Author: Peter Anderson

Side-by-side: BMW M140i vs M2

BMW’s rear-wheel drive fun machines go side-by-side. Which one to buy and what happens if you choose one over the other?

I’ve been wanting to a M140i vs M2 comparison even since Munich’s riotous two-door joined the range a couple of years ago. The M2 is an absolute rocket and its ever-so-slight change in chassis philosophy made it a barrel of laughs the M4 never quite was. Until the M4 CS, of course. We’re still rubbing our hands in anticipation of the M3 CS.

M140i vs M2

The BMW M140i is a bit of an unsung hero in the range. Idiots sniff at it not being a “real M car” – one of the YouTube commenters called me “a joke” for referring to it as such. It’s part of the M Performance range that takes in a range of cars and acts as like an Audi S-Line pack or AMG add-on for “normal” cars, doing more than adding an M-Sport pack.

I put the two cars together, but not in the way everyone else does. I wanted to see what the relative strengths of the two cars were when driven side-by-side rather than “which is best.”

Interior

The two cars are very similar inside – they share much the same architecture and given the 2 Series is a 1 Series in a frock, it’s hardly surprising that they look the same.

The M140i’s seats are 1 Series sports seats. They’re a bit on the small side but do enough to hold you in while keeping you comfortable. While not much to look at, there is plenty of adjustment on offer to help you settle in and enjoy the ride.

Obviously, with the five-door version (here in Australia, we don’t get to choose a three-door 1er), access to the rear seats is fairly straightforward and they’re comfortable enough for short journeys. I’ve had a couple of kids in the back who had a whale of a time while I threw the car around rural roads, but there’s no shape to hold them in. Up to six-footers will fit, but the closer they get to that height, the less comfortable they’ll be.

The M2’s seats aren’t a great deal better to look at, but again they look after you where it counts. Getting into the rear is a bit of a drama – the front seat not really getting out of the way. Once you’re in the back there’s even less room than in the hatchback and the seats are flat and shapeless. Headroom is a bit of a challenge, too. If you’ve got young kids that can get in and out themselves, it’s probably okay. As they march into teenager-hood, forget it.

Exterior

Things really diverge on the outside and there are some genuine technical reasons.

The 1 Series has always been a controversially-styled car. This second-generation post-facelift is the least-dramatic but has also been the best-received. I really liked the E87, particularly with M-Sport bumpers and wheels. The surfacing was lovely and even the rear end managed to work.

The F20 was an abomination. Gone were the inventive shapes, replaced by something inexplicably ugly. The more aggressive bumper of the 135i helped lessen the blow.

The 2015 facelift brought order where there had been chaos. Better at both ends and tied to the new F22 2 Series range it’s a vastly better-looking car, even if the proportions remained slightly odd.

The 2 Series, on the other hand, was pretty out of the blocks. Again, it looks better with M-Sport wheels and aero bits, but it put to rest the demons unleashed by the F20. The M2, though, well – it’s different. The front and rear guards are pumped up to resemble a drift car’s. The people at M had no choice – somebody convinced management that the M2’s suspension had to be from the bigger M4 and there wasn’t the room.

The result is something properly mean-looking. With darker wheels, it really looks the business in the near-default vivid blue. The high-ish profile tyres add some real toughness. Looks the part, is the part. BMW really does do menacing in its passenger car range Ms, unlike the mild obnoxiousness of M-pumped Xes.

Engines & Tranmissions

BMW likes to keep things fresh, so when the F20’s mid-life update arrived, the 135i’s 3.0-litre turbo straight six was replaced with…a 3.0-litre turbo straight six. Power rose to 250kW (340PS) in the transition to the B58 (previous cars ran the N55). The B58 also came with an appreciable jump in torque to 500Nm, up over 10 percent. Most of the changes involved the way the twin-scroll turbo worked, improved emissions and reduced friction. It’s a very smooth engine and revs happily to a 7000rpm redline while making a terrific noise. I don’t care how much popping and banging the AMG 2.0-litre turbo four makes, the BMW straight-six is better.

And before I’m accused of bias, I reckon the Audi twin-turbo V8 is the best-sounding engine in “normal” cars.

