You’ve read the on-road review, now find out about what the 2020 Land Rover Defender is like out in the rough, slippery, loose and muddy stuff.
I’ll put it out there that I am not a hard-core off-roader. Give me some clear tarmac and a sports car and I’m in heaven. Mud and puddles are fun, but only in someone else’s car.
Which is just as well, because the new Land Rover Defender is here in 110 form and it likes mud. As with the road section, the company took us on a two hour off-road sojourn in the bush west of Sydney’s Blue Mountains.
Before we set off, Land Rover Experience leaders took us through the cars we were driving. There was a mix of S and SE spec cars with all of them running the P400e 294kW straight-six mild hybrid. The important figure there is the strong 550Nm available between 2000 and 5000rpm.
Neither of the two diesels on offer were available to drive because the punters have gone for the oil-burners like people possessed.
The team explained we we would be on Goodyear Wrangler tyres, which are optional. The standard tyres are Ramblers. And for our trip into the slippery stuff, the tyres would down a few pounds.
Additionally, the cars each had the Advanced Off-Road Capabilitywhich adds All Terrain Progress Control, Terrain Response 2 and Configurable Terrain Response for $2210 on all but First Edition and X (it’s standard on the latter, obviously).
All Australian-delivered Defenders (as at August 2020) have air suspension, starting with 290mm ride hight, adding 75mm for off-road height and then another 70mm when things get really sticky. It will also drop 50mm for “elegant” entry and egress.
At offroad height, you get 38 degrees of approach, 28 of breakover and 40 degrees of departure and super-short overhangs that don’t drag over humps.
What’s it like?
Designed for the hard stuff, the Defender is supreme. Now, as I’ve already said, I’m not going to pretend that I know what I’m doing. We had radio contact with guides, a leisurely pace and some reasonably challenging stuff.
Speaking to folks who know what they’re doing, this was a walk in the park for the Defender. I mean to say, we didn’t even drive through a river, which I’ve done in an Evoque, no less.
Off we went down a dusty road and then into a steep descent. As you’ll see in the video, we switched to low-range, activated muddy ruts mode which raises the ride height and sets the diffs to stun and away we went.
Hill Descent control kicked in and you control the speed with the cruise control + and – switch on the steering wheel. Low range also meant the car climbed out the other side without argument.
It was a pretty basic run-through really, but the point I need to ram home is that the Defender made it easy. Despite measuring over five metres with the spare hanging off the back, the Defender is pretty easy to place on narrow tracks and has a tight turning circle.
The different modes are finely judged, but that really comes down to the way the controls are tuned – the steering isn’t too quick or heavy, the wheel is a good size, the throttle is very sensibly soft in off-road modes and the brakes are just-so.
The Defender threw great gobs of confidence at a nervous off-roader meaning I was really able to get into the spirit of things as I felt the worry lift from my shoulders. Obviously we were never going to get into grief, but still.
Redline Recommendation
Someone asked me the other day how it stacks up against a Toyota Land Cruiser 200 Series. Off-road, I have no idea. But on-road, the Defender smashes it to pieces.
Both are obviously incredibly capable but the Defender – given its reputation – will no doubt more than hold up its end of the bargain. But I’ll leave that to people who know more than me.
The Toyota’s interior is from another world, the Defender’s bang up to date, super comfortable and quiet when you’re out and about, at least in the P400. It’s also cheaper by quite a margin, unless you go for a boggo Cruiser. It’s vastly better and more efficient than a Patrol, too. Pajero trails by some margin.
As for me, there’s no other off-roader I’d choose. It’s comfortable, full of tech and gave me such confidence in the slippery bits. I know its competitors are extremely capable, but this comfortable? Nope. This advanced? Nope.
Peter Anderson takes the new Land Rover Defender, fresh off the boat, for its first run on Australian roads (and muddy tracks).
You know the old joke. The second album is always the hardest. Land Rover knew that so put off the second Defender for almost seven decades. We get sniffy about a car that hasn’t been replaced in over seven years (ASX, I’m looking at you) but seven decades? Almost unheard of.
And that’s partly because there was no need. The other reason was that Land Rover was busy diversifying its range from one, then two, then five…yeah, you now what I mean. From one model with no real name to having a huge range of SUVs trading on the original’s name.
We’ve been hearing about a new Defender for almost a decade and now after floods, fire and pandemic have ravaged our fair nation, we got a bright, crisp sunny day to get a taste of what this all-new Defender.
How much is a 2020 Land Rover Defender and what do I get?
$69,626-$136,736
As with any Land Rover model range, it’s very complicated and plenty on offer. Bottom line is you can squeeze into a Defender 100 D200 for under $70,000 (before on-roads), with a 147kW/430Nm (!) 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel.
Another $6000 will get you more power in the D240 with 177kW but the same torque figure.
For both of the D200 and D240, you will be waiting a while.
Which is why the cars I drove were all the P400 in S and SE spec and in 110 form – the 90 will be along later on.
Land Rover Defender 110 P400 S – $95,335
A P400 S will set you back $95,335 (you can’t get a “naked” Defender 110 with this engine) and score you the 3.0-litre straight-six turbocharged petrol with 294kW and 550Nm.
The S spec includes a standard body-coloured roof, heated folding power mirrors, alpine lights, puddle lights, trailer stability assist, auto high beam, auto LED headlights, 19-inch gloss sparkle silver wheels (the 18-inch white steelies, currently unavailable (August 2020) are a no-cost option), electric front seats, rubber hose-out flooring, leather steering wheel, leather seats, dual-zone climate control, soft-close tailgate, keyless entry and start, around view cameras, reversing camera, wade sensing and a full-size spare.
Land Rover Defender 110 P400 SE – $102,736
To the above you can add “premium” LED headlights with signature DRL, 20-inch wheels, more electric adjustment on the front seats, electrically adjustable steering column, a Meridian system, blind spot assist and clear exit monitor. Among other things.
Media and Entertainment
JLR’s new Pivi Pro system makes its debut here in the Defender. The new software and hardware is much snappier than the old InTouch Control and is powered by a Snapdragon chipset, if that’s something you’re interested in. Much nicer to use and it feels better than the old one, which got quite good by the end.
The new screen hopefully has a better nav system than before which was famously dim, but we didn’t really get a chance to test its mettle.
The system includes DAB and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, both via USB.
Packages
It wouldn’t be a modern Land Rover without an options and accessories list as long as your arm. And your other arm. And both legs. And the limbs of the person sitting next to you. I’m not going to go into all of them because zzzzz but also because there are some handy packs to get them all together in what Land Rover hopes are sensible groups.
