2019 Volvo V60 Cross Country review

BACK IN the day Volvo estates were big boxy lumps that could swallow everything and the kitchen sink. Synonymous with Volvo, they were safe, dependable, comfortable. But not what you’d call desirable.

Volvo has undergone a huge transformation in recent years, turning out the likes of the big, stylish XC90 SUV and its smaller sibling, the XC40, that, well, just looks cool. Striking exterior design, Scandinavian minimalism on the inside and its usual quality throughout, Volvo is making genuinely alluring alternatives to the German mainstream SUV.

But Volvo hasn’t forgotten its estate car heritage and last year relaunched the new V60, the load-lugging version of the S60 saloon. The V60 combined all the things you’d expect in a Volvo estate — big boot, comfy seats, extensive safety kit — with much more aspirational qualities, such as stunning looks and cutting-edge technology.

The V60 has now been given Volvo’s “Cross Country” makeover, which means it sits 60mm higher than the standard estate and has charcoal wheel extensions and sill mouldings to make it look more rugged.

It’s not all show, however; as well as the extra ground clearance the V60 Cross Country comes with hill descent control and four-wheel drive, with a special electronically-controlled off-road mode when driving under 25mph, which optimises the engine speed, transmission and all-wheel-drive for slippery surfaces. So while it might not be the car in which to cross deserts, pulling a caravan across a muddy campsite without getting stuck shouldn’t be a problem.

For now, it only comes with a 190hp, twin-turbo 2-litre diesel engine (a 2-litre petrol is expected to join the line up later in 2019, and Volvo has committed to having a hybrid or pure-electric version of every new car launched from this year), but the oil-burner is ideal for hauling that caravan. The smooth eight-speed automatic gearbox makes for relaxing progress while the suspension, adapted from standard V60 to suit the more off-roady Cross Country, focuses more on comfort than sportiness.

The rest of the car is pretty much the same as the V60 estate, which is no bad thing. The interior, as mentioned, is minimalist Scandi-chic, with most physical buttons stripped away in favour of Volvo’s Sensus touchscreen infotainment system.

Its portrait style layout makes the touchscreen stand out from most of the competition but it’s trickier to use when driving than the fixed-wheel rotary dial you get in an Audi. Still, the big screen makes the V60’s cabin feel modern and it’s complemented by a crisp, clear digital instrument display behind the steering wheel.

It’s a bit of a shame that a leather interior is an option rather than standard on a car that costs the best part of nearly £40,000. Apart from that, the car is well equipped, with a good sound system, comfortable seats, an automatic tailgate and parking sensors.

Of course, there are a couple of option packs that catch the eye. The Intellisafe Pro pack (£1,625) comes with a host of innovative safety tech — part of the car maker’s pledge that no one will be killed in a new Volvo car by 2020. And the Xenium pack (£1,800) gets a 360-degree parking camera and a Park Assist function, which takes the stress out of parking.

The all-important boot can take up to 529 litres of stowage with the seats up, and that increases to 1,441 litres when you fold the rear seats down. All this means you should have plenty of room to pack your kit when you go skiing or whatever out-doorsy pursuits you follow that requires a plush 4×4 estate.

And that comes to the nub of this car. Estate cars aren’t as fashionable as SUVs these days, and a posh estate with SUV-style cladding and four-wheel-drive is a niche within a niche. If you want a premium estate car that is fairly capable off-road, then the Volvo V60 Cross Country is likely to tick most of your boxes. We reckon most people will still want an XC90, ’60 or ’40, though. And if you don’t need four-wheel drive, why look any further than the standard V60?

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Volvo V60 Cross Country rivals

Click to see how much you could save at carwow

Audi A4 allroad

Subaru Outback

Skoda Octavia Scout

The post 2019 Volvo V60 Cross Country review appeared first on Sunday Times Driving.

source https://www.driving.co.uk/car-reviews/first-drive/2019-volvo-v60-cross-country-review/

The Richard Porter Review: 2019 Volkswagen Touareg

JEREMY Clarkson was supposed to review this car for The Sunday Times a few weeks ago but he “literally couldn’t be bothered”, so here’s the supply teacher to have a crack. Please don’t stick a rude sign on my back while I’m writing on the blackboard.

