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First Look
The nine things you need to know about new cars this week
Ferrari F12tdf and new Porsche 911 driven, Evoque cabrio revealed and more
Driven: Ferrari’s 770bhp F12tdf
When do we get it? You’re too late already. All 799 have been sold out, at £339,000 a pop.
What we say: “It takes Herculean self-discipline not to travel at warp factor 10 everywhere, so addictive is the performance rush and so huge-sounding is the V12.”
Advertisement - Page continues belowRevealed: the Range Rover Evoque Convertible
When do we get it? Spring 2016, with prices starting at a hefty £47,500.
What we say: “It’s no two-seater. Thanks to a totally remodelled rear bulkhead, the cosy two rear seats are actually usable. The seat mechanism is still glacially slow to shift forward, but you can actually put a six-foot-tall adult behind a six-foot-tall adult...”
Driven: the 510bhp Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupe
When do we get it? Imminently, with prices from £61,160.
What we say: “Though the turbo V8 doesn’t have the same shimmering crescendo as the naturally aspirated monster in the last C63 coupe, it offers a stonking soundtrack nonetheless. Order the exhaust system into its noisiest mode, and you’re treated to a bass-laden barrage of innard-churning thumps, overlaid with a healthy array of snaps and cackles…”
Advertisement - Page continues belowAnnounced: the rear-wheel drive Lamborghini Huracan
When do we get it? It’ll be officially revealed in early 2016.
What we say: “Expect the 602bhp 5.2-litre V10 to be present and correct. If its predecessors are anything to go by, it’ll be lighter, too, offering a saving over the 4WD Huracan’s 1,422kg mass…”
Driven: Porsche’s new turbocharged 911 Carrera and Carrera S
When do we get it? Any day now, with the Carrera S costing £85,857.
What we say: “Because thanks to the puffers, that maximum torque is developed at much lower engine revs – as low as 1700rpm. That’s the easily-found shove you feel. You can now drive these things like big-cube V8s, burbling along with the rev needle hovering around the 2. They’re less fussy than before about what gear you’re in, so they can dig themselves out of a slow corner more effortlessly.”
Driven: the new Nissan Navara NP300 pick-up
Driven: the new Nissan Navara NP300 pick-up
When do we get it? Coming to builders’ yards near you very soon.
What we say: “Despite Nissan’s ardent protestations to the contrary, even the double-cab Navara is no crossover driving experience. Through very tight corners the rear diff starts to lock, skittering the tyres across the surface. The endless steering lock is another tell-tale this is no mumsy school run-mobile. It’s somewhere between a Defender and an X-Trail.”
Driven: Land Rover’s SPECTRE-spec super-Defender
When do we get it? Unless you’re a resident of Bond’s fictional universe, never. Sorry.
What we say: “Because it's got the suspension dexterity of a WRC car and tyre sidewalls like a king-size mattress, it’s got something approaching a pillowy ride…”
Advertisement - Page continues belowDriven: Audi’s 166mpg diesel-electric Q7 e-tron
When do we get it? Soon, with prices starting at £65,000
What we say: “The regular Q7 is a paragon of peace and quiet, the adept acoustics of its interior cocooning occupants wonderfully. With its optional air suspension fitted and periods of no engine noise whatsoever, this e-tron takes things a step further…”
Driven: Land Rover’s end-of-the-line ‘Heritage’ Defender
When do we get it? It’s on sale now, but be quick: Land Rover’s only building 400.
What we say: “You can’t treat this as a rival to a Volvo XC90. It dodders about like the pensioner it is, the ride is appalling unless you throw a tonne of bodies and clobber in and there’s clanking from the heavy, oily bits that puts you in mind of Isambard Kingdom Brunel. And that’s why it needs to be celebrated…”
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