The Driver Assist Pack is available on the base car and S and SE for $2086 and the SE for $948. It’s cheaper on the SE because a couple of options on the lower-end cars are standard on the SE. This pack includes Blind Spot Assist, Clear Exit Monitor, adaptive cruise control, rear collision monitor (lane keep assist, closing vehicle sensor, reverse traffic detection, rear pre-crash and evasive steering assist) and rear traffic monitor.
Given the base cost of the car, most of this stuff should already be standard, especially bind spot assist and reverse cross-traffic alert.
Interior Options
A Premium Upgrade Interior Pack adds 15-way heated and cooled front seats, electrically adjustable steering column, more leather in the interior and something called an integrated Click and Go base unit. That package is $7547 on the Defender, $6552 on the S and $3713 on the SE.
The Cold Climate Pack brings a heated windscreen, heated washer jets, headlight power wash and heated steering wheel for $1481 on all Defenders but the First Edition.
The Comfort and Convenience Pack – or as classic Defender owners will no doubt call it, the Soft Townie Pack – adds a 10 colour LED interior lighting and more interior lights, front console fridge, Meridian sound system (Defender and S) and wireless device charging for $3036 (Defender), $2740 (S), $1414 (SE and HSE) and $818 on the X owing to some of these features already being on the higher-spec cars.
There are 12 seating options, including the front jump seat for a six-seater configuration ($1853) and a third row for seven seats. Heating, reclining, split options, load-through options, the list goes on.
A head-up display is $1690 (HSE) and has to be specced with the solar attenuating front windscreen ($520).
Off-road and towing options
The Off-Road Pack brings an electronic active differential with torque vectoring by braking, black roof rails and and a domestic plug socket in the boot. That’s $1448 on all Defenders bar the First Edition and X.
Moving up to the Advanced Off-Road Capability Pack you get All Terrain Progress Control, Terrain Response 2 and Configurable Terrain Response, all for $2210, again on all but the FE and X.
Wanna tow? For $3702 the Towing Pack adds the same suit as the Advanced pack as well as a tow hitch receiver and Advanced Tow Assist.
2020 Land Rover Defender Colours
You can choose Santorini white as a no-cost option. Santorini Black, Indus Silver, Eiger Grey, Pangea Green, Gondwana Stone and Tasman Blue, all for $1950.
You can get a Satin Protective Film on some colours for a whopping $6500.
White contrast roof or a black contrast roof is a $2000 option on most specs and black roof rails are $897.
Look and Feel
It’s all very rugged. We’ve had a long time to get used to the 2020 Land Rover Defender – I published the launch story about seven years ago in September 2019 – but it was good to finally go toe-to-toe with one.
It looks great, even in white, but you’d be mad not to toughen things up with the 18-inch steel wheels when they arrive. I’d get them, anyway, I’m also very fond of the Tasman Blue (pictured) (not the white one, obviously).
It looks rugged enough without being too much, like those cos-playing Patrol drivers with every accessory known to man.
I really like the interior too. Bold, full of places to put your stuff and again striking a good balance between rugged and modern. Take a look inside a Trailkhawk Jeep of any description, and then this and you’ll see what I mean. It also avoids being self-consciously masculine – a lot of women will own and drive this car and none of it is alienating for the sake of the old masculine ideal of toughness.
The off-road controls are grouped in with the climate control dials. That can take some getting used to, with the dials switching to selectors when you press the Terrain Response button. I’m sure ownership will bring familiarity if you’re the off-road type.
You can see the gear selector sprouting from the console. It’s there so the six-seat option jump seat can go in without re-designing the cabin.
The new Pivi Pro screen is a 10-inch unit in all cars and looks great.
Chassis
The Defender rolls on a very serious off-roading platform, which should come as no surprise. The D7U platform hosts Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Discovery Sport. The evolution is the D7X, which is where the Defender lives.
The shotgun-and-muddy-welly folks will no doubt gasp when they learn the Defender is now built on a monocoque, but hey, surviving crashes is not frowned upon as it once was.
From the ground up, you’ve got Goodyear Rambler tyres, a standard 290mm ground clearance with an additional 75mm when you select the various chassis modes that suggest more height. And then there’s yet another 70mm for a total ride height somewhere near the summit of Everest.
The standard-in-Australia air suspension does the job there, providing a lot of adjustment and some serious wheel articulation in the rough stuff.
The air suspension also brings adaptive dynamics and, oddly auto-levelling headlights.
Obviously you get high and low-range, centre diff and you can specify an active locking diff with torque vectoring by braking. Configurable Terrain Response let you set traction control, diff and ride height to your own tastes in addition to the also-optional Terrain Response programs.
At offroad height, you get 38 degrees of approach, 28 of breakover and 40 degrees of departure, aided and abetted by those abbreviated overhangs.
Drivetrain
I’ve only driven the P400, so we’ll talk about that engine because it’s a new one for the Land Rover brand.
A 3.0-litre turbo straight six MHEV (mild hybrid) system, you get a very decent 294kW and a massive 550Nm.
A twin-scroll turbocharger is joined by an electric supercharger to provide low-rev torque fill and get everything pumping at low revs and making sire that the torque is always there.
The 48-volt system is otherwise very similar to Audi’s with a belt-alternator starter replacing the alternator and a small lithium-ion battery to support the electrics.
Hooked up to the always awesome eight-speed ZF and the updated all-wheel drive system with low and high range, you’ve got some serious hardware here.
There are two diesels, of course, but I haven’t driven one yet.
Even with a hefty 2400kg kerb weight (or near enough), the Defender P400 will streak to 100km/h in 6.1 seconds. Yikes.
Driving
The new Defender has a lot more to do than the old one. Everyone was very forgiving of the old girl because, goodness, she was old. Clatter old diesel, bare cabin, old-school looks and very “traditional” safety. Land Rover did well to try and keep it up with the times, but you can’t fit modern into 1948.
Off-road it was near-peerless in the right hands but if you didn’t know what you were doing, it was a challenge. On the road, it was a noisy, wayward machine by modern standards. Still plenty to love, but buyers want more now.
We already know it has all the tech. The off-road stuff is hardcore (see separate story) and you can tow 3500kg along with 900kg on board. You can get away in this thing. But what about the every day that this car has to fulfil?
It’ll do a cracking job. It kneels down to let you in. The cabin is lovely even though it still has the rubber floor. The Pivi Pro system is really good and the cabin has everything you could want for the family to ride in.
The biggest surprise is the on-road capability. It’s terrific. Where I was expecting big body roll and a ponderous steering, I got body control (still rolled, but nothing like I was expecting) and a mildly responsive front end.
Through some challenging bends west of the Blue Mountains, the Defender was…fun. Through the slower stuff and the towns and by-ways, it was impeccable, with a strong low and high-speed performance and a pleasing growl from the Ingenium six.
