Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport

Faster, lighter, stronger 鈥?Porsche is taking its 718 Cayman from the street to the track with the new GT4 Clubsport. Porsche has spent the last few years replacing the naturally-aspirated engines with turbocharged variants, but the Cayman GT4 packs a 425 horsepower unaided flat-six, exactly how Porsches should be. Intended for only for the track, the GT4 does away with almost every creature comfort minus seats, paring down the curb weight to 2900 pounds and allowing for a welded-in roll cage. Further weight savings come from doors and a rear wing made from flax and hemp fiber agricultural byproducts, a first for a competition car. Two versions of the GT4 are available, one with a fixed suspension and the other with adjustable shocks. The only transmission offered is the PDK paddle shift, but the return of the flat-six more than makes up for the lack of being able to heel-and-toe around your favorite track.

SUVs might have gained a foothold in company car parks, but business users still turn to compact executive saloons in their droves - and a mainstay of this sector has been BMW鈥檚 3 Series. Over 43 years and six generations, it has pretty much set the class benchmark. And now there鈥檚 a new generation. This is really big news because replacements for the 3 Series don鈥檛 come around often, so the new car has the potential to seriously shake up the sector. Our current market leader is the Mercedes C-Class, which was revised last year to great effect. It offers more tech than ever, so the BMW faces a tough task. When Jaguar launched the XE back in 2015, the contemporary 3 Series was its dynamic benchmark. The Jag served up great driving enjoyment, so the latest BMW will have to live up to it here. But this all-new 3 also promises to offer more tech, a stronger driving experience, more practicality and even better ride and refinement. Let鈥檚 find out if it has succeeded.

With this new seventh-generation G20 3 Series, BMW has gone back to the drawing board, fitting an all-new platform, new engine tech, improved chassis sophistication and even more infotainment innovations. Let鈥檚 see how the car fares in 拢38,200 320d M Sport trim with the sport automatic gearbox. As with BMW鈥檚 larger saloons and SUVs, this new 3 Series is now based on the CLAR architecture. As a result, there鈥檚 a weight saving of up to 55kg and as much as a 50 per cent improvement in torsional rigidity. The 3 Series uses a 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel unit that delivers 187bhp and 400Nm of torque. It鈥檚 sent to the rear wheels here (four-wheel drive is available, as with its rivals) through BMW鈥檚 eight-speed sport automatic transmission. Although the new 3 Series is now based on BMW鈥檚 CLAR platform, unlike the larger 5 Series and 7 Series saloons, it doesn鈥檛 use double-wishbone suspension.

Instead, there are cheaper (but no less effective) MacPherson struts at the front and a multi-link rear end set-up. A new development for this car is its lift-dependent suspension damper technology. There have been as many advances inside as there have been under the skin as well. The cabin redesign is extensive and the layout now feels much more modern. It鈥檚 also packed with lots of advanced tech, while quality has taken a step up, too. In fact, it feels like a scaled-down 5 Series. Nav and a digital dash are standard, as are Apple CarPlay, parking sensors, a reversing camera, LED lights, heated leather seats, autonomous braking, M Sport suspension and body kit, plus climate control. Our three test cars are relatively evenly matched for performance - don鈥檛 let the Jaguar鈥檚 slightly tardy 0-60mph time of 8.2 seconds fool you (due to some slippery conditions and a quirk of the gearbox).