touchscreen, leather all over the seats, professional sat nav, Comfort Access (BMW-talk for a package of stuff including keyless entry and start and the seats remember you by the key you’re holding), adaptive LED headlights, a 16-speaker harmon kardon, stereo, wireless phone charging, multi-zone climate control, active cruise control and everything is electrically-operated including the amazing front seats with backlit M logos.

    Naturally, there are many options, including ventilated seats for $1600, heated front seats ($700) and steering wheel ($500) and most of the paint colours are a scandalous $2000 or $2350. You can also get heated rear seats (fancy!) for another $700. Apart from the paint, these seem like reasonable prices to me. Carbon interior trim is a no-cost option instead of aluminium and it actually looks pretty good. You can have woodgrain trim too, but I’m not sure we can be friends if you go for that.

    Safety – 5 stars (ANCAP, December 2017)

    The X4 has a five-star ANCAP rating based on the standard models.

    You get six airbags, ABS, stability and traction controls, forward AEB (low speed), forward collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, auto high beams, head up display, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, speed sign recognition and reverse cross-traffic alert.

    To stop you hitting people and things when you’re manoeuvring you get front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera. The car will also steer itself into a park if you can get it to work and it will also reverse you out of a tight spot if you’ve forgotten how you got in. A bit like a black box recorder, it remembers the last 30 seconds or so of your wheel twirling and will back out exactly as you nosed in.

    Warranty and servicing (December 2019)

    Warranty: 3 years/100,000km

    Like Mercedes and Audi, BMW still has a crap warranty. On a car this expensive, it should go for a lot longer. A $15,000 Kia can manage seven years, the least BMW could do is meet in the middle at five years. I’ve owned old BMWs and they were pretty good, but the length of the warranty feels wrong.

    Capped-price Servicing: Condition-based. $3685 (Basic), $8173 (Plus), five years/80,000km.

    For at least 15 years, BMWs have told you when they need some spanners waved at them or a fresh gulp of oil. BMWs used to be famous for high servicing costs, Ms even more so. Unlike Audi Sport, BMW will sell you a capped-price servicing package for the X4 M, offering a generous five years (see? Five years) or 80,000km (whichever comes first) for $3685. That covers most things, including oil and your annual visit will average out at around $600. Not great, but not terrible.

    A couple of AMGs will cost you that for just three years.

    Now, M reckons you might want to take this on a track day every now and again and are willing to offer a higher level of cover for the same period and costing $8173 and includes brake pads and discs. If it were me, I’d probably not need that because I’m fairly easy on brakes, but some people aren’t, so think carefully.

    Look and Feel

    Swoopy goofy roof / Okay, it does look good here / The view out / Big iDrive screen

    The main differences between the X4 and its X3 sibling are behind the B-pillar. Where the X3 roof stays flat for a bigger load area and big tailgate, the X4’s swoops down like the bigger X6. It’s a bit shabby down low and the front is a bit gapey, but hey, I don’t need to tell you how it looks. You can look at the marvellous photos and make up your own mind.

    The no-cost carbon trim on this car darkened the interior, making it a bit meaner-looking. I reckon it’s very nice and doesn’t make it seem like you’ve bought some stickers from eBay seller rajidajiweewop37,

    Comfortable back seats / 525 litre boot / Wireless charging and CarPlay

    Obviously, the roofline means a smaller boot, but it’s a mere 25 litres difference, measuring a very decent 525 litres. It’s a good boot, too – wide and sensible. Push all three sections of the 40:20:40 split fold and you have a decent 1430 litres (X3 is 1600).

    That roofline also whacks some of your headroom, but I was fine and I’m just a scooch under 180cm.

    The interior feels lovely and is one of BMW’s better efforts. Be nice if it had the full Live Cockpit in the dash like the new 3, X5, Z4 and X6, but you can’t have everything.

    Those 21-inch wheels, though. Phwoar.

    Drivetrain

    S58 straight-six / Eight-speed automatic / Black-tipped exhausts

    Fascinatingly, the X3/X4 M twins host the debut of the new S58 twin-turbo straight-six that will find its way under the bonnet of the new M4 when it finally arrives with its massive krill-straining grilles.

    The 58 should remind you of something if you know your Ms – the X3/X4 M40i uses the B58, along with a bunch of other cars, including the late, lamented M140i. BMW says 90 percent of the parts in the S58 are new, which is probably pushing things, but I don’t care.

    Because it produces 375kW from just three litres and six cylinders. Ten years ago a BMW with that kind of power had ten cylinders and 5.0-litres of displacement. And a thirst for fuel rivalled only by Warnie’s thirst for botox. That’s an astonishing amount of power, a nice round 500 horsepower.

    Torque is pretty important, too, and the S58 delivers 600Nm between 2600 and 5950rpm. The redline is set at 7000rpm while peak power arrives at 6250rpm. It’s kind of nice to have a twin-turbo six that revs almost as happily as a McLaren 720S’s free-spinning V8.

    Those new parts include new single-scroll turbos, 350-bar of injection pressure (for comparison, the M5 V8’s is set at 200 bar) and electrically-operated wastegates. The M exhaust makes sure other road users can hear the car. You can tell it’s going to be loud from start-up and the four black-tips blare when you’re really on it.

    M’s of the past had the seven-speed DCT, but as with the M5, M’s engineers ditched it for the far superior eight-speed ZF automatic. What a belter of a combination.

