Articles by Philip King

THE previous Audi A8 had a hi-tech system you don't find in other cars: a fingerprint reader like the ones on business laptops. It could authenticate a driver and then load their preferences for seating, mirrors, aircon and audio. When the car emerged in 2002, this was very novel.TECHNOLOGYIn the new A8, which goes on sale next month, the fingerprint reader has disappeared but there's something else that's exclusive to Audi: a touchpad that allows the driver to input letters or numbers by tracing them with a finger. You might use it to set a destination on the sat-nav or call up a number on your Bluetooth-linked mobile.Audi doesn't say why the fingerprint reader has disappeared; it was presumably not as useful as it seemed. Where a car is used by different drivers, their preferences can be stored on each individual's key. If buyers were demanding it, other carmakers would have followed suit. But they didn't. The fingerprint reader turned out to be a technological cul-de-sac in the car market.Even though it's only just arrived, I suspect the touchpad will go the same way. Each letter must be traced as a capital and confirmation given by the system before moving on to the next. Once you get the hang of it, it's reliable -- except for the letter A, awkward for a company called Audi -- but slow. In right-hand-drive markets such as Australia, you must write with your left hand, the wrong one for most people. Voice recognition is quicker and you don't have to take your hands off the wheel.The touchpad will no doubt appeal to some buyers, but ultimately it's a bit of a gimmick. In the context of the new A8, though, it does the vital job of keeping up appearances. Audi, in common with most carmakers, uses its flagship luxury sedan as its technology spearhead.The A8 is positively packed with new technology. For the first time it has an active cruise control system that can brake to a halt, then get going again without any driver intervention. There's night vision that can recognise and highlight pedestrians, and a system that detects an imminent collision and applies the brakes. There are “intelligent” LED headlights and clever ambient strip-lights in the cabin.These are sophisticated systems that have been finessed to a high level in the A8. However, all of them have already been offered elsewhere. In the equivalent Mercedes, BMW or Lexus, some of this technology has been available for four years or more.Except, of course, for the touchpad reader. Audi has that to itself.This doesn't make the A8 less desirable. But it does make Audi a follower, rather than a leader, in top-end technology. And that runs counter to the brand's carefully cultivated image. The touchpad is the cherry on top of a splendid gateau that's not quite as fresh as it appears.DRIVEThere's a similar problem with another a key claim for the car. “The A8 is the sportiest sedan in the segment,” says Audi Australia's managing director Uwe Hagen. That's a big call against the new Jaguar XJ, BMW 7 Series and even the stately Mercedes S-Class.On vital statistics, the A8 compares fairly well. It's a bigger car all around than before, but weight gains have been minimised by aluminium construction, which Audi pioneered in this segment in the mid-1990s. The 4.2-litre V8 under the bonnet has been made 13 per cent more fuel efficient -- helped by a new eight-speed automatic transmission -- but can still propel 1.9 tonnes to 100km/h in 5.7 seconds.The all-wheel drive system splits torque 40:60 front-rear, in common with most upmarket Audis. The aluminium suspension features adaptive dampers and a sports differential, which can divide torque between the rear wheels.Audi always makes sweet-sounding engines and this V8 plays a typically enticing tune, with the volume turned down a bit for the sake of refinement. The pace doesn't feel electrifying, but it's sufficient. It's as quick as the 5.0-litre V8 Jaguar XJ, which is lighter, but a half-second slower than the 300kW BMW 750i.The launch drive in Queensland, up a winding road to the Atherton Tablelands, made the most of the Audi's strongest dynamic virtue: grip. The all-wheel drive system hangs on tight and makes the car secure at speed through tight corners. In wet weather on tricky roads, it would be a boon.For the purist, though, rear-wheel drive will be more involving and, unfortunately, Audi's claim of sportiness comes unstuck elsewhere. The body rolls around quite a lot, even on dynamic settings, and the weight transfer side-to-side or front-rear isn't as controlled as rivals achieve.The steering is inert and it's hard to dial in a corner without lots of little adjustments, while bumps send shudders through the wheel. The brakes are easy to modulate -- they often feel over-assisted in Audis -- but they're a highlight in an otherwise less-than-engaging experience.The same engineering that makes the A8 a place-getter in the sporting stakes also handicaps its bid for luxury supremacy, with a ride quality that's too floaty in comfort setting and too jittery in other modes. Despite these qualifications, the A8 is undeniably a lovely car, fitted and finished to Audi's exemplary standards. If it's optioned to the max, you will want for very little.DESIGNThe cabin, especially with satin metal trim, is one of the most appealing at this level. The seats are excellent and the range of adjustment is the most comprehensive I've seen. You could probably fold the front pew into an origami animal, with enough patience. Audi has overhauled its control system for the car and aside from the aircon, which still requires too many button-presses for simple functions, it's first rate.The A8 is also competitive on boot space, although one surprise was less-than-generous space in the rear of the cabin. This is odd given the car's additional length, although it's probably explained by the fact the A8 will eventually be offered as a hybrid. Some of the extra real estate has been set aside for the electric gubbins. The hybrid is unlikely to be offered in Australia, but a 184kW turbo-diesel V6 will join the V8 towards the end of this year.The exterior of the A8, while obviously new, works within the brand's design parameters. That's enough to make it feel attractively modern, if oddly conservative. In design terms, Audi is the strongest of the German carmakers and the A8 reinforces this reputation through consistency rather than innovation.VERDICTThe A8, like its predecessors, arrives as a contender in the top luxury segment rather than its heir apparent. Most Australian customers at this level go for the other Germans, with a new Mercedes S-Class selling as many in one year as the previous A8 achieved over its entire life cycle.This is unlikely to change, even though this A8 is both more efficient and less expensive than its rivals. The A8's real significance is this: having unveiled a lot of technology for the brand, Audi can quickly move it into other models.In the race to make premium cars in as many niches as possible, Audi has been streaking ahead. In the eight years since the previous A8 appeared, it has added multiple new model lines, including the A5 junior executive, the R8 supercar and two SUVs, the Q5 and Q7. Within a year or two, we'll see an A1 entry model below the A3 hatchback, a smaller Q3 compact softroader and much more.Once the A8 has done its job as master of ceremonies for new technology, Audi can fit it into the smaller premium segments where it will wow the young, fashion-conscious buyers it's chasing most effectively. Because at this level, there are few extra sales to be had.AUDI A8 - $225,904 plus on-road costsVehicle: Large luxury sedanEngine: 4.2-litre V8Outputs: 273kW at 6800rpm and 445Nm at 3500rpmTransmission: Eight-speed automatic, all-wheel driveRead more about prestige motoring at The Australian.