Jeremy’s real reason for not covering the Volkswagen Touareg SUV was that he couldn’t think of much to say about it, and you can see his problem, because it’s so inoffensive. This is a nice car, and as the Liverpudlian comedian Alexei Sayle once pointed out, nothing should be described as “nice” apart from biscuits.

I was going to tell you all the things that are good about the top-of-the-range Touareg I drove, but it would be quicker to start with what’s wrong.

Here goes. As with many modern cars, it has a lane guidance system that gently nudges the steering to keep you within the white lines on motorways. It’s quite annoying, being inconsistent and intrusive and occasionally prone to a floaty sensation that makes you fear the big round thing in front of you has become detached from the two big round things underneath.

As a result, and if you’re confident of your ability to steer a car, you will turn it off only to discover that it switches itself on again every time you start the engine. You soon learn the two button presses that kill the system, so let’s file this under “minor inconveniences”.

Other things not to like. I found the grille rather chintzy and the rest of the exterior styling a little busy in the current VW mould, which favours masses of lines and creases to show off the prowess of its panel-pressing machines, even though it ends up looking as if the styling sketches were attacked by a toddler.

Oh, and ideally I’d like it to ride bumps a little more softly. There’s a Comfort mode for the (optional) air suspension, which sits below the setting labelled Normal, as if it’s not a normal human desire to be comfortable, but it could be cushier still.

The suspension has a Comfort mode, which sits below the setting labelled Normal, as if it’s not a normal human desire to be comfortable

And that’s about it. Otherwise the Touareg is a large, practical, user-friendly car that would fit neatly into your life without annoying you or attracting too much attention.

Here are some other good things about it. It feels well made. It’s a big old bus yet it can clip along nicely, soaring along A-roads and joining motorways at a confident stride.

It’s got all the latest tech, including virtual instruments and a massive, glossy central screen, and this makes it feel bang up to date. For the most part the screen is easy to navigate and flits between functions with crisp efficiency.

You may notice that, as a result of its faith in touchscreen controls, VW has eliminated most of the physical buttons from the dashboard, but it has sensibly left a column of virtual icons down the side of the screen. Some of these operate mundane but necessary things such as the heated rear window, and some can be programmed to your preferred function, though sadly not to override that distracting lane assist function.

The good thing about that stack of virtual buttons is that it’s there whatever else the screen may be showing, which means setting maximum demisting or cancelling the stop-start system doesn’t demand a tiresome journey through several submenus. So that’s nice. It’s all nice. Sorry to say it again, but this is a nice car.

Yes, yes, you reply, but I’ve just noticed the price, and it’s £58,000 for a bloody Volkswagen. Crikey, it had better be nice for that amount of money. At this point I’m going to have to look at my shoes and mutter with embarrassment that the car I tested had several options, including crisp white “premium” paint for an extra £1,780, and that its total price was £72,975, and … oh, look, now you’ve laughed and walked off.

But wait — don’t go yet. I haven’t told you about the Touareg’s interesting selling point. It’s the same underneath as a Bentley Bentayga and a Lamborghini Urus, the former starting at £136,000 and the latter at £160,000. In that context the 58-grand VW starts to sound like one of those 10-quid bottles of Co-op malbec that make an upstart appearance in a wines-of-the-year list.

Pricey? Well, it’s the same underneath as a Bentley Bentayga and a Lamborghini Urus, the former starting at £136,000 and the latter at £160,000

The Touareg isn’t as aggressively sporty as a Bentayga or a Urus to drive, nor is its interior as lavishly appointed, but it’s certainly not less than half as good, despite being less than half the price.

You could argue that if you buy a Touareg you’re getting a VW that’s been engineered like a Bentley. Or you could say that if you buy a Bentayga you’re getting a Bentley that’s engineered like a VW.

Either way, the smart buyer would accept that all SUVs are just tall, fat hatchbacks, save themselves a few quid and get the cheaper one. It’s something you should bear in mind before you turn your nose up at the VW badge and head straight for your nearest Audi, Porsche, Bentley or Lamborghini dealer.

If you’re not too picky about the badge on the front, the Volkswagen will do very nicely. It may have triggered a fit of boredom in Jeremy Clarkson, but it’s still a very nice car.

Richard Porter is script editor of The Grand Tour. This article first appeared in The Sunday Times.

