2020 has been a rollercoaster ride for carmakers. The transition from combustion engines to electric motors means there's more choice than ever before. Here are three that made the cut.
If we were to play the word association game with 2020, I’d anticipate that pandemic related jargon would feature prominently. It wouldn’t be hard to understand why. The impact on people has been unprecedented. It has affected the way we work and socialise, shop and travel. Words and terms like lockdown, face masks, social distancing, key worker, self-isolate, coronavirus, and furlough all encapsulate the pandemic experience that has defined people’s lives.
That journey has been different for everyone. Keeping the momentum flowing in my life throughout 2020 has been a balancing act that has required tact. When permissible, I have continued to work with my Grandad – I cannot live on fresh air alone! He turns 69 years old this month. Grandad doesn’t need to work anymore, and nor does he want to work indefinitely. But he does so for my benefit. That unconditional selflessness fills me with such gratitude. I try to make the most of the time that we work together.
"My passion for cars has been the light at the end of the dark tunnel"
Despite our close-knit collaboration, we have a mutual understanding. I don’t want to continue this line of work long term either – I’m not immortal! During the first lockdown, work with Grandad stopped. I stayed at home. My Mum worked from home, for Suffolk Family Carers. But not my entire household did so. My Dad works for the NHS, so there was no change of routine for him. It was the occupations of my parents that shielded me from the extensive ramifications of the pandemic.
Maintaining every part of my life has been like spinning a dozen plates at once. But the struggles make you stronger. My passion for cars has been the light at the end of the dark tunnel. That has helped me to battle my way through the tough times. It is my source of escapism from my reality. When I play the word association game with the cars of 2020, there is an amalgam between combustion engines and electric motors. The tectonic plates of the motoring landscape are moving.
With this reality in motion, the cars of 2020 that spring to mind reflect the metamorphosing process taking place in the car industry. 2020 was the year the electric car took off. The introduction of the Peugeot e-208, Audi e-tron Sportback and the Rimac C_Two all broke cover. But cars with combustion engines still monopolise brand ranges. The Ford Puma ST, Rolls-Royce Ghost and Ferrari Roma have all been launched for example. There has never been such different variety of cars to choose from.
"It’s a rare and special period of time for carmakers and car enthusiasts alike"
But what are the cars that have defined 2020? It’s a question I shall attempt to answer by selecting three cars that, from my perspective, have been notable highlights. Particular emphasis will be placed on the significance of each car, as well as what they symbolise. And for the record, there are many worthy winners that could have made the cut. But, from that group, three had to have been picked.
Everything is temporary, nothing lasts forever. At this moment in time, the car industry simultaneously makes cars powered by combustion engines and electric motors. It’s a rare and special period of time for carmakers and car enthusiasts alike. Before too long, this chapter will become part of the pages of history. It will end, never to return. On this account, it’s a phase that I want to make the most of. Life is too short.
Volkswagen ID3
The world has finally woken up to the climate crisis. Admitting to it has taken long enough. Accepting that radical change is imperative to avoid catastrophe puts the internal combustion engine in the firing line. It’s the undeniable culprit. With the electric car market increasing in choice, and the charging network expanding its availability, it’s only a matter of time until the inevitable crossover happens. We are in the transition period from combustion engines to electric motors, right now.
VW are pushing forwards in their conversion process with the introduction of the ID brand. Those two initials stand for “Intelligent Design”. And the intention is to make electric cars accessible to more customers. Volkswagen does mean “people’s car” in German, after all. The first model to be launched in this line-up slots into the hatchback category; that makes it the electric equivalent to the iconic Golf. It’s called the ID.3, and it’s one of my Cars of the Year in 2020.
"It’s apparent that VW have been decidedly cautious with the design of the ID3 from the outset"
Now I know what cynics would say about me crowning the ID3 with this award. Hecklers from the crowd will want to lob the verbal equivalent of rotten tomatoes in my direction: “He’s only pushing a German car narrative” and that “He’s just forcing a VW Group agenda”. But there’s no foundation to these claims. I’m reflecting reality through facts and evidence, as I shall now do so with the ID3. VW sold 10,475 examples in October. That meant it topped the electric car sales chart in Europe.