THERE'S an old chestnut about Formula One cars generating so much downforce that they could drive upside down if they went fast enough. The idea inspired a stunt by British TV show Top Gear, using a tiny Renault, and a more convincing effort by Mercedes-Benz, scoring big hits on YouTube, featuring its latest sportscar.The footage shows the SLS racing into a tunnel, up a ramp on to the walls, over and down the other side for a complete 360. Local executives say the stunt, a sort of upmarket viral ad for the SLS, was done without special effects. The Germans found a suitable venue in the US and calculated that the SLS would need to hit 148km/h. At the end the driver is revealed as Michael Schumacher. Perhaps he's not past it after all.Even without this sort of stuff, the SLS is the sort of car unlikely to escape notice. It is based on one of the most famous Mercedes models, the 1950s 300SL Gullwing, which helped re-establish the brand's reputation after World War II. Named for its dramatic roof-hinged doors, a racing version spawned a production car that was the fastest in the world in its day and which has become a collectible classic.The SLS aims to harness that heritage and re-establish Mercedes credentials in the top division. Its previous supercar, the $1 million SLR, failed to win buyers despite blistering performance. Built by McLaren in Britain only in left-hand drive, it never achieved its 500-a-year sales targets.This time Mercedes handed the project to its captive tuning house, AMG, which in the SLS has developed a model from scratch for the first time. Half the price of the SLR, the SLS aims to sell 10 times as many -- 5000 a year -- with right-hand drive markets such as Australia about to get deliveries.The original Gullwing doors were forced upon designers because normal doors were incompatible with the 300SL's tubular structure, or spaceframe. Since it's built in a similar way, the SLS might have encountered the same problem. But it didn't. Mercedes set out to re-create those doors in what is the first retro supercar.As well as those happy apertures, the curves of the new car are a modern echo of the 300SL. What it lacks in originality it makes up for with stunning road presence and some great angles. It's wider than you expect, at almost 2.3m taking in the wing mirrors, but also lower and shorter. At 4.6m, it's not even as long as a C-Class, the junior executive Mercedes sedan.The layout is pure race car: a naturally aspirated V8 mounted behind the front axle, transmission at the rear axle for balanced weight distribution, and double wishbone suspension all round. The engine is a reworked version of AMG's stock 6.2-litre item (badged as 6.3), with dry sump lubrication and 120 new components lifting output to 420kW. It drives through Mercedes's first double-clutch transmission with seven ratios and five levels of shift aggression.Almost the entire car is made from aluminium, with some magnesium and carbon fibre components. Only 4 per cent is steel, concentrated in areas which need extra strength such as the windscreen pillars. So the SLS tips the scales at a relatively modest 1620kg, or nearly 150kg less than the carbon fibre SLR.Although the SLR's supercharged 5.4-litre V8 develops another 40kW and 130Nm, these are negated by its extra mass. The two cars record identical zero-100km/h times -- 3.8 seconds. And the SLS goes on to hit 317km/h.Braking performance on the SLS is no less impressive, with stopping distance from 100km/h a mere 32m. That's without carbon ceramic brakes, which are an option along with bucket seats, extra carbon fibre trim and a new paint finish called Alu-beam, which looks like liquid metal. Tick all the boxes and the on-road price can reach $600,000 -- that's in Ferrari territory.Notable absentees from the options list or spec sheet are adaptive suspension, active anti-roll bars and myriad technologies designed to enhance a car's dynamics that are now commonplace at this level. With the SLS, Mercedes has adopted a traditional approach that relies on the quality of the engineering and components. If you want firmer springs and dampers, then the sports suspension must be ordered from the outset.That's not a decision to be taken lightly. Even Mercedes acknowledges that the sports suspension is best avoided unless the SLS has been bought for track days, where it can make the most of a smooth surface. On the drive event in NSW one of the three cars available was fitted with sports suspension, and that's the car I drove first. On Australian roads, it's impossibly firm.It may have coloured my view of the standard suspension, which felt like blessed relief by comparison, because others were grumbling about it. The softer set-up retains disciplined control of the body -- the long bonnet lifts just a little under a firm throttle -- but overall composure is much better on torn-up country roads for both ride and handling. There's nothing lush about it, but it is recognisably a Mercedes.In the absence of active dynamic systems, the drive experience is accessible and engaging at any speed. Mercedes says the SLS is an easy-to-live-with supercar that can be used ever day.But it's more than that. The chassis, steering and brakes keep the driver in touch with the car even on a gentle commute. The engine is constantly engaging too, with one of the best V8 soundtracks around. It is a lazy, slow rumbling that has something in common with American muscle cars. I found myself tickling the throttle unnecessarily at low speeds just to trigger a bit of chortling over-run.So slow speeds in the SLS aren't anaesthetic and glimpses -- only glimpses, unfortunately -- suggest that it has plenty of higher pace potential, with excellent stability and ultra-quick turn-in to corners. The SLS feels like a balanced result next to some AMGs, which deliver more power than dynamic ability.The automatic gearbox was a standout, anticipating the need for shifts with precision, and I left the paddle changers alone most of the time. They sit behind an attractive steering wheel in one of Mercedes's better recent cabins. The seats are first-rate and there's a surprising amount of room thanks to the car's width. In a clean design, leather covers almost everything but pleasing details, such as the vents, are rationed. The thick A-pillars have been cleverly shaped so that they don't obstruct forward vision, and it is easier to see out of the SLS than many other supercars.If there's a let-down, it's the dreary centre console arrangement of buttons, the same layout as in every Merc. It looks cheap. The car wasn't free of creaks and groans either, and while these are common enough in super-rigid supercars, one or two pieces of loose insulation rubber suggest Mercedes was still finessing production when the launch examples were built. The doors would certainly present special difficulties to an assembly line.Thanks to those doors, the 300SL also had a reputation for being difficult to get into, with wide sills and low seats compounding the awkwardness. Happily, the SLS presented no such problem to this average-height driver. It's a slight stretch to reach a door handle when it's open, but the action is light and I quickly got used to stepping out without banging my head.The doors need less space alongside the car to open than the long doors on most coupes, although I did wonder about low garage ceilings.Read more about prestige motoring at The Australian.

WHAT makes a Rolls-Royce different from other cars? Of course, one thing is that owners never know how much they cost, because otherwise they could never have afforded one in the first place. At least that's what we're led to believe.Everybody else knows they cost a fortune and one other fact: they're so quiet inside, all you can hear is the incessant ticking of that infernal clock. But what else? How different can four wheels, an engine and a metal box be?VALUEBMW, when it took control of Rolls in 2003, had its answer ready in the shape of the Phantom. The Phantom is a statement of such rarefied luxury that it bears little relation to other cars made by the BMW group. It stands alone, like a stately home among the McMansions, hand-built from unique ingredients.However, that answer doesn't work for the second Rolls developed under BMW, the Ghost. Launched this year at the yes-you-can-ask price of $645,000, it must be built to tighter cost constraints. Which means it must share bits with other cars. That makes the question of how it differs a more nuanced affair.The car that comes closest to the Ghost under the skin is the BMW 760Li, a long-wheelbase version of the brand's flagship and the most expensive model it offers, at $386,000. The 760Li and the Ghost share the same platform, or engineering underpinnings.DESIGNThe V12 engine block is the same and so is the eight-speed German transmission. All the control systems, safety technology and gadgets are functionally identical. Rolls-Royce says 18 per cent of each Ghost is effectively a BMW.If you focus on the technology, then there's a lot about the Ghost that will feel familiar to a BMW driver. But around Melbourne's suburbs, at least, it didn't remind me of a BMW in the way it drove. It's huge -- longer, taller and wider than a 760Li -- and you cannot drive one without being aware of its aristocratic road presence.The fittings and furnishings fall short of the cabinet-maker quality achieved by the Phantom, but still feel a class above almost everything else. You don't get into a Ghost and immediately think, ``Oh, I'm in a fancy Beemer.'' Whereas in a Maybach, the badge relaunched by Mercedes to take on the elite market, all you can think about is how similar it is to an S-Class. On the other hand, coming from the opposite direction (and with the benefit of a bit more time in the driver's seat), the 760Li feels nothing like a Rolls.One of the main reasons is the BMW's high-performance low-profile rubber, which leads to one big problem: the ride. The overall composure of the 760Li is good, but there's an unrelenting nobbliness to the ride quality that no amount of fiddling with the suspension settings can fix. Any sort of bump sends a shimmy through cabin. The tyres feel -- and sound -- too heavy. They're wellingtons when they should be brogues.Luckily, you can adjust the powertrain settings and the chassis independently, and even in comfort mode, which is fairly lenient in terms of body discipline, the car handles well. It's easy to place accurately on the road, helped by light and precise steering, and more agile than a car this length deserves to be.DRIVEUnder the bonnet is a 6.0-litre V12 with all the latest fuel efficiency tricks. The Rolls version has a larger displacement, at 6.6-litres, but the 760Li is quicker to 100km/h, with an impressive 4.6 second time. But not by much. Despite hauling an additional 200kg, the Ghost is only a third of a second slower.This engine is a peach and in the 760Li it gathers speed like a train, relentlessly, with a creamy potency that only a V12 can deliver. It's almost impossible to tell when it's changing gear. The soundtrack is higher pitched than a V8 but music to the ears.The 760Li cabin is a great place to enjoy these 12-piece harmonies, with an abundance of leather, an Alcantara headlining and piano black trim personalised with a cream pinstripe in the test example. It's beautifully finished and wants for nothing in the gadget department, with BMW's latest night-vision system the latest toy -- a system that's also offered in the Ghost.VERDICTSo there are an abundance of similarities between the two but despite this, there's an enduring difference in character. The BMW wants to be driven with an intensity of purpose that I can't imagine finding in the more formal environment of the Ghost. And the Beemer needs to be driven like that because thanks to its awful ride, there's simply no way it can do what a Rolls does best: waft.Need to know BMW 760Li - $386,000 plus on-road costsVEHICLE: Long-wheelbase luxury sedanENGINE: 6.0-litre turbocharged V12OUTPUTS: 400kW at 5250rpm and 750Nm at 1500rpmTRANSMISSION: Eight-speed automatic, rear-wheel driveRead more about prestige motoring at The Australian.

