2014 SMMT Day Wetherby
As a Lancashire lad, this was by no means my first foray into Yorkshire, but it was my first time with the SMMT, who, in case you’re wondering are the ‘Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders’, Throughout the year they arrange press driving days during which we get to drive whichever cars are present, usually getting around 20-30 minutes per vehicle, which isn't a long time, granted, but just enough to get a feel for them. Imagine speed dating, but with cars.
Setting off under the shadow of darkness we arrived at Wetherby Race Course undetected at the crack of dawn, we signed in quickly and grabbed a couple of bacon butties and relaxed over a mug of coffee - Janet, SMMT head honcho likes to look after us.
Our first drive of the day was the SWB 2.8CRD Jeep Wrangler Overland, I decided on this because I hadn't driven one before.
It’s always interesting reading other peoples reviews of a car that you’ve just driven, sometimes I’m like, ‘Yeah, I agree with that.’ Other times I’m gawping in dismay at what appears pure ignorance, and with the Wrangler it was the latter as one reviewer actually called it a pointless vehicle and only gave it 3/10. Now, being a long standing Land Rover enthusiast you would think that I’d be smirking in agreement, but I wasn’t, in fact I was quite angry.
I think these days, with the over saturation of crossover AWD’s with their car like handing, some motoring journalists are forgetting the point of vehicles like the Wrangler, Defender and to a degree the G-Wagen. They’re built for a purpose, and that purpose is getting you from A to Z via the most inhospitable terrain you can think of. If you’re going to be clambering over boulders, wading through rivers and fighting for grip through the greasiest of mud holes then yes, your 4×4 might be a little off road biased. Don’t jump in a proper 4×4 and expect it to drive like the brilliant Mazda CX-5 – it isn’t going to happen, deal with it!
So, with that little lot off my chest, what did I think of the 2015, 2.8 diesel Jeep Wrangler Overland? Well, let me just say that the only other car that day to make me smile as much was the Bentley Continental, I loved it!
Jumping in felt good, and the first thing I noticed after adjusting the comfortable black leather seat and mirrors was that you’re not struggling for space like you are in a Defender. The view is good, but I thought the leather wrapped steering wheel was a tad large in diameter, but functional, and the all the dials and switchgear were all to hand, which was good. Someone complained that the dash was made was hard plastic, I don’t think they understood that it’s easier to wipe mud of a plastic dash than it is with make believe leather.
Once on the open road the first thing that surprised me was that it wasn’t as pitchy as I thought it would be for a short wheelbase, I think the standard equipment Electronic Stability Control may have had something to with that. I did however think that the steering was a tad light and twitchy, but then I was driving along a rather bumpy country lane.
Muddy Madam was in the passenger seat messing with things, she prodded the padded roll cage, flicked on the heated seats, checked the 60/40 split folding rear seats and nodded with approval – ‘So far so good.’ She announced. Not only was she was amazed by the decent sized glovebox, but the heater was exceptional, but you’d want a good heater in a vehicle that has a removable roof.
The 2.8 Common Rail Diesel pushed the Wrangler along comfortably, its not not going to break any speed records, and nor should it, it’s built for ruggedness. Having said that, the 5 speed auto fitted to this Jeep, according to their official figures, can propel this box shaped 4×4 to 62mph in under 11 seconds, and carry on until you reach the dizzy heights of 107mph.
Fuel consumption wise, they reckon urban is 29mpg and extra urban is 39.8mpg, giving a combined 35mpg with CO2 emissions of 213(g/km), if you’re interested in that.
I was having fun, driving the Wrangler reminded me of my old rag topped V8 90, a fun, practical and capable vehicle that always put the biggest smile on my face as every trip was an adventure. I was having so much fun I didn’t notice the media centre that included a Uconnect phone system with voice command, USB connectivity and 6.5″ colour touchscreen satellite navigation. Thankfully, I didn’t have have use for the advanced multistage front air bags either, but the Premium audio (alpine) system with subwoofer was loud!
Any complaints? Well, there was not enough room for my left size 11 foot as the transmission tunnel tapers in at the clutch. It would be interesting to have it for a week or two to see if I get used to it or not. Also, there’s the huge protruding front bumper which I would imagine could catch you out in a car park. I suspect it has something to do legislation dictating to being pedestrian friendly.
Being honest, 20 minutes isn’t really long enough to get a proper handle on a vehicle, heck, I didn’t even take it on the motorway to check out wind noise and so on.
To summarise then, the Wrangler is only pointless if you want to take it on track days, like a Lamborghini Gallardo is pointless if you live on a hill farm in the middle of Wales and need to tow a trailer. If you want a proper 4×4 to do proper 4×4 stuff, then a Jeep Wrangler should be near the top of your list. I’ve said the same thing about the Defender and G-Wagen and I’ll say it again here, you don’t buy a Wrangler because you want a 4×4, you buy a Wrangler because you want a Wrangler.
Next up Muddy Madam jumped into a Kia Soul, which she loved driving, in fact she proclaimed at the end of the day that there were two cars she’d like to drive home in - the Kia Soul and Bentley’s Continental, so not much between those two, well except for about £180,000 (I know which she is likely to get).