 

Carwow VW Touareg video review

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Head to head

Volkswagen Touareg vs Volvo XC90

	Volkswagen Touareg R-Line Tech 3.0 TDI 4MOTION 286PS 8-spd Auto Tiptronic	Volvo XC90 Inscription D5 PowerPulse AWD
Price	£58,195	£56,310
Power	282bhp	235bhp
Torque	443lb-ft @ 2,250rpm	354lb-ft @ 1,750rpm
0-62mph	6.2sec	7.8sec
Top speed	146mph	137mph
Economy (new WLTP test)	32.8-34.0mpg	35.8mpg
CO2 (old NEDC test)	173g/km	158g/km

The post The Richard Porter Review: 2019 Volkswagen Touareg appeared first on Sunday Times Driving.

source https://www.driving.co.uk/car-reviews/richard-porter-review-2019-volkswagen-touareg/

Twin test: Nissan Qashqai vs Hyundai Tucson

IF YOU think the roads are awash with mid-size crossovers, blame the Nissan Qashqai. More than three million of the jacked-up hatchback have rolled off the production line in Sunderland since Qashqai’s launch in 2007, with it quickly establishing itself as the UK and Europe’s favourite car of this type.

In the early days, there weren’t many contenders – the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V had been on the scene for 10 years or so – but the Qashqai became the real runaway success story, helping explode the crossover segment (SUVs based on more traditional car platforms). These days, almost every car maker has a crossover on sale to fill every possible niche.

So what’s the appeal? Raised height is the major selling point, which not only helps in stepping over speed bumps, potholes and off-road hurdles but also makes for a more commanding view of the road.

The Qashqai’s particular and continued success is harder to explain. Not that’s it’s a bad car – far from it, as you’ll see below – but with so much excellent competition these days, why is it still the UK’s best-selling crossover? Is it the Made in Britain factor? The keen pricing, perhaps? Or maybe its practicality, safety, fuel efficiency or comfort?

To find out, we pitted a highly-specced Qashqai against a similarly feature-packed rival, the Hyundai Tucson. Both were petrol-powered, because these days diesel cars are about as welcome outside the school gates as a cigarette stand.

So, Qashqai or Tucson: which would you buy? Read on for our thoughts.

 

2018 Nissan Qashqai

Words: James Allen

Even though the Qashqai is one of the oldest cars in its class (this version, albeit facelifted in 2017, first went on sale in February 2014), the five-seater SUV is still one of the UK’s best-selling new cars – last year Nissan shifted 50,546 of them, making it the fourth most popular car overall. It even outsold the Ford Focus (just).

After spending a week with the Qashqai in near top-spec Tekna trim, I can see the appeal.

The Qashqai’s cabin is a pleasant place in which to spend time, and while the interior does feature some cheap-feeling plastics, they’re mainly relegated to out-of-sight areas such as around the door sills.

Most of the materials you’ll see or touch when driving are either pleasant faux leather or soft-touch plastic. We also liked the material inserts in the seat squabs and backrests, which help keep you in place through the turns and improve breathability.

The Qashqai’s cabin isn’t faultless, mind you. Personally, I’d have liked the Nissan to be a little less monochrome inside (not that the Tucson is the bastion of bright and colourful interior design), and having the touchscreen and many of the centre console controls well below the driver’s line of sight can be quite a pain when you haven’t yet figured out what all the buttons do.

And while the new NissanConnect touchscreen (introduced at the end of last year) still lags behind much of the competition in terms of design, it is at least responsive and straightforward-to-navigate, and comes with TomTom navigation and over-the-air updates. Like the Tucson, it will also run Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, and the Bose stereo on our test car was a level above that of the Tucson, in my opinion, with a clear and bassy sound.

While the Qashqai isn’t the roomiest car in this class (at 401 litres, its boot is quite a bit smaller than the Tucson’s class-leading 513 litres), the load area is still a decent size, with the wide opening and shallow boot lip making it easy to slide more cumbersome gear in and out, and the flat floor section can be removed or used as dividers, to stop shopping rolling around.