NOTHING symbolises the irony of recent events at Porsche like its luxury SUV, the Cayenne. Its genesis, a decade or so ago, was a realisation within the company that it needed a mainstream model to iron out the fluctuations in sportscar demand.“After the difficult times we had in the early 1990s, we believed that aside from sportscars we needed something else to stabilise the company,'' Porsche Australia boss Michael Winkler says. “From a business and a strategic perspective it was the right decision.''It wasn't the first time a Porsche model had been co-developed with Volkswagen, but it was the first time the brand had dabbled in a segment other than sportscars. Porsche enthusiasts viewed it with alarm. The company justified the move as the best way to ensure that its sportscars would continue to get the development budgets they need. And when buyers snapped up the Cayenne -- nearly 50,000 were sold in its peak year, half of total output and double expectations -- it looked like genius. Porsche became the most profitable car company on the planet.However, it had solved one problem only to create another. Half of its sales now relied on a car that underneath was a Volkswagen Touareg. If Volkswagen changed hands or, for whatever reason, terminated its co-operation, then Porsche would again be in trouble. So the Cayenne effectively gave Porsche both the motivation and the means to attempt its ill-fated takeover of Volkswagen.That daring move became mired in debt and a year ago Volkswagen turned the tables, acquiring Porsche instead.Although the smoke is still clearing on what that means for Porsche, one consequence is likely to be a plethora of new models, with many sharing Volkswagen components. With the Cayenne, Porsche showed the potential of just this sort of brand stretching.From Porsche's perspective the irony is doubly chilling because as one of Volkswagen's stable of 10 brands, it no longer needs the stability and volume brought by the Cayenne. Volkswagen has shown with its stewardship of Bugatti, Bentley and Lamborghini that it's big enough to wear the uneven costs and cash flow of elite brands.Last week, a few days after Volkswagen announced it would install its own production strategist as head of Porsche, the local outfit was launching the second generation of the Cayenne. It looks similar to the original but, seven years after its debut, this reworking is about as complete as it gets.As before, the platform is shared with the Touareg and this model extends the engineering overlap further into the engine bay as well, with the first hybrid driveline offered by Porsche identical to the one that recently premiered in Europe in the Volkswagen. The V6 petrol and diesel units, which arrive next month, are also shared, while as before there are two Porsche-developed V8s, one turbocharged.All are more efficient -- by 20 per cent or better -- with hybrid-type fuel-savings strategies deployed across the range. These include stop-start during idle on the new eight-speed transmission, a world first for a torque converter automatic. The car is bigger, with more space in a completely redesigned cabin and a larger cargo area.An aggressive weight-saving regime, which includes new magnesium components and extensive use of aluminium panels, has removed 160kg or more and means the hybrid, the heaviest, weighs less than the previous Turbo despite packing an 80kg battery under the load floor.Other changes include a reworked air suspension, larger brakes and ditching the previous foot-operated park brake in favour of an electronic unit. Two variations of all-wheel-drive system are available, with the petrol V6 and V8s paired to an active system that can direct 100 per cent of power to one axle and selectively brake wheels without traction to stop them spinning. Optional Porsche dynamic systems include active anti-roll bars, standard on Turbo.Prices have risen by $1000 in most cases, with the V6 petrol and diesel due next month setting the entry points at $103,500 and $104,500 respectively. The hybrid sits $12,000 above the naturally aspirated V8 on price, at $159,900. The Turbo remains the second most expensive SUV you can buy after the Audi Q7 diesel V12.Besides the obvious objection that it wasn't a sportscar, the Cayenne was vulnerable to criticism about its design, which attempted to mimic a 911. Porsche hasn't abandoned this strategy but it's more successful this time around. The nose has been tapered, making it appear less imposingly upright and square-cut. The headlight shapes and bonnet are similar, if not identical, to those on the Panamera. The rectangular tail-lights have also gone, replaced by amorphous units that could have come from an Audi.Most beneficial are the interior changes, which follow the layout debuted in the Panamera. Here, they represent a big lift in design appeal and material quality over the previous Cayenne and serve to separate it from the donor Volkswagen components. There's good vision all round and five dials in the instrument panel, including one that doubles as a virtual display screen.The seats are great, with rears that now slide and tilt adjust. The cargo area is well-organised with the sole disadvantage, compared to the previous car, of fixed rear glass that no longer opens independently of the tailgate.Performance is critical to the Porsche brand and the weight savings on the Cayenne show up in improved sprint figures. The Turbo becomes a sub-five-second car to 100km/h, at 4.7 seconds, while the S dips under six seconds. The Hybrid is quicker than both the V6s, at 6.5 seconds to100km/h, and can reach a higher top speed too, of 242km/h. It's also much quicker than the only other hybrid SUV available here, the Lexus RX450h, which needs 7.8 seconds to hit the legal limit.The V8s sound good, with the Turbo emitting a low, visceral grumble that's addictive. It's performance is effortless, as you are entitled to expect from a Porsche bearing the Turbo badge. The standard V8 needs to work up hills and out of slow corners, with plenty of revs. Only here did I need to use the paddles to downchange: the rest of the time the transmission can be left alone. The stop-start function feels sufficiently refined to be left on permanently.Porsche's first Hybrid wasn't the revelation I'd been hoping for; it piles on speed almost as effectively as the V8s but to a higher pitched, more complex soundtrack. Graphics on the central screen ape Toyota hybrids by showing when the engine is being assisted by the electric motor, when it's recharging and so on, although following the dancing lines of arrowheads is impossible if your eyes are on the road.Around town it offers efficiency advantages over all the variants bar the V6 diesel, but on the open roads of Queensland the numbers didn't flatter it. It also seemed a bit less assured dynamically, at least compared to the V8s, and a bit less certain in its body movements.Perhaps that's because the V8s are outstanding on this score and would outhandle many smaller vehicles with their remarkably car-like dynamics. They turn into corners eagerly, without lurching but with a chassis that actually encourages the driver. If it wasn't for the high driving position, it would be possible to forget the absurd physics of the whole situation.The steering is light but reasonably engaging and the brakes are strong enough so that you don't notice they're arresting two tonnes of high-velocity metal. The ride quality and comfort levels are high, with a nicely planted feel to the car, although road noise intrudes a bit more than is ideal. On coarse country tarmac, few cars isolate that effectively.Most surprising about the Cayenne was its ability on a small offroad track at Porsche's Mt Cotton facility. There's no low-range gearing this time -- and no extra underbody protection or offroad rubber -- but the Cayenne showed it could climb and wade as well as bush-credentialled machines. It's too polished a car for an expedition, but it's nice to know it could get you out of trouble if the circumstances arose.On its merits, this Cayenne deserves to be more successful than the last. It's more appealing, efficient and luxurious. Porsche Australia says the order bank is strong and the first three months' supply is already sold, with early interest in the Turbo. The Hybrid hopes to attract 15 per cent of buyers eventually although it feels like the Cayenne variant Porsche had to have, thanks to ever stricter efficiency regulations, rather than one that would naturally occupy its portfolio.That said, the Porsche line-up itself is likely to go places it might not have gone if the takeover bid for Volkswagen had turned out differently. And in that context, the ultimate irony of this Cayenne is that it feels more Porsche-like than ever.PORSCHE CAYENNE - $147,900 (S) to $239,900 (Turbo)Read more about prestige motoring at The Australian.

