Innholdsfortegnelse for January 02, 2020 i Autocar

TOYOTA GR SUPER SPORTS Arriving: 2021 Road-legal version of forthcoming Le Mans racer will serve as range-topping ‘halo’ model, built in very small numbers. GR YARIS Arriving: Late 2020 Four-wheel-drive, 247bhp-plus hot hatch brings World Rally Championship learnings to Yaris range. GR SUPRA On sale: Now Famed two-seat grand tourer has been reborn through partnership with BMW. GR86 Arriving: 2021 (est) Second generation of rear-wheel-drive coupé will be brought in line with new GR branding.…

The merger between the PSA Group and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) will deliver “new, leading and clean mobility solutions” that are affordable for the masses, according to PSA Group CEO Carlos Tavares. The merger, formalised in December and to be processed and finalised over the next 12-15 months, will create the fourth largest car-making group, with around 8.7 million sales worldwide. It is estimated to result in £3.1 billion of cost savings as a result of numerous “synergies”, including shared investment and development in vehicle platforms, engines, components and technology. Answering questions about the shape of the brand’s future line-ups at a press conference, Tavares said the major focus is on products that don’t just meet emissions regulations but that buyers actually want. He said: “We cannot say having zero-emission…

MORE DETAILS HAVE emerged about Swindon Powertrain’s ready-to-go compact ‘crate’ EV powertrain, which is on schedule for a June launch. The unit is billed as a ‘high power density’ (HPD) powertrain, so named because the firm claims the highest power-to-volume ratio on the market. Electric drive units could potentially become a big thing in EVs, providing a cost-effective, off-the-shelf solution for smaller manufacturers and niche markets, from quad bikes through to sports cars, mid-sized cars and light commercial vehicles such as vans. The HPD weighs only 70kg in total and the target was that it should fit in the engine bay of an original (classic) Mini, but it could be used on the front or rear axle of a vehicle, or both to provide four-wheel drive. The powertrain consists of…

The final 2019 registration figure for new cars in the UK is expected to be close to 2.3 million, which would represent a 2.8% drop on 2018 and a fall of 14.6% from the 2016 peak of just under 2.7m. Another decline is expected in 2020, to 2.2m if the Brexit process goes relatively smoothly. If the chaos and indecision of 2019 gets worse in 2020, then a fall to 2.0m or below is entirely possible. ALFA ROMEO 2018 market share: 0.18% 2019 market share: 0.15% Alfa Romeo’s long-heralded rebirth is proving hard to deliver. Once its FCA owner is merged with PSA, will the group sell Alfa to someone who thinks they can do a better job? ASTON MARTIN 2018 market share: 0.06% 2019 market share: 0.07% Rarely has…

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Onwards, friends, leaving no niche unturned, just as much in the super-sports car category as Mercedes is doing in the small family car segment. This is the Mercedes-AMG GT Roadster in ‘R’ form and it takes the GT’s total number of derivatives to 16, across the two-door sports car’s coupé and roadster models. The R Roadster is one of the weirder ones in the line-up because if you imagine a Porsche 911 GT3 RS Convertible, that’s kind of where we are. The R Roadster has the second-most-focused GT chassis set-up (behind only the GT R Pro) and is meant to be a Nürburgring monster, but here comes with a soft-top body that, you’ll know, usually means some dynamic compromises. The aerodynamic, mechanical and dynamic specification of the R Coupé and…

1 WESTFALIA JAMES COOK RAISING ROOF Extraordinary Sprinter-based conversion has a rising roof and a slide-out rear section to increase living space inside. 2 WILDAX ELARA UK-converted Sprinter-based model is packed with clever features and offers the convenience and practicality of a lengthways double bed. 3 VANTAGE SKY Vantage’s Sky is a truly family-friendly campervan, with a double bed that drops down over the lounge, in effect creating double bunk beds. 4 VW GRAND CALIFORNIA Latest iteration of the California is bigger and pricier than the Beach and Ocean models but looks set to achieve equally iconic status in the coming years. 5 MERCEDES-BENZ MARCO POLO AMG LINE Merc’s own factory-built camper is beautifully built but doesn’t have the sheer ease of use or the space that the VW offers.…

