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[h=1]FIVE WORST CARS OF 2018[/h]
Abarth 695 Rivale
Clarkson has enjoyed the Fiat 500 in the past, so surely a hot hatch Abarth version was guaranteed a glowing road test. Sadly for the car maker, that wasn’t the case, as the 695 Rivale was panned for its bumpy ride, iffy driving position and wobbly chassis. Even the styling touches, which pay homage to the Riva powerboats that Clarkson adores, weren’t enough to win him over.
Rating ★★☆☆☆
Memorable quote “The 695 convertible is wobbly at speed, bouncy and hard to drive unless you’re used to wearing a thong.”
Read the review here (subscription required)
Audi Q8
SUVs tend to fall in one of two categories for Clarkson: the ones he adores, such as Range Rovers and the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, and the ones he hates, like … pretty much everything else. No prizes for guessing, then, that the Audi Q8 sits firmly in the latter category, though JC was impressed by the Audi’s “extremely clever” technology.
Rating ★★☆☆☆
Memorable quote “It’s a rival for the terrible BMW X6, and that means it’s for people who are mad.”
Read the review here (subscription required)
Dacia Duster
In stark contrast to his Grand Tour co-hosts, Jeremy Clarkson hasn’t jumped aboard the Dacia bandwagon. As such, it’s perhaps no surprise he isn’t a fan of the new Dacia Duster, which he particularly disliked for perceived ugliness and an underpowered engine. The fact that the Duster test car was painted gold and was worth over £15,000 further cemented Clarkson’s distaste.
Rating ★★☆☆☆
Memorable quote “No one is ever going to drive a Duster smoothly. Or quietly. Or with their dignity intact.”
Read the review here (subscription required)
Mini 1499 GT
The Abarth 695 isn’t the only retro hot hatch to be heavily criticised by Clarkson in 2018: the Mini 1499 GT was also given a pasting. Its commemorative stickers were given a pass, but the stiff suspension was a problem, not least because it suggested performance that the car’s powerplant couldn’t match.
Rating ★★☆☆☆
Memorable quote “It’s hard to think of the right word. But ‘horrible’ is close enough.”
Read the review here
Volvo V60
Perhaps Clarkson’s greatest “what if…” review of 2018 was his analysis of the Volvo V60. Though the estate earned plenty of brownie points for its styling, space and practicality, almost all of that goodwill was undone by what he saw as a “dismal” diesel engine. Funnily enough, Volvo has vowed that all its new cars from 2019 will contain only hybrid or pure-electric powertrains, meaning pure petrol and diesel engines are history. Coincidence?*
Rating ★★☆☆☆
Memorable quote “Nothing says your sex life has died more than a Volvo in the driveway.”
https://www.driving.co.uk/news/features/jeremy-clarksons-five-worst-cars-2018/
[h=1]FIVE BEST CARS OF 2018[/h][h=2]Lamborghini Huracán Performante[/h]
Clarkson reviewed the pre-production version of the Lamborghini Huracán Performante at the end of 2017, saying: “It’s not just fast. It’s exciting. It may be making the sound of a universe forming and your head may be pinned back against the headrest but you can still feel it blowing gently on the hairs on your arms. This is a car that roars and purrs at the same time.”
But a few irritations meant it didn’t gain a full five stars until reassessment in 2018, when he fully realised just how exciting it is compared to the current competition. It’s so brilliant he crowned it his Car of the Year 2018 in the Sunday Times Motor Awards, in fact.
Rating ★★★★★
Memorable quote “Lamborghini, I like to think, is run by a bunch of 10-year-olds … Sure, it’s owned by the Germans these days [but] you get the sense that, were it not for Audi being all headmasterly, the Huracán would have space lasers on the roof.”
Read the review here (subscription required)
[h=2]Porsche 911 GT2 RS[/h]
Those familiar with Clarkson will know he isn’t exactly a Porsche 911 fan. As a result, you know the 911 GT2 RS is a phenomenal car when even he quips: “I truly loved it. Everything about it”. The twin-turbocharged swansong for the outgoing 911 generation can also lay claim to being one of only two cars to earn a perfect score from the motoring personality in 2018, although he couldn’t quite bring himself to devote a full review to the car; he disguised his write-up as a classic car investment feature.