HOW do luxury brands survive a downturn as severe as the GFC? For some, the global appetite for their models was cut in half and that's the sort of diet that could imperil any manufacturing operation, let alone one with biblically long lead times, the overheads of a small nation and customers it knows by name.So far, though, the casualties have all been bread-and-butter brands. They include Pontiac, which was GM's blue singlet badge, and Saturn, which was its attempt to repel the Japanese small car invasion.All told, the clean-out at GM cut its portfolio from eight badges to four, but the sweepers have been much less vigorous in Europe. The closest thing to a fatality has been GM cast-off Saab, whose heart stopped beating long enough for it to sustain permanent damage. It remains to be seen if tiny, independent Dutch sportscar maker Spyker can supply enough voltage to keep Saab on life support.Most luxury brands enjoy more shelter than that, under the aegis of global car groups with the resources to ride out a storm. Volkswagen has a handful of trumps with Bugatti, Bentley, Lamborghini, Porsche and Audi. It's unlikely to let any of these perish just because of a recession or two.The Fiat group, meanwhile, has the same number of brands as pre-bankruptcy GM, including three among the premium ranks. For Fiat, relinquishing either Ferrari or Maserati would be like losing an arm, and it's going into overdrive to keep a pulse going at Alfa Romeo.But there's more to it than that. The further up the luxury scale you go, the more the GFC was a case of “let me eat cake''. At the super-rich end of the market, Rolls-Royce and Ferrari sales suffered comparatively slightly -- down 17 per cent and 6 per cent respectively.Even allowing for the long waiting lists at this level, which provide a cushion against economic swings, the difference between Ferrari and brands just one rung below on the price ladder is marked. Aston Martin, Bentley and Maserati all slipped 40 per cent or more last year -- 49 per cent in the case of Maserati.Within the Fiat group, Maserati comes a distinct second to Ferrari in the brand hierarchy although it benefits from the association by, for example, running Prancing Horse engines in its cars. No small part of the appeal of Maseratis is that they dance to an eight-cylinder Ferrari tune.But there's a price to be paid. Since becoming part of Fiat, Maserati has also had to learn not to tread on Ferrari's feet. It must make models that complement what Ferrari is doing, rather than compete. To achieve this, the Trident badge has had to abandon some of its historic sporting aspirations and target buyers who want their luxury wheels to have as much elegance and practicality as pace. If Ferrari is a bullet-train, Maserati has to be the Orient Express.With the launch of the Maserati GranCabrio last week, this two-brand jigsaw puzzle is finished -- for the time being, at least. This convertible completes a three-model line-up for Maserati that includes the Quattroporte sedan and GranTurismo coupe, and nearly a decade of brand realignment. Its next model will be a mid-size sedan due in three years, and Ferrari definitely won't be making one of those.Maserati believes the GranCabrio will attract new customers and it will need to, because it has never made anything like this before. It built smaller and racier two-seat convertibles in the past -- the last was the Gransport Spyder, discontinued four years ago -- but not any more. That's Ferrari territory.Like its siblings, the GranCabrio is a large car -- longer than any rival, apparently -- with the clear goal of providing four open-air seats that can all accommodate adults. Here it succeeds, although it's as well to remember that when a carmaker describes a convertible as a full four-seater, it's using a different system of measurement from the one it applies to sedans.If there's a practical downside to the GranCabrio it's the boot, which is tiny. Maserati says it can swallow a set of golf clubs but, just in case, offers a bespoke set of luggage that fits perfectly . . . on the rear seats.A key part of the appeal of any convertible is the way it presents with the roof down, and the GranCabrio cabin is suitably plush, if a little traditional. Maserati says the leather and trims on offer mean there are nine million possible combinations for the finished result, although I suspect that 8.9 million of these would be indictable crimes against good taste.One small drawback for Australian buyers are zipped panels in the rear seats necessitated by the child seat fittings mandated in this market. The front seats power-slide forward to allow access to the rear, although the glacial rate at which they move would test anybody's patience. The roof folds more quickly.The GranCabrio, like most convertibles, needed engineering changes from the GranTurismo coupe to prevent it driving like a shoebox without a lid. Extra-thick widescreen pillars are one result while, with the roof up, the high rear window offers an excellent view of traffic about half a kilometre behind.Drivers will find the same scattergun logic to button placement as other Maseratis while the control screen, with its foggy logic and even foggier graphics, was clearly inspired by late-70s Nintendos.In terms of its overall shape, the GranCabrio is almost identical to the lovely Coke-bottle-on-steriods design of the GranTurismo coupe and it avoids some of the pitfalls of convertibles, such as an overly tall tail. It's a glamorous beast that draws plenty of stares.The roof is almost as thick as a fold-out mattress and offers good insulation against noise by convertible standards, with engine sound dominating. That's as it should be in a car like this -- and it gets even better with the roof down, when the 4.7-litre Ferrari V8 can show off its full vocal range. It whumps on downchanges and crackles on overrun while pushing it through to the 7200rpm redline is a sonic -- as well as dynamic -- thrill.The six-speed automatic is the right sort of transmission for this sort of car, but it could do with a little more finesse in its programming. It doesn't always make the right moves and reverts too quickly to D when the paddles are being used by the driver. Maserati will replace this unit with an eight-speeder in its next Quattroporte, which means if you can wait long enough it will be offered in this car, too.On the twisting roads of northern NSW last week, I used those paddles a lot. Sometimes just for the fun of it. There's a world of difference between this two-tonne look-at-me-mobile and a Ferrari, but some solid work on the chassis means it's possible to get plenty of enjoyment from the engine.It's certainly no slouch, stopping the clock at 5.3 seconds to 100km/h, and the car feels balanced with unwanted body movements kept well in check. So much so that through corners, some of the mass evaporates and it only betrays its true heft under brakes.The controls lack the precision of a dedicated sportscar but they get better as speed rises, when the lazy feel to the steering disappears. Keeping this much open-top metal on a tight rein requires fairly stiff suspension, which means chassis nuances are a bit remote, but not absent. Worse, the ride can feel too detailed and brittle on rough country roads, with shudders travelling right through the cabin to the rear-view mirror.That's a flaw that will be familiar to most convertible owners and Maserati's claims that the GranCabrio is as rigid as the best sound plausible, at least. The convertible owners who currently drive a BMW 6 Series, Mercedes-Benz SL or Porsche 911 are precisely the ones Maserati believes it can lure to the brand.It's hard to argue with the endless delights of a Ferrari engine at Maserati prices while it's impossible to argue with the brand's assertions of exclusivity. Last year, with 4489 buyers, it was about 2000 units more exclusive than Ferrari itself -- and 49 per cent more exclusive than it was the year before. Fiat is unlikely to let a brand with those sort of credentials expire.MASERATI GRANCABRIO - $338,000 plus on-road costsVehicle Four-seat convertibleEngine: 4.7-litre V8Outputs: 323kW at 7000rpm and 490Nm at 4750rpmTransmission: Six-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive

BMW has been building cars with M badges for more than 30 years and jealously guards their reputation. Products from its M division -- it originally stood for motorsport -- represent the finest dynamics that BMW can bring to market along with sizzling pace from characterful engines. Cars with an M in their badge have the job of casting a halo over the bread-and-butter products that make up the bulk of its sales.Not every car gets the treatment. The core model is the M3, which takes BMW's bestselling junior executive range and spices it up with a V8. Coupes and convertibles are also candidates, as well as the larger M5 sedan and wagon.Enthusiasts devour the details of each new generation.Until recently, BMW disdained the trend towards performance SUVs even though its biggest rival, Mercedes-Benz, was having great success with an AMG version of its M-Class off-roader. Presumably, BMW concluded that the dynamics of a tall and heavy SUV could never be brought to a level where they would do justice to a performance powerplant and merit an M badge.All that changed with last year's launch of the X5 M and X6 M. BMW's M division now produces go-fast versions of vehicles that lack the rear-wheel drive purity of previous M-cars -- they are all-wheel drive -- and have inherent disadvantages when it comes to outright performance.The numbers, however, are impressive: BMW now has the two most powerful SUVs offered in Australia.With a newly developed 4.4-litre turbocharged V8 that pumps out 408kW, both cars pip the recently discontinued Porsche Cayenne Turbo S (with 404kW) and easily outgun the supercharged Range Rover Vogue (375kW) or Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG (375kW).The X5 M and X6 M are mechanical twins and the latter was designed to be a crossover SUV with more of a driver focus. Its coupe-on-stilts styling means it cannot compete on practicality with a mainstream SUV. The X5 M would seem to offer BMW's engineers even more of a challenge. This is a traditional SUV design with a taller profile and space for passengers and cargo.On the spec sheets there's a surprise: aside from minor dimensional differences, the vital statistics of an X5 M are identical to those of the X6 M. Both have a kerbweight of 2.4 tonnes, sprint to 100km/h in the same blistering 4.7 seconds and can reach 250km/h before the electronic limiter kicks in.This V8 engine is a beauty, with a deep throaty rumble that gets sweeter in tone and higher in pitch as it revs to 7000rpm. Its twin-scroll turbocharger delivers substantial torque before the engine has even woken up, at 1500rpm, and linear power. It drives all four wheels via a six-speed automatic that's smooth and smart, even if it did deliver the occasional unwanted change-up.On paper the X5 M will beat the Q7 V12 in a straight line and almost certainly through the bends as well. It's lighter and shorter than the Audi, and its chassis offers more involvement. It's firm, but there's still body roll and feedback through the seat of your pants. The steering is meatier and seems quicker while the ride is a little more compliant.However, bringing the X5 M's dynamic performance into line with its powertrain ability does involve a huge array of physics-defying technology. This is based around hardware that's common to many high-end BMWs such as active anti-roll bars, electronic dampers and air springs. The newest addition is Dynamic Performance Control, which splits torque between the rear wheels to enhance handling in corners, pulling the car around when required.Although the X5 M is more engaging than the Q7 V12 from behind the wheel, both experiences feel heavily fenced around by the software and hardware required to make the notion of a performance SUV work at all. Unavoidably, it's a more mediated experience than M versions of coupes or sedans and there's something contradictory -- almost absurd -- in trying to chuck a tall off-roader around like a sports car.There is, however, a market for SUVs with attitude and with its new breed of M division SUVs BMW is effectively saying, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.''If it means the original M mantra has to be tweaked a little, that's a compromise BMW is prepared to make.BMW X5 M - $172,900-plus on-road costs

A HUGE new Bentley has just gone on sale with an enormous engine, splendid luxury appointments and a stratospheric price. Unfortunately, the world is in the throes of an economic crisis that means the market for elite motor cars has gone into a tailspin. Bentley goes bust.That was 80 years ago and the car was known simply as the 8 Litre. Only 100 were made before the financial meltdown brought the receivers in.Walter Owen Bentley's private example, lovingly restored, has been brought along for the launch of the Mulsanne, a huge new Bentley with an enormous engine, splendid luxury appointments and, of course, a stratospheric price. The two are linked by their distinctive approach to luxury motoring and a certain symmetry in global events.More than that, the Mulsanne represents the first time since the 8 Litre that Bentley has designed and built a flagship for itself. All the other big Bentleys for eight decades were Rolls-Royces first, Bentleys second. Sometimes Rolls, which acquired its rival in 1931 after the company failed, didn't even change all the labels.The timing parallels may be ominous, but Bentley has approached the Mulsanne with no fear of the latest global financial crisis. ``We do believe there will always be exclusive people looking for exclusive products,'' Bentley chairman Franz-Josef Paefgen says. ``That is the way human beings are.''Always now, not then, presumably. What's clear is that with such a unique opportunity to reassert its identity at the super-luxury end of the market, it has not held back.The Mulsanne replaces the Arnage, which began life 12 years ago as twin to the Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph, when the companies were still together. The Seraph was pensioned off and BMW, which owns Rolls, replaced it with a new car. Bentley, owned by Volkswagen, kept the Arnage going until last year and, thanks to the changes made along the way, it earned a place in the hearts of its customers. A relic of another era, it felt special despite its flaws.The Mulsanne is much more ambitious than an updating of the Arnage, though.”We hope this car brings back the values of the old vintage times when Bentleys were not only big cars -- because W.O. Bentley was a railway engineer by education -- but also very exclusive, very comfortable and unique,'' Paefgen says.The result owes very little in terms of parts to the Arnage. It's longer, at nearly 5.6m, and built on new underpinnings to be as solid as they come. Mostly steel, it tips the scales at 2.6 tonnes and feels indestructible. Bentleys are not meant to be light; part of the appeal is their heft.Even better are its long, flowing lines with an absence of seams and a double headlight face inspired by the Bentley S-Type from the 1950s. It's built, largely by hand, where Bentley has made its home since World War II, at Crewe in northeast England.A mixture of old and new runs right through this car, from its body construction and its engine design to its lavish interior. It has up-to-the-minute electronics but uses an engine that dates back a half century. It has insisted on traditional tanning techniques, but the 17 hides needed for each car are cut by computer. It has hand-finished steel body panels but uses aluminium superforming, an aerospace technique, to produce the complex front wings.A visit to the factory reveals how it comes together. In the body shop, the main steel panels are joined in the same way as any car, but to achieve the floating rear window effect, in which the pane is surrounded by seamless metal, takes hours of hand finishing.Work on the interior is especially labour intensive. The Mulsanne takes the woodwork on cars to a new level even for Bentley, which is no slouch when it comes to cabinet making. The veneered solid timber waist-rails could have come from a dinner table. Stainless steel, knurled for grip on the controls, is used for details from the coat hooks to the sill covers.One surprise was the absence of the Breitling clock that's fitted to the Continental GT, the other model developed since Volkswagen took over. A Winged B-badged timepiece matches the other black dials, though.There's an almost complete absence of plastic and the buttons look like glass. A measure of Bentley's priorities came with the knowledge that it increased the carpet quality in the cabin, adding 5kg in the process.The iPod age has not been neglected, with a special drawer for a player while Bentley overcame problems such as introducing keyless entry on solid metal door handles, a combination that doesn't usually work.That turns out to be a neat reflective trick. However, Bentley disdains some of the latest technology, such as lane departure warning systems, because Paefgen thinks they are not yet good enough. Adaptive cruise control makes the cut, but fully automatic driving is the next worthwhile step.One key decision concerned the engine: retain a turbocharged V8, in the sentimental capacity of 6.75-litres, or move to a V12, which is generally regarded as the ultimate? Bentley did more than commit to a V8. It has returned to the 50-year-old architecture of the previous unit, with its single camshaft and pushrod-activated two valves a cylinder.Sound like a dinosaur? It doesn't from behind the wheel. Bentley upgraded and replaced almost every item. The result is an ancient template with some hi-tech features added, including cylinder deactivation, which switches to run on four cylinders when cruising, a first at this level.The company claims much improved smoothness at idle compared with the Arnage, better refinement and more torque at a lower threshold. “If you're looking for a low-revving, high-torque engine there's no reason you should not take a pushrod engine; you don't need four valves or overhead camshafts or