Tag: #zerogeewhiz

  • 2020 Ford Focus ST Automatic Review

    We’ve driven the manual and loved it – what does an seven-speed automatic do to Ford’s fabled Focus ST?

    Watch the Focus ST manual review and read more here.

    One of my favourite YouTube comments on the Focus ST review was where I spent thirty seconds talking about the automatic. The commenter took great exception to this and decided he could watch no longer. I thought that was a bit odd, because it was an important point – it makes the ST desirable to more people.

    I hope he reads this review. He probably won’t, but a big hello to you if you’re out there. Lovely to have you on board.

    Anyway, you’ve read or seen the reviews of the manual. I was…sceptical of a torque converter auto doing good things for the Focus ST. I’ll tell you now, it’s going to sell and it’s going to sell well in the context of Focus ST sales.

    Like the auto Golf GTI, people are looking for that top of the range hatchback with some grunt and they have the money to spend. You can do a lot worse than a Focus and you can do a hell of a lot worse than this tame-when-you-want-it Focus ST. Adding the automatic broadens its appeal significantly in a market averse to changing its own gears and is probably key to the Focus ST’s survival as a product over the coming years.

    How much is a 2020 Ford Focus ST automatic and what do I get?

    2020 Ford Focus ST auto: $44,690 + ORC
    2020 Ford Focus ST manual: $44,690 + ORC

    These prices are a big increase on the LZ ST’s $38,990 but the seven-speed automatic is a no-cost option. Which is nice.

    You get 19-inch alloys, dual-zone climate control, keyless entry and start, electronic damping, front and rear parking sensors, cruise control, keyless entry and start, front and rear parking sensors, auto LED headlights, sat nav, auto high beam, heated front seats from Recaro, launch control, leather wheel and seats, powered and heated door mirrors, wireless Qi charging pad, heated steering wheel and a space-saver spare.

    The SYNC3 system comes with ten B&O speakers, which is pretty nifty. The 8.0-inch touchscreen sits high in the dashboard and is easy to reach. The sat nav is a bit of a pain to use and the standard keyboard is ABC rather than QWERTY which is super-irritating. Thankfully, you get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which makes all that drama go away.

    You can add a sunroof for a colossal $2500 which doesn’t seem like great value to me. Only Frozen White and Race Red are free colours, the rest (Agate Black, Ford Performance Blue, Orange Fury and Ruby Red) are $650. That’s kind of annoying, but the price is pretty sharp to begin with and Ford dealers aren’t averse to arm-twisting (except for the Fiesta ST)

    Safety – 5 stars (ANCAP)

    The Focus ST comes loaded with safety gear. Six airbags, ABS, stability and traction controls, forward collision warning (low speed), forward AEB with pedestrian avoidance, reverse AEB, reverse collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, speed sign recognition and reverse cross-traffic alert.

    The auto picks up active lane keep assist as well, further strengthening its value-for-money proposition against the manual.

    There are three top-tether and two ISOFIX points for baby and child seats.

    The Focus scored five ANCAP stars in September 2019.

    Warranty and Servicing

    Ford has an excellent after-sales package, with a five-year unlimited-kilometre warranty and seven years of roadside assist as long as you keep your car serviced with Ford.

    Which is worth doing, because the fixed-price servicing of $299 per service for the first four years/60,000km is reasonable for a car with this kind of performance. Service intervals are set at 12 months/15,000km.

    Ford will loan you a car for the day of your service (remember to book) and offer assurances on tyre and brake costs.

    It’s a good deal and the only thing I’ll complain about is that the warranty length doesn’t match Kia’s. Kia doesn’t have a Focus ST rival, though, so that’s kind of moot.

    Drivetrain

    The EcoBoost 2.3-litre four-cylinder turbo. delivers a stonking 206kW and 420Nm. That’s an increase of 22kW and 60Nm over the LZ, which was no slouch. It’s reaching for LZ RS numbers, too and I bet the tuners have got those without too much trouble.

    Its flexibility comes from the clever anti-lag system which keeps the engine fuelled on lift-off to keep the gases flowing. Ford says the anti-lag is off the amazing Ford GT.

    The turbo is a twin-scroll unit and has an intercooler to keep things from getting too hot.

