2018 Antiyita International Motor Show

PRESS DAY 2

As I said, I took it easy yesterday night, but I am not as sure that every one did (I’m looking at YOU, mr. Garcia!), and fresh for a new day (i’m not as sure that he is that either), I started by having a look in the TURBINA monter. The brand is said to be revived now, but I’ll believe it when I see the cars rolling on the road. They showed some interesting fast wagons and sedans in the Alka series though. But why those cluttered front ends?

To be honest, I was more interested in SHROMETS monter and quickly left for that one. The rebirth of the Interval, let go that it is a concept car, was of course interesting for all automotive enthusiasts. Being all electric, it shows that being green doesn’t have to mean being boring. But for buyers that want to buy an electric Shromet today, Radiant E is the weapon of choice. The Parvus is an interesting looking SUV, that actually seems to have some ground clearance, and probably is cabable outside the main roads too. 3, 4 or 6 cylinder engines will be available, with turbos at least on the two smaller alternatives, 6 or 8 speed automatic are the transmission choices.

Another SUV that seems to be worthy its name is BONHAMS entry, the Orwell, so that was the next company that got a visit from me. It seems to have a fair amount of ground clearance combined with large diameter tyres. Design wise it is up to date, and from the technical specifications it seems to be on par with its competitors, it has, as we have understood it, a 2 litre engine in three variants with between 202 and 310 hp, 6 speed manual or DCT transmission, and either FWD (not on the 310 hp model) or AWD (not on the 202 hp model).

I then saw an opportunity to speak to the MONTES people and asked them why Anderson and Garcia had gotten an invitation to test their cars while I didn’t. It appears like we misunderstood each other yesterday, and I got the opportunity to test drive two of their cars, which I’ll write more about tomorrow.

When I came back, HOLTS had revealed yet another model. There is a joke about the H8 that it will already have recieved all its facelifts before reaching the market. And the final design? Well, maybe not bad, but for some reason, it makes me think of the previous generation Ford Mondeo with the front end of the current one. But sure, you won’t get a V12 in a Mondeo, and not even half of the comfort equipment that the H8 has. So maybe that’s the car for people that wants luxury but doesn’t like being seen? It will probably blend in among the crowd of Mondeos on the highway.

Time for some lunch, and maybe I did a smart move by finding the local Mc Donalds. Exactly as boring as in Sweden, and exactly as safe too, I have to be in shape for tonight I guess, because it appears that I promised Anderson and Garcia that tonight will be the night when hell breaks loose. :stuck_out_tongue:

After lunch break there was no time to spare. I revisited TSRs monter, and it seems like their “Station wagon” was something more SUV-like. Or crossover, if you ask TSR. We asked for a test drive in the XCross, so maybe tomorrow?

In the taxi to the Arlanda airport before leaving Sweden for the show, we stood still at a stop light. Behind a rusty and shabby 80s Saab 900i. That’s not the most common sight anymore. And… It had the silly little 5-SPEED badge on the rear. Yes, it was hot stuff back then. But nowadays it should be a basic requirement to have AT LEAST 5 gears. But unlike the rusty 30 year old Saab, the $159000 ALBERTUNI Leopardo doesn’t have more than 4 gears. I can’t really say that it is easy to take such a company seriously. And the design looks like a chain collision involving at least a Camaro, a Mustang and a Porsche 959, maybe nice cars but not welded together to one. Nah, I have a hard time believing in the future of this company.

More interesting was the Corsaire Rafale shown by MERCIEL. A classy little sports car as it seems, 525 hp inline six, 250 kg weight reduction and special tuned suspension sounds like a concept that can’t go wrong.

CEDER was the last monter that recieved my visit this day, they are updating their Mirri microcar with a new Inline 3 that is said to give impressive mileage. It also have undergone revisions on both the inside and outside. Interesting!

And now, it’s time to do some automotive journalist…things…together with Anderson and Garcia.


OMITTED FROM THE TRAFIKJOURNALEN WEB:

Some hours later:

“HEEEEEEEEEEELAN GÅÅÅÅÅÅÅÅÅÅÅÅÅÅÅÅÅÅR!”

