This is Fifth Gear. I'm loving the difference.
There'll still be screaming. (SCREAMING)
And squealing. Could you just slow down?!
And shouting. Stupid idea!
I can't listen to this nonsense. But there'll also be this.
The EV revolution is here.
But are electric vehicles right for you?
What are the costs, choices and challenges.
And how do they stack up against their petrol-powered rivals?
We're here to tell you everything you need to know
about the new automotive landscape.
(LAUGHTER) This is the future of driving.
This is Fifth Gear Recharged.
(ENGINE REVS)
This time, we're checking out a massive '80's performance icon
that Lamborghini has reimagined with hybrid power.
This car gives you the same take your breath away impression
that the original did all those years back. (ENGINE REVS)
We find out if BMW can deliver an EV
that retains the DNA of its classic M cars.
Can you tell it's heavier? It feels very stiff.
In our group test we ask can electric power
add much to a big money and full fat sized SUV?
Do you feel like you're on a test cos I've got my clipboard? (LAUGHS)
And new boy Sid North goes driving in an English classic
that isn't quite as rustic as it seems.
(TYRES SCREECH) (LAUGHS)
SUVs, Sports Utility Vehicles.
You know the drill. Too big, too thirsty,
and, yes, despite ground clearance, they never go off road.
But guess what? People can't get enough of that.
I'm better than you high up driving position
and the undeniable feeling of luxury.
Whether you love them or loathe them,
they are not going anywhere any time soon.
In fact, sales are climbing at a time when other sectors are falling.
And they're unlikely to get any smaller, because,
well, cars just don't do that anymore. So that's that then.
Or maybe not, because the electric revolution has caught up
with these SUVs and it's about time.
In pure petrol or diesel form,
SUVs can belch out 25% more pollutants than a regular car.
So electric assistance will help boost
those less than green credentials.
This is the BMW X5 xDrive 45e.
The Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid.
The Audi Q7 TFSI e.
And the Volvo XC90 Recharge T8.
They all cost around 70 grand, have permanent four-wheel drive
and all of them can move their 2.2 to 2.8 tonne backsides
along on EV power.
Yes, these are all plug-in hybrids,
which means any out of town driving you do,
Most certainly the petrol engine is gonna kick in,
but the sort of urban shuffling these do on a daily basis
might just be possible to drive on electricity alone.
So are they a genuine step forward or just a marketing gimmick?
And have they sacrificed any of the space, the pace and the comfort
just to tick the eco box?
To find out, we'll subject them to three tests.
And in true deathmatch style, one vehicle will be kicked out
of each round if they come up short.
Test one will examine the genuine EV-only range,
with some real world driving on a set route around Ipswich.
Test two is practicality. And three, well, that's a bit more hardcore.
We'll get to that soon. But first up, the range testing and the BMW.
So prices for this 45e X5 start at 67,000.
We are in the M Sport, so it's 72,000.
Under the bonnet, I've got a 3L petrol turbo
that's got 282 horsepower,
but if the next ten minutes go according to plan,
which by you dropping your pen is not a good sign... I have it.
..the electric mode means that we're relying on
a 24 kilowatt hour battery.
Got all that? On paper the Beamer
should be good for up to 54 miles of EV-only driving.
That's more than any of our other cars here.
The ride's good, isn't it? It is really good.
It has air suspension. So comfy, isn't it?
A proper blanket. Imagine us being lit in electric mode,
everything's now on its softest. Hm. Yeah.
Do you feel like you're on a test cos I've got my clipboard out?
(LAUGHS) I actually feel quite good
that I'm driving around a town with electric.
Yeah. You're not polluting at all. I know.
It does make me feel slightly smug. I'm really warming to this car.
It does feel so much bigger than an original X5.
And I like 'em big, I like 'em chunky.
Our route has now come full circle, time for some Year 4 maths.
So give us the numbers then, Vick. OK. End mileage is 9.22.
Our net is 4.4 miles we've travelled. And the end range?
End range is 30 miles.
2.1 miles per kilowatt. Yep.
Our slightly fag packet, but still very valid calculations,
compare actual miles driven
to the fall in the car's claimed onboard range.