And it’s not hard to understand why. It’s apparent that VW have been decidedly cautious with the design of the ID3 from the outset. They’ve worked within themselves in its development. This conscious decision to play it safe is deliberate to its appeal with a broader spectrum of potential customers, most of whom will be first time buyers of an electric car. That demographic is the target market of the ID3. It’s meant to break the ice for EV production for VW, and EV ownership for customers.
The ID3 is intentionally not meant to be an electric car that rocks the boat. It’s an electric car that calmly debunks the anxieties associated with an electric car. There are no strings attached with the VW ID3. It’s simple and functional to operate. It’s practical and reliable, that means it can be depended on. It nails the basics that it needs to in order to reassure customers of its purchase. The ID3 doesn’t overwhelm customers with preconceived perceptions about the high maintenance of an electric car.
The ID3 injects customers with the confidence of its capabilities. It’s an electric car that will adapt to your life, as opposed to you adapting your life to the limitations of the electric car. And from that perspective, the VW ID3 is an electric car of symbolism, and a car of significance in the transition from combustion engines to electric motors. It’s symbolic because it has the hallmarks of the next people’s electric car. And it’s significant because the intention of the VW ID3 is to mainstream electric cars to the mass market.
"The ID3 injects customers with the confidence of its capabilities"
It’s underpinned by the modular electric drive matrix (MEB) platform. This is the joint EV foundation for mass production brands in the VW Group. The ID3 is the first model to be launched with it. The cautious nature of the ID3 is reflected in every aspect. In terms of performance, the ID3 is rather unassuming. With an electric motor that sends 201bhp through rear wheel drive, the essential configuration is good. Pace is respectable with 0-62mph taking 7.3 seconds; the top speed is pegged at 99mph. For a family hatchback, that’s adequate enough.
But the differentiating factor is how VW has priced the ID3. The cheapest version is called the Life. It costs £29,990. Compare and contrast that to the £27,160 price of the Honda e, and the penny drops. With the ID3, you get much more car for not much more money. It has better performance, better range and is more practical. In the electric car market, where brands are competing for customer interest, the ID3 package is more likely to compel, convince and clinch a purchase. VW has positioned the ID3 cannily. That’s why it’s one of my Cars of the Year in 2020.
Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series
It might not come as a surprise to you to find out that I’m a huge fan of the Porsche 911. I love the evolutionary concept that it’s adopted to survive the test of time. Time can’t beat the Porsche 911 – it’s timeless. I love how that with every 911 generation, Porsche raises the bar. This relentless pursuit of performance makes it the benchmark sports car that knows no boundaries. There is no limit that can be put on its potential. There is nothing that can stop the Porsche 911.
That makes it a reference point for rival brands to measure up against. For the Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series, the Porsche 911 GT2 RS is that yardstick. The GT2 RS was the second fastest production car to lap the Nürburgring, but it has now been bumped down into third by the AMG GT Black Series. Because the Merc leap-frogged the 911 and vaulted straight to the top of the production car lap time board. Not that it particularly matters; it is just bragging rights after all.
"Bragging rights tend to mean more to fiercely competitive car brands than they like to let on"
Yet bragging rights tend to mean more to fiercely competitive car brands than they like to let on. The lap time is testament to the design and engineering of the AMG GT Black Series, after all. But how has the Mercedes beaten the Porsche? A significant factor that’s influenced the production car is the AMG GT3 and GT4 racing cars. Affalterbach has modified the power unit, injecting it with Mercedes-AMG motorsport DNA. The 4.0 litre twin turbo engine has been fitted with a “flat” crankshaft.
That upgrade has helped to make it the most powerful AMG V8 that Affalterbach has ever built; the GT Black Series produces 730bhp, 153bhp more than the GTR Pro. But AMG engineers haven’t just added more power; the throttle response has been optimised in the process too. The engine changes result in an upshot in performance. It makes the GT Black Series a Mercedes dripping with race-bred purpose. Pace is intense: 0-62mph takes 3.2 seconds, 0-124mph takes less than 9 seconds. Peak velocity is reached at 202mph.
But to set a production car lap record at the Nordschleife demands more than just power. Harnessing the force of aerodynamics on the GT Black Series has been an essential factor. It’s an aspect that Mercedes-AMG has mastered. The technical componentry is derived from the GT3 and GT4 racing cars, hence the striking visual similarities comparatively. A larger front radiator air inlet and a massive double rear aerofoil are the most conspicuous examples.
