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 letâs find out what itâs good for.
Under the bonnet we find a magnesium V10 with 607 hp. In a time of turbocharging itâs 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, Iâm looking out over one of the best cockpits Iâve 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 itâs 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 wonât break your back. It wonât 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 itâs 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 doesnât 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 doesnât 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 doesnât 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 itâs 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 donât 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 ainât bad on the skidpad and itâs 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. Itâs 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 canât 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 werenât 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. Itâs 90s blandness about everywhere, and itâs 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 wasnât 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 itâs 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 ainât 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 wonât 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 donât 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 didnât 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. Itâs 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. Itâs 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. Itâs one of the best overall packages weâve seen among budget cars for a while and thereâs a great chance you will be positively surprised.
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WESTWARD SHARK EX
For the price of almost four El Veranos, Westward can sell you a Shark instead. Or to be honest, they probably canât. Considering that only 750 of them will be built, most of them are probably sold by now. And if the El Verano was anonymous, the Shark is far from that. However, the question is if that is something positive or not. Personally, I think that some of the styling cues, like the strange exhaust arrangement in the back, are a bit tacky. And the wheels maybe would have been of impressive dimensions on a supercar 20 years ago, or on a family estate, but they do look a bit tame on a supercar like this.
Inside, you have kind of a surprise. You wonât find a spartan, race car inspired interior, but a plush, carpeted, leather clad living room on wheels, with loads of gizmos to play with. There even is a very advanced infotainment system with heads up display. A benefit in the eyes of some buyers, blasphemy according to others. But nobody can deny that for having a long trip, few supercars can beat this one. Even the ride is unexpectedly soft, but that also shows when it comes to cornering. 1.10 G is of course not a bad result, but since cars like the IP Lifestyler are able to beat it, itâs maybe on the lower side for a supercar.
The V12 under the bonnet is a beast at 1115 hp and 1253 Nm. Beastly when it comes to weight too, why is quite self-explanatory on a 6.5 litre all-iron V12. But with a mid engine, it at least doesnât affect the weight distribution so much. Weight on the rest of the car is kept down by using carbon fibre panels, the space frame is conventional steel though, and because of that, itâs probably a good thing that most Sharks will be garaged most of the time, because unlike a living shark, this one will not survive a wet environment very well.
Thanks to the AWD system and electric LSD, it puts the power down to the ground well, and itâs easy to drive for what it is, with its well-proportioned brakes, 7 speed dual clutch transmission, ESC and electric variable power steering. The old truth that a supercar will need an experienced driver can be questioned nowadays, but of course, having 5-10 times the power of a regular family car is something that always should be treated with respect. The top speed is not limited and because of that, the acceleration doesnât stop until it has reached 364 km/h. If youâre satisfied with driving just 100, you reach that speed from zero in 2.7 seconds. The quarter mile is done in just above 10 seconds. Even if the Antiyitan roads didnât allow for that type of driving, I can tell you itâs seriously fast!
For some reason, I think that if someone wants a streetable hypercar, this is about as good as it gets. Easy to drive for what it is and actually quite comfortable. Sure, 32.6 litres per 100 km is almost amazingly bad, servicing costs are almost reaching outer space and the price isâŚwell, as high as four El Veranos. And you canât buy it because the whole series will be sold when youâre reading this. Yes. But apart from those small flawsâŚ
And I must say that I am impressed by Westward. Managing to pull off both a budget family sedan and a V12 hypercar this good, filling niches that other manufacturers seems to have forgotten and that are much needed, one can wonder why they are such a minor player in the automotive world. Maybe some sharper pencils at the styling department is what would spice up sales a bit.
If that happens, other manufacturers have to watch out.
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And now, time for the two last cars I tested at the press days.
ATLAS CARBON S
The Atlas Carbon S is said to be an affordable sports car, and at $23524, the price is absolutely not unreasonable. What first meets the eye is something that looks very much like aâŚgenericâŚsports car. Clean lines, absolutely not ugly, fresh and timeless but a bit anonymous, like itâs lacking some soul. But the shimrin gold paint on our test example have a stunning finish even when compared to much more expensive cars, and the panel gaps and fit of the parts is just as good as the paintjob.
