Car September 2015.pdf

9 cars tested, starring Jaguar XF, BMW X1, Mercedes GLC, 

Honda HR-V, new 3-series, and four premium cabrios 

It weighs 70kg more 

than the XE yet has 

the same power. Any 

adrenalin will have 

to be administered 

intravenously 

38 CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | September 2015

BARRY HAYDEN 

YOU’LL SWEAR THE new Jaguar 

XF is longer than its predecessor: 

that tiny front overhang, the feature 

line that visually elongates the body, 

the boot that dangles beyond the 

rear axle like a cliff-hanging Italian Job bus. All of 

it makes the new XF appear a long car. It is quite 

long at 4954mm, but it’s actually 7mm shorter 

than the outgoing model, 3mm lower too. 

If you’ve ever sat in the back of the old XF, 

fashioning a new one to be shorter and lower 

wouldn’t be top of your wish-list: the rakish roof 

made it more cramped for rear-seat passengers 

than 5-series, E-class and A6 rivals. Yet sit in the 

back of the new model and you’ll find plenty of 

legroom – a class-leading 15mm more than before, 

claims Jag, courtesy of a wheelbase stretched 51mm 

to 2960mm –more headroom than a blue-sky 

meeting, and a view out of the windscreen that’s 

far less claustrophobic. There’s a big boot too, 

though at 540 litres it’s no larger than before; that 

7mm has to come from somewhere. 

So, new XF looks bigger, is actually smaller, 

but has more room inside. It’s the kind of packaging 

voodoo made possible only with an all-new car, 

and XF marks the second appearance of Jaguar’s 

scalable aluminium-intensive architecture. Just 

like one-segment-down XE before it, there’s 

double-wishbone front suspension, a multi-link 

‘Integral Link’ rear axle and a body split 

approximately 75/25% aluminium to steel, where 

the old model was 100% steel. 

This familiarity, together with the matryoshkadoll 

design, is strategic: Jag is pooling its cars on 

a common platform to boost economies of scale 

(the F-Pace SUV is spun off it too), and is sticking 

with a common design language to establish 

modern Jaguar on the world stage. But if you’re in 

the market for this car, that background doesn’t 

make it a less exciting prospect. 

You sit low in seats that are supportive if on 

the firm side of comfortable, and when you press 

JAGUAR XF 

Haven’t we 

met before? 

Jaguar channels Audi’s ‘all models look alike’ 

strategy with an XF that looks like an XE… 

but with proper room in the back 

September 2015 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 39

UP AGAINST 

BETTER THAN 

BMW 5-series 

Former benchmark now overtaken 

WORSE THAN 

Jaguar XE 

Not an obvious rival, but smaller 

sibling has the dynamic edge 

WE’D BUY 

Jaguar XF 

– if you need the 

extra space 

Take a dollop of XJ, 

add a generous splash 

of XE and season with 

a pinch of old XF 

the XF’s starter button the rotary gear controller 

rises from the centre console and the air vents rotate 

as a welcome, just as they used to. This time, though, 

only the outer vents rotate, which feels a bit 

disjointed to me. 

The rest of the dash is a mix of XJ, old XF and 

new XE, and generally looks good, with the XJ-style 

‘Riva Hoop’ that wraps round the top of the dash 

and flows into the door casings, the thick XF-a-like 

fillet of trim that sits above the glovebox, and the 

new InControl Touch touchscreen that banishes 

the old unintuitive infotainment system. The trim 

appears better than the XE’s, though the hollow 

clacks when you tap the door casings and the 

barren-looking gear-control surround diminish 

perceived quality. 

Move off and the electrically assisted steering 

feels meatier than both the previous XF and today’s 

XE. There’s precision as soon as you twist it offcentre, 

very consistent weighting and accuracy, and 

a flightiness to its responses that quickly hints at 

sporting intent. I like it, but I do miss the fingertip 

delicacy of the last XF’s hydraulic rack. We’re on 

20-inch rims and passive R Sport suspension – not 

the continuously variable dampers – which has a 

little float to absorb bumps, but can stray into 

fidgetiness on rougher surfaces. On the mix of rural 

and urban roads and Spanish autoroutes we’re 

driving, it quickly sinks into the background, 

though; good compromise, I’d say. 

