If You Need a New Car, Or You're Simply a Petrolhead, the Next Few Pages
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
COLUMNMOTORING BY WITH NAME TIM BARNES-CLAY KING OF THE ROAD If you need a new car, or you’re simply a petrolhead, the next few pages will sort you out. Read on to see what our motoring editor, Tim Barnes-Clay, has been driving since Sorted’s last issue. NEW PEUGEOT 508 SW FAST The new Peugeot 508 SW is a sexy FACTS estate car. Does it sound weird, me Peugeot 508 writing ‘sexy’ and ‘estate car’ in the SW GT Line 1.5 same sentence? Well, maybe. But, as BlueHDi 130 this type of motor goes, it’s a looker. EAT8 Now, guys, we all know beauty Max. speed: is only skin deep, so is there any 129mph depth to the French company’s fresh 0-62mph: 508 SW? Well, yes, because you 10.1 secs can get lots into the car’s boot due Combined mpg: to the broad tailgate and lengthy 51.4mpg wheelbase. Engine layout: Room in the rear seats is ample, 1.5-litre 4-cylinder with loads of leg and headroom diesel Max. power (PS): for adults. It’s comfy, too, with an 130 archetypally French suppleness to CO2: 104g/km the ride. £31,495 Better still, the swish ride doesn’t impact handling. Its delicate balance means it’s relaxed to drive. It’s also When it comes to running With a build quality to match hushed at motorway speeds, with costs, the 508 SW is efficient and German premium brands and a the smooth eight-speed automatic affordable, with my test car releasing modern cabin, this is a car you’ll be gearbox proving an excellent just 104g/km of CO2 and managing proud to see parked outside your companion on all roads. around 50mpg on average. house. 30 Sorted. Sep/Oct 2019 Sorted Issue 72 Sep_Oct 19 pp30-67 v3.indd 30 07/08/2019 10:16 COLUMN BY NAME MOTORING FAST FACTS “Rest assured, the all-new Mazda3 SkyActiv-G 2.0 Mazda3 is a terrific car to drive.” 122PS Sport Lux Max. speed: 122mph 0-62mph: 10.4 secs Combined mpg: 44.8mpg Engine layout: ALL-NEW MAZDA3 2.0-litre The all-new Mazda3 is possibly the 4-cylinder petrol most striking family hatchback to Max. power (PS): arrive in Britain for years. 122 CO2: 119g/km Just two powerplants are available. There’s the SkyActiv-G petrol, £22,795 driven by yours truly, and the SkyActiv-D diesel engine. The petrol version is sophisticated, and the transmission and platform are decent. So, rest assured, the all- new Mazda3 is a terrific car to drive. You need to move through the gears to keep the pace going, but the six-speed gearbox is a pleasure you’ll need to spend more on a GT capacious in the class, either. to use, with a meticulous, concise Sport for leather-swathed seats, the But, mostly, the all-new throw. Sometimes the steering feels materials in the cabin are of a good Mazda3 is a striking, finely made like it could be more dynamic, but by standard. machine that’s worth taking into family car standards, it’s respectable. The sporty shape means room in consideration if you want a family I drove the mid-spec Mazda3 the rear isn’t vast, and at 351 litres, car that stands out from other more Sport Lux model, and although the boot isn’t among the most vanilla hatchbacks. FAST FACTS Alfa Romeo Stelvio 2.0 280 Speciale Max. speed: 134mph 0-62mph: 5.7 secs Combined mpg: 40.4 Engine layout: 1995cc petrol turbo Max. power (PS): 280 CO2: 175g/km £45,615 ALFA ROMEO STELVIO 2.0 280 SPECIALE Alfa’s foray into the SUV market has powerful engine will propel you a leather sports steering wheel produced the Stelvio. And what a from 0-62mph in just 5.7 seconds, and an infotainment system with gorgeous car it is. and it’ll top out at 134mph. navigation and DAB radio. It’s now been given the Speciale Of course, with more Alfas don’t enjoy the reputation treatment, meaning the Italian performance comes a higher price; of their German adversaries for beauty is further leaving the to get one, you’ll have to part with build quality, but the Stelvio conventional Euro-boxes behind. £45,615. drives as well as any of them. Indeed, the Speciale is one of the But, apart from extra clout, what What’s more, it’s a practical car, poshest incarnations of Alfa Romeo’s does your cash get you? Broadly, with 525 litres of boot space, SUV. And with a 280ps turbo-petrol it’s a decent helping of equipment, extending to 1,600 