Innholdsfortegnelse for 31/5/2017 i Autocar

BMW’S M DIVISION wasted little time in revealing its plans for an M8, demonstrating a camouflaged prototype during the weekend of the Nürburgring 24 Hours, at the circuit on which much of the model’s development is taking place. Due on sale in 2019 as a rival to the Mercedes-AMG S63 Coupé and Bentley Continental GT, the new M8 will use a mechanical package shared with the upcoming sixth-generation M5, including its twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 petrol engine, eight-speed torque converter-equipped automatic gearbox and xDrive four-wheel drive. BMW M boss Frank van Meel said the new M8 will be a true M car that will “build on the genes of the 8 Series and augment its DNA with added track ability and generous portions of sharpness, precision and agility”. Nothing is official…

Geely, the owner of Volvo, is to take control of Lotus and secure a 49.9% stake in its parent firm, Malaysian car maker Proton. The Chinese company agreed to buy the stake in the loss-making Proton from its own parent company, DRB-Hicom. As well as a controlling share of Proton, Geely will buy a 51% majority stake in Lotus. DRB-Hicom will retain 50.1% of Proton and look to sell its remaining stake in Lotus. The deal is expected to be completed in July. Proton has owned a majority stake in Lotus, based near Norwich, since 1996. Lotus turned a profit for the first time in its history last year. The new deal will give Proton access to Geely’s powertrains and platforms, while giving Geely increased access to the South East…

Renault is vying to bring the hot hatch crown back to its performance arm with the new Mégane Renault Sport, which made its public debut at the Monaco Grand Prix over the weekend. The camouflaged model was driven by Renault Formula 1 driver Nico Hulkenberg on the famous street circuit, offering a first glimpse of its design and performance ahead of the car’s official launch in September at the Frankfurt motor show. Unlike its lairy-looking rival, the Honda Civic Type R, the hot Mégane’s exterior design is relatively subtle. Brand design boss Stéphane Janin told Autocar that this was because he believed the new Renault Sport model would be better off flaunting its performance with raw pace rather than with arresting bodywork. “Our brand is not about aggressivity,” he said.…

“Ford’s main thrust on EVs is a 13-model lineup, including an SUV in 2020 with a 300-mile range ” Ford is overhauling its management and product planning to accelerate the arrival of new models – such as a Nissan Qashqai rival – and self-driving technology after the surprise departure of CEO Mark Fields last week. Jim Hackett, Fields’ replacement, joined the Ford management board four years ago. He is said to be refocusing the top management ‘Business Plan Review’ (BPR) meeting towards future product and strategy rather than weekly problem solving. Together with a senior management overhaul and a clearer focus on communicating technology developments, Hackett will try to arrest Ford’s 40% share price decline, which prompted the end of Fields’ three-year reign as CEO, despite Ford forecasting profits this…

I’m sitting in a cafe somewhere on the west coast of Scotland with Andreas Preuninger, the man known as Mr GT3 or, more prosaically, ‘manager – high-performance cars’. He is trying to recall the age at which he realised he had become obsessed with cars: “I think I was three. No, wait, maybe less.” But Preuninger’s obsession can be narrowed down further. “I came from a Porsche family and my bedroom walls were covered in pictures of Porsches. Actually, one Porsche: a 1973 911 2.7 Carrera RS. White with blue decals. When I was a kid, that was my car,” he says with feeling. But we can focus event more tightly than that: “My father worked in a business supplying wind tunnel components and Porsche was a client. I went…

Your findings that showed Volkswagen’s diesel emissions recall has brought a fuel penalty (News, 17 May) are no great surprise to powertrain engineers. Without resorting to the expensive addition of selective catalytic reduction (SCR) after-treatment (which does not harm fuel economy but adds the cost of AdBlue), there are only two engine management reprogramming measures available to cut NOx. One is to increase the exhaust gas recirculation rate. The other – which no one seems to talk about, but which VW must know about – is to retard injection timing. efficiency, though, bringing critically high peak combustion temperatures that create the undesirable (and law-breaking) NOx. Alan Bunting Via email WIN Letter of the week wins this ValetPRO exterior protection and maintenance kit worth £58.95…

What’s it like, then, living daily life with an Aston Martin Vanquish S? Well, it’s chuffing brilliant, obviously. But it’s also, perhaps surprisingly, remarkably easy. I mean, easy given that this is a 592bhp car with a 5935cc V12 engine, that it’s long and low, and that Aston put quite a bit more ‘super’ into this super-GT when it revised the model late last year. But it also rides well. Steers easily. Has a strong driving position and easy-natured controls. For doing 230 miles to Anglesey at dawn – as the Vanquish S did on its first big outing after arriving with us – there are, honestly, few better cars for the job. Granted, it growls loudly on startup, but I suspect most Vanquish S owners don’t live too close…