ON SALE FEBRUARY McLAREN 620R Hardcore, road-going version of the 570S GT4 will be the fastest Sports Series McLaren you can buy. It gets a 612bhp 3.8-litre V8, less weight, race-spec adjustable suspension and semi-slick tyres. That and motorsport aero should let it monster any circuit. ON SALE NOVEMBER (TBC) McLAREN 750LT A faster, lighter ‘long tail’ 750LT hasn’t been confirmed yet, but it’s a natural progression of the 720S in line with other models (see: 600LT). Spy shots of a modified 720S test hack show work has begun and the model is likely to have about 740bhp. ON SALE FEBRUARY McLAREN SPEEDTAIL Spiritual successor to the F1? Well, it’s the first McLaren since that car with three seats, has an F1-matching production run of 106 units and is designed…

ON SALE OCTOBER FORD MUSTANG MACH-E The Ford Mustang is arguably the antithesis of a high-riding electric SUV. It’s a muscle car, best served with a rorty V8 producing plenty of noise. So why has Ford stuck that pony badge on the Mustang Mach-E, its new high-riding electric SUV? The idea, according to Ford designer Murat Gueler, is to give its new EV a dose of the Mustang’s “emotion and drama” with muscle-car styling but without resorting to pastiche. The hope is that it can give the Mustang Mach-E, which will cost around £60,000 in 332bhp First Edition form, the premium sheen necessary to take on the likes of the Tesla Model Y. It certainly has the specs to do so – and hotter GT and Shelby versions are on…

ON SALE MARCH VOLKSWAGEN GOLF Well, what did you expect? Not a revolution: this is a Golf, after all. Now in its eighth generation, the new Golf is still very much a Golf, with its evolutionary styling, improved practicality, marginally increased dimensions and greater efficiency, both under the bonnet with proven but enhanced engines (including mild-hybrid technology) and in its aerodynamics. Those are the kinds of changes you tend to see from one generation of Golf to the next, so the really new feature this time round is an interior that adopts a completely digital dashboard. It’s quite some shift and is anything but conservative. And is that evidence of cost-cutting we see, now that the underside of the bonnet is no longer body coloured and is kept up with…

ON SALE THIS MONTH AUDI RS6 AVANT Audi Sport’s flagship has long been the benchmark for practical performance cars and, having driven it, we reckon this latest version – with a 591bhp mild-hybrid V8 engine and a 565-litre boot – is the most accomplished yet. While rivals might have greater driver appeal, we reckon no other hot estate can beat it for all-round excellence. Of course, these days there’s more than one way to mix practicality and performance – and the RS6 doesn’t just have to battle performance estates to win over buyers… ON SALE AUGUST BMW X5 M Only the spiciest Competition variant of BMW’s hot SUV will be heading to the UK, with a 616bhp twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8 paired with a rear-biased all-wheel drive system similar to the…

MILEAGE 11,200 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see if it’s as capable as we think, or whether it’s just silly Following an initial flurry of off-road activity, the Ford Ranger Raptor has been pressed back into more mundane service during the past couple of weeks. Which will not be uncommon for owners. The Raptor might be a rough-trail sports car but, like on-road sports cars, it’ll spend most of its time doing the daily grind, with sporadic moments of showing off. Customers will expect it to be adept at both. And it is good at the boring stuff, which is unsurprising and why double-cab pick-ups became so popular in the first place, I suppose. Owing to being bigger, the Raptor isn’t quite as easy to rub along with as the…

QUESTION I’m considering buying an EV, but will the CO2 produced in making and then powering it cancel out its green benefits?Paul Whyte, Berkhamstead ANSWER A recent study by Imperial College London found that, including production of their batteries, EVs produce half as much CO2 as a conventional car during their lifetime. As the UK’s energy supply becomes decarbonised, this advantage will increase. Smaller EVs with smaller batteries are greenest, by the way. At the same time, a University of Liège study said an EV built and powered using 100% low-carbon energy would need to travel only 19,000 miles before it became greener than a petrol car. Green energy, in their manufacture especially, is the key to greener EVs. JE QUESTION Insurance quotes for my 2011-reg BMW 523i SE span…

