Author: carcoutureblog

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The Nissan X-Trail’s third row of seats is really for kids only

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Perhaps England would be better playing rugby sevens? Incredible how our national squad can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory against a team riddled with injuries. Well done Wales.

With this in mind and with England’s chances of beating Australia looking less than 50-50 next Saturday, maybe team sponsors Land Rover will pull out – leaving the door open for another four-wheel sponsor to slip in?

The X-Trail has seven seats, it might do our over confident players good to sample the delights of a Nissan, rather than the more upmarket Land Rover brand. I think I’d enjoy watching seven, 15 stone-plus men trying to squeeze inside an X-Trail too.

That third row pair of seats is really only for occasional kids – otherwise consider this SUV best used as a very roomy and comfortable five-seater.

 

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Would you be happy to pay £30,000 to own a Nissan X-Trail?

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The Nissan X-Trail may be styled like a premium brand machine but some of the trim comes from the bargain basement.

The long list of standard kit on this top spec model is impressive. The panoramic sunroof, auto headlights, sophisticated sat nav system – on paper it reads like a £30k car.

But the problem is the X-Trail doesn’t ‘feel’ premium. The seat materials, steering wheel, button and dials just aren’t that pleasant to the touch.

I can’t fault the X-Trail for practicality, It’s spacious, comfortable and I’m averaging 36mpg in the everyday slog.

Somehow though, I can’t imagine ever paying £30k for the privilege of driving it. Opt for the £23,000 entry model and it starts to make sense…

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Is that a BMW X3? No is the latest Nissan X-Trail

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You have to look twice with the X-Trail. Unlike the pig ugly Juke, the family-orientated Nissan is starting to look more German than a BMW.

It’s surely no coincidence that the latest X-Trail has gone all curvy and upright like BMW’s X crossovers. Just add in a funky bronze colour like our test car and suddenly it even has an air of premium motor about it.

Underneath it’s a different story. The X-Trail shares the same platform as the Qashqai (a name I still have to look up every time I write it).

And while it’s some 90kg lighter than the old X-Trail, that 1.6 diesel engine means performance is left wanting. A petrol model is coming but really, you won’t be buying this SUV for on-road thrills.

Still, first impressions matter and I find the X-Trail easy on the eye. More from inside the cabin tomorrow…

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The styling of the BMW M4 is compromised by the curve of the folding hard-top

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I’ve always harboured a dream of owning another soft top. I’m not worried about the security of a fabric roof – I don’t care if the a cabriolet is more noisy.

So the M4 convertible will prove the answer for many people because it has a folding roof. It drops in about 20 seconds, eating into a rather large slice of boot space.

The roof is so good that I’ve almost forgotten I can enjoy open air motoring. Except for one thing, the M4 convertible doesn’t look half as pretty as it’s coupe sibling, seen in the photo.

There’s something about the back of the roof that doesn’t quite work aesthetically. The BMW is all sharp lines and aggressive bumps. The gentle curve of the folding roof spoils the profile of an otherwise terrific car.

I love driving the M4 but I simply wouldn’t but the drop top because a £60,000 open car should also be a beautiful thing, not a compromise.

With summer coming to an end, I’m off to Italy for a week to ride a Harley-Davidson on a grand tour. We’re back September 25 with another weekly car test…

 

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Beauty or the beast? BMW’s M4 looks a bruiser from every angle

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Faced with the choice of a BMW M4 or a Maserati Ghibli S – which car would you choose?

A friend of mine is faced with with this rather lovely dilemma. It’s either the beautiful Maserati, or the beast-like M4. Both have been styled to opposite ends of the spectrum – both are ‘super’ cars in their own right.

Wherever I’ve driven the BMW this week it’s attracted the attention of a certain type of car enthusiast. Usually the ones who wear a baseball cap back to front and drive a modified Vauxhall Corsa. All those muscular bumps suggest power and aggression.

When Car Couture had the Ghibli on test last year, heads turned for all the right reasons. It’s a glorious car to look at from the inside out, although few could say it is as much of a driver’s car as the Beemer.