The M140i is available with a six-speed manual transmission or a ZF eight-speed automatic. That gearbox has to be the best auto on the market today and is installed in hugely varying types of car, from a 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo right through to the madcap twin-turbo V8 on the new M5 (and Audi’s RS6/RS7 pair).

The M2 “soldiers on” with the turbo straight-six from the M3/M4. While it’s not as potent, 272kW (370PS) and 465Nm isn’t messing about. And yes, those figures don’t compare particularly favourably to the B58, but we’ll come to that. Here in the M2, the engine is known as N55 rather than the S55 codename on the M3/M4/M4 CS.

The N55 also scores forged pistons and crankshaft to handle the thrashing and an extra oil cooler handles the higher demand.

You can choose from two transmissions – one is the same six-speed manual (with a revised linkage) from the M140i or BMW’s seven-speed DCT twin-clutch. I had the DCT version – quicker to 100km/h and it’s the gearbox most buyers choose.

Chassis

These two cars are very different here under your backside. The M140i is obviously a 1 Series. Even a basic 1 is good fun to drive, so the work for the M Performance team wasn’t hugely difficult. The M140i has adaptive damping to deliver an easy ride around town and a stiffer, flatter chassis for the fun stuff. If you want, you can spend (a lot of) money to add a mechanical LSD. Do it. If you’re buying one second-hand, Quaife will supply you with an LSD too.

Sticky Michelin Pilot Sport 225/40 tyres wrap the 18-inch wheels up front while the rears are 245/35s.

The M2 is a bit of a Frankenstein car. The fatter guards hide M3/M4 suspension bits to widen the track front and rear. Between the rear wheels you will find a multi-plate limited-slip diff where the M140i is stuck with a torque-vectored unit. Michelin Pilot Super Sports connect you to the road, 245/35 up front and 265/35 at the rear, fitted to 19-inch wheels.

Unlike the M140i, the suspension is static – no adaptive dampers, just good old-fashioned springs and dampers honed with thousands of hours of testing. The track is a whopping 63mm wider up front and 69mm at the rear, but that explains the 80mm wider bodywork.

The M4’s rear subframe is attached directly to the body, which means a bit more noise and a bit less comfort. Both ends feature serious bracing between the suspension towers, too.

Driving

Before we get cracking, both of these cars are absolute rockets. Anything small with 250kW-plus of power is going to demolish the benchmark 0-100km/h time (0-62mph). Both of these cars flash by in well under five seconds, so if drag-racing is your thing, there’s little in it.

The M140i is clearly the softer car. There is much to like about it, though. It’s the more appealing everyday car, with a comfortable ride and handling balance that you can use every day. It’s not a track warrior, but in Sport mode you will demolish just about anything in its class and you will be having a ball doing it. On its own, it feels unstoppable and is without doubt more fun than a , without doubt,s rear-wheel drive chassis has the edge over all-wheel drive for driving purity, with excellent electro-nannies and a finely-judged rear end to keep you out of trouble.

The M140i is almost a best-kept secret – a modern classic and with the move to a front-wheel drive platform for the next-generation, it’s also an instant classic. No other small hatchback is this fast and at this level, affordable. Sorry to my American friends, you can’t have one. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a healthy private import market develop over the next few years.

The M2, however, is completely off the chain. Not like the 1 Series M, which was mental, but it’s just so much fun. The super-stable platform of the wider-tracked M4 suspension, stickier Super Sport tyres and stiffer everything provides thrills in the wet and dry. Despite its torque deficit, the extra potential in the chassis is super-easy to unlock and you will never fail to enjoy yourself. You can get it sideways with the electronics on to make you feel like a hero (but not too sideways), which is brilliant.

I can’t stress enough how much I love the M2. It’s just an amazing car. People chortle at me when I say it’s responsible for the M4 CS, but I reckon it is. They feel so similar – so adjustable, so much fun. The M2’s front end is so sharp but it’s so forgiving – you can storm into corners with huge speed and know the rear is going to go with you. Sideways is never surprise, you’re in on all the fun. It’s just amazing.

