JIMMY VOICEOVER: This time...
Oh, my gosh.
..we see if an EV Porsche can out drive a V8 from the same maker.
I genuinely think
that this is the best electric car on the planet.
We put them head to head and find they go fast
in very different ways.
Oh, oh, oh!
Geeze, I thought we were on two wheels there.
The team cast a collective beady eye
over the new C-class hybrid.
How are we finding the ride?
Very acceptable in the rear.
Is the claim 60-mile EV range good enough to get it
to the top of the class?
Emergency, stop!
(VICKI SCREAMS)
I'm in Sweden
driving Volvo's offering
to the future of trucking, an electric HGV.
I feel really in control.
What a lovely thing.
And Sid goes so fast...
(SID LAUGHS)
..he's speechless in Ariel's uncompromising
new battery powered Hipercar.
(SID LAUGHS)
(CAR REVVING)
This is fifth gear.
Moving the difference.
They'll still be screaming.
(PASSENGER SCREAMING)
And squealing.
Would you just slow down?
And shouting.
Stupid idea! I can't listen to this nonsense.
But there'll also be this.
(AIR WHOOSHING)
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 power drivers?
We're here to tell you everything you need to know
about the new automotive landscape.
This is the future of driving.
This is Fifth Gear Recharged.
(ENGINE REVS)
(THEME MUSIC)
OK, like thousands of others you want a four-seater Porsche.
You really do.
But the next step is not so much the what, it's the which.
The Taycan Turbo S is generally accepted as the king EV,
but its petrol powered equivalent, the Panamera,
will be on your list too.
With a starting price of 142,100 pounds,
this Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Sport Turismo
is a fraction more money than the Taycan Turbo S.
So, they are both similarly priced
and they have similar power, at least 700 horses.
We are going to find out which car is best.
First up, it's a road test.
(ENGINE REVS)
I'll be taking the reins in this one.
(ENGINE REVS)
Well, welcome
to the Porsche Panamera Turbo
S E-Hybrid Sport Turismo.
(VICKI LAUGHS)
Nought to 62...
Yep. ..3.2 seconds.
Ooh! It's got 700hp.
Lovely. It's pretty potent.
In 2030
when the sales of fossil fuelled cars
are expected to stop,
the E-Hybrid won't even be on sale.
But until then, it's a tempting package.
So, what do we think about the interior?
I am a big Porsche fan.
I think that they just execute everything
so beautifully and this is no exception.
Yeah 100%.
Everything's well laid out. Yeah.
Even actually with the cluster here, you got five dials,
which is quite something to pack in.
I love it about Porsche is that they put the rev counter smack,
bang in the middle because that's what you want.
You're a driver. You want to know the revs.
I tell you what is super impressive,
this gear box.
So, it's eight speed. Yep.
Can you feel that? No!
I've just changed three gears.
You can't even feel it.
It is, it's seamless.
But what I quite like, it's in hybrid mode,
you've got a button here on the dash,
which when you click it,
you've got actually three modes within the hybrid.
You've got E-Hold
which holds the state of charge and...
So, you can use the electric later. Yeah.
You got E-Charge, which just recharges the battery.
And then you've got Hybrid Auto,
which is Porsche's own strategy of using the tools.
So, you just click and away you go. Yeah.
It's the efficient Porsche engineering...
Yeah. ..at its best.
(ENGINE REVS)
Now, should we have a little play? Do, let's.
We go into Sport Plus. Oh, yeah.
(ENGINE REVS)
Why am I loving this car so much, Karun?
Because it sounds like a car. Yeah.
And it feels like a Porsche.
I could road trip to the south of France and not be tired...
With the kids. ..with the kids.
Yeah. And not feel tired.
It feels like a Porsche...
Yep. ..it absolutely.
And sounds like a Porsche in Sport Plus mode.
It does. Yeah.
This is true.
Oh, Karun, you're putting up a very good argument for this car.
For the next eight years.
I'm going to... Yeah, exactly. (KARUN LAUGHS)
I'm going to have to dig very deep to beat this.
Luckily, I don't have just any old motor
to take it on.
The Taycan is the lucky porker that has reinvented the wheel,
the EV wheel that is,
and it's a step into the future for Porsche
with a totally different design language
influenced by aerodynamics.
Karun, may I introduce you to the Porsche Taycan Turbo S.
That name makes no sense. Why?
Shorter than yours. How could it be a Turbo S?
It doesn't have an engine. Yeah. Details, details, schme-tails.
