142 january 2018 motormag.com.au
Cooper S Clubman
11123
Feb 16 $44,900
(6m/8a)
I4/2.0T 1 4 1 / 6000 280(300)
/1250
front 1360104 7.1 – 6.0 Smart interior and supple chassis. Bring on the JCW!
New heft burdens the poor 2.0-litre; weird looks
Cooper S Countryman
11123
$ 4 6 , 5 0 0 ( 8 a ) I4/2.0T 1 4 1 / 6000 280(300)
/1250
front 150594 7.4 – 6.5 Surprisingly cohesive looks; extra practicality
Not very Mini; not very fast; weight problem
Cooper JCW
11123
Aug 16 $47,400 (6m)
$49,950 (6a)
I4/2.0T 1 7 0 / 6000 320/1250 front 1205141 6.5614.46 6.7 More power than ever before; playful handling
Iffy steering; hard ride; enormous price hike for manual version
Cooper JCW Convertible
11123
$54,950 (6m)
$54,950 (6a)
I4/2.0T 1 7 0 / 6000 320/1250 front 1320129 6.5 – 6.8
Drop-top suits the Mini vibe; strong performance retained
Waters down already diluted handling of current-gen JC-Dub
Cooper JCW Clubman
11123
Nov 17 $54,900 (8a) I4/2.0T 1 7 0 / 6000 350/1250 all 1490114 7.13 14.91 7.2 Clubman chassis scores the power it deserves...
...not sure if it’s enough; weighty beast
Cooper JCW Countryman
11123
$56,900 (8a) I4/2.0T 1 7 0 / 6000 350/1250 all 1555109 6.5 – 7.4 Mini with the maxi pricetag ... and equipment list
Clubman is much cooler, cheaper, lighter
Morgan http://www.morgancars.com.au
($90)4/4
11133
$89,900 (5m) I4/1.6 8 2 / 6000 132/5800rear 795 103 8.0 – 6.4 Ye olde charm; definitely a unique driving experience
You’re essentially buying a brand new antique
($1600)3 Wheeler
11123
Apr 16 $93,900 (5m) V2/2.0 6 0/5250 140/3250rear 550 220 6.0 – 9.3
An utterly unique driving experience
You’re either going to love it or hate it
($3700)Plus 4
11133
$99,800 (5m) I4/2.0 115/6000 201/4500rear 877 117 7.3 – 7.0 Ye olde charm; definitely a unique driving experience
Again, you’re essentially buying a brand new antique
($275)Roadster
11133
$ 1 3 9 , 5 0 0 ( 6 m ) V6/3.7 2 0 9 / 6000 370/4700rear 950 220 5.5 – 9.8 Power-to-weightrivalsa911CarreraS
You’d really have to love it to live with it
($20,000) Aero 8
11123
$290,000
(6m/6a)
V8/4.8 2 7 0 / 6 3 0 0 490/3400 rear 1175 230 4.5 – 12.1
Morgan’s ultimate roadster looks good, sounds better with no roof
Slightly cramped cabin hard to get comfortable in
Nissan http://www.nissan.com.au
370Z
11133
Sep 10 $49,990 (6m)
$52,490 (7a)
V6/3.7 2 45/7000 363/5200rear 1468162 5.8514.04 10.4 NowoldbutlatestinalonglineofZ-cars
Agricultural engine; snappy handling; gets hot on track
370Z Roadster
11133
$60,990 (6m)
$63,490 (7a)
V6/3.7 2 45/7000 363/5200rear 1478168 5.8 – 10.9* Suffers little in the conversion to drop-top
Butitdoesn’taddanythingtotherecipe,either
370Z Nismo
11123
Ann 17 $61,490 (6m)
$63,990 (7a)
V6/3.7 253/7000371/5200 rear 1480171 5.6913.93 10.6
A visual and aural refresh courtesy of Nismo
Performance suspension lacking sophistication
GT-R
11113
Feb 17 $189,000 (6dc)V6/3.8TT4 1 9 / 6800 632/3300all 1765 237 3.2 11.21 11.7 Improved ride; worthwhile interior upgrade