    The seven-speed automatic is the same basic unit as the one in the ST-Line but with a gear missing. Ford said in the launch press conference that the second gear from the other cars was a waste (the first two gears are very close), so dropped it out to make the seven-speeder.

    Chassis

    The underguts are identical to the manual, with the obvious differences to accommodate the gearbox.

    I’ve written at great length about the Focus ST already, so here’s a recap. Electronic front diff with a pair of clutches, 20 percent stiffer dampers up front, 13 percent at the rear (which is Ford’s SLA setup).

    The torque steer is tempered by the electric power steering which “filters” out the worst of it, which is quite clever.

    Brakes are 330mm up front and 302mm at the rear. And, again, I said they’re Brembos in the video, they’re not. Oops.

    Driving

    Look, it shouldn’t be a surprise that just because there’s an auto the Focus ST is still a blast to drive.

    That engine is so strong, smooth and torquey. The automatic does a good job managing things but you can play boy-racer with the paddles if you fancy it. The auto’s shifts are smooth and fast in all modes, with a bit of an edge in the upper modes.

    For some folks, the opportunity to get places a little quicker will sway them on the automatic. It’s quick off the line, shifts faster and even uses a little less fuel. As I get older and drive more cars, I still love a manual but I wonder where the crossover point is to push me towards an auto.

    The Focus ST is fast, really fast. Like its Fiesta ST cousin (where it’s highly unlikely an auto fit for the job would squeeze in), I reckon it’s on that limit. Modern hot hatches would probably show a Ferrari 355 a clean pair of heels on a tight country road. That’s how fast these cars have become in a specific set of circumstances. And that means that a lot is happening.

    Why am I telling you that? Because the auto Focus ST is a good entry point for a performance car, in the same way an auto Golf GTI is. You get all the fun of the fair, I mean, chassis, but with every day usability and if your significant other won’t/can’t drive a manual, they can’t stop you having your plaything.

    Redline Recommendation

    If you need an automatic, things are opening up for you. The DSG Golf GTI changed the hot hatch game and the Megane and now Focus have piled in behind it. The DCT i30 N is coming, too.

    I really like the way the Focus ST goes about its business and the auto means you can get on with having fun while also making it more liveable in the driving most of us have to contend with day-in, day-out.

  • 2021 Hyundai i30 N on the way

    Hyundai’s giant-slaying hot hatch has had a facelift and had some surgery, adding a new optional eight-speed gearbox and more grunt.

    We’re very, very fond of the i30 N here at The Redline. So fond that we think that it bests the Volkswagen Golf GTI as a driver’s car, which is a massive achievement. The Golf is excellent. The i30 N is excellenter.

    But, as ever, things change. The Mk 8 Golf GTI is well on its way and even before that lands the GTI TCR is here to return fire against Hyundai’s runaway hit. Hyundai knows from experience you can’t just stand around and cop it sweet.

    The i30 N will continue on in hatch and Fastback, with the latter’s facelift even more subtle.

    Look and feel

    Looking at it in profile, not a great deal has changed on the i30. It’s the same conservative shape as it ever was and you’ll be hard-pressed to tell it’s the new one. The front end is where all the action is, with new, more aggressive headlights and a big N-badged grille.

    Along with the new, sharper headlights come new V-shaped LED driving lights.

    Look, it’s not a big facelift, so let’s not get too bogged down in it. The rear end also gets a mild scrub, but the Fastback (not pictured) remains identical.

    A mildy revamped interior includes the option to choose lightweight (ahem) N Light seats. These new seats are 2.2kg lighter than the already rather good N seats and are trimmed in Alcantara and look a bit racy. No word yet on the price, but they won’t be cheap.

    There is also a new, larger central screen screwed into the dash, with a bunch of new telemetry screens for that extra-special person who wants to know how many gs they pulled at turn three. I mean, I get it, but it’s not for me.

    Apart from that, it looks pretty much the same, which is no bad thing although one hopes an unspoken change is an improvement in some of the plastics to at least try and close the gap to VW on the interior quality front.

    Drivetrain

    The changes are big and small here.

    The small changes are in the engine itself. In Australia we only get the Performance version of the i30 N, which means we get the full 206kW, an improvement of 4kW.