The rest of the cabin’s pretty accommodating too. Though our car’s door pockets were limited somewhat, due to the large Bose speakers, Qashqai claws back ground on the practicality front by offering a good amount of space for occupants: the panoramic sunroof fitted to the test car adds thickness to the roof lining, but even so, six-footers in the front and back can sit comfortably without their heads brushing the top. Even taller folk in the rear seats should also have good amounts of leg and knee room – assuming there aren’t especially lofty people in the driver’s and front passenger seat.

Out on the road, the Qashqai proved a decent motorway cruiser, with low noise levels in the cabin bar a bit of wind whistle around the front pillars, but also a delight in town thanks to light steering and a not-too-firm low speed ride. Yes, it could do with some more feel through the wheel and the auto box was a little dithering, but this isn’t meant to be a sports car; it’s a comfortable family hauler.

What really stood out in our test was the impressively efficient engine. The 1.3-litre turbocharged petrol motor in our test car produces 158bhp (you can opt for a less powerful version of the same motor, too), and while it didn’t have quite the low-down shove of the Hyundai’s 1.6-litre engine, it’s got enough grunt over 2,000rpm and is good to tow 1,500kg.

And the Nissan wiped the floor with the Hyundai on fuel economy. Over a mix of A-road, motorway and stop/start town driving, I averaged 38mpg – not too far off the car’s official 40mpg under the new, tougher WLTP test. Will could only get a piddling 30mpg out of the Hyundai.

What’s more, the 158bhp petrol engine has an impressively low tax bill: with CO2 emissions of 131g/km under the old NEDC cycle (which, confusingly, will still be used to determine UK car tax rates until WLTP replaces it in April 2020), the Nissan specified as you see here will set you back £205 in the first year. In comparison, Will’s 175bhp petrol-powered Hyundai Tucson will cost you a whopping £830 in year one.

So, while Qashqai might not dazzle in the way that some of the newer crossovers do, Nissan is still building one of the most complete and compelling crossover packages. There’s nothing fancy about the Qashqai’s tried-and-tested formula; it’s simply good, like a trusty hoody in a world of floral shirts, or comfort food in a world of haute cuisine. And who wouldn’t eat fish and chips every day, if they could?

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2019 Hyundai Tucson

Words: Will Dron

Move over grandad. The ageing Qashqai is the crossover equivalent of vanilla – popular, yes, but exciting, no. The Tucson, by comparison, is a double caramel Magnum.

Okay, Hyundai might not be the sexiest brand you can think of but its latest models have much more wow factor than in years past, and the new Tucson, which went on sale last July, stopped us in our tracks when it was delivered. SUVs mostly look the same, let’s be honest, but with its gigantic grille, sharp creases along the doors and distinctive 19in alloys (standard on this flagship “Premium SE” version), the Tucson is one of the better-looking models on sale. The “Fiery Red” paintwork was rather eye-catching compared with the cool blue Nissan, too.

The Tucson’s rear end is less distinctive, I’ll admit – the Qashqai has a more modern-looking rear light cluster – but it’s far from unattractive.

And inside, quality abounds. Its dashboard isn’t going to impress Mercedes or Audi drivers, and you couldn’t call its layout or colour scheme bold, but there is solidity to the build and a good mix of materials, including a stitched faux leather insert running the width of the dash below the 8in touchscreen, and chrome air vent surrounds.

Speaking of the touchscreen (available on SE Nav models and above), it’s the tech that really impresses on the Tucson. The screen is bright and clear, and positioned handily high up, near the driver’s line of sight. Importantly, it runs Android Auto or Apple Carplay, depending on your smartphone allegiances.

We were also amazed to find not only that four of the five seats are heated in Premium SE Tucsons (the rear seats even have two levels of heat) but that both front seats have a cooling mode, too.

Ventilated seats are something that not so long ago could only be found in Bentleys, Rolls-Royces and top Mercedes, and seemed rather extravagant even in those luxury cars. Now you can refrigerate your bottom in a Hyundai crossover, and on a hot day it’s an absolute blessing. Even the glovebox is chilled, for goodness sake.

At this time of year, a heated steering wheel is most welcome, and our test car had that, too. If you’ve never experienced one before, trust me when I say they can make dark early morning commutes vaguely acceptable.