    Want to know something else? Like the M5’s power figure, BMW is probably under-quoting – a dyno test I’ve seen has already unearthed a figure closer to 405kW or 543hp. Yowser. And the torque is probably closer to 660Nm. Lucky it has all-wheel drive…

    Floor the throttle from standstill (you might need Launch Control) and the X4 M will go from 0-100km/h in 4.1 seconds.

    Chassis

    Big wheels, tyres and brakes / M for molto bene / M-squared / Strut brace

    Two things are clear when you look at the X4 M – it’s low and it rolls on massive wheels. The 21-inch monsters are clothed in Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres, with 255/40s at the front and 265/40s on the rear.

    An Active M differential sits between the rear wheels, which means ever so much fun. You can access the fun via a variety of ways. First, there are the mode selectors for steering, engine and suspension. You can also select three different shift programs – nice, not-so-nice and extremely naughty. You can also program a combination of these settings in the M1 and M2 ears on the steering wheel. Out of the box, M1 turns everything up to Sport and M2, which requires a second push for confirmation, switches the chassis to M Dynamic Mode. Which basically means more slip, gunshot transmission shifts and throttle response faster than a Robin Williams routine.

    The dynamic dampers handle keeping the car flat in the corners and lots extra bracing – including what looks like a hefty crowbar across the engine bay – helps keep the entire chassis braced and stiff.

    Chassis changes from the standard car include different swivel bearings, torque arms and wishbones with elastomer bearings.

    The brakes are huge and you can see the big blue callipers through the spokes of the 21s. Ventilated (obviously) and drilled, BMW has fitted a set of stoppers they expect to work on a racetrack. No, really. And they’re from the M760i. I keep expecting BMW to announce carbon-ceramic options but so far the company says that they’re too expensive at this level.

    Driving

    It never ceases to amaze me how much fun M engineers can extract from an SUV. The first time I drove an X5 M50d a few years back I couldn’t believe how fast it was compared to the petrol V8. When I drove the latter, the M50d blew by me like I was parked up. Astonishing. The X5 M was in another league again.

    The X4 M is quite a machine. As I said, the M40i version is pretty good, but the M is wild. That comes at a price, though. The first time I drove an M I thought it wasn’t as stiff as everyone said. A few more drives, though, and I decided that, yes, it’s quite stiff. Your family – if you have one – will really have to get used to it. Not long before I had this car I also had the Jaguar F-Pace SVR, a car that goes really fast but also rides big bumps a lot better.

    What that car can’t do is handle the way this thing does. On a smooth road (you know, a race track) this thing would be an absolute weapon, despite riding high. While those 21-inch wheels might ruin the ride for some people, they more than make up for it with those sticky Michelins.

    The steering is too heavy in Sport+, so keep it dialled back to either Comfort or Sport and enjoy the way this car works. The all-wheel drive system is pretty much rear-wheel drive when you punch up an M-mode. Only when things get slippy will the system send help to the front wheels.

    The active diff does a ton of work in M Dynamic Mode, pointing the nose at the apex of the corner. The only thing that spoils the fun are chunky bumps. While the car won’t deviate, your backside will leave the seat if you’re not strapped down tight.

    With the eight-speed working the S58 hard, you will cover ground at an almost indecent pace. The X5 M is going to have to be damn good to attract your performance dollars.

    Competitors

    The Jaguar F-Pace SVR ($140,262) we’ve already mentioned, as well as the coupe SUV from Mercedes, the GLC63 S (from $168,100). While both of those cars pack V8s – and in the AMG, a quicker 0-100km/h time and another gear – they’re roughly the same size. You have to spend some money on the Jag to match the specification of the BMW, though. And the Jag is very loud and a hard drinker and yes, I love it, what of it?

    The AMG is also loud and has a certain…reputation attached to the badge. M is a more focussed sport brand than AMG and like the C63 S, the X4 M would probably eat the GLC63 in the corners. The GLC also has higher servicing costs ($4050 for three years, $6100 for four and $6850 for five), even more if you don’t pre-pay (three years is about $5000).

    Audi doesn’t have a dog in this hunt, which is a terrible shame.  The SQ5 doesn’t have the RS4/RS5’s 2.9-litre V6, at least not yet.

    Alfa Romeo’s Stelvio Q is a laugh but has an unconvincing interior, an even more unconvincing senior management, but it is gorgeous and sounds terrific. But it also costs too much and the options are far too expensive.

    If you must, and don’t mind a massive step back in quality, overall refinement and handling, there is the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk with its 700 horses and squidgy front seats.

    Redline Recommendation

    You’re going to have to have a think about this car, as I did. It’s hugely fast and massively capable but unlike its main rivals, it doesn’t have that everyday ride quality. That’s not to say you can’t use it every day – far from it – but it’s not as comfortable. The AMG is heavier partly because it needs air suspension to make it work every day – the GLC43 is fabulously uncomfortable, way worse than the X4 M.

    It is, though, the real driver’s car in the segment, while being absurdly practical despite the swoopy roofline. It isn’t the best-looking – that trophy belongs to the Jag – but boy oh boy, is it fast.

  • Ferrari 812 Superfast

    The Ferrari 812 Superfast is an ode to the V12 and the glorious idea that a GT can be both fast and furious.

    The Ferrari 812 Superfast is one of those dream cars. Soon, it might be just that – with ever-tightening emissions laws and the draw of hybrid power, the road going V12 might soon be a memory. Then again, we always say that…

    The first Ferrari I ever drove was an f12berlinetta. It was completely mad, madder still because it had a ragged set of rear tyres. But I loved it. It’s one of only two cars to genuinely scare me – the other was the McLaren 720S.

