So when the brand announced that they were making a four door saloon we did question if it would be a good idea to diversify from what they are truly good at. Regardless, it’s our job to review it and review it we did. This is the Porsche Panamera Turbo and its appearance very quickly became a source argument within the office. Some said it was too bland and is undeserving of the badge, others stated that it was just ugly and much like the Cayenne it shall remain to be an ugly relation of the Porsche range. Personally I rather like the way it looks. It’s under stated yet has an air of importance about it. The precise lines, the slight bulge in the bonnet all shoutperformance but in a very civilized manner.

This refined styling continues in the cabin with its centre console that extends through to the rear seats. This architecture helps break down the barrier we so often see between the front and back rows of seating. The seats themselves are pleasant and even the rear seats getting the bolstered treatment. Of course no luxury saloon would be complete without an array of gizmos such as heated seats, sim-card reader and the like. But the most impressive technology lays beneath the cars perfectly formed bonnet. A 4.8 litre V8 that is supplemented by two turbo’s is the cause for this cars 492BHP effect. 0-62MPH is dealt with in 4.2 seconds and it won’t stop until it reaches 188MPH! On paper this car looks less like a luxury limo and more like a super car.

On the move the power is transferred to the tarmac with magic, or as I was later told Porsches new all-wheel-drive system. At low speed the car is quiet and everything else you want your £100,000 super-sedan to be, but when you crank this thing up to 11, it really goes for it. It’s pure Porsche with its very precise turn in and effortless acceleration. A spoiler deploys like something from a Bond film to increase down force! What other car in this class even had the words “down force” mentioned in its design specification?

Despite what epic fun this car is I must say that there are a few drawbacks. You have just spent a lot of money on a car that provides its occupants a thrill (check), and also comfort on a long journey (ah, hang on). The purpose of this car it to seat four, and I must say it does, but not in a manner that would be suitable for long distances. The snug feel in the back is fine when you need to be held in your seat due to the G-force generated, but when you have a 3 hour trip ahead of you it’s not where you want to be.

Porsche have done well with the Panamera and I’m sure the entire Chelsea mob will be falling over each other in an attempt to get one, but for me that would be yet another contributing factor not to buy one. Fantastic car spoilt by a few fatal flaws.

To quench the thrust for an answer I decided to road test the ML at Mercedes UK HQ in Brooklands. A brief overview shows our test model to be the 3.2 Litre CDI, and so as far as the engine is concerned it has potential. The interior is doused in the latest Mercedes electronic toys including sim-card reader for when mum’s need to call the school to notify them that they are stuck in traffic. Of course the on board computer deals with all the electro-wizardry  of the suspension and ABS, and also indicates that the car, at least in design, was intended to venture off the beaten track.

Onwards with the road test! On tarmac the ML is quite and refined as you would expect from any other Mercedes-Benz, in fact for adiesel the engine noise was almost unnoticeable. From the comfort of my extremely well upholstered seat I had ample vision of the road ahead, often it is this that draws people to 4X4’s. The ML is a rather tranquil vehicle to drive unlike one of its predecessor that proved to be as elegant as a Hippopotamus on ice. The engine also provides adequate grunt as well as torque to get out of junctions in a hurry and the suspension does a sublime job of cancelling body roll. That’s all well and good but we are still no closer to finding out if this can handle tuff terrain or if it is to remain an ornament in office car parks.

Conveniently Mercedes-Benz provided us with their off-road course for the afternoon in order for us to really push this car to its limits. So with the ride height cranked up to its max I set off. To begin with I must say that myself and the car were not in tune. When the ML is setup for off-roading the response from the controls change dramatically. Everything becomes more precise and as a result when I applied the brakes just as I did on the road, everything lunged forwards as the ML’s colossal brake callipers crunched down on the discs. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I did find that with everything bouncing about on a rough surface that accidently applying the brakes is like kicked by a horse.

However the CDI being very capable pulled its way up some hills that would begin to worry a Land Rover, also its one of the few cars in its class that appears to have no problem with driving sideways up a slope. I would love to see other “soft-roaders” do that! But most impressively telling the computer that I was coming down a steep hill of more than 45 degrees and then letting do off all the controls, for the ML to keep a steady crawl back down was amazing. I was honestly expecting to be in a heap of twisted metal when it eventually came to a halt.