When Jaguar launched the first XF in 2007, there 

were no four-pot diesels, no estate in the product 

plan, and no all-wheel-drive variants either. Those 

omissions were rectified over time, which partly 

explains why the XF sold more units in its final 

year than at any other time. But it didn’t get off to 

the strongest start as a result. 

This time’s a different story. At launch, there are 

four engines: 161bhp and 178bhp four-cylinder 

Ingenium diesels to court the fleet market, a 296bhp 

V6 turbodiesel, and a 3.0-litre supercharged V6, 

though the 375bhp version, not the 335bhp fitted to 

the XE. There are also four trim levels: Prestige, 

R-Sport, Portfolio and S. 

We’re driving the model expected to account for 

most sales: the 178bhp diesel R Sport. The £36,850 

sticker is bang on German territory (or £32,300 for 

entry-level 161bhp Prestige), and the promised 

65.7mpg and 114g/km CO2 are 

similarly comparable (70.6mpg/104g/ 

km for XF’s 161bhp diesels is currently 

best-in-class). Sizeable elephants 

heading for the room include the 

soon-to-be-replaced Mercedes E-class 

and BMW 5-series. 

Jag says our XF’s 318lb ft torque 

peak hits from 1750rpm, and you can 

feel the turbo whoosh kicking eagerly 

from 1500rpm. It lends some real 

flexibility, but don’t forget the XF fields 

the same four-pot diesels with the 

same power outputs as the XE, yet 

weighs a claimed 70kg more (we’d 

guess more than that). So while the 

178bhp diesel feels pretty lusty in the XE, here it 

provides adequate rather than plentiful thrust. It’s 

not the sweetest sounding motor either, with more 

mooing than a milk shed when you extend it; the 

Volvo XC90 I drove to the airport better disguised 

its cylinder deficit. 

But this powertrain also marks a big 

improvement over the previous 2.2-litre diesel and 

its eight-speed auto. The old motor was a bit of a 

thrasher, something not helped by the auto 

gearbox’s bid to get to the tallest 

ratio as quickly as possible, then 

select the shortest one the 

LOVE 

Handling, 

refinement 

(mostly), space, 

frugality 

HATE 

Mooing engine, 

firm seats, some 

interior quality 

VERDICT 

Your commute 

just got more fun 

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 

moment you wiggled a toe. The 

Ingenium motor is significantly 

more refined, and the generous 

torque and/or better calibration 

allows the ’box to hold higher 

ratios under acceleration. You can 

also order a manual for the first 

time, which cuts price and – 

sometimes – CO2 emissions, 

which rather undoes talk of 

ultra-efficient eight-speed autos 

and super-tall cruising ratios. 

Need more speed? The next 

40 

CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK | September 2015

Jaguar’s terrific chassis 

compromised by long 

wheelbase and lack of 

power, but XF is still a 

mighty impressive steer 

Shorter and lower than before, but 

with a longer wheelbase, XF somehow 

conjures more room in the back 

step up is a big one, to the familiar twin-turbodiesel 

3.0-litre V6, which now makes 296bhp. It starts from 

£50k, and returns 51.4mpg and emits 144g/km. 

The closely related single-turbo V6 isn’t on the 

launch menu, so you have to surmise that it’ll be 

the twin-turbodiesel Ingenium four that plugs the 

gap and satisfies company execs in a rush. Where 

are the Ford-sourced four-cylinder petrols, the ones 

that’ve surprised Jag with their popularity in the 

XE? No mention of ’em: JLR is readying its own, 

Midlands-built Ingenium petrol fours. 

Anyway, once you get our XF up 

to speed it’s a good entertainer. 