Even more hours later, when the lession in swedish drinking songs didn’t turn out as planned:

“Mr…Gachia…I tell you one…he… thing…you can’t schay…that…IP isn’t…the geatescht automo…bile”

Yet some hours later…

“You know…gavi-hin…if it…waschnt…for my…wi…hife…i’d aschk you…where to…schore…i heard you know…such…thingsch…everywheere in the…wohhorld…”

As time goes by…

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

And too many hours later
ZZzz… mpfh… “TEN O CLOCK AM?!? I DON’T HAVE THE TIME FOR THIS!”

(Beating world record in running from a hotel room to the first taxi available)

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Haapala-WRC2018

All your racing needs in one pack!

The FIA-ready car comes with a sealed 352hp 1.6L Inline 4 Turbo engine. Full Alu Panels and Chassis. 6 Speed fully tuneable Seq Gearbox with AWD. Viscous Dif. 0-100 to 4 sec. Comes with Tarmac and Dirt Wheels. Completely tuneable suspension. Comes with all needed Racing equipment including full race seats, radio and cameras around the vehicle. Complete vehicles will start at 18.000$. The shell without drivetrain will be 15.000$.

But for the people without a racing license:

The street legal version!

Make every road your track!

330hp / 336NM. Same drivetrain from the race version. Padded Sport Seats and Entertainment Packet. Comes installed with Power Steering, ABS, TC, ESC. Trim starts at 22.000$
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dammit i shouldn’t have looked at Porsche photos while making this car!

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I wouldn’t worry too much, remember that my entry looks like a boring mix of late 90s Galant, mid 00s Passat and Rover 75 Tourer…no, I am NOT satisfied! :stuck_out_tongue:

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haha i’ll have to participate in the next motor show now that i fixed most problems with that car, i made it go from 4 seconds to 2.6 and made it 7 gears now lmao, also reduced the price

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Today, well start with our BQX-4.This is the first gen BQX-4. This trim were showing you right now


Is the LS Trim, the mid range model of the BQX-4
There is a
S (base)

177HP 1.8L Inline 4 with an 9-speed automatic giving you 36MPG combined. FWD, 0-60 in 8.7 seconds, ok for a 3500 pound SUV.

Premium Model


The one we have right here. 3.0L I6 Putting out 287HP and 288lb-ft torque. Also mated to a 9-Speed Automatic Giving you 27MPG and 0-60 in 7.1 Seconds. Interior Has 10-Way Folding Seats, Analog Instrument Cluster, 11 Inch INfotainment And a Sunroof.

Type-HS Model


This one has 380HP. THis is the same engine from the HK5 trova. Still mated to a 9-speed, weighs 4000LBS, 0-60 in 5.5 seconds and 26MPG. Sporty Interior Diffrent COlor Stitching and More.

BQX-4 Premium on Hilltop


MSRP: $25581 (S Trim)
Test Drives Are Available, PM For more Info

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The Shark EX and El Verano ST are ready for test drives. Contact a Westward representative to set up an appointment. (That is, send a PM)


The Shark EX is a limited edition (750 units only) hypercar. It is a mid-engine AWD vehicle with an amazing 6.5L twin-turbo engine capable of a staggering 1,115 hp. The transmission is a 7-gear dual clutch, with a top speed of 226 mph. MSRP $71,396.


The El Verano ST is a 4-door, 5-seat sedan with a FF drivetrain. The 3.0L SmartPower engine delivers 183 hp while getting 30 mpg (US). A computer-assisted 6-gear automatic transmission is standard, as is Westward’s MediaLinq infotainment system. MSRP $18,485. WRT Offroad conversion available.

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AL Autos Booth @ Antiyita International Motor Show 2018 (Press Day 2/2)

New%20AL%20Logo%20PNG%20v4

Hello one and all! Welcome to the AL Autos Booth here at the 2018 Antiyita International Motor Show! We here at AL Autos are continuing the release of our brand new lineup!

Continuing from our last press day, here is the release of the brand new AL Autos Actio!

