Innholdsfortegnelse for October 09, 2019 i Autocar

THE CAR INDUSTRY is facing up to an unprecedented number of ‘big issues’ at the moment, posed by the rise of electrification, tough emissions regulations, autonomy and other factors. It’s a fascinating, exciting time to be involved in the industry – but sometimes you find yourself wishing for a simpler era, one without the complex implications of fleet CO2 targets, five levels of autonomy and complex safety requirements to decipher. Thankfully, there are companies such as Ariel producing cars such as the Atom 4. The firm’s spaceframe special is a lightweight, no-nonsense, back-to-basics machine made purely for the thrill of driving – and it’s all the better for it. It’s the subject of our road test this week (see p32), and – spoiler alert – our testers handed it an…

LAND ROVER ISN’T resting on its laurels following the new Defender’s unveiling, with the three-door 90 and five-door 110 models set to be joined by a larger, eight-seat 130 variant in the coming years. First reported by Autocar earlier this year after a brand presentation was leaked, the 130 is destined to be revealed in the second half of next year before its launch in 2021. Despite the model’s badge, it will share its wheelbase length of just over three metres with the 110, meaning no costly platform extension is required. Instead, Land Rover is set to boost the car’s rear overhang to allow it to offer up to eight seats. It will be around 5.1 metres in length, making it 342mm longer than the 110 version and around 50mm…

“WE HAVE DONE a lot of development work to give it a unique AMG feel,” says Steffen Nowack, before leaning up against the front wing of the new Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 4Matic Coupé next to Romania’s epic Transfagarasan mountain highway. The head of SUV development at Mercedes-Benz’s AMG division is clearly proud of what his team of engineers have achieved with what initially will be the most sporting of the new range of second-generation GLE Coupé models. “We’ve drawn on a lot of experience going right back to our first real performance SUV, the ML55 AMG,” he says. Nowack isn’t so much referring to the new GLE 53 Coupé’s drivetrain – a 48V mild-hybrid 3.0-litre turbocharged six-pot, putting out 429bhp and taking the car from zero to 62mph in 5.3sec.…

Vauxhall has given Autocar fresh insight into the most significant new car the British brand will bring to market in a generation: the pure-electric Corsa-e. With deliveries starting in April, prices from £26,490 and a WLTP-certified range of 205 miles, the Corsa-e will be assembled on the same lines as petrol and diesel variants at the Zaragoza plant in Spain, where the regular Corsa has been built since the first generation was launched in 1982. The lithium ion battery pack, consisting of 80 modules made up from 216 cells supplied by Chinese firm CATL, is currently produced at the PSA Group’s plant at Vigo, north-west Spain. However, PSA acquired Vauxhall and Opel in 2017 and there is now talk of repurposing Opel’s Kaiserslautern manufacturing facility in south-west Germany for full-time…

The first Audi model to be built on the new Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture the firm is developing with Porsche is set to be a low-slung A5 Sportback-sized four-door coupé. The dramatic new model, first reported by Autocar in March, is previewed in images released by the German company showcasing its electric car strategy, which includes the launch of 20 EVs using four different platforms by 2025. The PPE platform is designed for Audi and Porsche’s full-size luxury models – both traditional cars and SUVs – and can be adapted for models of different lengths and track width. It features an 800V system capable of 350kW charging, and can accept different sizes of battery – with the larger offering a claimed range of more than 300 miles. The platform…

ABS IS ONE of those exquisite inventions that automates cadence braking, a technique previously reserved for skilled humans, and makes the result available to everybody. Short for Antiblockiersystem, the initialism also conveniently stands for the English translation, anti-lock braking system. Introduced by Mercedes and Bosch in 1978, it’s now a standard fitment on every car. ABS not only saves lives but also, in less serious situations, a lot of tears, fights, gnashing of teeth, ‘if only’ soul-searching and money. Cadence braking is a technique used to generate the maximum possible braking force available from a tyre contact patch on a slippery surface in a given time and distance. Just as important, it allows you to maintain steering control at the same time. When a wheel is locked up on a…

