Articles by Paul Pottinger

Before you sign up to that compact SUV, do yourself yourself a favour.

A Mercedes-Benz S500 has not so much made history as redefined it by "driving" 100km without a human hand on the wheel or foot on the pedals.

The best AMG from this hallowed performance house is the newest and the cheapest by as much as $75,000. This car is nothing less than an historic event.In almost literally reversing the paradigm of what an AMG has been, Benz and its tuning partner conspire to deliver not only the greatest hot hatch, but effectively future proof this line against the coming day when the V8 rear-drive autobahn stormer is, if not actually illegal, so socially abhorrent as to make no odds.That this partly all-wheel-drive, but mainly bum dragging, five door is the fastest car under $100,000 is to some extent only to be expected. AMG was hardly going to halve its cylinder count and swap its drive wheels in order to bring the world a superannuated Golf GTI. This is a game changer, a paradigm buster, an accomplishment to make any thinking performance car buyer reconsider every perception and prejudice they've ever held dear.With the next rung up C63 AMG starting at around $150K, the A45 not only opens AMG to punters who would never previously have considered this brand while sober, it makes a powerful case for being the best value car on sale.Alright, $74,900 is a few grand over BMW's comparable M135i auto, but the latter is not a full-fledged M car and the A45 shows that the A-Class was in no little part conceived with an eventual AMG incarnation at top of mind, as marketing types say. Indeed, it is the whole 10 metres, a literally fully blown AMG.That “entry” sum buys the whole package. Only nice paint, sun roof and a few fancy fiddly bits are optional. You get COMAND satnav, hugely grippy 19s on cool alloys, enough body kit to satisfy all but the irredeemably kitsch, fireworks exhaust and seven-speed twin clutch auto with an aggressive sport mode and neck-snapping launch control.Factor in the capability of smoking most anything this side of a Porsche 911 S, but with suburban compatible passenger and load capacity, and you have a package that asks questions of everything from WRX STI to HSV. To the latter, particularly, it says: “This is 2013.” Arriving soon at some $10K more is the decidedly more stylish but twin under the skin CLA 45 AMG.I wasn't overjoyed to discover this version of 4Matic all-wheel-drive is not only part-time but channels only 50 per cent of the available torque to rear. Visions of the dull-witted, insincere devices typically attached to compact SUVs are rapidly banished. You'll need to dial off the stability program (and find a track) before the Pirellis are tested. The world's most powerful four cylinder packs more kilowatts than the six pot turbo135i and equals its torque.If the basic A-Class makes even those dismissive of hatches look twice, they won't be able to take their eyes off this. She's pretty sick, mate, especially from the rear three quarters where the rising waistline is set off by haunches like an East German shotputter, full of 'roids and ready to rush. It's a great cabin, rich and dark with performance accents that allude to its ability. I'd prefer the gear shifter on the floor rather than the tree, but that arguments been lost.Stop me if you're hearing this a lot lately, but five star crash rating aside, the A45 is all about active safety. It is mightily competent even under levels of duress you won't chart in civilian surrounds.“You don't have to brake for this,” scoffs the bloke in the passenger seat, for the A45 does indeed, as he asserts, “Benz the law of physics”. That line'd be lame if the littlest AMG didn't so much take corners as dismiss them.If there's not the engagement that you'll have in a truly sorted rear-drive device (such as, yes, the 135i) I'll swap that for the exhilaration of carrying so much pace through low speed bends with complete surety and safety. Indeed, on public roads I get nowhere near the limit of this spectacular hatch's mechanical grip.Power down, even in launch mode, is stunning. Not so much as a twitch through the front or the always communicative steering; power transfer takes some infinitesimal, imperceptible fraction of a second and 100km/h is achieved in a claimed 4.6 seconds, though the Benz bloke says 4.4's been realised in unofficial testing. You're apt to believe it.A track is of the essence if one is to climb over some sixth-tents of this blazingly quick and capable device. We strongly suggest all AMG owners take the offer of professional lessons. Even in the hands of a middling driver like me, the cheapest AMG by half is going to be the quickest by some way on interesting roads. Its compact competence ensures that.If it out-dances its boofy V8 stablemates, the A45 can't sing like them. Still, the assault rifle crackle of the exhaust in sport mode enlivens any domestic drive. Sport flays hopes of realising the claimed fuel figure, even as it rides as decently as any focused five door could be expected.A caveat is the twin clutch auto. In drive it races up the ratios, in sport it holds on while overruling manual down shifts. The latter matters only a little with so much grunt so readily obtainable and its aptitude for intuiting your intentions.Addictive and delightful. A landmark.