We extrapolate those figures to work out how many miles it would take
to empty the EV tank. And in this case, it's 40.
Not bad at all. Next, it's the Audi.
So prices start for this at 74,000, but we've got the black edition,
which is a few grand more and a bit more sporty.
Do you like Audis? Do you...? I do like them,
they're just ever so slightly dull, aren't they, in a nice way.
In a really good way because they do everything so well.
They're so brilliantly built, and the attention to detail
is always lovely, but they just lack a little bit of fire!
So suspension wise, it definitely feels...stiffer. Yeah.
It's not such a... It's not as compliant. No.
Therefore comfortable. So how long does this take to charge?
The Beamer was six hours. This is a lot better.
Two hours. Mm-hm. But it's a smaller battery.
Yeah. But I don't think that's important in plug-in hybrids,
because it's an overnight job, isn't it? Yeah.
So getting out of the BMW into this. Hm.
This is lovely, it's luxurious. Yeah.
I prefer the BMW. Yeah, I do.
Right then, VBH, we are at the end of our trip.
It is saying the end range is 16. Yeah.
So the end mileage is 10.350. Mm-hm.
Battery consumption is 1.9 miles per kilowatt hour. Yep.
So that gives the Audi a range of just 29 miles.
That seems significantly less than the BMW.
The Volvo's next.
So prices start at £76,000 base. They start at 76 base? Yeah.
Which makes it the most expensive starting point of our quartet.
I can't believe that. Yeah. I've got quite a small engine, 2L turbo.
My battery isn't a whopper, it's an 18.8 kilowatt hour battery. OK.
But it will do, so Volvo says, 42 miles.
(PLUMLY) Orf we go!
So what I still can't get my head around is for the base model
the Volvo's more expensive than Porsche, Audi and BMW?
Yeah. This particular model that we're driving,
which is called the Ultimate, 82 grand.
That's a lot of brass for a 2L engine. (LAUGHS)
What's gone wrong with the world?!
I also have air suspension.
OK.
First impressions then? I really like it. Do you? Yeah, I do.
I like the...high up position.
I feel much higher up than I did in the Audi.
And this is sort of giving me those BMW X5 vibes.
What car's made you feel the most smug so far?
Probably this actually, because I feel I'm really eco friendly
in this car. Yeah. Right, Vicks, let's have a look at the numbers.
Let's go. So, battery life left 23 miles.
Miles per kilowatt? It's 1.8 kilowatt hours? Yeah.
The Volvo is short of the claimed 42 miles.
It's actually only 33!
Now, time for the Porsche.
Prices start at £70,000.
It's a 3L V6 turbo, kicks out 340 horsepower.
Add in the electric motor, as with the other vehicles here,
this car gets a load more power.
This time up to a whopping 449 horsepower.
Out of all the cars, this is the best one to drive by a mile. Yeah.
So does this have air suspension?
The BMW had it as standard on that model.
This does have it, but it's a tick, it's an option tick,
1,500 quid. There's 18 grands worth of options on it. (GASPS)
18 grands worth, so that pushes it up to 90K! Yeah.
More smug?
I don't feel as smug as I did in the Volvo. In the Volvo. No.
OK, number crunching time.
We've done 4.4 miles. Perfect.
On the range, we've got 17 left.
And it's saying we have the consumption...
0.6 kilowatt hours per mile.
And that is a range of just 27 miles.
So which car has the lowest real world EV range?
We have to get rid of the Porsche. Yep. Auf weidersehen, pet.
As you can see, we're pretty tough
and it's gonna get tougher as we try and separate
the other three luxury hybrids,
testing practicality and hard driving ability.
Coming up, we've got more of our big SUV deathmatch.
Oh, you are vicious! Yi!
I would not like to be a bit of luggage in your hands.
And we sample a British classic
that hides an EV surprise under its bonnet.
(TYRES SCREECH) (LAUGHS) Yeah!
It feels properly fast.
00:20:48.280 -- 00:20:52.960 Now it's time to get a first look and first drive of a new EV. Ohh!
