For free car reminders and MoT history enter your reg at MotorEasy.com152 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | OCTOBER 2019
308 GTi ★★★★★
> Discreet styling hides playful proclivities; Limited-
slip diff keeps things tight up front while fantastic
chassis delivers entertainingly lively rear
> VERDICT 250 and 270 variants both great, but
270 gets more kit
508 ★★★★★
> Best-looking mainstream exec? Quite possibly.
Likeable and civil, and the cockpit is a knockout.
Estate equally handsome and there’s a hybrid too
> VERDICT For the discerning iconoclast
PARTNER TEPEE ★★★★★
> Spacious, versatile, more practical than a regular
MPV, drives okay if you keep your ambitious
modest > VERDICT Make your own clothes? Live in
a yurt? This is the car/van for you
2008 ★★★★★
> Welly-wearing 208 gets a facelift which hits
on the idea of actually resembling an SUV, and
at a stroke makes a decent car more credible
> VERDICT Not so much leaping on the SUV
bandwagon as hitching a ride
3008 ★★★★★
> Tell your friends you’ve bought one and they’ll
laugh – until they see it. Sharp to look at, surprisingly
good fun to drive and not too weird > VERDICT Just
make it clear you’ve not bought the old one
5008 ★★★★★
> Edgy design inside and out hides genuine
practicality, comfort and seven seats. Looks quirky,
but easy to live with and pleasurable to drive
> VERDICT Not the German approach to premium,
but just as effective
PORSCHE718 BOXSTER ★★★★★
> The turbo revolution continues as Boxster bins
the six for a brace of faster forced-induction fours.
Updated face now flatter than Brian Harvey’s
> VERDICT Whole lotta lag; chassis still a stairway
to heaven
718 CAYMAN ★★★★★
> Efficiency march means sublime outgoing model
ditches choral flat-six for punchy but industrial
turbocharged four. Gets uglier in the process, still
handles like you wish all cars would > VERDICT
Better by the numbers but... know any nice 981s
for sale?
911 ★★★★★
> 992-generation could have been phoned in and
still been fantastic, but Porsche has done it again.
The 911 continues to be your trackday hero, athletic
GT and surprisingly adept family transport all rolled
into one > VERDICT Unrivalled as a do-anything
sports car
911 GT2 RS ★★★★★
> As close to a racing-spec 911 you can get: raw,
blisteringly quick and sounds truly evil > VERDICT Is
it REALLY worth £100k more than the GT3?
911 GT3 ★★★★★
> Yes, another brilliant 911, but you didn’t really
think Porsche would get this one wrong, did you?
Optional manual ‘box makes car nerds everywhere
weak at the knees > VERDICT More accessible,
more fun and more GT3-ish
MACAN ★★★★★
BEST IN
CLASS> Baby Cayenne is even better than
dad – and better than the rival Evoque
too. Base car with Golf GTI 2.0 makes
no sense when S is pennies more > VERDICT GT3RS for trackdays, Cayman GT4 for weekends, this
for everything else. Sorted
CAYENNE ★★★★★
> A masterclass in how to make a big SUV handle.
Slick Panamera-derived interior is great. Turbo
is brutally fast, too, but whole thing feels anally
retentive > VERDICT Impressively capable but
Macan is more engaging
PANAMERA ★★★★★
> The Mk1 was just throat-clearing; this Mk2 is
the opera. Ripe with tech, innovation and better
dynamics – and it looks nigh on perfect > VERDICT
A lesson in making nonsensical niches make
perfect sense
RADICALSR3 SL ★★★★★
> Properly street-legal SR3 gets a 300bhp blown
Ford 2.0 instead of a motorcycle engine, a heater
and even a 12v socket. It’s almost lavish > VERDICT
Toned down for occasional road use but still hairier
than a cave man with hypertrichosis
RXC TURBO ★★★★★
> Play out those Le Mans fantasies on the commute
with this Peterborough-built headcase. Sequential
gearbox welcome in town like an EDL demo
> VERDICT When you’ve outgrown your
Caterhams and 911 GT3s, here’s the answer
R E N AU LTTWIZY ★★★★★
> Part electric scooter, part social experiment,
it’s easy to love the doorless Twizy, especially
on balmy evenings along La Croisette. Grimy
days in Doncaster a tougher ask > VERDICT
Transportation of the future, if it’s never wet in the
future and you like chatting with other drivers at
traffic lights. And when we say chatting, we mean
having abuse hurled your way
ZOE 40 ★★★★★
> Splendid Zoe solves range anxiety by clever
new battery with more power, potentially induces
wealth anxiety instead with £4000 price premium.