    I loved it. We found a piece of road that would shame most high-end supercars – riddled with potholes, rips and tears, the f12 should have given up. But it didn’t and I was hooked.

    Twelve cylinders in a V formation can either deliver creamy, seamless power like in a Rolls Royce or angry, brutal force like in an Aventador. Somehow, the 812 Superfast’s 6.5-litre delivers both.

    Words: Peter Anderson
    Co-pilot: Brendan Allen
    Images: Matt Hatton

    Look and Feel

    The 812 GTS is a clear evolution of the car that went before it, the f12 berlinetta. Based on the same platform – on which all current front-engined Ferraris are based – the 812 is long and sleek and pretty, particularly in profile. The f12 slightly missed the mark, but the 812’s cleaner, more aero-focussed front and rear ends are more resolved.

    That Kamm-style rear-end took a while to grown on me, but I love it now. It looks a bit like a Star Wars stormtrooper looking back at you. I also love the perfectly sized Ferrari logo in the middle of the smooth surface between the lights.

    The 812 looks amazing in darker colours and this Grigio Superfast Opaco – a snip at $52,937 – is worth every penny. If you have that many pennies to spend on a colour, I guess.

    A Ferrari cabin is a study in minimalism. So often I show people the interior of a Ferrari and they’re surprised by the lack of buttons and screens and knobs and whatever else. They’re so clean and simple. Again, the 812 Superfast interior is a gentle evolution of the f12’s.

    I love that big, squared-off steering wheel and the manettino switch setup. The huge, fixed paddles behind the wheel look and feel great, with a perfect action when you reach with your fingertips to grab a gear.

    This car has some yellow in it, as you can see. That all costs extra, obviously, with several thousand dollars spent inside and out.

    Drivetrain

    Six. Point. Five. Litres.

    You don’t get to write that very often in this business for a variety of good and sad reasons. Spread across 12 cylinders, the F140 GA produces a screaming 588kW at 8500rpm. The f12 and f12 TDF packed a 6.3 litre version of this engine, as did the original FF and LaFerrari. so it’s got pedigree.

    With the extra 200cc came another 44kW and a massive 718Nm, the sort of figure you expect from a turbocharged V8 and more than enough to move the 812’s hefty 1700kg-plus kerb weight.

    The Getrag seven-speed makes a return with its hugely fast shifts, driving the rear wheels. Between the 812 Superfast’s rear wheels is Ferrari’s epic F1-derived active rear-differential. As before, the gearbox is mounted ahead of the rear axle to help with the weight distribution, which is 47:53 front to rear with nobody aboard.

    The 812 Superfast’s V12 redline is a stratospheric 8900rpm, courtesy of 350 bar injection and a lovely noise partly down to the new variable geometry intake ducts.

    Chassis

    Key to smile induction is the manettino switch. In the 812 Superfast you have five modes (versus, say, the Portofino‘s three) – Wet, Sport, Race, CT off, ESC off. They’re all fairly self-explanatory but if you need help, you can call them, “Careful-Now, Fun, Lots-of-fun, Hey-don’t-do-that and Certain Death.”

    Well, with my driving ability that’s what they are. Obviously CT off and ESC off were completely off limits for me and no sane person without a couple of world championships, or at least national championships, under their belt would use these in anger on the road.

    Except this guy, I guess.

    Ferrari’s F1-Trac magic talks to side-slip control to ensure safe sideways silliness without causing blushes.

    The power reaches the road at the rear via 315/35s and the fronts steer with the help of 275/35s, Pirelli P-Zero rubber of course. The 20-inch alloys on this car were secured with titanium bolts ($2715).

    With all that V12 thunder, braking is seriously important, so Ferrari fitted a set of gigantic Brembo Extreme carbon-ceramic discs. The fronts measure 398mm and the rears 298mm. Ferrari says they’re almost six percent better than the f12’s and I am not going to argue.

    The wild f12 TDF brought four-wheel steer to the table and it remained for series production on the 812 Superfast. Ferrari calls it Virtual Short Wheelbase 2.0 which is a ridiculous name but kind of does what it says on the tin.

    As you might expect, the dynamic damping is present and correct, known as Magnaride Gen 3 (more silly names).

    Driving

    The f12berlinetta is an experience burned into my memory. It’s a feeling I can instantly recall and describe without a millisecond’s thought. It was pretty wild, made wilder by the fact I was the last person to drive it before it was sent to a new owner. It had also spent the previous week pounding around Sydney Motorsport Park without a tyre change. So it went from lively to handful very quickly. It was glorious. It was scary. Two cars have scared me – the f12 and the first time I drove a McLaren 720S.

    And so I approached the 812 with great care, even greater care than I would normally approach a car from Maranello. The f12 TDF was famed for its even more lively chassis and we know a lot of that car went into the 812 Superfast, particularly the rear-wheel steering package.

    I needn’t have worried. The 812 is way more tied down than the f12, partly because the tyres had tread on them but also because customers probably wanted it that way. It has lost nothing of its fury, though. The V12 dominates the experience, with the seven-speed Getrag moving you through the gears with almost alarming pace. The engine itself can pull from 800rpm in almost any gear, so you pretty much have 8100rpm to work. That’s about as wild and flexible as any engine every produced.

