At the close of each year, those of us in the motoring industry seem to ask the same thing: how much better can cars get? Because nowadays there are, generally, no terrible cars – legislation, globalisation and stiff competition combined with increasing demands from owners mean that for a new car to go on sale now, it has to be more than adequate. It has to be at least very good.
So it takes something special to stand out from the rest, and 2015 has seen some incredibly desirable cars emerge. Despite my efforts, however, I haven’t managed to drive them all. Models such as Jaguar’s all-new XF, the new Audi R8, Merc’s AMG GT, the new turbocharged Porsche 911, even the Ford Mustang, Mazda MX-5 and the new Hyundai Tucson have all evaded me for one reason or another.
Which means that, when it comes to choosing the most desirable cars of 2015, I have to consider only those I have experienced and the list is made up of just six models. A hypercar, a supercar, a saloon, an SUV, a GT car and a crazy neoclassic British anomaly – these are the ones that got under my skin over the past 12 months.
Lamborghini Aventador SV Roadster
What I found when driving the maddest road-going Lamborghini on track in Spain earlier this year, was not only the fastest and most powerful production car ever to roll out of Sant’Agata, but also the best – quite some accolade for a car that was scary enough on first acquaintance to give me the jitters.
Yet the Roadster (again, a strictly limited-edition monster), when I drove it on public roads in Dubai last month, added something else that gave it an even sharper edge: extra noise. The Aventador SV is deafening even when its engine isn’t running – a shouty, pointy, extreme amalgam of creases, vents and outrageous curves; it’s not a car for shy or retiring types. Rather, it is an unapologetic statement of intent. While its supposed rivals are busy making accessible machines that forgive and flatter, Lamborghini thumbed its nose and launched one of the wildest hypercars of them all.
The biggest surprise in its repertoire is its sheer breadth of capability. It’s scary, it’s impractical, it’s stupendously expensive (if you can find one for sale), yet it’s electrifying in any situation and feels incredibly well resolved. But the fact that the Roadster’s roof can be removed or even just that you can lower its tiny rear window to hear more of that masterpiece V12 engine screaming its staccato lungs out makes it, for me, the one to have.
Ferrari 488 GTB
The weight of responsibility on the collective shoulders of Ferrari’s designers and engineers, when it came to replacing the nigh on perfect 458 Italia must have been crushing. But deep down we knew Ferrari wouldn’t make a duffer, and any fears I had about its future were banished in summer when I experienced the 488 GTB on Maranello’s hillside roads and the legendary Fiorano test track, where all its F1 cars are developed.
Better looking than the 458, faster, more efficient and more dynamic than the end-of-run 458 Speciale – a car that I went on record as saying could probably never be bettered – the 488 GTB is a revelation. Its voice has slightly altered, but it still retains its wailing flat-plane crank character and its turbos make their presence felt for the occasional split second when you get on the power but, in reality, neither of those things matters. Because you’ll be too busy laughing your head off at the way this thing entertains if you get it on the right road.
Its limits are stratospheric, but they’re entirely exploitable, which is remarkable when you consider its specifications, and after an entire day with my right foot pressed hard against its bulkhead, I knew for certain that downsizing and turbocharging don’t necessarily mean anything bad for Ferrari. The only downside is that we will soon be seeing these cars on every street corner, and that saps away a little of the magic for true enthusiasts. But that’s hardly the fault of Ferrari or this, its most perfect car.
Volvo XC90
A desirable Volvo? For many that’s the ultimate oxymoron, but the Swedish giant has changed, moved with the times and is busy reinventing itself as the maker of cars that are still safe as houses, but no longer look like one. And the 2016 Volvo XC90 is an incredibly desirable machine on many levels.
First there are the looks: handsome, beefy, curvy and elegant with proportions most SUV designers could only dream of achieving. Then there’s the interior – a beautifully minimalist cabin that’s functional enough for demanding families and classy enough for chief executives to enjoy their business trips in civility. And then there’s its drivability, assisted by lighter, four-cylinder engines that give nothing away in performance to their larger ancestors, and a perfectly judged damping system, which is at once refined and engaging for those behind the wheel.