Unless you’re smart and lease it of course >
VERDICT At least you can guarantee the emissions
are genuine
CLIO ★★★★★
> Smaller and lighter? That’s not how new
generations work, Renault! Interior quality is
now up with the best in the class, tidy handling,
familiar face > VERDICT The same but different,
and a bit better. Proves that a traditional
hatchback can still be more than relevant
CAPTUR ★★★★★
> It’s a Clio on stilts – and that’s not necessarily
a bad thing. No 4x4 pretensions means focus is
on personalisation. Good engines. It’s no Juke to
drive > VERDICT Technicolor clown car if you’re not
careful with the spec, otherwise okay
MEGANE ★★★★★
> All-new French Golf looks like a foie-grased
Clio outside and a low-rent Tesla inside. Is thus an
instant improvement over the old one
> VERDICT Renault Sport-fettled GT with rear-
wheel steering a keen drive, too. Sacré bleu!
MEGANE RS ★★★★★
> Sport is a credible hot hatch all-rounder but it
doesn’t thrill like the pokier Cup. Go for a manual
Cup version and you have a properly sorted Civic
Type R rival > VERDICT Hurrah! They haven’t ruined
it like they ruined the Clio RS.SCENIC ★★★★★
> Compact MPV trades practicality for a sharper
exterior > VERDICT Console your manhood with the
fact that 20s are standard
KADJAR ★★★★★
BEST IN
CLASS> Nissan may rue the day it left the
parts store door ‘Kadjar’, as Renault’s
take on the Qashqai bests the original
in every way (including ‘Is that an anagram?’ name)
> VERDICT Aggressive pricing, smooth ride, great
refinement, squishy seats
KOLEOS ★★★★★
> A five-seat X-Trail that took a gap year living at
a French vineyard and has come back with an
accent, more stylish clothes and an avant-garde
view on life. Façade doesn’t hide its Nissan roots >
VERDICT Neither great nor rubbish – c’est bof
ROLLS-ROYCEGHOST ★★★★★
> A Phantom for millionaires not billionaires. Its
BMW 7-series undercrackers are barely visible
> VERDICT Perfectly built, highly individual
WRAITH ★★★★★
> A 624bhp twin-turbo V12 sporting vehicle that
drives like no other. Dismisses distance but would
never lower itself to squealing through bends
> VERDICT Whisper it, but Rolls has produced an
amazing driver’s car(^) PHANTOM ★★★★★
Enough opulence to make Blenheim Palace look
like an abandoned warehouse yet just the right
amount of tech to keep start-up billionaires happy.
Comes with built-in art gallery > VERDICT By far the
world’s best luxury car
(^) DAWN ★★★★★
Wraith with the roof cut off – although actually 80
per cent of the exterior panels are new. Rides like a
liner and costs more than a VW software decision
VERDICT Starry
CULLINAN ★★★★★
Redefines off-road plushness. But it costs £100k
more than a Bentayga and weighs more than the
moon > VERDICT Almost as comfy as a Phantom,
but a Rangie is a better off-road
SEAT
MII ★★★★★
Tedious-looking city-box is far less funky than
Renault’s Twingo but roomier and good to drive
VERDICT VW Up is more desirable, pretty Skoda
Citigo is cheaper
IBIZA ★★★★★
Angular Spanish supermini nabs A0 platform
before VW, thoroughly grows up in the process. FR
versions irritatingly don’t look that sporty any more
VERDICT Ibiza by name only
TOLEDO ★★★★★
STEER
CLEAR
OAP special whose sole interesting
feature is that while it looks like a
boring saloon, it’s actually a boring
hatch! Massive interior > VERDICT This and identical
Skoda Rapid duke it out for UK’s dullest car.