And the spec list continues: electrically-adjusted front seats; auto-dimming rear view mirror; automatic headlight dipping; rain-sensing wipers; panoramic (and opening) sunroof; adaptive cruise control with lane-keeping; surround view parking cameras; wireless phone charging; blind-spot warning; auto emergency braking; a 12v socket in the (capacious, 513-litre) boot.

But it was the little things that really got our attention. The leather-effect knee bolster under the steering wheel, for example, or the digital compass display in the corner of the rear-view mirror.

There were also air vents and a 12v socket for the rear passengers, which is handy for charging iPads or running headrest DVD players – even the top specification Tekna+ Qashqai doesn’t have these conveniences.

And we also noticed that the rear ISOFIX point covers in the Tucson are hinged and spring-loaded, rather than designed to be removed and stored god-knows-where (then lost).

On the downside, James is right to point out that the Hyundai’s 175bhp petrol engine proved less fuel efficient than the Nissan’s 158bhp equivalent – the Tucson we tested is rated at 34.9mpg in the new WLTP test but I averaged just over 30mpg; James managed 38.1mpg. What’s more, the Tucson’s CO2 emissions of 173g/km mean a costly first year tax bill (see above).

But then again, my Tucson was fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox, while the Qashqai had an auto ‘box, so it’s not exactly a fair comparison (automatics are often more fuel-efficient than manuals these days). Get this Tucson with the DCT auto transmission and CO2 drops to 160g/km, which is £515 for the first year in tax. Thereafter, both cars cost the same, under the current rule: £140 per year.

The engine was also noticeably stronger than the Qashqai’s, with power coming in earlier in the rev range, while the steering felt sportier and the ride more composed – the Continental tyres seemed to be slightly thicker in profile than the Qashqai’s Michelins. I’d still recommend asking for 18in wheels on either car, as larger alloys mean lower profile tyres, resulting in a harsher ride.

Of course, we need look at pricing, too. The Hyundai Tucson Premium SE with this engine starts at £29,945 on-the-road, but with the options fitted our test car will set you back £30,410. The automatic version costs an extra £1,600, but you get slightly improved fuel economy (35.8mpg on the WLTP cycle) and the £315 first year tax saving, as pointed out above.

Meanwhile, a Nissan Qashqai in Tekna trim starts at £26,895 (Tekna+ starts at £28,095) but James’s test car, with auto transmission and the options fitted, is priced at £30,640.

All things considered, I know which one I’d choose.

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Head to head

Nissan Qashqai vs Hyundai Tucson

	Nissan Qashqai Tekna+ 1.3 DIG-T 160PS 2WD DCT	Hyundai Tucson Premium SE 1.6 T-GDi 177PS 2WD DCT
Price	£30,645	£31,245
Power	158bhp	175bhp
Torque	199lb-ft	195lb-ft
Acceleration (0-62mph)	9.9sec	8.9sec
Top speed	123mph	125mph
Fuel economy (WLTP)	40.1/40.7mpg (min/max)	35.8mpg (combined)
CO2 emissions (NEDC)	131g/km	160g/km
First-year tax rate	£205	£515
Towing capacity (braked/ unbraked)	1,500kg/ 695kg	1,600kg/ 750kg
Boot space (rear seats up/ down)	401 litres/ 1,569 litres	513 litres/ 1,503 litres

The post Twin test: Nissan Qashqai vs Hyundai Tucson appeared first on Sunday Times Driving.

source https://www.driving.co.uk/car-reviews/twin-test-nissan-qashqai-vs-hyundai-tucson/

The James May Review: 2019 Alpine A110

EVERY time I open the garage door and see my Alpine A110, I feel a slight frisson of annoyance. I’ve never liked retro styling on modern cars, simply because it never quite works.

The design language of a former era doesn’t square with modern legislative requirements — crashworthiness, mainly — so, like other retro cars such as the Ford Mustang, Fiat 500 and Alfa Romeo 4C, the Alpine looks a bit like a classic car that’s been turned into a novelty computer mouse. Or perhaps a car-shaped comfort blanket for people who can’t move on.

But move on we must. I never drive old cars — by which I mean anything made before this century — because on the whole they are a huge disappointment, except in two regards: they are smaller and lighter than modern equivalents. Famous examples include the Volkswagen Golf, the Porsche 911 and the “entry-level” Rolls-Royce.