Other aerodynamic upgrades include a front diffuser with two manually adjustable settings, and closed underbody panelling. These specific customizations all coordinate to increase downforce and decrease drag. And it works: the GT Black Series has 400kg of downforce at 155mph. This Mercedes-AMG skunkworks project is constructed from carbon fibre; the bonnet, front wings, roof as well as other parts are all made from this material.
Put the pieces of the puzzle together, and the GT Black Series is like a stiletto. It’s a precision tool with the very specific intention of demolishing race tracks. Its target was set on dethroning its arch rival, the Porsche 911 GT2 RS around the Nürburgring. The GT Black Series has dismantled that lap time by four seconds. That scalp has significance. For Mercedes-AMG to supersede the Porsche 911 as top dog at the Nordschleife is no small feat. And for that reason, it’s one of my Cars of the Year in 2020. But I still love the Porsche 911.
Toyota GR Yaris
As an unwritten rule, for a car enthusiast to understand the significance of a car, you need to ask the perspective of someone who isn’t a car enthusiast. In my case, my Mum is able to provide me with such insight. You see, my Mum isn’t really a car person. So her responses to my questions usually give a reliable indication of how a car is discerned as an outsider looking in. When it came to asking for my Mum’s opinion about the Toyota GR Yaris, the reaction was entirely positive.
“I like that, it looks sporty, it’s very nice” was my Mum’s brief verdict. For a car to get such unhesitating validation is quite scarce. It really doesn’t happen too often from my Mum. On face value then, the Toyota makes a good impression. And that’s hard to come by in the hot hatch category, where increasing sophistication can overload the fundamental modus operandi. This aspect does dilute the simplistic enchantment of a hot hatch to an extent. Life is complicated enough.
"The Toyota is back to basics. It’s an unfiltered and purified hot hatch that likes to tease and play. The GR Yaris puts fun centre stage"
It’s hard being a human. And that is what makes my fondness for the angry and feisty GR unshakeable. The Toyota is back to basics. It’s an unfiltered and purified hot hatch that likes to tease and play. The GR Yaris puts fun centre stage. It’s a brazen-faced hot hatch with attitude. There’s no second-guessing with the GR Yaris. And I really do like that. There aren’t that many hot hatches that capture the essence of driving quite like it does. This is the art of the Toyota GR Yaris; it’s a tough act to pull off.
The source behind the GR Yaris spark comes from a specialist division. Expertise from the Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team has been drafted in to contribute in the development of the car. That means the approach to design has been different from the outset. And that distinction is evident on the GR Yaris. The three-cylinder, 1.6-litre turbocharged engine is the lifeblood. It’s built using new techniques and materials that have never before featured on Toyota.
As a result of the upgraded parts, the GR Yaris produces 257bhp. That’s a good number for some good performance. The Toyota will sprint from 0-62mph in a brisk 5.5 second, and it will reach a respectable 142mph top speed. For a car with such condensed proportions, that’s some resolute pace. To best translate that speed onto road or track surfaces, the GR Yaris has a few features to adapt the set-up for conditions. Those goodies include an all-wheel drive system. With that comes a mode switch to adjust the torque distribution; select between normal, sport and track settings.
The GR Yaris is an unsuspecting package. It’s a Toyota, so it typically blends in unnoticed. That’s a hidden advantage as the brand badge doesn’t carry an instant expectation. It’s only detected by those who know just how good it is. And it really is good. The GR Yaris is significant as it is a throwback to the original blueprint of a hot hatch. It does remind me a bit of the original VW Golf GTI, but with a contemporary and more sophisticated twist. It’s symbolic in this sense as it could well be the last of its kind. That’s why it’s one of my Cars of the Year in 2020.
Callum's 2021 Cars of Particular Interest
2020 saw the relaunch of three iconic cars in particular: the VW Golf GTI, the Land Rover Defender and the Porsche 911 Turbo S. In 2021, the stage is set for the regeneration of two more.
The first is the new BMW M3. Of course, the fly in the ointment is the grille design. That has derailed its initial impression from the get-go. But this divisive issue has been well documented. I’m interested to find out just how good the new BMW M3 is to drive.
And the second is the new Porsche 911 GT3. The factor that determines Porsche 911 progress is how it adapts and evolves. I’m fascinated to find out just how Porsche have improved the new 911 GT3. How has it been made to be even better than before? All will be revealed in 2021.
Photos: Volkswagen, Mercedes-AMG, Toyota, BMW, Porsche
Comments