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Time to go green in a Range Rover? Only if you live in a city

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There are few clues that this Range Rover is equipped with electric technology. A discreet badge on the boot reads ‘Hybrid’ but otherwise this looks like a standard diesel version.

And that’s just the way Land Rover want it. The Range Rover is the company’s most conservative model – any change is greeted with scepticism.

In truth, it’s also hard to tell the Hybrid is being powered by a 47bhp motor when driven too. It may start silently but any pressure on the accelerator swiftly brings the 292bhp V6 engine in to play.

To really get any benefit from this model then you need to live in a stop-start city environment, long for improved fuel economy and have a strong will to be greener than other Rangey owners.

A longer electric range of more than just one mile would make it a truly great car…

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The best job on the planet – watching the Northern Lights in a Range Rover?

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Bolt may have another gold to hang on his bedpost today but the story that caught my eye was a hotel in Lapland offering a dream job – watching the Aurora Borealis.

More than 200 people applied for the position in Finland last year and now it’s up for grabs again. Sadly it doesn’t come with a Range Rover as a company car.

Shame because even I would be tempted if that was so. Few Range Rovers hit the dirt these days, even though we all know it is THE machine for handling the rough stuff.

There’s tons of onboard technology to cover any terrain but unlike many rivals, the Range Rover cabin doesn’t scream about them.

It’s a classy place to sit, beautiful in all areas and better than a Mercedes S-class. If only they had one on offer in Lapland…

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A green Range Rover? And we’re not just talking about the wellies…

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Let’s get one thing straight. The electric motor in the Range Rover Hybrid isn’t designed to pull the king of SUVs along at a smart pace. It very much works in tandem with the V6 diesel engine and can only move the Rangey for one mile under electric power alone.

The battery is recharged under engine deceleration and working with the diesel unit offers the same kind of performance as the larger, V8 diesel. Plus much better economy.

It’s also rare to trundle around the streets in silence in the Hybrid because even the slightest acceleration makes the diesel unit kick in. If you drive most of the time in the country, opt for the standard V6 diesel instead because the Hybrid will offer no benefits.

Still, the 44mpg economy is impressive for such a large car and those rare moments when the electric motor does take over are almost worth the wait…

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Are V8s like the BMW M6 about to follow the dinosaurs into extinction?

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Some people think the age of big-engined, normally aspirated V8s is coming to an end. Even Porsche is going small turbo instead – are car’s like our BMW M6 the last of the dinosaurs?

Well, I for one hope not. I’m reminded of that wonderful piece-to-camera Clarkson did with the Aston Martin Vantage V12 a few years back. The car made him sad because he knew it was the end of an era.

There’s nothing like the rumble of a 5.0-litre monster on start up – the massive grunt when you floor it and the shove in your back. Somehow a turbo just doesn’t do it the same.

Car Couture is off to Australia today to try another potential dinosaur – the Jeep SRT. A 6.4-litre SUV that’s available in the UK but hugely overlooked. Join us in a few days for a 1,500-mile return trip up the Coral Coast…

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The M6 is BMW’s most expensive petrol car….

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According to my calculations, the BMW is the most expensive petrol car that BMW sell. There is the i8 but that boasts hybrid technology that always adds to the bill.

M6 is certainly worthy of the honour. More stylish than the M5, hugely practical for a coupe and very, very fast. The 4.4-litre twin turbo at the heart of this wonderful machine is sensational – considering the car weighs two tons.

All coupes are designed to seduce and M6 has plenty to lure you in. The sumptuous interior, squat profile and handling that belies its size makes this a fantastic drivers car.

The steering, engine and suspension can all be adjusted to suit conditions – including beating the Audi RS7 in almost every department…

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The BMW M6 – a refined super tourer in an age of noisy exhaust pipes

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I have to declare an interest from the start. The last car I owned was a 630d – it took me 48 years to find the perfect car for my needs but we got there in the end.