Rating ★★★★★
Memorable quote “The GT2 RS is a properly brilliant sports car. And this from a man who’s never been a Porsche fan.”
Read the review here (subscription required)
[h=2]Alpina B5[/h]
Making a better 5-series than BMW seems like an impossible task, but Clarkson reckons the specialist tuner Alpina has done just that with the B5. As well as being sensationally quick, courtesy of a 600bhp V8 engine, the B5 is also mightily comfortable and a joy to drive. Clarkson went as far as to say the Alpina was “easily the best 5-series I’ve driven”… and he counts himself as a fan of the standard 5-er.
Rating ★★★★☆
Memorable quote “It really does feel as close to perfect as any car can be.”
Read the review here
[h=2]Aston Martin Vantage[/h]
Clarkson’s been a big fan of Aston Martin’s many Vantage models over the years, so it’s perhaps no surprise he’s so fond of the new one. What did startle, however, were the claims of the new sports car being better than everything else that Aston Martin currently makes. Could the Vantage have received the fill five stars if it had brighter headlights and a better sat nav?
Rating ★★★★☆
Memorable quote “For sheer excitement the Aston is a match for the Porsche 911.”
Read the review here (subscription required)
[h=2]Bentley Continental GT[/h]
The Bentley Continental GT, once a vehicle that garnered much scorn from Clarkson in his Top Gear days for being a footballer’s car, has now become one of his favourite cars. The new one is so good, in fact, that he admits being in a “right old muddle” when it comes to picking which one he likes the most out of the Bentley and the Aston Martin DB11.
Rating ★★★★☆
Memorable quote “A brilliant piece of completely over-the-top styling sitting like the icing on a properly made cake.”
https://www.driving.co.uk/news/jeremy-clarksons-five-best-cars-2018/
Abarth 695 Rivale
Clarkson has enjoyed the Fiat 500 in the past, so surely a hot hatch Abarth version was guaranteed a glowing road test. Sadly for the car maker, that wasn’t the case, as the 695 Rivale was panned for its bumpy ride, iffy driving position and wobbly chassis. Even the styling touches, which pay homage to the Riva powerboats that Clarkson adores, weren’t enough to win him over.
Rating ★★☆☆☆
Memorable quote “The 695 convertible is wobbly at speed, bouncy and hard to drive unless you’re used to wearing a thong.”
Read the review here (subscription required)
Audi Q8
SUVs tend to fall in one of two categories for Clarkson: the ones he adores, such as Range Rovers and the Alfa Romeo Stelvio, and the ones he hates, like … pretty much everything else. No prizes for guessing, then, that the Audi Q8 sits firmly in the latter category, though JC was impressed by the Audi’s “extremely clever” technology.
Rating ★★☆☆☆
Memorable quote “It’s a rival for the terrible BMW X6, and that means it’s for people who are mad.”
Read the review here (subscription required)
Dacia Duster
In stark contrast to his Grand Tour co-hosts, Jeremy Clarkson hasn’t jumped aboard the Dacia bandwagon. As such, it’s perhaps no surprise he isn’t a fan of the new Dacia Duster, which he particularly disliked for perceived ugliness and an underpowered engine. The fact that the Duster test car was painted gold and was worth over £15,000 further cemented Clarkson’s distaste.
Rating ★★☆☆☆
Memorable quote “No one is ever going to drive a Duster smoothly. Or quietly. Or with their dignity intact.”
Read the review here (subscription required)
Mini 1499 GT
The Abarth 695 isn’t the only retro hot hatch to be heavily criticised by Clarkson in 2018: the Mini 1499 GT was also given a pasting. Its commemorative stickers were given a pass, but the stiff suspension was a problem, not least because it suggested performance that the car’s powerplant couldn’t match.