Four door cats fly fast too. Especially big ones. As the F-Type, Jaguar's first sports car in half a century sears itself onto lists of the world's most desirable automobiles, the Indian-owned Brit marque feels the need to revisit its remit and remind us that its four-doors are capable of a bit more than touring grandly.You probably needn't go as far as the scenic roads and a race track of rural Washington, as we did, to see that the XJR is another blow to the decidedly first world dilemma of what weekend car to buy. The R badged version of Jag's flagship is a 24/7, all types of hardtop, proposition.VALUEAt near $300,000 plus on-roads (wonder what that good mate of carmakers, Tony Abbott, will do about the luxury car tax?), the fastest XJ to date sits south of the rival Benz S63 and Maserati Quattroporte.The R car is by any measure (not least length - 5.12 metres in the "short" wheelbase version) a lot of limo. The extra ask brings the full guts and glory version of Jaguar/LandRover's 5.0-litre supercharged V8, functional not merely visual go fast kit, smokey 20-inch alloys and bespoke interior.At a level where value is in the eye of a select few beholders, the Jaguar stands apart. Jaguars always have, but no longer at the cost of inconvenience. A marque that was until recently venerated more for its heritage than contemporary reality has retained its first place rating in JD Powers' customer satisfaction survey.TECHNOLOGYThe unexpurgated 404kW/680Nm tune of the blown aluminium V8 is enhanced here by powertrain and exhaust calibrations to deliver output hotter and sooner. It attains 100km/h from standing in 4.6 seconds, 80 to 120 in 2.46. A close ratio slightly bespoke version of ZF's eight speed auto is so quick, so intuitive, that piddling with the paddle shifters - even on a track - simply gets in the way. This godly box is way smarter and quicker than a mortal.Those 20-inch alloys provide both visual stimulation and a home to purpose made Pirellis - 265/30 and 295/30 front to rear. But such is the mechanical grip you'll not often stress the rubber. Adaptive Dynamics, an active electronic differential and very simpatico stability control curtail clumsiness and complement competence.Indeed on first world roads, as opposed to ours, dynamic mode is the preferred manual selection - damping is appreciably tightened but the ride is entirely compliant. Carmakers make much of using aluminium but it's not until you're at play in an 1800kg saloon that can dance with a much smaller four door that you begin to appreciate the ability and agility this material bestows.DESIGNAs one who stumbles over and confuses Jaguar's X designations, I wonder if the XJR isn't a candidate for another consonant, for a Q car it surely is. The standard XJ is almost too subtle and such embellishments as distinguish the R version are all about understatement -  a  ‘R’ spec side sills, bootlid spoiler, bonnet louvres, and chrome touches.Nor does the interior shouts luxury so much as assuming it. The fusty gentleman's club ambience of old isn't there in detail, but somehow survives in ambience - you could never imagine you're ensconced in German or Italian job. R logos and stitching in either red or tan distinguish it from the standard XJ.SAFETYCount the stars by all means, but active safety is the story here. There's no point in pushing output in you can't get it down and the electronic differential can apply full locking torque almost instantaneously and its calibrated to get the most out of the wide rear tyres in conjunction with output. It stops straight and true from more than 200kmh courtesy of the mighty hi-po braking system with ventilated 380mm and 376mm discs front to rear.DRIVINGCarsguide gets into the S63 AMG in a few weeks, so it'll be fascinating to see if our impression of the XJR is supplanted, because for now at least this has to be the most talented limo known to humanity.Crushing country kilometres at a  ridiculously relaxed lope one moment, then slicing cleanly between apexes of one of the most technical tracks we've encountered, you have to ask: "Can it be the same car?"It's convincing in either deployment, the always correct auto keeping that tidal wave of torque ever present. It makes for both eye blink overtaking exposures and withering straight runs. Refinement though is ever to the fore. It's quite possible for a front seat passenger to be lulled to sleep while the helmsman is fully engaged. That helm weights up almost imperceptibly but meaningfully with speed and fitness of bend.VERDICTThe world's most talented limo this month.Jaguar XJRPrice: from $298,000Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8; 404kW/680NmTransmission: 8-speed automatic; RWDThirst: 11.6L/100km0 to 100kmh: 4.6 secondsTop speed: 280km/h

