Of course it’s no great surprise, this resemblance, because Hyundai Group, one of the biggest auto makers in the world, has spent as freely as a premier league football claim on poaching the best talent it can find, and that includes a fair number of designers and stylists from the VW Group, and as we all know, Bentley Motors is a actually wholly-owned brand of VW Group (through they tend not to mention its commoner connections). Indeed, the GV80 is “plus royal que le roi” you might say, as it manages to carry its (slightly smaller) bulk more elegantly than its much more famous “rival”. Having a winged badge that looks very much like a Bentley’s on the nose of the car just where you’d expect it to be also helps. There is all the soft leather and real black ash you’d care for (Genesis)Īnyway, we were both right, and the GV80 makes a very good job of looking as elegant and imposing as a Bentley. Seeing as I can’t afford a Bentley Bentayga – or a Genesis GV80, for that matter – and I didn’t disabuse him of the notion that the vehicle wasn’t actually mine, I suppose he had a point. Or maybe he was trying to tell me I was a bit of a cheapskate and a fraud. I’d didn’t really know what to make of his pay-off, but I’d like to think that he thought me a shrewd sort of chap who would save about £100,000 by buying a lookalike over an actual Bentley Bentayga.
Then he got into his Golf Plus and buggered off.
HESCC: “Bet you’re glad it’s not a Bentley”.
Me: (Not actually having the answer) “About £50,000” Harry Enfield-Style Comedy Character: “I was wondering what it was.” The dialogue went roughly as I anticipated. Older sort of chap, light flat cap like you’d wear golfing, Marks & Spencer carrier bag, slacks, specs not unlike a Harry Enfield comedy character, and visibly unthreatening. So there I was making my way back to the car park near the shops in Oadby to enjoy another drive in the lovely Genesis GV80 and what should I discover but what can only be described as a non-suspicious figure peering into its plush interior. Take a look at the BMW Concept XM above, and expect something like this to launch globally sometime next year.Įlsewhere in the automotive world, Kanye West has sold some of his trucks.Newcomer upmarket brands have found the challenge of breaking into snobby European markets exceptionally hard - Genesis Here, a huge screen spans over to the passenger side, which is separated by a bar of metal.
The interior is equally futuristic and imposing, with a commanding drivers section looking as if it’s been carved out of the leather-clad cabin. Here, a nod to the original M1 has been paid thanks to laser-etched BMW emblems gracing either side of the rear window, while working your way down the tail, you’ll find a contemporary take on the marque’s rear light set up alongside a dedicated XM badge - complete with M stripes and sans BMW roundel - as well as hexagonal exhaust pipes, two stacked atop of each other either side. 23” rims sit underneath flared yet boxy wheel arches, while a sloping roofline - similar to a coupe if you will - softens things up, leading the eye towards the rear, which is perhaps the most handsome part of the car. Its side profile is where you get a feel for the scale of the XM. Two sets of lights at the front complement the beaming grille surround, while the squarish lines continue over the bonnet and around the side of the car. At the front, BMW’s signature kidney grilles have been blown to new proportions, while a small XM badge is nestled into the left-hand corner.
Something like this will be coming to roads near you in 2022, which will result in a rather menacing scene to see through any rearview mirror. Furthermore, it will be capable of driving in an electric-only mode for 50 miles, making city commutes that tiniest bit more responsible.Īs far as concepts go, the XM isn’t too wild, either. While no official stats have been revealed, we suspect with BMW’s top-spec four-wheel-drive system the XM will be good for a 0-62 MPH time of around four seconds, comparative to the likes of the Rolls-Royce Cullinan or Bentley Bentayga. This hybrid V8 SUV combines brute force with electrification, topped up via typical plug-in charging, to deliver 740 BHP and 737 lb-ft of torque.