Anyway, what you really need to know
is that this car is quicker to 62 miles an hour than yours.
2.8.
Wow. 2.8.
Yeah.
You know, I am a bit like you are conflicted in the Panamera.
Oh, yeah.
I am conflicted in this
because I genuinely think
that this is the best electric car on the planet.
I totally agree.
Well, in which case, let's just wrap this all up now, I win, yeah?
(KARUN LAUGHING)
It doesn't sound as nice as mine. Eh!
You can mess about slightly with the settings of the noise.
(CAR HUMMING)
Well, that's not too bad.
It's not bad. No. That's quite.
I think it's a decent fake noise, isn't it?
Slightly sort of Barry White level, rather than a Kylie Minogue pitch.
I like the fact that they bought
into this minimalist electric revolution if you like.
The little gear stick there...
Yeah. ..just a little lever.
Yeah. The dash, smaller.
Yeah. You know?
And the power dial. Yes.
Is in front of me, like you had the rev counter.
The one thing I will say...
Ooh!
I'm not sure the seats are as comfy as the other one.
I'm going to agree with you on that.
It's just...
There's something different.
I don't know what...what it is because you...
Yeah.
..I would've thought they just had the same supplier.
Yeah.
I also don't think
that this centre console is as user friendly as the Panamera.
Yeah.
We're lacking a few actual physical buttons, aren't we?
Yeah. Lacking buttons.
I think there's a it's is just a little bit
more fiddly on the touchscreen.
When it comes to styling, come on.
My white wheels.
Who's...who's not to like them?
Me. Oh!
I don't like the white. I just don't like it.
Overall, I love the look of it. Yeah.
I think, you know, you look at it and go, it's a Porsche,
but it looks different and distinct enough
for it to be electric and, you know, something a bit different.
Yeah, it catches your eye, doesn't it?
Yeah. Like, oh wow what's that?
I think they've done a great job with the styling.
I really think it's a great looking car.
But a slight imitation.
But a slightly less nice imitation. Yeah.
Right, we need to sum up. Who's gonna win?
I've got great range
and I'm quicker, but out on the road,
I'm going to have to give it to the Panamera.
I think the Panamera just edges it. Yep.
That's a winner then, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah. Well, done.
OK. Round one to the Panamera. Mm-hm. Splendid.
We just missed the turnoff. Yeah.
Righty-oh.
So, a brief drive, call it a road test,
gives a victory to that four-litre bundle of excess
they call the Panamera.
But our test is multi-dimensional
and this EV hybrid battle is far from over.
You might find the next stage of our journey is pretty dramatic.
So, it's up to 100 and then braking.
Stop.
(LOGO WHOOSHING)
Now, it's time to get a first look
and first drive of a brand new EV.
Yes, it's the Fifth Gear Recharged "Team Test!"
Today, we tested the Mercedes-Benz C 300e.
This is a plug-in hybrid,
so, shorter trips can be completed on electric power alone.
We have the AMG line specification,
which is the cheapest model in the range.
It costs 46,310 pounds.
It is a hybrid car
and it can do between 65 and 70 miles
on electric power alone.
Which means
this car is one of the best plug-in hybrids around
when it comes to EV only range.
Which I think is pretty good,
and could be the sweet sport that most people need
without even touching the two-litre petrol engine.
How long to charge?
Between 30 minutes and three hours
depending on what your charger is, which is pretty good.
I could live with that. Pretty impressed.
I'm just going to say this off the bat.
I'm quite keen on this stylistically.
Yeah, I mean, these wheels...
Uh-huh. No, I don't like them.
..they're particularly my fancy.
No, that's too...that's too much there.
That's too big.
I like that 'cause it's a little bit different...
Do you like that? No.
No, me neither. No? You don't like it?
No, I like clean spokes. No. I don't like.
I like it even more now. (LAUGHTER)
Those wheels,
they're gonna be a definite point of controversy,
but I like 'em.
Tell me, you don't like these though, do you?
I don't like those rear lights.
Just look a bit strange to me the way they kind of...
I will agree with you on that.
So, there's a petrol engine and electric motor and a battery,
and combined that gives you 333hp.
I think that's AMG, like a coupe 8 type look.
I think that this is like, it's a bit SLS E, isn't it?
I think the front of the car is really aggressive
and looks mean actually,
so, I think the styling's good there.
Right. Well, I'm going in.
I'm in back, aren't I? You're in the back, son.
