Nokian Xline

Promising start for the Xline. It’ll be well worth considering when it reaches the UK.

The Xline is due to go on sale in the UK at the end of the year, but it doesn’t appear to have been tailored solely to the demands of tyre labelling.

Its rolling resistance result is a long way off the best here – the Nokian would use about five per cent more fuel than the Michelin, although it’s close to the Dunlop and still likely to earn a C rating.

The winter tyre specialist seems to have decided to maximise wet grip rather than rolling resistance, with this tyre putting in its best performances in our wet braking, handling and cornering tests.

It has sharp turn-in and you can put much more load on the front tyres than with rivals before the car’s nose pushes wide. It was the same story when on the power, with impressive traction. The aquaplaning results weren’t up to the same standard, but this is definitely a tyre for the rain.

It also proved quiet, matching the result of the test-winning Goodyear.

Good performance in wet conditions usually demands a compromise on dry grip, yet the Xline finished second in our dry handling test – albeit some way behind the Bridgestone. Dry braking was less assured, but by no means a disgrace.