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STORE OR GOOGLE PLAY STOREAPRIL 2019 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 145robust – the Smeg fridge of the sports car world
VERDICT Sweet, but more could have been done
to make it thrilling
I8
Carbonfibre-constructed three-cylinder hybrid
supercar that’s fun for four, as fast as an M3 and
does 40 real mpg. Minor demerit: looks like it’s
crimping off a 911 > VERDICT Fascinating
and fabulous futuristic sports car that’s big on the
wow factor
BUGATTI
CHIRON
‘The Veyron was okay but why couldn’t it have
30 per cent bigger turbos and 300bhp more
power?’ Bugatti answers the question absolutely
nobody asked – and answers it loud > VERDICT
A £2.5m riot
CATERHAM
SEVEN
For bobble-hatted Terry-Thomas wannabes and
the track-curious, the Seven comes in flavours from
160 triple to mental road racers > VERDICT 80 bhp
160 is underpowered, 310bhp 620R verges on
lethal, 180bhp 360 model is just right
CHEVROLET
CORVETTE
Farm machinery meets Spacelab in 460bhp V8
symphony of composite materials, leaf springs and
pushrods. Shame it’s left-hook only > VERDICT
£60k for a butch bargain berserker. £20k more
gets you the even berserker 650bhp Z06, and if
you’re feeling brave import yourself the ZR1. Mid-
engined version is on its way, which will if nothing
else be interesting
CITROEN
C1
Trying hard to escape the clutches of its sister
cars from Toyota and Peugeot, the C1 can have
a funky Airscape cloth roof and half-hearted
personalisation options. 1.0-litre has most pep
VERDICT Good, solid proletarian urban fare
rather than hipster cool
C3
Citroën produces a great small car by looking up
its own Wikipedia entry and remembering what it’s
good at; spacy, compliant and different
VERDICT Are Citroëns cool again? They’re
certainly getting there
C3 AIRCROSS
Funky mattress on wheels takes C3’s style and
puts it on stilts. Thankfully retains C3 Picasso’s
super-spacious interior and flexi seats > VERDICT
The Vauxhall Crossland X’s much more characterful
Gallic sibling
C4 CACTUS
Comfy, roomy, slightly sloppy family car, now
Airbump-free. Citroën claims it’s a hatch; it’s in fact
just as much a crossover as the previous one
VERDICT A proper Citroën, with all the pros
and cons that involves
C4 SPACETOURER
Defiantly anti-cool family shifter, with five or (in
Grand form) seven seats, previously known as
the Picasso. Touches like lower rear windows and
sprogwatch mirror make parents go weak at the
knees for its peace-and-bloody-quiet ambience
> VERDICT Drives like a shed, but at least it makes
Satan’s brood shut up
BERLINGO MULTISPACE
> A wipe-clean tin lifeboat for cagoule-wearing
Thermos-sipping birdwatchers. Recently updated,
but still rattles and drives like a van. Is a van
> VERDICT Dogging cheap seats for aspiring
Bill Oddies
CUPRAATECA
> Seat spices up its stylish Ateca with powertrain
from a VW Golf R and chunky body kit. Then ruins
it by slapping on a copper badge with the style of
a tribal tattoo students got in Magaluf > VERDICT
It’s good but offers no reason to avoid the obvious
Golf R
LEON
> Much to the amusement of tyre manufacturers
everywhere, the front-wheel-drive Leon Cupra now
has 297bhp. GTI who? > VERDICT Ballistic, and
best bought with a manual transmission
DACIASANDERO
> Cheapest new car on sale, not the worst. Yoghurt-
pot plastics and pre-Glasnost styling can’t detract
from a spacious sub-six-grand runabout with
Renault engines, if that’s where your priorities rest
> VERDICT Austerity rocks. Right, Greece?
LOGAN
> Estate looks like a Sandero that’s reversed into
a phone box. Cavernous boot, but dreadfully
unrefined thanks to all the brittle plastic and tin
> VERDICT You put things in it. It will carry them
for you. You can take them out. Job done, at a
very low price
DUSTER
> It’s just had a major overhaul, which in
Dacia terms is akin to creosoting the shed and
tacking the roof felt down, but still a hardy 4x4 for
low-budget mud-pluggers and family folk; front-
wheel-drive versions keep costs ridiculously low
> VERDICT Like Crocs but way, WAY cooler
DSDS 3 HATCH/CABRIO
> Best-selling DS gets robo-croc snout and Apple
CarPlay as standard but ‘premium’ claims got
lost in translation > VERDICT The Gallic charm is
wearing thin
DS 7 CROSSBACK (^) interior and plenty of technology fitted as standard, > France’s idea of a premium SUV. Sharp-looking
but from some angles it looks like an Audi Q5 in
half-baked drag > VERDICT Neatly done, but not
quite there. Expect plenty more from DS very soon
ELEMENTAL
RP1
As expensive as a used Porsche Cayman GT4,
more refined than any Caterham – and a weapon on
track > VERDICT Crazy, but worth it
FERRARI
488 GTB
We were worried the turbos would ruin it, but
the 488 is more playful and even easier to drive. A
stunning achievement > VERDICT The looks grow
on you after a while. Rivals better dust off their
gracious-loser faces
488 PISTA
(^) technologically clever even Ferrari’s own test > It wasn’t going to be crap, was it? So
drivers recommend leaving the traction control
switched on. Every bit as good to drive as it looks
VERDICT The ultimate Ferrari road car right now,
and it’s a V8
PORTOFINO
The transformation from California to Portofino
works a treat. It’s sweeter, sharper and more
practical, if ultimately lacking focus > VERDICT
Measurably better than the Cali in every way
812 SUPERFAST
Proof that Ferrari can still make truly epic GT
cars that fly the naturally aspirated V12 flag with
pride. The screaming 800hp engine is matched by
laser-guided handling > VERDICT GT? Supercar?
