CDN engages petrol-head mode
SMMT Test Day 2026: manuals, muscle cars and a GTI masterclass
Designers spend years refining proportions, surfacing and user experience; SMMT Test Day offers the chance to judge the finished result. CDN sampled a selection of standout models, discovering where great design enhances the drive – and where nostalgia still holds sway
A trip to the SMMT Test Day is a rewarding excursion. The state of the industry snapshot from CEO Mike Hawes provides useful context for a publication like CDN, reminding us to pause our scrutiny of form language, DRGs, design tools and the like. Sales figures are a long way downstream in the process but, as many designers have pointed out, are inextricably linked. Consumers respond to what pleases the eye as much as they do warranties and finance deals.
The line-up from mainstream and premium brands is a chance to experience the cars we spend so much time examining – a day of automotive pick and mix which offers real world insights. While most cars are the latest on the market, there are occasionally opportunities to drive historic cars and place the newer ones in better context.
So it went this year (2026) with Volkswagen leading the charge of the not so new and really quite old as part of its ongoing GTI at 50 celebrations. Alongside it was the legendary first generation, the portly third generation and a couple of modern efforts. A remarkable line-up, but the pick of the bunch — if one was looking to combine old-school thrills with modern convenience — is the fifth generation.
The Mustang is an automotive Diomedian Mare that gobbles up the miles like so much ancient Greek royalty
It might not be much of a looker, but it saved the GTI brand, which had been devalued after a pair of anaemic efforts, the third and fourth generations, which played a weak second fiddle to the range-topping VR6 models. It looks much better from the rear – the light signature on the front face is clumsy – and the proportions benefit from being a three-door. It is still fast(ish) but what really sets it apart from modern hot-hatches is the manual gearbox, which adds tremendously to the driving experience.
At this year’s SMMT, Car Design News had the pleasure of putting the mark five through its paces on the winding hill route and made full use of the stick-shift.
Manual gear shifts proved the order of the day. CDN hopped from the older Golf to the much newer Ford Mustang Dark Horse, which lives up to its fearsome reputation. A growling V8 married to a pretty agricultural shifter, the Dark Horse is an automotive Diomedian Mare that gobbles up the miles like so much ancient Greek royalty. With a taut chassis and a hood that goes on forever, it is everything a modern muscle car should be. As such, the queue of motoring journalists waiting to drive it only seemed to grow with each passing minute. “We will bring two of them next time,” confided a Ford representative.
The Z4 looks well for having put on some weight over the years but on the way lost the subtlety and intrigue of original designer Anders Warming’s twisting, Gehry-inspired forms
Worth comparing is the popularity of the Mustang with the electric Capri, which is a handsome enough EV with clean surfacing, neat light signature and a useful, layered interior. It is pretty good to drive too. For CDN, most of the issues with it was American carmaker’s nonsensical choice of nomenclature.
Had they called it a Sierra, everyone would have immediately got it without the wailing and gnashing of teeth. And Ford would have left itself space to relaunch the Capri as a coupe or even at GT. Time will tell what the new line-up – five new cars over the course of three years – will bring.
On then to the BMW Z4, on which the curtain falls this year with no plans from the German OEM for a replacement. At SMMT it attended in suitably dynamic M40i guise with a manual gearbox. The highlight is of course the sonorous six-cylinder twin turbo, which makes accelerating highly addictive. The Z4 looks well for having put on some weight over the years but on the way lost the subtlety and intrigue of original designer Anders Warming’s twisting, Gehry-inspired forms. The final incarnation is more aggressive: a weighty slab of German engineering that is more hammer than knife, which suits the potent engine. It will be a shame to see it go.
Car Design News finished the day with some Italian elegance in the curvaceous form of the Maserati GranTurismo, though sadly not the GranCabrio which was in high demand. The car could do with a stronger, more characterful powerplant, but there is no denying the seductive nature of chief exterior designer Quentin Amore’s work. In person, the sharpened surfacing and musculature are better appreciated. The cofango bonnet-cum-fender is particularly stunning – a seamless, sculptural form that is frankly massive. As the designer told CDN a couple of years back, this “could only be done in Italy.” We look forward to the next SMMT outing.