ASTON MARTIN’S ULTRA-exclusive DBZ Centenary collection has been revealed in full, with the DBS GT Zagato joining the previously shown DB4 GT Zagato (First drive, 2 October). Unveiled at a US event in Rhode Island, the £6 million (plus local taxes) pair are the most valuable new Astons yet built. Based on the DBS Superleggera supercar, the DBS GT Zagato has power from the 5.2-litre turbocharged V12 boosted from 715bhp to 760bhp. The exterior features an exclusive Supernova Red paint colour, exposed carbonfibre accents, black and gold 3D-machined wheels and 18-carat gold badging. Aston claims a world first in the use of carbonfibre and metal 3D-printed interior finishes, with one of the coatings taking 100 hours to print and prepare. The first examples of the collection will be delivered at…

MODEL TESTED ATOM 4 Price £39,975 • Power 316bhp • Torque 310lb ft • 0-60mph 3.2sec • 30-70mph in fourth 4.2sec • Fuel economy 27.4mpg • CO2 emissions na • 70-0mph 44.1m The Ariel Atom 4 is not strictly the fourth iteration of this British-built lightweight special. The first Atom arrived just in time for the millennium with 190bhp from a naturally aspirated 1.8-litre Rover engine. Launched in 2003, the Atom 2 that followed had as much as 300bhp courtesy of a new supercharged Honda engine, and that was a recipe Ariel stuck with for the Atom 3 of 2007. But the next chapter in the Atom story dispensed with the pleasantries, at least outwardly: the winged Atom V8 of 2010 packed 500bhp from a 3.0-litre unit that started life as…

The Atom remains a car it takes confidence, familiarity and plenty of physical effort to drive well. It has a chassis that likes to express itself by moving around underneath you – but rewards you like very little else once you’re comfortable with the exchanges. In short, it’s brilliant; not as level and planted as some downforce-driven rivals, but not far off as quick, and so much more alive and exciting for its sheer vitality. Lengthening the wheelbase has improved stability under braking, but not so much that the car can’t be backed into bends on trailed brake and with a slur of attitude. Roll builds in faster bends just enough to reveal the Atom’s limits, but not so much to prompt understeer. The torque of that engine, meanwhile, means…

The sight alone is enough to elicit involuntary laughter. F1, P1, Senna. All on the same slice of Tarmac, dihedral doors flipped up awaiting further instruction. They have been together before of course, most notably and recently at the Goodwood Members’ Meeting in the spring, but never for a purpose like this. We have them and this track, including its near-two-mile runway, for the day. They are ours. Despite the P1 being worth £5 million (it’s a prototype and the most filmed and famous P1 in existence) and the F1 valued at five times more than that, no one is saying ‘don’t go there, don’t do that’ with any of them. McLaren people are everywhere, appearing more than anything else pleased that we’ve been able to make this thing happen.…

Volkswagen has its vast, brooding Wolfsburg and Fiat its magnificent Mirafiori. BMW’s Four Cylinder building beside Munich’s Olympic Park is considered so iconic that even though it opened in only 1973, it has already been preserved for posterity. And Opel’s Rüsselsheim base near Frankfurt is so vast that tour guides tell you it is “slightly larger than Monaco”. Until now, Britain’s largest car maker, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), has had no such technology epicentre, although things were different when Jaguar and Land Rover were separate companies. But Sir William Lyons’ old lair at Brown’s Lane, Coventry was shut and sold years ago and what was once Land Rover’s solus site in Lode Lane, Solihull now makes Jaguars as well as Land Rovers. And it doesn’t do design. A proper JLR…

Colin Turkington returns to Brands Hatch this weekend in pole position to add a record-equalling fourth title, as the 2019 British Touring Car Championship prepares for another nail-biting season finale. The 37-year-old extended his points lead at the penultimate meeting at Silverstone and heads Honda Team Dynamics’ Dan Cammish by 16 points, with fellow WSR BMW ace Andrew Jordan just one point further back. Top Independent-class driver Josh Cook and Toyota’s impressive Silverstone double winner, Tom Ingram, also have outside shots at the title. Turkington knows he can take nothing for granted at Brands, given the BTCC’s frenetic format of three races in a day. Silverstone only proved the point as his slender 10-point lead over Jordan was reduced to four after a spin in Race 1. But a superb…

