When it comes to making a statement about how successful you are, there is no brand that shouts “I’ve made it!” more emphatically than Rolls-Royce.

If that’s all you want from your car, look no further. The firm has expanded its range in recent years, with the top-of-the-range Phantom saloon being joined by the Cullinan SUV, and other models including the Wraith and Ghost.

Whichever way you go, if you have to ask how much it costs, the chances are you can’t afford it. And, even then, the base price is unlikely to be what you end up spending, such is the list of alluring options on offer.

It’s also a moot point whether the cars themselves – rather than the image they portray – represents the very best way to spend your money. What Car?’s testers rate all of them positively but reckon that – if you’re buying with your head rather than your heart – there are other cars that you should also consider.

Rolls-Royce

Dawn

rolls-royce-dawn-review

The Rolls-Royce Dawn is the convertible version of the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/rolls-royce/wraith/coupe/review/n17258">Wraith</a> – the oversized coupé launched with much fanfare in 2013.The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/rolls-royce/wraith/coupe/review/n17258">Wraith</a> pointed at a new direction for the firm, or at the very least expanded its lineup to include an option slightly more sporting than the stately Phantom. The Dawn is the next step: a four-seat open-top in the Drophead tradition – with a price to match.What's the Rolls-Royce Dawn like to drive?The Dawn shares its running gear with the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/rolls-royce/wraith/coupe/review/n17258">Wraith</a>, but is intended to offer a more relaxed driving style (appropriate, when you consider that the coupé was the most overtly sporty car Rolls-Royce had produced in years). The consequence of that approach is that the Dawn feels more softly suspended, which makes the air-sprung cabriolet one of the most comfortable cars to drive on the road.Rolls-Royce has had to significantly reinforce the roofless body underneath (and added around 200kg to an already portly kerb weight) but in doing so it has helped the Dawn achieve a serene and incredibly plush ride. It is all underwritten by the terrific power meted out by the same 6.6-litre turbocharged V12 that drives Rolls-Royce's Ghost but don’t expect to feel tempted to unleash the Dawn's 563bhp output very often; it's more about wafting leisurely from place to place, enjoying the sunshine.That’s perfectly fine, and once you’ve got used to the sheer size of the car (it’s 5.3 metres long) its light steering and long, ingratiating pedal travel make it one of the easiest and most pleasant cars to drive along at the speed limit. Driven modestly, roof down, the airflow will only gently tickle a top hat – and with the roof up, supply the kind of silence that most people will only encounter in a vestry.What's the Rolls Royce Dawn like inside?Really quite lovely. Distantly, there’s BMW architecture somewhere under the fascia, but the top layer of the dashboard is so cleverly clad in wood and leather that it’s generally impossible to hold it against the car. The occasional use of plastic doesn’t quite hold true to Roll-Royce’s valuation, yet there’s no doubting that – along with Bentley - the Dawn’s interior sits in a rarefied class of specialness.It’s also, for the most part, extremely practical. There are a number of mainstream convertibles which claim decent space for four adults – but none which offer the roominess of the Dawn. Six-footers won’t complain about being in the back seats, nor will the fabric roof trouble their hairline. The sacrifice for the cloth ceiling (which disappears silently in 21sec up to 30mph) is a reduction in boot space compared with the Wraith. A couple of small suitcases still fit, but a week’s luggage for four would not.Should I buy one?Few will have the opportunity to seriously entertain that question. The Dawn is priced from £264,000, and with options our test car cost in excess of £300k. It’ll be equally formidable to run. We await True MPG figures, but even Rolls-Royce’s own claim suggests you’d be lucky to get 20mpg from its V12.That’s all by the by, of course, because even if strictly speaking cars such as <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/2016-mercedes-benz-s-500-cabriolet-review/n13948">Mercedes' S-Class Cabriolet</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bentley/continental-gt/coupe/review/n17232">Bentley's GTC</a> are rivals, neither comes anywhere near the Rolls for price - they're thousands of pounds cheaper. The daunting sums involved buying a Dawn will not concern its tiny pool of buyers one bit; they’ll simply be interested in its comfort, refinement and quality – and in that regard the Dawn sits in a class of one. * What Car? says...**Rated 5 out of 5 * Rivals**<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/2016-mercedes-benz-s-500-cabriolet-review/n13948">Mercedes S-Class Cabriolet</a><a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bentley/continental-gt/coupe/review/n17232">Bentley GTC</a> ***Rolls-Royce DawnEngine size 6.6-litre petrolPrice from £264,000Power 563bhpTorque 575lb ft0-62mph 4.9secTop speed 155mphFuel economy 19.9mpgCO2 330g/km

