CEO Mike Hawes gives his usual keynote presentation (did you know automakers have tripled electric vehicle lines and 15x the choice of models in 10 years?), then we drive a selection of great cars. I try many, but most like the mammoth BMW iX. Its isolation and rolling comfort on concrete tracks are a revelation.
Tuesday PM
I’m offered a few miles around Millbrook in a fully laden 44-tonne Daf XG Artic, the first truck I’ve driven since an incredibly crude Dodge semi-trailer in the Queensland outback 50 years ago. It’s incredibly quiet, refined and smooth, thanks to its lightly suspended cabin and air suspension seat. And the mighty 12.9-litre diesel and 12-speed automatic gearbox (even on steep grades we’re in sixth) means your chance of falling down a grade is zero. The powertrain even protects against overspeeding downhill. Is it too late to retrain?
Thusday
The man comes for the M3 CSL. I took one last quick shot around the block before he arrived and I’m extremely sorry to see him go. I did the usual classifieds search and found prices either side of £100,000. It’s a great car but I’m still quite stunned to find out that you could buy “his and hers” Porsche 911s for the same price.
Then I get back in our long-term Dacia Duster and find out (again) why we ordinary people have ordinary cars. It’s quiet, smooth and easy. The trip computer says it has hit 61 mpg since I filled it up 100 miles ago, by which time the range offered was 630 miles. I like this car too.
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Source: www.autocar.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-05-04 05:01:23