MILEAGE 127,864 LAND ROVER SERIES 3 When it comes to spectacular MOT test failures, the lorry takes the biscuit. I was 150 miles away when I got the phone call telling me that there was no hope for the old girl. It could not even be patched up. The chassis is the main failure, and the shocking thing is that from the previous MOT test, there was no indication that it was going to deteriorate this quickly. But all the rot is too close to the suspension. Not only that, but the manifold is an MOT failure, plus the brakes are not all that clever and the clutch is less than co-operative when it comes to changing gear.…

“Twelve years after its launch, the Golf R32 still looks the business” A sweet-revving 244bhp 3.2-litre V6, four-wheel drive, 0-62mph in 6.5sec (6.2sec in DSG form), Golf quality and that much coveted R badge – all from just £5000. Welcome to the Mk5 Volkswagen Golf R32, the thinking driver’s hot hatch, which, 12 years after its launch, still looks the business. Prices go all the way to £13,500 for the last 2009-registered cars with less than 50,000 miles, but around £8000 opens up the widest choice of straight, mid-mileage (circa 70,000 miles) cars. Look for one with leather, heated seats and a full service history (it’s especially sensitive to oil changes, so they need to have been done promptly). Available in three and five-door forms and with a choice of…

1 Porsche 911 GT3 RS From £131,000 Proof that Porsche hasn’t forgotten how to do on-limit nuttiness when the occasion demands it. 2 Ferrari 458 Speciale From £208,000 Huge premium means it can’t overcome the GT3, but that doesn’t stand between it and greatness. Fabulous. 3 McLaren 675LT From £260,000 Limited-run supercar brings out the very best in the Sports Series and has the punch to match its price. Magic. 4 Lamborghini Aventador SV From £315,000 It’s taken 740bhp to do it, but the four-wheel-drive Aventador is now a proper Lamborghini in the old-school mould. 5 Lotus Exige Sport 350 From £53,000 Only fantasy machines of a rare and expensive calibre are capable of seeing off the Lotus. It’s that good.…

“The 8 Series will demonstrate that razor-sharp dynamics and modern luxury go hand in hand” The BMW 8 Series is set to return, and it will sire a spectacular twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 powered M8 performance flagship that will form the basis of a factory-backed assault on the GTE class at next year’s Le Mans 24 Hours. Previewed by the bold Concept 8 Series design study unveiled at the Villa d’Este Concorso d’Eleganza on the shores of Lake Como in Italy last week, the luxurious new two-plus-two coupé is planned to return the 8 Series name to the BMW line-up after an near two-decade hiatus. It is part of what BMW’s chairman, Harald Krüger, described as the biggest model offensive in the company’s history. Concept 8 Series is described by BMW…

Back in the 1980s, BMW’s take on the phrase ‘luxury flagship’ translated into a super-sleek coupé with a V12 engine and pop-up headlights. First revealed at the 1989 Frankfurt motor show, the original E31 8 Series had all the makings of a supercar. Underneath its wedge-shaped body was a technical set-up fit for a 21st century car, with five-link rear suspension and a long list of electronic systems, including traction control and stability control, variable power steering and, from 1990, electronic damper control. Even the base 840Ci came with a V8 making a then respectable 282bhp. But the majority of sales were for the V12, the most potent of which had 365bhp. It eventually formed the basis for the unit used by the McLaren F1. The 8 Series should have…

MERCEDES-BENZ IS set to build on its newly established EQ electric car sub-brand with the unveiling of a hatchback concept at the Frankfurt motor show in September, Autocar can reveal. The new electric car concept is said to preview the planned entry-level EQ A, which is set to go on sale in 2020 as part of a full line-up of electric-powered models. Conceived to directly rival the BMW i3 and an upcoming production version of the Volkswagen ID hatchback, it is among 10 new electric models being developed in an £8.6 billion programme. It is due to go on sale before 2025. The initial EQ model, the EQ C, was unveiled in concept guise as part of a public debut for Mercedes’ dedicated electric car EQ sub-brand at last year’s…