While it is true that smallness and lightness in old cars tend to translate into instant death in an accident, when combined with 21st-century engineering these attributes confer remarkable benefits. We’ll come on to those in a minute.

The French-made Alpine is, per se, not a radical idea. It’s a mid-engined, two-seat sports car. The layout has obvious disadvantages, most notably in rear visibility and luggage space, but it immediately renders a car magical because of the way it enhances driving dynamics. In that respect, the Alpine bears comparison to my Ferrari 458 Speciale.

The Ferrari is more beautiful, because the maker has always styled cars for their day, which is why they become classics. It is also a lot more powerful, with almost 600bhp against the French upstart’s 248bhp. The Fezza has a V8, the Alpine a hot-hatch four-pot. The 458 is naturally aspirated, but the Alpine is turbocharged, which immediately elicits cries of despair from those people who can’t move on.

More important than any of this is that the Alpine is almost 300kg lighter than the Ferrari, which in layman’s terms is like removing a Harley-Davidson Fat Boy from the boot.

It’s a sad fact that most current supercars are too wide to be enjoyed in the environment where they should be at their best, which is a winding back road

It’s interesting to note that the weight difference between the Alpine and the Ferrari is greater than the weight saving achieved by the 458 Speciale over the standard 458 Italia, which just goes to show that a truly lightweight car has to be designed that way from the start. It can’t be properly achieved with a few changes of material and throwing away the nice bits of interior trim.

This brings us to the optional physics bit.

Most people accept that low weight improves acceleration and fuel economy. What is less well understood is that the effects of excess weight are compounded in corners, which is where we seek our fun.

The best way I’ve devised for explaining all this is to imagine you’re holding a ladder, horizontally, at a point in the middle, and you try to turn round, as if you were in a rubbish Laurel and Hardy sketch and the far end of the ladder were going to clout the buttocks of a lady bending over to smell a flower.

Instinct tells you that it’s harder to turn around with a heavy old wooden ladder than it is with a lightweight aluminium one. This is because of so-called rotational inertia, which can be thought of as the reluctance of things to turn. Reducing the car’s weight is like swapping the wooden ladder for an aluminium one.

I could go on — and shall. Imagine you hang a large pot of paint at each end of your aluminium ladder. It becomes harder to turn again. But now hang the same two pots of paint in the middle, where your hand is holding the ladder. Now it’s easier to turn. The combined ladder and paint pots still weigh the same, but you are now feeling the benefits of mass centralisation, which is why the mid-engined layout exists: it moves the heavy bits (engine and occupants) towards the centre of the ladder, which is now a sports car and more wieldy as a result.

Having achieved the low weight, we can now, to bastardise the famous Colin Chapman quote, add smallness. The Alpine is almost 15½in shorter than the Ferrari and, more tellingly (since the width of the road is the issue, not the length), 6in narrower.

It’s a sad fact that most current supercars are too wide to be enjoyed in the environment where they should be at their best, which is a winding back road. Too many times the reverie of Ferrari ownership has been spoilt by having to wince my way between a medieval stone wall and an oncoming lorry.

But 6in is half a school ruler’s worth of extra space, and it’s all in the middle of the road, because you still drive with your nearside wheels in the same place relative to the kerb. The observed effect of the Alpine’s compactness is that the road is bigger, rather in the way that Richard Hammond has a larger house than most of us because he’s smaller.

From here on, the benefits of the Alpine’s ruthless size and weight paring come thick and fast. Less weight means a smaller engine, which takes up less space, aiding compactness. The tyres can now be more modest, which improves steering feel and makes the loss of grip more progressive. The brakes don’t need to be too big, so unsprung weight is reduced and the ride is improved. The fuel bills plummet and so do insurance costs. It goes on and on.

The Alpine’s compactness makes the road feel bigger in the same way that Hammond has a larger house than most of us because he’s smaller

The net result, as they say in the army, is a genuinely delightful car. It feels faster than it really is, because it’s so responsive. The interior is not as plush as a Porsche Cayman’s, but it avoids that depressing track-special aura felt in cars where weight-saving has been a desperate measure. It’s fully equipped and connected.

It’s also good humoured, despite being French and therefore a bit philosophical. My favourite feature is the digital gear display, which at night is anointed with tiny stars. As you change gears, the new numbers rush forward from deep space, like the Starship Enterprise coming out of warp drive.