Now I’m testing the Big Daddy version. The rumbling M6 V8 that looks and sounds discreetly powerful without upsetting every other road user.

It would be easy to argue the case for other fast coupes but when it comes to styling, I think the 6 Series is difficult to beat. It’s also very roomy, beautifully screwed together and ‘feels’ like a refined muscle car.

Not sure who is going to pay £93k to buy one but I digress. The M6 is a masterclass in performance with discretion – especially in an age of noisy ‘sport’ exhausts and in your face styling…

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Goodbye Batmobile – hello BMW M6

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Surely it’s the old chaps with beards who would love the Batmobile best? I was wrong. Parked up at the Silverstone Classic, it was the younger generations who went weak at the knees over the spoilers and decals.

I thought I was going to have to drag one woman out of the passengers seat – she was slightly drunk but fell instantly in lust with maddest BMW every built.

I’m also sure some of the teenagers who came to talk to me just thought I had bought an old Beemer and gone a bit over the top with the spoilers. Most were horrified and when I told them the car was worth about £150,000.

To me, driving the Batmobile just made me realise how much cars have improved in 45 years, especially when compared to our incoming M6 test car .

I could drive the Batmobile a long way. It’s soft, comfortable and not that noisy. It took me back to a time when you actually had to ‘drive’ a car – not just press a button and let technology take over.

I love it for that reason alone but I’d definitely was an M6 on the side to keep me sane…

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The retro interior of the 1972 BMW Batmobile is as funky as the exterior

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Back in the day, they made car interiors like this. The photo of our 1972 BMW shows just how far we have come in 45 years – and this was a pretty expensive Beemer too!

Oddly, the Batmobile has window winders (remember them) for the front doors and electric ones at the rear. Makes sense if you think about it but what a joy to get some arm exercise for a change!

The windscreen wiper speed is operated by a pull toggle next to the four-speed gearstick and the only controls on the steering column are for dipping the headlights and an indicator stalk.

While the cassette-radio was probably state-of-the-art back then, now it seems to be lacking the very essential aerial. Well, I can find an aerial to pull up anyway.

Favourite feature? It has to be the wonderful, wood veneer shelf in front of the passenger seat. Super practical for holding you Led Zep and Floyd tapes, which then proceeded to melt in the sunshine…

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Quick, to the Batmobile? What’s it like to live with a retro BMW supercar?

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There is a hint of madness about the car sat on my driveway. It has more spoilers than a bad film review and could have driven off the set of a Mad Max movie.

Even today, sitting in a 1972 Batmobile isn’t for the shy, retiring type. It looks absolutely bonkers from any angle but still screams BMW.

First introduced as a 2800 CS in 1968, this one acquired a bored out engine of 3153cc. To make it faster on the track, thinner gauge steel was used on the chassis and the boot and bonnet were cut from aluminium – ground-breaking 34 years ago.

It has no carpet, electric windows or power steering – oh and how am I going to get on with a four-speed manual gearbox again?

Can you live with a classic like this on a daily basis? Quick, to the Batmobile to find out! (Just bring your ear-plugs).

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The pain of scuffed alloys on a Porsche – ouch!

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I’d never buy a car with scuffed alloys. So it pains me greatly when I give back a car with damage to the wheels. It smacks of typical motoring journalist – careless in everybody’s car apart from their own.

It wasn’t entirely my fault (it never is!) but I must bare some of the responsibility for the Cayenne’s grazed knees. A head-on meeting in an Edinburgh street that nudged me into the cobbled curb. Ouch.

Annoying as it is, the Porsche’s ‘restyling’ comes nowhere near what happened to a Range Rover I drove to France in the early 1990s. We had four expensive mountain bikes on the roof and the service station canopy was obviously way too low.

Fortunately, I wasn’t driving but it fell to me to call the Land Rover press office and explain myself. The damage was extensive but nobody batted an eyelid. Let’s hope Porsche are as understanding…