Ferrari California and Marcus Wareing: a perfect recipe

Autumn in North Wales seems to SUIT this journey. The Ferrari California T I’ve taken to visit a supplier is a vivid red on the inside, but the exterior is black and I prefer it that way. I love Ferraris, there’s no other marque like it, but I’d rather not shout about it. The desire to blast around bends is a personal one. I’m not sharing this automotive feast with anyone.

The dark paint fits the noir mood as the clouds descend and I sweep into the Rhug estate in Denbighshire. I’d made my way across the country in leisurely style from London to meet Lord Newborough, whose family have resided here since 1637, and his amazing team of farmers, butchers and gamekeepers. The 12,500-acre landscape of patchwork fields and forest is truly stunning. The animals reared here include bison as well as cows, lambs and poultry.

Read More

2017 Mini Countryman Cooper S ALL4 Auto first drive review

The compact SUV class has more contenders than ever before, and the standard of those contenders has never been higher. That means the Countryman’s job has never been tougher, so does it have both the style and substance to compete?

Auto Trader verdict:

The new Countryman provides all the style and image that previously made Mini’s SUV offering so successful. It also offers more in the way of interior quality and standard EQUIPMENT. However, the harsh ride isn’t ideal in a car designed to ferry families, and neither is the limited practicality.

Need to know:

• New version of Mini’s SUV has grown in every direction
• Better interior quality and more standard kit
• On sale in mid-February, range starting at £22,465

What is it?

A new version of the Countryman, the Mini brand’s take on the super-popular SUV. That means it has a very specific job.

You see, the company believes there are lots of loyal customers who still love the style, image and driving fun their previous Mini purchases have given them, but who, due to expanding families, need more space and practicality than Mini’s other products can provide. The Countryman is designed to fill this gap.

To that end, the latest Countryman is bigger in every direction than before, with a full 20cm being added to the length, and more distance between the axles for improved leg-room, too. More standard kit is also offered, but things that remain from the previous model include the retro-themed styling cues and the huge scope for personalisation.

Should I get one?

In the form we drove the car, with the Cooper S engine, the All4 four-wheel-drive system, and the optional automatic gearbox, then probably not. It’s exceptionally and needlessly expensive to buy for one thing, and for another, the fuel economy and CO2 emissions brought about by this combination will also make it very expensive to run.

We can see the Countryman being a lot more tempting in its lesser forms, because these will be cheaper on both counts, and hopefully a shade more comfortable as well. Plus, they’ll still have the style and image that have traditionally made the Countryman such as sales success. It’s highly likely, however, these versions will still trail the best family SUVs for practicality and family-friendliness, so before you buy, make sure you value vanity over versatility.

Key facts:

• Model: Mini Countryman Cooper S All4 Auto
• Price: £28,025
• Engine: 2.0-litre diesel, eight-speed automatic
• Power/Torque: 189bhp/207lb ft
• 0-62mph: 7.2secs
• TOP speed: 138mph
• Economy: 44.1mpg
• CO2/BIK tax liability: 146g/km / 26%
• Boot space: 450-1390 litres

Read More

NEW NISSAN Qashqai £18,795

Exterior

Most SUVs, especially smaller ones, are about style above all else, and this is an area in which the Qashqai excels. The front end features crisp lines and bold details, the LED running lights and the deep, angular grille being the highlights. Things are just as fresh at the rear end, with swooping LIGHT clusters and muscular rear haunches. This is one very handsome car. Entry-level Visia cars miss out on alloy wheels, but they still look reasonably swish.

Interior

If you thought the Qashqai looked swish on the outside, you’ll be just as impressed by the interior. All the materials have a plush, high-grade feel, particularly on the main touch-points, and the design is modern and attractive.IMPORTANTLY, though, this hasn’t come at the expense of ergonomics. The various switches and buttons are logically placed and clearly marked, and the touch-screen infotainment system (standard on the top two trims) has sharp graphics and clear, logical menus. What’s more, the high driving position that SUV buyers love has plenty of adjustment, so life is very comfortable at the wheel. The limited rear visibility is the cockpit’s only real weak point.

Practicality

Even when compared with its best rivals, the Qashqai has no trouble on this score. The rear seats have plenty of headroom and legroom, making life very comfortable for four gangly adults, and five will cram in at a push. The 430-litre BOOT rivals those of the best cars in the class for capacity, and it also has some really clever features. We particularly like the two movable boards, which help give you a perfectly level load floor when the back seats are folded, and which can be slotted in vertically as well as horizontally, to stop small items sliding around. These boards are standard on all trims except entry-level Visia.

Ride and handling

On the road, the Qashqai’s focus is very much on comfort, with good bump absorption at low speeds and fantastic smoothness and stability at moderate and high speeds. Despite the Qashqai’s civilised character, the handling is also impressively neat. The body stays impressively flat in corners so you don’t get thrown around in your seat, and the car always feels grippy, stable and predictable. You can change the weight of the steering by selecting one of two modes, too. The Sport mode has an artificially heavy feel, but in Normal mode, the weighting feels just right and gives crisp responses.

