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Everything you need to know about new cars this week - 13/12/15
An oversteery red Lamborghini and a brand new Megane hot hatch: your digest of new metal
Driven: Lamborghini’s new rear-wheel-drive Huracan
When do we get it? March 2016.
What we say: “This is Lamborghini proving natural aspiration is still the way forward for noise, response and top end motivation. The V10 barks, yelps and makes a terrific song and dance, and the twin-clutch gearbox is suitably impressive. As a whole this drivetrain take some beating.”
Advertisement - Page continues belowRevealed: the inside of Mercedes-Benz’s upcoming new E-Class
When do we get it? We’ll see the finished thing – outside and everything – at the Detroit Motor Show in January.
What we say: “The big news is that it’s packing more screen-space than your local IMAX. In front of the driver lurks not one, but two adjacent 12.3-inch screens, merging to effectively create a giant widescreen display.
“It’s a fully configurable set-up, from which the driver can choose between three designs: Classic, Sport and Progressive. Mercedes hasn’t yet confirmed whether you’ll be able to stream big-screen blockbusters across the entire display, but we live in hope of a near-lifesize Jennifer Lawrence striding across the E’s dash in the near future.”
Revealed: Citroen’s new e-Mehari electric four-seater
When do we get it? We (that’s us in the UK) wont, sadly. But it’ll be on sale in France in early 2016.
What we say: “Shorter, but wider and taller than a VW Polo, the e-Mehari isn’t based on the C4 Cactus with which it shares the same nose surgeon. Its underpinnings are courtesy of the Bollore Bluesummer – an equally-open and flimsy-looking EV already sold throughout Citroen France’s dealer network since summer 2015. You may have seen them hobbling through the Parisian streets wearing more dents and scratches than a journeyman boxer.”
Advertisement - Page continues belowRevealed: Porsche gives the Boxster and Cayman new names, and some turbos
When do we get them? Expect to see the Boxster at next year’s Geneva Motor Show, the Cayman following some time later.
What we say: “Porsche has confirmed something we already suspected: like the 911 Carrera, its Boxster and Cayman models are going turbo.
“At the same time, they’re having a bit of a wider rejig, drawing the two of them closer together than ever.
“As well as being more similar visually, they’ll be renamed ‘718’. To differentiate, they’ll be called 718 Boxster and 718 Cayman, though for the first time, the Boxster soft-top will cost more than the Cayman coupe.”
Driven: Renault’s new Megane GT hot hatch
When do we get it? We’ll get the all-new Megane in June 2016, though prices have yet to be confirmed.
What we say: “Four-wheel steering - 4Control in Renault speak - means it feels wieldier than its size suggests.
"It works, too; the Megane GT has always been a fine handling thing, and it feels sharper still, the 4WS blending in surprisingly naturally. Fun and exhilaration aren’t abundant - it’s not a full-fat, Focus RS or Golf R rival, after all - but it’s tremendously easy to drive this thing quickly.”
Also driven: Renault’s tech-laden, brand new Megane
When do we get it? Next June. Prices TBC.
What we say: “With a soft and comfortable ride, it feels composed in a nicely French way, with the caveat we’ve driven it on Portuguese roads. The real test will of course come on Britain’s considerably crappier surfaces.
“Despite the comfort, it’s a grippy and balanced thing to drive, too. It’s not overtly sporty but it’s as sharp as its key rivals, while being pretty effortless to drive.”
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