Point the nose into a corner and 

there’s a little lull as the weight 

drops down and compresses the 

inside front wheel. Feel the weight 

settle, the steering get meatier, then 

accelerate and you’ll carve through 

the bend in a blur. Then you’ll realise 

you could’ve gone faster; the way 

that double-wishbone suspension 

keeps the front end fluster-free even 

when you really throw the XF at an 

apex is pretty remarkable. 

Despite the commonality with 

XE, the XF didn’t blow me away like the baby Jag 

did. The longer wheelbase makes it feel less agile, the 

lower power-to-weight ratio gives you less to work 

the chassis with, and when you really push your luck 

with some very high entry speeds, the nose will 

ultimately lose its composure and push wide where 

the XE just seems to stick. I complained about 

barbecuing XE’s stoppers, but the XF has actual 

firelighters for brake pads. 

As ever, talk of pushing dynamic boundaries is 

of only partial relevance in this market. If you drive 

the XF just a little below them, you’ll find it a very 

entertaining, refined, frugal and spacious place to 

be. I prefer driving it to the current German 

opposition. It’s just that I prefer driving the XE 

more. So before you buy, ask yourself how much 

you need more rear space and a larger boot... 

BEN BARRY @IamBenBarry 

Jaguar XF R Sport 

> Price £36,850 > Engine 1999cc 16v four-cylinder 

turbodiesel, 178bhp @ 4000rpm, 318lb ft @ 1750- 

2500rpm > Transmission Eight-speed auto, rearwheel 

drive > Suspension Double-wishbone front, 

Integral Link rear > Performance 8.1sec 0-62mph, 

136mph (limited), 65.7mpg, 114g/km CO2 > Weight 

From 1595kg > On Sale Now 

September 2015 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 41

Who offers the best sky bundle? 

BMW’s 2-series ups the ante among the premium small cabrio elite, makingVauxhall’s 

extraordinarily audacious bid to join the club look an increasingly big ask. By Steve Moody 

Volkswagen Golf cabriolet 

BMW M235i convertible 

What’s the story? 

Volkswagen might mean the ‘People’s Car’, but the Golf 

cabriolet is shorthand for ‘Posh People’s 

Car’. The ubiquitous droptop for the 

world of Daily Mail outrage and kids 

at public school, and as timeless 

as a Laura Ashley tablecloth. 


New 2-series cab is wider, longer and more sharky 

looking than the 1-series it replaces, and sixcylinder 

322bhp M235i is expensive but 

blisteringly fast. A convertible in a 

muscle vest. 181bhp 220i M Sport 

is far cheaper and almost as fun. 

Chopping the roof off: has it 

worked? 

Puppy-cute with the roof up 

thanks to the stubby boot, it’s 

less agreeable with roof down 

because it messily stows like a badly 

packed kebab. Rather drab-sided, loafer 

profile not the sexiest either. 

Must write angrily 

to the Daily Mail 


worked? 

The ungainly looking fabric roof 

retracts with a gentle stretch and 

a long yawn, taking 20 seconds, 

although you can do it at over 

30mph. Stows neatly too, not needing a 

big box to drop into. 

Must chat up the 

ladies captain 

ALEX TAPLEY 

Will they blackball me at the tennis club? 

No chance. You’ll be head of the social committee in 

no time. Popular and coquettish without being too 

loud, politically steering a neutral course through the 

machinations of the end-of-season ball. 

Will they blackball it at the tennis club? 

Showy and loud, with sexy angular lines and a glittery 

grille, the BMW is far more flash than the Golf or A3 – more 

Sandbanks or Surrey than Middle England. Scandal no 

doubt awaits with the club captain. 


Does the fact we had 

to dodge the showers 

to shoot this sum up 

the folly of cabrios in 

the UK climate? 

Audi A3 cabriolet 

Vauxhall Cascada Elite 


Transport for the Tatler set, Lady Di’s gym-tripper gets a 

modern makeover with this MQB-based 

car, which is larger and intended to 

have a more distinctive personality 

than the last version. Meaning it’s 

no longer just an expensive Golf. 