Once you get in, it feels like a Merc.
It's quality, it's comfortable.
I like this shape that they've got here
because they've added a bit of textures and different materials.
It's a really good looking cockpit area.
Yeah, this double-decker system is quite unusual.
So, what's the Merc like when it's underway?
Nought to 62, anyone?
I know this. Yep.
6.1 seconds.
6.1 seconds. Oh, yeah.
That's not bad. 155-mile an hour top whack.
How are we finding the ride? It's sporty enough to tick my box.
It's very acceptable in the rear. Yeah.
And it's not too noisy in the rear either.
Road noise, it's alright.
Who said that, huh? Pardon? Hey, what? What?
You forget he's there. It's quite pleasant.
(VICKI LAUGHS)
It's a good bit of kit, which to be fair,
it needs to be
'cause that's the best part of 50 grand.
To put that in context,
50 pounds
would buy Tesla's best selling Model 3
with 270 miles of pure EV range.
(AIR WHOOSHING)
I have got one thing left. OK.
And we need to head to a track for this.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
Merc claims the C 300 e can drive 60 to 70 miles
on EV only.
This figure is based on an official test
called the Worldwide harmonised Light vehicles Test Procedure
or WLTP for short.
However, that's conducted in lab conditions on a rolling road.
So, we've come up with our own test
that we think is far closer to real world's driving.
The question is,
with EV mode selected
will the car match the official range?
Jimmy was our nominated real world driver.
Now, in here. Yeah.
Are some real world tests, which I'm going to now...
No, no, no, no, no. ..hand over.
And what am I? The test announcer? Yes. And I'm stopwatch queen.
Let's get this show on the road. Three, two, one. Here we go.
Accelerate to 30 and hold for 60 seconds.
Oh, I'm going fast. I'm way too fast.
Steady. I'm off, I'm off. I'm braking.
Going through the chicane and...
30. 30. You've dropped.
I know I've dropped.
The pressures on. 28. 28.
Five, four, three...
What are we doing? Stopping? Yes, please.
..two, one.
Emergency, stop! (VICKI LAUGHS)
Jason and I were thoroughly, thoroughly entertained.
Accelerate to 60 miles an hour as fast as possible.
Now? Now!
Go!
Then what happens? I don't know! Oh, no!
45, 50, 55, 60.
Avoid hedgehog! What!
Very well!
OK, avoided the hedgehog.
Pull over till an emergency vehicle passed.
Oh. Add a minute.
(IMITATES SIREN) There it goes.
Accelerate to 50 miles an hour and hold for 60 seconds.
Shut up. Is what it says.
Now, you can do this at 50, I know you can.
Come on, come on, come on. Are you (BLEEP) me?
Come on, come on, come on! Good. Good.
Yes. Nicely played.
Five, four, three, two, one. Now, what?
Stop and perform a three point turn. Ooh.
Alright. Reverse. My mouth dried up.
Has it? Yeah.
(CHUCKLES) "My mouth dried up."
Accelerate to 40 miles per hour...
Yeah. ..and weave from side to side.
Right. To 40?
Yeah. And it's a gentle weave.
Gentle weave. OK.
Got to do that, but...
For 60. I'm on it. ..I might be sick.
Yeah. Three, two, one.
Ferret! (JIMMY LAUGHS AND SCREAMS)
There he is, the little biter. Hang on!
I'm going to be honest, from my point of view,
I think that went quite well.
In the real world, we've done almost four miles.
However, the car's computer was telling us
that we'd used nine miles of range.
No way. Really?
The real world test was to see
how far the Mercedes would actually go on battery only.
It states around 65 to 70 miles.
With me behind the wheel, we halve that.
That's interesting though, isn't it?
I wonder how much that ferret manoeuvre cost us.
Cost us.
I mean, that was a couple of miles there.
I reckon. Yeah.
In my, you know, 30 years on the road,
in real world situations, I've never come across a ferret.
So, maybe test was a little bit unfair.
OK, so, our test wasn't quite as scientific as the official WLTP
and nowhere near as long,
but it was probably a reasonable reflection
of how people actually drive.
So, what would we score the Mercedes C 300 E?
I really want to give it a high score
because I love the fact that it can do
between 65 and 70 miles on electric power alone.
But in our real world test, it didn't achieve that.
So, I'm gonna have to downgrade it a little bit.
I'm going to give it a 7.5.
(VICKI LAUGHS)
But from the boys' perspective,
it seems the Mercs other attributes outweigh the range issue.