Porsche Panamera 4.8 GTS PDK £32,950 Welcome to our five used dream machines of 2020, leading with this, the first-generation Porsche Panamera. There are stacks of diesels around and terrific value they are, too, but as oil-burners continue to get the cold shoulder, how about a petrol one? A rare GTS caught our eye. Based on the naturally aspirated 4.8 S but with more power and torque (424bhp and 383lb ft) for 0-62mph in 4.5sec, sharper steering and tweaked suspension, it’s possibly the best Panamera in the old-model line-up and slots between the 4S and Turbo. Our find is a 2012/12-reg with just 46,000 miles, and ‘one lady owner’. (Surely, that’s sexist. I mean, are we saying ladies don’t know how to give a car a proper workout?) Anyway, it…

An expert’s view COLIN JACKSON, FOUNDER AND MD, P3 AMG “I’ve owned two SLK 55s. An abiding memory is being on the Modball Rally, driving on the Stelvio Pass and chasing a mate who was in a Gallardo. I had the gearbox in manual mode, on the paddles all the way. Great fun. After 1500 miles of solid driving across the Continent, I got out fresh as a daisy. It’s the 55’s exhaust note I love most. But the car’s comfortable, too, and so drivable. They’re meant to be quite rare but we get a few in the workshop. As long as it’s properly serviced, the engine is rock solid. The front suspension can get tired from the weight of the engine and the brakes take a hammering. I’d have…

Toyota and Subaru are ramping up development of a successor to the GT86 and BRZ sports cars – and Autocar has learned that the Toyota version will be rebranded as the GR86. The GT86 and BRZ were launched in 2012, and their future had been in doubt because of relatively low sales. But both companies have committed to developing a replacement, with the Toyota version a key part of the brand’s growing performance car line-up. Toyota boss Akio Toyoda is a major proponent of using performance models to boost the brand’s image under the Gazoo Racing division, which also includes Toyota’s various motorsport programmes. The original GT86 pre-dated the creation of that brand, which started with the GR Supra and will also include the GR Yaris, the first model developed…

Mazda says it will never build a ‘big-battery’ electric car, because it believes such vehicles are less environmentally friendly than even conventional diesel-powered models, judged over a whole energy life cycle. Speaking in Portugal at a prototype test drive of the upcoming MX-30 electric car, Joachim Kunz, head of product development and engineering at Mazda Europe, said the firm has studied the CO2 emissions of building a vehicle “from extraction to disposal”. Citing a study by a Japanese university using the average CO2 output of the European grid, Kunz said an EV with a 95kWh battery has such a disadvantage of embedded CO2 at the point of sale that a new Mazda Skyactiv diesel car will probably be more CO2 efficient across its lifetime, even if the EV’s battery pack…

JAGUAR LAND ROVER’S Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) arm has acquired Bowler, the off-road Land Rover tuner, securing its future following administration. Bowler rose to fame tuning Land Rover models and specialises in off-road performance cars and rally-raid competition cars. JLR, which bought Bowler for an undisclosed sum, said the specialist has expertise in “all-terrain vehicle dynamics, low-volume production techniques, and proving the durability of components under extreme conditions”, all of which is “highly sought-after”. JLR added that SVO is a “fast-growing business that amplifies the key attributes of Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles to create distinctive world-class products – including SV, Vehicle Personalisation and Classic”. Bowler, as a fourth business unit, is “a natural fit”, said JLR. In 2012, Bowler formed a brand partnership with JLR that led the 2014-16…

The automotive industry has long regarded China as the locomotive of global earnings. And for much of the past decade, things couldn’t have been better. As new-found levels of wealth poured into China’s middle class during a sustained period of economic growth after the 2009 recession, sales in the world’s largest car market soared to lofty new heights. Sales of cars in China eventually reached a peak of 28,879,000 in 2017 – a figure that represented more than a quarter of all cars sold globally that year. With a seemingly never-ending stream of earnings driven by their success in China, profits at many established Western car manufacturers and younger Chinese automotive entities surged. At the time, the general prognosis was that the uninterrupted demand for both passenger cars and commercial…

What, exactly, is the Toyota GR Yaris? That’s hard to explain, because it’s rarely what you expect it to be. It looks a bit like a Yaris, but it’s not really a Yaris. It’s a preview of Toyota’s next World Rally Car, except that it’s not a homologation special in the traditional sense. It’s a Ford Fiesta-sized pocket rocket, but with underpinnings more in common with larger hot hatches such as the Honda Civic Type R. It feels a sort of successor to the Yaris GRMN, but its production run will be a lot bigger, moving into five figures. Its exaggerated bodywork styling suggests flamboyant excess, but the underlying philosophy is ‘less is more’, with a clear focus on weight saving and efficiency. Essentially, it’s a lightweight, four-wheel-drive hot hatch…