Must renew my 

Tatler subscription 


Effectively an Astra saloon (yes, they do exist, 

somewhere in Europe) with the ceiling pulled down, 

the Cascada is a big, long car at nearly 4.7 

metres and a heavy one too. Vauxhall 

claims it is an A5 rival. It’s not. 


worked? 

If you see rain coming, better 

get ready early: the roof takes 

a long time to do its thing (18 

seconds against the Golf’s 10), but it 

cleverly resides in a tray that means the 

275 litre boot isn’t affected much. 

Chopping the roof off: has it worked? 

Rocking an ’80s theme, the Farah 

Stay-Press burgundy-and-black fleck 

roof isn’t the most contemporary 

colour, but the return to cloth from the 

metal bridgework of the Astra Twin Top is 

welcome. It stows pretty quickly but loses 100 

litres of bootspace in the process. 

Must not go on 

EBay when drunk 

Will they blackball it at the tennis club? 

Lager shandies all round in the clubhouse: the A3 is 

stylish and oozes class in every one of its finely trimmed 

and brushed details. In the A team in no time, and the 

leery tennis coach will be all over you like a rash. 

Will they blackball me at the tennis club? 

There might be some raised eyebrows due to the Vauxhall 

badge, for this is a market where badge snobbery 

oneupmanship is rife, but the Cascada’s rarity might 

swing it. Expect to be playing doubles in the D team 

though, with Clive the bottom fondler. 

CONTINUED… 

September 2015 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 

47

CONTINUED… 

Volkswagen Golf cabriolet 

Drop-top flip-flop slip-slop load of plop? 

Notably more shuddery than the Audi, with bird pooresistant 

wipe-clean harder cabin materials, it does feel 

a step down. The stiff suspension is clearly trying to 

mitigate for some flex, but makes the ride a bit brittle. 

BMW M235i convertible 


Stiffer than a triple G&T, the BM’s wheels hang off a structure 

that seems to have no flex whatsoever. Cabin has none of 

the Audi’s sleek artistry, and the metallic door pulls look like 

nightmarish gynaecological instruments. Well made though. 

Easy to clean, 

even after a 

cormorant 

fly-past 

Looks quite 

nice, rides 

like a vintage 

traction engine 

Hacking about or a fine drive down the middle? 

Bimbling along humming Club Tropicana is the Golf’s 

thing. Not exactly powerful, it needs to be chivvied through 

each gear, although the light steering is nicely direct. 

Over-servoed brakes will have passengers spilling their 

Cornettos if you’re not careful. 

Do we still need Derek’s Saab estate? 

Yes. Even a Calais tunnel migrant might baulk at trying to 

sneak into the Golf’s tiny boot. If they’ve got long legs, they 

might even struggle in the rear seats too. For once even the 

magical MQB platform can’t free up enough space. 

Verdict 

Nice, fresh and inoffensive like cucumber sandwiches, the 

Golf is a very lovely way to travel about on a sunny day. 

Ideal for the quietly smug. 


The best car to drive by a mile, and with the roof down 

sounds like somebody has put dynamite in a French 

horn. But it’s not near the coupe or hatchback, even if the 

numbers suggest it is: near 1.7-tonne weight has turned the 

2 from bolter to bloater. 


The cabin narrows sharply after the front seats meaning 

adults in the back better be good friends, and it’s more a 

practical sports car than laidback sunlounger. But with the 

roof down on a great road, sod practicality. 

Verdict 

Great fun and the open air accentuates glorious engine noise, 

but chuffing expensive for a compromised drive compared to 

the hard-roofed versions. Do you want melanoma that badly? 

VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 

CABRIOLET GT 1.4 TSI 160 

> Price £27,405 > Engine 1390cc 16v turbo 4-cyl, 

158bhp @ 5800rpm, 177lb ft @ 1500-4500rpm 

> Gearbox Six-speed manual, front-wheel drive 

> Performance 8.4sec 0-62mph, 134mph, 

44.1mpg, 150g/km > Weight 1419kg 

> On sale Now > Rating ★ ★ ★ ★ 

BMW M235i CONVERTIBLE 

> Price £36,445 > Engine 2979cc 24v twin-turbo 

6-cyl, 322bhp @ 5800rpm, 327lb ft @ 1300- 

4500rpm > Gearbox Eight-speed auto, rearwheel 

drive > Performance 5.0sec 0-62mph, 

155mph, 35.8mpg, 184g/km > Weight 1675kg 

> On sale Now > Rating ★ ★ ★ ★ 


Audi A3 cabriolet 


With the roof up, other than a bit more road/wind noise, 

you’d never know you were in a cabrio, and the cabin is 

coolly styled and made with precision. The only shudders 

come from your cold arse – no standard heated seats. 

Vauxhall Cascada Elite 


Creaking like an arthritic octagenarian getting out of their 

wingback, Vauxhall’s usual solid build quality has literally 

been pulled apart at the seams. Every panel joins in the 

cacophony, and the wing mirrors flop like Dumbo’s ears. 

More refined than 

many tin-tops. 

Still corners like 

an A3 though 

More creaks in here 

than on a map of 

Australia. Twists like 

Chubby Checker 


The 1.4 TFSI engine needs a good poke at the top end to 

garner any performance and it makes a noise as beefy 

as an electric toothbrush. But it steers and corners like a 

standard A3, which isn’t orgasmcially exciting, but does 

the job. 


Yes. You’ll never take the garden rubbish to the tip in this 

finely leathered cabin, but it’s just about a four-seater and 

the boot is okay, if nothing on the Vauxhall’s deep swallow. 

Cylinder on demand makes it by far the most efficient too. 

Verdict 

Roof down driving should be easygoing, indulgent, and if 

you’re going to be seen, make sure they’re a bit envious too. 

The A3 delivers everything you could want in a convertible. 


With the structural rigidity of rice pudding skin, it has 

nervous breakdowns on rough roads and delivers steering 

weight that varies on how the chassis twists. But the 

excellent engine is powerful, fruity and responsive and it’s 

a comfortable cruiser if strolling along. 


Easily the most commodious of the cars here, with a deep 

boot and big comfy chairs, and lots of kit as standard such 

as heated leather, dual-zone climate control, and HiPER 

front struts from an Insignia VXR. For what, we’re not sure. 

Verdict 

Heard the pub bore say ‘there’s no such thing as a bad car 

these days’? Well, he’s probably not driven a Cascada. Size 

and power can’t make up for its rattly, pricey shortcomings. 

AUDI A3 CABRIOLET 

S LINE 1.4 TFSI COD 150 

Price £28,990 > Engine 1395cc 16v turbo 

4-cyl, 147bhp @ 5000rpm, 182lb ft @ 1500rpm 

> Gearbox Six-speed manual, front-wheel drive 

> Performance 8.9sec 0-62mph, 138mph, 

55.4mpg, 122g/km > Weight 1365kg > On sale 

Now > Rating ★ ★ ★ ★ 

VAUXHALL CASCADA ELITE 1.6T 

WINNER 

> Price £28,715 > Engine 1598cc 16v turbo 

4-cyl, 196bhp @ 5500rpm, 207lb ft @ 1650- 

3000rpm > Gearbox Six-speed manual, frontwheel 

drive > Performance 8.2sec 0-62mph, 

146mph, 41.5mpg, 158g/km > Weight 1658kg 

> On sale Now > Rating ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 

September 2015 | SUBSCRIBE & SAVE UP TO 66%! GREATMAGAZINES.CO.UK/CAR 

49

1 

McLaren P1 GTR 

The most exhilarating British car yet created? 