If you’re an aesthete, the Maserati should win every time but after days days in the M4, I could be tempted to buy a baseball cap too…

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The sound of the M4 – that’s the BMW version, not the motorway…

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There’s been plenty written about how this latest M3/M4 doesn’t have the same aura as the old version. It’s all to do with BMW dumping their 4.4-litre V8 and replacing it with a turbo 3.0-litre for improved efficiency.

Nothing beats the roar of a V8 but don’t be fooled into thinking our M4 doesn’t boast a rumble from those four tailpipes. It’s not quite a V8 gurgle – but it’s also a pure sound that hasn’t been manufactured by a man with  laptop, a la Jaguar F-Type.

So when I fired up the BMW this morning, the soundtrack was inspiring. It’s really just a taster of what is to come when the revs pick up – it lures you onto the open road where you can cut loose and enjoy yourself.

The downside? Well, those meaty tyres produce an awful lot of road noise in the convertible. I can only imagine that it is the same in the coupe. The constant hum changes pitch when you drive over different surfaces but it’s always there, forcing the Harmon Kardon hi-fi even louder…

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How many buttons do you need to press to overtake in a BMW M4?

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Is it just me or are cars becoming a little too overcomplicated these days? Take my M4. It’s something of a barnstormer – bumps in all the right places and very, very fast.

Twenty years ago that would have been enough for an enthusiastic driver, always  ready to put his foot down at the slightest opportunity.

There was no need to press extra buttons to set the vehicle up in sport mode, heighten the revs or firm up the suspension (let alone make the exhaust sound LOUD).

So when I came to overtake a line of three cars today, it was a damp trouser moment when I suddenly realised the BMW was quite set up right for a straight line dash.

This was, as you might imagine, not good. Surely if a sports car IS a sports car, it should be ready to go at the press of the right foot – and not at the press of a right foot and assorted buttons and oh, bugger, it’s too late.

Pure, unfettled fun is hard to come by these days. Maybe it’s time to buy a new Mazda MX-5 instead…

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BMW – Brilliant Middle-Management Wheels but not much emotion

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Forget all the whistles and bells on the M4 – whether or not you might be persuaded to part with £60k + for the convertible might well come down to the badge on the bootlid.

Image is everything with a car like this. You might question whether there are other brands with a more luxurious tag that tempt you to flip open the wallet.

I’ve own at least three BMWs but still haven’t been able to shake of the business-like feel that is associated with the brand. Brilliant Middle-Management Wheels is what those three letters stand for, right?

As much as I love the performance, growl and driving pleasure that comes with the M4, the BMW brand just doesn’t have the same cache and emotion associated with it as say, Maserati, Porsche or Mercedes, who all sells cars for this sort of money…

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BMW M4 convertible – your flexible friend when the road surface is harsh

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I wasn’t sure BMW had delivered the right car when the M4 rumbled up the driveway earlier today. So good is the design of the convertible that it’s difficult to tell it apart from the M4 coupe.

Slip the open top M4 on a set of scales though and it weighs in almost 180kg heavier – mostly thanks to a complicated roof folding mechanism that is jaw-dropping to behold.

And there’s not doubt that first impressions of this brute of a sports car suggest all that extra weight does have an impact on handling – especially over rough surfaces at speed.

It’s astoundingly quick in a straight line but there’s definitely some flexibility in the chassis. This is still a fantastic car to drive but there’s also a price to be paid for choosing the open top option…

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F-Type, 911 or R8 – which one would you choose?

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Jaguar F-Type convertible, Porsche 911 Cabriolet, Audi R8 soft-top – which one would you buy? There’s a big difference in prices and the Jag is the cheapest by far but is it way out of it’s depth in such company?

Having driven all three this summer, I’d opt for the practical, sensible and easiest-to-live-with 911. I don’t think the 911 is that inspiring to look at, it doesn’t set my pulse racing like the F-Type but it is the brilliant all-rounder.

I’v already talked about the F-Type having a heart and soul, although it’s a real shame the noisy tailpipes and uninspiring interior let the car down.

That might suggest the R8 is a great compromise but, well, it just looks a little rear heavy. I know the design is meant to exude true ‘supercar’ but quite frankly, despite the amazing handling, the Audi has a fat arse and that’s the end of it.

Which leads me to conclude this is a dead heat, only won by the Porsche because it does everything well. Such as shame it just conjures up images of flash bankers and little else…