And so it would appear that the ML is in truth a very accomplished 4X4 after all. So why am I still seeing businessmen and wealthy mothers driving them around like a limo? Do you not think that paying a minimum of £38,000 is a little much for a car that will only be used for 40% of what it was designed for?

This 6.3 litre beast will be available for the 2011 season after being scrutinised by the FIA, hence the lack of details on power as the governing body have yet to publish any regulations. However this cars predecessor, the SLR 722 GT, was a real track monster! Its 671BHP took one look at the track and tore it to shreds. So, if Mercedes-Benz uses the same formula here, this could be a real winner.

This is the Renault Megane Renaultsport 250 Cup in “what are you looking at”yellow. That’s rule number one of being a hot-hatch, the louder your paint the better! This rather sleek two door terror growls at other cars in the car park like your Nan does over the last pork chop. It really does tick all the boxes in the looks department with its centred exhaust and sporty diffuser. Its racing trinkets continue on the inside with bulging gear knob and bright yellow rev-counter. As if it doesn’t excite the boys from Essex enough it also comes with bolstered racing seats!

Ok, so it has the looks to take on the bad boys, but what about the numbers? Rule number two, the bigger the better. Our test car had a two litre turbocharged engine producing 247BHP, which is great but it’s not RS rivalling as it has a 2.5 litre turbocharged engine with 305BHP. As a result 0-60mph in the Megane is 6.1 seconds and the Focus 5.9. However, rule number three of being a hot-hatch is price, it must be cheap or else you may as well go and buy that sports car. Now this is where the Renault claws its way back into the fight, our fully loaded Cup version with all the toys and special racing set-up only costs £21,995.The Focus? £26,995! Don’t get me wrong, the RS is magnificent but it’s no way near £5,000 better than the Cup. In fact the Renault on many levels is more appealing.

It assaults the road with the enthusiasm of a dog let of its lead. The more miles you clock up in this car the better it gets! The cornering is light yet gives plenty of feed back to the driver as it darts from crest to crest. Those previously mentioned bolstered seats aren’t just for display either as they do a fine job of keeping you in the seat as this nimble car does its thing. It feels blisteringly quick with good levels of grip throughout the gear range. But the Renaults hidden talent is that after you finish scorching the tyres and revving it to hell and back it will settle down and get on with taking you to where you want to go. The level of refinement shocked me after experiencing what this car is capable of. It seats four in comfort and all the gizmos just make life that little bit sweeter.

What would I buy? I honestly couldn’t tell you. If they were parked side-by-side I may reach for the Magane’s keys. The only downside of this generally biblical hot-hatch is rear visibility. But in truth, why do you need to see who’s behind you when after overtaking them you’re already in the next county!

Thankfully help comes in the form of the Lotus Evora. The new 2+2, or 2+0.5 in my books, ticks all the boxes. Whilst the kids are conveniently squashed into the back, you can enjoy what this car has to offer. The Evora comes packed with a mid-mounted 3.5 litre V6 producing 276BHP. That may not sound like a lot, and wellthat’s because it’s not, but with the Evora’s weight being the equivalent  to that of an eyelash it drives like a flying fish. The car has all the great attributes of the Exige and Elise, meaning the cornering is needle sharp and the power is delivered in ample amounts.

The interior is modest yet extremely functional, with its leather bolstered seats. However the best feature of the cabin is the gear knob. No, I haven’t gone mad, that is my favourite part. You just can’t beat the giant silver ball bearing gearstick! It just fits in your palm perfectly; every gear change is like you have just thrown the winning punch against Muhammad Ali. It’s sensational!

Our bright yellow bonanza can get you to 60MPH in 4.9 seconds and would set you back just over £50,000, however ours had every toy on the option list and so you can get an Evora for as little as £45,000. Not bad considering its Ferrari rivalling performance, and let’s be honest, it’s a dam sight more exciting than the Audi your wife wants you to buy.

So there you go, if you’re going to have a mid-life crisis… Do it properly.

This tranquil Creature will sit next to any other car and simply out shine it. Until you turn it on, where it will simple blow it away. At high revs the symphony of mumbling turns to what you would expect from Meat loaf after devouring a jet turbine. Its 4.3 litre V8 engine will jettison you from standing to 62 in 4 seconds flat! So already it eclipses the 360 in the numbers department, but it’s not these extreme performance figures that make your fingers tingle when you drive it. It’s the way it goes around corners. On the steering wheel you now get a dial with 5 options for the traction control; road, ice and snow, rain, race and ultimate fiery death! (Off.) Now in any normal Ferrari tuning off the traction control would mean just that. But this has so much grip, it is just effortless around corners. No traction, just control. This electronic super nanny isn’t harsh enough to send all the BHP to the naughty-step, but instead lets it have some fun before bed time.

