187
DRIVE
AWARDS
2018 ***
ELLE
THE PIGGY
BANK
PLEASER
VOLKSWAGEN *
POLO 6
Design-conscious city-dwellers, young families
on a budget, first-car buyers and unfussy
minimalists take note: the VW Polo is all grown
up and practical. But what it lacks in emotion,
it makes up for in pleasantries. With a new
facelift comes a larger body inside and out
(it’s now bigger than its sibling, the Golf), a turbo
petrol engine under the hood (and a more
powerful GTI model on its way), a tricked-up
infotainment system (including Apple CarPlay
and Android Auto), cruise control, autonomous
braking, stability control, fatigue detection,
reversing cameras and OCD-approved storage
as standard. Once you clock that price,
*insert shocked guy gif meme* you’ll
wonder how it was possible.
The winning edge: In a category
bogged down with teen-dream toy cars, this
spacious hatch feels grown-up and comes
packed with extras that usually lie outside
its less-than-$20K price bracket. ETHE
WHIPLASH
AWA R D
*
MCLAREN 570S
Be warned: this gorgeous, curvaceous,
scissor-doored beauty is a supercar gateway
drug. Known as the “Baby McLaren”, the 570S is
one of the iconic British maker’s entry-level models
and arguably one of the most beautiful and
pleasurable cars in the under-$750,000 market.
Drool-worthy in its aerodynamically tuned,
carbon-fibre detailed design, it’s surprisingly
comfortable and easy to drive, despite its
pelvic-floor-clenching 420kW output and 3.8L
V8 engine with a top speed of 328kmph.
Being a poster-car manufacturer, McLarens
attract street photographers, inquisitive passers-by
and kids on bicycles that will try to race you down
the street. These are not wheels for a wallflower- it has a smugness level of 11. Of course, it
still costs the equivalent of several avocado
plantations, but when something brings this much
unadulterated, heart-pounding joy (without the
finger-wagging connotations of other brands),
it truly is a force to be reckoned with.
The winning edge: The point-and-shoot
steering, bitey brakes and a 0-100kmph
jump made in 3.2 seconds. But also, just
look at the thing.
All prices are manufacturers’ recommended (or estimated) sale prices and do not include on-road costs. Photography: Matthias Engessar; Steffan Jahn; Chris Benny; Mark Bramley; Daimler AG – Global Communications Mercedes-Benz Cars
FROM
$395,000
3.8L
V8
420KW
600NM
9.22L/100KMFROM
$17,990
1.0L
3CL
70KW
175NM
4.8L/100KM