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But the Bentley Mulsanne is not most cars. Forget driving: the owner of a Mulsanne will more likely be found lounging in its throne-like rear.
So the Mulliner Driving Specification, then, is that rarest of Mulsannes: one for the millionaire who likes to feel a steering wheel within his grip rather than bellow orders while popping peeled grapes into his mouth. Accordingly, the MDS, as Bentley would hate it to be known, gets new sport-tuned air suspension and steering. No change to the venerable V8, but, really, if you need more than 505bhp from your £260,000 enormo-limo, we fear you shouldn't be in the market for an enormo-limo.
For a car measuring more than five-and-a-half metres in length and tipping the scales at 2,585kg, the Mulliner doesn't half go down a road. Engaging Sport mode from the rotary knob beside the gearshift firms up the suspension and does an impressive job at keeping the Mul's considerable mass heading in the correct direction. And with 752lb ft of imperial, empire-building torque, it heads in the right direction mighty quickly: 0-60mph takes a jot over five seconds and a small swimming pool of super unleaded. You won't be surprised to hear it doesn't corner like an Exige, but - provided you never lose sight of the fact you're driving something that costs and weighs considerably more than the average British house - the Mulliner goes through bends with impressive composure and fearsome grip.
However. Let's be realistic. Even Woolf Barnato might stop short of whanging a Mulsanne through the twisties, and not just because he died in 1948. Driving Specification this may be, but the Mulsanne's centrepiece remains its staggering cabin. Around new knurled doorhandles (or criss-crossy, to the rest of us) and drilled-aluminium pedals is wrapped several acres of especially glitzy quilted leather, which apparently uses a new perforation process to achieve perfectly uniform, er, holiness and allows the seats to be ventilated. And believe us: when you're tanking along in a quarter-of-a-million-quid, two-and-a-half-tonne mega-barge, you'll be glad for some cool air ventilating your nether regions...
Sam Philip
The numbers
6752cc, V8, RWD, 505bhp, 752lb ft, 16.7mpg, 393g/km CO2, 0-62mph in 5.1secs, 184mph, 2585kg
6752cc, V8, RWD, 505bhp, 752lb ft, 16.7mpg, 393g/km CO2, 0-62mph in 5.1secs, 184mph, 2585kg
Land Rover Range Rover TDV6 Vogue SE driven
£77,895 Driven February 2013
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Additional Info
The most vital of the vital statistics is this: the new Range Rover TDV6 diesel is more than 450kg lighter than the old V8 diesel. It's a perfect example of the virtuous circle of weight reduction. The aluminium body accounts for about 300kg of that. This means it can get away with the lighter engine, which saves another 100+kg, and, lo and behold, the new car accelerates just as well as the old one but uses about a quarter less fuel. Which means the tank itself can be smaller, so you've saved about another 25kg when the tank's full, and so the virtuous circle keeps on turning.
The new vehicle makes all its moves with appreciably less effort. I drove to meet the new Range Rover in a RR Sport with the same engine. The RRS, too, is 450-odd kilos more versus the - bigger - new car. When you ask the Sport to accelerate or turn or brake, it will do it well enough, but not before it has tensed its muscles, filled its lungs and furrowed its brow. The new full-size RR just does it.
That's not to say the new TDV6 Range Rover is a particularly sporty vehicle: it doesn't have the active anti-roll of the V8 versions, so it sways a bit. And the new electric steering is so remote the front wheels might as well be on the dark side of the moon. A Cayenne is more fun (and lighter still). But the TDV6 is a very serene way to get along briskly. It floats a little on big undulations, but the adaptive dampers tighten it in curves, so that's not a concern.
Once again, the RR stakes its claim to be a luxury car - as quiet and smooth and plush as the big limo rivals. Probably quieter than most because there's less road noise, and smoother because there's less faux-sporty silliness in the chassis. And, of course, the view out is better.