I too have grave reservations about the ever-expanding and seemingly unnecessary width of vehicles (Comment, 25 September). I’m fortunate to live on the Isle of Man, which has a rich motorsport heritage, and have a varied background in car ownership, from Dolomite Sprint to BMW E39 M5, Mercedes SL320 Convertible to Fiat 500 Abarth, Honda Accord Type R to Peugeot 406 V6 Coupe. I have concluded that the island’s highways are unsuitable for anything of too great a girth, having witnessed on numerous occasions owners of some of the more exotic machinery that is prevalent here struggling to navigate our narrow lanes, sometimes with hilarious/embarrassing/expensive results. I have answered the problem with my latest choice, which, I am sure you and your readers will agree, is perfect for all occasions,…

FINAL REPORT MILEAGE 8871 WHY WE RAN IT To discover if the 5dr hatch retains the spirit of the iconic 3dr Mini while also providing a dose of practicality When Alec Issigonis designed the first Mini in 1959, his task was to create a car with lots of space inside and minimum dimensions out, four seats, good driving characteristics, superior fuel economy and a very affordable price. Do those attributes still ring true in our long-term Mini Cooper S 5dr? Gladly, yes, with a few caveats… I loved this car for its size, its bum-on-floor driving position and the way it drove: steering, cornering grip, punch, flexibility, engine response and engine note. The engine is especially enjoyable: it’s sporty and flexible but also smooth – even more notable because it’s…

QUESTION My Golf 1.4 TSI has been unreliable, so I’m replacing it. I tried a Skoda Karoq 1.5 TSI but I’m worried about reliability. I like the Mazda CX-3 2.0. I like manuals, too, but autos are a pleasure. Which should I buy? Dimitris Kourtelaridis, Cyprus ANSWER The CX-3 would certainly be reliable but it’s the smallest here. A Karoq should be reliable and the torquey 1.5 TSI works well with the DSG dual-clutch ’box. We can’t explain your Golf’s reliability issues, but if you otherwise love it, why not try a 1.5 TSI Evo 130 DSG? As the former owner of a totally reliable Mk7 Golf 1.4 TSI, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. JE QUESTION Inspired by August’s strong sales of new EVs, I’m thinking I should take…

It’s well known that the E63 6 Series coupé that ran from 2003 to 2011 has a penchant for the black stuff, slurping it greedily and occasionally blowing it out through rocker cover gaskets, breather hoses and down cylinder bores. It sounds like a non-starter, but what the hell, we’re suckers for a big koop. A twin-turbo 3.0-litre diesel version will be cheaper to run but you’re better off with the sweeter 630i petrol. A 2007 facelift car with the Efficient Dynamics package is what you need. The 3.0-litre engine makes 268bhp and up to 35.8mpg is possible with a feather-light foot. We found an 08-reg car with 68,000 miles for £8799. It’s had two former keepers and has a full main dealer history, with eight stamps in the book.…

“The new EV is expected to sit between the Evoque and the Velar in terms of overall size” Land Rover is gearing up to launch its first fully electric Range Rover model, a low-slung luxury crossover that will be twinned with the Jaguar XJ and is due to go on sale in late 2021. With the revived Defender now unveiled as a true off-road flagship model, the British firm can strengthen its focus on electrification, a key area of investment in Jaguar Land Rover’s Charge and Accelerate programmes designed to restructure the business following recent heavy losses. The new EV, first revealed by Autocar in 2017 and once known under the working name Road Rover, is being developed as the brand’s most road-focused model yet, albeit retaining more off-road capability…

Renault’s budget all-electric City K-ZE small car is to be upgraded for European sale. It could be badged as a Dacia and is likely to kick-start the group’s future shared mobility initiative. The Renault Group’s official line is that “it will announce a variant of K-ZE, adapted to Europe, as an entry point into zero-emissions-in-use mobility” and it wouldn’t confirm or deny the use of Dacia branding when questioned. The K-ZE is a small A-segment SUV, keenly priced from £6900 in China to attract younger buyers. According to Renault’s head of electric vehicles, Gilles Normand: “A special version of the K-ZE will come to Europe.” The European version is likely to have safety equipment upgrades and possibly a small improvement to its official NEDC range of 155 miles. The limited…