Rating ★★☆☆☆
Memorable quote “It’s hard to think of the right word. But ‘horrible’ is close enough.”
Read the review here
Volvo V60
Perhaps Clarkson’s greatest “what if…” review of 2018 was his analysis of the Volvo V60. Though the estate earned plenty of brownie points for its styling, space and practicality, almost all of that goodwill was undone by what he saw as a “dismal” diesel engine. Funnily enough, Volvo has vowed that all its new cars from 2019 will contain only hybrid or pure-electric powertrains, meaning pure petrol and diesel engines are history. Coincidence?*
Rating ★★☆☆☆
Memorable quote “Nothing says your sex life has died more than a Volvo in the driveway.”
https://www.driving.co.uk/news/features/jeremy-clarksons-five-worst-cars-2018/
[h=1]FIVE BEST CARS OF 2018[/h][h=2]Lamborghini Huracán Performante[/h]
Clarkson reviewed the pre-production version of the Lamborghini Huracán Performante at the end of 2017, saying: “It’s not just fast. It’s exciting. It may be making the sound of a universe forming and your head may be pinned back against the headrest but you can still feel it blowing gently on the hairs on your arms. This is a car that roars and purrs at the same time.”
But a few irritations meant it didn’t gain a full five stars until reassessment in 2018, when he fully realised just how exciting it is compared to the current competition. It’s so brilliant he crowned it his Car of the Year 2018 in the Sunday Times Motor Awards, in fact.
Rating ★★★★★
Memorable quote “Lamborghini, I like to think, is run by a bunch of 10-year-olds … Sure, it’s owned by the Germans these days [but] you get the sense that, were it not for Audi being all headmasterly, the Huracán would have space lasers on the roof.”
Read the review here (subscription required)
[h=2]Porsche 911 GT2 RS[/h]
Those familiar with Clarkson will know he isn’t exactly a Porsche 911 fan. As a result, you know the 911 GT2 RS is a phenomenal car when even he quips: “I truly loved it. Everything about it”. The twin-turbocharged swansong for the outgoing 911 generation can also lay claim to being one of only two cars to earn a perfect score from the motoring personality in 2018, although he couldn’t quite bring himself to devote a full review to the car; he disguised his write-up as a classic car investment feature.
Rating ★★★★★
Memorable quote “The GT2 RS is a properly brilliant sports car. And this from a man who’s never been a Porsche fan.”
Read the review here (subscription required)
[h=2]Alpina B5[/h]
Making a better 5-series than BMW seems like an impossible task, but Clarkson reckons the specialist tuner Alpina has done just that with the B5. As well as being sensationally quick, courtesy of a 600bhp V8 engine, the B5 is also mightily comfortable and a joy to drive. Clarkson went as far as to say the Alpina was “easily the best 5-series I’ve driven”… and he counts himself as a fan of the standard 5-er.
Rating ★★★★☆
Memorable quote “It really does feel as close to perfect as any car can be.”
Read the review here
[h=2]Aston Martin Vantage[/h]
Clarkson’s been a big fan of Aston Martin’s many Vantage models over the years, so it’s perhaps no surprise he’s so fond of the new one. What did startle, however, were the claims of the new sports car being better than everything else that Aston Martin currently makes. Could the Vantage have received the fill five stars if it had brighter headlights and a better sat nav?
Rating ★★★★☆
Memorable quote “For sheer excitement the Aston is a match for the Porsche 911.”
Read the review here (subscription required)
[h=2]Bentley Continental GT[/h]
The Bentley Continental GT, once a vehicle that garnered much scorn from Clarkson in his Top Gear days for being a footballer’s car, has now become one of his favourite cars. The new one is so good, in fact, that he admits being in a “right old muddle” when it comes to picking which one he likes the most out of the Bentley and the Aston Martin DB11.
Rating ★★★★☆
Memorable quote “A brilliant piece of completely over-the-top styling sitting like the icing on a properly made cake.”
https://www.driving.co.uk/news/jeremy-clarksons-five-best-cars-2018/
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