The 2018 AL Autos Actio (Trims Shown: RGR, RGR2, and RGR3

Video Presentation

Performance Stats

AL Autos’ Draconis Tuning Division will soon lay their hands upon this beauty!


That’s all for now! Thank you for joining us here at the AL Autos booth here at the 2018 Antiyita International Motor Show! Next place you will see us is at Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance! Our release schedule can be found here!

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For a whole bunch of reasons, I entered late the third press day of four, and I could not do any test drives this day. Anyway, it’s getting a bit thin now news-wise. Haapala is showing its roots in a nation that loves motorsports and have raised many stars by showing both street and rally trim, with the street trim not being much tamer. HOLTS revealed their BQX4-SUV, which I think is missing something when it comes to looks, it’s just a bit bland and incomplete, but of course, only a test drive can speak about the rest. WESTWARD is showing their Shark EX spots car and the El Verano ST sedan that we probably will take for a spin too. AL revealed another supercar again, the Actio, the looks are not far from those of the Erucae but being a step further upmarket with starting at 774 hp, after the highest trims of the Erucae. Not a day with much happening really, thank god it was like this today…

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The new Atlas Carbon, track ready performance without breaking the bank. Pick your level of fun with 3 available trims.

The Carbon is always prepared to go all in, are you?


Atlas automotive™(Atlas Zeta & Omega SUV revealed), uncompromising performance.

Test drives available for press. Vehicles available 3 carbon S, 5 Carbon V250, and 2 Carbon V300.

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http://d3hrnetf5izp16.cloudfront.net/optimized/4X/6/5/5/655109c535caa85c373c5564668d0e665cab31a4_1_689x154.png

Press Days 3 & 4

Antiyita 2018 is just hours away from being open to the public, meaning my work here is almost done. Farox’s Aerio has certainly been getting a fair bit of attention despite its lack-of-interesting-features issue, while MotorNation also picked up on its poor suspension setup. Still, they certainly got the sentiment of the car. After quite the night with the Trafikjournalen town, I managed to clear my hang over enough to get this written…


Ceder’s 4th gen Mirri city car has had a facelift, with a clear focus on overcomplication at the front end. It lacks flow in my mind, while the rear is a little more composed. The promise of 70+ UK MPG from a petrol car, however, is damn temping, courtesy of the company’s newest OpenSky engines. Worth a look if budget is what you care most about in a run-about.

TSR’s ‘Big, Massive’ XCRoss is very big and massive, especially when it comes to inefficiency. I’m sorry but for a Japanese make, is 23.6 US MPG on your upper-mid trim option really acceptable these days? Especially when its a 3.6l unit producing 300 hp. The styling is also off putting, looking more like a discarded model used in some Gerry Anderson supermarination TV show and taking on strong fish characteristics, and not in a good way.

Bonham’s charming flagship compact SUV, the Orwell, has seen an update for the 2019MY. Now sporting the company’s distinctive bottom grille design and some extra edgy lighting, it certainly goes some way towards being “the first crossover you could actually want to buy”, but the snobbery of the Bonham badge does a lot to work against that. I remain unconvinced (though that C pillar looks very nice).

As if luck would have it, a same-class rival from Shromet was revealed shortling after. The new version of the Parvus is still pretty obtuse in the flesh, and that chrome at the front still looks ugly, but just look at that 2.0l i6 option. THAT is what I am talking about. I still don’t want to buy a crossover hwoever.

Haapala pulled the covers off their factory-ready rally racer, the WRC18. You can see my full dissection below.

Another compact crossover! This time the Holts BQX-4. The name puts me in mind of a cheap Android phone, while the styling is still utterly bewildering, and simply doesn’t compare to the Bonham or the Shromet. The option of ‘different coloured stitching’ also wasn’t particularly tempting.

The covers were also pulled off of the new Atlas Carbon sports coupe, which seems to be targeted at the track-day market. It looks okay, but feels outdated, save for the rear, which is positively hideous. The entry level sports car lacks the composer of rivals from Maesima and Conte, to name a few.


Road test time! Click to expand and see my full thoughts.