There's a melange of motifs in this little VeeWee. It bears the nameplates Beetle and Fender, the people's car and the original hard bodied electric guitar -- both modern versions of which are made at some remove from their respective places of origin.Its light-deflecting shade evokes both T-Model Ford industrial pragmatism and the preferred hue of rock 'n' roll T-shirts (and a few so-called “classic” rock albums). Primarily, the Beetle Fender Edition is a novel addition to second generation of the “new” Beetle range, one to raise a smile in a someone bitten by the black dog.VALUEA sticker of $34,490 puts the Fender neatly between entry level and top spec Beetles. It's a fair ask for a toy embellished by 18x8-inch alloys fashioned in the manner of the old Beetle's hubcaps, pearl black paint, chrome bits, Beetle and Fender badging, bi-xenon headlights and LED daytime driving lights.The chief feature is not visual but aural an eardrum bleeding 400 watt Fender Sound premium audio system with digital 10-channel amplifier, eight speakers and subwoofer. Though probably not best appreciated by someone whose idea of a decent sound system is his iPhone dock, this thing strikes even the cloth eared as a monument to clarity and power.Seven speed twin clutch auto (DSG) is the standard transmission. Options are satnav at $1,700 and sunroof at $2,500, which would serve mainly to consume the very decent headroom.TECHNOLOGYIt's more or less axiomatic that VW's tech of yesterday is most other brands' tomorrows. While the new Golf is built on a new modular platform, the latest Beetle comes off the surpassed Mark V/VI Golf's underpinnings. At the front end this includes extended electronic differential lock, the device which does so much to quell understeer on the GTI.Aft, however, is a different story and a reminder that the Beetle, like the Jetta, is built in Mexico. There's no multi-link rear suspension as per Australian Golfs, rather the simple torsion beam set up prevalent in the US-issue cars.And you care how much? In truth this is unlikely to cause hesitation in one drawn by what is an exercise in borderline kitsch. But it's not just you reading this, you know.Possibly of more interest is the twin charge engine, using both super- and turbo charging, also a memento of the previous Golf and driven via a seven speed DSG. This combo has of late been subject of much opprobrium and an ignominious recall. Again, though, we emphasise the most recent models to which this applied were built in 2011.DESIGNJust as the very notion of a “new” Beetle polarised the classicists and those who could care less about heritage but knew cute when they saw it, this version does so outside and in. As the man in Spinal Tap says: “It's like, how much more black could this be? And the answer is none. None more black.” Or at least none other than black, the sole shade for the Fender Edition.Within it's hard (for me at least) not to love the sunburst dashboard fascia just like a Fender. The flat bottomed wheel is another GTI nod, handsomely set in the brown decorative stitching that also adorns the handbrake lever, gearshift, leather surrounded seats and carpet floor mats.To complete our impression of an interior design catalogue, three colour ambience lights glows through fluoro white, angry red and cool blue. Nice. But no auto headlight setting? In a $35K car? A classic 2+2, the rear seats are for parcels or infants or folded down to expand the diminutive cargo area into one capable of carrying a holiday's worth of luggage for two.SAFETYFive stars from Euro NCAP in which agency's testing the Beetle scored especially well on adult and child protection 92 and 90 per cent respectively). In the safety assist category, the trick diff and advanced anti-slip regulators scored it 86 per cent. In the pedestrian assessment it rated 56 per cent, surely of itself an encouragement for looking before you blunder onto the road, something that listening to music through earpieces does nothing to constrain.DRIVINGIt might suffice to say that a bloke hereabouts who drives an ancient original Beetle to work had a go in this and vowed to buy it. Of course, the former device was conceived as a doughty means of mobility for the working man's family; only belatedly did it come to be considered cool.When reinvented in the late '90s it was with no notion but the latter, a fashionable tote for the urban lady. That it sucked so abjectly in just about every respect, not least the dynamic, was apparently beside the point.The newest Beetle is every bit further advanced as the decade plus between the two generations should suggest. By no means a sports car, nor even particularly sporty, its light weight and sophisticated little engine keep it on the fun side of the ledger.After the characteristic but momentary hesitation of the twin clutch to engage, the supercharger delivers off the line torque deceptively quietly, the turbo coming on as the revs move into four figures per minute. It's every bit as powerful as a much larger naturally breathing engine, but so much more efficient and compact.Any thought that the latest Beetle might have been a poor man's Audi TT are banished simply by looking at it. The VW stands much taller, about average hatch height, and its body roll in hard cornering is considerable, as is grip from that those big rubber boots. Shifting the stick to Sport (no paddle shifters to play with and, really, who cares?) stirs a response that's good deal more vigorous than Drive, holding onto gears that bit longer.VERDICTWhat price is fun? The black Beetle is a bright spark amid the grimness of the daily grind.