Astounding
GTC4 LUSSO/T
Two-door shooting brake looks like a Z3 M
Coupe battered by a giant spatula but thoroughly
capable all-wheel drive machine. V8-powered
Lusso T nudges price below distressing £200k
barrier VERDICT Closest Ferrari has got to an SUV
(but not for long)
FIAT
TIPO
Fiat has another crack at the C-segment, this time
sensibly playing the value card. Dull, yet still the
best Fiat hatch since the last Tipo – and that dates
from 1988 > VERDICT Only consider buying Fiats
with numbers, not names
124
Mazda MX-5’s step-sister, seemingly intent on
undermining said darling hairdresser’s star turn
with its punchier 1.4 turbo blow-dryer. Awkward
style, for an Italian > VERDICT To drive, this is the
MX-5 you’ve been waiting for
PANDA
Spacious city car with ‘squircle’ obsession, as roly-
poly as its blobby looks suggest. Two-pot TwinAir
willing but thirsty > VERDICT VW Up costs less,
drives better and is nicer inside
500/C
Delicate job, modernising a retro cash cow.
Fiat’s approach pairs a korma-grade facelift with
updated tech and even more colour palette kitsch
VERDICT Fashion victims rejoice! The cupholders
actually work now
500L
Bloated supermini-sized people carrier,
desperately attempting to cash in on city car’s chic.
Seldom has the point been so massively missed
VERDICT In-car coffee machine option the only
purchase excuse
500X
Compact crossover is the Arnie of the 500 range
- limited in its range of abilities, but rather likeable
VERDICT Worthy Nissan Juke alternative works
the 500 thing well, especially after recent facelift,
new engines and cabin tech upgrade
QUBO/DOBLO
Postman Pat’s wheels? No. Pat’s long since
retired to the Caribbean, where he’s living off the
royalties and drives a red Bentley > VERDICT Van-
based MPVs. Practicality first, people second
FORD
KA+
> Hits the city car target bang-on by being the
complete opposite of the old Ka (good to drive,
decently spacious), but misses by being less sexy
than Borat. And Plus? Plus what? > VERDICT Ahead
of its time, and in danger of being overshadowed
by newer arrivals, but still pretty good
B-MAX
> B-pillar-free Fiesta-based mini-MPV gets rear
sliding doors for maximum practicality but not the
sliding rear seats of some rivals. Firm ride
> VERDICT Buy with a 1.0 EcoBoost triple and Zetec
trim for maximum school-run fun
FIESTA
> Still a peach to drive and now has an interior that
isn’t from the Dark Ages, even if material quality is
still a bit iffy. ST-Line version is suitably sporty but
Vignale too expensive to justify > VERDICT You can
thank the heavens they haven’t ruined it
FIESTA ST
> Even less mad to look at than before and one
cylinder down, but one of the biggest hot hatch
bargains around. Fast, fun to drive and won’t wind
you up something fierce > VERDICT Buy one. You
won’t regret it
FOCUS
> Looks derivative but under the skin lies a compact
family car that’s great to drive. Ford is still throwing
plenty of chips the hatchback’s way > VERDICT The
spirit of the Mk1 is almost back
MONDEO HATCH/ESTATE
> Huge space and you can even have the plucky
little 1.0 EcoBoost engine > VERDICT Everybody
wants them new-fangled SUVs these days, but this
is a fine family car
KUGA
> The best-handling mid-sized crossover, but
French and Swedish interiors are leagues ahead
> VERDICT If you must
EDGE
> Looks good and drives like a Ford – a big,
ponderous Ford, hamstrung by 2.0 diesels and
slower than continental drift > VERDICT Comfy,
refined, irrelevant amid premium rivals
ECOSPORT
> despite being crap first time round. We’re more Ford’s half-arsed stab at a crossover sold in droves
comfortable recommending the current version,
since it now looks half decent and isn’t built out of
melted wheelie bins > VERDICT Better, but still isn’t
the best
C-MAX/GRAND C-MAX
> More a roomier Focus than full-blown MPV,
C-Max delivers driving pleasure to blot out family
pain. Seven-seat Grand version gets rear sliding
doors > VERDICT Rivals are roomier, but none is
better to drive
S-MAX
> Exploits latest Mondeo’s undercrackers to full
effect. Pricey, but still the best of the seven-seaters
to drive. Toys include electric everything and
speed-correcting cruise control > VERDICT Harder
to beat than FC Barcelona
MUSTANG
>crash Sub-optimal interior quality and still thirsty, but the ratings are no longer embarrassing. Sounds
great, bags of character, and a lot of fun to drive even
if you think you don’t like this sort of thing
> VERDICT Go manual V8 with sports exhaustThe Good, the Bad & the Ugly