This is it, the state of the hybrid hypercar art – 

built in Woking, thrashed by Martin Brundle 

Words Ben Miller | Photography Charlie Magee Magee 


BRITISH 

HEROES 

McLAREN P1 GTR 


117

‘I remember 

when all this 

was gearlevers’ 

– Brundle meets 

the future 

End fences help 

scoop air from the 

wheel wells. Pirelli 

rubber helps you 

avoid crashing 

THE SHAPE BURSTS into 

view and turns towards 

me, evil little lights ethereal 

and distorted in the haze 

of the hot tarmac between 

us. Behind it the air’s a 

maelstrom of heat, diffuser-flung 

spray and, I swear, 

air left visibly broken by 

the yellow McLaren’s 

demanding aero. There’s 

a noise building too, a 

curious hybrid – apt – of 

deep V8 thunder and 

otherworldly jet turbine 

whine. Then everything 

drops into slow motion. With one clean input and an instantaneous 

response the P1 GTR switches direction. Physics is 

overruled before it can lodge an objection. Despite scarcely 

imaginable mechanical grip the car drifts into a textbook 

cornering attitude, its broad, alien haunches set wide in 

a couple of degrees of yaw. Then more noise and it’s gone, 

blasted from view by a slug of acceleration so prodigious the 

video cameraman next to me freely admits he completely 

failed to keep the car in frame. 

That’s the problem with the P1 GTR – it’s a very difficult 

car to grasp, to make real, to capture in any tangible way. 

You could dismiss the McLaren as a £1.98-million, 986bhp, 

1345kg track-only irrelevance, but it’s also the bleeding edge 

of performance car development. The enormous premium 

over the P1 yields greater rarity (49 units versus 375 P1s), another 

83bhp, a 10% increase in downforce, 50kg less weight 

and sufficient grip, courtesy of an evolved chassis, to generate 

peak cornering forces 20% higher than those of the P1. 

All of which is either a graphic demonstration of the law of 

diminishing returns or, given the astonishing capabilities 

of the P1, a towering testament to the MTC’s speed-yielding 

prowess. But what does the GTR feel like, and how does it 

make you feel? Deadly serious instrument of 

laptime or, as the numbers promise, quite simply 

the most fun you can have in a British-built 

car, clothes on or off? 

Stinking hot, wheel-less as wets become 

slicks and silent as checks are made, the GTR is 

at rest. Inside and perhaps eight laps into his relationship 

with the McLaren, Martin Brundle 

sounds happy. 

‘It’s sensational through that direction 

change, even on overheating wets,’ he gushes. 

‘You can really attack. The overriding first 

impressions are of a completely sorted car. Just 

driving from the paddock to the pits in E-mode everything 

works. You get the same feeling out on the track. The 

driving position’s fantastic, you can see out – you can’t put 

a high enough premium on that – and it feels sorted, like a 

production Mercedes that’s done a million development 

miles. All your conscious and subconscious barriers to 

pushing the car hard get a tick in the box, leaving you free to 

get on with driving it. Some people might call that a lack of 

character but I don’t agree. On the track you’re not there to 

work around a car’s foibles or its lack of development.’ 

What of the P1’s near-1000bhp powerplant? Impressive, 

even when you’ve driven F1 cars and Group C Jaguars? ‘It 

just gets up and goes. It hooks up and then… warp speed,’ 

says Brundle, no small hint of awe in his voice. ‘So much 

power, so much torque – you do have to be careful. Down 

the back straight it’s quite bumpy and I can feel it breaking 

traction now and then, even at 170mph. But the delivery is 

as linear as I expected. It’s just this mighty shove, with a 

sound going on behind you. It doesn’t make an angry noise 

like a race car. That’s the only thing missing 

for me, that crescendo you build to with a 

normally aspirated engine, where you can 

feel the torque curve; feel where the power’s 

at its best and where it starts to drop off. You 

don’t connect with this engine in the same 

way. Instead it’s through the palms of your 

hands, your backside and your right foot. 

I’m looking forward to getting out on slicks.’ 

