Motor Australia — January 2018

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

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