    It’s wonderful to drive at any speed. It’s noisy, yes – not 720S noisy. But you know what’s going on underneath you. You can drive this on the school run (and yes, I did) and it’s fine. Speed humps aren’t terrifying like they are in the Aventador.

    But on a good road – and the roads that get you there – the 812 Superfast is sublime. When you first drive it, you’re aware of its length because of the way the bonnet stretches away in front of you. But the four-wheel steering brings the car in around you. You drive this car on instinct because it so quickly comes to you. The steering is light, as is the Ferrari way, but full of feel and the change of direction is nothing short of astonishing.

    And the way you can tune the car on the throttle, both for sound and for attitude, is just so easy and inspires joy.

    And smiles. This car makes you feel so glad you’re alive to see and hear it.

    Competition

    I’ve only driven the Lamborghini Aventador S as far as genuine competition goes, and it’s not a patch on this car. Aston Martin will sell you a DB11 with a V12 and even then it’s a twin-turbo. Mercedes has a new SL on the way but it’s unlikely to be as much fun as this thing is.

    Redline Recommendation

    Blimey. If you’re stuck with me for any length of time, you will hear me say, “Good cars get under your skin. Amazing cars get into your bones.” As I type that, I remembered the sound of the V12 and it shot up my spine, spreading through my ribs. It’s that kind of experience. The soaring sound of the V12 will stay with me till the day I die.

    The kick in the back when you downshift on a floored throttle will stay with me and will stay with every single person who rode in it with me.

  • 2020 Mini Clubman JCW Review

    Mini has done a Clubman JCW before, but it hasn’t done one with 225kW and 450Nm. We drive it here in Australia and we’ve got the juicy details.

    The Mini update that started 2018 is just about done, with the Clubman finally getting the mid-life tweak.

    How much is the Mini Clubman and what do I get?

    For 2020 the Clubman John Cooper Works comes in two specs – Pure for $57,900 and Exclusive for $62,900, both before on-roads.

    2020 Mini Clubman JCW Pure

    Clubman JCW…with a Countryman lurking

    The Pure rolls on 18-inch alloys and has sat nav, auto LED headlights, keyless entry and start, active cruise, front and rear parking sensors, reversing camera, dual-zone climate control with rear vents, auto high beam, semi-automatic parking, electric folding and dipping mirrors, standard adaptive dampers and bits of cool lighting.

    The 8.8-inch screen is still set in the giant LED-ringed ring in the centre of the dash and powers a 6-speaker stereo. You get two USB ports (one USB-A and one USB-C) and a 12-volt charge point as well.

    You also get wireless Apple CarPlay, which is great. Less great is the wireless charging pad if you have a larger phone (iPhone XS Mac or 11 Pro Max, for instance). The Qi pad is in the armrest and like the X2’s, doesn’t fit a the bigger phones. At the time of writing Mini hadn’t changed its official policy on charging for CarPlay after the initial three years subscription runs out.

    The only option available on the Pure is the Climate Package which adds heated seats darker tinted windows and massive sunroof for $2400.

    Mini says the Pure is about making the purchase easy – limiting choice means it’s easier to keep in stock. I reckon this is the one most people will buy, partly because the seats but also the adaptive damoing.

    2020 Mini Clubman JCW Exclusive

    If you spend the extra $5000 to get to the Exclusive, you can add full leather seats with “cross-punch” patterning, 12-speaker Harmon Kardon set, electric and heated front seats and an electro-chromatic rear vision mirror to go with the folding and dipping external mirrors.

    Because the Exclusive has 19-inch alloys, you lose the adaptive dampers. More on that later.

    You can also get the $300 Media package which adds a head-up display with JCW additions. As with the Pure, you can specify the climate package which which is $2000 because you already have heated seats.

    A third option pack, Convenience, adds through loading with 40:20:40 rear seat split, rear armrest, alarm system, tyre pressure monitoring and adaptive LED matrix headlights with LED driving lights. That’s a hefty $2900.

    They should all really have a centre rear armrest and who uses an alarm anymore?

    Warranty and servicing

    The warranty is a three-year/unlimited kilometre offer, same as the parent company, as is the condition-based servicing where the car tells you when to take it in. You can also pre-pay up to five years of servicing with two levels of cover.

    I say it all the time, but three years is looking thin in this day and age, but then again, neither Merc or Audi’s are any longer.

    Safety

    Like the Cooper S, the JCW comes with six airbags, forward AEB with pedestrian detection, forward collision warning, two ISOFIX points and three top-tether anchors.

    The Clubman doesn’t have an ANCAP safety score because I don’t know why. EuroNCAP gave it four stars in 2015 and I suspect it had something to do with a couple of missing advanced safety features like lane keep assist and blind spot warning.

    Look and Feel

    As with the mild update to the Cooper S Clubman, the JCW scores a new grille but with a red strut bar. The new front bumper has extra ducting for the updated cooling package. The front and rear bumpers also make the car a little slipperier through the air.

    The colour choice varies depending on whether you choose the Pure or the Exclusive.

    The Clubman JCW Pure comes in four colours – red, white, blue and black and you can choose between one design of 18-inch wheels in silver or black.

    Mini Clubman JCW Pure Interior / 8.8-inch screen / Chunky wheel

    You also get just one interior colour choice with the Recaro seats in a mix of leather and Dinamica, which is like Alcantara. It’s a bit dark in there but apart from that, perfectly fine.

    Your choice of exterior colours in the Exclusive expands to British Racing Green (back after a short absence), Starlight Blue (first time on a Clubman), Midnight Black, Indian Summer (very pretty), Melting Silver, Thunder Grey, White Silver and Chili Red. They’re all $1000 extra.