But how do you choose? Watch the video…

March 24, 2018
Links We Like: Audi e-tron, GLC 250 and more

Welcome to Links We Like Volume Two.

carsguide

This week I’ve been driving some normal cars, not the least of which is the rather funky new Citroen C3 for carsguide.com.au. You can read and watch what I thought about it at the Australian launch.

Also at CG, I got myself in the driver’s seat of a Land Rovery Discovery Sport with the high-power 2.0 turbodiesel Ingenium.

I’m also on the Carsguide podcast this week, just search for Carsguide in your podcast app.

SUV Authority

Prefer your SUVs with a more German flavour? Karl (no, really) over at SUV Authority has had a crack at Mercedes’ GLC 250 Coupe review. It’s Merc’s answer to the BMW X4 – Karl will set you straight.

Also there is the gorgeous new Volvo XC60. So pretty.

Drive Zero

On the electric car front, Drive Zero has your back on the new Audi e-tron and a quick update on Ford’s tardy progress on the electric car front.

March 22, 2018
RenaultSport Clio RS18 Released In Time For F1

The 2018 FIA Formula One Championship starts this weekend and to celebrate, we’ve got the RenaultSport Clio RS18 to talk about.

Renault’s hot hatch pedigree is unmatched, with two absolute rockets on the books – the Clio and the Megane. You can say the same for its on-track success, with decades of Formula 1 experience behind them. And not just a few championships, either. Williams-Renault dominated the mid-90s with Viry Chatillon’s epic V10 engines and spawned the first Clio hottie, the Clio Williams.

Clio RS18

The RS18 is the name of the this year’s F1 challenger, so that’s kind of cute. RenaultSport isn’t afraid of a special edition or two, either – just have a look at the classifieds.

The RS18 is based on the RenaulSport Clio 220, complete with the boot-stealing Akrapovic exhaust that is an option on Trophy cars in some markets. The 1.6-litre turbo’s power runs at 162kW (220PS) and also features a 280Nm torque overboost function like its Ford and Peugeot rivals. That’s a handy boost over the 200’s 147kW and 260Nm.

As has been the case since 2013, the six-speed EDC twin-clutch handles the gear-shifting and is perhaps the car’s only weak link.

Compared to the 200, the chassis is lower and stiffer while the suspension has hydraulic stops. Renault says the steering is “sharper”, which is easy to believe as the Trophy is pretty serious. Tyres are Michelin’s sticky Sport Cups.

“Renault Sport customers share our passion for motorsport. With this limited-edition model – which is based on the technical foundations of the Clio R.S. 220 EDC Trophy – we are proud to be able to offer them the very best of our engineering expertise. Its sporting credentials are expressed by a number of design flourishes drawn directly from the world of Formula 1. The Renault Clio R.S.18 is an eloquent illustration of the close bond that exists between our motorsport activities and our road cars.” – Quentin Audiffren, Clio R.S. Product Manager, Renault Sport Cars

It’s a mildly evil-looking thing, with black bumpers, R.S. 18 badging on the doors, Liquid Yellow aero blade across the front and the RS daytime running lights evoking a chequered flag. On the roof is a whopping RS18 graphic, just to make sure. All badging is black as is the diffuser.

The roof! The roof!

Inside you get an Alcantara steering wheel, sill badges and a plaque telling you the sequence number of your car.

Australians will fight over just ten of them (for $39,990), with UK and European buyers also enduring smug dealers who reckon they’re like hen’s teeth.

March 21, 2018
Audi SQ2 In The Q Queue

Ingolstadt’s MQB-based compact SUV has had the Audi Sport treatment – the result is the Audi SQ2 (not pictured. Sorry)

(Not an Audi SQ2. Sorry.)

2018 means lots of Q-ing

(I am not sorry for that pun, not one little bit)

It’s a busy year for Audi’s Q-line of SUVs, with three ready to pop this year – the Q8, the long-overdue new Q3 and the SQ2.

I know this will upset a lot of people – hello, lovely to have you along – but the Audi Q2 is quite a nice little car. In 2.0 TFSI Quattro form, it’s bordering on warm hatch territory, too.