    More impressively, torque rises by over ten percent to 392Nm, a boost of 39Nm. That should further trouble the Pirelli’s ability to resist axle tramp under hard throttle.

    The six-speed manual stays but, much to the happiness of many (including dealers, no doubt), the much-anticipated eight-speed twin clutch transmission is now available.

    i30 N 8-speed transmission

    This isn’t related to the existing seven-speeder available in the i30 N Line and other turbo-powered Hyundais on the i30 platform (see also Kona). It’s an all-new gearbox, using a wet-clutch system rather than the dry of the seven-speeder.

    The eight-speed equipped car obviously has paddle-shifters and three transmission modes – N Grin Shift, N Power Shift and N Track Sense Shift.

    The first, whose name I won’t repeat because I ground my teeth enough the first time I typed it, is a sort of party mode where the engine and transmission go bonkers for 20 seconds. There’s even a countdown on the dash to tell you how you’re going and no doubt there’s a cool-down between button presses.

    The second puts the transmission into maximum attack when you use more than 90 percent of the throttle, giving you a “push effect” on the upshift.

    The third seems a bit vague to me, with the press release saying it “automatically recognises when the road conditions are optimal for dynamic driving, for example on a racetrack, and activates automatically. By selecting the right gear and shift timing, it provides optimal performance, just like a professional race car driver.”

    Engine modes

    The engine modes stay and again have the silly name – N Grin Control System. Five are on offer – Eco, Normal, Sport, N and N Custom and work on throttle, engine and suspension setup.

    The modes also alter the behaviour of the electronic limited-slip diff and the stability and traction systems.

    Chassis

    Not a great deal to report here. One imagines the detailed work of chassis tuning has continued both here and overseas.

    You can specify forged 19-inch alloys which are 14.4kg lighter than the standard wheels. If you choose those, you also get specific, red-painted brake calipers.

    The electronic dampers stay, of course, and as already mentioned, change stiffness based on the mode selected.

    The front brakes are also larger for 2021, with an increase of 15mm to 360mm. That’s always welcome in such a fast car.

    Safety upgrades

    Hyundai has thrown a few more bits and pieces into the safety box, but it’s a bit complicated.

    No matter which combination you pick, the forward AEB system now has pedestrian detection and you also get lane following assist (LFA).

    Only the hatch gets blind-spot collision warning and rear-cross traffic alert.

    If you get a DCT hatch, you get blind spot collision avoidance assist and rear cross traffic collision avoidance (which is basically rear AEB).

    No idea why Fastback buyers are ripped off here or why manual drivers miss out on a couple of bits, but I’m pretty sure I know what the excuse will be.

    How much and when?

    We can expect the 2021 Hyundai i30 N in Australia in the first half of 2021, which isn’t too far away. Hyundai hasn’t said what the price will be, but you can bet it will a) go up b) but probably not by much.

    The eight-speed will be a game-changer for the i30 N, attracting a crap-ton more buyers who would otherwise go Golf GTI DSG or Focus ST auto. Or even Megane.

  • 2020 BMW M8 Competition: Dead-set beast

    BMW’s flagship sports coupe is an absolute rip-snorter, with a proper sports car lurking underneath the long-legged GT body.

    The 8 Series is supposed to be the replacement for the 6-Series, but it’s more than that. I reckon it’s more of a reset because both generations of the 6 were a bit hard on the eye and felt compromised. I liked them, but the M6 was definitely more fast GT/coupe version of the 5 Series than anything else, particularly in its second iteration.

    Now – as we already know from the M850i – the 8 Series is a different proposition to the old 6er, and it’s better. Better-looking, better to drive, much nicer interior and a just a much better proposition.

    How much is a 2020 BMW M8 Competition and what do I get?

    $352,900 + ORC

    Big figure, long list of stuff. Like, really long.

    You get 20-inch wheels, 16-speaker Bowers and Wilkins-branded stereo, auto headlights and wipers, interior ambient lighting soft-close doors, heated folding rear vision mirrors, power boot lid, keyless entry and start, power front seats with heating and cooling, heated steering wheel, M Display key, drive recorder and dual-zone climate control.

