Bugatti Veyron road test (Bugatti Veyron)

Member Name: Orichalon

Product:	Bugatti Veyron
Date:	04/11/08 (134 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Supremely fast, comfortable, very well made, beautiful, rare, makes you feel special

Disadvantages: £800,000 (if you want to wait a few years...one second hand is, last time I looked, £1,200,000)

Okay, first things first, lets start with the outside. After seeing pictures of it (and a few on stands at motorshows etc) I thought it looked rather underwhelming, but, up close, it most certainly isn't - this thing has oodles of presence. It's very low and wide, with the biggest tyres you've ever seen on a car. That beautiful quad turbocharge W12 engine is glinting at you from the back (it's got no engine cover) and the massive exhaust at the back shows just how serious this car is (there are two other hidden exhausts under the car).

Getting inside is easier than in most supercars, but it is no way a graceful affair. However, once inside it's extremely comfortable, with beautiful leather everywhere, as well as some suede in hidden places. The centre console just looks incredible, as do the indicator stalks (which cost around £4,000 each to make!).

Start the engine up using the starter button on the dash, and teh Veyron is *relatively* easy to drive. It's very wide and only available in left hand drive, but, if you're not too energetic with the throttle, it can be driven at nice sedate speeds. It's quiet enough inside for easy cruising, and I think that the exhaust note (contrary to many other reviewers) is excellent - when pulling away it's a massive burble, rising to a low growl. Much more like a big block American V8 than a screaming Ferrari one. However, I found parking difficult for the simple reason that I was extremely worried about curbing one of the beautiful wheels (to replace one of them is £18,000!).

Out on twisty country lane, this car is surprising. Obviously, overtaking is a dream, over in a matter of milliseconds, but this big beast (as far as I know it weighs about 1800 kg) handles really well. It's honestly good fun to drive, and, once you find a stretch of road straight enough and plant your foot you're just astounded by the speed. It does 0-60 in 2.49 seconds, and, luckily, has a power meter showing how much of the 1000 horses that the engine has to offer you're using. I'm proud that I managed to use all 1000 several times, although I was so enthralled in the horsepower meter that I didn't notice I was approaching 150 mph in a matter of seconds....oops!

One particular thing which I noticed is the amount of attention this gets. I've driven plenty of exotica, but nothing, not even something like a Ferrari Enzo Ferrari or McLaren F1 gets this much attention. In traffic, everyone takes out a camera to get a picture, and, to be honest, although I never really found it annoying. Still, with that sort of attention, I wouldn't want one as a daily driver (no matter how tempting it sounds!)

The Veyron, then, really is the ultimate supercar. It's as happily burbling through the backstreets of London as it is roaring through Cornish countryside or blasting up motorways. It's very comfortable for a supercar and does 253 mph - what more could you want? This is concorde.

Summary: A true legend.

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