all that,'' Paefgen says.He compares the engine character to the old-fashioned Detroit iron of American muscle cars. It's a reserved British concept of muscle that disdains showing off. I could have done with a bit more V8 vocalness when demands are made.There's no complaint about the effortless performance, though. The torque this engine develops, a steam-train-sized 1020Nm, arrives at 1750rpm, then the Bentley gathers pace as if it's going downhill. It can reach 100km/h in 5.3 seconds and red-lines at 4500rpm, which you won't see often unless you're planning on reaching its maximum speed of 296km/h.The cylinder deactivation is virtually impossible to pick and there's an eight-speed automatic with shift paddles behind the wheel, which are pointless but a delight to touch.It took a while before I could take my eyes off the burr-oak interior in the test car, but it was worth it to gaze over acres of Windsor Blue bonnet, elegantly spined and topped with a flying B mascot. This is not a car you hustle. The effortlessness of the engine is a good match for the handling, which is best enjoyed by going with the flow.It carries terrific backroad pace through the Scottish border country chosen for the event with little input from the driver. Despite its size and light steering, it's not difficult to place on the road. This is luxury driving with chairman-of-the-board style involvment.The test car was fitted with 21-inch wheels and they may have been responsible for a bit more tyre noise than I expected, with some road imperfections finding their way through the steering wheel as well. Even Bentley thinks its Rolls rival has the edge in low-speed refinement, although it says the differences diminish as speed rises.Bentley has hit the target with this car, which feels every bit as thorough a reinvention of its flagship as its rival, Rolls-Royce, achieved with the Phantom. If you can afford one, you almost certainly own more than one car. Buy the Phantom to glide you to Glyndebourne, perhaps, but the Mulsanne for the tour to Monaco. Assuming, of course, you can afford to ignore the trifling matter of a troubled world economy.BENTLEY MULSANNE - $695,000 on the roadVehicle: Large luxury sedanEngine: 6.8-litre turbocharged V8Outputs: 377kW at 4200rpm and 1020Nm at 1750rpmTransmission: Eight-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive

FOR the man who designed it, the present BMW 5 Series marked a high point in his thinking about cars. He had taken BMW in a fresh direction and already shocked observers with his radical redrawing of the larger 7 Series sedan, then pushed the boundaries with the Z4 sports car. But the 5 that appeared seven years ago was cutting edge.“The 5 Series uses a type of convex and concavity that no other car out there approaches,'' he said, referring to the signature curves of his style called flame surfacing. “If I was asked what is the most avant-garde car on the road right now, from any car-maker, I would say the 5 Series.''That was four years ago and the designer, Chris Bangle, was visiting Australia to defend his approach. It needed defending because BMW's studio chief had been pilloried by brand loyalists everywhere for what he had done. They even went so far as to set up a website to vent their anger.After more than a decade at the top, Bangle left the company a year ago and his designs are gradually being superseded. The 7 Series launched last year abandoned radicalism for something more conservative, while the latest Z4 evolves the previous design so that it is attractive, rather than challenging.However, cars with some sort of flame surfacing are everywhere because those ideas, in some form or other, have influenced virtually every vehicle during the past decade. It's a moot point whether Bangle was the originator of this style or merely its high priest. Like other designers, car designers tend to move en masse in one direction.However, sharp creases along the sides of cars and concave sections in doors, to cite two examples of the style, have become the everyday language of vehicle sheet metal. It's one reason, as its defenders point out, the Bangle 5 Series still looks modern. It's also the reason the new one, which goes on sale next month, has some recognisable Bangle ingredients, including a prominent crease along its flanks. In car design, the past decade's paradigm has yet to be replaced by anything else.As with previous versions of the 5 Series -- this is the sixth generation -- the new one is a core BMW model that must work as a traditional family vehicle at one of the end of the line-up and as performance sedan at the other. Spy footage of the new M5, the go-fast version, is already circulating on the web.In this respect, it has something in common with the Holden Commodores and Ford Falcons built here. And, like them, it's being usurped by the popularity of SUVs. BMW's large luxury off-roader, the X5, has outsold its sedan equivalent at least two to one every year here since it was launched. Despite the boom in the vehicle market and the way luxury imports have become increasingly better value, sales of the 5 have been flat.The new one, which goes on sale next month, is unlikely to change that even though -- dollar for dollar -- it moves the bar up a notch on equipment, safety and efficiency over the present car. The trend towards SUVs appears unstoppable.Unlike the Bangle car, this generation has few attention-grabbing ingredients and most of the technology has already appeared elsewhere. However, crucially, unlike the Bangle car, it delivers on the badge promise. This is no longer art for art's sake.The price of being at the cutting edge was something that failed as a design on several levels. On the outside, Bangle's fancy curves generated some successful features -- the eagle-eye headlights, for example -- but the obsession with complex surfaces made the car appear bloated.It also lacked overall coherence. The bonnet, cabin and rear could have been drawn by three different studios. The new car is bigger but doesn't look it. The surfaces are tauter and the proportions more harmonious. The droopy face of the Bangle car has been replaced by something more alert.Inside, the Bangle 5 broke every rule in the BMW book. Chief among them was its abandonment of the cockpit-style thinking that had become a hallmark of BMW cabins, where the centre console is angled towards the driver. Instead, it alienated the driver with every dashboard surface sloping down and away. Thanks to this, some controls are difficult to operate and even the door handles are awkwardly positioned. BMW's rivals were cock-a-hoop.Throw in the appalling first-generation iDrive control system, brittle plastics and an almost total absence of storage spots for a phone, wallet and so on, and it didn't matter how good the car was to drive. I hated being in the Bangle 5.With the new car, it's back to business as usual. The materials are better, with pleasing aluminium highlights on the wood trim and more tactile plastics for buttons and knobs. The control locations make sense and are angled so the driver can see them. There are even a few places to stash stuff. Welcome home.When BMW launched the latest 7 Series, it ditched iDrive version one and replaced it with something unrecognisable: version two. It is logical to use and owes nothing to its predecessor. It's in this car, of course.On the launch drive early this month, only one model -- the 535i -- was available to sample but it could be the pick of the range. BMW has developed the 3.0-litre turbocharged straight six-cylinder engine that debuted a few years ago in the 335i, and combined fuel injection with turbocharging for the first time. The new unit ditches one of the two turbochargers and replaces it with a single twin-scroll turbo with two input streams from the engine's exhaust.The result is a splendid powerplant that pulls strongly from low revs -- peak torque of 400Nm arrives at just 1200rpm -- for easygoing pace. It's also quiet most of the time, without the industrial soundtrack of some turbo engines, but when you lean on the throttle it emits a lovely, creamy snarl. There's an absence of lag or surge, two unwanted traits of turbo engines, and it steps off the mark respectably quickly to reach 100km/h in 6.1 seconds.Adding the turbo 535i to the line-up means the range has been reorganised. The non-turbo 530i has been dropped, along with the smaller 2.5-litre six-cylinder engines in the 525i and 523i.The entry-level six-cylinder is now the 528i, with a 190kW 3.0-litre straight six and a starting price just below $100,000. This looks like a good deal compared with the outgoing model. The only V8 is a 300kW turbocharged 4.4-litre in the 550i. BMW will offer a four-cylinder diesel later in the 520d and probably a six-cylinder 530d as well.As well as better specification -- BMW's excellent head-up display is now standard, for example -- they all get a new eight-speed automatic transmission, which doesn't make a wrong move.Underneath this car is the suspension from the 7 Series and the test examples were fitted with the full suite of BMW handling tricks, which include active dampers and active anti-roll bars, plus rear-wheel steering. With these (expensive) extras it feels tight and planted on the road, with typical BMW suppleness to the suspension.It's a well-judged sporting drive experience for this category, without the rawness of smaller Beemers but with enough involvement when the roads tighten and twist. I suspect that even without the extras, that essential quality will be present. In addition, luxury and comfort levels are high. First impressions of the ride quality were very favourable, while road and tyre noise are well suppressed for good interior quietness.If you don't go offroad then the new 5 should give you pause for thought. If you are shopping for a luxury family conveyance and can do without a high 'n' mighty driving position, then the new 5 is better to drive than its SUV equivalent and leaves you wanting nothing.And I like this 5 a lot more than the Bangle car, which is all the better for not being a design statement. As the saying goes, I don't know much about art but I know what I like.BMW 535i - $128,900VEHICLE: Luxury sedanENGINE: 3.0-litre turbocharged straight six-cylinderOUTPUTS: 225kW at 5800rpm and 400Nm at 1200rpmTRANSMISSION: Eight-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive

When you're the sort of carmaker that goes 15 years without a fresh model line, then the wheels you eventually roll out are going to get a lot of scrutiny. So it is the Lotus Evora, which went on sale here in January. The Evora moves Lotus away from sole reliance on the Elise in all its guises, and means the British brand has something up-market and comfortable to offer.Unlike the tiny track-focused Elise (and hardtop Exige variant), the Evora is sufficiently civilised for the daily commute: a rival for the class benchmark, the Porsche 911, only more exclusive. Or at least that's the theory. The reality is a bit more complicated.The good news about the Evora is that it feels utterly like a Lotus. Unfortunately, the bad news is also that it feels utterly like a Lotus. The Evora is Lotus's first proper crack at a luxury model since the Esprit was finally deleted nearly a decade ago.I have never so much as sat in an Esprit, so I've no idea what the Lotus track record is like at the elite end of the market. However, it's immediately obvious that the Evora has the same non-mainstream feel that distinguishes the Elise. There are compromises here that volume carmakers have long since left behind.For example, in supercharged versions of the Elise and Exige, rear vision is almost nonexistent thanks to the engine plumbing. It can make life awkward, but oddly it's also part of the charm.I didn't expect to find a similar problem in the Evora, in which half the tiny rear window is obscured by the engine. At this level, that doesn't feel good enough. It adds a layer of difficulty to the usual problems of seeing out of a coupe which here, as usual, involve reflections off the dashboard on to the front glass.To solve the rear vision problem, the Evora can be fitted with a rear camera and parking sensors. These come bundled into one of the three options packs, and the test car -- in common with the first 1000 Launch Edition cars -- was fitted with the lot.On a normal Evora, that would nudge the price up to almost $200,000, where the alternatives for buyers get really interesting. Desirable performance cars from all the German brands would leave you with change.Of course, you could buy the Evora without all the trimmings. A stripped-out Elise is still an appealing prospect because it's essentially a toy. However, I couldn't imagine buying an Evora without most of the goodies. And then the problem becomes that some of the goodies aren't very good.Chief among them is the premium Alpine satnav and audio system, which looks after-market and has poorly resolved graphics, screen-saver aside. It's part touchscreen, part button-operated and simple things -- adjusting volume, for example -- are a pain. The buttons are minuscule and the system logic inscrutable. This $8200 option is bundled with cruise control, parking sensors and Bluetooth for the phone, all of which would be difficult to do without.Something I could probably do without are the rear seats, which cost another $7000. They are useless for adults or children larger than infants, and even then I wouldn't want the job of installing them. They work for luggage, although cargo space is what you get anyway if you don't tick the box.It's certainly handy to have space behind the seats because other storage options, boot included, are small. Supposedly, the boot has aircon channelled through it to prevent the engine cooking your shopping. Unfortunately, it doesn't work.The luxury option pack adds more leather to the cabin and it's offset by good-looking metal dash trim plus one or two classy ingredients, such as the gearstick. But many other bits, such as the pedals and vents, appear to have been carried over from the Elise and the quality of finish still trails the mainstream, with a poorly fitting passenger airbag cover in the car I drove.Unique to the Evora is a steering wheel that adjusts in two directions and aircon with settings other than hurricane and off. The seats adjust only for distance and backrest angle, but these Recaros are comfortable all day.The main driving position problem involves the pedals, which are offset towards the centre of the car in a way most makers can avoid these days. The clutch has a fairly strong spring, the gearshift action is mechanical and the brake pedal has extremely short travel. But they are nicely grouped and pleasing to use with a little familiarity.The steering wheel is suitably small and hydraulic assistance means that, unlike the Elise, the Evora doesn't have to be wrestled into a parking spot.However, the instruments are awkward to read, with speedo increments at 30km/h, 60km/h and so on, then a halfway mark between. Does this indicate 45km/h? Tiny red display panels on either side of the dials are difficult to see in any light conditions and the trip computer functions they display are rudimentary. Also irritating are windows that don't drop all the way into the doors, or auto-up.Getting into an Elise is impossible for many and, although the Evora sills are narrower, ingress will still be a challenge for some because it's so low to the ground.One big lift over the smaller Lotus cars involves interior refinement, with much less engine noise in the cabin. There's tyre roar and thump and occasional metallic thunks, but fewer of them and they're less noticeable.Ride is another advance, with a sophisticated feel that's on the acceptable side of brittle for a sports car.  Despite this, the Evora would be frustrating to live with day-to-day and the difference between it and an Elise is a matter of degree, rather than kind.Of course, that's also the good news. Take the Evora on a long country drive and you won't want to get out. On the right road at around the legal limit, the Evora comes alive.The chassis is gorgeous and seems to respond intuitively to small inputs from the throttle and steering. It quickly adopts a balanced stance for fizzing around bends without any effort from the driver.There's a delicacy to its movements that's every bit as engaging as an Elise, only the Evora has more poise and feels less frenetic.  The Evora is also less inclined to transfer kickback through the steering wheel or get bumped off line.The Evora's aluminium chassis is derived from the one developed for the Elise, and it also has double wishbone suspension all round.  The Evora is heavy by Lotus standards, at 1380kg, but light by the standards of everyone else, thanks to aluminium panels and a composite roof.The Evora continues Lotus's association with Toyota engines, only this time it's the 3.5-litre V6 from the Aurion and Kluger. It lacks the feistiness of the four-cylinder units supercharged by Lotus for the Elise/Exige, as well as some of their pace, with a 5.1 second time to 100km/h against low fours.However, the engine sounds really sweet when given its head and pulls in a nice linear fashion to a maximum speed of 261km/h, according to the company.  Opt for the sport pack, and there's a switchable sports mode that sharpens the throttle response, increases the rev limit and sets higher thresholds for the electronic intervention systems. It also brings sports tailpipes and an engine oil cooler, plus cross-drilled discs for the four-piston AP Racing calipers.The exterior design is pure Lotus, with Coke-bottle sides and a wraparound look to the glass. The rear is wide and houses 19-inch alloys against 18s at the front, giving the car a great road stance. It's unmistakeable. It will be much rarer than most of its rivals with a production run of 2000 a year and just 40 destined for Australia.  The Evora is too desirable to fail, but as a grand tourer it makes a great sportscar. Even by elite standards, it's a bit rich putting things such as power mirrors on the options list and some of the compromises, and letdowns, are unavoidable. Which makes a 911 the sensible choice. Only now, having driven the Evora, I'd have to have one of each.