Overall, I thought this Mercedes was a top notch bit of engineering
with a great set of figures surrounding it,
so, I'm giving it a whopping nine out of ten.
It's a big thumbs up for me. I like it apart from the rear.
And on that basis, I'm gonna give it great score.
I'm gonna give it an eight.
Which gives the Mercedes C 300 E an impressive
team test score of 24.5 out of 30.
Coming up, my trip to Sweden to sample the rig of the future,
a 300 grand EV truck.
What sort of torque are we talking in this?
Just 2,400 Newton-metres really.
Just, hang on, just, whoa.
(SOFT MUSIC)
00:16:28.360 -- 00:16:30.320 This won't come as a huge shock.
Trucks are big and thirsty
accounting for 70% of greenhouse gases in the UK,
but only 5% of the miles driven on our roads.
A big shakeup is planned for the sector,
not unlike the one for cars.
Yes, trucks have to go all electric too.
By 2040, HGVs will need to be zero emission
and smaller trucks
will need to hit the same target five years earlier.
So, we've come all the way to Sweden to sample the future today.
This EV rig is the Volvo FH.
The FH weighs 40 tonnes, fully loaded.
40 tonnes!
That's about 10 to 20% more than the current HGVs.
So, what?
Well, in cars the batteries
are heavier than the engines they replace
and usually account for a fifth of the total vehicle weight.
By that mass,
this thing should need eight tonnes of batteries to function.
Oof!
Right, First thing's first.
It's very clean, it's very tidy,
but there's one big thing missing and that's a gear stick.
And normally in a truck,
that's got loads of movement and it's kind of messy
but it's not here.
But what there is, is a sea of buttons and two screens.
Anyway, that's the technical stuff
and I'll get onto that a little bit later
because the thing that's immediately caught
my eye is down here.
I've got a fridge and cooler
and next to that I've got a Volvo coffee machine.
Put that away.
What I also like is this steering wheel.
It's got two different types of movement,
which is done on a foot pedal.
It's all on air, and just moving it is really light.
I can pull it down
and then when I release the pedal a little bit,
I can then change the angle of the top there
so I can really get a nice comfortable seating position.
But I'll tell you what, I'm also a little bit concerned
because there's a sea of buttons.
I can see there's a, what looks like a reverse button,
a neutral button and an automatic button.
So, maybe that's in replacement of the gear stick.
Volvo's Martin Tomlinson
is gonna help me navigate this thing before I actually drive it.
I'll tell you what, Martin, I'm glad you're here.
Why is that?
Well, I got in expecting a nice big gear lever,
it's in these buttons here...
It's all on the dash.
But it is literally three buttons,
reverse, neutral and automatic we go.
Yeah, absolutely press A, and away we go.
Don't forget your seatbelt.
Actually invented by the Volvo group.
This is 40 tonnes. Weighs 40 tonnes. Yeah.
Fully loaded. Oh-ho-ho. What?
Gliding away.
Silent.
You get in a big truck
and the thing you're getting to expect
is honestly big chugging noises.
Yeah. Wow.
The refinement of this thing is unreal.
Normally when we get a diesel truck back from a customer,
you normally jump in it
and the radio is usually on volume 25.
Yeah. Yeah.
When you jump back in one of these,
the volumes usually on about four or five, so...
Really low, it is...
It is so, so quiet. It's deadly quiet, isn't it?
It's sort of spooky, 'cause this is, I mean, this is a big bit of gear.
And it's got a me behind the wheel, which is slightly concerning.
(MARTIN CHUCKLING)
Oh-ho-ho.
So, this is a 12% climb, so...
Give it some. ..see what you'll do.
It might not feel like we're going that quick,
but we're actually moving 40 tonnes of weight...
Yeah. ..up a 12% incline.
I feel like we're going quite quick. I'm not gonna lie to you.
It's just how smooth and slight, it's effortless.
I'm on private land
but I'm still being careful as the FH cost 290 grand,
at least 50% more than a diesel.
I thought my knees were going to be knocking.
I'm like what is this gonna be in control of?
But it's straight away, I'm feeling really in control.
Just happy.
Fantastic. What a lovely thing.
So, come on then, give me some facts and figures.
So, this has got the standard 12-gear gearbox automatic.
Yeah, a 12 speed I-shift gearbox,
which we fit a standard in
all the heavy duty trucks that we sell.
But this, the electric motor version
uses the gearbox in a slightly different way.