The seats in the S I drove on the road were very supportive, holding me in the chair without the need to hang on to the wheel. Even with off-road tyres, the noise from beneath was quite hushed and the only irritant was the wind rustle – gentle, yes – from the mirrors.
It might be a big unit at over five metres with the spare wheel in place, but it doesn’t feel anywhere near that big. With good vision, cameras everywhere and only the tailgate-mounted tyre getting in the way, it’s easy to place in pretty much any condition.
So the bit it has to do well it has well and truly exceeded what I thought. It’s probably as good – or even better – than a Disco Sport and I would choose this over the Discovery unless I absolutely had to have the big fella. A P400 90 should be a right giggle.
Redline Recommendation
Never thought I’d say this about an off-roader, but hell yes. All SUVs aren’t created equal, that much we already knew. The Defender has a big reputation to live up to and the P400 lifts the badge into a whole new realm.
Off road is easy to do if that’s all you want, but a modern Defender has to do both. It has absolutely nailed the on-road. Stay tuned for the off-road review…
The new burping hyper hatch from Mercedes, the AMG A45S, is everything the old car was with one extra feature – fun.
Now, before you kick off, the old car was fun, but not in the way I like. It was a bit like a mini Nissan GTR. Not the Nismo I’ve linked to there – that was amazing – but the base car is a bit…dull.
The A45 was hugely fast – yes. Tons of grip – it’ll rearrange your insides in corners. But dull steering, not much play in the chassis and a commitment to stick rather than slip made it almost boring. Great drag-racing and farting machine, though.
I always felt that drivers of other cars were having more fun, like the BMW M140i or M2 driver sitting next to you in traffic. I know those two cars would have found their way into my garage before the A45.
Now that both of those cars are dead or mostly dead – the M2 CS is coming for that car’s swansong – it’s down to AMG and Audi Sport to fly the hyper-hatch flag.
How much is an AMG A45S and what do I get?
$93,600 + ORC
Zoinks. That’s a big number, isn’t it? Especially when you consider the really rather good A35 is $69,300. So what does $24,000 get you?
Well, you get 19-inch alloys, dual-zone climate control, ambient lighting, reversing camera, around view cameras, keyless entry and start, front and rear parking sensors, active cruise control, heated electric front seats, sat nav, auto active LED headlights, auto wipers, wireless phone charging and a tyre repair kit.
The second of the excellent massive screens in front of you hosts the brilliant MBUX media system that includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It’s such a great system, so much better than the old COMAND setup. Easily a match now for the BMW’s OS 7.0 and Audi’s MMI plus.
Safety – 5 Stars (ANCAP)
Just like the A35, there is a ton of safety gear. ABS, stability and traction controls (of course) are joined by nine airbags, active safety bonnet, forward AEB with pedestrian detection, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, speed zone reminder (GPS-based), reverse cross-traffic alert and road sign recognition.
You also get two ISOFIX points and three top-tether anchors.
Warranty and Servicing
Mercedes broke with its German rivals and now offers a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty and that includes AMG models. Good deal.
Now the less good news – servicing an AMG A45S is not cheap, but the good news is that it’s cheaper than the old car. A three year pre-paid plan will cost you $3,000, $3,700 for four years and $4300 for five years.
The three year plan is $750 cheaper than pay-as-you-go capped-price servicing, so that’s a good deal. I think.
Look and feel
The basic, unadorned AMG A45S is fairly drama-free and that’s how I prefer it. The 19-inch alloys are restrained, the exhausts not too big and aerodynamic accoutrements subtle. You have to look for the Panamericana grille to know it’s an A45S, apart from the badges, obviously.
The two-tone seats are a bit Hasselhoff-era and the front seats aren’t much to write home about. I like the AMG shell seats (optional) a lot more, but these are fine and, if we’re being honest with each other, more comfortable day to day.
The rear seats are naturally a bit tight, but you’ve got cupholders front and rear and a decent-sized boot with 370 litres of space.
As I’ve already said, the two big screens are fantastic and the various configurations should suit just about anyone.
Chassis
Based on the A-Class, the A45S picks up adaptive dampers which change with each and every mode to ensure it’s liveable while also stiff when you need it that way.
The front brakes are, as you can see, gripped by big boy calipers and the discs themselves are drilled for that boy-racer look (yes, they’re lighter, too).
Those lovely 19s are shod with with the tyre of the moment, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. Unusually they’re the same all the way around, measuring 245/35.
Drivetrain
The M139 comes from Affalterbach’s dedicated factory with – and this is double-take territory – 310kW and 500Nm from a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo is breathtaking. The trick, of course, is to make all that usable in all situations.
Peak torque is available between 5000 and 5250rpm, with 90 percent available from just under 3000. It feels more linear than the old car.
And, for me, it has to feel less highly-strung than the old car’s 280kW/470Nm unit. I know it doesn’t do this, but it always felt like it could come apart at any minute, at least to me.
The M139 has a twin-scroll turbo that is now on the firewall side of the engine rather than on the front, which is now where all the induction gear is, making the induction and exhaust ducts shorter.
The enemy of power is friction, so the cylinder linings are coated in Nanoslide, which AMG says delivers a mirror-finish to reduce power loss.
All four wheels are fed the power by 4MATIC+. The standard torque split is 50/50 but up to 70 percent can go to the rear, which is very promising. A clutch pack directs power left and right.
The new car has an eight-speed twin-clutch transmission AMG calls Speedshift DCT 8G.
Driving
Yes, that one”s yellow, no I didn’t drive that one.
Ten seconds after you grip that lovely Alcantara-wrapped AMG wheel, you know this car is way more interesting than the old car. The front points more positively, the steering weight is better and it’s less hyper on the throttle in the lower modes.
It’s almost undramatic in this naked spec and sadly the old console shifter has gone in favour of the cruddy stalk selector. But once you twist the steering-wheel mounted dial to Sport+ or Race, it’s on.
Everything winds up and gets ready to hurl you down the road. Despite weighing a chunky 1630kg (that’s almost two Series 1 Lotus Elises), it doesn’t feel like that.
And that’s not just because it has so much damn power. The chassis is way more playful than the car it replaces, with a bit less stuck-to-the-road and a bit more let’s-have-some-fun. With a more interesting all-wheel drive system sending more power to the rear than the front when you’re enjoying yourself (and even allowing for a Drift mode), you’re making more decisions than you used to.
It’s also more civilised as a daily driver, my wife asking me what all the fuss was about. She hated the old car with a passion, so things have improved a lot, then.
Redline Recommendation
This car has turned me around on the A45. Setting aside the unfortunate reputation of this car, it just didn’t do anything for me. I get why people liked it – who didn’t want a sub-five second hatchback? But it wasn’t very rewarding to drive.
This car has changed everything. Like the A35 before it, it’s put the AMG at the front of the queue. While there’s no BMW to trouble it and the new RS3 is a while off, I’m happy to recommend the AMG A45S to anyone who loves driving.