Czech please!
LEON HATCH/ESTATE ★★★★★
The estate in particular is a bit of an overlooked
gem, all too often dismissed as a rebadged Golf
when in reality it’s got a significantly different feel
and spec levels, and can be very good value
VERDICT Likeable, and just that bit different from
an actual Golf
ARONA ★★★★★
Normal-ish VW Group baby crossover but a
good one. Practical and easygoing with simple
trim structure – pick a spec and get a jazzy colour.
Piece of cake > VERDICT A sensible daily driver,
but then so is an Ibiza...
ATECA ★★★★★
Latecomer to the SUV party gets the dress code
right, isn’t the life and soul but neither will it bore
you into leaving early. Another sangria please!
VERDICT Go SE, petrol, manual
TARRACO ★★★★★
Generic VW Group crossover alert! Seat takes
a Kodiaq and gives it a Spanish nose job. Then
spends the afternoon in the pub > VERDICT
No improvement over its very good Skoda and
VW Tiguan Allspace siblings; harder ride is of
questionable merit
ALHAMBRA ★★★★★
A big box with slidey doors and seven proper seats;
its puts family first, but also drives well > VERDICT
Genetically identical to the VW Sharan, but nearly
£2k less
SKODA
CITIGO ★★★★★
Skoda’s all but identical version of the VW Up
and Seat Mii. Well packaged but ultimately too
noisy and slow > VERDICT Cheaper than the Up,
but not by much. Hyundai i10 also worth a look
FABIA HATCH/ESTATE ★★★★★
Mature supermini that’s best on small wheels
and modest petrol engine. Estate version ideal
for Jack Russells > VERDICT Roomy, well made
and dynamically well sorted – like the low-rent
VW Polo it is
SCALA ★★★★★
Oddball Rapid twins have been killed off to
make way for this more conventional hatch. Still
a bargain price next to its rivals, and level of kit
fitted as standard is good, but it’s not exactly
brimming with charisma > VERDICT Skoda may
have overshot the mark in trying to make it more
conventional than the Rapid. But it’s very sensible:
Golf space on a tighter budget
OCTAVIA HATCH/ESTATE ★★★★★
Basically the same as a Golf and A3, but bigger
(especially for rear legroom), cheaper and more
functional. Hot vRS versions old-school ballistic
fun. 4x4s practical > VERDICT It’s a lot of car for
the money
SUPERB SALOON/ESTATE ★★★★★
So vast inside it echoes. Sharp lines, stacks of
kit, double the number of umbrellas. Shame about
the dull interior and the stiff price, especially for the
bigger-powered and higher-spec versions
VERDICT All the family car you’ll ever need. Only
bigger
KAROQ ★★★★★
A miniature Kodiaq: practical, sharply styled and
comfortable. Shame it’s just not as likeable as its
predecessor, even in more rugged Scout spec
VERDICT R I P Yet i
KODIAQ ★★★★★
Vast SUV takes the Octavia approach by bulking
out on a shared platform, but doesn’t share its
dazzling personality. Hot vRS version expensive
overkill > VERDICT The most comfortable place to
die a little inside
PEUGEOT > TOYOTA
SpecialistPorsche insurance0333 043 3911
rhspecialistinsurance.co.uk1993 Porsche 964 C2 CAB.
Value: £45,000.
Mileage: 3,000 per annum.
SDP use. Kept garaged at DE4.
Comprehensive rate: £303.99 + IPT
subject to being garaged.
£250 excess applies.
44-year-old accountant, clean licence.