2018 Haapala WRC18 - ”A rally experience day on steroids

Review: 2018 Haapala WRC18

”A rally experience day on steroids”

2018 AL Erucae RGS2 - ”Unnecessarily expensive and overdone

Review: 2018 AL Erucae RGS2

”Unnecessarily expensive and overdone”


And with that, Antiyita’s press events are done. The public get to see all of this tomorrow, meanwhile I’m spending the weekend as one should do in the Far East by sampling local cuisine, entertainment and seeing the sites. A proper middle class tourist experience is what I’m aiming for.

Until next time, goodbye.

- Gavin Anderson

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Watch out for the local cuisine…

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And Mr Garcia’s affinity to drinking too much beer…

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Oops…um, the LMC Nessus Concept cars will be revealed at Paris later this year :stuck_out_tongue:

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Arrowhead Motors Corp
UE4 New Model Line Up

Vyil: Sport Car (S-Segment)

Xelar: Executive Class (E-Segment)

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The last days at the show was quite hectic, flooded with test drives, and now when I’m soon heading back to Sweden, I finally have the time to put them up on the web. The first two test drives that will be up is for the Monolith Jupiter 525D and the Montes X90 4.5 430 Luxury.


MONOLITH JUPITER 525D

First of all…
Yes, this car has a decent sound system. Not great but decent. And my song of choice was Raubtiers “Achtung Panzer”. You will realize why in a moment.

Next, do you have a drivers license that is taken after 1996? If so, then forget driving this in Sweden, unless you have a heavy truck license. The GVW over 5 tonnes breaks the 3.5 tonne limit by far. As long as it is registered as a passenger car. We guess that most of those will be registered as trucks with a dividing wall behind the rear seats. Then a heavy truck license is a must how old your drivers license even is.

And by just looking at this huge beast, one can really see why. This ain’t going to be Joe Averages commuter car to work in Sweden, or anywhere in the world. The engine is something as odd as a 5.3 litre (almost) diesel V12, yes you read that right, and it is of course a torque monster, 385 Nm at idle and a peak of 627 Nm at 2100 RPM, and a maximum power of 369 hp, this vehicle is close to a heavy truck in more than just the registration. For being a huge diesel, the throttle response is fantastic though, and it also is smooth like few diesels are. Following the Monolith tradition, it is probably bomb proof too.

It might feel a bit over the top with a 9 speed automatic to such a strong engine, but of course, fuel economy is one of the reasons, and for its size one must say that the mileage is great, every 100 km driven means a loss of 8.5 litres in the tank and that’s really not a disaster. A top speed of 226 km/h is more than enough for the vehicle type (especially when they will be equipped with the obligatory 90 km/h speed limiter in Sweden) and 0-100 is done in 8.23 seconds, sports car performance just some decades ago. AWD and a viscous differential is there to help when the conditions get slippery, but honestly, don’t expect an offroader in this car at all. Of course, it can cope with really rough, almost non-existant roads, but nothing more than that. The long wheelbase, relatively small ground clearance and street-friendly tyre thread is effectively reducing offroad performance. But very few of them will probably leave the tarmac anyway.
Handling is about what you can expect from a vehicle of this type, it’s like driving a supertanker, but it is stable for what it is. The high driveability almost is tricking one into believing that this is a much smaller and lighter car than it is. When braking it becomes appearant what a tank this is though. 41 meters from 100 is not really the most impressive result today and there is some fading problems. Not even the giant pizzas behind the 20 inch alloy wheels are up to the task of stopping this huge barge stable and secure all the times.
Should it go wrong, however, you are safe inside tonnes of high strength steel. Probably that’s more than you can say about what/who comes into your way. Our guess is that anything smaller or less sturdy than a mountain will be crushed. Safety equipment includes about everything you could ask for, of course including ESC.
Inside, it’s less well appointed than some of its competitors. It’s almost like if Monolith is trying to get some kind of workhorse image by leaving out the fully leather interior and head restraints with integrated screens, while focusing on more important stuff, you won’t be missing anything though, it’s just nothing impressive either. The comfort is, to be honest, adequate. Average, but adequate. It becomes appearant that cars like this one are compromises, not really being great at anything more than being big. Rugged construction and heavy duty springs compromises comfort for utility, which in its turn is not a very strong side either compared to vehicles more specialized on the task of moving goods.