(LAUGHTER) Yes, it's the Fifth Gear Recharged...
Today the team tested the BMW i4 M50.
The i4 is BMW's first all electric Gran Coupe
and uses the same platform as their 4 Series Petrol and Diesel Models.
We have the high performance M50 version,
which is the EV equivalent of the celebrated M4.
But at £64,000, costs a few grand less.
Right, gang, the i4 M50.
What do you think? Why M50? Well, it's their sport version.
It's a bit like i3. But why not just call it an M4i, Mi4?
Like Mi4? And then the 5 Series is obviously Mi5.
I'm dyslexic. There's way too many
letters and numbers for me on this car.
Tell you what, though. It's great. And this...!
Matte finish. I'm a fan. I'd actually call this satin.
And if you wanna get official,
it's actually called Frozen Portimao Blue Metallic. (LAUGHS)
All of us were blown away with the finish,
we really think it makes the lines stand out,
however, because it's a BMW,
there had to be a bit of discussion about that grille.
Can I get the elephant out of the room? Just come round the front.
It's a fully electric car, so there's not an air grille.
When this first came out, I thought, "Hell, yes!" because it's unique,
it's individual. Where do you sit? I've warmed up to it?
I didn't like the press shots, cos it didn't have a number plate.
Now ... That breaks it up a bit. Yeah. And also, I think,
with current electric cars where there isn't a grille,
it somehow looks better. I think it's a pretty car.
I've gone from hating it to being moderately accepting of it.
Shall we have a look at the boot? Oh, why not.
(SIGHS) That's a tailgate. I thought it was a boot,
like a saloon. Good size, isn't it? This just annoys me.
Do you know what I mean? 70 grand
and you've got two bags of cables. Yeah.
Why aren't they hidden? That is a lot of stuff. Why no space?
Like a hoover. Like a Dyson. Other hoovers are available. (LAUGHS)
Like a pully out jobber.
I mean, imagine when you're driving. Ah! Bang! Bang! Yeah.
I think there's a few other bits inside that might annoy you. Hm.
This might be a bit small. Doesn't look very spacious, does it?
You know what though... It's not too bad. ..it's all right.
You know what, it's OK. I'm cosy.
They say you can get three in the back. I don't think...
It'd be tight. No, hang on. Imagine if I put my foot here. Look at this.
Are you getting friendly? I'm coming in the middle. Oh, god!
You know what, I'm over there now. Look at that! There's no way.
BMW haven't made a bespoke electric platform yet,
that means it's slightly compromised.
They didn't need this. This is the legacy
of not doing their own platform.
You've got the big console with the gear lever. All of that
isn't really necessary with an electric car these days.
Why does it have a gear lever? You gotta be able to select reverse.
You can have a button. I suppose, yeah.
I like that big, curvy screen. This screen is lovely. Lovely.
Proper curved. It is really nice. Yeah. Steering wheel? Too chunky?
I can't actually get my...(LAUGHS)
Your hands don't go all the way round. I can't get of my head
just how uncomfortable that wheel is. Yeah.
What person signed that off? Liam Neeson's got big hands,
maybe he signed it off. You know they say big hands, big gloves.
That's right. Shall we drive and see what it's like?
So all of us had a go at driving it, we took it to the handling truck.
An 80 kilowatt battery powers twin motors,
producing a combined 544 horsepower,
which get the i4 from 0-62 in 3.9 seconds,
despite it weighing 2.2 tonnes.
What do you think, then? It feels like a BMW, doesn't it?
Ride quality is good. It's got good acceleration, hasn't it.
I think we were all pretty unanimous.
The power delivery was sensational.
The amount of power was very impressive.
There is very little body roll.
Can you tell it's half a tonne heavier? It feels very stiff,
but when you get to the corners,
you do feel it's a bit lazier on the direction change.
Oohhh!
First impressions, this thing is an absolute beast.
Jimmy was really knocked over by,
you know, the performance of that car,
but our point of reference for that car is the Porsche Taycan.
It's not quite in the league of... of a Porsche.
OK, two laps. Time out.
I'm just moving. You're sliding over. I'm sliding over.
