30 miles and almost 1 hour on A and B roads in Williams' new demonstrator.
Nice, very nice but not for me.
Why?
1. A the lack of elbow room on the right irritated me. I like the Trad cut down doors and I suppose the wind up window makes the door thicker.
2. The roof isn't lined, so is black. Tarka has a dark brown mohair hood, with a cream/light tan inner headlining, which in my view makes the car a nicer place to be. No hood lining on a car at this price point is unacceptable
3. The inside of the car looks and feels cheap when compared with the SuperSport Wiulliamns has for sale and Tarka, for that matter. The carpet reminds me of a 1970s living rooom, the heater vents below the dash look and feel cheap: they should be polished aluminium.
Finally the way the metal surround to the gear lever is screwed down was sloppy, it looks as though the wrong sized screws have been fitted, so they stand proud...really?
Oh yes, the A/C didn't work: sloppy PDI on a car that had covered just 311 miles.
4. The ride isn't much of an improvement over Tarka, better, yes, but not massively so. So it is good, but not excellent.
5. There is no radio provision and wheras Tarka has 6 speakers this car had 2, behind the seats. Unless there is an option for a 6 speaker system with DAB Radio it would be a deal breaker alone.
6. And finally it would cost me £40K to buy a new one, with £60K for Tarka. I could keep Tarka and have a nice M3W and have chage, which is what I'd rather do!
Some good points though...
1. Getting in, hood up, is easier than into Tarka as the curved "door top" works well.
2. It is noticably quieter, both wind and road noise, hood up, up to about 80..
3. The software controlling the autobox is, in sport mode, a BIG improvement:fast to respond and changes 2 gears at a time when asked. I'd REALLY like that map on Tarka.
4. Good luggage space in the boot, unlike in the cabin.
5. The seats are firmer, they look the same as on Tarka but feel loads better!
6. Overall the shut line alignment and finish was good!
Final comment: A big step forward in many ways, but If I needed to replace Tarka I'd order a new Plus 8 Auto!!