BMW M has revealed the third generation of its performance SUV flagships, the X5 M and coupé-styled X6 M – and both are available in Competition form for the first time. Detailed ahead of their public debut at the Los Angeles motor show in November, both are set for a market launch starting in April next year. It has been confirmed that only the Competition variants will be available to order in the UK, priced from £110,610 for the X5 M and £113,310 for the X6 M. They will rival the Porsche Cayenne Turbo and Cayenne Coupé Turbo and are powered by BMW M’s twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8. The standard X5 M and X6 M produce 592bhp, which is 25bhp more than both outgoing models. However, in keeping with the tradition…

Our brief ride in the Corsa-e is limited to a handful of laps around Hangar 42 on a rainy day at Bruntingthorpe proving ground. As a setting, it’s far from glamorous, but the car – in range-topping Elite trim – instantly looks more desirable than any other Corsa to date. It’s longer and wider but noticeably lower than before and the design has a pebble-like simplicity in contrast to the Vauxhall’s architectural sibling, the Peugeot e-208. Once on the move, as now mandated by law, there’s a futuristic, metallic hum that emanates from the car’s nose as it pulls cleanly off the mark, although without the windows open, it’s barely audible inside. Corsa project leader Thomas Wanke explains that to access the maximum 134bhp and 260lb ft, you need to…

Seat is considering a major rebranding plan that would reposition the Spanish car maker further upmarket in the search for greater sales and profits. It is part of a broader strategy by parent company Volkswagen. The plan was hinted at by Volkswagen chairman Herbert Diess on the sidelines of last month’s Frankfurt motor show. The move could lead to Seat taking the name of its newly established Cupra sub-brand ahead of the development of a new line-up of models and a concerted push into new global markets, including North America, by the middle of the next decade. The possible rebranding of Seat forms part of a wider plan for further differentiation between each of Volkswagen’s key volume car brands. Nothing is official yet, although Diess indicated Skoda is set to…

Aston Martin has released the first images of its new Vantage roadster, in engineering prototype form, ahead of an expected launch in the coming months. No technical details of the model have been revealed yet, but it’s expected to retain the same 503bhp 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 as the coupé, albeit with a fractional performance sacrifice due to the extra weight of the folding roof and structural bracing. Aston has confirmed the model will be available globally in spring next year.…

FREE SEALEY TOOL KIT WHEN YOU SUBSCRIBE TODAY ■ COMPREHENSIVE RANGE ■ KITHOLDS A SELECTION OF TOOLS ■ SOFT GRIP HANDLES ■ SUPPLIED WITHIN THE STORAGE CASE WORTH £45 SUBSCRIBE TO AUTOCAR For 124 years, Autocar has been dedicated to sharing with you our love of cars every week. You can turn your support of Autocar into access to an even more exclusive club by subscribing. Every Wednesday you’ll be first to read the magazine packed with news, reviews, insightful features, star columnists, used car buying advice and our expanded data section. You’ll also receive regular free supplements and gain access to exclusive benefits (see below). There has never been a more interesting or significant time for the car industry and we’d love for you to join us on what…

Audi’s current model nomenclature structure has an undoubted logic to it, but the result can be a certain inelegance, as with the Q7 60 TFSIe quattro. But that slightly clunky dump of letters and numbers is attached to a model that proves to be far smoother and more graceful. The previous Q7 was offered in plug-in hybrid form with a 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine and e-tron branding (a 2.0-litre petrol PHEV was also available in Asian markets). Having given the model an extensive facelift earlier this year, Audi has ditched that and the plug-in model will now be based around a 335bhp 3.0-litre turbocharged petrol V6 engine. Mated to a 126bhp electric motor, it has a combined system output of 443bhp and 516lb ft. The same unit is used in…