    Moonwalk Grey and Pepper White are the only freebies.

    On top of that you can choose from three roof colours and matching stripes (although the silver strips won’t be here till later in 2020).

    Inside you get a few new bits and pieces including the new optional Mini Yours Frozen Blue. About the biggest change is that in the leather lounge option, the Union Jack embossing is on the forward side of headrest. The list of interior options goes on forever.

    It’s a pretty good interior that makes the most of its modest dimensions. Obviously, the Clubman is bigger and feels ligther and airier than the hatch, which is obvious with lots more glass. The optional sunroof (part of the $2400 Climate Package) has those annoying perforated blinds. It’s too sunny here for those.

    What is the interior space like?

    Rear seat passengers get the best deal of the Mini range, except maybe for the Countryman. Half-decent space, good headroom and you don’t feel like you’ll bounce your head on the rear glass.

    Front seat dwellers score a pair of cupholders and a tiny storage space in the armrest (the Exclusive has wireless charging in there) and the front doors both have bottle holders and door pockets. In the back, the

    The boot 360 litres is much bigger than the Hatch and when you put all the seats down, you fill it with 1250 litres of stuff. Front seat passengers get two cupholders and those in the rear not only get them too, but also get their own air-con vents. Fancy! Except in the Pure, where there’s no rear armrest, you just get the vents.

    Drivetrain

    The big news for the 2020 Clubman JCW is the power jump – it’s up 55kW to 225kW and now has 450Nm. Kablamo. If that sounds familiar, it should – it’s the same engine as the X2 M35i.

    Like its Beemer brother, you get a front TORSEN diff with 39% traction and 26% thrust settings. Mini says it means you get more power through the fronts more of the time. The All4 all-wheel drive system is onboard for when the front runs out of grip. Which it will if driven as intended.

    An eight-speed Aisin automatic looks after getting the power and torque to the AWD system.

    Hidden behind those big ducts either side of the radiators are two extra small radiators to help deal with the extra heat from the B48. It’s a lot of cooling for a lot of power.

    Chassis

    For the most part, the cars are mechanically identical – huge 360mm front brakes and 330mm at the rear. They’re both 10mm lower and sport new steering knuckles on the front axle to help tame torque steer.

    The Torsen LSD also means that the full whack of torque is available in first and second gear, meaning vivid launch control starts.

    So here’s where it’s weird, but expected. As the Mini Clubman runs on the same UKL2 platform as the BMW X2 (and X2 etc. etc.), adaptive damping is only available in cars with 18-inch wheels. So the Pure gets it, the Exclusive with its 19s does not.

    Driving the Clubman JCW Exclusive

    Unfortunately, I only got to drive the Exclusive, so the Pure review will be along soon.

    I’ve driven a few quick Minis in my time. I’ve also driven the X3 M35i. They’re all hilarious, but for different reasons. This new Clubman JCW is way more powerful than the pre-update machine and it’s absolutely worth every single extra cent over the older car.

    Basically, it’s mental. The All4 set up is nice and progressive and gets the Clubman off the line super-fast, cracking the ton in 4.9 seconds. That’s only part of the story, though.

    As with most Minis, it has fantastic steering and here in the JCW, it’s almost completely unflappable and perfectly weighted when in it sportiest setting. It pounds into corners really hard, the huge brakes pulling it up nicely as you turn-in. And the turn-in is fantastic as is the ability to stamp on the throttle pretty much whenever you like (okay, within reason).

    What’s also quite heartening is the fact that the ride has survived the loss of the adaptive damping.

    The engine’s power delivery is for the most part very smooth, once you’re over the initial lag. That lag is fairly small given the twin-scroll turbo but once it’s gone, you’ve got a bit of a weapon on your hands. In -gear acceleration is absolutely scorching for this kind of car, zapping from 100 to *inaudible* in no time at all. Overtaking is easy and licence-shredding if you’re not careful. The eight-speed automatic is excellent and seems to know which gear it needs to be in without drama.

    Redline Recommendation

    Four point nine seconds is quick. Yes, you can do that an in AMG A45 (okay, quicker) but it’s a lot more expensive and doesn’t drive like a Mini, or look like one. The JCW Exclusive is great to drive and a Mini you can live with. Is it worth over $62,000? I don’t know yet – I need to drive the Pure and see if the $5000 saving, different seats and adaptive damping is worth foregoing the the extra bits and bobs.

    But setting aside value-for-money, the Mini is an awesome cousin for the X2 M35i or the new M135i – completely different looks, similar price and a practical form factor.

  • 2020 Jaguar F-PACE SVR: Big, bellowing, bonkers

    2020 Jaguar F-PACE SVR: Big, bellowing, bonkers

    The Jaguar F-PACE SVR is exactly what you might expect – an absolute rock-ape of an SUV, but to also manages to be completely normal. How? Who cares?

    Redline regulars (hello!) will know how much I adore a supercharged V8 Jaguar. Both F-Type SVRs – cabriolet and coupe – are utterly captivating. Look deeper into the family tree and the same engine powers the Range Rover SVAutobiography and Range Rover Sport SVAutobiography. And it used to make the XJ SVR go, too.

    The F-Pace sits above the E-Pace in the Jaguar SUV pantheon (sorry), with the big cat likely the goodbye for the Ford-sourced V8. I’ve been waiting a long time for this car. I’m so glad it’s here.