It’s a premium product that, if you spec right when placing your order, will offer more luxury and style than practically anything else. It’s the thinking person’s SUV of choice and should, by rights, enjoy huge success in this part of the world.
Aston Martin Vanquish
Yes, I know, Aston’s flagship has been around for a few years now, so it can hardly be considered “new”, even if its desirability is off the charts. But the 2015 model, when I drove it for a few days in the summer, showed me just how much progress Aston Martin has made during the model’s gradual evolution, and was responsible for me falling in love with the brand all over again.
The model I experienced was an early midlife refresh, which brought to the table three extremely important upgrades: a new, eight-speed ZF automatic transmission, a new Bosch engine management system and significantly stiffer damper ratings to both front and rear. Externally there’s nothing new to report, and most would argue that it’s best leaving that side of things alone, but the driving experience has been utterly transformed since the example I drove nearly three years ago.
Its new suspension set-up allows the big GT to feel more nimble than it has any right to, while the two extra ratios in its gearbox make it more frugal and more relaxed at cruising speeds. But it’s the new engine-management system that brings everything together in such a glorious fashion, the new Vanquish feeling like a proper member of the supercar elite while retaining all of its GT practicality. Any Aston Martin is special – it’s a magical, alluring and painfully cool brand – but the latest Vanquish is more than that. It’s extraordinary.
Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG
There can’t be many places on Earth with the same ratio of AMGs per capita as here in the UAE – practically every other car with a three-pointed star on its bonnet also has those three letters on its boot lid. The recipe is a simple one: take an already excellent Merc, fit it with a hand-built engine made by one dedicated engineer, add a few interior and exterior styling masterstrokes and beef up the drivetrain to cope with power and torque to rival the world’s most exclusive performance cars. And the C63 AMG is possibly my favourite yet.
It sounds the same as the others, it goes pretty much the same and feels the same. But there’s a sense of playfulness about the C63 – a sense of the designers having a bit of fun – that makes this a brilliant example of what the AMG division has become.
Little things, which didn’t need to be there but are anyway, are what the C63 is all about. The headlamps that put on a bit of a show as soon as you blip the key fob, the beautiful lacquered carbon-fibre interior surfaces that are infused with a red tinge, and the comical exhaust note that sounds like the angriest bear in the forest – they all do one thing more than almost anything else I’ve driven this year: they make you smile. And we all need a bit more joy in life, don’t we?
Morgan 3 Wheeler
I’ve driven some head-turners in my time but nothing – nothing – comes close to this crazy Brit for sheer visual spectacle. Nothing comes close, either, to providing sheer seat-of-the-pants thrills at any speed. This is motoring in its most visceral form and it isn’t for everybody, that’s for sure.
It’s wildly impractical. There is no boot to speak of and nowhere to store anything; there is no roof, not even a windscreen and there appears to be a rear wheel missing. Its V-twin engine (the type normally used in motorcycles) is mounted at the very front end and is uncovered, while the interior is as basic as any car gets these days with just a smattering of rudimentary instruments and switches. Yet these are the things that make this Morgan a design and driving icon and, if you want a car simply for weekend fun, look no further.
This is a car happy to wave its tail under even slight provocation, making for easy doughnuts in the staff car park if you feel so inclined but, with only 80 horses being sent to that rear wheel via the short throw manual gearbox, it’s entirely controllable and, crucially, enormous fun.
You wouldn’t want to be in a crash while driving one as Morgan is only required to build this model with motorcycle levels of protection (in other words, none), but it handles like few other cars with almost telepathic levels of communication. There’s only one point to this Morgan’s existence, and that is to make its occupants have fun. And it does that more than anything else I have driven this or any other year.
motoring@thenational.ae