Meet the motoring equivalent of those ‘greatest hits’ albums you often find in the New Year sales, with everything you loved before plus a few new tracks to stave off whatever X Factor darling is attempting a run on the charts. The 300 Sport is an F-Pace packed with a comprehensive standard kit list, arriving as part of a wider refresh to keep Jaguar’s sporting SUV firmly in buyers’ minds when shopping for a luxury high-rider. It can be had in four-cylinder petrol or six-cylinder diesel forms, each promising 298bhp, and it’s the twin-turbocharged oil-burner that’s driven here. It sends a significant 516lb ft of torque to all four wheels through an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox and Jaguar’s rear-biased all-wheel drive system. There’s no shortage of ‘300 Sport’ branding, with…

The Grand California 600 has a self-imposed natural speed limit, which is readily apparent around the Millbrook alpine hill route, yet it handles in a sufficiently viceless, stable and benign way that it reassures you it would remain secure and controllable in an emergency. The obvious worry with a car so high sided is rollover, but that’s managed and mitigated quite effectively when it comes to it. The vehicle retained respectable lateral body control even when cornering in something approaching a hurry. Your entry speed is naturally quite circumspect and the always-on stability control prevents you from trying to pick up too much pace mid-corner. Such gently paced steering and slow handling responses are all most drivers will need to adopt the fairly gentle cross-country gait needed to keep things…

ON SALE APRIL ASTON MARTIN Aston Martin’s most important car launch for a decade, the DBX is the firm’s first SUV and has a lot resting on its shoulders. It has been a turbulent time since the company floated on the stock market in 2018 and CEO Andy Palmer believes the DBX will be pivotal in reassuring investors and analysts alike and propel Aston Martin into the next phase of its so-called ‘second-century plan’. Following the launches of the DB11, Vantage and DBS in consecutive years since 2016, the DBX is next up and should become the brand’s best-selling model, with a target of 10,000 sales per year by 2021. Palmer told us: “DBX is important as the first extension car. It shows we can move beyond GT cars. It’s…

Do you remember a car with more hype than the new Defender? Thought not. Revealed last September, it promises to be as peerless off road as its forebear but revelatory on it, blending modern and traditional inside and out. Land Rover had a clear product plan from the get-go, offering two wheelbases, the three-door 90 and five-door 110, sold with four distinctive packs – Explorer, Adventure, Country and Urban – plus two commercial models. ON SALE MARCH THE AUTOCAR SPECIFICATION Here’s one we specced earlier… a Defender 110 with the P300 petrol engine, Pangea Green paint, 18in gloss white steel wheels (of course) and a white roof. WHAT’S NEXT? ON SALE 2020 PLUG-IN HYBRID In the second half of this year, Land Rover will launch a four-pot plug-in hybrid, likely…

ON SALE DECEMBER GOLF ESTATE No surprises here. It’s the Golf with a bigger boot. Extra bodystyles for the Golf end here, though: the three-door, Plus and Cabriolet will be no more. ON SALE SEPTEMBER GOLF GTI There was heated debate at VW about whether the GTI would go hybrid. The no camp won. So a 2.0 TSI will arrive with 242bhp or 287bhp in a GTI Clubsport. ON SALE SEPTEMBER GOLF GTD VW is persisting with the performance diesel Golf. Little is known about the GTD, however, beyond its 2.0 TDI engine and GTI-aping chassis and looks. ON SALE SEPTEMBER GOLF GTE The hot GTE plug-in hybrid will again combine a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine with an electric motor for a combined total of 242bhp. ON SALE SEPTEMBER GOLF…

Jaguar has faced tough times of late, but the firm is planning to start hitting back in 2020. To boost its short-term fortunes, Jaguar will refresh most of its current line-up – and reveal the new all-electric XJ that will truly set its course for the future. ON SALE FEBRUARY F-TYPE The sports car has been sharpened up for 2020, with both coupé and cabriolet receiving a redesigned front end that more closely matches the facelifted XE compact saloon. Interior upgrades have modernised the cabin, which remains driver focused and eschews analogue dials for a digital instrument cluster. It receives Jaguar’s latest infotainment software and materials quality has taken a step up, too, but the biggest change has been to the engine line-up. The V6 variant will no longer be…

