Car UK May 2019

MAY 2019 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 145

VERDICT Pointless pimp wagon. Buy a Porsche
Cayenne or an X5
Z4 ★★★★★
The uglier of the BMW/Toyota siblings shines
more for its refinement and comfort than its
ability to set your hair on fire. Accomplished and
robust – the Smeg fridge of the sports car world
VERDICT Sweet, but more could have been done
to make it thrilling

i8 ★★★★★

Carbonfibre-constructed three-cylinder hybrid
supercar that’s fun for four, as fast as an M3 and
does 40 real mpg. Minor demerit: looks like it’s
crimping off a 911 > VERDICT Fascinating
and fabulous futuristic sports car that’s big on the
wow factor

BUGATTI

CHIRON ★★★★★

‘The Veyron was okay but why couldn’t it have
30 per cent bigger turbos and 300bhp more
power?’ Bugatti answers the question absolutely
nobody asked – and answers it loud > VERDICT
A £2.5m riot

CATERHAM

SEVEN ★★★★★

For bobble-hatted Terry-Thomas wannabes and
the track-curious, the Seven comes in flavours from
160 triple to mental road racers > VERDICT 80bhp
160 is underpowered, 310bhp 620R verges on
lethal, 180bhp 360 model is just right

CHEVROLET

CORVETTE ★★★★★

Farm machinery meets Spacelab in 460bhp V8
symphony of composite materials, leaf springs and
pushrods. Shame it’s left-hook only > VERDICT
£60k for a butch bargain berserker. £20k more
gets you the even berserker 650bhp Z06, and if
you’re feeling brave import yourself the ZR1. Mid-
engined version is on its way, which will if nothing
else be interesting

CITROEN

C1 ★★★★★

Trying hard to escape the clutches of its sister
cars from Toyota and Peugeot, the C1 can have
a funky Airscape cloth roof and half-hearted
personalisation options. 1.0-litre has most pep
VERDICT Good, solid proletarian urban fare
rather than hipster cool
C3 ★★★★★
Citroën produces a great small car by looking up
its own Wikipedia entry and remembering what it’s
good at; spacy, compliant and different
VERDICT Are Citroëns cool again? They’re
certainly getting there
C3 AIRCROSS ★★★★★
Funky mattress on wheels takes C3’s style and
puts it on stilts. Thankfully retains C3 Picasso’s
super-spacious interior and flexi seats > VERDICT
The Vauxhall Crossland X’s much more characterful
Gallic sibling
C4 CACTUS ★★★★★
Comfy, roomy, slightly sloppy family car, now
Airbump-free. Citroën claims it’s a hatch; it’s in fact
just as much a crossover as the previous one
VERDICT A proper Citroën, with all the pros
and cons that involves

C4 SPACETOURER ★★★★★

> Defiantly anti-cool family shifter, with five or (in

Grand form) seven seats, previously known as

the Picasso. Touches like lower rear windows and

sprogwatch mirror make parents go weak at the

knees for its peace-and-bloody-quiet ambience

> VERDICT Drives like a shed, but at least it makes

Satan’s brood shut up

BERLINGO MULTISPACE ★★★★★

> A wipe-clean tin lifeboat for cagoule-wearing

Thermos-sipping birdwatchers. Recently updated,

but still rattles and drives like a van. Is a van

> VERDICT Dogging cheap seats for aspiring

Bill Oddies

CUPRA

ATECA ★★★★★

> Seat spices up its stylish Ateca with powertrain

from a VW Golf R and chunky body kit. Then ruins

it by slapping on a copper badge with the style of

a tribal tattoo students got in Magaluf > VERDICT

It’s good but offers no reason to avoid the obvious

Golf R

LEON ★★★★★

> Much to the amusement of tyre manufacturers

everywhere, the front-wheel-drive Leon Cupra now

has 297bhp. GTI who? > VERDICT Ballistic, and

best bought with a manual transmission

DACIA

SANDERO ★★★★★

> Cheapest new car on sale, not the worst. Yoghurt-

pot plastics and pre-Glasnost styling can’t detract

from a spacious sub-six-grand runabout with

Renault engines, if that’s where your priorities rest

> VERDICT Austerity rocks. Right, Greece?

LOGAN ★★★★★

> Estate looks like a Sandero that’s reversed into

a phone box. Cavernous boot, but dreadfully

unrefined thanks to all the brittle plastic and tin

> VERDICT You put things in it. It will carry them

for you. You can take them out. Job done, at a

very low price

DUSTER ★★★★★

> It’s just had a major overhaul, which in

Dacia terms is akin to creosoting the shed and

tacking the roof felt down, but still a hardy 4x4 for

low-budget mud-pluggers and family folk; front-

wheel-drive versions keep costs ridiculously low

> VERDICT Like Crocs but way, WAY cooler

DS

DS 3 HATCH/CABRIO ★★★★★

> Best-selling DS gets robo-croc snout and Apple

CarPlay as standard but ‘premium’ claims got

lost in translation > VERDICT The Gallic charm is

wearing thin

DS 7 CROSSBACK ★★★★★

(^) interior and plenty of technology fitted as standard, > France’s idea of a premium SUV. Sharp-looking
but from some angles it looks like an Audi Q5 in
half-baked drag > VERDICT Neatly done, but not
quite there. Expect plenty more from DS very soon
ELEMENTAL
RP1 ★★★★★