It’s good at being big, and it’s good if you love being seen. And we guess that the (all grey import) market in Sweden of some cars per year will be exactly there. Among people that likes being seen.

And that has $47324 too much in their wallet.


MONTES X90 4.5 430 Luxury

Finally having a look at the Montes, I am still convinced that this is an AWD station wagon, not a SUV. Reports also say that it’s about as good off road as a Farox Aerio which should give some clues too. I start to wonder if the word “station wagon” is something the automobile manufacturers are ashamed of? Please, don’t be that! The station wagon has been a great concept for ages, and it will continue to be in the future. Just let it live, it will survive all the trends that are coming and going.
With that said, what first meets the eye is a nice car. Discrete without being anonymous, modern but yet timeless, good fit and finish overall. Glued aluminium construction with aluminium outer panels means lower weight (though on this car one can question it) and no rust issues, but can mean very expensive repairs should a collision happen.

Stepping inside, there is soft, comfortable leather wherever you watch, nice thick carpeting on the floor, a dashboard that’s more a piece of art than a piece of wood veneer and molded PVC. 4 zone electronic climate control, a state of the art infotainment system with HUD, whatever you mention, chances are that this vehicle will have it, including a full list of safety equipment.
Propelling the heavy (2.2 tonnes) vehicle forward is a 5 litre 429 hp twin turbo magnesium V8. It’s tremendously smooth, the turbo lag is hardly noticeable and the throttle response is great. At idle you only hear a quiet whisper, and not even when pushed hard it will give much of a noise, just hints of the familiar V8 growl. Behind it is an 8 speed automatic that, for some reason, felt a little bit thin. It’s not a bad gearbox, but it was like if something was not really calibrated to the rest of the car with the gearing. The AWD is biased slightly to the rear and has an electric LSD to help in slippery conditions. Top speed is (limited to) 250 km/h and 0-100 is done in 5.82 seconds, one has to say that performance wise it’s doing well. 0.85 litres per 100 km is also acceptable, considering what kind of car this is.

One could believe that with rear biased AWD, double wishbone front suspension and multilink rear, it would be a real driving machine, but the fact is that it is quite boring when it comes to handling. The understeering is heavy already at slow speeds even if the car is said ro be a decent performer on the skidpad. The brakes could bite though, 37.7 metres to stop from 100 is a value that is fully acceptable even if some cars have managed to brake better. That without using much of any advanced technology either, just well balanced and sane brakes. When it comes to comfort, it’s better though. Hydropneumatic suspensions are a rare sight nowadays with even the french avoiding them, But it’s not only helping offroad performance, it’s giving a lovely comfort too, it’s really like riding on clouds.

It will never be an everymans car though. Complicated construction with service costs following that, and a price of $57883, it puts it out of perspective for most buyers.
But even with a few flaws, it IS a great car. When looking at it from the right perspective. As a wagon. Not a SUV, not a crossover. W-A-G-O-N!

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Thank you everyone for your participation in this auto show. We hope you enjoyed taking part.

The next event will be at the Goodwood Festival of Speed; a page will be opened early next month.

Please do not unveil any more cars.

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@Knugcab Thanks for the feedback!

We will try to solve the handling issues!

@DeusExMackia

Thanks for the review Gavin! I will take your constructive criticism in mind when improving it for the next model year!

Since I promised you more test drives, here is three more cars I had a deeper look into at the show.

MONTES T60 MRP

The T60 is using a construction similar to the X90. Glued aluminium chassis, aluminium panels, and a double wishbone/multilink suspension setup. And the first impression you get when looking at the car is stunning. It really looks like an impressive driving machine. On the other hand, that also means that the car has to fulfill really high expectations to not be a disappointment, so let’s find out what it’s good for.