I wanted all of it to make me feel magical and special
00:25:49.920 -- 00:25:52.960 Welcome back to our luxury SUV deathmatch,
and part of the car and involved, and it just didn't do that.
which is pitting four pretty bling 4x4 hybrids against each other.
It's not talking to me like a Porsche Taycan does.
They all cost at least 70 grand,
It's not got that...fluidity...
but the price can easily pass 90 with options.
or the nice sporty handling.
It's a lot of brass for a 2L engine. (LAUGHS)
Jimmy's turn. Unleash the roller coaster!
What's gone wrong with the world?!
In the first leg of our testing, a real world driving test in Ipswich,
Oh, Jimmy! Jimmy! (LAUGHTER)
we had to get rid of the hard charging Cayenne...
(LAUGHS) Jimmy, can I just suggest we sow down a whisker.
Auf Wiedersehen, pet.
Put the traction on, please. (HACKLES)
..because it just wasn't as EV efficient as the rest.
Yes, we were slightly nervous, but not Jimmy it seems,
Which leaves us with the BMW, the Audi and the Volvo. Mm-hm.
And now it's time to talk practicality,
who was enjoying himself so much,
he forgot to tell us anything about the car.
because these cars are about five metres long.
What do you think of it, Jimmy? Er...
So we're gonna want to put the luggage in
for the four or five people that you're gonna have on board.
What do you think, Jimmy? (LAUGHS)
We loading enough luggage
(LAUGHS)
for a family of four heading away for a week.
(LAUGHS) I mean...
Obviously, everybody's different,
(BOTH LAUGH) I mean, we were petrified, if I'm really honest.
so we just brought along a ridiculous load of stuff.
Which big SUV can swallow this lot without begging for a roof rack?
But I got him back, cos he spewed in the hedge
after a lap and a half with me.
We're looking at space and ease of loading.
I'm really looking forward to this. You will, honestly. No, I am
Beamer first. Ah-ha-ha!
What are you laughing at? A split tailgate?
(LAUGHS) Oh, it's straight off the line.
What does that mean? My favourite? Why? Because, look,
Oh, my gosh! I'm just gonna be quiet for a minute.
folds down. Come and hop on. Oh, it's a social thing. Yeah, exactly!
(SOBS) (LAUGHTER) It does feel heavy in your hands, doesn't it?
So... Now then this has got 545 litres of space.
It's a bit soft, it's not as precise.
It should have 600, but the hybrid... It's all under there.
It's... It's ridiculously fast!
Right, let's see if we can get through here flat. Oh, no!
Yeah. But look at the attention to detail there.
You can get the back out a bit.
Look how nicely sprung that is. That's all right.
I had a roast dinner at lunchtime. (LAUGHTER)
And here, look, that's really...
So I should do the luggage then. Oh, yeah.
(LAUGHS)
That's your one.
(LAUGHTER)
You know what, you can provoke it into a bit of oversteer.
Yeah. Oh, that one's done there.
It's quite M4 like this. (LAUGHS) What's the matter with you?
You could get the orange one down the side.
Yeah, that'll go down there. Yeah, just.
He's gone! (LAUGHTER)
Right, then we need to pull the cover over the top.
What? What's happened? Roast dinner. (LAUGHTER)
Can we not get another down there? I don't think so.
So, based on that performance from Jimmy,
Oop! No, that's it.
I think he's quite... (LAUGHTER)
Well, that's plenty. No. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!
Pull the cover over, please, sir.
(LAUGHTER) He's... (LAUGHS)
And then, of course, cos you're gonna want to go...
You're a git, JP! (LAUGHTER)
That won't go in. That's not gonna go.
Back to business. What would we score the i4 M50?
But this will, that. (LAUGHS)
And have BMW made an EV machine worthy of the M badge?
(CHUCLKES) This is... Keep your hands off that.
That's mine that. Yeah.
I think they probably have, actually.
Will it go in? It'll go over there. There!
For me, it's gotta be an...
OK. Right, done. So the Beamer is pretty capacious.
