whatcar.com^ April 2020 17
Mercedes-BenzCLArivalgoes
bigonstyleattheexpense
ofsomepracticality Onsale
MarchPricefrom£25,
YOUCANTHINKoftheBMW 2 SeriesGran
Coupéasthe 1 Serieshatchback’sattractive
cousin.Thetwocarsareextremelyclosely
relatedanddifferonlyreallyinlooksandthe
spaceonofferintherearandintheboot.
Undertheskin,theonlynotablechangeisa
slightlysoftersuspensiontuning,tocaterfor
theNorthAmericanandAsianmarketswhere
the 1 Seriesisn’toffered.Thedifferenceinride
quality,though,isslight,whichmeansthe
2 SeriesGranCoupéoffersa
firmbutverywell-controlled
ridethatalwaysstaysonthe
rightsideofcomfortable.It
helpstomakethecarvery
stableonthemotorway,too.
Ithandleswiththesame
precisionasthe 1 Series,with
excellentbodycontroland
alert,directsteering.Ithas
alsoinheritedameasured,
precisefeel,whichmakes
the 2 SeriesGranCoupéa
Comfortableandgoodto
drive,buttherakishroofmeans
thatrearheadroomis poor
S AY S
moreentertainingcaronatwistyroadthanthe
Mercedes-BenzCLA,thiscar’sclosestrival.
Achoiceofthreeengineswillbeavailableat
launch,startingwitha138bhp218ipetroland
toppingoutwiththe302bhpfour-wheel-drive
M235i.Betweenthemisthe220ddiesel,which
isstrong,quietonthemotorwayandfrugal.
Mostbuyerswilloptforthe218i,though.
Theinteriorupfrontisidenticaltothatof
the 1 Series,withhigh-qualitymaterials,a
durablefeelandanexcellent
infotainmentsystemmade
upofatouchscreenand
rotarydialcontroller.It’s
alsoworthpointingoutthat
AppleCarPlaynowcomes
withalifetimesubscription
andAndroidAutowillarrive
inJunewithanimpressive-
soundingintegrationthat
usestheinfotainment
screen,driverdisplayand
head-upunit.
Thedownsideofthesleekexterioristhat
therearseatsaren’tcomfortableforadults.Leg
roomisasgenerousasitisinthe 1 Series,but
adultssittingupstraightwillhavetowedge
theirheadagainsttheroof.Thebootactually
hasaslightlylargercapacitythanthatofthe
1 Series,butanarroweropeninglimitsits
properload-haulingability.
GenerouslyequippedSportandMSport
trimsareoffered,withpricesthatundercut
theCLA’sacrosstheline-up.Overall,then,this
doesn’tfeellikeacynicalmovetocashinon
somedifferentglobalcarmarkets;it’sagood
carinitsownright.
Price £33,
Engine 4cyl,1995cc,diesel
Power 188bhp@4000rpm
Torque 295lbft @1750-2500rpm
Gearbox 8-spdautomatic
0-62mph 7.5sec
Topspeed 146mph
Economy 57.6mpg(combined)
CO 2 , taxband129g/km(WLTP),33%
BMW2 SeriesGranCoupé
220dM Sport
BUYER’SFILE
Yes,it’sexpensive, but the
return of six cylinders is
worth every penny
S AY S
Porsche 718 Boxster GTS
ITTAKESGUTStoadmityouwerewrong.
WhichPorschehasn’tdone,exactly,but
inproducingasix-cylinderBoxsterGTS,it
certainlyappearstohavemadeaspectacular
U-turn.Aftertellingusemissions-busting
smaller-capacityfour-cylinderturbocharged
engineswerethewayforward,theconsensus
isthat,intherealworld,theyaren’tanymore
efficientandruintheBoxsterexperience–
soundinglikeawashingmachinespin-drying
ballbearings.Happily,then,we’rebackto4.
litres,sixcylindersandnaturalaspiration,
courtesyofthelatestBoxsterSpyder’sengine.
IthasbeendetunedfortheGTSbutstill
produces49bhpmorethanthe2.5-litre
turbochargedfour-cylinderBoxsterS.TheGTS
alsohasbiggerbrakes,sports
suspension(20mmlower)
andsportierstyling.So,does
thatmakeitwortharound
£10,000morethantheS?
Well,theheartofasports
carisitsengine,andthisone
isadorableandbetterthan
theS’sineveryrespect.It’s
Price £67,
Engine 6cyl,3995cc,petrol
Power 394bhp@ 7000rpm
Torque 310lbft @ 5000-6500rpm
Gearbox 6-spdmanual
0-62mph 4.5sec
Topspeed 182mph
Fueleconomy 25.9mpg(combined)
CO 2 , taxband 247g/km(WLTP),37%
Porsche 718 BoxsterGTS
BUYER’S FILE
smoother, better balanced and, despite lacking
a turbo, every bit as driveable.
There’s plenty of low-end shove for rolling
easily in sixth, but when the traffic parts,
there’s that classic crescendo to savour, as the
power builds and builds and builds until just
below 8000rpm – when it’s time to snick the
next gear with the stubby, slick gearlever. Most
of all, though, there’s the noise. The GTS oozes
satisfyingly complex notes, which morph in
tone and timbre with every rise or fall in revs.
It’s addictive fun.
There’s little difference in
handling between the S and
the GTS, and the only car that
gets close to matching their
excellent steering, balance
and agility is the Alpine
A110 S – although that’s not
quite a match for comfort or
interior quality. But neither
the S nor A110 has this
engine, which is like watching
Jaws in 2D, rather than 3D:
the same storyline, but much less immersive.
So, if you have less than £60k, the best sports
car remains an A110; but if your budget can
stretch, celebrate U-turns with a Boxster GTS.
Uprated version of Porsche’s sports car benets from having a
new394bhpsix-cylinderengine On sale Now Price from £ 67, 819
BMW 2 Series
Gran Coupé
FIRST DRIVE
John Howell
[email protected]
Doug Revolta