Under the bonnet we find a magnesium V10 with 607 hp. In a time of turbocharging it’s a surprise that it is naturally aspirated, and despite a high output per litre for a N/A engine, the torque curve is almost flat. Throttle response is impressive, as is the roar the unit gives when the accelerator is floored. However, it requires expensive 98 octane fuel to run, but we doubt that this will be a problem for the buyer in this price class.

Driveline wise it is old school manual RWD goodness with an electrical LSD to keep the wheelspin down, also surprising and at the same time wonderful when AWD is taking over in powerful cars like this one more and more. Maybe a closer ratio gearbox would be preferrable though. The speed limiter is set at 330 km/h ant the car only keeps accelerating and accelerating until that. 100 km/h is done in 4.4 seconds but it has of course very much to give after that.

When seated in the deeply contoured bucket seat, I’m looking out over one of the best cockpits I’ve ever seen in a long while, if you could combine a bank vault with a touring car, it would probably look like this. Except for one thing, the infotainment system is better than in both of them, even if there is better ones available on the market. But with a roaring V10 like this, who cares anyway?

Of course, the driving experience is even better, but surprisingly enough even this Montes model is a bit on the understeering side. A more neutral behaviour would have been preferrable, even if it of course corners great. More impressive is the ceramic brakes. 32.1 metres to stop from 100 means that the face is almost planted in the windshield when the pedal is pressed. With the suspension being set this firm, it means that rough roads will be a bit bumpy, and it’s a price you often have to pay in cars like this. That by no means is the same as the T60 being uncomfortable to ride in though.

So it won’t break your back. It won’t break apart either, with the Montes build quality being on top. So what will it break? Your bank account. A fuel consumtion of 10.2 litres per 100 km, astronomical servicing costs and a price of $55111 means that it remains a car for the chosen few.

But do they get a driving machine that is up to what the outside suggests? Despite some minor flaws, I would say yes!

TSR X-CROSS
We somehow doubted that there would be anything interesting in the TSR monter this year, the Taikan tested earlier was not anything impressive even if it had its points, and now it’s time to test the XCross, which is a crossover as the name suggests. That makes the construction of the body and chassis a bit weird, aluminium semi space frame with a partial aluminium body is really overkill on a car like this, especially since the rest of the car is very conventional. McPherson struts up front, multilink in the rear, and a transversely mounted 300 hp turbo V6 with a displacement of 3.7 litres.

When looking at the car, I wonder if buyers will find it very attractive. On the chubby body, there is something that looks like a try to make a front end inspired by a low and sleek sports car, and to be honest it doesn’t work at all. The headlights are old-fashioned sealed beam types hidden inside DRL LED strips forming a strange triangular shape. The low grille would have been hot stuff 25 years ago but looks out of date today, and all of the sharp edges doesn’t match the rounded shape of the body lines at all. But I must say that the fighter jet shaped side indicators is a lovely touch that shows that TSR at least allows their designers to have fun at work. Going to the back of the car, we once again find busy lines that are a bit mismatching with the overall body shape. Of course, taste is always different, but to be fair, I think that the odd styling of the XCross will scare away some buyers.

Stepping inside, the first thing I notice is that the car is a 4-seater which is a bit odd considering that the car doesn’t really have any sporty ambitions. This vehicle type is supposed to be practical and the XCross are falling short there with such a strange decision. Otherwise, the interior is not a bad place to be in, albeit a bit bland, looking like most cars in the price class, nice materials, a fair level of equipment without being extravagant and a good infotainment system with a built in GPS.

When letting the V6 come alive, the overall impression is that it is a good unit. It runs quite smooth, it has a nice amount of torque (maybe because of its HUGE stroke of 111.6 mm!), there is some turbo lag but at least it’s kept at an acceptable level, and it runs on cheap regular fuel. However, the fuel consumtion is on the higher side, breaking the 10 litre/100 km barrier, which is far from acceptable today. It gives lively performance with a 0-100 time of 7 seconds and a top speed limited to 250 km/h, but is that really the right priority? You don’t buy a crossover to drive fast and we think that giving practicality and economy a higher priority would have been more in the favour of the buyers.