As expensive as a used Porsche Cayman GT4,
more refined than any Caterham – and a weapon on
track > VERDICT Crazy, but worth it
FERRARI
488 GTB ★★★★★
We were worried the turbos would ruin it, but
the 488 is more playful and even easier to drive. A
stunning achievement > VERDICT The looks grow
on you after a while. Rivals better dust off their
gracious-loser faces
488 PISTA ★★★★★
(^) technologically clever even Ferrari’s own test > It wasn’t going to be crap, was it? So
drivers recommend leaving the traction control
switched on. Every bit as good to drive as it looks
VERDICT The ultimate Ferrari road car right now,
and it’s a V8
PORTOFINO ★★★★★
The transformation from California to Portofino
works a treat. It’s sweeter, sharper and more
practical, if ultimately lacking focus > VERDICT
Measurably better than the Cali in every way
812 SUPERFAST ★★★★★
Proof that Ferrari can still make truly epic GT
cars that fly the naturally aspirated V12 flag with
pride. The screaming 800hp engine is matched by
laser-guided handling > VERDICT GT? Supercar?
Astounding
GTC4 LUSSO/T ★★★★★
Two-door shooting brake looks like a Z3 M
Coupe battered by a giant spatula but thoroughly
capable all-wheel drive machine. V8-powered
Lusso T nudges price below distressing £200k
barrier VERDICT Closest Ferrari has got to an SUV
(but not for long)
FIAT
TIPO ★★★★★
Fiat has another crack at the C-segment, this time
sensibly playing the value card. Dull, yet still the
best Fiat hatch since the last Tipo – and that dates
from 1988 > VERDICT Only consider buying Fiats
with numbers, not names
124 ★★★★★
Mazda MX-5’s step-sister, seemingly intent on
undermining said darling hairdresser’s star turn
with its punchier 1.4 turbo blow-dryer. Awkward
style, for an Italian > VERDICT To drive, this is the
MX-5 you’ve been waiting for
PANDA ★★★★★
Spacious city car with ‘squircle’ obsession, as roly-
poly as its blobby looks suggest. Two-pot TwinAir
willing but thirsty > VERDICT VW Up costs less,
drives better and is nicer inside
500/C ★★★★★
Delicate job, modernising a retro cash cow.
Fiat’s approach pairs a korma-grade facelift with
updated tech and even more colour palette kitsch
VERDICT Fashion victims rejoice! The cupholders
actually work now
500L ★★★★★
Bloated supermini-sized people carrier,
desperately attempting to cash in on city car’s chic.
Seldom has the point been so massively missed
VERDICT In-car coffee machine option the only
purchase excuse
500X ★★★★★
Compact crossover is the Arnie of the 500 range

• limited in its range of abilities, but rather likeable

  
  

  VERDICT Worthy Nissan Juke alternative works
  the 500 thing well, especially after recent facelift,
  new engines and cabin tech upgrade

  
  

  
  

QUBO/DOBLO ★★★★★

> Postman Pat’s wheels? No. Pat’s long since

retired to the Caribbean, where he’s living off the

royalties and drives a red Bentley > VERDICT Van-

based MPVs. Practicality first, people second

FORD

KA+ ★★★★★

> Hits the city car target bang-on by being the

complete opposite of the old Ka (good to drive,

decently spacious), but misses by being less sexy

than Borat. And Plus? Plus what? > VERDICT Ahead

of its time, and in danger of being overshadowed

by newer arrivals, but still pretty good

B-MAX ★★★★★

> B-pillar-free Fiesta-based mini-MPV gets rear

sliding doors for maximum practicality but not the

sliding rear seats of some rivals. Firm ride

> VERDICT Buy with a 1.0 EcoBoost triple and Zetec

trim for maximum school-run fun

FIESTA ★★★★★

> Still a peach to drive and now has an interior that

isn’t from the Dark Ages, even if material quality is

still a bit iffy. ST-Line version is suitably sporty but

Vignale too expensive to justify > VERDICT You can

thank the heavens they haven’t ruined it

FIESTA ST ★★★★★

> Even less mad to look at than before and one

cylinder down, but one of the biggest hot hatch

bargains around. Fast, fun to drive and won’t wind

you up something fierce > VERDICT Buy one. You

won’t regret it

FOCUS ★★★★★

> Looks derivative but under the skin lies a compact

family car that’s great to drive. Ford is still throwing

plenty of chips the hatchback’s way > VERDICT The

spirit of the Mk1 is almost back

MONDEO HATCH/ESTATE ★★★★★

> Huge space and you can even have the plucky

little 1.0 EcoBoost engine > VERDICT Everybody

wants them new-fangled SUVs these days, but this

is a fine family car

KUGA ★★★★★

> The best-handling mid-sized crossover, but

French and Swedish interiors are leagues ahead

> VERDICT If you must

EDGE ★★★★★

> Looks good and drives like a Ford – a big,

ponderous Ford, hamstrung by 2.0 diesels and

slower than continental drift > VERDICT Comfy,

refined, irrelevant amid premium rivals

ECOSPORT ★★★★★

> despite being crap first time round. We’re more Ford’s half-arsed stab at a crossover sold in droves

comfortable recommending the current version,

since it now looks half decent and isn’t built out of

melted wheelie bins > VERDICT Better, but still isn’t

the best

C-MAX/GRAND C-MAX ★★★★★

> More a roomier Focus than full-blown MPV,

C-Max delivers driving pleasure to blot out family

pain. Seven-seat Grand version gets rear sliding

doors > VERDICT Rivals are roomier, but none is

better to drive

S-MAX ★★★★★

> Exploits latest Mondeo’s undercrackers to full

effect. Pricey, but still the best of the seven-seaters

to drive. Toys include electric everything and

speed-correcting cruise control > VERDICT Harder

to beat than FC Barcelona

Specialist

Ferrari insurance

0333 043 3911

rhspecialistinsurance.co.uk

1996 Ferrari F355.

Value £99,000.

Mileage 1,000 per annum.

SDP use. Kept garaged at EX23.

Annual comprehensive cover premium.

£468.88 + IPT. £250 excess applies.

44 year old accountant, clean licence.

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