UNDER-RATED RANGER + SUPERB BAYLEY + ELON vs HENRY
Macan-do attitude
Okay, sold. If the electric Macan you previewed so positively in the November issue turns out to be that good, I could really be interested. It seems to be a good size, with a plausible range, and the sort of dynamism that should stop me getting sentimental about the missing engine.
Having previously felt no attraction to other EVs, from Porsche or anyone else, this is different. It turns out the problem wasn’t the energy source, but the freakish designs, odd proportions and clumsy packaging.
However, I worry about the price. As everything is so expensive (when even a £40k Astra barely stands out), and as Porsche seems to have no trouble selling everything it makes, why would it hold back? I hope I’m wrong. We’ll see.
Sang something simple
Your Purosangue comparison test in the November issue convincingly conveys the scale of Ferrari’s achievement in creating a car capable of competing with the Aston DBX and Bentley Purosangue, the manufacturers of which have had a few years to iron out the wrinkles. Yes, it’s a pity about the huge expense involved, and I always worry about the longterm integrity of the technology that seems integral to this vastly complex car. But, hats off, they seem to have done a great job.
My beef is with the car-buying public, which has in recent years voted with its wallets and persuaded car makers great and small that SUV-ish bodies are essential.
Looking back at some of the great-looking coupes that Ferrari has produced over the decades, I wish one of those was the model for the Purosangue, rather than the bread van/shooting brake/crossover/SUV mish-mash we’ve ended up with. It’s not as if it actually functions terribly well as a carrier of luggage and adult passengers. Still, I’m mostly jealous.