But there's something more, as came into focus when driving it amid some very hostile Yorkshire weather. When you go off-road, it'll surmount terrain you'd find tricky on foot. Which means that, back on the road, it swishes through floods, mud and snow and hardly notices. Of course, that's no use at all on busy roads, because there will always be stranded superminis blocking your path. But out where it's bleak and lonely and night's closing in, that indomitability is true luxury.
Paul Horrell
The numbers
2993cc, V6, 4WD, 258bhp, 442lb ft, 37.7mpg, 196g/km CO2, 0-62mph 7.4secs, 130mph, 2160kg
2993cc, V6, 4WD, 258bhp, 442lb ft, 37.7mpg, 196g/km CO2, 0-62mph 7.4secs, 130mph, 2160kg
The verdict
Unstoppable, serene and luxurious as a RR should be. Fast enough unless you do a lot of A-road overtaking.
Unstoppable, serene and luxurious as a RR should be. Fast enough unless you do a lot of A-road overtaking.
Dacia Sandero Laureate 90 driven
£8,795 Driven February 2013
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Additional Info
Six grand buys you a lot. Not a lot of luxury, admittedly, but a lot of goodwill, a lot of forgiveness. The Dacia Sandero, when UK deliveries start in late January, will be the UK's cheapest new car. By a huge margin. Over a grand less than a Suzuki Alto or Nissan Pixo. And bigger, too - almost Golf-sized.
Whatever criticisms can be laid at its door - and there certainly are some - the fact the base 1.2, 75bhp Access model costs £5,995 is a cause for celebration. So it's a shame I can't tell you what it's like to drive. The only version Dacia lets us drive is the turbocharged 0.9 in top-spec Laureate trim. Which costs £8,795. It has satnav, alloys, Bluetooth and leccy windows. The entry model has pre-wiring for an aftermarket stereo and wind-your-own windows.
But strip the fripperies away from our car and they're the same. Of course you can see where money has been saved - there are scratchy plastics, tinny metals, sharp edges to the doors, simple styling creases, spindly suspension. But it doesn't feel like a bland box. It feels honest, has a bit of charm. And none of the flaws are so massive as to put you off the car. Well, except one, which we'll come to in a moment.
The seat is mounted in line with the steering wheel, helping the car to hold a reliable course. It's not scary around corners, nor excessively noisy at speed. The biggest dynamic flaw is the gearshift, which, though awful, isn't a deal-breaker.
No, the biggest issue is the expected three-star Euro NCAP crash-test rating. Dacia breezily suggests this isn't an issue, but the one thing people shouldn't have to compromise on is safety, and four airbags plus standard stability control aren't enough to cover up what is clearly not the world's toughest body structure.
Moving on. The 898cc turbo three-pot struggles a bit even though it only has 962kg to move around, and throttle response is hit and miss. But this is part of the fun - you never forget you're driving a budget car. However, this is to tar the Sandero with the same brush as a hire car (incidentally, it would make a brilliant one), when most buyers would be much better off with the 1.5 diesel, which is as refined, doesn't need to be constantly thrashed and takes motorways in its stride. It's another £1,000.
Incidentally, we have India - where the Sandero is built - to thank for Dacia coming to the UK at all. Economies of scale dictated that right-hand-drive sales only made sense once India was factored in - despite Dacia hoping to sell not far shy of 20,000 cars a year here (putting it on a par with Suzuki).
Not that the UK public needs much convincing. Dacia already has 1,700 advance orders, and all 149 Renault dealers will be selling Dacias too - although the firm doesn't deny this could be a contingency plan against falling Renault sales. Either way, Dacia is here, and we're happy to see it.