Look, the 458 Speciale will mince the A110 round a circuit. Its top speed and 0 to 62mph figures are better. But the real world of blind bends, unknown roads and stuff coming the other way reminds us that cars are not spreadsheets; they are performative events, like music.

Of course the 458 is more magical — it’s a special-edition Ferrari, after all. It’s ultimately more exciting. But the Alpine is exciting more of the time.

Head to head

Ferrari 488 Pista vs Porsche 911 GT2 RS

	Alpine A110	Porsche 718 Cayman S
Price	£46,905	£53,030
Power	248bhp	345bhp
0-62mph	4.5sec	4.6sec
Top speed	155mph	177mph

Tweet to @MrJamesMay Follow @MrJamesMay

The post The James May Review: 2019 Alpine A110 appeared first on Sunday Times Driving.

source https://www.driving.co.uk/car-reviews/james-may-review-2019-alpine-a110/

2019 Kia ProCeed GT review

WHEN IT appeared in the UK in 2013, the first Kia Proceed GT – then known as the grammatically baffling Pro_Cee’d GT – was one of the very first performance models to appear from the South Korean manufacturer.

It was based on the humble Cee’d hatchback and looked fairly nondescript, besides a few red bits of trim, some fancy alloy wheels and a subtly tweaked bodykit.

Fast-forward six years, however, and the all-new ProCeed GT looks dramatically different to the rather unassuming Ceed GT. You’ll notice it sports a much longer back end, a sloping roofline and a rather elegant rear bumper with more than a hint of Porsche Panamera about it.

The fastest GT models sit lower than the standard ProCeed on larger alloy wheels and come decked out with plenty of contrasting red details on the sills, bumpers and peeking out through the car’s honeycomb front grille.

Step inside, however, and spotting what marks this sporty version out from the standard car is harder than finding Wally in a crowd of Sunderland FC supporters. Yes, the soft plastics, brushed metal-effect details and minimalist design are nice, but you get all this in a run-of-the-mill ProCeed diesel. The GT’s seats are more supportive though, and you get a bit of eye-catching red stitching, so it’s not all bad.

Things aren’t quite as comfy in the back. There’s just enough space for two six-footers to sit without touching the roof but the centre seat’s rather firm and carrying three adults abreast will present more problems than in the taller Ceed GT.

The longer ProCeed GT claws back plenty of points when it comes to boot space, though. It’s far more spacious than the likes of the VW Golf GTI and the Hyundai i30 Fastback N and its lower load height makes it much easier to pack heavy items.

It can’t quite match these cars in terms of outright pace, though. The Kia ProCeed GT’s 201hp 1.6-litre turbo petrol engine is perky enough, but it’s a far cry from the turbocharged 2-litre units you get in the likes of the Golf GTI and the i30 Fastback N. As a result, sprinting from 0-62mph takes a more leisurely 7.2 seconds and it doesn’t have quite the same in-gear shove you’ll find in these more torquey hot-hatches.

That’s not to say the Kia ProCeed GT is dull to drive – its pliant chassis and relatively supple suspension help it carve from one corner to the next without feeling overstretched. The steering is nicely weighted and the automatic gearbox responds relatively quickly to the manual paddles on the steering wheel.

Unfortunately, the synthesised engine noise that’s pumped through the ProCeed GT’s speakers in sports mode sounds more like the gurgle of ancient plumbing than a revvy four-cylinder thrum. And, you can’t get the ProCeed GT with the Ceed GT’s six-speed manual, so it doesn’t feel as involving to drive.

More of an issue, however, is how much the ProCeed GT costs. Sure, a VW Golf GTI will set you back almost £3,000 more than the £28,135 Kia, but a faster Hyundai i30N – which shares the ProCeed GT’s platform – can be had from less than £26,000.

For this reason, it’s best not to consider the Kia ProCeed GT as a true hot hatch. Rather it’s a practical family car that’s perky enough to enjoy the odd backroad blast.

