Motor Australia — January 2018

d motorofficial f motor_mag^139

Australia’s Ultimate New Car Comparison Site whichcar.com.au JAGUAR – MASERATI

Elise 220 Cup

11123

$ 1 1 9 , 9 9 0 ( 6 m ) I4/1.8S 1 6 2 / 6800 250/4600 rear 943 171 4.6 – 7.5 An Elise with serious downforce: what’s not to like?

It’llonlymakesenseatPhillipIsland

Exige 350

11113

$132,990 (6m)

$137,990 (6a)

V6/3.5S 2 5 8 / 7 0 0 0 400/4500 rear 1125 229 3.9 – 10.1 Cheapest ticket to supercar power-to-weight ratios

Bigger, but still cramped and no daily driver

Exige S Roadster

11113

$132,990 (6m)

$137,990 (6a)

V6/3.5S 2 5 8 / 7 0 0 0 400/4500 rear 1166 221 4.0 - 10.1 Pop-top barely compromises the Exige’s ferocity

Stillahardcorepropositionforeverydayuse

Evora 400

11123

Sep 16 $184,900 (6m)

$194,900 (6a)

V6/3.5S 2 5 8 / 7 0 0 0 400/4500 rear 1442179 4.4 - 9.7 Looks great; snarly engine; sublime steering

Extremelypricey;strugglestomatchperformanceclaims

Maserati http://www.maserati.com.au

Ghibli

11133

$ 1 4 3 , 9 9 0 ( 8 a ) V6/3.0TT257/5500 500/4500 rear 1810 142 5.6 – 9.6 Maserati’s 5-Series fighter looks the business

Not sure how it drives, we still haven’t driven it!

Ghibli S

11123

$ 1 7 9 , 9 9 0 ( 8 a ) V6/3.0TT3 01/5500 550/4500rear 1810 166 5.0 – 10.4 High-tune twin-turbo V6 gives the Ghibli real punch

At this price, what do you compare it against?

Quattroporte Diesel

11123

$ 2 1 0 , 0 0 0 ( 8 a ) V6/3.0TD 2 0 2 / 4000 600/2000 rear 1945104 6.4 – 6.2 Turbo-diesel six punches hard and sips little

Limo platform is penalised withmoreweight

Quattroporte

11123

$215,000 (8a) V6/3.0TT257/5500 500/1750rear 1900128 5.5 – 9.1 Aquick,classyandcheaperalternativetoaPorsche Panamera

Deserves more power

Quattroporte S

11123

$ 2 4 0 , 0 0 0 ( 8 a ) V6/3.0TT3 02/5500550/1750 rear 1900158 5.1 – 9.6 New twin-turbo V6 matches old V8 for grunt

Feelsitssize;V8isamoreappeallingproposition

Quattroporte GTS

11133

$ 3 4 9 , 0 0 0 ( 8 a ) V8/3.8TT3 9 5 / 6800 650(710)/

2000

rear 1951 200 4.7 – 10.7 New turbo V8 has mega mumbo; classy interior...

... except for the Chrysler bits; ride issues; huge money

GranTurismo MC Sportline
11133

$295,000 (6a)

$319,000 (6s)

V8/4.7 3 3 8 / 7 0 0 0 5 2 0 / 4 7 5 0rear 1880187 4.7 – 15.5 Drop-dead gorgeous coupe finally gets more grunt.

Stillmoreofagrandtourerthanpropersportscar

GranCabrio Sport

11123

$ 3 3 8 , 0 0 0 ( 6 a ) V8/4.7 3 3 8 / 7 0 0 0 5 2 0 / 4 7 5 0rear 1980171 5.0 – 14.5 Quickershifting’boxandextra10Nmupstheaggression

Still more of a grand tourer than a proper sportscar

GranCabrio Sport MC

11133

$ 3 5 5 , 0 0 0 ( 6 s ) V8/4.7 3 3 8 / 7 0 0 0 5 2 0 / 4 7 5 0rear 1973 171 4.9 – 14.9 ‘MC’ shifts the trans rearward and cuts shift times again

Will any Cabrio drivers feel the difference?