Ollie Marriage
The numbers
898cc, 3cyl, FWD, 90bhp, 100lb ft, 54.3mpg, 120g/km CO2, 0-62mph in 11.1secs, 109mph, 962kg
898cc, 3cyl, FWD, 90bhp, 100lb ft, 54.3mpg, 120g/km CO2, 0-62mph in 11.1secs, 109mph, 962kg
The verdict
A car like cars used to be for a price like prices used to be. Aside from a query over safety, the Sandero is a bargain of the highest order
A car like cars used to be for a price like prices used to be. Aside from a query over safety, the Sandero is a bargain of the highest order
Jaguar XJ Series 3.0 AWD driven
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Additional Info
Do you dislike crashing into trees when it snows, but really want a Jaguar XJ? And live in America, China, Russia or Continental Europe? Good news! There's now an AWD version of the flagship saloon, available only with a supercharged 3.0-litre petrol V6 and eight-speed auto 'box.
While it's only distinguishable by an AWD boot badge, diffusing power from the 335bhp motor across all four wheels has meant an extensive chassis rework, borrowing expertise from sister company Land Rover. Underneath, there's new front halfshafts, differential, transfer case, modified steering, suspension, subframe and exhaust, as well as extra sound-deadening to stave off transmission whine.
Despite the LR parentage, the Jag system has been conceived to replicate the feel of a rear-drive car, feeding as much as 100 per cent of the power to the back wheels when grip allows. In Winter (one of three modes - the others are Normal and Dynamic), it pulls away in second gear to minimise wheel spin and sends 30 per cent of the power to the front by default. By measuring speed, steering angle and brake pressure, it works out where to put the torque, with the capability of running 100 per cent of it through the front wheels.
This car will massage your buttocks while you're driving at 45mph down a snow-covered B-road. It'll lunge up icy hills and wriggle through quick lane-changes that'd trouble some SUVs, and you have to look for the limit to find that the AWD and stability systems are doing most of the work.
But if you're the sort of XJ-driving man-about-Berkshire that laments resorting to his SUV in the winter, you'll have to stick with the Range Rover, because it's only going to left-hand-drive markets.
The XJ wasn't initially destined for AWD, so the engineers have had to work around an awkward body and engine design - a necessary task, considering AWD models account for almost 50 per cent of the US market for big saloons, and up to around 80 per cent in the Snow Belt states and Canada.
But when it's only worth around five per cent of the British luxo-barge market, there's not a strong enough business case for re-engineering it for RHD markets, even despite the rear-thrusting XJ's, er, bracing proclivities on ice. That's a terrible shame. Especially for trees.
Matt Jones
The numbers
2995cc, V6, 4WD, 335bhp, 332lb ft, 22.8mpg, 234g/km CO2, 0-62mph in 6.1secs, 155mph, n/a kg
2995cc, V6, 4WD, 335bhp, 332lb ft, 22.8mpg, 234g/km CO2, 0-62mph in 6.1secs, 155mph, n/a kg
The cost
$76,700
$76,700
Porsche Cayenne S diesel driven
£58,243 Driven January 2013
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Additional Info
Normally, Porsche need only change the paint colour on its brake calipers, and it's on every car magazine cover. But here we are with a brand-new high-performance engine in Porsche's biggest-selling model, and no one much is batting an eyelid. Here's why. This new V8 Cayenne S Diesel came out in the same month as the Range Rover, so all eyes were elsewhere. They were missing something good.
One sentence shows why. It has a twin-turbo V8 with 382bhp and 627lb ft of torque, and gets itself to 62mph in 5.7secs. Yet it still has pretty reasonable fuel consumption. It actually weighs less than the aluminium-bodied Range Rover, because it's smaller and doesn't have so much off-road gubbins. But if you fit all-season tyres on the sensible 18in wheels and go for air suspension, it won't disgrace itself when you've off-roadin' to do.
But, as a Porsche, it's got to be a happy road car, and it is. This is one mighty engine. It's derived from the Audi twin-turbo diesel V8, but Porsche has pushed the output further. The pistons, valves and intercoolers are renewed. It wasn't just the power and torque they bothered about, either. It takes more than mere accident to have a diesel sounding like a petrol V8: it took work. Aurally, it's more Dick Petty than John Deere.
Acceleration is never viciously quick, but it's always insistently strong, and having eight ratios in the auto 'box means there's normally the right one for your purpose.