Next on the list was the bright yellow Nissan Juke DIG-T 115 Tekna.
With its unconventional styling, to say the least, the Juke caused quite a stir when it arrived on our shores back in 2010, but it also won the hearts and minds of UK buyers and became the second-best selling Nissan after its bigger sibling, the Qashqai in 2013.
To try and keep it ahead of its rivals, for 2014 the Juke has had a bit of an exterior facelift, nothing too drastic mind as Nissan believe that its style is the biggest reason for its success. Unfortunately Nissan haven't touched the interior, that in our opinion looked a bit cheap. Two aspect that really, really annoyed me was the yellow stitching on the binnacle reflected badly in the windscreen, and the seats were far too short in the leg for both Muddy `Madam and I.
Out on the Yorkshire roads I found the ride to be quite, what's the word... fidgety, but it soaked up bumps reasonable well. I think I'm going to have to spend a little more time with the Juke as our first encounter wasn't that favourable.
Jumping behind the wheel of Nissan's X-Trail dCi130 n-Tec we were immediately impressed with the dash layout, and its incredibly comfy and supportive seats. This from Muddy Madam was a great compliment, and not something to be taken lightly.
It got better too, throwing the X-Trail around narrow roads was a joy, its steering and suspension handled the undulations very well, especially around bumpy bends. I assumed that Nissan’s Active Ride Control would have had a part to play in that.
The 129bhp, 1.6-litre diesel was quite nice too, which is a good job really as it’s the only engine available. It develops 320Nm of torque, which happens to be the same as the outgoing 2.0-litre diesel, and because of its smaller capacity, 90kg weight saving and stop-start tech, the new X-Trial is 20% more efficient.
I have to agree with other colleagues when they said that the engine is a bit lethargic at low revs, but because the turbo kicks in progressively, you don’t get a sudden surge in acceleration, which in turn gives the X-Trail a good pace of speed.
Transmission wise it’s available with front-wheel drive and either a 6 speed manual or CVT automatic gearbox, or four-wheel drive with a manual ’box only. I enjoyed the 6 speed gearbox, it was slick and appeared to be good match.
Any complaints? well, I was quite surprised by the lack of leg room for the rearmost passengers with the 7 seat option, definitely small children only, and that’s probably it.
You could argue that after only 20 minutes or so I wasn’t able to give the X-Trail a thorough workout, and you’d be correct. We didn’t take it on a motorway, there was no city driving, no off-roading and certainly no trips to the tip, but they say first impressions last, and on one of our briefest of Flash Drives, the new Nissan X-Trail didn’t disappoint.
Ever since Muddy Madam first set eyes on Bentley's new Continental she's been in love. "That's my car!" she'd exclaim whenever she saw one on TV, or in the flesh, so when we learnt that 2 versions were going to be at Wetherby, well excited is one word that could be used.
Although the weather wasn't at its best, we still opted for the Continental GT V8 S Convertible, because we could. Once I had fired up the 4.0-litre twin turbo engine I was surprised as it wasn't as raucous as I expected, there's a muted rumble from somewhere up front. The Continental has this crazy party trick that makes any road feel like a snooker table, and glides along with an almost whisper quiet ride, thats until you accelerate and you hear the wonderful thunderous bellow of the V8, and within a moment you find yourself reaching 62mph in just 4.7 seconds, and if the road will allow, to 191mph. If I had to find a word to describe the acceleration it would be relentless, and a little bit scary!
The GT's 520bhp and 680Nm of torque coupled to the permanent all-wheel drive system makes an exciting combination, when you want it to be, otherwise the 8-speed auto lets you waft along in a sublime and noble fashion.
Next in line was the Jaguar F-type coupé 3ltr V6, and there's no getting away from the fact that it has styling cues from the old E-Type, which isn't a bad thing of course. Although I really like the convertible, the curvaceous and unbroken silhouette of the coupé is a masterpiece of design in my eyes.
Although a bit of a struggle to get in, this is another fabulous car that would occupy my lottery-win garage next to the Bentley. Just like Muddy Madam's tingly sensations when she drove the Continental, I got the same when I pressed the 'hairs-stand-up-on-the-back-of-your-neck' button, aka 'start'. There's no burble with the V6, but a satisfying steady hum - press the accelerator though and you're rewarded with a 'crackle and spit', a great description that I read elsewhere!
Performance from the 335bhp supercharged V6 engine and eight-speed gearbox is 0-60mph in 5.1 seconds and a top speed of 160mph. Although it isn't, the F-Type felt much quicker than the Continental, probably because you're sat much closer to the ground with stiffer suspension. It was a hoot to drive around Wetherby and surrounding lanes, but I felt more at home in the Bentley because it's bigger and more of a GT cruiser.
Our final car of the day was the little Suzuki Swift Sport, and it shouldn't of been because it really is a fun car to drive, but after the Bentley and the Jag, it felt woefully inadequate! It was the same for the Kia 1.6CRDi Mixx Soul and the Volvo V40 D4, Muddy Madam loved them both, but after the Bentley, nothing compared.