I step into the drivers seat, and the interior is as generic looking, simple fabric trim on bucket seats that ainât as supportive as one would want in a sports car, the fake leather on the steering wheel ainât fooling anyone, itâs so obvious that it is polymer based, and colors and material choices are just bland. The stereo system has support for USB and bluetooth as well as a CD player, but the sound is thin and it doesnât have much in the way of functions.
Under the bonnet we find a 20 valve 1.8 litre four cylinder turbo. Power output at 7500 RPM is 204 hp and peak torque at 4900 RPM 261.2 Nm, but the torque curve is pointy. The throttle response is lively though, and it tends to be a bit noisy when revved, but in a sports car, who cares anyway? It doesnât get the 1238 kg car up to much more than 221 km/h but the acceleration time of 5.82 seconds is fast, it was the territory of the exotics just a couple of decades ago. The six speed sequential gearbox is a joy to shift and is very well suited to the engine gearing-wise. In these AWD times we actually find some good old RWD goodness here, but thanks to the electric LSD, not all of the 204 horsepowers are disappearing in clouds of smoke.
With a stiff AHS monocoque, double wishbone front suspension and pushrod in the rear, one could expect a real driving machine, but the handling is in fact not really impressive. It loses grip quicker than many of the competitors, and is on the understeering side, but itâs still very much fun to drive. Maybe the quite tame tyre dimensions are playing a part here, but on the other hand, even the tyres should be affordable on an affordable sports car. The brakes are satisfying though with a short 34.8 metre distance to stop from 100 and just small tendencies to fading when driven very hard. Overall, itâs not the easiest car to live with, a bit stubborn at times, stiff suspension, a bit thirsty on fuel and an overall low comfort. This is rather a good old school style sports car for people actually looking for a sports car and not just a sporty coupe, while not having to break the bank to get one.
I think that Atlas is on the right course with this one actually. A fun to drive simple RWD sports car, with an engine thatâs powerful without being extravagant, and saving money on unnecessary gadgets rather than what counts. Even if not gigantic, we know that cars like this one has a market, and we wish Atlas good luck!
HOLTS BQX4 PREMIUM
The BQX4 is following a SUV/Crossover concept we have seen many times before. The main platform is actually a bit advanced though, with an all aluminium body on a light monocoque of high strength steel, double wishbone suspension up front and multilink in the rear. The outside may not be stunning, but the styling probably wonât scare any buyers away either. Holts have played on the safe side here. And even inside they are on the safe side. It feels like we could have been in almost any car in the class, nice material and colour choices, a high level of equipment, no major flaws but nothing exciting either. And speaking of safe, the complete safety equipment will do its best to protect the occupant if a crash should happen.
Offroad capacity is actually good for a SUV on street tyres with moderate ground clearance, probably the electric diff is a great helper there. The AWD system has a bias (54%) to the front, and there is a 9 speed computer controlled automatic behind a quite advanced 3.1 litre inline six. Power output is 287 hp and maximal torque 390 Nm. The engine is running smooth, without much of a turbo lag, and is capable to send the car up to 210 km/h, and to reach 100 in 7.51 seconds, which is more than adequate for the car type. Handling wise it is neutral to the point of being scary, you donât really get a warning when itâs going too fast through a corner. The vague feeling of the electric power steering ainât much help there either, but at least there is ESC in case you should be over-estimating yourself. The brakes are satisfying, 280 metres to stop from 100 and, from what we could see, no tendencies of fading. Also, ride comfort is good, with an active suspension tuned with a smooth ride in mind.
A price of $36016 is maybe not ultra cheap, the service costs are sane though and fuel economy fair. Since the engine is running on 86 octanes RON according to Holts, one question is if the engine could have been more optimized for the fuel of today, and saving fuel at the same time?
As stated earlier, we have seen the concept before, and thatâs the feeling that this car gives during the whole test drive. But the Holts is one of the better cars in the class and there is no major flaws to report. So in case youâre in the market for a SUV like this, I recommend a test drive of the Holts, itâs a model that itâs hard to look away from in this segment.
I will thank all the manufacturers for lending their cars, and even if not all of them could reach the top, it becomes more and more obvious that bad cars are a thing long gone by now. And I had some pleasant surprises, mainly the El Verano and the Kasai Calibri, even if completely different cars, they both showed that the car you want may be more affordable than you ever will think.
See you next year!
Mats Hansen
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