Statistically, BMW has given us an M car,
We can give you the litres that it holds, but in the real world,
but I don't feel that the handling is quite right.
it's eight pieces of baggage.
I don't think it's agile enough,
The Audi is up next. On paper, its boot is bigger,
and therefore, I'm gonna score it a...
but will it take more than the Beamer?
I love the styling, I love the performance.
It gave me the vomit comet experience,
Oh! Orange. Orange will go. Yeah.
and I'm giving it a rip roaring... out of ten.
No, no, we're gonna have to...
I enjoy driving the car, but I feel like it's in a compromised model
Oh, you are vicious! Yi, yi, yi!
without the fully electric platform, so I'm gonna give it a...
Ohhh!
Which delivers the BMW i4 M50
I would not like to be a bit of luggage in your hands.
a respectable...
That green one'll go in. You've got to pull the parcel shelf over.
And now for something reassuringly rustic.
No, I'm not happy with that. Not happy with it!
My name's Sid, and I was minding my own business
until I got an unexpected call from the Fifth Gear Recharged team.
Ah, the old... the old Plato touch there.
Obviously, I thought they'd got the wrong number,
Oh, that is a bit tricky. Oh. That's stupid, isn't it?
but turns out that they hadn't. And what's even more bonkers
All right, take the orange... Take the green one out
was the fact that they wanted me on the show. Me, Sid North,
and see if it'll work. Come on, let's try it.
otherwise known as Sideways Sid.
No. You're doing... Let's just quickly try it.
No! Look at this! Oh, god! I think it'll be fine.
Seeing as my background is ragging tasty motors around on the internet,
(SIGHS)
I assumed they were gonna give me something really ragable
Watch. No, no, no, no!
to drive for this show.
OK, so we're left with that.
No, I don't... Yeah, that's perfect.
But instead, they put me in an old MGB.
On top of the parcel shelf.
OK. There you are.
Really?
Right. And, actually, yes, it's a whole suitcase bigger.
It's not really the sort of car that I had in mind.
And, finally, the Volvo. Does it have a bigger booty?
OK, the MG was very successful,
with sales of half a million between 1962 and 1980,
but that was a long time ago. And the 1.8 litre engine,
Right, how are things going there? Loads of room.
which produces 95 horsepower, seems a bit...limp today.
Oh, that's massive. More.
Another one. Yeah.
I reckon...
It was great when my dad was back in school, but for me,
And then pull the cover over.
in today's world, not so much.
The good news is that I'm only driving this old MGB,
Hang on a minute. If you're going on your surfboard.
Oh, let me... I'm going on my ring.
so that I can compare what it's like to drive with that, erm,
Yes! Yes! Oh, yes!
old...MGB.
Everyone's happy. 'It's a big fat "yes"!'
But don't be fooled, because this is a 21st century car.
(GULLS SCREECH)
Oh. (LAUGHS)
It's still rear-wheel drive,
but RBW alongside Continental Engineering
Superb! We have a clear winner. The Volvo wins. Yeah.
have developed an all new, all electric powertrain.
Audi second. Beamer's in the bin.
Oh, no! Yeah. Right. (BOTH) To the beach.
At this point, some of you might be recoiling in horror,
(LAUGHS) Perhaps there are worse motoring crimes
believing that classic MGBs are being torn apart to make way
than and not being able to stuff a plastic inflatable in a boot,
for new-fangled technology.
but we never claimed to be soft, and so the fuel efficient,
Fear not, because these body shells are brand new heritage ones.
luxurious Beemer has to go.
And there's more good news, the new body shells haven't been altered
(BIRDSONG) This is Scottish border country,
to make room for the electric motors or batteries,
which means, if you wanted to,
home to some of the UK's finest and quietest roads.
you could put a combustion engine back into this.
However, I doubt many people will do that.
So what's this electric B like to drive?
without passing a single vehicle.
(ENGINE REVS)
For starters, it's not quite as quick as other fast EVs,
Which is a good thing because I've been handed the keys
to one of the world's rarest and most valuable cars.
where it pushes your skull into the back of the headrest.
(ENGINE REVS) (LAUGHS)
0-60's getting on a bit, nine seconds!