Hyundai’s Kona electric SUV lapped the Lausitzring for a sleep-inducing thirty-five hours to cover over 1000km on a single charge.
Hyundai doesn’t do things by halves these days. Two pure EVs and a whole new electric brand from having neither of those things two years ago.
What’s more, the Kona electric, our current EV of choice, has a Tesla Model 3 matching range of 450km (WLTP) for a whole Kia Picanto less.
Anyway, Hyundai took not one but three Kona electrics to a racetrack in Germany (not that one), charged them and sent them out on a hyper-miling challenge.
The Rules
The drivers consisted of two teams from Hyundai Motor Deutschland and, I guess, a control team from German car mag Auto Bild.
The test was run at German race track, the Lausitzring which has a sneaky big test track that Dekra (yep, from Michael Schumacher’s hat) uses for all sorts of things including autonomous driving testing. Dekra is kind of an NRMA/RACV/RACQ but is actually interested in cars.
Each Kona, Hyundai says, was stock standard and running on Nexen N Fera SU1 215s on 17-inch rims. They didn’t say what pressure those tyres were running at, but they won’t have been soft.
The drivetrain also standard, which means a 356-volt power supply fed by a 64kWh battery, driving the front wheels with 150kW and 395Nm.
In unbelievably unpleasant news, the climate control and media systems stayed off. Hopefully it wasn’t hot and the drivers were at least allowed to put their phones on speaker. The daytime running lights stayed on, though, but as the press release readily admits, everything else stayed off for maximum range.
The Results
I don’t think it’s going over the top to say that his is a colossally good result. Yes, the team drove around the Ring at averages of between 29km/h and 31km/h with no air-con or entertainment but as you can see, each of them cracked 1000km on a single charge.
This ridiculous feat took almost 35 hours, which is a long time to be purring slowly around a test track. The cars used less than half the WLTP 14.7kWh/100km, coming in at 6.28kWh, 6.25kWh and 6.24kWh/100km.
I’ve wrung 412km out a Kona electric with range to spare and I was not messing about and trying to do what these crazy Germans have managed.
The team even eked out 20km with just three percent of charge left, so that first 1000km was easy.
What does all this mean?
Not a great deal to you and me – we won’t ever have an opportunity to drive a sustained 29-31km/h with the sound and air-con off. Even if I did, I’d choose whatever else was on offer, even it included listening to Malcolm Turnbull or Kanye West talk about themselves. Hopefully not for 35 hours, though.
But it does point to the fact that the Kona is the real deal. While you can do a similar thing in other electric cars – the Tesla Model S record stands at 1078km on a much bigger P100D battery – it does show that the Kona is a well-engineered EV.
You might have caught me scolding BMW for not doing a fast wagon and it seems I’m a powerful man in this town (along with a zillion other people).
The next M3 is surely going to be an absolute belter of a machine with the twin-turbo straight-six already seen in the X3 and X4 M machines. Many of us, however, had resigned ourselves to the M3 sedan acting as the lone 3 Series from M Gmbh.
Turns out we we were wrong. As I said in the Audi RS6 video, BMW has been sending you to Alpina for a fast wagon and that’s just not really good enough. Which left Audi in charge of both the C-segment with the RS4 and D-segment with the RS6 when buyers were looking for fast wagons.
Yes you can get an AMG C63 Estate, but it’s not really the same thing, is it?
Some Alpina wagon weaponry
So. Here’s what BMW Australia told us today:
‘We plan to introduce the M3 Touring and will advise arrival timing closer to the launch date’BMW Australia. Well, BMW Australia’s spokespeople, not all of it.
So if you were me and a fan of very fast wagons with (this is a guess, you understand) about $160,000 to spend, pop down to your local BMW dealer and demand they cease talking and accept your hard currency.
As the quote doesn’t say, the M3 Touring is most likely going to arrive sometime next year.
And dammit, buy it. People have been screaming at BMW for years to do this, the last thing we all want is a tepid buyer response that will give Munich the moral high ground to say, “We told you so.”
The Kia Stinger GT Carbon Edition is, as you might have guessed, a special version of the Korean company’s giant-killing sport sedan.
The Stinger is, as you already know, an awesome car. It is also criminally under-bought despite its critical acclaim and general buzz. You can safely ignore those who say it is overrated – it isn’t.
Because sales aren’t going as well as they should, Kia regularly pops out special editions like the Carbon Edition, but it’s important that you know that the specialness is limited to cosmetic bits. There is no point in touching the base car. It’s that good.
Although I tested the Carbon, let’s just talk about the standard Stinger GT. You get 19-inch alloys, active cruise control, dual-zone climate control, front, side and reversing cameras, keyless entry and start, front and rear parking sensors, auto parking, sat nav, auto LED active headlights, head-up display, auto wipers, launch control, Nappa leather seats, power everything, heated and cooled front seats, heated steering wheel, wireless charging pad and a space-saver spare.
The 15-speaker stereo system (with two sick subs, bro) is run off Kia’s quite alright touchscreen and software shared with Hyundai and has Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and a built-in sat nav.
Safety – 5 Stars (ANCAP, May 2018)
The Stinger is stacked with safety stuff, with seven airbags, ABS, stability and traction controls, forward collision warning, forward AEB (high and low speed), lane keep assist, blind-spot detection and reverse cross traffic alert.
You also get three top-tether and two ISOFIX points.
Warranty and Servicing
Kia loads up with a seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty with a seven year capped-price servicing program. Or more accurately, a seven service capped-price program.
I say that because, sadly, the distance between services is only 10,000km but with a 12 month time period if you’re not much of a driver.
Total cost of the seven services is $4068 with an average of $581 per service. That’s not cheap, but try a German car with this kind of performance…
Keep servicing with Kia and the initial 12 months roadside assist is extended by a year.
Look and feel
This is a fine-looking machine. Just the right balance of short front overhang, long tail, big wheels and subtle detailing. The bonnet vents are finished in carbon on the Carbon Edition but always look good no matter what. There’s a lot of Audi A7 in it, but with distinct Kia parts to ensure folks know what they’re looking it. The lovely fastback/four-door coupe look is a firm favourite of mine and the Stinger is lovely.
This is one of Kia’s best interiors by far. The chunky front seats put you in front of a simple, straightforward and clear dashboard, with an Alcantara-trimmed wheel in the Carbon Edition.
There’s plenty of legroom in the back and you could squeeze a third person in, but if you’re tall, headroom isn’t abundant in the Stinger. But perfectly liveable.
The cabin isn’t avant-garde but has lots of classic influences from sports cars over the years and just works really well, with plenty of storage in the cabin and in the 406 litre boot.