The next Continental is likely to Bentayga’s the same 8.0in infotainment touchscreen. The Continental GT will have the same buttons, gear lever and steering wheel as the SUV. THE NEXT BENTLEY Continental GT will have a cabin that is heavily influenced by that of the Bentayga, new spy pictures have revealed. A recent sighting of a development car showed that next-generation Conti GT will share switchgear and cabin technology with its large SUV sibling. The car, due for launch early next year, will also use the Bentayga’s 600bhp W12 in its top-spec guise. As with the current model, a 4.0-litre V8 option will remain the entry variant, but power output is likely to grow beyond the 521bhp of the current S model.…

TESTED 19.5.17, COPENHAGEN ON SALE JULY PRICE £21,405 TESTER’S NOTE Three new body colours are available, as well as seven interior ‘touch’ packs and six exterior customisation packs. NC How quickly the wheel turns. Barely four years ago it was necessary to preface our first drive of the new Captur with a brief description of the fledging class it was helping to institute; now the B-segment crossover is such a prominent feature of the global marketplace that the Captur is Renault’s best-selling car in Europe. While being revolutionary in no notable way (the Captur is essentially a tall Clio), Laurens van den Acker’s harmonious design and an uncorrupted drive made it perhaps the pick of the industry’s litter. It is probably indicative of the car’s broader success that the manufacturer…

“I have no chaperone, the Highlands lie before me and the roads are wet” Fifty-four years ago, give or take a few months, Porsche unveiled a new sports car at the Frankfurt motor show. It was a big moment for the company because, until that time, its sole road car offer had been the lovely but rather limited 356 coupé. The new car would help establish Porsche as a somewhat more senior player. Clearly, it hoped it would do well, but I doubt even Ferry Porsche himself would have bet that more than a half a century later, journalists the world over would be sitting down to write words about the construction of the one-millionth example. There was nothing dramatic or remarkable about the new car. It had a…

Conventional automotive business wisdom says a company such as Subaru is too small to prosper or even survive over the longer term. With sales of just over one million vehicles last year, the Japanese car maker should, according to conventional wisdom, be looking at a merger with another, rather bigger, car maker. In the case of Subaru, however, conventional wisdom is wrong. The Japanese company may be ploughing an individual furrow using boxer engines and permanent all-wheel drive on all of its full-size models, but it is delivering remarkable profit margins that, on a good day for the dollar-to-yen exchange rate, have been higher than industry leaders such as Porsche and Jaguar Land Rover. On 1 April, what was Fuji Heavy Industries changed its name to Subaru Corporation. Toyota owns…

DRIVEN New BMW M4 CS The iconic CS badge is back on a BMW M car. Matt Saunders delivers his verdict on the M4 that wears it FEATURE Rolls and Bentley scrapyard We visit the place where Rolls-Royces and Bentleys go to die FEATURE Evolution of the supercar The rise and refinement of the most emotive breed of car of all EVERY WEEK ROAD TEST Vauxhall Crossland X A character of its own or too similar to the almost identically sized Mokka X? USED BUYING GUIDE Mitsubishi Evo VI How to find yourself a good example of the most iconic Evo of all time FIRST DRIVE Volkswagen Arteon New saloon tops the VW range. We drive it to see if it’s a worthy flagship SUBSCRIBE autocar.co.uk/subscribe or see p24…

HAVING BEEN THE custodian of our long-term XE last year, the larger cabin of the XF feels familiar. The same basic layout and fittings, the same plush materials and the same rotary gearknob rising majestically from the centre console. But what’s this? A digital screen in place of analogue dials? And upgraded infotainment? These I have to try. JLR’s InControl Touch Pro set-up, on a 10.2in screen, is much easier to use than the 8.0in version fitted to our XE. It has the intuitive feel of a smartphone, is impressive graphically and responds quickly if you enter information such as a postcode. But it’s not as slick as BMW’s iDrive system, and while touchscreens are becoming the norm, a rotary dial is easier on the move. The upgraded infotainment setup…

Jaguar XE Douglas Jardine offers us something different for this week. He says: “It’s my son’s brand-new Jaguar XE Portfolio, a slight upgrade from his Vauxhall Corsa, which he had had since passing his test. No wonder he is smiling like a Cheshire cat. The joys of ‘cheap’ personal contract hire deals nowadays… “Cynical old me was deeply impressed by the professionalism of Taggarts Jaguar in Maryhill, Glasgow, especially Frank the manager and sales executive Irene. We weren’t rushed, especially compared with the dealers of luxury German brands we went to. The after-sales service was excellent.” SEND YOUR USED CAR TALES TO james@bangernomics.com…