It's called the Lamborghini Countach LP1 800-4.
Which is about the same as a Ford Fiesta or an average VW Polo.
A bit of a long name, but a short production run,
just 112 are gonna be made.
And the top speed of 85mph won't exactly blow your mind either.
And even though they cost two million quid each,
all of them have been sold.
Which is 25mph slower than the petrol version MGB.
And this particular one, well, it's destined for Lambo's museum.
And it's only got 5 more horsepower from the 70 kilowatt motor.
But today, it's all mine.
Oof!
But chest thumping stats aren't what this car's about.
(ENGINE STARTS)
the fact that you can take it down a country B-road
(ENGINE REVS)
and just enjoy carrying the momentum.
(ENGINE REVS)
So, before I talk about this car,
It's got a 50/50 weight distribution,
so the balance is nigh on perfect.
let's rewind a few years,
Let's say...50.
Yeah, other the cars will be faster,
In the early '70s, the roads were full of Ford Cortinas
but the limit of grip's a lot lower.
You can just feel the car moving around beneath you,
and Morris Marinas,
cars were just a bit, you know, humdrum.
and that's where the excitement comes from.
And there's another side that I really like,
(ENGINE REVS) But then the Lamborghini Countach happened.
something that the original has definitely not got,
it's so usable,
(ENGINE REVS)
it's so liveable.
Also, this is ten times more reliable than the original MGB,
It looked like nothing on Earth.
You know, every car-mad kid had a poster, I did too,
that's for sure.
But RBW has kept the car sufficiently old school,
a poster on my bedroom wall until I was, well, 48.
so you never forget that you're still in a B.
(ENGINE REVS)
People like you in it. You jump into a Porsche and people sort of
And woe betide anyone that thought it was fur coat, no knickers,
just, you know, get a little bit hateful, spiteful of you,
because it would do 0-60 in a blistering 5.4 seconds,
Whereas this, it's quite cute, it's British.
There's a nice vibe to it.
and top out, way back then, at 179mph.
Let's talk about range. Well, if you drive this at a steady 70mph
Take my word for it, the Lamborghini Countach
on the motorway, be expected to get around 140 miles out of it.
literally blew people's trousers off.
(ENGINE REVS) Now let's get up to date.
You drive it on some A or B roads at slower speeds,
Lamborghini like to look forward not back,
you'll be able to get 160 miles,
which ain't too bad considering that the batteries are quite tiny.
but even they couldn't ignore the half-century celebration
of such an iconic car. (ENGINE REVS)
And there's a good reason for that.
This car is only 30 millimetres longer than a modern Mini,
This then is a Countach for the 21st century.
It's even got a bit of electric power,
but 160 millimetres lower
but at its heart is a thunderous...
and a massive 210 millimetres narrower.
V12. (ENGINE REVS)
So the battery is small because the car is small.
you know, first impressions, the steering is really pointy, sharp.
But on the plus side, the RBW
is just 40 kilos heavier than the original version.
It's blisteringly quick. (ENGINE REVS)
Now, let's get on to the subject of price.
(ENGINE REVS)
Be expected to pay around about £90,000.
I don't know if you saw, but I was biting my lip then.
So, yeah, this is the same price as a brand new Porsche 911 Carrera,
(LAUGHS) It's an amazing bit of kit.
The original Countach squeezed 375 horsepower from its 3.9L motor,
or even a Porsche Taycan.
Ouch! But we know that EV classic car conversions aren't cheap
which in 1971 was just ridiculous.
It was top of the trumps.
and as the company's order books are full,
But things have moved on, because this Countach has a 6.5L V12
it's clear people prepared to cough up.
I just wish there was a slightly nippy one out there.
producing 770 horsepower.
And, what do you know, there is!
And in case you need a little bit more,
Yes, RBW have made a racing version
an electric motor supplies another 33 horsepower,
that demonstrates how it can be tuned for greater performance.
which sounds a bit pathetic, however, it's actually quite useful.
What's it like? Well, it's a lot livelier than the road car.
So when you change gear in a car, there is a very small loss in power.
We're out on track.