ROLLS-ROYCE

DAWN

Rolls-Royce Dawn review

What we're looking for:<ul><li>Wind-in-the-hair excitement</li> <li>Roof that’s quick and easy to raise and lower</li> <li>Comfortable seating for four adults</li> <li>Sufficient practicality for everyday use</li> <li>Little wind buffeting</li> <li>Quietness, whether the roof is up or down</li> <li>Minimal shaking and shimmying over bumps</li></ul>

Despite the British weather, UK car buyers are among the biggest enthusiasts for wind-in-your-hair motoring, so convertibles have always been surprisingly popular here. It’s best to be able to react to the fickle climate, though, so a roof that opens (and closes) quickly is every bit as important as good top-down cruising refinement.

There are precious few bespoke drop-tops these days, so your choice of models is generally limited to soft-top versions of existing models. But there are still some fantastic options out there.

Convertible

Munich-based BMW is most famous for its sports saloons, in particular the 3 Series and 5 Series. However, it actually builds almost every type of car imaginable: everything from two-seat convertibles to seven-seat MPVs.

The cheapest model in the BMW range is the 1 Series hatchback, which is a rival to the Audi A3, Mercedes-Benz A-Class and Volkswagen Golf. Meanwhile, at the other extreme is the M8&nbsp;grand tourer, which costs more than £120,000.

BMW was also quick to capitalise on the rise of the SUV and now has ten in its range: the X1, X2, X3, X4, X5, X6, X7 and XM, plus the electric iX3 and iX.

All of this makes it one of the big three German prestige brands, along with Audi and Mercedes-Benz.

2016-bmw-m3-competition-pack-review

The Competition Pack is now an established part of the M3 (and M4) life cycle. Typically, the cost option has included a more aggressive suspension set-up and bigger wheels.This time round however, BMW has opted to increase the power output, too: extracting a modest-sounding 19bhp more from its already fierce 3.0-litre turbocharged engine. Like the chassis, the sports exhaust is retuned to be rortier - and the alloys swell to a very pretty 20 inches. What is the 2016 BMW M3 Competition Pack like to drive?With the dual-clutch gearbox fitted, the Competition Pack’s 0-62mph time is fractionally improved, but it's far too narrow a development to be distinguished without a back-to-back comparison.The improvement comes in the car’s better marshaling of its power. Where previously it was a little unruly, the Competition Pack offers a greater sense of stability, added to which, the car’s poise, responsiveness and feedback all seem enhanced by the stiffer set-up.Best of all is that the ride quality hasn't been made overly firm in the process. Intrusions register as part and parcel of the Competition Pack’s more engaging approach, not as nasty jarring thwacks. Nowhere is this better represented than in Sport Plus mode – before this was so firm as to be applicable to the track only, but now it can easily cope with a British B-road. What is the 2016 BMW M3 Competition Pack like inside?The M3 is already a high-grade example of usable sportiness, and the Competition Pack doesn’t add much inside, save for a pair of lightweight sports seats. These are not of the unyielding bucket sort, but rather a spot-on compromise between comfort and supportiveness.Legroom behind them is ample for the car’s proportions, and its boot follows suit. The Competition Pack retains the full suite of selectable driving mode buttons up front, allowing its owner to individually tailor a range of dynamic features. Should I buy one?In the previous generation of M3, we’d have said no: the alterations were neither significant enough nor rewarding enough to warrant the premium. This time round, the Competition Pack has delivered a both a better-rounded and more incisive M3 - and for the comparatively reasonable price hike of just £3k.With more power, better balance and the swankiest rims, the Competition Pack ultimately deserves the popularity BMW has predicted for it among new buyers. What Car? says... Rivals<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/bmw-m3-vs-mercedes-amg-c63/n11089">Mercedes-AMG C63 </a>BMW M3 Competition PackEngine size 3.0-litre petrolPrice from £59,595Power 444bhpTorque 406lb ft0-62mph 4.0 secondsTop speed 155mphFuel economy 34.0mpgCO2 194g/km

2016 BMW M3 Competition Pack review

Jaguars are consistently among the best-handling cars of their kind, with the firm’s model range encompassing the XE, XF and XJ saloons, the F-Type sports cars and multiple SUVs.

Jaguar was actually relatively late to launch its first SUV, the F-Pace, but it quickly followed it up with the smaller E-Pace and the all-electric I-Pace.

That SUV range will keep growing, too, with larger and more luxurious SUVs planned to take on the Porsche Cayenne and the Range Rover from sister brand Land Rover.