Often maligned or ignored, a city car is the first and last bastion of personal mobility. Bought mostly by the youngest and oldest motorists in society, the tiny, cheap yet surprisingly well-endowed crop of today’s A-segment models seems more relevant than ever in a world of decreasing road space and growing traffic levels. Yet they’re in danger of extinction, party because of punishing EU CO2 regulations that get tougher the lighter the car is, regardless of price, and the cost of electrifying cars such as this relative to their price point. An Autocar investigation last year concluded that a number of car makers who’ve previously led this market – such as Ford, Volkswagen and Vauxhall – are either refusing to confirm replacements for their current city cars or pulling out…

ON SALE MAY HYUNDAI i30 N Like the standard i30, the i30 N hot hatch and i30 N Fastback will be updated. Don’t expect significant power upgrades, but there could be revisions to the chassis and other efforts to make the model more engaging than rivals. Alongside this, there will be interior and exterior tweaks. ON SALE JUNE HONDA CIVIC TYPE R NURBURGRING EDITION Honda will be refreshing the Civic. This will mean tweaks to the Type R, including exterior revisions and a boost in technology and perceived quality inside. But the biggest news is there will be a faster, more hardcore Nürburgring focused special to rival the Renault Mégane RS Trophy-R.…

FINAL REPORT MILEAGE 7279 WHY WE RAN IT To see if the world’s best-selling SUV is still as comfy, refined, spacious and dynamically competent in hybrid form Blessed. It was the cringeworthy hashtag of 2019, sprayed without irony all over Instagram or whichever social media platform you find yourself on. In this job, we are blessed. Blessed, because we get to drive all manner of cars, and it’s something we don’t take for granted. There’s a strange phenomenon that comes with this territory, though. Occasionally, at a fuel station, we might be filling up the tank of a fresh set of wheels and attract the attention of a fellow petrolhead. Inevitably, she or he wants to know what size engine it’s got, what’s the mpg and how I, lowly videographer,…

Take one Golf, raise it up, give it a roomier and more practical body and voilà: you’ve got a Tiguan. The SUV even shares many of the same engines with its hatchback sibling but optional four-wheel drive, called 4Motion, is available on most versions. The point is, the reasons you might buy a Golf – its restrained good looks, quality build, comfortable driving experience, smooth and economical engines, good level of standard equipment and easy resale – are why you might also buy a Tiguan, plus a few more. They include extra space and a roomier boot with the possibility of sliding and folding the back seats to create a load space of up to 1655 litres. The Mk2 Tiguan under the spotlight here was launched in 2016. Prices start…

MERCEDES-BENZ S600 Old luxo barges always look mouth-watering until you pause to consider their running costs. But be brave: this 2003-reg S-Class had done just 71,000 miles when it went under the hammer, and although there’s no mention of it having a full service history, it appears to have had a fettle of some sort most years. Equipment included heated and cooling front and rear leather seats, a TV, a fridge and sat-nav. It made £3816. The S600 was powered by a 5.5-litre bi-turbo V12 producing 490bhp and today is a collector’s item of sorts. Whatever, this one looks like it was a bargain.…

Toyota is considering hybrid versions of future performance car models – but only once the weight of the systems are reduced. The Japanese firm is in the process of electrifying all of its models, with a heavy focus on hybrid systems. But the new GR Yaris (first drive, p24) will only be offered with a three-cylinder, 1.6-litre turbocharged petrol engine, despite 80% of Yaris sales expected to be hybrid. Naohiko Sato, chief engineer of the GR Yaris, said that while a hybrid system would fit in the car and was under evaluation, Toyota didn’t believe it was currently suitable for performance cars. “Right now, if we chose an electrified powertrain for a sports car, it would be heavier,” said Sato. “We decided it’s not the right way to go right…

