What a Car - UK - (2020-04)

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

[email protected]