No fewer than 27 vehicles were members of our long-term test fleet this year, ranging from people-carrying vans to performance machinery and saloons to SUVs. Which of them left the greatest impressions on our testers?
No prizes for guessing the biggest flaw of the BMW M440i Coupé: its front grille. Of course it’s the grille. “It’s not yet clear how long it will take before a new 4 Series owner can have a conversation about the car without that subject eventually cropping up,” said deputy digital editor Tom Morgan-Freelander. “Clearly it’s longer than the car was under our stewardship, as we were sick of people bringing it up. Still, you can’t see it from behind the wheel.
The thoroughly pleasant Mazda MX-30 had a slightly more practical problem. “It has a rubbish range and doesn’t really do it as a driver’s car,” said road test editor Matt Saunders. “But it just looks and feels appealingly different.”Highly commendedThere’s a cliché that motoring hacks spend their time telling people to splash out on really expensive cars, but when it comes to parting with their own cash, they will just buy the cheapest car they can find – and, well, apparently it’s true.
The Toyota GR Yaris put up a predictably strong showing in this category, with Frankel’s considered reasoning that “well, you would, wouldn’t you?” More of a surprise was the strong showing for the Ford Tourneo Custom but, as Prior noted, the super- spacious plug-in hybrid van-based MPV is “impossibly practical”.WinnerRather predictably, this was a two- way fight between the Toyota GR Yaris and the Porsche 718 Boxster GTS, with everyone’s favourite new four-wheel-drive hot hatch narrowly stealing the glory. Ward picked the GR Yaris, saying: “It deserves the crown just on the basis that it exists at all. Toyota ought to be applauded.
Conversely, Prior ran the GR Yaris but actually voted for the Boxster “by dint of it having a roof that comes off and a six-cylinder engine”. He noted that the GR Yaris was “the only other serious contender, but the Porsche would make sunny Sunday mornings more special”.
México Últimas Noticias, México Titulares
Similar News:También puedes leer noticias similares a ésta que hemos recopilado de otras fuentes de noticias.
Volkswagen ID 3 2021 long-term review | AutocarDoes the ID 3 electric family hatchback have the versatility to be Volkswagen’s new people’s car? We're finding out over the next few months
Leer más »
The cars Autocar writers bought and sold in 2021 | AutocarNever mind the conveyor belt of shiny new test cars, these are the motors we acquired – and let go – this past year
Leer más »
Autocar writers' cars of 2021: Jaguar XF | AutocarYes, okay, this is massively clichéd, but the ‘gentleman’s express’ thing really does continue to this day in Jaguar’s bigger saloon, reckons kris_culmer - the XF is his favourite car of all he's driven in 2021
Leer más »
Autocar's most-watched videos of 2021 | AutocarWe look back at some of the coolest metal to appear on our YouTube channel over the past year
Leer más »
From Nascar to F1: the 2021 motorsport round-up | AutocarRacing roared back from its enforced hiatus around the world this year. We revisit what happened in the most popular series
Leer más »
New 2023 Rolls-Royce Spectre spotted as public tests begin | AutocarThe new Spectre coupé is Rolls-Royce's first EV, and we've seen it testing ahead of its 2023 launch
Leer más »