Chassis
A proper mechanical limited-slip differential looks after the fun end of the transmission, promising plenty of fun.
The front brakes, using four-piston Brembo calipers measure 340mm 250mm while the twin-piston rears grab 340mm discs.
Suspensions by MacPherson strut front and a five-link rear end. The GT has big aluminium bracing bars either side of the engine as well as thicker anti-roll bars.
Rubber comes from Michelin, with 225/40 fronts and 255/30 at the rear.
And a lot of Nurburgring laps underneath development cars.
Drivetrain
Hyundai-Kia’s 3.3-litre twin-turbo Lambda II engine delivers 272kW and 510Nm. That second figure is pretty impressive although the first isn’t bad either.
Power goes to the rear wheels only via Kia’s own eight-speed automatic. What a beast.
Driving
The Stinger GT is like an old friend to me. Not just because I’ve driven it before but because it feels like another car I used to own. And that car, oddly enough, was a BMW 330d M Sport.
This is absolutely a massive compliment – that was a brilliant car, with similar torque and performance figures and, of course, rear-wheel drive.
But it goes much further than that. The Stinger feels absolutely bolted into the tarmac, with stacks of grip on offer. The steering is weighty and talkative enough for you to know what’s going on underneath the front wheels.
Turning in to a fast bend or tight corner, the car responds from the front end, letting you work out what you want to do with the rear, which has a limited-slip diff for shenanigans if you want them. With the nannies on, you punch out of corners with a fun wiggle as the tyres try to transfer the twist to the road.
Without the nannies, any angle you please is available but, obviously, at your own risk, so keep that for the track, kids.
The different modes deliver a properly distinct experience, too. In Sport, it’s still an excellent, comfortable rider that should keep everyone happy. But in Comfort, you’ve still got a good throttle and transmission response.
Well, on the transmission, there’s a bit of an issue. Sometimes it wants to go its own way. That’s easy fixed with a paddle pull, but sometimes it’s reluctant to go where you might expect and needs a prod. But it’s minor and never bothered me unduly.
Recommendation
The Stinger GT really is amazing. In a world full of SUVs, a sporty sedan with great looks and an unbeatable price is a welcome addition to our roads. It’s a massive amount of fun and with factory-approved mods for the exhaust, can be even more engaging.
And at the same time, it does family car things with plenty of flair and is entirely unintimidating. Everyone I know who has one adores it. I’m pretty sure you will too.
We get a taste of the 488’s replacement, the Ferrari F8 Tributo, around Sydney Motorsport Park on a cold, clear winter’s morning.
The Ferrari ownership experience is one most of us will never even consider let alone do. But, sometimes, an invitation lands in your inbox inviting you to do the kind of thing owners do – thrash their hugely expensive purchase around a racetrack.
It’s part of the Esperienza Ferrari program for owners and genuine prospects. Obviously things have been a bit quiet at racetracks for the last few months, but Ferrari and the local team has worked out how to make things COVID safe (like the Roma roadshow).
It’s kind of funny, really – you get your own garage with a lounge area, food menu and Ferrari Australia folks weaving around and saying hello. It’s all very civilised, with coffee on tap and plenty of people to talk to.
The Experience
On hand this morning were the F8 Tributo, F8 Spider and the 812 GTS, the convertible version of the colossal 812 Superfast.
But I was super-keen on the coupe, the F8 Tributo.
Sending most people out at Sydney Motorsport Park on their own is madness, but especially so in a Ferrari.
As with other similar programs, the team includes a bunch of instructors and mine for the morning was Tim Brook (2018 Toyota 86 champion). Folks like Tim are the bravest people on earth, sitting in a car with a total stranger while they drive a 530kW supercar.
Pulling out of the pit lane with an instructor can be a little unnerving, but it’s something I have grown used to. Basically, they get you going fast very, very quickly. And boy is that challenging and fun.
Listening is super-important and Tim has a good set of simple hand signals to make sure you’re seeing what you’re hearing.
Eastern Creek’s Turn 2 is a fast-entry, long double apex 180 degree corner and straight away you can feel how much grip the F8 has packed into its compact chassis.
It’s a very talkative chassis and you know what’s going in underneath you, which is critical on a track, even more so than steering feel. You can lean on this so hard.
What I’m not saying is that you’ll find its limits. That’s for colossally talented folks like Tim, not for me. But what you’ll get from the Esperienza is a taste of what your car can do.
F8 Tributo on track
I’ve never driven a Ferrari on track, so this is a first. I’ve done a lot of track work with Jaguar, Audi, Lotus, BMW, Mini and Lamborghini. It never fails to exhilarate and terrify me all at once, no matter what I’m driving.
The F8 is by far the lightest and most user-friendly car I’ve driven on a track. It’s also – by some margin – the fastest. Coming off the other double-apex left-hander, SMP’s final turn, flooring the F8 sees you rushing towards 260km/h.
For a road car not being driven as well as a proper gun to reach 260km/h down the main straight means that it’s deploying 760Nm.
A firm prod of the brakes into the monstrously fast Turn 1 and the F8 holds on at well over 150…then 160…then almost 170km/h attainable by this coward.
The steering is typical Ferrari – light and communicative and it never blunts the messages you’re feeling through the seat.
The SMP layout may very well flatter the F8, with its smooth surface, but I think that’s unlikely. On the road, this thing must be a delight. The 488 was, so with all the Pista goodness added into the F8, it should be wild.
In two quick runs, I got significantly fast, especially as I was now used to Tim’s excellent instruction. It was just a taste, but it gave me a very good idea of just how massively capable is the new F8 and how big a step up it is from the 488.
Ferrari’s new 2+ GT, the Roma, evokes the 1950s with its La Nuova Dolce Vita tag line and a gorgeous new design that looks much better in the flesh.
Well, when I say it has landed, I mean that there is one in the country. A left-hand drive Roma in the stunning signature blue will be touring dealerships. The photos – believe it or not – were taken in Sydney despite looking like the other side of the world.
Obviously, things aren’t normal at the moment, so Ferrari Australia took me through the way customers will be introduced to the car. If you’re passing a dealership in the next few weeks, you might see a large black box with Roma branding on it.
Half of the structure is a lounge setup, where customers will watch a couple of videos presented by Ferrari folks who can’t travel due to the pandemic.
Then you’re led through into another room where the Roma is set against a Rome-themed backdrop. It’s pretty cool and set up for safety, allowing the dealer team to clean the environment and car before another customer rolls through.
Look and feel
I’m happy to admit I wasn’t entirely convinced by the car in the launch photos. I liked some of the elements and the usual internet hue and cry afterwards suggested not everyone was happy.
And, no disrespect to the photographer, you don’t really get a sense of the car’s beauty in these photos either. The body work is incredibly smooth, the kind of smooth Rob Melville at McLaren would be proud of. That really changes the feel of the car and it’s a design that I think will age well.
