Motor Australia — January 2018

d motorofficial f motor_mag^133

Australia’s Ultimate New Car Comparison Site whichcar.com.au ASTON MARTIN – BENTLEY

TOP 3

BABY

HATCHES

VW olo G I

$27,690

Mini hatch wit muscle

Audi S1

$49,900

Big-money pocket rocket

Renault Clio RS

$30,990

Base is best

3 RD

2 ND

l

1

MODELTESTED PRICE ENGINEKW/RPMNM/RPMDRIVEKERB KGKW/TONNE0-100 KM/H0-400MFUEL CONSPROS & CONS

A8 4.2 TDI

11123

May 11 $252,327 (8a) V8/4.2TD2 5 8 / 4000 800/1750 all 1995148 5.5 – 7.6

Thunderous twin-turbo V8 diesel; first-class cabin

Ride can’t match its rivals; you feel like a chauffeur

S8

11123

Jan 17 $282,327 (8a) V8/4.0TT 3 82/5800650/1700 all 1915 199 4.1 – 9.6 Hilarious performance for a two-tonne limo

Performance advantage irrelevant in Australia

S8 Plus

11123

$ 3 2 9 , 9 2 7 ( 8 a ) V8/4.0TT 4 4 5 / 6800 700(750)

/1700

all 1915 232 3.8 – 10.2 Feels like a rocket-powered designer showroom

Needsanautobahntostretchitslegs

TT 2.0 TFSI Sport

11113

May 15$73,950 (6m)

$77,355(6dc)

I4/2.0T 1 6 9 / 6 2 0 0 3 7 0 / 1 6 0 0 f r o n t 1230137 6.0 – 5.9 Great chassis; rorty exhaust note; great interior

Evolutionary styling; pricey with options

TT 2.0 TFSI Sport Quattro
11113

Nov 15$80,355 (6dc) I4/2.0T 1 6 9 / 6 2 0 0 3 7 0 / 1 6 0 0 a l l 1335 127 5.32 13.64 6.4 Quattroaddstractionandsecurity;improvespace

Adds more than 100kg and is not really needed

TT 2.0 TFSI Roadster

11113

Sep 15 $83,905 (6dc) I4/2.0T 1 6 9 / 6 2 0 0 3 7 0 / 1 6 0 0 a l l 1 4 1 0 1 2 0 5. 6 – 6. 4 Loses its roof, but retains that crucial sportscar feel

Feels less potent than rivals; quattro only

TT S

11123

Sep 16$100,855 (6dc) I4/2.0T 2 1 0 / 6 2 0 0 3 8 0 / 1 8 0 0 a l l 1 3 8 5 1 5 2 4.67 12.95 6.8 NewTTScontinuesthetraditionasasweet steer

Styled a little softly; spine-killing ride

TT S Roadster

11123

Jan 16 $101,200 (6dc) I4/2.0T 2 1 0 / 6 2 0 0 3 8 0 / 1 8 0 0 a l l 1 4 7 0 1 4 3 5. 0 – 6.9 Ahigh-tech,well-sortedconvertible

Costs the same as Porsche’s Boxster

TT RS

11113

Ann 17$137,611 (7dc) I5/2.5T 2 9 4 / 5 8 5 0 480/1700 all 1440204 3.7 – 8.4 Serious firepower; turbo five beats Boxster four

Could be more involving; can’t match Porsche dynamics

TT RS Roadster

11113

$ 1 4 1 , 6 1 1 ( 7 d c ) I5/2.5T 2 9 4 / 5 8 5 0 480/1700 all 1530192 3.9 – 8.6 Hardly slow and tubby, with good body rigidity

Takesastepbackforpurists,butmaybethat’snotthepoint?

R8 V10

11113

Oct 15 $354,325 (7dc) V10/5.2 3 9 7 / 8 2 5 0 5 4 0 / 6 5 0 0a l l 1 6 7 0 2 3 8 3. 5 – 11.4 One of the cheapest tickets to supercar town; amazing engine

No manual anymore; you’re buying second best

R8 V10 Spyder

11113

$ 3 8 8 , 5 0 0 ( 7 d c ) V10/5.2 3 9 7 / 8 2 5 0 5 4 0 / 6 5 0 0a l l ––3.6 – 11.7 V10 sounds even better with roof lopped off

Paying more for a heavier, slower R8

R8 V10 Plus

11113

Feb 17 $389,325 (7dc) V10/5.2 449/8250560/6500 all 1630275 3.18 10.93 12.3 Epic engine with epic noise; supercar looks; cheaper than rivals

Bone-jarring ride; standard seats a problem; could be more fun

RS Q3 Performance

11123

$ 8 3 , 9 2 7 ( 7 d c ) I5/2.5T 2 7 0 / 6 7 0 0 4 65/1625 all 1655151 4.8 – 8.6 Updated model faster than ever; surprisingly fun in corners

The ultimate oxymoron: performance off-road mini SUV?