Big price increase; beginning to feel its age
GT-R Track Edition
11113
$227,000 (6dc)V6/3.8TT4 1 9 / 6800 632/3300all 1760238 2.7 – 11.7 In a track environment, simply awesome
Question marks over road suitability; price premium
GT-R Nismo
11113
Apr 17 $299,000 (6dc) V6/3.8TT4 4 1 / 6800 652/3600all 1739 253 3.28 11.19 11.7
There’s the track edition, and then there’s this
Questionable value over the ‘base’ car
Peugeot http://www.peugeot.com.au
208 GTi
11123
Oct 16 $29,990 (6m) I4/1.6T 153/6000 300/3000 front 1160 127 6.8 15.0 5.4
Recently updated with more power
Superb rivals highlight its flaws; odd driving position
($4000) 308 GTi 270
11123
Jul 16 $45,990 (6m) I4/1.6T 2 0 0 /6000 330/1900front 1205166 6.0914.16 6.0 Grip, power, LSD and light chassis are highlights; $4K price cut
Long-throw manual; overly light steering; could be more playful
Porsche http://www.porsche.com.au
718 Cayman
11112
Ann 16 $115,300 (6m)
$117,160 (7dc)
F4/2.0T 2 2 0 / 6 5 0 03 8 0 / 1 9 5 0rear 1335 165 5.1 – 7.4 Porsche’s entry level sportscar sets the bar high; cheap PDK upgrade
Hardly a cheap deal in anyone’s language
718 Cayman S
11112
May 17 $145,500 (6m)
$150,490 (7dc)
F4/2.5T 257/6500 420/1900rear 1355 190 4.6 – 8.1 Finely tuned chassis soaks up new turbo grunt
You’re now going to have to spend a lot for an atmo Porsche
718 Cayman GTS
11112
$173,100 (6m)
$179,080 (7dc)
F4/2.5T 2 6 9 / 6 5 0 04 2 0 / 1 9 0 0rear 1375 191 4.6 – 9.0 Optional PDK and Sport Chrono equals 4.1sec 0-100km/h
Alotofcoinforanaverage-soundingfour-cylinder
718 Boxster
11112
Jun 16 $118,100 (6m)
$119,960 (7dc)
F4/2.0T 2 2 0 / 6 5 0 03 8 0 / 1 9 5 0rear 1335 165 4.7*– 6.9* New turbo engine gives Boxster the grunt it deserves
Boosted four lacks the character of the old atmo six
718 Boxster S
11112
Jun 16 $148,300 (6m)
$153,290 (7dc)
F4/2.5T 257/6500 420/1900rear 1355 190 4.2*– 7.3* Approaching supercar speed; beautiful chassis balance
Much more expensive than it was, particularly with options
718 Boxster GTS
11112
$175,900 (6m)
$181,880 (7dc)
F4/2.5T 2 6 9 / 6 5 0 04 2 0 / 1 9 0 0rear 1375 191 4.6 – 9.0 Looks the biz with black exterior and Alcantara interior trim
Surpasses price of delightful, limited-edition Boxster Spyder
911 Carrera
11112
Apr 16 $220,900 (7m)
$226,850 (7dc)
F6/3.0TT272/6500 450/1700rear 1430190 4.2 12.3 8.3 Now matches old Carrera S pace for less money; PASM standard
Slight loss of exhaust note aggression; that’s about it
911 Carrera T
11112
$ 2 3 8 , 4 0 0 ( 7 m ) F6/3.0TT272/6500 450/1700rear 1425191 4.5 – 9.5 Manual only, lightweight, shorter gear ratios – sign us up
Not much, really; rear-steering’s an option
911 Carrera S
11112
Apr 16 $256,000 (7m)
$261,950 (7dc)
F6/3.0TT3 0 9 / 6 5 0 05 0 0 / 5 0 0 0rear 1440215 3.9*12.0* 8.7 Supercar-scaring fast with PDK and Sport Chrono package
Getting too fast for the road; expensive with options
Hot Source
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