In the course of a few crowded hours one afternoon this week we charted the extremes of the passenger vehicle spectrum.Leaving the smooth tarmac of South Wales we swept along gravel surfaces that could belong to a stage of the World Rally Championship. There followed a dissection of B to C hardtop that could hardly have been incised more sharply in a roadster.Then, on England's original off road torture ground, we descended a slope so towering and precipitous that it can't be walked. That behind us, we sauntered to day's end along the motorway at 150km/h, the supercharged V8 barely ticking over.  The next day we drove up into, through and out of a 747. But that's another story. All of this was accomplished in one vehicle (and on one type of tyres).The top line variant of Range Rover's new Sport is a polymath, a renaissance figure, one whose breadth of fully realised abilities should not be possible in a single SUV. There are undoubtedly rivals that perform some or even most of the Sport's feats, some of these with marginally more competence.None bring off the lot with the Sport's all-pervading sense of driver cosseting ease. The second generation Sport needed to stand further apart from its senior sibling than did the first. It does so and writes its own ticket for any form of journey you care to undertake.On sale in November, prices are up by some one per cent for an altogether better car. The turbo diesel line-up starts at $102,800 for the TDV6 SE, powered by a 190kW/600Nm 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6. The SDV6, with a 215kW version of that engine, is $113,600. The higher spec HSE is $125,800 and the flagship Autobiography $145,500.If diesel doesn't do it for you, the HSE grade also comes as a 250kW/450Nm 3.0-litre supercharged petrol V6 for $123,100. The gloriously excessive 375kW/625Nm 5.0-litre supercharged V8 is $161,600 in HSE Dynamic grade and $182,400 as Autobiography Dynamic.It's a gaping price range for what is essentially a variant of the Range Rover "proper" (the previous Sport was built off Land Rover Discovery underpinnings) yet in keeping with the diversity of this Rangie's range. The base car, which is priced at the level of an over optioned Evoque, gets as standard 19-inch alloys, leather trim, six-way driver and four-way passenger electrically-adjustable front seats, rear parking sensors with rear camera, dual-zone climate control, and eight-inch touchscreen with hard disc drive and satellite navigation.To that the spicier SDV6 adds high- and low-range gearing, adaptive suspension, Terrain Response and 20-inch alloys. It's here that the Sport lineup really begins. HSE spec chucks in paddleshifters, xenon headlights, nicer leather, yet further adjustable front seats and steering column, aluminium tread plates and front parking sensors.The fully blinged Autobiography raises the player's game to 21s, high-beam assist, 18-way electrically-adjustable front seats, front seat cooling and heating, mood lighting, centre console fridge and Meridian audio. The V8 Supercharged variants cop amazingly enabling dynamic suspension and torque vectoring with an active rear locking differential. Elsewhere it adds $8100.Indeed, in keeping with being a serious rival to top end BMW X5s and Porsche Cayennes, the Rangie doesn't stint on big priced options - try $1420 for the blind spot monitor that can had on a $50K Commodore, $3,200 for climate control and an outrageous $4200 for premium metallic paint. Transforming this five seater SUV to seven costs a further $3700 for all grades. A hybrid diesel is en route.There's so very much of this, a tech four de force. Yet the Sport's coolest aspect is in rendering you largely ignorant that this vast battery of trickery is at work. It's this seamlessness - from the eight speed ZF auto to big brained automatic terrain selector - that makes the Sport the luxury vehicle of the 2013.Yet possibly the most impressive aspect is what's not there; as much as 420kg and at least 230kg in weight saved over the previous model, reducing acceleration times and fuel figures alike, an equation in which the all aluminium platform is chief denominator. The drive enhancements take the Sport, indeed Land Rover a whole, into a new realm.Retaining and even enlarging upon Land Rover's traditional offroad competencies, the Sport thoroughly deserves