VERDICT Having played the renegade on the ultra-lightweight sports car scene for so long, the Ariel Atom has now become a key part of the establishment it once sought to disrupt. Such progression doesn’t happen by chance; and this car is so typical of how cleverly its maker has developed it over the years to retain what makes it so special. In a visual sense, the Atom remains an appealing car to anyone who likes the idea of being able to see their car working. It’s also so deliciously simple that it makes modern ideas of perceived quality and more meaningful built-in quality one and the same consideration. A turbocharged engine has boosted the car’s usability as well as its roll-on performance with little entailed compromise, while Ariel’s other chassis…

To mark a day like this, a fast run on Gaydon’s wide, rapid test track (amusing labelled by some as the ‘emissions circuit’) seemed a must. Once, years ago, I was allowed to drive a Jaguar C-X75 prototype at full speed down Gaydon’s long straight of more than a mile. Having been assured that only 200mph would do for proper drivers, I managed a mere 193mph. Not bad, said my companion, the car’s usual custodian, almost holding back a sneer. Drivable C-X75s aren’t thick on the ground, but in honour of Jaguar’s relocated design studio, I took to the track with a 567bhp F-Type SVR, accompanied by Jaguar’s legendary test driver, Mike Cross. The SVR seemed too comfortable, quiet and spacious to replace in my experience a car as specialised…

COMPARISON BMW M135i vs hot hatch rivals The new range-topping 1 Series takes on fast four-wheel-drive hot-hatch rivals. So how do they square up? DRIVEN New Nissan Juke The original was a game changer. Now we test the all-new model FEATURE We go Bowler rallying Time to try this extreme, obscure form of sideways motorsport EVERY WEEK DRIVEN New Bentley Flying Spur So much more than a Continental with a pair of extra doors? ROAD TEST Dallara Stradale There’s lots to like about Dallara’s first road car. Now we uncover plenty more USED BUYING GUIDE Jaguar XK How you can still enjoy a much-missed part of Jaguar’s range SUBSCRIBE autocar.co.uk/subscribe or see p22…

MILEAGE 6381 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see whether this trailblazing small EV has evolved enough to still be considered the best in its class Range worrier to range warrior? On this evidence, that might be the case following an invitation from Tom Morgan to borrow ‘his’ BMW i3s. Life with an all-electric car wasn’t something I’d considered much – not through blind loyalty to the good old internal combustion engine; rather because I had doubts my nerves would survive the anxiety of keeping the thing charged. Turns out, for my specific needs, range worry was a waste of time. It also turns out that by avoiding such cars, I’ve been missing out. A week spent in the company of the i3s was something of a revelation. But wait, don’t…

MILEAGE 83,664 BMW 320 After the AA interlude the Baby Shark went back to the garage for a few days. I had pointed out a slight leak from the fuel filler pipe, and that seems to be part of the issue of fuel not being properly sucked down to the engine. Which brings us to the Solex carb: there are a couple of screws missing and no one knows what they do, and the official book doesn’t explain much. We adjusted the idle to around 950rpm and it doesn’t start first time, but at least it does start.…

Duster drivers are a hardy bunch. There’s a 2013-reg 1.6i Access in white, the most basic run-of-the-mill version you can buy, that’s done 141,000 miles, has had two owners and is being advertised for £2499. Think about it: two individuals have happily clocked up 70,000 miles apiece in this car, a vehicle so basic it doesn’t even have a radio. We’re talking about the Duster Mk1, by the way, the model that ran from 2012 to 2018 and which shook up the market with its low prices. For example, new in 2012, that 1.6i Access – the engine produces a paltry 103bhp – was just £8995. That got you a roomy, genuinely family-sized SUV with a big boot, good visibility and rugged looks. Most versions had roof bars, too. Spend…

VAUXHALL NOVA 1.4 SR Bryan Adams’ ‘Everything I do, I do it for you’ was high in the charts when this Nova 1.4 SR, Vauxhall’s answer to the Ford Fiesta XR2, hit the road. A kerb weight of just 675kg enabled its 71bhp 1.4-litre engine to catapult it from 0-60mph in 10.2sec, which, back then, was quite enough given the heavy steering, dodgy damping and ineffective brakes. On the plus side, the SR turned in keenly and gripped like a good ’un. This restored 1991 car with 29,000 miles and Powerflow exhaust made £6438.…