But, as ever, Audi has left no stone unturned to lure buyers into its lair and tossed the Q2 over to the nutters at Audi Sport. Some of you might remember the last time a small SUV went over the wall. It came back as the completely bonkers RSQ3 which is a ton of five cylinder fun. If you haven’t driven it, do not have a go – it really is a hoot. Irrelevant? Certainly. But it’ll make you laugh your butt off.

Get used to fast SUVs, too – the electric revolution is going to bring a ton more of them because the jacked-up nature of SUVs suits slinging a bank of batteries underneath without stuffing the styling.

Audi SQ2

Still not an Audi SQ2

The SQ2 had been more rumour than fact. Audi registered the SQ2 trademark in 2013, but car makers do that kind of thing all the time, partly to stop another brand doing it to annoy them. But hot Q2s started popping up in spy shots and then rather more fully formed at the Nurburging.

This week, though, Audi’s brass held the Audi Annual Press Conference and board members Peter Meertens confirmed the SQ2’s existence. He didn’t say much else apart from its Shanghai Motor Show debut in June.

Under the bonnet is most likely the S3’s turbo four-cylinder, but with fewer horses. In the S3 it spins out 213kW (290PS), but bank expect a rounder 200kWish (280PS) for the tiddler. Don’t want to upset the S3 brigade, do we?

Obviously bigger brakes, lower stiffer suspension and a boatload of detail tweaks and a buttload of options will transform the SQ2 into an even more nimble machine.

And the RSQ2?

Yeah, that’s still a rumour. Other sites claim that the wee beastie could inherit the RSQ3’s five-cylinder because it fits in the MQB platform but I’ve got personal doubts about that being A Thing. It’s probably too niche even for Audi.

Like your fast Audis? We’ve reviewed the Audi R8 Spyder!

Interested in the Audi Q2? I drove it for CarsGuide.com.au

March 18, 2018
Redline Links We Like: Astra, WRX, Forester

Links We Like is a new series we’ll do every week or so to highlight more of my writing outside of The Redline as well as from other sites that are worth a look. Most of these are normal cars that we actually buy, so there’s an added bonus of genuine consumer information.

CarsGuide.com.au

It’s a Holden but it’s also an Opel. And a Peugeot.

So, from me, there’s my review of the Holden Astra R+ at CarsGuide.com.au, a nice little car that actually handles pretty well.

If you want to see some lunatic commenters, there’s my review of the Subaru WRX STi from a little while back. The YouTube comments are dead-set gold and you should have a look. Just remember – I’ve owned a WRX, drove the standard WRX the week before and then drove the STi. All true and all verifiable.

Also from me, I had a Subaru Forester 2.5i-S for six months and I think that’s worth a read and a watch.

SUV Authority

Over at SUV Authority you’ll find a couple of good ones.

Karl has driven the Range Rover Velar and he has driven it before me, which is supremely irritating, but there you are.

Before that he had the exact opposite of the Velar – okay, maybe not exact – but it’s a quite a different car, the Mazda CX-3.

Drive Zero

Back to me, because it’s all about me. I’ve recently started writing about electric cars for the Australian EV site Drive Zero.

There’s a rundown of the Australian base model Tesla Model X five-seater vs the Jaguar I-Pace S.

I also wrote a bit on the Porsche Mission E Cross Turismo with fewer jokes than here.

There are some excellent guides there about Australian EV ownership, which compared to the US and much of Europe is a bit of a struggle.

Boosted Autos

And another partner site – well, we will be – is Boosted.

The appropriately named Will Ford scored himself a set of fresh Toyo boots for his MX-5 and did a review. A good one.

March 12, 2018
BMW M4 CS Review

The BMW M4 CS is exactly what the M4 needs to be.

I need to take you on a little journey here. Just a short one, don’t worry. Some years ago, BMW released the M4, which replaced the M3, which itself was replaced by the sedan-only M3. The M4 replaced the V8 M3 Coupe which was a cracker of a car. High revving, naturally-aspirated and if you chose, a bit of luxury. And it looked amazing in the right colour and with the right wheels.

There wasn’t a lot wrong with the new M4, but there were (and continue to be) complaints. The steering isn’t great, the turbo straight-six isn’t the V8 (oh, der), it’s heavy. Someone I know once called it a boat.