that much abused appellation. The steering is direct at three turns lock to lock. It's a new system, as is the four-corner air suspension which delivers greater than average travel.Upper variants get a dedicated Dynamic mode in the Terrain Response system, tying down the body and reducing roll when the hardtop corkscrews, abetted by slotting the gear shifter into sport. But left to its own devices, the auto selector is adept enough to identify and adapt to conditions. Dynamic Active Rear Locking Differential combines with torque vectoring to keep nose and tail in the designated direction under intense duress.One bespoke tyre suffices for the Sport's multitude of tasks - Pirelli Scorpion Verde. No need to risk a manicure changing rubber between rock crawling and B road hauling. Very roughly speaking, the Sport's a visual blend of the Evoque and the senior Range Rover. Longer than its predecessor at 4.8m, it's still shorter than comparable SUVs and most of the big luxury sedans it's going to blow away sales wise.A black pack, which eliminates shiny bits, is pretty mean looking on an icy white Sport. The cockpit is a masterpiece, distinctly Rangie but it's own thing too. It is, yes, sporty.Love that gear shifter, hand fillingly functional but cool. The rotary dial is still there, but confined to selecting drive modes. Thumb operated toggles on either side of the steering wheel control ancillary functions.There's limo like legroom for rear seat passengers, the outside two of whom are cosseted in buckets as supportive and comforted - indeed as heatable or coolable - as the front. Optional is a powered third row occasional 5+2 'secret' seating, which folds away into the floor. As a five seater it will take that many adults and suitcase for each.  Cabin quality has to be felt to be appreciated.Yet to be crashed, and unlikely to be, it's reasonably assumed the Range Rover's five star NCAP rating applies here. New items reflect the polar extremes of the Sport's ability - traffic sign recognition, perpendicular park assist, depth sensing for wading a creek, and active lane assist. Flank guard alerts you to the imminence of a car park scrape. Vast Brembo brakes provide awesome stopping power, augmented by tremendous feel through the pedal. More mundane, but crucial, the spare tyre is full size.Again, you have to ask can the same car be so variously outstanding? Dynamically, the supercharged Sport V8 keeps pace with a Porsche Cayenne - some five seconds from to 100km/h from standing makes it by same distance the fastest ever Land Rover model. Yet it crawls on rocks and wades a creek to almost a metre's depth as readily as the doughty Discovery.The company calls it the "fastest, most agile and responsive" vehicle in its history. This is possibly an understatement. The narrow, sheep infested mountain roads of Wales would keep one of Audi's or Benz's faster grand tourers honest. I doubt any would handle these with the aptitude of Sport V8. Such body roll as there is hardly any more noticeable than the RS4 wagon we'd driven the previous week, despite the Sport being some 500kg heavier.Its immense output goes to the ground as immediately as you wish, and seemingly in any cornering attitude, seldom activating the electronic safety nets. It just shouldn't be this adept - especially when a little over an hour later it is descending a 45 degree dirt gradient like a lushly upholstered mountain goat with minimal driver input.Yet while performance reaches new highs for an SUV with this badge, ride remains that of Range Rover - cosseting and unruffled, even while tastefully tuned note of the bent eight is roaring. Driving the top diesel in similar conditions the next day should be a massive anti-climax and in truth anything feels underdone after the visceral punch of the supercharged petrol monster.That it isn't a bum note has much to do with it sounding hardly at all like a diesel. Or feeling overly like one. Launched on a runway drag contest it cannot scale the top model's heights but it's speed rises steadily and surely, born along by almost equivalent torque. In the real world, the SDV6 will leave little cause for complaint.Only the extra ask for items that should be standard on a car of this stature prevent a full five star rating for the V8. It is an exceptional achievement and surely the luxury car of the year.