This car really is at the top of its game and is a worthy owner of that Ferrari badge. I just get the feeling that what will let this car down are not the performance figures, but the people who drive it. Odds are that this car will sit at the back of a garage for 6 days of the week and only see the light of day for a 2 mile drive on Sunday. Now I’m sorry but it’s not only a huge waste of money buying one of these for this to occur but you are also neglecting your duties! Owning a car like this means you are doing a public service every time you take it to M&S, every time you collect you take-away. Because every time you do it makes people smile, and sometimes it may even inspire them to write an article about it…

The days of the F1 are long gone as production ceased in 1998 with the number of road legal cars stopping at 64. For the next 9 year McLaren went back to being solely an F1 manufacture, and the shadows grew over the legendary road-racer that we all loved. Until now!

McLaren are back kicking asphalt as “McLaren Automotive” open their doors once again. What better way to open a new chapter in McLaren history than a new super car. However to build a car like the F1 again would always be scrutinised and compared with its forefather, so to begin with they give us what the iconic British brand are calling “a core sports car” meaning this car will be in direct competition with the Ferrari 458, Porsche 911, Lamborghini Gallardo. Tall orders to beat back the manufactures who now dominate this sector, but McLaren have the correct mind-set to do it. “Our right to exist is based on the fact that we needed to find a way to exceed our competitors in every way. In the performance of the car, in the quality of the car, and quality of ownership.” Antony Sheriff. Bold claims, but what do they have to take on the might of some of the world best? Ladies and gentlemen, the McLaren MP4-12c.

This British built beauty is McLarens latest weapon in their arsenal. The car is set to go on sale in the summer of 2011 and cost £125,000-£175,000, so very much in Ferrari territory. What do you get for you hard earned pounds? Well, everything you would expect from a company that has won the Formula One constructors championship 8 times. The car is built around a carbon fibre tub within which the driver is the focal point.  Every component from the needles on the speedometer to its 3.8 litre twin-turbo heart is bespoke. A Seven speed dual clutch gearbox, fine-tuned by two F1 world champions will give the driver access to 600BHP. It also has the lowest CO2 per BHP of any car in its class as well as best fuel economy.

This car appeals on every level! It has competitor beating performance, F1 technology coursing through its DNA and a price point that undercuts its competitors by a fair margin. We can’t wait until we can get hold of one.

Ferrari, your cards are marked.

F1 world champions Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button put the McLaren MP4-12c though its paces! Both drives have been heavily involved with the design and development of the car, and so naturally, we have high expectations…  The iconic British manufactures new super car is set to square up against rivals such as the Ferrari 458 summer next year with its completely bespoke twin-turbo V8.

There is one vital difference between the Grand Sport and its base model. They cut off its head! Let’s take a moment to reflect on that. Here we have a car with over 1000BHP and a top speed of 253MPH and the engineers thought it was a good idea to remove the most structurally integral part of the car. This then should be a disaster waiting to happen, like one of those DIY kites, it should just blow inside out. But instead of turning its occupants into hurricane victims it hugs them with its swollen bolster seats. This protection comes from the shape of the car that was formed using very big numbers and methods only Stephen Hawkins could understand. In essence the whole car is made from maths to ensure that it does not leave you upside down at the top of MT. Everest. The car is quite and civilised, it whooshes from bend to bend with the majesty of a swan. The air conditioning is silent, the dials require no effort to alter and Bugatti have even removed the smell of a new car.

All this is very good but with most cars that have been beheaded it leaves the drive powerless thanks to extra weight, the steering limp thanks to the people who would buy it and the car ruined. But thankfully because the men at Bugatti are also the men at VW they have not turned the legend in a basket of fruit. The shear amount of engineering that has gone into this to keep it just as staggering as its forefather is monumental. Each part of this car must withstand the pressure of all 1000 of those BHP’s for not just a week or a year, but the cars entire life. And to have succeeded in doing that was achievement enough, but to now challenge themselves further has created in my mind, the ultimate driving machine.
Behind the wheel it’s just like the original Veyron; blisteringly fast yet tranquil all the way up to its top speed. But now you can look and see for yourself that the sky is the limit.