    Laser headlights

    The headlights come in for special mention – they’re BMW Laser Lights which you can see in the little blue element in the headlight unit. They’re utterly incredible, throwing a beam almost 600 metres down the road.

    The 10.25-inch touchscreen hosts BMW’s operating system 7.0 which is exceptionally good. It’s full of stuff like live traffic, news and weather, intelligent personal assistant, the hilarious Caring Car (three year subscription for some of that) and wireless Apple CarPlay matched with a wireless charging. Android Auto should be with us on BMWs later in the year.

    Also thrown in for Australia is the M Driver’s Package, with a largely pointless top speed increase to 305km/h but rather more usefully, BMW Driving Experience Advance 1 and 2 courses, which are tremendous fun. And you know what I always say about training – do it.

    The car I drove also had the optional M carbon ceramic brakes ($16,500) and the M Carbon Exterior Package ($10,300) which adds carbon bits on the air curtain intake, carbon mirror caps, rear spoiler and a rear diffuser insert.

    Total cost was $379,700 before on roads.

    Safety

    The M8 Competition starts with seven airbags, stability and traction controls systems, ABS and brake assist (BA), piling on forward AEB, lane-keep assist,  blind-spot monitoring, front and rear cross-traffic alert (useful with the long nose), speed-limit recognition, high-beam assist, driver attention detection,  night vision, around-view cameras, front and rear parking sensors, among others.

    Warranty and Servicing

    M cars, like their lesser brethren, come with BMW’s ever-skinny three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. Given Mercedes and AMG have stepped up with a five-year offering, it’s probably time BMW (and Audi) joined them.

    You can buy five years of servicing for $5051 which covers 80,00km of travel. You need to return to the dealer ever year or 15,000km, which is okay.

    Look and Feel

    Looks amazing in frozen blue with the no-cost option wheel choice, yeah? The carbon stuff is a bit yeah, whatever for me, but that’s whatever.

    I love the car’s shape, though. It’s so much more elegant than the old car’s. The detailing is typical current BMW, with a big and in this case misshapen grille. As the grille is blacked out – along with some other bits – it doesn’t matter.

    The best is the rear view – those taillights are just right and I love the shape of the boot lid and the subtle carbon wing. And who doesn’t love a quad exhaust, especially when BMW has rediscovered the way to make a racket…

    Inside is mostly familiar from other contemporary BMWs – including the 840 Gran Coupe we drove recently – and unlike its rivals has usable (well) rear seats. At least they’re actually seats rather than glorified shelves.

    The seats look fantastic, especially with the patterned leather and Alcantara headlining. Superb.

    I’d love a proper set of paddles on the steering wheel, but when I say proper, I mean ones like the Lamborghini Huracan, so…

    Chassis

    The M8 is yet another Cluster Architecture (CLAR) BMW with the Carbon Core technology found in upper-end BMWs since the the current 7 Series made its debut.

    Given the commonality with the crushingly good M5, you’ll see a lot of stuff the same.

    The Active M differential connects the rear wheels as part of the M version of xDrive. The system includes several modes – AWD, AWD Sport and, ahem, rear-wheel drive.

    The CLAR chassis features a carbon transmission tunnel to try and shave some weight, but she’s still a hefty beast.

    Switching between the various modes also switches between the suspension’s comfort, sport and sport plus, courtesy of M Adaptive suspension. It’s not the air suspension you might find on a couple of rivals, but the M8 doesn’t need the weight. Nor, as it turns out, does it need the air suspension.

    If you’re interested, the front suspension is by double wishbones and the rear a complicated five-link design, reinforced to hold itself together under the huge loads. The front axle has 1.2-degrees of negative camber, which is a lot for a road car. BMW says that’s inspired by the M8 GTE racer. Kinda pub talk cool, but if you bang on about this on internet forums, not so cool.

    BMW’s new integrated braking system flings the vacuum booster of old and replaces it with an electric actuator. That means faster responses to pedal pressure and engineers have been able to match braking response to the chosen mode.

    Drivetrain

    The brilliant BMW 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 – beautifully installed with a standard carbon cover – delivers an astonishing 460kW and 750Nm through the ubiquitous eight-speed ZF automatic.

