Upon reading the term sports saloon, we’d wager a fair few of you conjured up a BMW roundel. After all, the Munich maker has tried to corner this market segment for more than 40 years, earning fame by making fast, class-leading saloons.
Our final contender is both significant and poignant. Not only is it our only Japanese offering in this test, but it’s also the model that reflects a change in buying habits that might well spell the death knell of the sports saloon altogether. The third and current generation of the Lexus IS300 will be its final iteration, because around 80 per cent of new drivers prefer the elevated driving position of the company’s SUVs.
By the Seventies the sports saloon had really come of age. Ford showed that, because of motor sport success, it could sell ship-loads of Escorts. Other makers wanted a slice of the action – Triumph chief among them, with the Dolomite deemed an ideal base for something fruity. Led by Rover’s Spen King, the Triumph Dolomite Sprint engineers won a Design Council award for the new model’s innovative single-cam, 16-valve cylinder head – and British Leyland advertising literature of the time incorporated one of the best puns of the era, ‘The award has gone to our head’.
No sports saloon selection would be complete without a Ford – and jumping forward a decade from the MG into the Sixties, we’re spoiled for choice. The original Cortina or Escort in GT guise would have done, though as Ford’s period ad pointed out, ‘New Cortina is more Cortina’. It might have only been 21/2 inches ‘more’, but Ford’s new-for-1966 follow-up boosted its social aspirations as well as its dimensions.
Ask most traditionalists what constitutes a great driving machine and they’ll tell you it has two doors, no roof and a big engine. That’s been the standardised formula for driving nirvana for nearly as long as the car itself. As owner’s priorities change, fun behind the wheel can often evaporate – but it doesn’t have to. A sports saloon not only keeps your pulse racing, but negates the need for a beady eye on the weather forecast or to leave family or friends behind.
Blessed with a restored 190Dc ambulance and motivated to escape the stresses of everyday life, the father and daughter team of Loek and Nika Scheepers began the road trip of a lifetime.
After fulfilling his dream of R107 ownership, Tom Lee soon turned his attention to upgrades and has since created his perfect roadster with help from SL Shop.
Unblemished in its entirety, this incredibly low-mileage, 1977 450SEL 6.9 is now part of a vast collection in the Netherlands. However, being one of its owner’s favourite cars means it’s no stranger to the open road.
Even though Dacia prices have shifted up a gear in recent months, the Duster is still the most affordable four-wheel drive diesel vehicle on the market. Buyers looking for a rival would need to turn to the used car market for something else priced at a similar level, and then it would be several years old, rather than a brand new car with a three year, 60,000 mile warranty.
Another relative newcomer to the new car market is Polestar, and the company finds itself in a similar situation to the Cupra brand and its relationship with parent company SEAT.
The Compass is a much-loved model in the Jeep SUV line-up. It sits above the Renegade and is a great choice for those looking for something a bit smaller than say, a Grand Cherokee or a Wrangler. It also offers the option of a plug-in version in all-wheel drive.
2023 Genesis GV60 hasn’t properly hit the roads yet, but it’s already clear that it will be a formidable force. In a short time, this new manufacturer, owned by Hyundai, has come along to take on the big boys and, deservedly, is being taken seriously. The GV60 aims to take a slice out of the crossover SUV market, promising lightning-quick performance, farreaching range, fast charging speeds, and all the creature comforts you’d expect of a premium brand.
A pub chat about the best Fords ever made is guaranteed to include a list of what we might call the usual suspects. An Escort Cossie; an RS500; an RS2000… A wish-list of iconic, RS-badged machines with their DNAs closely linked to championship-winning rally and touring cars.