Find out how much you could save on a Kia ProCeed GT at carwow

 

Kia ProCeed GT rivals

Hyundai i30 N (click to view at carwow)
Price £25,995

Volkswagen Golf GTI (click to view at carwow)
Price £30,695

The post 2019 Kia ProCeed GT review appeared first on Sunday Times Driving.

source https://www.driving.co.uk/car-reviews/first-drive/2019-kia-proceed-gt-review/

2019 Hyundai i30 Fastback N review

WHEN THE Hyundai i30 N hatchback was unveiled in 2016, car enthusiasts around the world collectively raised an eyebrow because, well… Hyundai hadn’t built a proper hot hatch before.

To everyone’s surprise (and delight), the i30 N turned out to be a great car, combining just the right amount of speed and usability, making it a great alternative to the benchmark VW Golf GTI.

After the successful launch of the hatch, it was only a matter of time before Hyundai applied the N treatment to other models in its line up. And here’s N model number two; still an i30, but this time in Fastback (coupé) form.

Looking at it from the front, you won’t notice any difference to the i30 N hatchback. It has the same aggressive yet understated look.

Moving around the side though, the overall shape of the i30 Fastback N is sleeker and altogether classier-looking than your humdrum hatchback. View the i30 Fastback N from the back and it’s pretty easy to spot the Mercedes C-class coupé design influence. The cheeky lip spoiler at the back completes a look that’s sporty but not as shouty as a Civic Type R, for example.

The classy-yet-sporty theme continues inside. Where a Renault Mégane RS tries to impress you with multi-coloured mood lighting and a red stripe on the steering wheel, the i30 Fastback N has a more mature overall look, without losing out on sporty touches such as its metal pedals and discrete red stitching.

Think of it as a BMW M interior from the early 2000s – to some it may look a tad underwhelming, but to others it might be a breath of fresh air among rivals that look like they’ve driven through a well-stocked branch of Halfords.

There is more to this comparison with BMW M than the interior – the person who is currently in charge of Hyundai research and development, and who is arguably directly responsible for the success of the N brand, was pinched straight from BMW’s sport division.

Albert Biermann joined BMW in 1983, just three years after BMW’s first proper M car, the M535i, and worked there for over 30 years, helping develop some of the most iconic M cars to come from the Bavarian brand.

He doesn’t seem to be slowing down because the i30 Fastback N is exactly the sort of car that you’d expect from an old-school performance car fan. Put simply, the Hyundai wants to impress you with its abilities rather than scare you, making it an incredibly easy car to drive fast.

Not only that, but the Hyundai seems to have all the performance features you’d want already fitted from the factory and not hidden somewhere down an endless options list. As standard you get the 275hp version of Hyundai’s 2.0-litre petrol engine, sticky P-Zero tyres wrapped around 21-inch alloy wheels, bigger brakes, a strengthening brace in the boot and a limited-slip front differential.

The latter is arguably the biggest reason for the i30 Fastback N’s performance because it gives you the sort of corner-exit grip that is impossible to achieve with a normal differential.

Compared to the hatchback, the N Fastback appears to have very similar performance, but in reality, everything in the N Fastback feels like it’s turned down a notch. That’s not to say it’s less engaging, but it simply doesn’t shout that it’s a sports car as much as the hatchback does. This means that the N Fastback can be fun and enjoyable in the most aggressive driving mode, but in comfort mode, it becomes a quieter and more relaxed motorway companion than the i30 N hatchback.

Now we come to the hard-to-swallow bit: the price. The Hyundai i30 Fastback N costs a little less than £30,000 and that puts it directly into VW Golf GTI territory. Compared to the Golf, the i30 Fastback N arguably looks more interesting but can’t match the VW on interior space or desirability.

Also, depending on your needs, you can spend a bit more money and get yourself a Honda Civic Type R which is on a whole new level when it comes to performance.

However, if the looks of the Civic are too much for you (and who’d blame you), the Hyundai i30 Fastback N remains a nice package of abilities wrapped in an eye-catching body.  

Find out how much you could save on a Hyundai i30 Fastback N at carwow

 

Hyundai i30 Fastback N rivals

Honda Civic Type R (click to view at carwow)
Price £31,525

Renault Megane R.S. (click to view at carwow)
Price £27,810

Volkswagen Golf GTI (click to view at carwow)
Price £30,965

The post 2019 Hyundai i30 Fastback N review appeared first on Sunday Times Driving.

source https://www.driving.co.uk/car-reviews/first-drive/2019-hyundai-i30-fastback-n-review/