I loved it. Still do, but I will concede that there is a tiny something missing, something the V8 M3 had and the E46 M3 six before. Not just the revs – a lack of revs has become a fact of life – but something I’ve come to call “the spark” because I can’t really define it. It’s difficult to say exactly what it is. And it might be to do with all of the above.

History

Anyway. The timeline looks like this. The first M3 was the two-door E30, a completely bonkers, benchmark-defining sports sedan. Powered by a four-cylinder engine from BMW Motorsport, the first M3 makes people who haven’t even driven it dewy-eyed. Which is a bit nuts, really. As the years went by, power went up from 143kW (195PS) to 160kW (220PS) in the EVO2 and finally, for a limited run, the 175kW (238PS) 2.5-litre EVO3. The M3 world rages over which is the best. I can’t comment. I’d love to have a crack in one, though.

The second M3 was the straight-six powered E36. It was a very different car to the E30 – heavier, more luxurious, a bit more mainstream. Hugely popular, it sold from 1992 to 1999. Initially a controversial machine, the first version had a five-speed manual paired with a 3.0-litre in-line six. That car was famous for top gear having a 1.0 ratio – that’s third gear on most cars from the time. It wasn’t much of a tourer.

Thankfully, in 1996, a six-speed arrived along with extra torque with the move to 3.2-litres. But with that extra gear, it became a more flexible, more impressive car. Another reason for that was the power jump to 239kW (325PS). That brought the car to life in a big way.

Weirdly, the US and Canada had different engines to the European M3s, soldiering on with the 179kW (243PS) S52. The upgrade in 1996 that also brought the six-speed manual also offered a consoling 15Nm of torque, rising to 320Nm.

The E36 is also famous for the introduction of the SMG single-clutch semi-automatic. It’s safe to say that this was not a popular move.

Next came the E46. Sticking with the straight six, it got heavier again but more powerful. The E46’s inline six delivered 252kW (338PS) and 365Nm. That thing revved like a demon. The SMG still wasn’t that good or popular, but hey, BMW had to start somewhere.

The E46 also spawned the instant classic – the M3 CSL. Lighter (by a massive 110kg), harder and completely bonkers, there was a lot of the unruly E30 in it (yes, I have driven that, and may yet do so again…). That was closely followed by a less hardcore M3 CS.

Almost done.

Then came the E90 V8-powered machine with its carbon fibre roof, twin-clutch transmission to go alongside the manual and, oh, that noise. The 4.0-litre V8 spun out a massive 309kW (420PS) at a stratospheric 8300rpm. Closely related to the E60 M5’s V10, it was lovely and rightly regarded as brilliant.

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And finally…

…in 2014, came the F80 (M3) and and the change to M4 for the coupe (F82), the M3 living on as the sedan. The lovely V8 went in search of better efficiency and came with yet another weight gain but with an impressive jump in torque from the twin-turbo straight-six. The internet went mad, of course, but the proof was in the driving. And it was good. Very good. But there was a nagging doubt about it. It’s good, almost great, but not quite there.

I loved it. I know I’ve already said that, but it bears repeating. No, it wasn’t perfect and it’s probably a little too cultured, but it was damn good. BMW tried to address some of the criticisms with the Competition Pack and it too was good, but still not quite there.

In 2016 something extraordinary came along – the M2. Sharing lots of the M4’s suspension components, the M2 picked up the pieces after the insane 1 Series M Coupe and turned some things down while turning some things up. It’s a brilliant car. And I reckon this car is a shift in the way BMW M does cars. The critical response was delirious because it’s deliriously good.

Something else came along in the same year, the M4 GTS. Remember the E46 M3 CSL? Harder again. Cage. More power, 50Nm of torque. It has a reputation as a terror and was limited to just a few hundred units. They all went despite a staggering price. It was fast, too – I was lucky enough to go for a passenger ride around Circuit Paul Ricard and it was fast.

And then in 2017, came the M4 CS. Packed with lots of GTS goodness, but dialled back to make it a friendlier, more liveable car.