In other ways, this is a standard 2nd-gen Cayenne. The steering is precise, the body motions well controlled, the agility surprising, and the ride perfectly satisfactory. The cabin wraps itself around you as a driver, rather than fielding the airy openness of a Range Rover. But five can get in without being cramped, and the boot's vast.
It's also, by Porsche standards, a lot for the money. The £58k price comfortably undercuts a V6 petrol Panamera 4, even if you add air suspension and nav. The kicker is affording to fill the 100-litre fuel tank, but at least it'll take you a long way.
Paul Horrell
The numbers
4134cc, V8, AWD, 382bhp, 627lb ft, 34.0mpg, 218g/km CO2, 0-62mph in 5.7secs, 152mph, 2195kg
4134cc, V8, AWD, 382bhp, 627lb ft, 34.0mpg, 218g/km CO2, 0-62mph in 5.7secs, 152mph, 2195kg
Audi A3 Sportback 2.0-litre TDI driven
Audi A3 Sportback 2.0-litre TDI driven
£22,125 Driven January 2013
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Historically, Audi's sportier S3/RS3 models have surfaced a few years after the five-door A3 has launched. So you'll have to wait a bit before you'll see the hatch many of you reading this magazine will covet. For now, you'll have to make do with the one most of Britain will actually buy.Additional Info
It's the new generation Audi A3 Sportback, Ingolstadt's latest weapon of mass consumption (two out of every three A3s sold is a five-door) and it is about as sensible as Captain Sensible's thermal underwear. It's a 2.0-litre diesel hatchback with five doors. Please try to stay awake.
But, while a cursory glance would have you believe it's ‘just another Audi clone', look closely: it's tauter, leaner, sharper. Squint your eyes and there's a whiff of Audi A4 Avant about its rear haunches. Which is almost cool.
That rear obviously holds two more doors, but it also camouflages an extra 35mm in length over the three-door A3, which should come as a refreshing tonic to your legs and knees. It's 58mm longer than it's predecessor, but it's also stifferand lighter, using the new MQB Lego-set platform that 10 million other Volkswagen Group products will sit on.
Predictably, it's heavier than the three-door, but lighter than its rivals from BMW and Mercedes. Lightness is good because like the three-door, this car is a fine thing to point and shoot. The steering is accurate and actually engages you in some kind of dialogue: laconic chat, maybe, but dialogue nonetheless.
And the length hasn't muddied the A3's fine road manners. It grips well, responds positively to light abuse, and in our comfort, SE-spec car, offers really wonderful ride quality. Which all bodes well for the S3, due out late next year. Meanwhile, the 2.0-litre is quiet and unobtrusive, keeping its dieselly gargling to itself and returning fine torque and pace. Of course, you can opt for Sport or S line suspension, but anyone in the UK fond of their spine can untick the sport springs (at no extra cost) and keep the body kit.
The cabin helps with the ambience. The layout remains as per the three-door, seemingly hewn from granite, uncluttered and smart. Very Audi. There's even a neat little screen that allows you to check your Facebook and Twitter, and even fuel prices... which will be handy for when the RS3 comes out.
Vijay Pattni
The numbers
1968cc, 4cyl, FWD, 147bhp, 236lb ft, 67.3mpg, 108g/km CO2, 0-62mph in 8.7secs, 134mph, 1310kg
1968cc, 4cyl, FWD, 147bhp, 236lb ft, 67.3mpg, 108g/km CO2, 0-62mph in 8.7secs, 134mph, 1310kg
Mercedes-Benz SLS GT driven
£180,000 Driven January 2013
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Additional Info
If you're about to pop out and buy a Mercedes SLS, may we suggest a brief pause to read this review first? Because AMG has just launched an updated SLS, slightly confusingly called the SLS GT, and the revisions make the ‘normal' SLS feel a bit, well... normal. Or as ordinary as any gull-winged coupe can be.