    M xDrive sends the power to all four wheels or, when you decide, only to the rear wheels. The systems is rear-biased and brings the fronts more into  play when required, which given the power and torque available is reasonably often.

    Maximum torque – probably more than the quoted 750Nm, if you’re wondering – arrives at 1800rpm and hangs around until 5800rpm. Just 200rpm later all 460kW (or more, again) arrives.

    Driving

    On the way home from the Secret Magic Car Dungeon where I pick up cars, there is a tunnel. I pressed the M1 button on the steering wheel to ensure the exhausts were wide open and gunned it.

    This thing can roar and on the upshift you get a Ferrari Portofino-style crack! from the exhaust. This is something I’ve missed in turbo BMWs, that lack of ridiculous, exuberant character the old naturally-aspirated engines had.

    Looking at it, the M8 is a blinged up GT. Its weight suggests it too. As it turns out, M is not interested in suggestion or assumption. This is a properly bonkers sports car.

    In AWD Sport you could easily be enjoying the delights of a 911 Carrera 4. No, it won’t feel as light or deliver the same steering feel but you will be having just as much fun. The swinging sledgehammer that is the throttle spins up sound and fury from the awesome V8.

    Down the wet and twisty roads that I got during my time the M8, it was supreme. The brakes are colossally powerful, too, reining in the speed that doesn’t so much build as instantly appear when you flex your right foot.

    If you want to get really brave, go into RWD. That transforms the M8 into an absolute ratbag. I had that programmed into M2 mode and hoo-boy. Damp roads mean wheelspin into third gear (where I chickened out) and, oh, the same in the dry (ditto).

    Being able to hit that button is what makes this car a sports car, not just a handy GT. Being able to play on the throttle and the steering is something you want in a car like this and the fact it’s so much fun when you’re there is the Jekyll and Hyde game you want from a $340,000 car that says it can do anything.

    Like the M5, the tail will swing on your command but the M8 is far more playful than the big boi sedan. You sit lower, too, so it’s got a real supercar vibe.

    Competition

    I don’t think it’s overplaying it to say that the M8 is more akin to the AMG GT or the Aston Martin V8 Vantage.

    The former is a tricky machine to describe, but it’s very focussed in its construction in the same way an Audi R8 is. The best match is the AMG GT-R with its higher power output. It doesn’t have the cabin of the M8 or the possibility of a comfortable ride, but the two are well-matched when you turn everything up in the M8.

    The Aston I haven’t driven, but it’s a tight, beautiful and potent package.

    I have driven the 911 Carrera 4, though. You can’t tell the front wheels to take a break and it is hugely competent on road and track, but never as playful as the bigger M8. I don’t think Porsche fans will be swayed by the BMW but they’re definitely in the same league. I know, I was surprised too.

    Redline Recommendation

    The M8 Competition is so different from the M850i it’s hard to believe they’re the same car. That’s not a sledge on the M850i – it’s a cracker of a car – but the M8 really takes it into proper M territory.

    It has two closely linked personalities – fast-and-fun and fast-and-wild. With carbon ceramic brakes it will do battle on road and track on the same day and without ruining your life. It might require a tyre stop, but you already knew that.

    That the M8 can be mentioned in the same breath as the 911 is impressive enough. That it stays with it, built on a platform it shares with far less exciting machines is testament to the spectacular depth of engineering at M.

    The next M8 will very likely be an EV. It will be blindingly fast and probably more practical. But it won’t be like this.

  • 2020 Land Rover Discovery 110 – Offroad Review

    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.

    See the on-road review for specs and info.

    Driving

    Defender 110 P400

    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.

    This cool? Definitely not.

  • 2020 Land Rover Defender 110 Review

    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…

  • 2020 AMG A45S Review: It’s fun

    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.

    I’d even own one…

  • Hyundai Hypermiles Kona Electric for 1000km

    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.

  • BMW M3 Wagon is Go. For Australia.

    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.”

    In the nicest possible way, of course…

  • 2020 Kia Stinger GT Carbon Edition Review

    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.

    How much is a Kia Stinger GT and what do I get?

    2020 Stinger GT: $60,990 + ORC (July 2020)
    Stinger GT Carbon Edition: $64,990 (May 2019)

    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.

  • Track Test: 2020 Ferrari F8 Tributo

    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.