Yeah, it does because of the amount of torque
that it's got.
It pulls off in...in seventh,
which is the lowest gear of the highway.
I like the way you just casually go, yeah,
it pulls off in seventh.
I mean, you know, most things pull off in seventh,
you get a story about it.
What sort of torque are we talking in this?
Just 2,400 Newton-metres really. Pfft!
Just hang on. Just that, whoa.
(ENGINE HUMMING)
Torque is a reflection of pulling power
and engine flexibility.
The Porsche Taycan,
one of the fastest road cars we've ever driven,
has 1,000 Newton-metres of torque.
This truck has two-and-a-half times that.
So, this being an EV, I've been kind of concerned
because to get any kind of range on here,
surely you're gonna need several shed loads of batteries.
I mean, if you're going by the 20% rule,
this is gonna need nearly eight tonnes of batteries.
And those kind of figures scare me.
So, what...what has this got to make it go?
Yeah, so, this one's got the maximum amount of batteries
you can have on this particular model
which is six...
Mm-hm.
..each of those batteries only weighs 520kg each.
Alright, so, I've got about three-tonne...
Yeah. 1.5 tonne on each side...
Yeah. OK. ..three tonnes in total, yeah.
So, that's not too shocking...
No, not too...
..it's not my eight tonnes which have my knees knocking?
No. Nowhere near eight tonnes.
The big question,
what kind of range can I be expecting?
So, with six batteries,
this truck will do around about 300km...
300km, oh. ..on a full charge, yeah.
Somewhere just over 200 miles on one charge.
Absolutely. Yeah. Hmm.
That's only a third of a fully fuelled diesel.
But EVs for now will always be second best for range.
But fast recharges will help and surely other EV aspects
like brake regeneration will be a key factor.
Obviously, I've got a big weight now,
so, the opportunity to regen is got to be big, isn't it?
Absolutely. It's massive. Yeah.
So, my foot's off the brake now, we're going down this hill.
So, we're going down a 16% hill. Yeah.
So, at this point in time, because you've now come off.
As soon as you come off the throttle...
Yeah. ..or brake.
you've got three motors constantly regenerating the batteries.
So, there's a huge amount of power going back in there constantly.
But three tonnes, there's got to be
some big charging times involved in getting this thing
back up to charge.
So, if you've got a 22 kilowatt charger,
it'll charge overnight in around ten hours.
Yeah.
If you've got a 350 kilowatt charger,
which this truck can charge at...
Yeah.
..then obviously, we're talking a couple of hours.
So, it makes all the difference depending on the batteries
and of course the size of the charger you're using.
Currently there are five EV trucks in the range
and they won't be suitable for all jobs.
They're designed to accommodate half the market
in terms of size and load.
But crucially, are they gonna make a difference to the planet?
Well, it should.
Even though manufacturing the batteries
of an EV truck creates more CO2 than making a diesel engine.
In use, these trucks only consume half the energy needed
over a 200-mile drive and keep the air free of soot.
Think of the difference that will make over the years.
And if the batteries are disposed of in a sustainable way,
that will make even more sense.
Let's just hope our roads can manage the massive tonnage.
We'll just have to wait and see.
(LOGO WHOOSHING)
After the break,
Vicki tries to push the Taycan ahead of the Panamera.
Oh, my gosh.
As we ask if EV power is now better than petrol.
Braking. (LAUGHS)
And Sid gets behind the wheel of a car
that might just be the fastest accelerating EV in the world.
OK. Wow.
(THEME MUSIC)
00:24:03.800 -- 00:24:05.720 In case you were making a cup of tea
or just weren't concentrating earlier,
we're trying to split the 140,000-pound
performance kings
that are the Porsche Taycan and Panamera E-Hybrid.
Welcome back to our battle between a high-end hybrid
and it's state of the art electric stablemate.
Karun, you have got a...
Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Sport Turismo.
Easy for you to say.
I have got a Taycan Turbo S. I think a Porsche will win.
Well, so far on the road test we've seen
that actually the Panamera did win round one
with better interiors
and just a bit more comfort on the road.
OK, it is now time to get serious.
We want to see the power of these cars.
It's time for a nought to 100 to nought test.
This is the bit where we say, "Don't try this at home",
but we'll try it because it tells us the sheer stop and go.
And performance cars like this, must do both very quickly.
This test is pretty much the only way
we'll be able to separate the ultra fast
from the slightly less fast.
Karun is up first.
The Panamera Turbo has got an incredible amount of power.