If you ask BMW what sort of car its 5 Series GT is, it will tell you that it's something unique: a groundbreaking vehicle that combines the best bits of a sedan, SUV and grand tourer; BMW boldly going where no brand has gone before.  Of course, car-maker hyperbole should always be taken with a pinch of salt. In this case, it should be generously seasoned, baked in a salt crust, then served on a bed of salt crystals with a saline jus.The 5 Series GT is something new for BMW but, viewed objectively, it's a luxury four-door hatchback. Other luxury makers are already making these, as they diversify madly into smaller and smaller niches. Recent examples include the A5 Sportback, a hatchback variant of Audi's mid-size A4; the Panamera, Porsche's first sedan; and Aston Martin's Rapide.Of course, the idea itself is nothing new. Saab used to recruit loyal buyers with the unusual -- at the time -- hatchback styling on its four-door cars, until General Motors poured cold water on its Scandinavian-ness.The trick when expanding into niches is to use as many pre-prepared ingredients as possible. On price, the 5 Series GT fits between the 5 Series large sedan and the 7 Series extremely large sedan. However, its dimensions are closer to the latter and it has an identical wheelbase because it's built on the same underpinnings.That length helps the designers achieve the low roofline and shallow side glass.  From the rear it looks odd; too tall and a bit confusing. But from the front it's one of BMW's most attractive recent designs. It achieves some of the advantages of an SUV, such as an elevated ride height, without any of the environmental odium. At the same time, it looks more interesting than a straightforward sedan and less ostentatious than a limo.It has something in common, from a conceptual standpoint, with the multi-purpose vehicles so popular in Europe. The French, in particular, have made a huge success of these people-movers aimed at young families. But their MPVs have tiny engines and cabins constructed out of the plastic used for picnic plates.By comparison, the 5 GT and its ilk are business-people movers.  Their occupants need enough room, facilities and comfort to accommodate four high-fliers after a long lunch discussing the size of this year's bonus.The cabin, suitably up-specced with DVD screens and other goodies, is pitched somewhere between boardroom and loungeroom. The back seats are slightly raised off the floor in people-mover fashion but the comfort and refinement levels are much higher. Headroom in the rear isn't an issue, thanks to a sculpted ceiling, and leg space feels generous, especially in the four-seat configuration.Material quality is on a par with the 7 Series and the cabin is well sealed for quietness.  Some clever design isolates the load area from the occupant space, avoiding the boomy noises that wagons are prone to. Door sealing is also good, despite coupe-style frameless windows.Even on large wheels, ride quality is a standout, although with a slightly perched-on-suspension character in comfort mode.  Plenty of light enters the cabin, thanks in part to an oversize glass sunroof. In the regions of Europe where these cars are designed, watery sunshine is the best you can expect for much of the year and so large expanses of glass are becoming increasingly popular.In Australia, they should be delete-options rather than standard, as here. At least the fabric cover is reasonably opaque.  The load area is cavernous and the rear seats fold in a 40-20-40 pattern, just like a French MPV. The flexibility extends to the tailgate itself, which can be partially opened like a boot to stash smaller stuff. In this case the cabin remains isolated, so that the air-conditioning isn't working in vain.BMW claims its dual-action tailgate is unique, but luckily I had another barrel of salt in reserve. Skoda was the first with this idea in its Superb large car last year.  The difference is that BMW's system is automatic, and just as well. The full-size tailgate is so large and heavy you would not want to be lifting it yourself.It rises on telescopic struts that could have come from a cargo plane to open as wide as a yawning hippo, or to owner-preset heights to allow for the low ceilings in many garages.  There are plenty of gadgets for the driver, including BMW's excellent head-up display, cornering headlights, parking radar and a rear camera.The brand's interiors have been slowly returning to form after the wrong turn taken under former design chief Chris Bangle and this car continues the positive trend. So the layout and general ergonomics are good, although the lack of a cowl over the control screen can make it hard to read in some lights. BMW's unique (yes, really) gearshifter design feels more substantial than usual.Vision out the rear isn't bad, despite a letterbox quality to the rear glass, and while the wing mirrors are sedan-sized rather than the monsters on most SUVs, they seem big enough to do the job.  Dynamically, the 5 GT drives like a BMW despite weighing two tonnes. BMW always manages to engineer a similar behind-the-wheel feel into its cars, regardless how big they are, although as they get larger and more luxurious they tend to seem more remote from the driver.The test cars, driven on the sinuous roads of Victoria's Mornington Peninsula, were fitted with many of BMW's dynamic options, including adaptive dampers and active anti-roll bars (collectively called Adaptive Drive) and active steering. A large car with all these can almost defy the laws of physics.Performance comes from the top end of BMW's engine range, with the 3.0-litre diesel or 4.4-litre V8 already offered in the 7 Series. This car also comes with the latest version of BMWs 3.0-litre turbocharged six, which gains direct injection -- a genuine first, so hold the salt.  The standard transmission is the eight-speed automatic offered -- so far -- only in the most expensive V12 version of the 7.Both the petrol six and V8 were available on the launch drive and both are every bit as good as you would expect. The tendency of turbochargers to lag throttle inputs has been virtually eliminated and power delivery is nicely linear in both, with little hesitation off the mark. The V8 has plenty of character and can hit 100km/h in 5.5 seconds, which is respectably quick. The six has to work a bit harder, but never feels like it's doing overtime. The transmission is so smooth it almost goes unnoticed.Whichever engine you choose, the 5 GT benefits from a selection of BMW's efficient dynamics technology, including brake regeneration, which harvests energy under deceleration, and low-rolling resistance tyres.  The V8 achieves an average of 11.2 litres per 100km, which is hardly punitive for the performance it can deliver, while the diesel returns 6.5, which is remarkable.So in this respect, as well as a few others, the 5 GT is the large car you have when you're not having a large car. Although less extreme than BMW's other recent niche success, the X6 SUV-coupe, the 5 GT is far from bland.  For those tired of plain meat-and-three-veg luxury sedans, the 5 GT has a bit more spice despite the need to add salt.