tommallett

I have become slightly concerned in recent weeks about my ability to think the polar opposite to common wisdom in the contemporary motoring press regarding various large saloon cars. I was unconvinced by the cabin layout and ride (although the latter maybe accounted for by the 20” wheels) in the new Jaguar XJ, I absolutely abhorred the Audi A8 4.2 tdi that I tried in direct contrast to Autocars view on their long termer and still think Alpina’s B5 is a lovely cruising machine with a thunderous power plant and silky ride that belies its size. I’d be interested to sit down and discuss the alternate view as I increasingly think that not only are these views garnered from the types of driving that we do. Maybe the type of motoring I tend to do is different to that of the road testers. I shall try and have a chat with someone appropriate in the coming days and weeks.

On a positive note I have driven a couple of decent cars in the last week or two and managed to have a few days in the orient to recharge the batteries. I maintained a position squarely on top of the fence when BMW announced that its new midsized (although large would be closer to the truth) off roader. The good news for BMW is that it’s a great car, better in my view than Audi’s Q5 in a number of ways, and built the way a £30,000 BMW should be. It feels pretty agile and rides well, especially on the small wheels. It is also a good size for most people in times when Audi produces the monstrous Q7 and BMW’s X5 isn’t much smaller. This’ll do just fine for most people. 50.4 mpg is one of the plus sides as is 149 g/km (147 g/km for the auto) which makes the most of efficient dynamics and a clever 4x4 system which is 2 wheel drive below 4.5mph and above 80mph. All in all a pretty good car, probably the best X product BMW makes.

This evening I had a quick blast in a new Audi RS5. What a great engine gearbox combination. A V8 that revs to nearly 9000rpm is always going to be special and it is thunderous. DSG also made sense and I liked it overall, which for me is a pretty big statement being a nonconformist where general opinion on Double clutch boxes is concerned. It felt right in the RS5. Where it fell down is in the ride which even in comfort mode felt rock solid and uncompromising. While a car that size is never going to feel small it did not shrink around me in the same way that an RS4 or even R8 does. Certainly for my money it is a nicer car than the lead footed sledgehammer RS6 but it lacks some of the Je ne c’est quoi that made the RS4 and R8 special. It’ll be those two that enthusiast remember, pine after and ultimately keep in the garage in 10 years time. Decent but not exceptional would be an overall verdict.

One car I will make the effort to drive on Tuesday on my day off will be the new pint sized Audi A1, hopefully the 1.2tsi. I saw one in Hong Kong last week and I thought it looked great. (I thought the A1 was a really nice little car when I did actually end up having a go in one.)


All photos are courtesy of the manufacturer in question (Audi, BMW and Jaguar)