This is why you don't need a compact SUV. Driven some bloody decent cars this past six months. From $14K to $410K it's been something of a red letter year to date. Why then, when someone makes the error of asking, do I find myself banging on about people movers? Perhaps it's a reaction to the lemming-like charge to

The mid-sized 4 Series -- revealed earlier this week and driven next month by Carsguide ahead of its local debut in the fourth quarter  -- replaces the six-year-old E92 3 Series coupe.The still handsome looking and sharp driving two door remains arguably BMW's strongest model line-up so the pressure on the 4 Series --  the two door take on F30 sedan -- is considerable.There are two carry-over engines in the all-turbo three model line-up announced this week -- the four cylinder diesel 420d and inline petrol six of the initially range-topping 435i.As is true of the four door, the smart buy will be the 428i with its turbo petrol four with 180kW/350Nm that gets it to 100km/h from standing in less than six seconds and can return some 6.6L/100km.All models run BMW's class-leading eight-speed automatic, a transmission that can approach the rapid shifting of ever more common twin-clutch transmisisons while retaining a torque converter box's smoothness.With the outgoing coupe starting at around 70 grand, the newcomer is unlikely to exceed that --given the latest 3 Series sedan now starts under $55K for the first time since the early 1990s.So a price premium of some $7,000 on the four door appears likely. The convertible range arrives in 2014 around the time of the also newly designated 2 Series Coupe.Equipment packages should largely mirror those of the sedan, with the Sport Line and M Sport kit certain starters. Those would be in keeping with the sportier stance of the new coupe which is lighter and sits lower than the outgoing car.BMW spokesman Scott Croaker confirmed that the hallowed M3 name will continue, but only in four door form as the range-topping sedan. Its coupe and convertible counterparts will be the first M4s.It's auf wiedersehen also to the current M3's naturally aspirated V8, which lasted one generation. Both the M3 and M4 will run a triple turbo inline petrol six.

A niche purchasing method for that most niche of cars, Smart, has been launched online. The Mercedes-Benz two seat micro car can be bought entirely through a website. There have been online gambits previously, most notably Subaru's 2012 sell out of its entire annual allocation of the BRZ sports car. But Benz managing director Horst Von Sanden says the smart initiative goes further. “While there have been opportunities for customers with other brands to secure a vehicle online with a deposit, the difference with this platform is that every single detail including; calculation of on road and delivery costs, the amount of the payment in full, service packages and dealer delivery point, can be completed via the platform, and won't be restricted to a specific time period”, Von Sanden says. “While we will be adding insurance and finance options shortly, our current customers can either make payment in full with a credit card, or pay a $2000 deposit and complete the balance via Bpay. “We are extremely satisfied with the online platform, and since its introduction last week, four smart cars have already been sold.” Both current models the Smart Fortwo and Smart Fortwo cabrio can be configured in the site. They're priced to driveaway at $18,990 and $20,990 for the open top. The first online Smart Fortwo was bought by James White from Sydney and delivered through Morrison Motors of Chatswood.  

The 1 Series hatchback range now matches the pricing of Mercedes-Benz's A-Class, for which demand continues to exceed supply, the waiting list for the current range topper stretching to November. The Benz entrant outsells its BMW equivalent by some two to one.In Carsguide's April comparison test between the A250 Sport and the 125i the latter fell short on value and luxury. So if the drastic realignment smacks of desperation it has the effect of making the flagging Bavarian a good deal more competitive and indeed the best value in the model's two generation history.BMW boss Phil Horton says the range-wide revision resutls in some $5000 added value. It also marks the effective death knell of the manual BMW. Already a thing of the past in the 3 Series range on up, it is now history in its most driver-oriented passenger model.The eight speed torque converter automatic is standard to match Benz's non-optional seven speed twin clutch auto. The base 116i gains better upholstery and rear park distance control; the 118i, 118d and 125i get a nav system via 6.5-inch screen, enhanced smartphone connectivity including voice control and Bluetooth audio streaming. The 125i also cops 18-inch alloys and sports seats. The range topper M135i  -- soon to face off against the A45 AMG  -- gains fore and aft park distance control, top spec nav and internet functionality.Option packages are similarly polished up to the extent that the 116i can finally be had with rain sensing wipers. Metallic paint, leather upholstery and though-loading system amongst others are still extra costs items.The compact prestige price war becomes yet more intense in October with the arrival in of Benz's CLA four door coupe followed in the first half of next year with the GLA, an SUV built that like the CLA builds on the A-Class. BMW riposte later in 2014 with the 2 Series coupe and cabrio, developments of the 1 Series.