(TYRES SCREECH)
You know, like... (MIMICS ENGINE REVING)
(LAUGHS)
And in a car like this, that small drop really matters.
In fact, with a top speed of 110mph,
this car is 30mph quicker than the road-going model,
But electric power plugs these gaps and keeps the power on.
and two and a half seconds faster to 60. (TYRES SCREECH)
But what if the charge runs out?
But here's the clever thing, it doesn't,
No power-assisted steering, so it feels accurate, precise.
because this car gets its electric power not from batteries,
but supercapacitors.
(TYRES SCREECH)
Yeah, it feels good! It feels properly fast!
When you brake, the energy is stored in plates
And there's even more performance if you wanted.
as static electricity. Providing you touch the brakes a few times,
The car I'm driving has 214 Newton metres of torque,
which you need to in this car, it'll recharge.
but this can be increased to 420.
(ENGINE REVS) 62 comes up in just 2.8 seconds,
It still feels beautifully balanced.
which is around half the time of the original machine.
If there's too much understeer,
you can dial it out with a trailing throttle.
And left alone, it'll max out at 217mph.
You can pitch in on the brakes... (TYRES SCREECH)
Good job it's all-wheel drive. (ENGINE REVS)
and make it dance.
(ENGINE REVS)
Yeah, it feels properly, properly sorted.
So there's no question, this car is as bonkers behind the wheel
(TYRES SCREECH)
Whoo-hoo-hoo!
Ah! That is brilliant! I bloody love it!
as the original was. Thank you very much. Thank you.
But does it excite as much on the outside?
(TYRES SCREECH)
Yeah!
Do you know what, I can see... I can see little bits of Countach,
Like petrol cars, performance comes at a cost,
but I think the problem is when this car hit the streets
because the range is reduced to 70 miles,
but that still gives me another hundred plus laps of this track.
there was nothing like it. And, of course, we've seen hypercars,
and the nature of aerodynamics, they all kind of morph into this shape.
Yeah, that's what we want! Whoo-hoo-hoo!
But, I mean, there are some Countach...elements to it.
That's it, but we're coming back. It's blisteringly quick!
Like this...this one crease line
We've still got the Lamborghini supercar that looks vintage,
up over from the very far front of the car up over the front wing.
but it's not. I don't know if you saw, I was biting my lip. (LAUGHS)
That's kind of similar.
It's a good effort, I just wish they'd gone further.
I would want it to be more extreme.
Lambo, huh? Where are you guys from?
You're from Germany. (BOTH SPEAK GERMAN)
So this is the new Lamborghini Countach.
It's not for a big man.
We're in the middle of Scotland, in the middle of nowhere,
and the only people we've bumped into
is four German bikers who don't speak much English.
(CREAKING) Trust the Germans to pick up on the build quality.
(LAUGHS) It's an old car. (LAUGHS)
It's my knee. Well, danke schon. Danke schon. (BOTH) Bitte schon.
Tough crowd. And I also had a gripe.
The gearbox, which had been borrowed from Lambo's Aventador SVJ.
It's always been criticised for being rather agricultural,
and although the supercapacitors help smooth things out a bit,
the problem is by no means cured.
The gearbox is still lumpy!
And that's not the only car Lamborghini have raided parts off.
In fact, underneath this car's bespoke bodywork...
(ENGINE REVS) ..it's identical to this Sian,
which Vicky drove in Italy a year or so back.
(ENGINE REVS)
So you could argue that this car
is just a cynical marketing ploy
designed purely to trade off the Countach name.
But, frankly, I don't care.
I'm just really happy it exists at all and I got to drive it.
(ENGINE REVS)
We'll be back later with more hardcore ways
to eliminate the final contender
and leave us with a costly, luxurious and high riding winner.
No...
way!
00:38:02.760 -- 00:38:07.440 Welcome back to the finale of our luxury SUV deathmatch,
featuring four big 4x4 dream machines
that can all go some distance on EV alone,
and make you feel like a king or queen.
It does make me feel slightly smug.
Let's be honest, it's been a bit harsh so far.
