11 Car Reviews. A quick summary of each car.

Every year the SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders) have a testing day or two where the press and media can test drive and review new cars. It’s a great day to get to drive the cars and experience the brands in person. Here are some of the cars that we test drove recently (13/7/21) and our thoughts on those cars.

Cars tested

Bugatti Type 35

I saw this car on Sunday 11th July 2021 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. I am drawn to is as I love the car, it’s history, its’s simplicity, and as I own a replica of the full scale car. This car is two thirds in size of the full size car so I am told, but it look smaller. It is fully electric, and goes fast enough. It’s a very well build car, and it should be for £60,000. Yes you read that right, £60k. Apparently it has parts that like the foot pedals that are from a Bugatti, who knows. Not sure if this is a car for big kids (male adults) or for their kids, but for £60,000 I can think of so many lore things I’d rather buy. Manufactured by The Little Car Company under license from Bugatti.

.

Abarth 595 Competizione

As the owner of a new Fiat 500 (i.e. the modern version) (the Limited Edition Ferrari Dealership Edition of which they only made 200) I like the original cars and the new cars. So I was intrigued to see if the Abarth 595 Competizione car was much faster than the one I own.

After my test drive…Love this car. At £21,164 it would be hard to find more fun for the money. It ticks the main fun boxes for me, I love looking at it, it makes me smile when looking at in internally and externally, and as I walked away I have to look back a few times. This car brought out the little excited boy in me. Acceleration 0-62 mph in 6.7 sec. (manual gearbox) and 6.9 sec (robotised sequential gearbox) and goes all the way to 140mph (bonkers). It would be hard to find a car for the money that makes you feel this good, and puts such a big smile on your face. We drove this car around the Millbrook proving ground alpine course and we had a smile on our face from start to finish. This particular car has a beautiful blue mat metallic paint job that just stands out and as you know we like it when a car stands out. Bravo Fiat/ Abarth. We’re going to give the car a 10/10. We liked it so much I may buy one.

.

Fiat 500e

So this is the all new 2021 Fiat 500e electric car. It drives well, it has instant torque as you’d expect from an electric car, it’s speedy enough, accelerates well and like other Fiat 500s is a good little car. Design is good, a few styling items I’m not overly keen on, and a few I really like. All in all, a good car, it costs £20,000 to buy new and we’re going to give the car a 7/10.

.

Audi e-tron Sportback S

What a nice car. We drove this on the Alpine circuit at Millbrook proving ground and it’s got all the torque and speed that you’ll need in the real world. The interior is beautiful, very luxurious, lovely leather and details. Only drawback for me on this car is it if you’re a big person and tall because it’s a sports back it’s very difficult to fit in if you’re 6 foot tall or greater in height. Also is a fair whack of money at £87,985. We’re going to give the car a 8/10.

.

Audi e-tron GT

What a car. Looks great, performs great, Holds the road excellently as you’d expect from an Audi. The Panoramic roof is cool, it’s a nice place to sit as a driver. We would’ve given it a 9 out of 10 but the price £100,000 is a lot of money, so we’re going to give the car a 8/10

.

Bentley Continental GT Mulliner

Wow. What a car. I’ve always liked the look of the Bentley Continental GT, now in its third edition. The base list price for the Bentley Continental GT is £158,000 and of course you can have any number of upgrades and spend as much money as you want. This is the Mulliner edition, Mulliner are known for exquisite interiors and bespoke coach building. The Bentley Continental GT Mulliner edition has a list price of £209,000. As you’d expect this car has an exquisite interior, beautiful detailing on and around the car and we love it. Yes it is expensive, but compared to other cars in this price range it is exceptional. Bravo. We’re going to give the car a 10/10.

.

Porsche Taycan Turbo S

What a car this is. This car was £124,000 as it is. According to the test driver that had to accompany me (boo) they are selling like hot cakes, and I can see why. The car has a really cool touchscreen display, a really nice feel to the cabin especially from the drivers position, as you would expect from Porsche. Acceleration was fast enough in standard drive, but in sport mode was way in excess of what you would need on the road, but thoroughly enjoyable. I apart from the price what’s not to love? It will be interesting to see was used car prices do over the coming years. We will watching with interest. We’re going to give the car a 10/10.

.

Porsche 718 Cayman

What a superb car. I’ve never driven a Porsche Cayman and always thought it the lesser sibling of the 911, but this is really unjustified. It really is a special car for people that love driving, but it can also be used as an everyday car, one that would put a massive smile on your face every time you drive it. Full of praise. This really is a great car and at £48,000 list price it’s really hard to beat. We’re going to give the car a 10/10.

.

McLaren 720S Spider

This car just beggars belief. Out’bloody’ragious. You’d have to experience this car to truly appreciate how fast this car is. It’s an epic car in every way. The speed just takes your breath away, any faster any you’d probably puke.

The roof can open or close in 12 seconds which is fast. List price £218,000, but with options this car can go in excess of £300,000. I feel truly privileged to have driven this car. Well done McLaren. We’re going to give the car a 10/10.

.

Honda e

I’ve been looking forward to seeing this car in the flesh ever since it was first seen by myself at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2019. This is a funky little car. The key positive is the complete left to right touchscreen feature and each side of the touchscreen display can be independent for passenger and driver. As you could expect from a Japanese manufacturer everything is high-tech, it’s even got a plug, yes a plug, like you’d have in you home. Not sure the purpose of that, but there is one. However, plugging energy hungry devices into your car will obviously drain the battery further and reduce the driving range. The back seats fold down to give you large baggage space which I liked.

There is no doubt it’s a very cool and funky car, but at £28,000 which is £7-8000 more expensive than the Fiat 500e, that’s a lot of extra cash for a very similar car. If you go for the Honda e you’re most likely doing so because you like it’s quirkiness and the tech. I like the car a lot. We’re going to give the car a 8/10.

.

Alfa Romeo Gulia Veloce 2.0 Turbo petrol 280 HP

First Alfa Romeo I have driven. It’s a very nice looking car. With a starting price of £40,210, this car with a few optional extras is £45,260. Would I buy one, most probably not. It’s a cool car, however, as a drivers car it just isn’t quite loud enough or punchy enough for me personally. Still it’s a good looker. We’re going to give the car an 8/10.

.

What a busy day we had, we had a 5 minute lunch, but with so many cars to drive who needs lunch. Frustratingly I missed the chance to drive many car’s that I would like to have test driven those included:

Mini Cooper GP3 (below), Mini’s flagship. 0-60mph in 5.2 seconds and £34995. 3000 made, 375 for the UK, all sold out.

Porsche 911 GT4 (below), Toyota GT-R, Alpine, Nissan GT-R,Maserati Quattroporte Trofeo, McLaren GT, Maserati Ghibli GranSport & Mini Electric.

Doh! Argghhhh

Anyway what a great day testing cars. I hope you’ve found this guide helpful if you are considering buying one of the above cars. I’m always happy to answer any questions that you may have, so if you have any questions please leave your question in the comments section below or reach out to me via our social media channels.

Please remember, you can follow our regular news and competitions by subscribing to our weekly Newsletter update.  A cheeky like on Facebook, a follow on Twitter or Instagram or subscribe to our YouTube Channel would be cool too.