Sand L: two letters that tell the world you’ve made it. There have been seven generations of the Mercedes-Benz convertible, each more or less as impressive as the other, but it’s the R129 generation under the spotlight here. The model was in production for a full 12 years from 1989 to 2001, and for drivers of a certain age, it sticks in the memory. Why? Bruno Sacco’s styling for a start, and then there were the engines, the advanced technology and the sheer driving experience that together propelled this legendary car into the modern age. It was a strong seller, with the result that, today, there are a fair number on the market at prices ranging from £3000 for a high-mileage 1997 P-reg SL320 to as much as £40,000 for…

RENAULT IS SET to launch a hot Zoe RS within three years as it looks to lead the way for electric performance vehicles. Autocar first reported a Zoe RS in 2017, after the creation of the 460bhp Zoe e-sport concept car. Renault product planning boss Ali Kassai said: “Society is changing so fast. We need to find a way to make passion of performance cars socially acceptable. I believe Renault is best placed to find that way because of our history as a leader in EVs and one of the historic players in performance cars.” He continued: “It will happen the day when the technology road blocks are removed. This means high performance but also sustainability of performance and making economic sense.” Asked how soon we might expect a hot…

BMW’S M CAR portfolio has been further extended by the introduction of the M8 Gran Coupé, which is now available to order. The M8 Gran Coupé sits alongside the two-door M8 Coupé and Convertible models and is pegged as a rival for the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 4-Door. The four-door variant is powered by the same 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8, which is available in two states of tune: the standard 592bhp car and a 616bhp Competition model. Despite the extra 200mm added to the wheelbase in order to accommodate the rear doors, BMW claims the same 0-62mph times of 3.3sec for the base car and 3.2sec for the Competition. The top speed is raised from 155mph to 190mph if the optional M Driver’s Package is specified. Like the Coupé, the car is…

The Tavascan (pictured above) is a realistic preview of Cupra’s first EV, according to design boss Alejandro Mesonero-Romanos. “I made a deal with Luca [de Meo, chairman] that this car would be very close to a production version,” Mesonero-Romanos said, although he admitted that the project has yet to get the official green light. Mentioning the Tesla Model 3 as a potential rival, Mesonero-Romanos claimed that brand’s interiors are “too simple, too cold” and that “if everybody adopted the same cabin design, we would have one characterless interior”. He said future Cupra cabins will have “a lot of nice shapes that humanise the vehicle… Simple doesn’t have to be crude.”…

It’s BMW’s fastest road car yet, it’s BMW’s most expensive model and, in case you’re wondering, it’s a bit more than a BMW M5, with two fewer doors and prettier bodywork. Nevertheless, plenty of M8 building blocks are shared with the M5, starting with a platform shared across the 5, 7 and 8 Series. The M8’s engine and gearbox are the same as the M5’s, mighty 616bhp power output included, and so is most of the suspension hardware. There’s dynamic advantage in the M8’s 201mm shorter wheelbase, but there are also a series of modifications, detailed in the tech box on p27, aimed at sharpening its agility. Other weapons in the M8 armoury, all of them designed to contain, control and capitalise on the pace-raising potential of 616bhp when applied…

The G20-generation Touring’s arrival coincides with our collective love for estates taking a dive, while demand for SUVs continues to skyrocket. And yet BMW expects it quickly to account for one in every four 3 Series models sold: the Touring remains the de facto choice for those that demand driver engagement with an extended boot. It does, after all, share its chassis with our current favourite compact saloon, with only stiffer anti-roll bars and a softened front suspension to account for heavier loads at the rear. The differences are slight but noticed in corners, with the Touring lacking some of the saloon’s precision. This 3.0-litre 330d is now the cheapest six-cylinder in the range, with the 330i petrol having made the switch to four-pot. Power delivery is effortlessly smooth, with…

