What a Car - UK - (2020-04)

(Antfer) #1

whatcar.com^ April 2020 17


Mercedes-BenzCLArivalgoes


bigonstyleattheexpense


ofsomepracticality Onsale


MarchPricefrom£25,


YOUCANTHINKoftheBMW 2 SeriesGran


Coupéasthe 1 Serieshatchback’sattractive
cousin.Thetwocarsareextremelyclosely

relatedanddifferonlyreallyinlooksandthe


spaceonofferintherearandintheboot.
Undertheskin,theonlynotablechangeisa

slightlysoftersuspensiontuning,tocaterfor
theNorthAmericanandAsianmarketswhere

the 1 Seriesisn’toffered.Thedifferenceinride


quality,though,isslight,whichmeansthe
2 SeriesGranCoupéoffersa

firmbutverywell-controlled


ridethatalwaysstaysonthe
rightsideofcomfortable.It

helpstomakethecarvery


stableonthemotorway,too.
Ithandleswiththesame

precisionasthe 1 Series,with
excellentbodycontroland

alert,directsteering.Ithas


alsoinheritedameasured,
precisefeel,whichmakes

the 2 SeriesGranCoupéa


Comfortableandgoodto


drive,buttherakishroofmeans


thatrearheadroomis poor


S AY S


moreentertainingcaronatwistyroadthanthe


Mercedes-BenzCLA,thiscar’sclosestrival.
Achoiceofthreeengineswillbeavailableat

launch,startingwitha138bhp218ipetroland


toppingoutwiththe302bhpfour-wheel-drive
M235i.Betweenthemisthe220ddiesel,which

isstrong,quietonthemotorwayandfrugal.
Mostbuyerswilloptforthe218i,though.

Theinteriorupfrontisidenticaltothatof


the 1 Series,withhigh-qualitymaterials,a
durablefeelandanexcellent

infotainmentsystemmade


upofatouchscreenand
rotarydialcontroller.It’s

alsoworthpointingoutthat


AppleCarPlaynowcomes
withalifetimesubscription

andAndroidAutowillarrive
inJunewithanimpressive-

soundingintegrationthat


usestheinfotainment
screen,driverdisplayand

head-upunit.


Thedownsideofthesleekexterioristhat


therearseatsaren’tcomfortableforadults.Leg
roomisasgenerousasitisinthe 1 Series,but

adultssittingupstraightwillhavetowedge
theirheadagainsttheroof.Thebootactually

hasaslightlylargercapacitythanthatofthe


1 Series,butanarroweropeninglimitsits
properload-haulingability.

GenerouslyequippedSportandMSport


trimsareoffered,withpricesthatundercut
theCLA’sacrosstheline-up.Overall,then,this

doesn’tfeellikeacynicalmovetocashinon
somedifferentglobalcarmarkets;it’sagood

carinitsownright.


Price £33,
Engine 4cyl,1995cc,diesel
Power 188bhp@4000rpm
Torque 295lbft @1750-2500rpm
Gearbox 8-spdautomatic
0-62mph 7.5sec
Topspeed 146mph
Economy 57.6mpg(combined)
CO 2 , taxband129g/km(WLTP),33%

BMW2 SeriesGranCoupé
220dM Sport

BUYER’SFILE


Yes,it’sexpensive, but the


return of six cylinders is


worth every penny


S AY S


Porsche 718 Boxster GTS


ITTAKESGUTStoadmityouwerewrong.
WhichPorschehasn’tdone,exactly,but

inproducingasix-cylinderBoxsterGTS,it


certainlyappearstohavemadeaspectacular
U-turn.Aftertellingusemissions-busting

smaller-capacityfour-cylinderturbocharged


engineswerethewayforward,theconsensus
isthat,intherealworld,theyaren’tanymore

efficientandruintheBoxsterexperience–
soundinglikeawashingmachinespin-drying

ballbearings.Happily,then,we’rebackto4.


litres,sixcylindersandnaturalaspiration,
courtesyofthelatestBoxsterSpyder’sengine.

IthasbeendetunedfortheGTSbutstill


produces49bhpmorethanthe2.5-litre
turbochargedfour-cylinderBoxsterS.TheGTS

alsohasbiggerbrakes,sports


suspension(20mmlower)
andsportierstyling.So,does

thatmakeitwortharound
£10,000morethantheS?

Well,theheartofasports


carisitsengine,andthisone
isadorableandbetterthan

theS’sineveryrespect.It’s


Price £67,
Engine 6cyl,3995cc,petrol
Power 394bhp@ 7000rpm
Torque 310lbft @ 5000-6500rpm
Gearbox 6-spdmanual
0-62mph 4.5sec
Topspeed 182mph
Fueleconomy 25.9mpg(combined)
CO 2 , taxband 247g/km(WLTP),37%

Porsche 718 BoxsterGTS


BUYER’S FILE


smoother, better balanced and, despite lacking


a turbo, every bit as driveable.
There’s plenty of low-end shove for rolling

easily in sixth, but when the traffic parts,


there’s that classic crescendo to savour, as the
power builds and builds and builds until just

below 8000rpm – when it’s time to snick the
next gear with the stubby, slick gearlever. Most

of all, though, there’s the noise. The GTS oozes


satisfyingly complex notes, which morph in
tone and timbre with every rise or fall in revs.

It’s addictive fun.


There’s little difference in
handling between the S and

the GTS, and the only car that


gets close to matching their
excellent steering, balance

and agility is the Alpine
A110 S – although that’s not

quite a match for comfort or


interior quality. But neither
the S nor A110 has this

engine, which is like watching


Jaws in 2D, rather than 3D:
the same storyline, but much less immersive.

So, if you have less than £60k, the best sports
car remains an A110; but if your budget can

stretch, celebrate U-turns with a Boxster GTS.


Uprated version of Porsche’s sports car benets from having a


new394bhpsix-cylinderengine On sale Now Price from £ 67, 819


BMW 2 Series


Gran Coupé


FIRST DRIVE


John Howell
[email protected]

Doug Revolta


[email protected]

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