BMW M4 CS

I’m probably putting a few things together that don’t belong, but from the outside, the M4 CS’s arrival really does look like a way of BMW setting a few things straight.

The CS comes with the same turbocharged straight-six as the M4 Competition, but with a nice fat torque figure of 600Nm (up 50) and a more modest increase in power of 7kW (10PS) to 338kW (460PS). Which is actually 26kW (35PS) up from the “standard” M4.

Compared to the GTS, power is down 30kW (41PS) but the torque is the same. Either way, the redline is up to 7600rpm which suggests a more frantic character.

The seven-speed DCT remains but is more kerchunk than the Competitions while slightly less mad than the GTS. 0-100km/h (0-62mph) arrives in 3.9 seconds

A carbon roof and bonnet helps drop the weight by 32kg from a standard M4, but it’s still on the chunky side at 1580kg. Again, compared to the GTS, the weight is up but you get a few comforts back, including a pair of rear seats. The door cards are similar to the GTS’s, which means less storage and strappy door-pulls rather than handles. Some people hate those, I love them.

The front wheels are 19-inch units wrapped in 265/35 Michelin Sport Cup 2s, while the rears are 20s like the GTS. BMW says the front wheels are smaller diameter to help with steering feel and turn-in performance.

The car’s exterior helps tell some of the CS’s story – carbon lip spoilers front and rear, vented bonnet. The taillights are OLEDs – each element looks like a flattened petal and the start-up animation is very cool.

Driving

How can I put this delicately? It’s bloody brilliant. As I keep saying, I think the M4 is a terrific car but the CS takes it by the scruff of the neck, throws some caution out the door and puts you in control. While the electronics are still there (and need to be), there’s a lot more room for you to play in. The tail will wag, the wheels will chirp but oh, my, does this thing go around corners.

There are two key things to this car – torque and traction. The front wheels are tenacious on the tarmac, holding the front end true to your commands. Built-in understeer might be there (it has to be, it’s a road car) but its presence was beyond my bravery on the roads I played.

The rear end, though, is very finely-judged. There is more than enough torque to overwhelm the boots and it will step sideways even with the safety net switched on. It won’t go too far, obviously, but it commands respect from your right foot. That’s a good thing – I like my cars fighty because all-too often they’re boring if monumentally quick. But I’ll take a lively slower car any day over a hugely fast boring one.

Every time I drive this car it’s wet (or there are cops everywhere) but I can tell you that it’s an enormous amount of fun when things are greasy. The car bucks around to let you know you’ve asked too much of it, but it never bites you or throws you. The steering is so well keyed into the road surface, you know what’s going on every step of the way.

The BMW M4 CS is right up there as one of the best cars I’ve ever driven. Fast, fiery and fun, it’s got a ton of character. I’d have one in a heartbeat and I suspect anyone who drives it will say the same thing. It will convert those who think the M4 is too heavy or too inert or whatever other complaint they can come up with.

Genuine brilliance is hard to come by but the M4 CS has it by the quarry load.

Need more doors? Read about the M3 CS.

Like your M cars? Check out our story on BMW Australia’s Heritage Fleet E34 M5.

Check out all of our BMW coverage here.

And you can watch our BMW M2 vs BMW M140i video on YouTube.

March 11, 2018
McLaren BP23 “faster than the F1”

The next hypercar from Woking, the McLaren BP23, will definitely have three seats and will go even faster than the ground-breaking McLaren F1.

McLaren BP23

Doing 340km/h probably seems unnecessary, but hey, trains do it, so why can’t cars? It’s been a long, long time since the brilliant, bucket-list F1 hit the roads. It was an epic car at a time when epic cars arrived with monotonous regularity.

The BP23 is sort of in the same boat – McLaren’s own P1 is a hybrid-powered rocket, there’s the Senna and various wild motor show and real machines on the way.

The BP23 is the third Ultimate Series car and the second this year alone. McLaren is calling it a hyper GT, a car to cross continents.

Just 106 will be made available…er, were made available. They’re all sold at around £1.6 million (US$2.22m) so, like the Senna, you can’t have one. Or can you? That number – 106 – is a reference to the amazing F1 and its Asian financial-crisis affected run in the 1990s.