The bonnet’s shapeliness is more obvious in the overhead shot above, but it’s genuinely lovely in the same way the 812 Superfast‘s is, and you get a similar view down the bonnet from the driver’s seat.
Those controversial lights look much better when they’re not darkly lit as in the photos. I think they work well, but less convincing is the grille, which I found a bit flat-looking.
The car in the photos has a carbon front splitter, skirts and diffuser and the retractable wing can also be had in carbon. As can pretty much everything else.
Interior and tech
You’re probably ready to furiously write me an email/tweet/text about the 2+ typo in the intro, but that’s what Ferrari is calling the Roma because the rear seats are fundamentally useless – they’re bottom shaped bucket behind the front seats. A cut-price GTC Lusso it isn’t.
The Roma introduces some new technology bits, though. The 16-inch digital dash is really cool, although I will miss that big central tachometer with the analogue dial. I know, oh the humanity.
Also new is the 8.0-inch portrait-oriented media system sprouting out of the centre console. Ferrari calls it Human Machine Interface and packs in the kind of stuff you find in McLaren’s terrible IRIS system. It seems (and looks) much better in the Ferrari and yes, you can still spec the hideously-priced Apple CarPlay into it.
A new steering wheel frames the digital dash, with a lovely new touch concept. The start-stop button sits at the top of the lower spoke and responds to you brushing your finger over it to activate the electrics (or “turn on the reds”).
And the centre console sports a new shifter for the eight-speed twin-clutch transmission, shaped to resemble the old gated shifter of a classic Ferrari.
The cabin itself is split in two and is rather cosy. The seats felt super comfortable and, naturally, the driving position felt spot on.
It really, truly, is gorgeous.
How much is a Ferrari Roma and when can I get one?
Australia: $409,888 + ORC New Zealand: $386,888 +ORC
Shots fired, folks. The Roma is about ten grand more than a Portofino and has a whole bunch of new stuff in it. Ferrari says its parts are 70 percent new compared to the drop-top with which it shares a fair bit of stuff. They didn’t say how that 70% was calculated, but it doesn’t look like a Portofino with a fixed roof.
$410,000 buys you a lot of car (relatively-speaking) and takes on the Aston Martin DB11 and AMG’s GT range, from where Ferrari expects to garner 70 percent of the Roma’s sales.
The first cars will arrive here in the first quarter of 2021 while Maranello sorts out the European and US left-hand drive markets.
The Audi RS6 Avant has always been a firm favourite of the fast wagonista. The latest iteration is loaded with stuff and tech, but does it still hold the crown?
https://youtu.be/noj_2a49efY Don’t forget to like and subscribe while you’re there!
The A6 Avant has a cult following as it is, but throw in a high-performance twin-turbo V8 (or V10, as in the past) and you have the searing hot RS6 Avant. For 2020, there is a heap of new tech, plenty of Audi Sport magic and a newer, crankier looking car.
How much is a 2020 Audi RS6 Avant and what do I get?
2020 Audi RS6 Avant: $216,000 + ORC
Well, Audi got straight down to business with a sticker north of $200,000, didn’t it? Thing is, though, it’s cheaper than the previous car by a whopping $32,000, down to $216,000 from over $248,000.
You get 22-inch alloys, Valcona leather interior, heated and ventilated RS sport seats (also electrically adjusted), four-zone climate control, LED lighting, Nappa leather over the doors and console and a few other surfaces, panoramic glass sunroof, soft-close doors, 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit with the new double-screen MMI and control screen, auto HD matrix LED headlights, head-up display, wireless charging, adaptive cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, reversing camera, around-view cameras, auto wipers, power tailgate, heated folding rear vision mirrors and a tyre repair kit.
The Virtual Cockpit screen is the usual 12.3-inch unit with the new RS layout, which is pretty nifty. You also get wireless CarPlay and USB Android Auto, a 16-speaker B&O stereo with 705 watts, DAB and you can option a DVD player for $350. Still. In 2020. Those crazy Germans.
A choice of eight colours is available along with a matte effect option ($10,900!) on selected colours. The freebies are Nardo Grey (co-pilot Mark loves* this colour), Glacier White, Florett Silver, Daytona Grey (pearl effect), Mythos Blac, Navarra Blue and Tango Red. The eighth colour is $1400 and it’s Sebring Black. I don’t know about you, but I don’t this RS6 Avant is going to look good in black.
Options and Packages
As it’s an Audi, there is plenty to choose from.
Sensory Package ($11,000): 1820-watt B&O 3D Advanced Sound with 19 speakers, sunshades for rear windows, black alcantara headlining, leather airbag cover and heated rear seats.
Do you need it? No. Is it nice? Yes.
RS Dynamic Package Plus ($19,500): RS ceramic brakes with red brake calipers, top speed rises to (gulp) 305km/h.
Do you need it? No. But these brakes are immensely strong, don’t feel like carbon brakes in normal traffic and keep the wheels clean.
Carbon and black exterior package ($8,700): Front spoiler, front side flaps, sill inserts and rear diffuser in gloss carbon black. And trim strips and mirrors in black plastic.
Do you need it? No. Looks mean, though.
Matt aluminium styling package NCO): The bits in the carbon pack, but aluminium, along with roof rails and mirror caps.
Do you need it? No. Is it naff? Yes. I don’t like that crap on M cars, why would I like it on an Audi?
RS Design Package $2900: Available in a choice of blue or red, you get lots of stitching all over the cabin, including steering wheel, shifter and console. Comes up nicely on the seatbelts and floor mats too.
Do I need it? No. Cool? Yep, especially the blue.
Single options are available, like heated outboard rear seats ($900), a luggage rail system with extra bits ($750), wood inlays ($750), carbon twill inlays ($1700),
Safety – 5 stars (A6 and S6, ANCAP May 2020)
The RS6 lands with six airbags, ABS, stability and traction controls, lane keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, forward AEB (pedestrians and cyclists 5-85km/h, 250km/h for other vehicles), fatigue detection, pre-sense rear (detects someone about to run into you from behind, tensioning seat belts and closing the windows), collision avoidance assist (helps you steer out of trouble), rear cross-traffic alert, intersection assist (stops you turning across oncoming traffic by shouting at you and punching the brake), exit warning system (stops you dooring cyclists or other cars) and a few other bits and bobs.
So it’s a comprehensive package. Note, however, that the rating does not officially apply to the RS6 but covers the A6 and S6. Do with that confusing information what you will.
Look and feel
If you’ve watched the video, you already know what I think. It’s a gorgeous design, with just the right amount of meanness without the being a dumb thug. The 22-inch alloys look tremendous, more so if you go with the blue calipers and ceramic brakes.