An expert’s view DAVE WALTON, SLATERS GARAGE “We specialise in DSG gearboxes across the VW Group. Lots of garages don’t understand them but we know them inside out and take the trouble to diagnose faults first before just stripping the ’box at vast expense. The oil cooler is a weak spot. It can stop working, causing the gearbox to overheat, which in turn causes to the processor inside the mechatronic unit to pack up. We’re seeing more of these problems as the cars get older. Something else that can damage the gearbox is the launch control function. It’s brutal on the transmission and, if done too often, can wreck the ’box.” Buyer beware… • ENGINE Long-life service intervals did early cars’ timing chains no favours. An annual oil change is…

AUDI RS3 SPORTBACK AND SALOON | AUG The RS3 gets a raft of updates and the promise of more playful handling. The main addition is a lighter version of the TT RS’s 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo petrol engine with 394bhp and 354lb ft. The suspension, electronic stability control and quattro drivetrain also receive updates. Pricefrom £41,000 and £47,000 (est) JUNE Audi RS5 Coupé, BMW 2 Series update, Dacia Logan MCV Stepway, Jaguar F-Type four-cylinder (right), Mazda CX-5, Mercedes-AMG GLC63, GLC63 Coupé, Mini Countryman S E hybrid, Porsche 911 GT3, Renault Koleos, Suzuki Swift, Vauxhall Insignia Country Tourer, Insignia Sports Tourer Volkswagen Arteon JULY Alfa Romeo Stelvio (left), BMW M4 update, Bristol Bullet, Fiat 500L update, Jaguar E-Pace, XF Sportbrake, Kia Soul EV, Land Rover Range Rover Velar, Lexus NX update, Maserati…

“Jaguar claims the XE SV Project 8 is its most extreme model yet” Jaguar is on the verge of revealing its most powerful road-going car yet — a 592bhp limited-run XE saloon. Called the XE SV Project 8, it has been developed by the brand’s Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) division as its second collectors’ edition model, following the Jaguar F-Type Project 7 from 2014. Like the F-Type Project 7, the XE SV will be hand-built at SVO’s Technical Centre in Coventry, rather than alongside regular XEs in Solihull. It makes use of the same supercharged 5.0-litre V8 engine, but power has been ramped up 592bhp for the XE SV Project 8 – 25bhp more than F-Type Project 7. The XE SV Project 8 also drives all four of its wheels,…

THE MERCEDES-AMG Project One hypercar’s powertrain will be made up of a two-motor electrically driven front axle and Formula 1-derived turbocharged V6 engine. As shown by a new official image of the car’s internals, the engine uses MGU-K and MGU-H energy recovery systems like the Mercedes W08 F1 car and, also like the racer, the gearbox forms part of the Project One’s structure. However, in the Project One, it’ll be an automated manual. Lithium ion batteries are placed low and towards the front, keeping the centre of gravity down and evening out the weight distribution. AMG is targeting 1000bhp and a 1300kg kerb weight for its hypercar. That would equate to 769bhp per tonne — 28bhp per tonne more than the Bugatti Chiron. It’s due to be launched next year…

You only have to look to the last hot Mégane to see how good Renault Sport is at making hot hatches. As the new model will do, the previous car came in many guises, but none was as extreme or engaging as the RS 275 Trophy-R. Produced between 2014 and 2016, it was the lightest, fittest and most track-focused version that took hot hatch motoring back to its rawest form. Admittedly, it wasn’t quite as raw as its spiritual predecessor, the R26.R, which swapped glass windows in the back for plastic ones to save weight, but in almost every other way, the 275 Trophy-R applied the very same formula. Dieppe’s engineers ditched the car’s back seats for a bright red strengthening brace, swapped the front seats for fixed buckets and…

JIM FARLEY, FORD’S newly appointed head of global markets, gave an insight on Ford’s future strategic thinking at the FT Future of the Car Summit, just weeks before his promotion from boss of Ford of Europe. “We are now at an inflection point in the industry like I’ve never seen before and we are allocating the capital and finding the talent to deal with this huge transition,” he said. Drawing parallels today with the dawn of motoring when the Model T motorised America, he described the move to electrification and self-driving as “auto industry 2.0”. He said: “In 2.0, who will make people’s lives better and do what Henry Ford did? But what’s really exciting me is how we integrate the car into the city of the future.” Giving an…

Being provocative has been at the core of Lamborghini from the start, inspiring the brand’s very foundation, if you believe the legend of company founder Ferruccio responding to a snub from his snooty neighbours in Maranello. Being provocative for modern-day Lamborghini takes a new twist with the Huracán Performante. Until now, Lamborghini has been happy to let Ferrari and McLaren trade on motorsport-inspired rigour as core brand messages. Boring! If the latest Lamborghini looked outrageous, made enough noise and turned more heads, it was job done. The Huracán Performante changes that. The Aventador SV’s sub-7min lap of the Nürburgring with in-house hand Marco Mapelli announced that Lamborghini was now hunting for lap times. That a car costing a third as much and with nothing more than a massive V12 and…