    Look and Feel

    In this mid-sized-ish SUV segment, most of the quick ones don’t shout about themselves. The X3 M/X4 M pair and the GLC63 look different enough, but there’s no shouting. That would scare off the punters. Jaguar has taken an equally calm approach to the F-Pace SVR’s. You can still tell – whopping 21-inch alloys, big-bore exhausts, requisite deeper front bumpers and a lower ride height.

    The awkward extension to the rear spoiler could probably have been better-executed, but it does little to detract from a fine-looking SUV. I love the slammed glasshouse, big wheel and blacked-out look of the SVR. And the badging isn’t too much, either.

    I wouldn’t say I’d have an F-Pace SVR in with a red interior but I’m not saying I wouldn’t either. As you can see, the fast one has diamond stitching inserts, shell-type front seats with grippy bolstering and some SVR badging. The F-Pace interior is pretty good to start with, so the SVR’s just helps justify the extra money. The sport-shifter is nice, too, instead of the lower models’ rotary shifter.

    Drivetrain

    Ah, yes. Like the F-Type, the F-Pace SVR is utterly dominated by the Ford-sourced (no shame here) 5.0-litre supercharged V8. The hoons at JLR’s SVO department fit a whopping great supercharger to extract 405kW and 680Nm.

    An eight-speed auto, with faster shifts available when you’re in Dynamic mode, sends the power out to all four wheels, but for the most part it’s quite rear-wheel drivey.

    Chassis

    As you might expect, the F-Pace SVR is no lightweight. Yes, the standard cars are pretty good for their size with all that aluminium, but a 550-odd horsepower supercharged V8 isn’t light. The forged alloys and lightweight brakes drop a few (unsprung) kilos from the aluminium-intensive chassis and a new active valve exhaust drops a further 6.6kg.

    The front springs are 30 percent stiffer with a 10 percent hike at the rear, ensuring reasonably flat and responsive performance. A new anti-roll bar and damper setup also helps cope with the expected corner loads.

    Pirelli P-Zeros provide the grip, with 265/45s at the front and 295/40s at the rear, a first on the F-Pace.

    Driving

    I like the standard F-Pace a lot, especially in V6 diesel form. It’s light, fun, fast and handles beautifully for its size. It stands apart from the Germans, too, by being prettier, cooler and uniformly comfortable. And as the years have gone on, the cabin technology has improved too.

    The F-Pace SVR is a car I have been waiting for. That endlessly charismatic V8 is utterly wild and totally addictive, serving up smooth torque when you’re pootling. Put the boot in and you’ll wake the dead with an AMG-rivalling, theatrical performance of the 1812 Overture. Cracking, banging, popping and probably breaking heaps of rules, you will never tire of it. And if you do – because you’re dead inside or something – you can shut off the noise with the exhaust button.

    The SVR does suffer a little from its heavier nose, but the SVR suspension set up claws most of it back. The steering is lovely – not too heavy, enough feel without too much chatter for the day-to-day. One thing it really gets right is the ride. A week before I had the F-Type, I fired a BMW X3 M Competition down the same bit of road. It has more grip, is pretty much as quick and has a bit more space. It’s fast – but the F-Pace SVR handled the same road much more comfortably. Where the Beemer had my bum leaving the seat over a particular bit of road – big, tree-root bumps on the edge of the road under the tarmac – the F-Pace stayed the course and my foot stayed pinned to the floor.

    And that fills you with that all-powerful confidence.

    Where the F-Pace bests the X3 is with the soundtrack and the overall throttle response. The supercharged V8 reacts effortlessly to a change in throttle pressure, none of the X3’s lag. It’s crisp and ensures you don’t have to drive around the lag.

    It’s so much fun. Loud, bawdy and bonkers, it had me smiling like a loon for the entire week.

    Competition

    It has some pretty stiff competition in the Stelvio Q, Porsche Macan Turbo, Audi SQ5 (not really, but that’s all Audi has) and the BMW X3 M.

    The real competition is from the completely troppo twin-turbo V8 AMG GLC63, which has less power but more gears and torque and is quicker to 100km/h by half a second. Not much to look at, though and even with air suspension always feels heavy.

    Redline Recommendation

    The F-Pace SVR is wonderful – I can’t think of a good reason not to get it. The X3 M might have the final say on a racetrack or the slightest edge in braking and handling. The GLC63 isn’t anywhere near as pretty, but is faster. It feels heavier, though, and the interior is a bit oppressive in some configurations. The Stelvio is hilarious, but it’s an Alfa. Who knows what’s going on there.

    The F-Pace certainly uses the most fuel but you get it all back in noise and hilarity.

  • 2020 Jaguar F-Type Released

    The 2020 Jaguar F-Type has arrived with an even sleeker new look, a few engine and specification upgrades and stays hugely cool.

    Jag’s uber-cool coupe and roadster are a firm favourite here at The Redline as well as with my wife. In fact, it’s one of the few cars that turn female heads out in the wild, no matter what knuckle-draggers in Lamborghinis tell you.

    Australia scores six distinct models, with four, six and eight-cylinders as well as rear and all-wheel drive depending on the engine. And in a weird first, we get to keep the supercharged six while the home market loses it.

    Look and feel

    2020 Jaguar F-Type

    Look at that new front end! I wasn’t sure what you could do with the tight packaging around the front wheels, but the new headlights redefine the F-Type. It’s pretty obviously a top and tail, meant to take the car into its final years, but if you’re going to do it, do it properly.