It's got a four-litre V8 engine
which does 571hp out of that.
And on top of yours, you've got the hybrid electric
which brings the total up to 700hp.
Now, I've also got four-wheel drive, so, clearly off the line,
it should be pretty good.
But the Taycan has also got that.
So, we'll have to see.
I think I could be in trouble here because the power delivery of the EV
will give the Taycan and Vicki a bit of an advantage.
But let's see what happens.
Hello there, BBH. Right. I'm at the start line.
I'm going to Sport Plus mode.
Let's see what we can do.
OK, launch control on and then I'm gonna count you down.
Let's see if an ex F1 driver can extract something special.
Three, two, one, go!
(DRAMATIC MUSIC) (ENGINE REVS)
Right. Let's see if we get up to 100.
This thing is so quick off the line.
So, it's up to and then braking.
(LAUGHS) Stop.
OK. OK.
That was a decent effort. I was pretty happy with that.
A traffic cone
is placed to mark the end of the go and stop challenge.
Only high tech stuff on this show.
Right. I'm pretty pleased with that.
The launch control is seriously impressive.
Oh, my god. And the noise as well.
You gave a nice burble along. It's very good.
You're just being nice to me 'cause you know you're gonna win.
I am, because I don't think you've got any chance.
Bye.
Allow me to demonstrate.
Well, my friend,
this is where you get to see the true
advantage of an electric car.
To start with, yes, I do have 61hp more than you.
I've got 761,
but my piece de resistance comes with torque.
With an electric car, you get 100% of the torque
from the moment you hit the throttle.
Boom!
Otherwise known as software that maximises grip and power.
I best back it up now, haven't I?
In theory,
this should be a no-brainer for her really.
The car's weigh about the same,
they've got similar amounts of power.
If anything, the Taycan's got a bit more
and the power delivery of an EV off the line is going to be better.
So, in theory...
BBH TO Karun.
This should be a no-brainer for her.
Hello? Are you ready to go?
Right, I'm just gonna put it in launch control,
so, the next time you speak, count me down, OK?
OK, three, two, one, go!
(WALKIE BEEPS)
Oh. Oh, my gosh.
Oh. I've done this before.
Oh. Oh!
That's ridiculous. That is the second time.
There is no way you got to a 100 there.
Yeah. Yeah.
I feel even more...
like my soul has been sucked out than the first time I ever did it.
It's when I tested this car over a year ago.
Did you really get to a 100?
(WALKIE BEEPS)
I am actually in shock.
It happened so quickly the first time.
Let's look again.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
How is this possible? I mean, genuinely.
Honestly, this is the second time I've ever, ever done
a launch control in this car.
And it never ceases to almost render me speechless.
It's crazy.
And also pretty conclusive.
I feel that...
I think so. I think so too.
Vicks, before you I...I want to have a go.
So, you go have a lie down...
You need, you need.
..and I feel like I need to experience this because...
You really do.
And I don't want to come with you.
Are you sure? No.
I feel like I need to try this.
It goes against our normal rules
but the Taycan experience needs to be shared.
Alright. Clear the track.
(WALKIE BEEPS)
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
It's bonkers, I...
It's just literally insane.
That first...
That first naught to 60
is like any race car I've ever driven in my life.
How does it compare to a Formula One car because...
Well, you don't have the wheel spin
because the four-wheel drive.
Yeah.
And you're not having to manage the slip.
The launch is just incredible.
I felt like I was in a race car.
That's extraordinary. I know. It's amazing.
Ah-mazing. A clear winner for this test.
A clear winner. Yeah, well, there you go.
The Panamera was truly beaten, but it's win all so far.
Later, we have the final test
to split the V8 hybrid from the EV newbie.
The corner, Vicks. Ooh!
God, it's good on the brakes.
(LOGO WHOOSHING)
The Ariel Atom. You probably know the story.
It was designed by a student in Coventry,
built in a shed in Somerset,
and despite not being much more than a small engine
surrounded by scaffolding.
We think it's one of the finest bits of engineering out there
and it's always blown our socks off.
A little bit aggressive in the roundabout,
but he's able to balance it really well on the throttle.
It's almost as quick to 60 as a Bugatti Veyron
at just 3% of the price,
but it's petrol powered.
(ENGINE WHIRRING)
(DRAMATIC MUSIC)
So, Ariel wanted to create an EV,
but not just any old EV.
I mean, look, it's a Batmobile, isn't it?