McLaren is willing to tell us that the BP23 will have a P1-like hybrid powertrain capable of pushing through 391km/h (243mph). That’s faster than the BMW V12-powered F1, which managed “only” 396.4km/h (240.1mph).

The company is also happy to tell us that in exchange for all that money, McLaren Special Operations will tailor the car to the owner’s exact tastes. Let’s hope the Sultan of Brunei’s brother isn’t in line for a BP23.

Thankfully, BP23 is just an internal codename. The real name will break cover along with Rob Melville’s team’s final design “before the end of the year”. It has already been an extraordinary year for McLaren, with the 720S coming on stream, the announcement of the Senna, Senna GTR and no doubt one or two more cars by year’s end.

Building a car to surpass the F1 will be a huge challenge, so McLaren’s engineering team are super-keen.

Will we ever drive one? Who knows. Sometimes, though, thinking about it is better than doing it.

Hah. Who am I kidding?

Want more McLaren? Here’s our review of the McLaren 570S Coupe, fresh off the hard drive

The F1’s three-seater interior

March 10, 2018
Geneva 2018: Range Rover SV Coupe

The Range Rover SV Coupe is a two door, supercharged V8 luxury SUV coupe. Okay.

Range Rover SV Coupe

Jaguar Land Rover had made a habit of limited edition stuff in the last couple of years. And, as if jealous of its little cousin getting all the attention, Range Rover dropped the SV Coupe.

Land Rover’s excuse is that it has been “nearly” fifty years since the first Range Rover defined the luxury SUV. So to celebrate, 999 supercharged V8 SV Coupes will be offered for sale. In the UK, you can expect to pay north of £250,000 (or nearly US$350,000). Some countries, such as Australia, are asking buyers to fill in an expression of interest.

The SV will be made by JLR’s SVO division, who are extremely busy at the moment making D-Types, Land Rover Defender Works and sending cars up stairs.

Engine and oily bits

Under the bonnet is JLR’s famous 5.0-litre V8 with an Eaton supercharger. Power from the V8 is 416kW (566PS) and torque an earth-moving 700Nm. The eight-speed ZF auto pushes power to all four wheels. Given all the interior loveliness, the car must be around two tonnes and will hit 100km/h (62mph) in 5.3 seconds. If I know that engine, they’ll be five fabulously loud and obnoxious seconds.

Like any other Range Rover you can take it off-road with a choice of modes. And wade in up to 90cm of water. Good luck getting those gorgeous 23-inch wheels out without a scratch, though.

You can even tow..say…a house…with its up-to 3500kg towing capacity.

Interior

While the exterior might be a sexy, lengthy coupe, inside is room for four passengers. While you might have to climb into the back through those looong doors, there is tons of room.

SVO wrapped the interior in expensive leather (there are four “duo-tone” colour schemes) and looks amazing. I’m a sucker for diamond-stitching.

Digital screens abound up-front. Two 10.0-inch units one for the control panel and one for the media system. A third 12.0-inch panel takes care of the instrument pack.

The SV Coupe is quite a different take on the modern SUV, a bit like its Velar sister. What do you think?

March 7, 2018
Geneva 2018: 2019 Toyota Supra Unveiled…sort of…

Fans rejoice, the 2019 Toyota Supra is finally unveiled. A little bit.

2019 Toyota Supra In Disguise

Toyota’s insistence that it’s going to get more interesting as a carmaker is finally coming true with our first decent look at the new Supra.

Annoyingly it’s covered in racing warpaint and for some reason has the unwieldy GR Supra Racing Concept name. But at the very least we have an insight into what the returning icon looks like.

GR stands for Gazoo Racing, Toyota’s go-to for making things go quickly – witness the Gazoo Yaris WRC car. Toyota is really stringing this release out for as long as possible…

First showing the car as a racing concept is ploy to make you think Toyota is sexy. In a way, it is – the company is involved in Dakar, World Rally Championship and LMP1 racing, which isn’t mucking about.

The new Supra isn’t just the long-awaited return of an icon – it’s a co-production with BMW. The same car with different panels will be the new Z4. Why are they doing this? Sports cars are expensive to develop and make so generating cash from them is hard. That’s why Subaru and Toyota (ahem) shared (cough) the development costs of the BRZ/86 twins.