JEEP WILL FOLLOW the launch of its plug-in hybrid Renegade SUV with a plug-in hybrid Wrangler and even an electric SUV, company insiders have revealed to Autocar. Although the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) model is unconfirmed for right-hand-drive Wranglers, Europe is believed to be a key market for a PHEV model, despite the Wrangler’s modest volumes there. A PHEV model is necessary to dramatically reduce the CO2 that the rugged 4x4 produces, in order to help Jeep and its Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) parent to avoid big fines under the fleet average emissions targets for 2020. Currently, Jeep’s range is a long way from the 95g/km target, even allowing for the weighting of heavier cars, and the Wrangler is one of the most polluting models. Even the most frugal variant currently…

MODEL TESTED 600 Price £68,899 • Power 174bhp • Torque 302lb ft • 0-60mph 15.8sec • Fuel economy 26.1mpg • CO2 emissions 218g/km • 70-0mph 66.8m • 30-70mph in fourth 19.3sec To a great many people used to modern luxury hotels, the idea of a luxurious, aspirational ‘lifestyle’ motorhome may well seem like a brazen contradiction in terms. Not to those who’ve spent happy days wandering around the trade shows organised to show off the various ways in which you can spend a six-figure sum on a high-end camper, though; and clearly not to the product planners at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, who’ve brought us the subject of this week’s road test, the new Grand California. VW isn’t the only (predominantly car-making) brand to have sought to explore such an idea in…

VERDICT The Grand California has several evident strengths that (thankfully for us) you needn’t have expert knowledge of the motorhome scene to appreciate. Where we needed the aforementioned to position it relative to its rivals, we sought help from our former colleagues at Practical Motorhome magazine, to whom we’re grateful. Readily apparent even to us, though, was the appealing perceived quality and classy material ambience of this vehicle; likewise, its impressive comfort, refinement and drivability. However, among its disappointments, we noted an inefficient cabin layout, which seems to present the on-board ‘wet room’ as if it were some kind of totem and generally makes the vehicle interior feel quite a bit less spacious than you expect. If the regular California is a packaging miracle for its on-board adaptability, then, it’s…

ON SALE EARLY 2020 AUDI RS Q8 “What’s surprising is the Audi’s agility,” said Autocar’s James Disdale of the RS Q8 when riding in it at the Nürburgring recently. “Where you’d expect plough-on understeer and extreme body roll, the RS Q8 takes a neutral and flat stance.” The ‘halo’ model for Audi’s largest SUV coupé, it features the twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 from the forthcoming RS6, packing 592bhp and 590lb ft. ON SALE MARCH BMW X6 M The X6 was one of the original SUV coupés and this M-badged model ups the ante with 616bhp and 553lb ft in the range-topping Competition variant. The X6 M is priced from £113,310 and promises 0-62mph in 3.8sec. ON SALE LATE 2020 CUPRA FORMENTOR Cupra’s first stand-alone model, the Formentor, will be its flagship.…

If the I-Pace was a statement of intent, the electric-only XJ will prove how committed Jaguar is to electrification when it makes its debut in 2020. The reinvented flagship saloon promises to sport “unconventional” looks. The first of several electrified models to be produced in the UK, the next-gen XJ is set to be built at the firm’s Castle Bromwich plant, with up to 150,000 batteries produced yearly at the nearby Hams Hall facility. More importantly, it could be the next step towards Jaguar’s transformation into an EV-only brand, with the XE and XF replaced by an all-electric crossover in 2023 and a second-generation I-Pace to lead the electric SUV charge.…

MERCEDES S-CLASS The seventh generation of Mercedes-Benz’s flagship model aims to raise the bar in the luxury saloon segment even higher – and is expected to introduce new technology and systems that will eventually trickle down the range. Likely to be offered in long-wheelbase form only (good news for buyers who prefer to be driven), the S-Class will be built on an all-new Mercedes platform and spy shots suggest that it will feature the biggest touchscreen yet seen in any of the firm’s models. Expect a choice of petrol and diesel engines, along with mild and plug-in hybrids, before the arrival in 2022 of the EQS, bidding to be the world’s best all-round luxury EV. ON SALE DECEMBER ROLLS-ROYCE GHOST Last year, the new Ghost was spied at the Nürburgring…

