It’s that time of year again when I’m wondering what Santa might bring in his sack of delights. I’m sure Santa and his helpers have an inkling already, but there’s nothing like a list – a list of five super cars for Santa’s sack – that might help just make my Christmas sparkle. If you’d be so kind Santa.
So here you go Mr Santa Claus.
Tesla Roadster
OK, high hopes I know, and more likely to be delivered next Christmas, or the one after….but let’s not go there. Let’s hear it for Elon Musk’s brilliant latest creation, the fabulous Roadster. Its performance is PHE-NOM-E-NAL. Get this: 0-60mph in 1.9 seconds. Not fast enough for you? How about a top speed of 250mph? And the suggestion that this is standard spec Roadster – it can go quicker. Gulp!
All this massive performance on a battery pack is astonishing – Tesla says it can go 620 miles on a charge. The Roadster features a lightweight roof which can be detached and stored in the boot to get that fresh air experience. And with 2+2 configuration there’s even room for the family.
Ish…
Aston Martin Vantage
At the other end of the Tesla scale is the new Aston Martin Vantage which costs a cool £120,900 (work harder elves!).
The new Vantage thumps to 60mph in 3.5 seconds and on to a maximum speed of 195mph, and to ensure things stay under control there’s a sophisticated suite of integrated electronic systems including Dynamic Stability Control, Dynamic Torque Vectoring and an E-Diff (the first Aston to feature an electronic diff). If you want things a little edgy there’s the choice of Track mode otherwise drive settings are Sport, and Sport Plus.
Powering the slippery aero lines of the Vantage is a new alloy, 4-litre twin-turbo V8 engine developing 510PS at 6000rpm. And I’m absolutely sure the soundtrack from that V8 – unlike the Tesla’s noiseless electric battery – will be utterly intoxicating.
McLaren Senna
If the Aston Martin Vantage (road edition) manages to keep everything aero under control with subtle diffusers and so on, that’s not the case with the new McLaren Senna.
Billed as the ultimate track car for the road, it looks like it’s more ready for a sprint around Silverstone rather than a grid-locked chug on the commute from home to work.
Bearing the name of legendary Formula 1 driver and world champion, Ayrton Senna, McLaren says this name honours the car’s status as the ultimate road car legalised for the road. Power comes from am 800PS 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged mid-engined V8 driving the rear wheels for classic sports car all-out performance. And there’s a range of brilliant aerodynamics throughout the carbonfibre bodied car to keep that performance on the tarmac…including a fairly outrageous rear wing. Which could be the only thing stopping Santa putting it in my Christmas stocking on Christmas Eve.
Honda Urban EV
It’s not all about supercars and super performance on my Santa list. One of the cars that really took my eye this year was the totally charming Urban EV, revealed by Honda at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
I love the car’s simple design – with its homage to sporting hatch icons of the past – and its low, wide proportions. Yet it’s 100mm shorter than a Honda Jazz. So it’s amazingly compact but can take four in its airy interior. (So easy to get on Santa’s sleigh!)
Honda says its future EVs will include high-density, lightweight battery packs, integrated heat management and the evolution of energy transfer functions – both to and from the vehicle (grid-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-grid tech). And the whisper has it that we’ll see the Urban EV on our roads by 2019. I’m plugged in and ready.
Land Rover Discovery Commercial
And finally, I’ve included something that, should Rudolf, plus Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen get a little tired on their travails on Christmas Eve, could take over the job: the all new Land Rover Discovery Commercial.
Yup. Land Rover does a classy van. And this one is decoratively adorned too with holly. So it’s fully festive. There’s a powered tailgate that lifts to reveal 1,856 litres of flexible load space, a towing capacity up to 3.5 tonnes together and with Land Rover’s legendary Terrain Response system, the Discovery Commercial will have that go anywhere ability (ie my house, Santa) that is a hallmark of all Land Rovers.
The Discovery Commercial has just been launched. The normal second and third row seating has been replaced with hard-wearing load-space measuring 1,635mm long, 939mm high and 1,411mm wide. The boot aperture is large enough to accept loads measuring up to 1000 x 735mm.
Retaining the exterior design of Discovery, rear window concealment panels are masked by privacy glass so Discovery Commercial can be undistinguishable as a commercial vehicle if you so want.
So there you go Santa. Easy-peasy and that will be me sorted for Christmas day! I’ll be leaving a mince pie outside my house, but perhaps not the glass of sherry. I wouldn’t want to encourage Santa to consider drink driving, after all! He might deliver the wrong present to me!
It’s that time of year again when I’m wondering what Santa might bring in his sack of delights. I’m sure Santa and his helpers have an inkling already, but there’s nothing like a list – a list of five super cars for Santa’s sack – that might help just make my Christmas sparkle. If you’d … Continued
Did you take delivery of an Alternatively Fuelled Vehicles (AFV) in November? If so, you’ll be one of a rising number. According to the official car data crunchers, the SMMT, AFVs rose over 33% compared to the same month last year. Which means the news on greener technologies is trickling through – because AFVs represent … Continued
Put the wrong fuel in a vehicle and the impact is immediate. Put the wrong oil in a vehicle and the impact could be just as severe. Using the wrong or poor quality lubricants leads to accelerated wear in bearings and gears, risking increased maintenance costs and even in extreme cases, malfunction. With ever increasing … Continued
Fantastic! I can’t tell you how good it feels to win. And last week we won not one or two but three awards at the Leasing Broker Awards. Organised by the Leasing Broker Federation, the awards were judged by an independent panel of judges from the leasing and automotive sector. So I’m really honoured that … Continued
One way or another, diesel – and its potential alternatives – have been in the headlines just recently. And much of it is to do with the Chancellor Philip Hammond. And what he might say – or do – about diesel cars. I don’t know whether you saw it, but the BBC website ran a … Continued
The British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA), the trade body representing the UK’s vehicle leasing and rental industry, has published a blueprint for delivering “a cost-effective transition away from diesel vehicles in urban areas”. Announced at the same time as the launch in London of the T-Charge Clean Air Zone for cars and commercial … Continued
At what point does the quality of the human habitat become more important than the freedom to trade or move around freely? The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, is in no doubt, having brought forward the introduction of the first Ultra Low Emission Zone for London. “London’s lethal air is one of the biggest health … Continued
It’s that moment – and we’ve all been there: the sickening metallic bang as your lovely alloy wheel disappears into a pothole and at the same time the car springs compress to the very top of the suspension turret threatening to protrude through the bonnet. And then … …then there’s the dreaded flap, flap, flap … Continued
I don’t know about you, but Saturday nights are made for football analysis and reflection. And beer. My partner doesn’t quite share my enthusiasm for the beautiful game, but does love the BBC’s ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ programme. Begrudgingly, in between catching up on the football news, I do watch bits of it – and highly … Continued
The new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into effect on 25 May 2018 marking the biggest overhaul of data protection since the introduction of the current Data Protection Act (DPA) in 1998. Seen as more of an evolution than a revolution, GDPR is effectively a more detailed and robust version of the current regulation, … Continued