The chest beating Porsche Cayenne fell at the first hurdle,
because it's EV-only range didn't quite match up with the others.
I don't feel as smug as I did in the Volvo.
And then the refined and luxurious Beamer
fell by the wayside because its boot wasn't big enough.
That won't go in. That's not gonna go.
Wow! How tough are we. But it ain't over yet
until the plush lady sings,
which in motoring terms means one more has to go.
Which leaves us with the big money Volvo
and the cold and efficient Audi going head to head.
Now, we know that luxury SUVs aren't really designed
to pirouette around the place like a ballerina. No, that's true,
but both these cars will get to 62 in under six seconds,
so the manufacturers believe when you get 'em out of town,
they can pick up their skirt and have a go. Oh, that image! Ooh!
I don't know if you've missed that,
but under six seconds for 0-60 is insanely quick for cars like these.
You may not feel it being so high up,
but the torque of the electric motor and the wallop of the turbo after
is an impressive blast of power. So we're gonna go very fast
in big, heavy cars and see if the laws of physics
deliver us able or ugly results.
First though, we'll navigate this slalom course
to see how well they change direction.
And then it's up to 80 before hitting the brakes,
simulating an emergency stop.
This will really test how the cars literally handle their weight,
which is no small thing when they're two tonnes plus.
And the car that does that in the shortest distance wins. OMG!
What car so you fancy? Well, I'm gonna go for the one
that will win on paper. It's lighter, it's quicker,
and it's more powerful. Volvo, please!
Thank you.
This is the tense bit.
So bit of slalom. Yeah. Then up to 80. Yep.
As soon as you get to 80, I'll scream. Yeah. Emergency stop.
OK. And then I'll flick a cone out. And then we'll do it in the Audi.
You reckon this is gonna win? Yeah. Are you confident?
Yeah. Shall we have a bet? Yes. A pound. A pound. A pound.
With such high stakes, this is now a matter of honour,
not just SUV hybrid agility.
Ready. Three, two, one.
Nicely done, babes! (GRUNTS)
40. 50. 60.
70.
80!
(LAUGHS)
(GASPS) I can't breathe!
Aggressive or what?!
I thought that was good, nice, steady. I felt secure,
felt in control. You think your pound's safe?
Yeah, I do, actually. Do you? I do.
I'm gonna go and get that cone. Oh, yeah, that'd be lovely.
I'll stick it over here. Gorgeous!
On to the Audi. Can it beat 440 feet
measured exactly from the start line.
All right, my love.
Three, two, one.
Go!
That was a bit sluggish! Wasn't it. Oop!
Phwoar!
Come on, you beauty! (INDISTINCT)
Stop!
No...way!
What do you think to that with your big horsepowers? Oh!
And your big torques? What do you think of that? (GROANS)
I'm...I'm breathless
and a pound short. And I said this was dull.
It's not, is it? It's amazing!
It looks like the Audi is a much sharper stopper.
It does help having the traction control. Yeah.
Cos I could give it the large one. Yeah. Wow!
Look at that! I'm gonna take that as a victory, VBH. Yeah.
So, by my reckoning, you owe me a pound. I know.
This is a motoring moment and an unexpected one.
So the Audi is the winner by quite a margin.
I'm surprised at that. Me, too. I thought with the stats on that
that should have won. Traction control, couldn't turn it off. No.
I'm a bit disappointing about the Porsche,
cos I thought at the beginning it was gonna do the business,
but, you know, not good on efficiency.
I was surprised to see the BMW go because a car of that size
couldn't get all the luggage in.
I think that the Volvo is a great all-rounder
but obviously it's been pipped here by the Audi.
So do you think that these hybrid luxury SUVs are the answer?
An SUV for me is about practicality.
It's about driving position being up high, lots of space.
And as soon as you chuck batteries in, you lose a load of space.
So I honestly believe that's the car I felt most smug
driving an electric around a city,
and that's the you get the most stuff in, so out of these,
I think that's the best all-rounder, but obviously today the Audi won.
Definite food for thought there.
We've named our favourite and found a winner. That's it for now.
We will be back soon, helping you choose your next car
in the fast-growing world of EVs.
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