With fierce, almost tropical sunshine 

baking this morning’s damp tarmac dry, 

McLaren technicians switch the GTR’s 

very secondhand-looking wets (‘The 

car very quickly overwhelmed its wets 

when the track dried, and started sliding 

nicely…’) for fresh slicks. There’s a telltale 

tightening of the belts too, and Brundle 

makes some changes on the steering wheel, 

switching out of Boost mode (which pegs 


BRITISH 

HEROES 


Tweaked 

for speed 

Centre-lock wheels 

mount to beefy GT3-style 

uprights. Wishbones are P1 

but suspension ditches rubber 

bushes for pin bearings, to better 

cope with the increased cornering 

loads. Bodywork is stretched over 

a 30mm wider track. Screen 

excepted, carbon and 

polycarbonate replace 

heavy glass. 

Full 

of fluids 

P1 GTR carries 35 

litres of coolant for 

the engine and electrical 

systems. P1’s aluminium 

fuel tank is replaced by a 

57-litre bag-type tank in a 

carbonfibre box, fed by a 

race-style filler under 

a hatch in the 

roof. 

Still not sold? 

The clever stuff to help swing 

the £1.98million decision 

Formula 

E power 

The P1 GTR’s electric 

motor is an uprated unit 

closely related to the one used 

in Formula E’s single-seaters. It 

boasts improved cooling over the 

standard P1 motor and reduced 

frictional losses to deliver a shaft 

output of 147kW. Crucially the 

P1 GTR will see off a lesser 

P1 easily in an E-mode 

race… 

A 

little bit of F1 

The interior door 

release catches are 

the same as those 

used in the F1 to 

open the luggage 

compartments. 

Trick 

transmission 

Ratios are as per the 

P1 – ‘It’s got so much 

torque there was no point 

changing them,’ explains 

development engineer James 

Hebditch. ‘For durability the 

pinion gear is coated in 

Balinit C and the gearbox 

uses a higher-spec 

lubricant.’ 

Produced 2014-2015 Price at launch £1.98 million 

Engine 3799cc twin-turbocharged V8 with 147kW 

e-motor, 986bhp, 738lb ft Performance 2.7sec 

0-62mph (est), 202mph 

Keeping 

its cool 

Coolant is pumped 

through a honeycomb 

structure within the batteries. Fed 

by a low-temperature circuit linked 

to the vast central radiator in the 

GTR’s nose, the cells are kept as close 

as possible to room temperature – 

difficult when the GTR uses powerhungry 

Charge mode as a matter of 

course and is set to run at circuits 

like Yas Marina. Beyond 50°C 

power is reduced to 

save the cells. 

986bhp and mighty grip, 

but the GTR’s biggest 

win is giving you the 

confidence to play 


119

P1 GTR owners 

will get the full 

support crew – 

‘More rear wing 

please, and a BLT’ 

‘Every lap it’s 

leaving another 

pair of long, 

even black lines 

onto the back 

straight – I can’t 

feel it doing that’ 


Brundle’s 5 mustdrive 

British cars 

Radical SR3 

‘The perfect 

track car. Around 

somewhere like 

Ascari or Barcelona 

they’re just brilliant. 

They turn-in like 

a racing car, and 

I’ve heard other 

F1 drivers say the 

same thing.’ 

Jaguar E-type 

‘But it’s got to 

be a sorted one. 

Mine’s an Eagle; 

seam-welded 

with a heavy-duty 

engine cradle. It’s 

got to be a manual 

4.2. E-types are 

brilliantly narrow 

and they’re 

beautiful, so you’re 

more likely to get a 

thumbs-up than a 

middle finger.’ 

McLaren F1 

‘The brilliance of 

the F1 is its focus – 

there’s nothing on 

it that doesn’t need 

to be there. It’s a 

pure performance 

car. Plus there’s the 

racing pedigree.’ 

