THE RISE AND RISE OF THE COMPACT SUV is baffling. Every other car seems to be one, so it's gratifying to learn that Europe is, in fact, still the biggest market for estate cars. It suggests that there are still many of us who recognise that a long, low-estate car is not only more stylish and practical but also intrinsically more dynamic than a potato on wheels; the compact SUV is essentially a jacked-up saloon higher centre of gravity and all the dynamic with a commensurately compromises that brings.
There's also something about a sporty estate that makes it cooler than the saloon it's based on, so much so that you'd be tempted to go for the five-door even if you didn't have dogs or bikes or kids' paraphernalia to haul about. We're huge fans of the current BMW M3 Competition but its desirability went through the roof when it was revealed in Touring form last summer, and it didn't disappoint when we drove it (evo 307), earning the full five stars.
The M3 Touring is arguably the ultimate sporty estate, but we can't all afford £80k or more and while most us might want 503bhp we don't need it. Question is, would the lesser M340i Touring do the job? Like the M3, it has a sonorous 3-litre, single-turbo straight-six and comes with four-wheel drive as standard, which seems sensible given that it's not short of grunt: a generous 369bhp and 369lb ft of torque. It's also more affordable too, of course, at just over of £60k before options.
Bu hikaye Evo UK dergisinin May 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye Evo UK dergisinin May 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
BEST BUYS BMW M CARS
THE PERFORMANCE CAR LANDSCAPE WOULD HAVE looked very different over the last five decades without BMW. Its M division, founded in 1972, has produced some of the best driver’s cars ever to hit the road, and in the process has provided a stream of benchmark models for its rivals to chase. In recent years, stricter emissions regulations, downsizing and electrification have seen some of those rival cars falter, yet by and large BMW’s M machines have remained strong. In fact, some rank among the greatest the department has made think of the eCoty-winning M2 CS and M5 CS while others are the only options worth recommending in their respective segments. Price tags have risen with performance, however, putting those latest offerings out of reach for many, but the marque’s popularity means there are numerous earlier M models available on the second-hand market for far more attainable figures. Here are four of our favourites.
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DEFINITELY. NO MAYBE
Three Japanese performance icons - Lexus LFA, Subaru Impreza 22B and Nissan GT-R. Over three days on some of our favourite roads we explore what makes each uniquely thrilling, but also the car culture that unites them
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F1, P1... and now W1. The next chapter in McLaren's Ultimate Series is the British firm's challenger to the forthcoming new Ferrari hypercar and a £2million, 1257bhp, hybrid-powered, technical tour de force
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One man’s dream to build the perfect Porsche 911 has resulted inthis aaticMously restored and enhanced classic. We delve into the details and take it for a drive
Bentley Continental GT Speed
The new Continental GT is the most powerful Bentley ever, and the beginning of anew plug-in hybrid era for Crewe. But is it still a benchmark grand tourer?