For a crossover, it ain’t bad on the skidpad and it’s easy to handle, but it is heavily understeering, safe for Joe Average, but making the focus on performance even more strange. Also, an almost 40 metre braking distance from 100, showing slight tendencies of fading is maybe not completely up to the cars performance. In case something is about to go wrong, there is of course ESC and ABS, and if it still goes horribly wrong, you will be surrounded by air bags popping out from absolutely every corner of the passenger compartment.

The car has an active suspension focused on comfort, and that recipe is working, the ride is fully acceptable. And considering that the car is sporting a very low ground clearance for its class and has a strange choice of tyres with a rubber compound and thread focused on sportiness rather than threadwear and offroad grip, the rough road capabilities are good. Of course, AWD and a viscous differential is part of the success there. The gearbox is a very advanced 9 speed computer controlled automatic, shifting smooth and being very suited to the engine, but with such an advanced choice of transmission, the lack of fuel economy is even less acceptable.

Speaking of economy, a price of $25164 might not look to expensive and the service costs are on a sane level. The question is the second hand value, I have a fear that this will not be too attractive on the second hand market which means that the value will drop quickly.

So is the XCross a good buy for that money then? I would say no. It’s a combination of a lot of strange engineering decisions, a second hand value that might be falling quicker than you think and an unreasonable thirst of fuel. Bad cars hardly exist today, and that also applies to the XCross, it is not horrible in any way but there is so many cars in the class doing everything so much better, and the good performance can’t justify the flaws that became all too appearant even during our short test drive.

WESTWARD EL VERANO ST
If IP was conservative with the Lifestyler, I start to think that the El Verano have beaten it. If it weren’t for the crystal clear headlights, the front end would look like it was straight out of 1990, and nothing else makes it obvious that we are looking at a brand new car either. It’s 90s blandness about everywhere, and it’s safe to say that nobody will buy this car based on its styling. Even inside, it is conservative, the grey fabric upholstery and acres of equally grey rock hard plastic inside the test car wasn’t really impressive, and the tinny sound of the infotainment system makes one think that Westward was shopping at Biltema when it came to installing the speakers. Conservative is also the power output, 183 hp from a 3 litre 5 valve engine is not really impressive considering many 2 valve engines of the same size did the same thing in the 80s. Despite its large volyme, it only has 4 cylinders, which makes the whole feeling of the engine more than only a bit agricultural. A nice and flat torque curve up to 4500 RPM is a strong point though, after that it’s falling quickly. The engine in the front wheel drive car is mated to a 6 speed computer controlled automatic transmission, that is actually working very well, in a time when competitors are putting out 7, 8 and even 9 speed autos, showing that number of gears ain’t everything. And something that many buyers in snowy Sweden will like is probably the standard mounted torsen differential, a nice surprise! The performance is adequate for what it is, 219 km/h top speed and 0-100 in slightly under 9.1 seconds won’t disappoint the buyer looking for a car like this.

The next nice surprise is the handling, the car is not only very easy to control, it holds on well in the sharp corners and you really have a good feeling of what you are doing. Sticky rubber, sofisticated DW/Multilink suspension and adaptive dampers and sway bars are a huge contribution to this, and not what you expect to find in this price class. It means that you don’t have to sacrifice ride comfort either. Also, the brakes are good except for showing a bit of fade, and that really makes one wonder why Westward didn’t put ventilated discs up front, but strangely, in the rear? ESC is standard equipment, and Westward says that they are aiming for a 4 star Euro-NCAP safety rating. It’s missing some of the equipment to gain the fifth and last star.

Fuel economy might not be the greatest at 7.7 litres per 100 km, a bit high for a car like this by todays standards, but the service costs are amazingly low, and a price of $16805 is something you can say the same thing about. It’s something of a bargain for getting a good and honest family car, with great handling and some surprising standard features. That is, if you can stand that it feels a bit old fashioned, bland and agricultural in some ways.

But as an alternative to an used family car, we suggest you to at least have a look at the El Verano. It’s one of the best overall packages we’ve seen among budget cars for a while and there’s a great chance you will be positively surprised.

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