The GT gets a new inlet manifold releasing an extra 20bhp, which helps drop the 0-62mph time by 0.1 seconds to 3.7. There are also revisions to the gearbox software and the suspension. These sound like minor changes, so is it actually any better? In short, yes. The key alteration is the gearbox software - both upshifts and downshifts on the dual-clutch gearbox are now quicker, by as much as 60 per cent. In auto, the 'box blends shifts more deftly- so the GT cruises better - yet in manual mode the changes are snappier and the throttle response sharper - so the car feels much more interactive. Overall, the GT broadens the SLS's appeal.
It's still not perfect. There are times when the manual mode isn't actually completely manual because it refuses to change up when you want it to. Let's say you're pottering around town and the engine is ticking over at 2,000rpm - the 'box won't let you shift up to make the motor more relaxed. Merc says there are durability reasons for this odd programming, which is fair enough, but with all this power and, crucially, torque on offer (583bhp and 479lb ft), we feel it could afford to be a tiny bit more relaxed about it.
The suspension alterations have also helped. The springs and dampers have all changed, and there's no comfort setting on the adjustable dampers, but don't panic - this hasn't made the ride worse. All the changes have apparently done is sharpen up the car, so the nose turns in better and the rear feels more secure. The net effect? The SLS is now ever so slightly better at the dual roles of... er... GT and sports car.
On the outside, there are some subtle visual tweaks, like darker light surrounds and black fins in the side gills. Inside, the carbon-fibre dash has been replaced with piano black, and there are still seven shift lights in between the dials. So, yes, the styling changes are very minor, but it's not like there was much wrong with the SLS in the first place anyway.
Most buyers will probably plump for the GT version just because it's the most expensive. And in the USA, Mercedes-Benz will now only sell the GT. The exact cost hasn't been confirmed for the UK yet, but it's likely to be about £180,000, or roughly £12,000 more than the standard car (which will continue to be sold here). So it's not a cheap option, but it is the better car. Our advice: go pricey.
Piers Ward
The numbers
6208cc, V8, RWD, 583bhp, 479lb ft, 21.4mpg, 308g/km CO2, 0-62mph in 3.7secs, 199mph, 1695kg
6208cc, V8, RWD, 583bhp, 479lb ft, 21.4mpg, 308g/km CO2, 0-62mph in 3.7secs, 199mph, 1695kg
The verdict
A series of minor alterations from AMG add up to make the SLS more drivable than ever. The GT is the SLS you'll want.
A series of minor alterations from AMG add up to make the SLS more drivable than ever. The GT is the SLS you'll want.
Audi R8 V8 Spyder S-Tronic driven
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Ferrari doesn't offer a manual in any of its cars. The 12C is flappy-paddle only. You can't buy a Jag XK with a clutch, nor a Bentley. But you can still have the R8 with a manual; so - as a Driving Enthusiast - that's the one you'd choose, right?
Wrong. The R8's new 7spd S tronic dual-clutch transmission, available across the newly facelifted R8 range, is so good that, in this rare instance, we'd ignore the manual and go flappy. It's as brilliantly clean and rapid here as it was in the 550bhp V10 Plus we drove last month, capable of almost full-auto anonymity or thumpingly quick downshifts depending on your mood.
Packaging constraints meant the R8 had to make do with a clunky automated manual until now, but the new 'box is somehow finagled into a space just 600mm long. Neat engineering. With a three-shaft layout, it's able to skip down two or even four gears in a blink, a useful trick when you're bumbling along in sixth and need to find second for an urgent overtake.
And the S tronic box improves economy, lowers CO2 and cuts a couple of 10ths from the 0-62mph time. Let your left leg wither to a spindly husk and embrace the two-pedal future!
Sam Philip
The numbers
4163cc, V8, 4WD, 430bhp, 317lb ft, 22.8mpg, 289g/km CO2, 0-62mph in 4.3secs, 187mph, 1585kg
4163cc, V8, 4WD, 430bhp, 317lb ft, 22.8mpg, 289g/km CO2, 0-62mph in 4.3secs, 187mph, 1585kg