Hello. Right here at Autocar we do not really do selfie stick kind of films but if you’ll
forgive me, I want to make a slight exception to show you something and that is a speedo
that reads to 500kph which is about 300mph. It’s a big number, isn’t it? I’ve got
lots of big numbers if you’ll excuse me because this is the inside of a Bugatti Chiron
and they have given me an entire page of very large numbers starting with £2.51million,
I’ve worked that one out, including VAT in the UK, which is the price. It is the new
Chiron, replacement for the Veyron. Very simple brief by all accounts - to be better than
the Veyron in every single respect. So still has an 8.0-litre, W16 engine, that’s that,
making 1103kw, 1500 metric horsepower, 1479 in our language, 1600Nm torque, 1180lb ft
from 2000 to 6000rpm. Drives with seven-speed DSG dual clutch gearbox, permanent all-wheel
drive, it’s actually a Haldex clutch which puts the power to the front when the back
runs out of grip, so it’s kind of rear-biased. 28530 ZR20 tyres, tyre width at the front
is up, tyre width at the back is down to make it a bit more pointy at the front, a bit less
understeer-y, because I don’t know about you, everytime I’m driving a 260mph car,
I don’t want an understeering one, I want a really fast one. Now, the thing about the
Veyron and the Veyron Supersport and now the Chiron, is that it’s been developed by Volkswagen
Group and from that point of view they want it to be a fully homologated, worldwide car
that just meets every single crash and emission and noise regulation under the sun. So, it
does. Ergonomically in here, it’s as easy to sit in and pilot as a Golf. I mean literally
I’m not making that up, it is as easy to get around in as a Volkswagen Golf! That’s
the automatic gearbox, it is changing up at 81kmh, it’s into sixth gear and it’s sitting
at 1500 revs, I mean what a doddle. The ride is pretty composed, you can just hear it as
it goes over these surface changes, that’s because this car has got a carbon fibre tub,
it’s unbelievably stiff. It’s got 50,000 Nm per degree which is race-car stiff and
that means that inevitably quite a lot of noise echoes through it. They’ve done what
they can with the sound proofing but you know, if you’re going to get the car with a W16
engine with four turbochargers, I mean that’s quite a heavy unit isn’t it really so to
keep the weight down as much as possible they’ve tried not to put too much sound proofing in,
they’ve tried to make it out of carbon fibre. This is still a car that weighs 1995kg dry.
So what’s it like to drive? Well I’m driving quite slowly because I am on a road in Portugal
and all of the driving in this car has been on the road in Portugal where you can do no
more, anywhere, than 120kmh. Anyway, what is it like? Well it get’s on unbelievably
fast. There’s a little bit of turbo lag because it’s still making 200bhp per metre,
of course there’s turbo lag. It pushes on like you would not believe. It builds speed
like you cannot possibly imagine. It is so fast, so brutally fast. It’s not an instant
Tesla Model S kick in the back where it just really shoves you like that but it just builds
and it does not stop. It just keeps going and going and going. Even when you are beyond
350kmh it just carries on and 350 is what, 200mph. The top speed is 420, it is limited
to 420 and that is because the tyres will not cope with anymore but bear in mind the
claimed top speed for the Veyron Super Sport was less than 420, I think it’s like 410,
415, something like that but in the end that did 431kmh. So do not be surprised if this
thing goes 270/280. The tyres are the limiting factor, it certainly has power. It certainly
isn’t aerodynamics because this is slippery than it was before. It is also a car that
handles much better than before, it steers really pleasingly. Rides nicely, body control
is good, you’ve got some chassis modes if you want them, you know, you can firm it up but it’s just nice if you just
leave it as it is, frankly. It’s an astonishing piece of kit, is it a totally pointless piece
of kit? Probably, but it doesn’t really matter does it because it is phenomenal. Just
numbers tumble, it is just astonishing from start to finish.