And it's got Batman's ears and Batman's menacing stare.
Drive this down the road
and everything in front of you will scatter.
This is the Ariel Hipercar.
That's hyper with an I not a Y,
which stands for a high performance carbon reduction.
And while you might want to wear a motorcycle helmet
and leathers to drive the Atom, this, you'd want to wear a cape.
We're used to supercar manufacturers creating stunning designs,
but there's absolutely nothing like this one.
And if you think these winglet scoops and spoilers
are all for show, well, think again.
Every single angle of this car has a purpose.
(AIR WHOOSHING)
The fins on the front wings reduce drag
caused by the mirrors
and the ones at the rear aid stability in cornering.
Good news for me as my reputation is going bonkers in bonkers' cars.
Now, obviously something that can accelerate
quicker than an F1 car is going to make quite a dim
when it starts up so cover your ears.
(CAR HUMMING)
Ahh, it's that lack of EV sound joke.
Very funny.
Now, this is only a prototype,
so, we can't say it's the quickest production car
in the world yet,
but it's seriously rapid
with a nought to 62 time of two seconds
and 60 to 120mph in 3.5.
This car is four-wheel drive
and each wheel has an electric motor.
So, that gives me 300hp
and 440 Newton-metres of torque times four,
which means that I've got just shy of 1,200hp.
Those are figures that you can't really get
your head around.
So, what's this Ariel Hipercar like on the road?
(CAR HUMMING)
Wow.
It feels raw like all Ariels,
however, it does have some creature comforts.
For starters, it's the first Ariel to have a door.
It's also the first Ariel to have a windscreen
and a windscreen wiper.
It's also the first Ariel to have a heater.
I know this sounds pretty normal,
but for a company that's just been making framers cars
with wheels on them, it's pretty luxurious.
Thanks to an aluminium chassis and carbon fibre body panels,
this weighs just 1,500kg.
Now, to put that into perspective,
this is lighter
than a petrol powered Porsche 911 Carrera,
but has three times more power.
It's whining. It almost sounds like an RC car.
It's really, really cool.
(AIR WHOOSHING)
Got to be careful when you put your foot down
because even though it's really exciting.
You will...
Well, if you're not too careful you will get locked up for sure.
There's no way I'm testing a car like this on the road
with a 40 mile an hour speed limit.
So, Ariel has kindly found me a disused airfield near their base.
The battery range isn't confirmed yet,
but I'm told even if I used a loud pedal
I should have enough runs to really sample the Hipercar.
I'm just gonna pull over, give it a launch.
(SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC)
Ready for this?
Whoa! Whoa!
Whoa-ho-ho-ho!
(AIR WHOOSHING)
Wow!
(TYRES SCREECHING)
(SID LAUGHS)
That is unreal.
The rush is unlike anything.
Now, bear it in mind,
it is a prototype card,
so, obviously I can't give it the full review
because it's not quite finished.
But, oh, my goodness.
And in terms of driving modes on the steering wheel,
I've got Serious, Fun, Sport and Eco.
Sport mode activated.
So, let's see what it does.
Whoa. Whoa! Whoa!
(SID LAUGHS)
That is not real.
That is just...
That is just nuts.
Now, it has got traction control,
but I have been told
that it doesn't function in eco mode,
but even in eco mode.
(LAUGHS)
That is ridiculous.
That is unreal.
The steering is an e-pass system.
It's quite light and...
(BRAKE SCREECHING)
(SID LAUGHS)
I'm gonna have to do that again.
That is...that is unlike anything else.
I've got let me stop. I can't do that launch.
That is like so addictive.
I mean, right, here we go.
Nothing and then all of a sudden, a rush.
(UPBEAT MUSIC)
Oh, my word!
(UPBEAT MUSIC)
The grip is phenomenal.
It can go as fast around corners as it does in a straight line.
Now, it can send all of its power to the rear,
but in mid-corner
just wants to send power to the front.
The steering is immediate
and the fact that the batteries are on the floor.
You just got that even balance.
Driving the motors is a modest 62 kilowatt hour battery.
The modes aren't fully coded yet,
but I'm told sport gives you
around 80% of the total power and eco will limit the power
and extend the range.
But it's too early to get the full data on that.
(CAR HUMMING)
(BRAKES SCREECHING)
The way it gathers speed is ridiculous.
A few runs later and my fantastic go was over.
Was I happy? Yes.
In fact, I'd like to put my name down for one
and for a runway to drive it on.