Jaguar

2015-jaguar-xf-20-i4d-180-auto-review

These are exciting times at Jaguar. The XE, the firm’s exciting and hugely likable compact exec, is still wet behind the ears and in a matter of months we’ll have the phenomenally good-looking F-Pace – the first SUV to ever don the Jag badge.If that weren’t quite enough, the firm has found the time to completely overhaul the XF, the car responsible for kickstarting its design revolution almost a decade ago. The XF still squares up to the BMW 5 Series and Audi A6, but the positioning of the XE beneath it – and the shared use of its new adaptable aluminium platform – means that the XF now comes with more room for rear-seat passengers.The new car is slightly shorter overall, but its wheelbase has grown by 51mm and the rear overhang is slightly longer. The styling hasn’t been altered fundamentally, though, which means the XF and XE look very similar. That’s no bad thing, nor are the significant weight savings that have been achieved by giving the XF many of the XE’s underpinnings.The new XF is as much as 190kg lighter than the old car, thanks in part to the new 2.0-litre, four-cylinder Ingenium diesel engines. As with the XE, the XF will be available from launch with two versions of the new diesel, with more powerful six-cylinder options also on offer. When combined with the six-speed manual gearbox, the lower-output 161bhp 2.0D emits only 104g/km of CO2 and averages 70.6mpg. That’s class-leading.True, that engine’s down on power compared with the best of the opposition, so the most popular XF is likely to be the more powerful 178bhp model tested here, paired with an optional eight-speed automatic. The XF will be available in Prestige, R-Sport and Portfolio trims, with the most expensive S version available only with the six-cylinder engines.What's the Jaguar XF 2.0 i4D auto like to drive?The smaller Jag XE handles exceptionally well, and it comes as no surprise to learn that the XF rewards its driver almost as much. What may surprise is how well the bigger Jag rides on optional 20in wheels and sports suspension at all speeds.Combined with an engaging and very precise power steering setup, the XF excels at the kind of fast, long-distance driving that executive cars are used for. The more powerful Ingenium engine is well geared for high-speed cruising.It is a little too noisy when revved hard, though, and the XF is less well isolated from road and wind noise than the best of the competition. It is, however, noticeably more solid in feel than its predecessor. The new aluminium platform has eradicated much of the flex that afflicted the previous XF, its inherently greater rigidity also helping to damp away unwanted vibrations.The Jag also has a near-perfect weight distribution, which means it still delivers that pleasing sense of balance, grip and composure we’ve come to expect from a rear-wheel-drive Jaguar. What's the Jaguar XF 2.0 i4D 180 auto like inside?Our car was supplied in the R-Sport spec, which is distinguished by a subtle bodykit and firmer sports suspension. The XF’s cabin has undergone a far more telling overhaul than the exterior. You still have the rising gear selector dial, the broad centre console and the balletic air vents, but the cabin now looks very similar to the XE’s. Take the new climate control switchgear and the optional 10.2in infotainment display, which are considerable improvements on the items in the old XF.The dashboard design is a little different, with the XF getting a slightly more imposing hooded arrangement and the kind of horizontal crease recently favoured by BMW. The quality of materials has been given a boost and the seats are comfortable and supportive in decent measure. The steering wheel comes from the XE and F-Type and adjusts electrically; finding a suitable driving position won’t take long and there’s plenty of head-, leg- and shoulder room once you’re settled.That impression will also be shared by those in the back. Jaguar claims 15mm more leg room compared with the outgoing XF and, despite a lower roofline, 27mm more head room. Jaguar says it beats the 5 Series’ on rear leg room – although only by 3mm. Certainly it feels competitive with our perennial favourite. The Jag’s boot space also beats the BMW’s by a small margin: 20 litres, while the XF’s load-through option, which allows the back seats to drop, hatchback-style, to allow longer loads to be carried, boosts practicality significantly. Should I buy one?The old XF was a good car, but it was let down by some build quality and refinement issues, a shortage of rear space, poor fuel consumption and its slow infotainment system. All have received attention in the new car, and it’s now considerably closer to taking the class lead.The original XF was also enjoyable to drive, but it is a much more practical package now. Put simply, this is a Jag which makes more room for its passengers and carries them farther between fill-ups. It remains well-equipped (climate control, Bluetooth, a DAB radio, sat nav, parking aids, cruise control, auto wipers and headlights are all standard), is better made than ever and very competitively priced at £36,850 for the car we tested, and £32,300 for the entry-level version.Choosing the more powerful Ingenium model with bigger wheels (as most buyers will) lifts the XF’s CO2 emissions close to that of the equivalent 5 Series, and we wouldn’t be surprised if that car turns out to be a little quicker off the mark and quieter in a head-to-head test.Nevertheless, by delivering another great driver’s car, Jaguar has reinforced the widely held belief that it is one of the leading executive car makers. The fact that the XF is now a more polished and refined car might just be the excuse many need to finally find out what all the fuss is about. What Car? says...The rivals<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/audi/a6/saloon/review/n61">Audi A6</a><a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/5-series/saloon/review/n63">BMW 5 Series</a>Jaguar XF 2.0 i4D 180 autoEngine size 2.0-litre dieselPrice  £36,850Power 178bhpTorque 317lb ft0-62mph 7.7 secondsTop speed 136mphFuel economy 65.7mpgCO2 114g/km