The headlights look terrific with the LED daytime running lights and with the standard black pack, it’s just superb. I’m not normally a red car guy, but this one is the business. The car in the pics has the carbon styling pack, but the black will do just fine.
Inside, it’s predictably lovely, with the A6/A7 dash design and all those black screens that come to life when you start up. The front seats are very nice indeed and you can see the red Audi Sport design pack has been applied.
You get plenty of space in the big boot, lots of occupant space for four (pinch for five with the transmission tunnel), four cupholders and bottle holders and a good sized centre console. The wireless phone charging is great, especially if you’re an Apple person.
Drivetrain
Audi’s 4.0-litre twin turbo V8 is a proper heavy-hitter, spinning up 441kW between 600 and 6250rpm and 800Nm between 2050 and 4500rpm. An eight-speed ZF automatic delivers the power to all four wheels via Audi Sport’s version of quattro.
A 3.6-second zero to 100km/h time is quite sobering as is the 280km/h top speed, especially considering the car’s 2150kg weight. The 0-200km/h time is also quite something, clocking in at 12 seconds dead.
Audi says the aluminium crankcase weighs 39.1kg, the cylinders are plasma-coated and there are two fuel pumps and a fully-variable oil pump.
Both turbos are twin-scroll units, which helps explain how little lag there is.
The new car includes the now-familiar 48-volt mild hybrid system which can recover power at the rate of 12kW when coasting. The stop-start cuts in nice and early at 22km/h.
Fuel Consumption
Audi claims an official figure of 11.7L/100km on the combined cycle, but we all know that will be near impossible to reach. You do get some help from cylinder on demand and the mild hybrid system (Audi says it’s worth 0.8L/100km), but expect mid-teens when you’re on it or city-bound.
Chassis
There’s a lot going on here.
The quattro all-wheel drive system is rear-biased, do not complain to me that it isn’t. Standard is 40:60 front to rear, with up to 85 percent going to the rears. A sport differential on the rear axle also plays around with the rear torque split.
Standard is all-wheel steering along with variable ratio steering. I didn’t even notice the latter, so it’s getting very good.
Air suspension is also standard, which explains the ride in Comfort mode and can also raise or lower the car. You can specify the RS sports suspension with dynamic ride control, which reduces pitch and roll ($2850 and why the hell not?).
If you stick with the steel brakes, you get 10-piston callipers gripping staggeringly large 420mm front discs (that’s a new record for me) and 370mm rears. Spend the $19,500 on the ceramics and you score 440mm front discs (and another record). Either way, your stopping power is immense.
Keeping you on the ground is a set of Pirelli P-Zero 285/30 R22s.
Driving
Cars this big and this fast are almost routine now. The arms race between the Germans has been going on for a while and it’s a pity the current Jaguar XF has bowed out of the race.
Audi has somehow cracked the code on the Avant, though. The BMW M5 last had a wagon version in the E60 series. The E63 does have a wagon version, but we don’t get it. So Audi owns the fast wagon market (with one exception, I’ll talk about it later).
The RS6 is, unsurprisingly, an enormous amount of fun. While I would probably prefer non-air suspension for just me, the air suspension setup on this car means its capabilities are astonishingly broad. Yes, it adds weight, but it means riding around Australia’s pot-holed, rubber speed bumped mess of a road system is genuinely calm.
Punch the RS button on the steering and it crouches down over those big wheels and tyres. Punch it again and the electro-nannies take a step back and, quite honestly, this thing absolutely hoots along.
Initial turn-in feels a bit woolly (and we’re speaking in relative terms here) as the weight shifts around, but once that’s happened and the air suspension has gathered itself (we’re talking tenths of a second), it hunkers down and grips.
That means you’re more than capable of getting on the power very, very early, the quattro system sending you where you point the wheels. As it happens, you’re pointing all four of them, with the fronts turning in the traditional direction and the rears opposite (or the same when you’re not hammering it). The turn-in is flattered by the rear rotating around you but it feels quite natural after a while, almost hot-hatchey in its response.
The brakes are immensely powerful but easy to modulate. That delivers piles of confidence in the car as you power towards a corner knowing you can jump on them and they’ll be there. The chassis responds well and covers up mistakes, too.
But that V8 – what a colossal thing. It’s not quite as vocal as I remember the old car being, but I’ll take the huge torque any day. It’s massively flexible as an every day road car and so unbelievably powerful when you’re on it. There’s almost no turbo lag and when you hit the torque band, you’re gone. Few cars will be able to stay with you.
Competition
Not much. The Alpina B5 Touring is as close as you’re going to get. Being an Alpina, it’s much more of a comfort machine. And being a 5 Series, way less cool to look at. Terrific interior – especially with the right options – and it runs with the Audi on the tech offering if not the presentation.
The B5 Touring starts at $210,000 but you won’t stay with an RS6 in the corners.
Redline Recommendation
I mean, obviously, yes. I’d have one in a heartbeat and I’d suggest that my hard-marking wife would too, just like the old one.
Give it to me in Nardo Grey, not that fussed about the ceramic brakes (but if you insist) and let the black pack stay as-is. It’s an awesome car that will crush every task you throw at it, from a mundane Ikea run to racing down the coast the back way to avoid the dullness of the motorways.
The Audi R8 RWS was by far my favourite of the R8 range and it seems a lot of people agreed. It’s back as the R8 RWD and I couldn’t be happier.
Audi’s R8 has found a very special place in my heart as it’s the supercar I reckon I could actually own. If I ever had properly dumb money, I would think very seriously about dropping $300,000 of it on an R8.
It would be a very specific R8, though. While I am very, very fond of the quattro version – and in its second generation, it used to be the supercar I could own – the R8 RWS really woke me up.
Following a mid-life facelift and recent release to the Australian market, I had the huge privilege of taking the R8 RWD as it is now known for a quick drive in the country. Around some good bends.
How much is a 2020 Audi R8 RWD and what do I get?
2020 Audi R8 Coupe RWD: $295,000 + ORC 2020 Audi R8 Spyder RWD: $316,500 +ORC 2020 Audi R8 Coupe performance quattro: $395,000 +ORC
When you really think about it, the Audi R8 RWD is astonishingly well-priced. The closes thing you can get to this car is a McLaren 540C which is substantially more expensive at $350,000+ and doesn’t even have Apple CarPlay. So while $295,000 is a flipping great wodge of cash, it’s a proper mid-engined supercar for under $300,000.