But unlike Ariel's of old, this one is not in the affordable category.
When it eventually goes on sale,
the Hipercar will cost just shy of a million pounds
which is Bugatti Veyron money.
Only a few will ever be made
and sadly many of them will be tucked away
in collectors' Batcaves around the world.
But let's hope that the odd few will put on the Batsuit
and go out and fight crime.
(LOGO WHOOSHING)
After the break, we see whether the Porsche Taycan...
There's a corner, Vicks.
..really does have the power
and poise to beat its more expensive brother,
the V8 Panamera.
(INDISTINCT TALK)
Oh!
00:38:46.440 -- 00:38:49.640 We're back to split hairs, Porsche hairs.
Are you better off with a V8 hybrid or an EV with similar figures?
Ding, ding! It's round three.
Welcome back to the final part
of our Porsche versus Porsche battle,
hybrid versus electric, Panamera versus Taycan.
Both are top of the class cars, but which is better?
Out on the road, the Panamera was a winner of round one...
(ENGINE REVS)
..but in the zero to 100 to zero test,
the Taycan was conclusively the winner of round two.
Did you really get to 100?
I am actually in shock.
So, it's all going to come down to this final test.
A full lap of the circuit.
A fast lap here is a great measure of handling,
power, breaking and represents
some real world agility that you might need
for your performance four-seater Porsche.
First up, the Panamera.
So, this car's got a similar footprint, similar weight,
similar power, similar price points to the Taycan.
So, it's over to you for a first lap.
(CAR HUMMING)
I am in Sport Plus. Sport Plus.
Are you ready with the stopwatch? Yes, I am ready with the stopwatch.
Karun's F1 skills will push this Panamera
to its limits around the track.
(VICKI SCREAMING)
Of course, lovely brakes.
They were very smooth. Brake.
I'll tell you what...
Oh. Oh!
..given the weight, it does...does shift OK.
Geez, I thought we were on probably on two wheels there.
The body is moving. A bit of steer there.
The body moves a lot.
It does, but it's also quite under-steery if I'm honest.
I do feel the weight.
It's a little bit lazy on the direction change.
Now, into the chicane.
(VICKI PANTING)
OK, last corner.
Yes, yes, oh! Oh!
(KARUN LAUGHS) (VICKI SCREAMS)
(UPBEAT MUSIC)
(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS)
OK. So, that was 46.20 seconds.
46.20. 46.20. OK.
God, that was really impressive.
Very good driving. Let's see what the Taycan can do.
Yes. Yes. Let's.
Over to the full electric vehicle.
So, I'm just gonna stick it into Sport Plus.
So, I'm being lowered down.
All my toys are still on because you had your toys on.
Yeah. You just drive and 46.2 to beat.
I mean...
That is quick. Honestly, Karun, that is really quick.
This is terrifyingly fast this car.
Oh!
Are you good on the stopwatch, my darling?
I will be. Oh, god, Vicks.
OK. The race starts now.
Ahh! There's a corner, Vicks.
(VICKI LAUGHS)
God, it's good on the brakes. Oh, my god.
Under steer, just like you had.
Yes, but look how it punches out the corner though.
Yeah.
It's body control is better I believe.
I'm not feeling quite so pitchy...
There's not really much rock, is there?
No. No porpoising.
(LAUGHING)
Also you braked at 105 miles an hour then,
I've just looked down, It was 114.
We know, from the previous test, it accelerates super quickly.
Just a little bit under-steery and up to the line.
(CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKS)
So, what was the time?
What was the time?
I'm not gonna tell you.
I'm not going to tell you. (LAUGHS)
How are you feeling?
Oh, I feel I definitely could have gone quicker
because I didn't quite have enough faith in the car.
Ahh. Excuses, excuses. Right.
It's time for the results off round three.
Karun, you have kept me in suspense long enough.
The Panamera did 46.2 which felt very quick.
The Taycan?
You were a 45.2, so, it was a second quicker.
And to be honest with that acceleration,
I'm not really surprised.
So, 2-1 to the Taycan today. Well done.
Yeah, well done. It's won our test.
How, however,
you've got to drive over 300 miles to get home from Wales, so...
Yeah.
And you know how I hate plugging in and wasting time.
Would you like my keys? Yes, please.
Thank you. Have a good evening.
So, the Taycan scoops the honours for our triple test.
EV power triumphs over petrol.
Well done, Taycan.
I told you a Porsche would win.
Captioned by Ai-Media ai-media.tv