SQ5 TFSI

11113

$99,611 (8a) V6/3.0T 2 6 0 / 6400 500/1370 all 1870139 5.4 – 8.7 New platform finally delivers the nous a grunty engine deserves

Ride on standard suspension; petrol slower/thirstier than old TDI

SQ7 TDI

11113

Feb 17 $153,616 (8a) V8/4.0TTD3 2 0 / 5 0 0 0 900/1000all 2270141 4.8 – 7.6 It’s a Bentayga for a third the price; world’s best diesel?

Stillheavy;vergingontechoverload

Bentley http://www.bentleymotors.com

Flying Spur V8

11123

$ 3 7 8 , 1 9 7 ( 8 a ) V8/4.0TT373/6000660/2000 all 2342159 5.2 – 10.9

BritishalternativetoanS63AMG

NotasfastorasdynamicastheGermans

Flying Spur W12

11123

Dec 13$423,160 (8a) W12/6.0TT460/6000 800/2000 all 2400 192 4.6 – 14.7

Huge pace; unbelievably comfortable ride

Can’t hide from its heft; low-speed steering is a little heavy

Mulsanne

11133

$662,858 (8a) V8/6.75TT377/4200 1020/1750rear 2610150 5.3 – 16.9

Opulent old-school Bentley surprisingly dynamic

Looks cross-eyed; fearsomely expensive and thirsty

Mulsanne Speed

11133

$733,387 (8a) V8/6.75TT395/42001100/1750 rear 2610151 4.8 – 14.6

ThetorquiestcaronsaleinAustralia–1100Nm!(At1750rpm!)

However, 2.6 tonnes can only be so dynamic

Bentayga Diesel

11113

$335,000 (8a) V8/4.0TTD320/5000900/1000all 2499 128 4.8 – 8.0

Sensational V8 diesel makes much more sense

It doesn’t improve the looks; Audi SQ7 is less than half the price

Bentayga

11113

$423,600 (8a) W12/6.0TT447/6000900/1350 all 2440 183 4.1 – 13.1

A new standard in SUV performance and luxury

It’s no oil painting; massive money

BMW http://www.bmw.com.au

125i

11123

Nov 17 $49,990

(6m/8a)

I4/2.0T 1 65/5000310/1350 rear 1345123 6.1 – 5.9

Torquey, responsive engine; decent steering

Adaptive dampers a must-have; performance a little soft

M140i

11113

Sep 17 $59,990

(6m/8a)

I6/3.0T 2 5 0/5500500/1520 rear 1445162 4.65* 12.76* 7.1

New B58 six brings more power and torque

$5K price cut leaves room for optional LSD; still no looker

230i

11123

$63,000

(6m/8a)

I4/2.0T 1 8 5 / 6 5 0 0 3 5 0/1250 rear 1385134 5.6 – 5.9

Possibly the sweetest choice in BMW’s line-up under $75K

Coulddowithalittleaestheticvenom

230i Convertible

11123

$73,000

(6m/8a)

I4/2.0T 1 8 5 / 6000 350/1250 rear 1555119 5.9 – 6.2

Removable roof doesn’t cost a bomb

An Audi S3 Cabriolet is better looking and much faster

M240i

11113

Ann 16$76,800

(6m/8a)

I6/3.0T 2 5 0 / 6000 500/1300 rear 1455172 4.6 – 7.1

SpectheoptionalLSDandit’sanabsoluteriot

Strugglesabitwithoutit;looksabitplain

M240i Convertible

11123

$85,800

(6m/8a)

I6/3.0T 2 5 0 / 6000 500/1300 rear 1620154 4.7 – 7.4

Rorty six in a compact, good-looking summer package

Huge weight and rigidity penalty over hardtop

M2 Pure

11112

Sep 16$93,300 (6m) I6/3.0T 272/6500 465(500)

/1400

rear 1495182 4.55 12.82 8.5

A huge return to form for M Division; great value

Firm ride; can bite inexperienced hands

M2

11112

Feb 17 $99,900

(6m/7dc)

I6/3.0T 272/6500 465(500)

/1400

rear 1520179 4.3 – 7.9

DCT ’box makes M2 faster and more frugal

Wedon’thavealong-termer–yet

330i

11113

$69,900

(6m/8a)

I4/2.0T 1 85/5200 350/1450 rear 1470126 5.9 – 5.7

Could be all the car you ever need: fast, frugal and fun

330i should be a six-pot; not a whole lot else

330i Touring

11113

$73,900

(6m/8a)

I4/2.0T 1 85/5200 350/1450 rear 1540120 6.0 – 6.1 Theabovewithaddedpracticality;wagonlooksbetter

Weight penalty costs it, but not a great deal