1 ARIEL ATOM 4 Clear of rivals for static appeal, quality, character and driver engagement. Genuine supercar pace in a sub-£50k package. 2 ARIEL NOMAD A totally different take on the lightweight sports car, and still a brilliant one – albeit more so on gravel than circuit Tarmac. 3 MORGAN 3WHEELER EURO III Not a spot on either Ariel for technical allure, performance or handling sophistication – just unmistakably great fun to drive. 4 CATERHAM SEVEN 360R With the indefatigable Seven, less is more. Ideally matched performance and grip levels. Agile and exciting like little else. 5 WESTFIELD SPORT 250 More bang for your buck than anything else in the class, if you don’t mind the more kit-car-like materials. Handles creditably.…

Later this year, a Nissan Leaf will travel from Cranfield University to Sunderland, a distance of 230 miles. It will navigate roundabouts, A-roads and motorways, all through live traffic. Nothing unusual about that except that the Leaf will be driving itself. The journey, called the Grand Drive, is billed as the most complex autonomously controlled journey yet attempted in the UK. It will be the culmination of a 30-month development project that boasts heavyweight partners including Nissan and Hitachi. The project is called HumanDrive since one of its goals is to develop a vehicle control system that emulates a natural human driving style using machine learning and artificial intelligence. To assist engineers, a detailed visualisation of the environment the autonomous test cars have been developed in has been created. “The…

Tim Harvey nestles into the snug bucket seat and cracks that trademark toothy smile. He looks right at home, just as he should, because he’s sitting in the very BMW M3 E30 in which he won the final round of the British Touring Car Championship way back in 1991. Tim has changed in the past 28 years (well, only a little), but the car hasn’t. “It’s a funny thing,” he says after squeezing out to admire the E30, resplendent in Vic Lee Motorsport’s iconic Labatt’s beer livery. “I was transported back in time. It was the smell. I can’t remember what I had for breakfast this morning, but when I got in there was that whiff of paint off the transmission tunnel, where it always used to burn. I haven’t…

MILEAGE 19,328 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see if this newest twist on the Range Rover formula is worthy of the badge – and its price The Velar has a little green badge on the front grille and another on the tailgate that you’ll know well. It says Land Rover. For however plush and premium and new-type-of-Range-Rovery the marketers say it is, and no matter what the average farmer may think, the Velar is proving itself to still very much be a rough-and-tough Land Rover. That much we found out quite literally in my 7 August report when we took it off road, but what’s now emerging as the miles really pile on is just how versatile and usable it is every day – the other side of Land Rover.…

Subaru Impreza Here is the most heartbreaking story you’ll ever read about a Subaru Impreza. “I didn’t quite get to move on from the Scooby,” says Nicholas. “It sat as an MOT failure outside my house for months. Every time I got in it, I couldn’t face parting with what had been my trusty, indestructible quarter-of-a-million-miler. Six months and some time at my local independent later, she’s back. Was it worth it? Ouch, probably not. The work to rebuild it was not quite double the cost of the quoted £1440 for an OEM spare wheel, tyre and winch for the ‘new’ Discovery after it was stolen in broad daylight from a station car park outside my office.”…

Mini 1.6 John Cooper Works GP Price £14,000 The Mini Cooper S with John Cooper Works GP Kit, to give it its full name, has no rear seats and weighs 50kg less than the standard Works car. At the time – 2006 – this limited-edition model was the fastest Mini yet built, with 215bhp (7bhp more than the Works) available from its supercharged 1.6-litre engine. Among all the special BMW Minis out there it can be hard to spot a future classic, but this is one. Our example is a 2006/56-reg car with 65,000 miles for £14,000 – or just £8000 less than it was new.…

An owner’s view GORDON BISHOP “I bought my 320 in 2000. It was a few months old with about 1500 miles and had been a dealer demonstrator. It’s since racked up almost 120,000 miles and has never failed me. SLs like to be driven; they hate standing around. Despite the mileage, it’s in beautiful condition. The paint is tough and the alloys haven’t corroded like they can on lesser cars. It’s everything I could want in a car: attractive, comfortable, well equipped and built like a tank. It’s always serviced on the button, mostly specialists using Mercedes-trained technicians. I’ve still got the hard top. Luckily, I have the space to store it.” Buyer beware ■ ENGINE Experts call it a ‘biodegradable’ wiring loom for the way it disintegrates over time. Misfires…