JAGUAR

2015 Jaguar XF 2.0 i4D 180 auto review

F-Type

jaguar-f-type-long-term-review

The car Jaguar F-Type Coupe 5.0 V8 R Run by Nic Cackett, deputy reviews editor Needs to Justify its outrageous thirst with a high-class, exciting edge  Run by WhatCar? since January 2015My rating What is the Jaguar F-Type like?The R is considered the ultimate expression of the F-Type - Jaguar’s spiritual and therefore very high profile follow-up to the iconic E-Type. The range-topping model is sold exclusively with a supercharged V8 petrol engine and eight-speed QuickShift automatic gearbox.This year, Jaguar will introduce the option of four-wheel drive to the R, but our test car is rear-wheel drive. It sits on stiffer suspension than the rest of the F-Type range, and has a clever electronic diff to help it deal with 542bhp at 6500rpm. Predictably, all this comes at a price: the R starts at £85,000. Ours, with options, cost £96,500.What’s the Jaguar F-Type like to drive?Superb, if you enjoy the noise and electrifying performance of a rear-driven coupe. Given the F-Type’s short wheelbase, you sit very close to the rear axle, making the long nose feel like a pointy, incisive way of aiming down a road. The steering is light yet very direct, and wieldy in a way that helps the car seem manageable when not exploiting its vast potential.In such moments the R rides well and will return around 22mpg, but that’s hardly what this version of the F-type is about. This is a show-off’s car to its core; even with its exhaust valves in their quieter default mode, the R is emphatically audible. Push the appropriate button and the V8's extraordinary commotion comes perilously close to being anti-social.The car’s pace is on a similar level. That 60mph is achievable in four seconds dead hardly describes the savagery of the V8. According to Jaguar, peak torque isn’t on tap until 3500rpm, but the R reacts far more quickly than that suggests; the supercharger making it extremely responsive to even gentle throttle inputs. Sustain these and the R will be very tail-happy when cornering.What’s the Jaguar F-Type inside?The F-Type’s cabin is a great starting point for a more hardcore edition. Jaguar is well aware of the requirements of its customer base, meaning there’s no place for the kind of stripped-out excess that a firm like Porsche would apply to such a model. The R remains well-appointed and very decently equipped.You sit low - as you’d want to - with the dashboard and centre console both looming presences. There’s endless adjustment, although the car will naturally want you to sit with arms outstretched and the seat back reclined. The steering wheel rim is a satisfying handful, while the gearknob (shared with the Range Rover Sport) is purposefully modeled on a joystick.The standard of the trim finish perhaps isn’t up to the standard of some of its German rivals’ - particularly at this price - and there are a few squeaks and rattles from the interior which you wouldn’t find elsewhere. Nevertheless, the seats are very comfortable, the dials legible and the general ambience absolutely spot on.SpecificationSitting atop an already expensive lineup, the F-type gets an appropriately bumper kit list. On the outside, you’ll find 20-inch alloys, power fold mirrors, a red-calipered performance braking system, xenon headlights (with LED daytime running lights) and the distinctive quad exhaust pipes.Inside, there’s automatic climate control, cruise control, leather seats, satellite navigation, a 10-speaker Meridian sound system, 7in touchscreen, DAB tuner and rear parking sensors. That said, there’s plenty of scope for enhancement; our test car adds the visibility pack (better headlights and a heated windscreen) for £1350, the carbon ceramic brake pack (with forged ‘Storm’ wheels) for £8400, plus the parking pack for £500 and the (essential) panoramic glass roof for £1250.Jaguar F-Type problemsAside from its ferocious thirst, the R has, so far, been faultless.Jaguar F-Type Coupe R statistics  Price £85,000 Target price <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/car-reviews/jaguar/f-type-coupe/5-0-v8-r-2dr/summary/68225">Click here for the latest price</a>Fuel economy 22mpg True MPG na Emissions/company car tax 259g/km/35% Cost per mile 186p Insurance group 20 Typical quote £1195

Nic Cackett

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Rolls-Royce Dawn review

2016 BMW M3 Competition Pack review

2015 Jaguar XF 2.0 i4D 180 auto review

Jaguar F-Type long-term review

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