ON SALE DECEMBER CORSA-e VXR Before the PSA Group bought Vauxhall, the idea of the brand pioneering in the hot hatch sector would have seemed far-fetched. After all, nothing launched in recent memory could be described as innovative. But the firm has been first to stick its head above the parapet and confirm its next small VXR model, the Corsa, will be fully electric. Gone will be the days of VXRs bouncing loudly off the redline around Britain’s suburbs on a Friday night. It’s perhaps best not to get too excited at this stage. Autocar understands that initially we’ll see cosmetic and handling upgrades rather than a significant power boost, but a performance hike should feature later. Besides, with a 0-62mph time of 8.1sec and instant torque, the Corsa-e (see…

Hypercars from Aston Martin, Ferrari and Lamborghini will arrive in the next few years packing unfathomably powerful electrified powertrains, but if 2020’s performance car launches are any guide, combustion (if it is going out) is going out with a bang. Snarling new bruisers from AMG and Chevrolet prove that the humble V8 is still capable of delivering blistering all-round performance, while Porsche is still working its flat-six magic. But this segment is about to undergo its most radical transformation yet, so the cars featured here could be among the last of their kind. ON SALE JULY CHEVROLET CORVETTE Chevrolet unwrapped the very first Corvette in 1953 as an attainable alternative to the ultra-exclusive exotics being produced by Ferrari, Maserati and Porsche, but never before has ‘America’s sports car’ strayed so…

Gordon Murray’s T50 looks tantalising and a genuinely different take on the supercar template. (One would expect nothing less from him.) As Autocar already identified, comparison with the 1978 Brabham BT46B grand prix car is inevitable. The Murray-designed BT46B dominated on its first outing, at that year’s Swedish Grand Prix, and winner Niki Lauda said: “It was the easiest win I ever had. You could do anything with that car.” Other teams were up in arms, amid fears of a massive escalation in cornering speeds, and team owner Bernie Ecclestone withdrew the car (although the BT46B was never actually declared illegal). What was lost in all this controversy was a secondary objection that the BT46B tended to hoover up all track detritus and spew this out in the face of…

MILEAGE 4843 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To find out if the reborn, revamped Corolla can cut it with the best in the hugely competitive family car class The Corolla has become an understated star of the Autocar fleet. It’s far from the grandest or flashiest machine in our car park, but its relaxing and efficient demeanour makes it an easy car to spend time in and it has become a popular choice for long motorway journeys. Interestingly, it seems we’re not alone. Since running the Corolla, I’ve heard from two readers who picked one to replace diesel-powered BMWs (a 520d and 320d Touring). Both admitted that going from a BMW to a Toyota might seem a strange move, but they were high-mileage drivers drawn in by reduced company car tax…

MILEAGE 83,993 BMW 320 There we were, me and the Baby Shark, full-on bombing down the A14 when there was the most almighty and quite terrifying graunchy sound from the nearside. It initially sounded mechanical, but the wind noise was the big clue. After 40 years together, the trim surrounding the door and rear window went its own way. At a right angle actually, until I could find a safe place to stop. Then I had to use the bootlid-mounted toolkit to separate it from the trim clip. Do I get a panel beater involved or do it myself? This is a complete pain when there are other issues.…

Alpina Z4 Roadster S Price £13,500 Before BMW launched the Z4 M, Alpina snuck in with its Roadster S. It’s powered by the hand-built 3.4-litre straight six from the Alpina B3 S, producing 300bhp for 0-62mph in 5.1sec. It’s fitted with an uprated six-speed gearbox and suspension. Our find, a 2004-reg with 84,000 miles but little mention of service history, has the desirable Lux pack comprising leather, xenon lights and 19in wheels. We’d check for leaky dampers, the battery warning light (the alternator is exclusive and a replacement is hard to find) and a failed head gasket.…

You can tell a lot about a car from its seller’s flower beds. Take the 2005-reg SLK 55 AMG with 90,000 miles on the clock that we found advertised for £13,995. It’s a private-sale example and is photographed on the owner’s immaculate driveway, bordered with neatly trimmed bushes punctuated by flowering shrubs. So the seller is house proud. It’s no surprise, therefore, to find they’re car proud, too, as their ad reveals: “Always run on Mobil 1 and V-Power. All 16 spark plugs recently changed. Fully stamped service book (next service is a minor). Vario roof works properly with all seals regularly treated with Gummi Pflege.” As a buying guide to the SLK 55, this ad doesn’t get much better, especially so since the seller reveals his car has had…