    The new lights are a lovely, intricate design and gave the design team room to enlarge the grille. The old car’s few styling issues included that slightly pinched grille. Now it’s a bit more grand and framed by the new lights which have what Jaguar calls “Calligraphy” DRLs. Basically, they’re hockey stick-shaped and are more in line with the other cars with the slimmer lights (eg XF and XE).

    Down the back there are new, slimmer taillights with the more angular chicance line. It’s not hugely different, but enough for you to see it’s the newer car.

    2020 Jaguar F-Type interior

    Things haven’t changed too much inside, which is good or not so good depending on your viewpoint. The analogue clocks have been replaced by a 12.3-inch digital display, with a big central tachometer. An updated touchscreen software also receieves over the air software updates so you don’t have to wait for your annual service before getting upgrades. It’s also got Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as standard on the big screen.

    I’ve always liked the cabin, but it does still feel a bit mobile drawing room in some specs, especially with warmer leather colours like brown. Anyway, I still like it even if it isn’t space-age because it doesn’t need to be.

    Drivetrain

    Funky new exhaust tips with R etchings

    Australian buyers have a choice of three engines.

    The first is the 2.0-litre twin-scroll turbo Ingenium with 221kW and a massive 400Nm from 1500 to 4500rpm, which is awesome. It’s crackly and we drove the now-replaced one a few months ago. You’ll hit the ton in a respectable 5.7 seconds and consume 8.1L/100km (NEDC) on the combined cycle, which isn’t that far off reality.

    The second is the 280kW 3.0-litre supercharged V6, dialling up 460Nm and 0-100km/h in 4.9 seconds. Fuel consumption figures on the sticker come in at 8.6L/100km on the combined cycle and that is not very close to reality at all, even if you’re careful.

    Finally, the R. Now this is interesting. The 5.0-litre supercharged V8 climbs down from the SVR, still delivering a massive (and hugely loud) 423kW and a massive 700Nm between 3500 and 5000rpm. The sprint to 100km/h is over in 3.7 seconds. As the R misses out on the SVR’s active aero package, top-speed is “only” 300km/h. May as well be 700km/h in Australia, let’s face it.

    Fuel consumption in the V8 is lavish, but Jaguar’s official NEDC figure is, um, 11L/100km. Probably not, eh? The engine isn’t hugely updated but it now features a quiet start, with the exhaust flaps staying closed unless you select Dynamic or hit the exhaust button. And the exhausts now have lovely R etchings on the barrels. Nice.

    The four and six-cylinder F-Types are rear-wheel drive and have a newly-calibrated eight-speed automatic (called QuickShift). The R has the SVR’s very rear-biased all-wheel drive and the same eight-speed automatic. Jaguar reckons the shifts are faster and crisper in the MY20. Only one way to find out…

    How Much and When?

    When the new car arrives, you can choose the R-Dynamic Coupe and Convertible with either the Ingenium four or supercharged V6. Prices for the Ingenium fours start at $126,400 and the supercharged V6s from $173,100.

    There will also be a First Edition V6 for $203,500 and the R, with the old SVR’s 423kW engine, is a snip at $263,300, a hefty price cut on the previous big banger.

    The six models will be along soon, no doubt with the usual extensive options list to add their basic spec, which looks okay. The R-Dynamic comes with LED headlights, leather interior, sat nav, a choice of interior finishes and the usual choice of wheels.

    As for the SVR, I have no idea what’s happened to that. I tried to dig up where it’s gone or what’s happening, but Jaguar’s local PR fellow is way better than I am. The talk of a BMW twin-turbo V8 engine refuses to go away, though…

  • Ferrari Roma Unveiled – Maranello’s new 2+ V8

    The Ferrari Roma was last night unveiled and we know barely anything about it, so we’re going to fill an article with opinions about the looks.

    I’m not even joking. The press release has fewer words than this article because, I dunno, they don’t have to worry about Google search algorithms. The McLaren Elva release, by contrast, had about 15,000 words.

    We do know a few things. It’s called the Ferrari Roma and to hammer home the point, Ferrari gave us five photos of the car in Rome. Except it wasn’t really there, was it? Because Rome plus tourist attractions equals a gazillion idiots taking the same photo.

    Looking at the photos though, you can probably tell why Ferrari left a lot out of the release. This is a new design direction for Maranello. Nobody has messed with the classic profile of a Ferrari coupe – heaven forfend – but there’s a lot to see here.

    Wait! There’s a new look!

    First, the new rear end ditches the round light treatment for a very modern pair of flat horizontal lights that cut into the bodywork. It’s a very clean, unfussy rear end. You can’t see under the coloured part of the bumper but I’ll take a pot shot and say it’s a big diffuser. The haunches are very Portofino-ish, though.

    The headlights sport a new design – no more vertical stacks but a more traditional horizontal arrangement with a what looks like an LED DRL slicing through the middle. The grille is a real departure for Ferrari and I don’t mind it at all. That front splitter looks like it will take some feet with it.

    And glory be, those flush-fitting doorhandles actually look alright.

    Another thing we know is that under that long bonnet is Ferrari’s awesome 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8, developing 620PS or a monster 456kW. And it’s spread across 5750rpm to 7500rpm. Torque weighs in at the usual 760Nm and no doubt isn’t available until you hit top gear in the new eight-speed twin-clutch. The torque band is nice and fat, between 3000 and 5750rpm.