Toyota is again scoring the better end of the engine deal, with the Supra most likely offered with BMW’s turbo straight-six engines, as will the Z4. I’d put good money on 20i and 30i-ish versions of the Z4.

GR Concept

The GR Concept is a fully-fitted race car with slick Michelins on the wheels. There’s a full cage, fire extinguishing gear, plastic windows and adjustable pedal box. So, yeah, expect a global one-make race series. Or perhaps even a Z4 Supra series. Actually, perhaps not.

See the racing number on the side? The old Supra codes were JZA70 and JZA80, so you could probably expect JZA90.

As is the recent habit, the GR Concept will also appear in a no-doubt gigantic update to Sony’s Gran Turismo Sport. The update should roll out in April 2018 so you can get stuck in around the Nurburgring.

What’s a Gazoo?

Gazoo racing has been kicking around since 2007, its first race the Nurburgring 24 Hours. The team started off as a bunch of very keen Toyota employees, entering the race with a pair of Altezzas (Lexus IS200).

Since then Gazoo has become Toyota Gazoo Racing and is the brand’s racing division. Pretty straightforward, really.

March 7, 2018
Geneva 2018: Porsche Mission E Cross Turismo

A brand not exactly famous for its sense of humour, Porsche sprung a surprise at Geneva with the Mission E Cross Turismo.

Porsche Mission E Cross Turismo

Mission E is Porsche’s current naming scheme for its all-electric car due to kick-off in 2019. For the 2018 Geneva Show, Porsche has dropped an en-vogue SUV, but given it a new name – the cross utility vehicle. I guess SUVs do make some people cross (I am not sorry).

The Cross Turismo (“I’d be cranky too…”) is heavily-based on the Mission E’s no compromise all-electric platform and even shares the same drivetrain.

Two electric engines produce a massive 441kW (600PS) to sling the CT to 100km/h (62mph) in 3.5 seconds, enough to keep up with Jaguar’s I-Pace. The spring from rest to 200km/h passes in 12 seconds. Porsche calls its motor set “permanent magnet synchronous motors” (PSM), which just seems like an excuse to add another confusing Porsche acronym.

Fitted with air suspension, the CT can lift itself 50mm if you fancy some rough (rather than off) roading. The same system will talk to Porsche’s Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) to keep the car flat in corners or steady on rough surfaces.

Charging

The 800-volt power system offers a charge time of 15 minutes (!) to 80 percent full. According to NEDC figures, that will net you a range of 400km (240 miles), which isn’t too bad at all.

Again, like the Jag, it’s probable that you won’t be charging the car to full to help keep the lithium-ion batteries in tip-top shape. The system is ready for IONITY charge points, normal charge points and, apparently, inductive charging pads. Porsche is also going to try and sell you a battery system for your home, known as Porsche Home Energy Storage System. Or PHESS, I imagine. There’s a joke there, but I’m going to leave it alone for once.

Funky interior stuff

Porsche is trying out a few new things on the Cross Turismo Concept. The new dash is very clever – the three digital dials display various useful information. The clever bit is the camera in the rear-vision mirror – it tracks your eyes and makes the dial you’re looking at more prominent.

A mobile app lets you set up a journey in the sat nav or kick off heating or cooling so the car is just right when you get in.

The four-seater layout has more boot space and the slots in the seats are there for you to slide skis through. Not sure how that works out for passengers, but who needs friends when you’re on the slope? Perhaps that’s where the cross bit came in…

Electric Porsches

Porsche isn’t mucking about here. The first all-electric car, the Panamera-like Mission E (name to be confirmed) will be on sale in 2019. The Panamera 4 Hybrid already accounts for half of the Panamera’s global demand and there’s talk of a hybrid 911. And whispers of all-electric Boxsters.

And don’t be surprised if Macan and Cayenne don’t get electric treatment soon. With diesel on the way out, hybrid is the obvious contender for torque-mad enthusiasts.

If I was a betting man, expect to see the Cross Turismo – with a better name – on sale in 2020.

March 6, 2018