50 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 3 1 JULY 2019

Range Rover Velar

A three-and-a-half-star road test verdict wasn’t a promising fanfare for Land Rover’s

most overtly metropolitan model, subconsciously compounding reservations about a

style-centric Range Rover sprung from Jaguar underpinnings. But at least half a star had

been shed by the test car’s underwhelming 237bhp diesel engine – a failing remedied by

the 296bhp petrol four-pot powering the Velar I spent a fortnight with last summer. It was quick, it

handled and it was comfortable. Moreover, it did things off road I would never have anticipated –

certainly more than almost anyone would need. It’s currently the Land Rover that would fit my life

better than any other. RW

I GOT IT

WRONG

Porsche Cayenne

I was a Cayenne sceptic. I couldn’t work

out why Porsche had bothered, which

explains why I am not a product planner

or in marketing. I thought it was a bit

pointless and not very pretty. Then I bought an old

one. After the passing of quite a few years – 17, I

think – I have to say it really is quite handsome. A

high-rised 996-generation 911 is not a bad thing.

That V8 makes a wonderful noise, it is pin sharp on

the road and there is a ton of space in that great big

boot. A practical Porsche. Brilliant. JR

No one gets it right all the time, not even our crack

team, who confess their worst errors of judgement

BMW Z3 M

It’s not so much that I got it wrong at the

time, more a case of realising now that

although it was f lawed, it was almost the

l a s t of a br e e d. O r, t o put it mor e si mpl y, i f

it was made new today, we’d all love it. I’m talking

about BMW’s Z3 M Roadster. A simple car with

hardly any electronics, and a lovely straight-six

e n g i ne w it h mor e t h a n e nou g h p e r for m a nc e.

It looked way better than the standard car thanks

to blown-out wheel arches and wide rims. The

chassis wasn’t brilliant and the steering a bit soggy.

If you own one today, I’d suspect you love it. CG

Porsche 911

When I was new to this game, I

struggled with the appeal of a car that,

conceptually, was deeply f lawed. We

don’t think about the 911’s seriously

unhelpful weight distribution much now, because

Porsche long ago defeated the urge of its rear-hung

powerpack to initiate unwanted gyrations. Back

in the mid-1980s, said f lat six could quite easily tip

the 911 into a spin if you were rashly indelicate with

throttle, wheel and a bend. And if you braked hard

while travelling downhill on a wet road, a lock-up

might follow. It was an intimidating car. I didn’t

realise you had to master the 911, this the key to its

appeal. I do now. RBr