Spec-wise, it’s a step up from the RWS which was a bit stripped-out as a 1 of 300 special edition. You get Nappa leather with diamond pattern stitching, 20-inch cast aluminium wheels, cruise control, LED interior lighting, front and rear parking sensors, laser LED headlights (these are spectacular), auto headlights and wipers, heated seats, keyless entry and start, 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit, air-conditioning, wireless phone charging,
Audi’s MMI comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (both via USB) and DAB+ radio. Obviously it comes up in the dash as there isn’t a separate central screen. Somehow the cabin is packed with 13 B&O-branded speakers and 550W amp. I don’t remember a supercar with that good a system as standard. Which I’ve always found a trifle odd given the money folks spend on these beasts and generally are speaker bores (in my experience).
Carbon ceramic brakes are optional at a whopping $21,400 with a choice of red or blue calipers and are the same as those on the quattro performance.
Look and feel
The R8’s facelift is quite tame but has added a bit more grr to the car’s appearance. One of the most appealing things about the R8 is that it isn’t overtly supercar-ey, which is one of the reasons I feel I could own one. Take it anywhere, park it anywhere, you don’t need a lift kit stop it scraping the front splitter. From the rear it’s close to anonymous, but I’m alright with that.
The new front end us slightly wider looking, with new grille and brake ducts along with a couple of aero parts. I’m almost not on board with the 20s because I liked the smaller wheels/higher tyre aspect of the RWS, but that’s just me hankering for the McLaren F1 look.
The cabin is largely unchanged, which is no bad thing. The RWD now has a full leather interior rather than the more plastic iteration of the older car in this spec. As I said, that didn’t really bother me, but this feels a bit richer and more appropriate to the price point.
The Virtual Cockpit has had an update too, but it’s lovely, clean minimalist interior that once again adds weight as to why this is the kind of car I could own. And it’s got a Big Red Button for the starter.
Chassis
As we all know, the R8 road car is a good chunk of the race car underneath, but obviously things depart when it comes to, you know, ride and handling.
Here in the RWD we have a traditional spring and damper setup, no doubt with a few tweaks for the update. Audi saved the magnetic ride for the quattro performance spec, which also has things like a CFRP reinforced front anti-roll bar. It also has fixed ratio steering (which I prefer, but it’s a less contentious issue these days), with the only chassis option being the carbon ceramic brakes.
The standard brakes are those lovely crinkle cut steel brakes with eight-piston calipers up front and four at the rear.
The 20-inch wheels are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 4S rubber with 245/30s up front and 305/30s at the rear. I often wonder what rubber like that costs, and it turns out the fronts are an almost-reasonable $450 per corner and around $600 each for the rear.
The aero is a bit cleaner with the new front bumper and the rear retractable wing is also still with us.
Audi claims a kerb weight of 1595kg for both the RWD and quattro performance coupes, but I wonder if that is, shall we say, overstated for the RWD. The quattro performance adds a front diff and the associated shafts and bits to get the power to the front wheels, but it has more stuff and only has a couple of obvious weight-saving measure, like the anti-roll bar.
Drivetrain
My favourite engine currently in production is rammed nice and close to your spine. The 5.2-litre V10 FSI develops 397kW at 7800rpm and 540Nm at 6500rpm. The seven-speed twin-clutch (also almost definitely tweaked) drives the rear wheels only.
All that power delivers a 0-100km/h time of 3.7 seconds and that’s probably a couple of tenths off the same car with all-wheel drive and half a second down on the 449kW/560Nm quattro performance.
Top speed is an impressive 324km/h.
The engine is beautifully presented and unlike its nearest non-VW Group competitor, you can actually see the damn thing. In the coupe at least – you can’t see it in the Spyder.
Driving
Oh, my. I am not afraid to admit that driving this car is quite emotional for me. I’m a long-term V10 fan – F1 “in my day” was V10s, I owned an E60 BMW M5 V10 and I just love this configuration.
The best car I’ve ever driven, the Lamborghini Huracan Performante, is a turned-up version of this engine. But I couldn’t own that car, and most of us can’t because it’s more than twice the price of the R8 RWD and looks ridiculous.
The R8 RWD version isn’t in a different league to the quattro, it isn’t a different car. What I really like about it is that it feels like much more of a fast road car than one you yearn to take on the track.
A rear-wheel drive mid-engine supercar – like its English and Italian rivals – is a thing of beauty. The R8 is light on it’s feet and the lighter front end is even more keen to go where you point it.
Obviously, if you were keen enough to switch off the stability systems, you’d be able to steer more with the rears than you can with the quattro. That’s not my bag on a road drive like this, but as I discovered at the Bend a while back, you can drift them both in the right conditions.
The R8 RWD just has that little bit more movement and playfulness – and without the magnetic ride and active steering – purity compare to the quattro performance model.
And that’s good because the R8 is playing to two similar-but-different crowds.
Rear-wheel drive
What’s great about the R8 RWD is the way it attacks corners. The steering is just lovely, with lots of feel but not too weighty and with what I consider to be the perfect ratio.
The throttle response of the V10, allied with the ever so slightly more responsive front end means you can power into out of corners with a glorious V10 wail and a bit of a waggle, even in dynamic mode.
On the road, the steel brakes are just fine, with plenty of feel and immense stopping power from the pedal. So better than just fine, they’re epic and also do without the noise of the carbon ceramics. Which aren’t hugely noisy, but they’re noisier.
The thing about the R8 is how it makes you feel – you can get in and drive it down the road with the V10 rumbling away and you’ll smile. You can get out of it after a long, hard, windows-down run where the V10 made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Neither trip will leave any aches or pains and you’ll smile. You’ll see it in your garage and smile.
The RWD will make you smile, too, because it’s more fun, a bit more agile and puts your right foot in more control. That’s what I like about it and it doesn’t make it any better or worse than the quattro, but it plays to that slightly different crowd.
Competition
If you look purely at price, the only thing that gets anywhere near this car is the Jaguar F-Type SVR, which you can’t buy anymore.
As I’ve already mentioned, you can get a McLaren 540C for about fifty grand more and it has the same vibe – detuned engine, steel brakes, it’s the best fast road car in the McLaren range because it doesn’t have track pretensions.
The Ferrari Portofino is the starter car at Ferrari, and is more sports car than supercar. The F8 Tributo, replacing the 488 is a substantially more expensive car at nearly half a million dollars and has a lot more power and torque but far less utility. And not as many delicious revs.
The Mercedes GT range starts at around $320,000 with a lovely 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 that has the R8 on power and torque but not on weight or mid-engineness.
BMW hasn’t got anything up here in the stratosphere since the death of the wonderful i8.
Redline Recommendation
Naturally-aspirated V10 – check.
Rear-wheel drive – check.
Attention-grabbing – negative.
These are all great things. I think saving $80,000 (or $60,000 if you want the big brakes) and getting that slightly purer, more traditional supercar experience is a win-win situation to start with.
But to own something this amazing with a proper dealer network behind it, a proper warranty (even if it’s too short) and a reputation for genuine reliability inside and out, it’s as bulletproof as a supercar ownership experience can be.
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