Recreation

by

Easter Sunday – The Untamed

593821_P90102770_highRes

Jeremy I’ve just driven 57 miles in a Mini GP and achieved the impossible – 39mpg. Not that impressed? Well, the official figure in the combined cycle is 39.8mpg but believe me, unless you are driving downhill with a tailwind and slipstreaming a large lorry, you will never achieve it.

Why? Because it’s damn near impossible to drive the GP – the fastest Mini ever built – at anything but breakneck speed. While there are plenty of hot hatchbacks that will destroy the GP’s 0-60mph time of 6.3 seconds, there are few that feel so untamed.

And it’s even worse when you take GP out on a public road. Everybody wants to race the little car splattered in decals – so to achieve 39mpg is no mean feat. It’s a fearsome ride too. I’ve crashed through a dozen potholes already and the suspension is totally unforgiving.

While I can’t imagine living with this Mini on a day to day basis, I’m totally smitten by its little car, big performance. It simple shocks other drivers on country A roads – for once, the decals don’t lie. The GP has is one crazy sports car.

by

ad735055-bbce-4079-865f-e838ca5df924Jeremy It’s the last day for our Volvo XC60 . With snow forecast for tomorrow I’m going to regret handing over the keys for all sorts of reasons. This is the model that buries the myth that all Volvos are boxy estates driven by conservative types. The flowing lines of the bodywork and beautifully crafted dashboard are light years ahead of Volvos of old – a pretty SUV estate that manages to put a smile on your face every morning. I think it looks sensational from most angles – apart from head on, which is about to be rectified with a new, re-nosed version due out this summer. Solid, robust and capable of 4X4-type forays into the semi-rough stuff, the XC60 is a thoroughly modern estate car that will tick a lot of boxes for most families. Arriving tomorrow at Car Couture is the new Jaguar XJ 3.0 Supercharged V6. Find out how we get on with the luxury saloon every day next week.