Jaguar XJR14 

‘The best car I ever 

raced. Slightly 

underpowered 

perhaps but just so 

well balanced, so 

driveable I’d find 

myself laughing 

out loud. You’d go 

through corners 

like the old Bridge 

at Silverstone 

nearly flat and the 

car wouldn’t bat 

an eyelid. So you’d 

laugh and think, 

‘Okay, I’ll take it flat.’ 

Lotus Cortina 

‘It’s between this 

and a twin-cam 

Ford Escort. Dad 

used to sell Lotus 

Cortinas, so there 

were loads of them 

around when I 

was growing up. 

We used to go to 

Snetterton for the 

day to watch them 

race – Jim Clark 

out in front and 

sideways.’ 

power back to 790bhp, the remaining 

196bhp coming in when you 

hit the IPAS button) for the full 

986bhp under his right foot and, 

now that he’s done with showboating 

slides, opting for the mid-level 

ESP setting. The controls are familiar 

from the 650S, though in the P1 

GTR they’re relocated to the wheel, 

which is cast from the same mould 

as Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 F1 wheel. 

Brundle’s a fan; of the wheel, of the 

steering – ‘I haven’t noticed it. I’m 

turning the wheel and the nose is 

going where I want it to go’ – and of 

the GTR’s controls generally. ‘It all 

makes sense. It’s intuitive, like an 

iPhone – you don’t need a manual.’ 

The P1’s twin Inconel exhausts 

once again saturate the air with 

noise and the sweet smell of burned 

102-octane race fuel. On track 

the P1 GTR is visibly faster now, 

Brundle’s lap times tumbling first 

by a second a lap and then by 0.5sec. 

There’s the odd chirrup of ABS, the 

occasional flat blare of intervening 

ESP but mostly there’s speed – the 

sheer drama of an almighty machine 

being guided with no little 

commitment. This, finally, is the P1 

GTR in full effect and it’s mesmerising 

– more fluid and balletic than 

the raw numbers would suggest. 

‘There must be someone else out 

there – every time I come round 

on another lap someone has left 

Integrated 

rollcage makes 

for astonishing 

widescreen visibility 

BRITISH 

HEROES 


another pair of long black lines onto the back straight; lovely 

long, even marks,’ laughs Brundle. ‘I couldn’t feel it doing 

that. Clearly the traction control is managing the torque and 

allowing a little bit of yaw. 

‘It barely rolls in corners. The final frontier is a bit of understeer; 

deliberately I suspect, to give you a little protection. 

But it’s mighty through direction changes, the steering and 

brakes are very good and on the smoother straights the 

acceleration is just incredible – when you have the traction 

to deploy all the power, braking zones come up very quickly. 

The DRS function isn’t as powerful as an F1 car’s. In an F1 

car DRS is just a big hand giving you an extra push – there’s 

no sudden spike of acceleration. Aerodynamics don’t seem 

to work like that. In the GTR you can feel it but it’s subtle, 

not like hitting the IPAS button in Boost mode. It’s interesting 

that we went half a second faster every lap. It confirms 

what I was thinking, that this is a racing car. It’s fast but it’s 

also consistent and accurate; there’s repeatability. 

‘Where do we go from here? I suppose it’s 1200bhp and 

1000kg, and then you won’t be able to find a track to put it 

around. But these guys who’re paying their £1.98 million 

are going to have an amazing time, and they’re probably 

not going to lose money. The P1 is definitely digital where 

the McLaren F1 is analogue. There are times when you’re 

sitting in it and you can hear it whirring, doing things and 

managing things that you don’t understand, and that you’re 

playing no part in. But all of that vanishes when you drive 

and it’s extraordinary. Fun? Oh Christ, yeah.’ 

WITH THANKS TO BLYTON PARK (BLYTONPARK.CO.UK) 

AND BILL GWYNNE (BILLGWYNNE.COM) 

September 2015 | SUBSCRIBE & SAVE UP TO 66%! GREATMAGAZINES.CO.UK/CAR 

121

Car September 2015.pdf

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?