BBC Top Gear Magazine April 2021

@jack_rix editor@bbctopgearmagazine.com “HERE’S TO THE NEXT YEAR BEING A HELL OF LOT BETTER THAN THE LAST ONE” As I write, it’s been a year to the day since the UK officially went into lockdown MkI. That’s 12 long months since our lives descended into something out of a science fiction novel, 52 weeks since attending meetings with something smart on your top half and not a lot down below became the norm… and we’re not done yet. I wanted to take this chance to pay tribute – not to Chris Harris for delivering the-only-review-that-matters on the new BMW M3 (and grilling some tyres for the cover shot) – but to extraordinary efforts in the face of adversity. To the magnificent TopGear editorial team who stared down the barrel of zero access to new cars,…

In 2020, a third of all Porsches sold in Europe had an electric or hybrid drivetrain. By 2025, it’ll be more like half. The fully electric Taycan is already a big catalyst of change, and now there’s a new one – the Taycan Cross Turismo – an off-road ready estate version of Porsche’s Tesla Model S rival. In summary, it’s a Taycan that’s a little taller and much roomier. The Cross Turismo sits 20mm higher than the (admittedly really quite low) standard saloon, or 30mm if you’ve specced the optional off-road pack. There’s an additional 36mm of headroom in the rear, which is a welcome boost to a car that was hardly going to oust Porsche’s own Panamera from limo duties. There’s also more space for feet beneath the front seats…

WHERE ARE THE BADGES? This is a prototype of the Taycan Cross Turismo, hence the half-hearted camouflage. But no matter, there’s still the arrival of more metal at the rear, an off-road package and a Gravel mode in the drive set-up that make Porsche’s all-conquering BEV even cooler than it already is. GUESS IT’S JUST AS CRUSHINGLY QUICK AS THE SALOON? Oh yes. The full-fat Taycan Turbo S throws itself down the road with such ferocity and immediacy that it takes your brain a few moments to compute. Tesla was spot on when it christened its most powerful mode ‘Ludicrous’. No better adjective exists to describe the sensation. That sub-3.0secs 0–62mph threshold is the barometer for true hypercar acceleration, but also the point at which things can be almost unpleasantly rapid (100mph in…

What we’re watching/listening/doing, while we should be working Taskmaster, All4 Is this not one of the best TV shows around? More tasks than you can shake a stick at. Some as ludicrous as whatever that previous sentence means Baggio: The Divine Ponytail, from 26 May on Netflix Italy’s greatest footballer is a true icon who will mostly be remembered for missing the decisive penalty in the 1994 World Cup final – only Diana Ross hit a worse one… YouTube it TopGear magazine fix You can download the latest edition and back issues direct to your phone or tablet from the App Store. Because when life gives you lemons… settle in and read TG Return to the salon Put… the shears… down. Go see a pro! It’s finally time to get those knots out from ‘the big Christmas gravy…

The CityRover has long been blamed for sinking the Rover car company. Which is rather like blaming the sinking of the Titanic on that iceberg. On the one hand, yeah, tough to argue with that big iceberg-shaped hole in the hull there, lads. But on the other hand, it’s a bit more complicated than that, right? For starters, what exactly were you doing steaming through the middle of all those icebergs in the first place? So yes, the utter shoddiness of the CityRover was no question the splintering hole in Rover’s bow – the company folded in 2005, just two years after the introduction of this joyless little wart. But on the other hand: you pinned the future of your company on a rebadged Tata Indica, what else did you expect…

Think of the two former generations of the Bentley Continental GT Speed. Think of the two Continental Supersports and 2014’s wild looking, motorsport-inspired GT3-R. Now forget all of those, because Bentley says this new GT Speed is the most performance focused model in its 101-year history. Fairly big claim, especially considering the Speed isn’t supposed to lose any of its luxury grand touring abilities. The interior is still cow-laden with 26 different colours of leather available, and the standard four-seat/235-litre boot layout remains. The old 6.0-litre twin-turbocharged W12 is also present and correct, although it’s now producing a frankly terrifying 650bhp to match the 664lb ft of torque. The 0–62mph sprint is dispatched in 3.6 seconds – a 0.1 second improvement on the ‘standard’ W12 Conti – and top speed is now…