You might think that five models in the 500-based Abarth range would be enough. But no, Fiat’s successful performance brand has just introduced another limited-edition version along with a new permanent model, badged Trofeo. The pricey limited-edition model is the 695 Yamaha XSR, inspired by the brand’s MotoGP sponsorship, while the £17,360 595 Trofeo slots between the £15,260 base 595 and the £18,360 595 Turismo. The Trofeo, meanwhile, uses a version of the 1.4 T-Jet engine with 158bhp and 169lb ft. That peak power figure is 15bhp more than the standard 595 and only 5bhp less than the Turismo’s 163bhp. It’s a trivial difference, the two powertrains delivering identical torque and the same 7.3sec 0-62mph time. You’ll go just over one mile per hour faster with the full 163bhp, but…

MODEL TESTED 520D M SPORT Price £39,025 Power 188bhp Torque 295lb ft 0-60mph 7.4sec 30-70mph in fourth 8.1sec Fuel economy 40.4mpg CO2 emissions 114g/km 70-0mph 43.4m For more than 40 years the BMW 5 Series has been the go-to executive saloon for millions of business-type mile-crunchers with an enthusiasm for driving. The car’s blend of talents has always been highly commendable and rarely matched, offering supreme ride comfort, cutting-edge interiors and, whenever it takes your fancy, exciting and entertaining rear-wheel-drive dynamism. For this latest 5 Series – the G30 generation – there is no dramatic leap away from familiarity. A record 2.1 million sales of the previous-generation model, along with feedback from its buyers, signaled to BMW that the best course of action to continue its executive saloon’s sales success…

“It’s a breathtakingly beautiful car that turns heads in a way the 911 or R8 never could” With the Sports Series, McLaren has broadened its range to take on mainstream junior supercars like the Porsche 911 Turbo S and Audi R8. ‘Junior’ is a relative term, of course: the Audi packs a charismatic 602bhp 5.2-litre V10 and Porsche and McLaren offer smaller motors with mighty forced-induction punch. The Sports Series kicks off with the £126,000, 533bhp 540C and McLaren has said it will never offer a model below this price point. The 570S and 570GT, meanwhile, make up the core of the range. All Sports Series cars share the same Monocell II carbonfibre tub and 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8 engine. In the 570, it delivers 562bhp. In a car weighing about…

How much does the Passat GTE cost to run? Excellent question, to which the answer can be (a) barely anything, (b) usefully less than a conventionally powered car, or (c) a bit more than you might expect. Most people would hope for answer (a), but to get that, you need to be doing a lot of short-ish journeys of 30 miles or so and plugging your GTE into someone else’s (free) electricity supply as often as possible. In the real world, that doesn’t happen as often as you might hope. For the first couple of thousand miles, it did for our car, though, with free charging at work and the odd top-up charge at home. However, with very limited access to charging facilities for the past 1500 miles or so,…

USED CAR ADVICE The words ‘write-off’ are usually enough to have most used car buyers scurrying for the cover of a safer option. However, these cars present an intriguing opportunity for the clued-up and careful buyer. The first thing to know is what a write-off is. Anything that falls into categories A or B is only fit to be scrapped, with some part or parts salvageable. Under no circumstances should these cars go back on the road. Then there are category C and D cars. With cat C, the repair cost exceeds the value of the car. These cars often end up being sold at auction by insurance firms and bought by those able to fix them. As for cat D cars, these have sustained damage that’s less than the…

1 Ford Fiesta ST  From £17,000 Given the long wait, this could have been a huge anti-climax. It isn’t. Firm ride aside, it’s brilliant. And cheap. 2 Mini Cooper S From £19,000 Came a hair’s breadth from toppling the ST. Arguably the more well-rounded option but not quite as much fun. 3 Peugeot 208 GTi by Peugeot Sport From £22,000 Easy to live with, easy to enjoy and quick in a straight line, the 208 is the best GTi Peugeot has built in a decade. 4 Audi S1 From £25,000 There’s no denying its raucous attitude, but its price limits the appeal. Even so, it’s easily the most entertaining S-badged Audi. 5 Renault Clio RS 220 Trophy From £21,000 Massively improved with additional grunt and a sterner chassis. Auto ’box…