GranTurismo MC Stradale

11123

$345,000 (6s) V8/4.7 3 3 8 / 7 0 0 0 5 2 0 / 4 7 5 0rear 1800199 4.5 – 14.4 Stiffer, faster Stradale is Maserati’s 300km/h Trident

Therearesomeseriousrivalsatthispricepoint

Mazda http://www.mazda.com.au

3 SP25

11123

Nov 14 $25,690 (6m)

$27,690 (6a)

I4/2.5 1 3 8/5700 250/3250front 1308105 8.2015.87 8.1 Tremendous value; entertaining handling

Controls–brakes,steering,gearshift–allabitsoft

MX-5

11113

Jul 16 $33,340 (6m)

$35,340 (6a)

I4/1.5 9 6 / 7 0 0 0 1 5 0 / 4800 rear 100995 7.90 15.76 6.1 Superb dynamics; lightness; keen engine

She’s no rocketship; looks odd from some angles

MX-5 GT

11113

Feb 16 $38,340 (6m)

$40,340 (6a)

I4/1.5 9 6 / 7 0 0 0 1 5 0 / 4800 rear 100995 7.50 15.4 6.1 More technology and gear for Mazda’s thrilling mite

Road noise; gets a bit floaty at higher speeds

MX-5 2.0L

11113

Apr 17 $34,850 (6m)

$36,850 (6a)

I4/2.0 1 1 8 / 6000 200/4600 rear 1033114 6.5414.68 6.9 More grunt never hurts; sharper handling; small price penalty

Ride suffers with the new suspension

MX-5 2.0L GT

11113

Feb 16 $39,890 (6m)

$41,890(6a)

I4/2.0 1 1 8 / 6000 200/4600 rear 1033114 ––6.9 PlentyofkitmakestheGTamoreliveableproposition

Starting to get pricey, though still much cheaper than previous

MX-5 RF

11113

Mar 17 $38,550 (6m)

$40,550 (6a)

I4/2.0 1 1 8 / 6000 200/4600 rear 1080109 ––7.0 Hardtop adds class and coupe looks...

...alongwithabitmoreweight

MX-5 RF GT

11113

Apr 17 $43,890 (6m)

$45,890 (6a)

I4/2.0 1 1 8 / 6000 200/4600 rear 1080109 – –7.0 GT hardtop stacks up as the most premium pick

Nearing the NC-gen’s unreasonable price tag

McLaren http://www.cars.mclaren.com

540C

11113

Nov 17 $325,000 (7dc) V8/3.8TT3 97/7500540/3500rear 1311

(dry)

303 3.5 – 11.1 Supercarpriceleader;stillhits200km/hin10.5sec

570S likely to be worth the extra

570S

11112

Jul 17 $379,000 (7dc) V8/3.8TT4 1 9/7500 600/5000 rear 1344312 3.2 – 10.7 Insane performance; added practicality; involving dynamics

Doesn’t ride as well as the 650S; hefty options pricing

570S Spider

11112

Oct 17 $435,750 (7dc) V8/3.8TT4 1 9/7500 600/5000 rear 1359280 3.2 – 10.7 Structuralrigidityclaimedtobeunchangedfromcoupe

Hefty premium to be able to remove the roof

570GT

11112

$406,800 (7dc)V8/3.8TT4 1 9/7500 600/5000 rear 1381 303 3.4 – 10.7 Best looking Sport Series; extra luggage space

Slightly softer responses than 570S

720S

11112

$489,900 (7dc)V8/4.0TT537/7500 770/5500rear 1419 378 2.9 – 10.7 Ballistic new 650S replacement knocks right on door of 488 GTB

Lookslikeithasbeenpunchedintheeye;haven’tdrivenityet

Mercedes-Benz http://www.mercedes-benz.com.au

A250 Sport

11123

$ 5 4 , 8 0 0 ( 7 d c ) I4/2.0T 1 6 0/5500350/1200all 1370113 ––6.6 Great chassis; excellent steering; classy looks

Can’t turn ESP off; gearbox could be more responsive

CLA 250 Sport

11123

Sep 14 $67,600 (7dc) I4/2.0T 1 55/5500 350/1200all 1465106 6.6 – 6.6 All-wheel drive justifies $15K premium over A250 hatch

Rivals at this price point are much faster

CLA 250 Sport S/brake

11123

$68,600 (7dc) I4/2.0T 155/5500 350/1200all 1490104 6.8 – 6.9 Looks, practicality and spritely performance rolled into one

Not as agile as its hatch twin

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

TOP 3

COUPES

OVER

$150K

$456,200

Virtually flawless

Merc-AMG C63 S

$162,400

Tyre-baking fun

3 RD

2 ND

Nissan GT-R

$189,000

Brutally ignores physics

ST