Test Drive It’s a group test like no other as Ian Lamming explores the sheer diversity of an ever-increasing automotive market
THINK child in a sweet shop, or perhaps my partner surrounded by shoes, or maybe a trainspotter at a steam fair. Do you see where I’m going?
Autumn brings one of the best times of the year, the annual test day organised by the Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders, a body which supports and promotes the interests of the UK automotive industry at home and abroad – and feeds our inner anorak.
From 9am to 4pm an array of vehicles is available for testing as well as an opportunity to catch up with press officers and other motoring hacks.
But the most incredible thing for me is the sheer diversity of vehicles to drive, one after the other, barely finding time to breathe and certainly not cleanse your motoring palate.
One minute you are behind the wheel of a £200,000 Maserati, the next a £20,000 MG and somehow they sit together, wedded, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, to love and to cherish, all with an equal place in our automotive world.
By some measure of fortune the first car of the day is a Lotus and I cannot believe the keys are available, particularly as it is the range topping Eletre R.
Prepare to be shocked as this electric SUV is the quickest car I’ve ever driven and all the more remarkable given its size.
I go for an overtake with my usual philosophy – look, ensure it is clear and get past and back on the left as quickly as possible. I can only apologise to the driving school car for the ‘blossom grey’ blur that shot by and then had to brake to stop it going illegal.
Oh my goodness. Floor the throttle and 904hp strikes like lightning, hurling the driver into the super sport seats and the key fob, which I’d mistakenly left lying loosely on the transmission tray, flying somewhere into the rear compartment.
This £167,000 fully specced 2.5 tonne leviathan hits 60mph in the 2s and has a top speed of 165mph yet boasts a range of 373 miles. Brakes are ten pot callipers biting on enormous discs for tarmac-rippling stopping ability and the intelligent glass sunroof will even switch from clear to opaque at the press of a touchscreen.
Equally incredible is the plush interior which is a feast for all the senses. The materials are so tactile, the shapes so interesting and the technology puts NASA in the shade. Ironically given the Eletre’s performance I’d be happy to sit in the drive and enjoy the staggering 1400 watt surround sound system – it’s like being in the cinema.
Eletre is astonishing in every way, inside, outside, on the move and even at rest. It’s definitely one for the lottery win list but so is the next test car for different reasons.
Maserati Gran Turismo Trofeo weighs in at a mind boggling £212,000, including a £29,160 paint job and trident stitching on the headrest that adds another £600 to the bill. What you are buying is peerless Italian style and exclusivity and it feels worth every penny.
By the Lotus standards the Maserati is old school. It has an internal combustion engine (ICE), a glorious 3.0 V6, with a spine tingle aural quality no EV could ever hope to match. It only turns out 550hp – only? Have you heard me? And it hits 62mph in a ‘slothful’ 3.5 seconds. It’s the difference between a new build and a listed building and the quality and heritage of the GT goes deep. Impressively it will return almost 30mpg but the fact its top speed is 199mph, not 200mph, would irritate an OCD sufferer like me.
Time to return to earth and I spot the new version of an old favourite, Kia’s latest Sorento. The looks have gone more Sportage-like and the seven-seater catches the eye. This is a superb car for every occasion. It is large yet manageable, spacious in the extreme and hugely practical.
Its interior is second to none and on the road it is a car you could drive all day thanks to a brilliant 1.6 litre petrol hybrid motor. At a shade under £43K it is great value for money as a family go anywhere, do anything, runaround.
It sits proudly in esteemed company as does the next car in the test line-up, MG’s ZS Hybrid. I’ve loved MG since the minute the Chinese manufacturer revived the British brand. Its MG4 Xpower has to be driven to be believed.
The latest ZS looks modern and shapely and comes with an awesome petrol hybrid that is economical and clean yet boasts amazing performance of close to 200hp. It drives like an EV in town but on the open road the engine and the electric motor combine to great effect to offer stunning mid-range performance. The steering wheel apes the octagonal MG badge and the interior is smart and modern.
And the day ends with China and BYD’s surprise return to internal combustion engines. The all-electric manufacturer has recognised there’s a place for ICEl and has introduced an excellent version of the Seal. The U DM-I SUV features a turbo charged 1.5 litre petrol and two electric motors so you have a vehicle that is fast, economical and decent for the environment.
BYD is becoming renowned for an excellent interior and the U DM-I is no exception and at around £33,000 this attractive SUV is going to be very appealing to the buying public.
At the end of the day I’m buoyed by the choice people have from global car manufacturers and as I jump back in my Toyota C-HR, for the beautiful journey home across hills and through dales, I realise I could have driven all day – oh, I just did.
Fact File
Lotus Eletre R
Engine: twin electric motors, AWD
Power: 904HP
0-60mph: 2.75 secs
Top speed: 165mph
Range: 373 miles
Transmission: automatic
CO2 g/km: 0
Price: £167,000 as tested