    Ferrari also tells us it will run from 0-100km/h in just 3.4 seconds and crack 0-200km/h in 9.3 seconds.

    New interior look

    So what is the Ferrari Roma for? It seems to be a dedicated hardtop Portofino with a different body. The Portofino’s rear seats are, shall we say, limited and the only interior shot provided of the Roma doesn’t even show the rears. To be fair, Ferrari does call it a 2+. No number after the plus. Not a typo.

    Like the exterior, there’s a fair bit to see in here. Recent Ferraris have been quite minimalist inside but the Roma seems more custom-fitted. The new centre console and screen arrangement is higher and a but easier to reach (and see) than either the Portofino’s or GTC4/812 setup. It also seems a lot more cosy the way the two pods wrap themselves around the driver. It’s a nice effect and blends nicely into the doors.

    The target competitor car is most likely the Aston Martin DB11 but I wouldn’t be surprised (depending price) if a few 911 Turbo folks won’t join the party.

    The Roma has a longer wheelbase than the Portofino, so hopefully there’s a little more room in the back. It’s also longer than the Portofino by 70mm and weighs 1472kg in its lightest form (“with lightweight options). That’s a dry weight, by the way, in true Ferrari style. Handily, it’s about 70kg lighter than the folding hardtop.

    How much and when?

    A good compound question. I’m going to guess and say next year and given it has a bit more go than the Portofino, the price will be higher, probably sitting between Portofino and the F8 Tributo.

    I guess the car will arrive sometime next year in European showrooms. Local ones? No idea.

    Like I said, the press release was pretty light on for detail.

  • The 2020 McLaren Elva Has Arrived

    The 2020 McLaren Elva revives a nameplate from the 1960s and sticks to the original formula – no roof and no windows. The price tag is very 2019, though.

    The Elva dropped out of the sky as part of McLaren’s endless model onslaught and this one caught me quite unprepared. It’s another of the Ultimate Series, parking itself in the McLaren range next to the Senna and the Speedtail.

    This one is a bit special, though – the Elva name harks back to founder Bruce McLaren’s M1A and the customer versions of that car, the McLaren-Elva M1A Group 7 race cars. McLaren reckons the design principles of those cars are integral to today’s McLarens. Sure. Why not.

    The 2020 McLaren Elva is another limited run Ultimate car and given its – shall we say – limited practicality, that’s unlikely to be a bad thing.

    Look and Feel

    It’s certainly very striking. As you can see, it’s a very strict speedster – no roof.

    Or is there?

    Nope, no roof. Instead, McLaren has developed an aerodynamic roof called AAMS or Active Air Management System. As the car passes through the air, it is forced through the front clamshell section. Then through some black magic, the air hits a deflector and passes over the occupant’s heads. McLaren says this creates “a bubble of calm” which sounds like Darth Vader’s egg thing.

    McLaren suggests if you’re not keen on that, you can wear a helmet or, even better, option the windscreen. Only if you’re a sook, obviously.

    The styling itself is gorgeous. The flying buttresses looked great on the 570S but here they look magnificent. The rear end has a lot of 720S about it, and that’s a good thing. There’s something very feline about these curves, without being self-conscious. I dig it.

    Of particular note is that the entire body is made of carbon fibre – the massive front clamshell is just 1.2mm thick. McLaren says it meets all of its structural integrity targets. The side panels are three metres long and also very thin and light.

    The cabin is nice and minimalist, reflecting its namesake and the obvious need to make it weatherproof. Carbon fibre abounds, including the seats which are exclusive to the Elva.

    McLaren’s IRIS system appears to soldier on with a new screen (still the wrong orientation) and the centre console is resplendent in these photos with a gloss finish. You can change pretty much everything and McLaren Special Operations will cheerfully charge you for it. They’re good like that.

    Drivetrain

    Nestled under the rear deck – as always, away from prying eyes – is McLaren’s 4.0-litre twin turbo V8. In the Elva you get 815PS or excruciatingly close to 600kW. Along for the ride is a massive 800Nm, all of reaching the rear wheels via the usual seven-speed twin-clutch from every other McLaren.

    Combined with the Elva’s light weight, all this power and torque propels the car to 100km/h in “under three seconds” and beats the Senna to 200km/h, cracking that figure in just 6.7 seconds.

    The dry-sumped, flat-plane crank V8 should be fairly vocal with a trick new exhaust made of titanium and Inconel. The exhaust has three exits, two down low and one up high. The upper exhaust features a 3D-printed titanium exit and it looks pretty cool.

    Chassis

    As ever, McLaren’s Monocage technology forms the basis for the car. The company says it’s the lightest road car it has ever made but hasn’t yet got an official figure. Remember the F1 was a bit over 1000kg.

    McLaren bolts the engine in and then fits linked hydraulic fully active suspension for its trademark – and spectacular – ride and handling balance. (Yes, I know that’s not how the cars are built)

    The sintered carbon fibre brakes, pioneered on the Senna, save unsprung weight, with the inclusion of titanium brake calipers further reducing weight – by an entire kilogram across the whole car. Don’t say McLaren doesn’t sweat the details. The discs measure a huge 390mm, which for carbon fibre brakes means massive stopping power.

    Elva also features variable drift control along with the usual three-mode ESC system and if you’re super-keen you can shred Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tyres instead of the standard-fit set.

    How much and when?

    Yeah, this is the fun bit. At £1,425,000, if you can afford one of them, you’ll have to be quick. There are just 399 of them and one imagines they’ll go quickly (see what I did there?).