Safety

All Qashqai models come with six airbags and stability control as standard, while Acenta Premium models have a few more clever safety features and Tekna models have more still. The Qashqai has also achieved the maximum five-star rating in Euro NCAP crash tests.

Read More

NEW SKODA Superb From £19,785

Exterior

The Superb has always been a rational purchase, a car bought with your head, not your heart. This model, though, is a classy, desirable flagship for Skoda's range. It's a really sharp-looking car.

Interior

Bigger is definitely better in the Superb. You can really feel the difference made by the increase in width and height in the cabin: this is as spacious as family cars get.

Running costs

For what is an undeniably vast car, the Superb's running costs should be fairly reasonable. The 2.0-litre TDI 150 for example, produces just 108g/km. The latest Passat is a tad cleaner, due to being smaller in size, and the Ford Mondeo is cleaner and a bit cheaper (in Zetec trim), but there is no doubt the Superb represents great value. A Greenline model with emissions below 100g/km will be launched soon, for those who really do need to keep their tax bills as low as possible. Servicing, insurance and PCP loan costs should all be highly competitive, but the Passat is likely to command slightly better resale values – but spec-for-spec, the Superb is slightly cheaper, which should even things out.

Performance

A wide selection of engines means there is usually something for everyone, and the Skoda Superb certainly gives buyers plenty of options to choose from. However, despite a range of refined petrols, including a 1.4 with 148bhp and cylinder shut-off technology to reduce CO2 emissions, the vast majority of buyers are likely to pick one of the three diesels. There’s a 1.6 with 118bhp, and a 2.0-litre with either 148- or 187bhp. We tried both the 2.0-litre models, and although there’s not a big difference in performance (both have a decent spread of torque available across most of the rev range) the lesser version feels a tad more refined at speed.The manual 'box positive, action, and the clutch is light enough to make precise changes. The petrol model needs working harder to make quicker progress, but it’s great for pootling around town, and really smooth and flexible, even when you do push it.

Read More

NEW SEAT Alhambra From £25,380

Exterior

Many MPVs have a boxy appearance, and it’s no coincidence; boxy is always best when you’re looking to maximise space. The Alhambra follows this recipe unashamedly, but although its lines aren’t exactly what you’d call ‘flowing’, the looks aren’t too bland. All versions come with alloy wheels and colour-coded bumpers and DOOR handles, along with a chrome surround for the radiator grille. Go for the SE car, which most buyers will, and you also get chrome window surrounds, darkened rear windows and chrome roof rails. SE Lux and FR-Line cars, meanwhile, have a panoramic roof.

Interior

Life’s pretty sweet at the wheel of the Alhambra. You get a cracking view out in all directions – which helps you manage the car’s cumbersome size during low-speed manoeuvres – and all versions have the added security of front- and rear-parking sensors. Everything on the dashboard is logically located and really easy to use, and there’s a feeling of substance and solidity because most of the materials look and feel very nice indeed. Some of the plastics are a little hard and unappealing in places, but it all looks like it’ll last a lifetime.

Running costs

The Alhambra is significantly bigger and heavier than a lot of seven-seat MPVs, so it’s never going to be the cleanest option, but even so, it doesn’t do too bad a job. The cleanest version, the 2.0 TDI 150 Ecomotive S, returns 56.5mpg, along with CO2 emissions of 130g/km, and all versions bar the petrol will better 50mpg. Purchase prices are very competitive, especially considering the amount of space and kit you’re getting for your money, and resale values aren’t half bad, either.

Reliability

The Warranty Direct Reliability Index tells a bit of a mixed story where the Alhambra is concerned. As a manufacturer, Seat doesn’t do too badly, hovering around the mid-table mark in the brand rankings. Look at the results for the older version of the Alhambra, though, and the reliability score is about as low as it’s possible to get, with engine troubles being the biggest cause of mechanical issues. The owner reviews on our own website also report some rather nerve-wracking stories about the car’s dependability. A rather average three-year/60,000-mile warranty package is included.

Safety

We always like it when the safety kit you get in a car is the same no matter whether you have the most basic version or the range-topping version, and the Alhambra is one of those. Stability control, tyre pressure monitoring, tiredness recognition and multi-collision braking (which locks on the anchors after a shunt to prevent further collisions) are all provided, along with no less than seven airbags including a driver’s knee ‘bag and curtain ‘bags that cover all three rows of seats. 

The only thing that’s really missing is autonomous city braking, and it’s not even available as an optional extra. Nevertheless, the car has achieved the full five-star rating in Euro NCAP crash tests, even though that was back in 2010 and the tests have become considerably harder since then.

Read More