litres with the pump, it’s also one of the fastest. The such as 19-inch alloys, leather seats, seats down. f Sorted. Sep/Oct 2019 31 Sorted Issue 72 Sep_Oct 19 pp30-67 v3.indd 31 07/08/2019 10:16 COLUMNMOTORING BY NAME “This Audi is a superior choice over some of its more hardcore challengers.” FAST FACTS Audi TTS Coupe Quattro S tronic Max. speed: 155mph 0-62mph: 4.5 secs Combined mpg: 39.8 Engine layout: 1984cc petrol turbo Max. power (PS): 306 CO2: 161g/km £44,610 AUDI TTS Audi’s TTS has always been a great As always, the Quattro four-wheel conditions are appropriate. road car. It has a suppleness about it, drive is a highpoint, and you can The Audi TTS isn’t a motor that coupled with good looks and power. tweak it using different settings. auto aficionados have always taken What’s more, with a 0-62mph In auto mode, optimal traction seriously. ‘Fast, but a bit lifeless’ was sprint of 4.5 seconds and a cabin that and composed driving dynamics often the conclusion in the past. makes Porsche’s 718 Cayman look are given precedence. In dynamic This enhanced TTS won’t change dull, the revised TTS is a good buy setting, torque is allocated to the views of the cynics, but for many at around £44,000. It’s also efficient, the rear axle more quickly, and drivers, a lot of the time, this Audi with tailpipe emissions on the S tronic in efficiency mode, the system is a superior choice over some of its version, as tested here, of 161g/km. can turn off the Quattro tech – if more hardcore challengers. FAST FACTS Suzuki Jimny SZ5 Max. speed: 90mph 0-62mph: 13.0 secs Combined mpg: 41.5 Engine layout: “£18,000 for a top-of-the-range Suzuki 1462cc petrol Max. power (PS): Jimny SZ5, as driven here, is inexpensive, 101 CO2: 154g/km considering it’s an out-and-out 4x4.” £17,999 SUZUKI JIMNY Suzuki’s latest Jimny has a particular audacity to tread. The Jimny’s off- top speed is 90mph. The tall driving strength that contradicts its the-beaten-track’s abilities are due position gives you a great view of the miniscule frame. In many ways, it’s to good ground clearance and the road – and the car’s small, square like a featherweight wrestler. superb traction provided by its four- shape and big windows means The Suzuki’s low-range gearing wheel drive arrangement. visibility is top-notch. means you’re not going to get wedged On the road, the Jimny’s 1.5-litre Overall, £18,000 for a top-of-the- in the wild. It confronts tough terrain petrol power unit produces 101ps. range Suzuki Jimny SZ5, as driven with enthusiasm, going where This means the 40+mpg SUV will here, is inexpensive, considering it’s many other SUVs wouldn’t have the do 0-60mph in 13.0 seconds, and its an out-and-out 4x4. 32 Sorted. Sep/Oct 2019 Sorted Issue 72 Sep_Oct 19 pp30-67 v3.indd 32 07/08/2019 10:16 COLUMN BY NAME MOTORING FAST FACTS Hyundai Tucson Premium SE 1.6 T-GDi 177PS 2WD Manual Max. speed: 126mph 0-62mph: 9.2 secs Combined mpg: 37.7 Engine layout: 1591cc petrol turbo Max. power (PS): 177 “It’s an easy family car to spend CO2: 173g/km a lot of time travelling in.” £29,970 HYUNDAI TUCSON Opening the doors of the the rear bench. And the Hyundai has Fuel efficiency doesn’t exactly set the Tucson takes you into a cabin that a notable boot-loading volume of 513 world ablaze, though. Anticipate in the doesn’t quite tally with the superior- litres – enough for a buggy or two, and vicinity of 37mpg for this version of the looking body. The leather seating is the weekly shopping. Tucson. smart, but other interior materials The 1.6-litre petrol turbo, under SUVs are some of the most are short of top quality, and the review here, produces 177ps. comfortable vehicles on the road these general design seems faintly dated. Acceleration is good with this clout days. The Tucson is no different, riding Being a family-focused car, the under the bonnet – the car achieves very well on our patchy British roads. Tucson is spacious enough for three 0-62mph in 9.2 seconds. That’s Indeed, it’s an easy family car to spend children in their booster seats across impressive for a reasonably heavy SUV. a lot of time travelling in. FAST FACTS Vauxhall Combo Life XL 7-Seater 1.2 110 Max. speed: 109mph 0-62mph: 11.8 secs Combined mpg: 51.4 Engine layout: TIM 1199cc petrol BARNES-CLAY turbo Tim Barnes-Clay Max.