Innholdsfortegnelse for September 1, 2021 i Autocar

THE NEW FORD Focus ST Edition has been revealed with a bespoke chassis package that’s claimed to make it the most agile iteration of the hot hatch yet. Arriving shortly after the similarly conceived Fiesta ST Edition, the newcomer starts from £35,785 and is available exclusively in hatchback form. It’s equipped with a 2.3-litre petrol engine that produces 276bhp and gives a 0-62mph time of 5.7sec. Ford Performance-tuned adjustable coilover suspension is fitted as standard, lowering the ride height by 10mm at the front and rear, with a further adjustment of 20mm available. The dampers have 12 rebound settings for greater control in the corners and the spring rates are increased by more than 50% compared with the standard model’s. Customers will receive a technical document advising on the optimal…

MERCEDES-AMG HAS kickstarted its electrification by unveiling the E Performance version of its GT 4-Door Coupé as an 831bhp mega-PHEV to rival the Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid. Based on the GT 63 S 4-Door Coupé, AMG’s first plug-in hybrid supplements the reserves of a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 petrol engine with a 201bhp electric motor on the rear axle – a new arrangement dubbed the P3 drive system. With more power than any previous AMG and torque in excess of 1033lb ft, it will clear the 0-62mph sprint in just 2.9sec and top out at 196mph – effectively matching the smaller and more track-focused GT Black Series two-door launched last year for outright pace. The electric motor takes its power from a 6.1kWh 400V battery pack that weighs just 89kg…

THE NEW SECOND-GENERATION Citan will be the final Mercedes-Benz van to be offered with an internal-combustion powertrain. Revealed in Panel Van and Tourer (MPV) forms ahead of a market launch in September, the 4.5-metre-long Citan is closely related to the new Renault Kangoo. As such, it will be available with a choice of petrol, diesel or pure-electric power, the latter providing an estimated range of 177 miles. The new Citan will next year spawn a new upmarket MPV called the T-Class, which will also be available in electric form. Previewed by the bold EQT Concept earlier this year, the upcoming junior sibling to the V-Class will be more overtly geared towards families than the old Citan Tourer, placing a focus on premium technology and cabin functionality.…

Porsche used to have a habit of keeping models around forever, giving them a big update every so often, but sticking with the same basic car. The original 911 ran from 1964 to 1989 and the 928 stuck around from 1978 to 1995. The brand is in considerably better financial health these days, so its models tend to have normal seven-year life cycles, but the Macan has been around since 2014 and has just received its second facelift. The reason is that it must hold the fort until an all-new electric Macan arrives in 2023, and even then it will continue to be sold alongside the newer EV, until 2024. The exterior revisions are subtle, as is so often the way with Porsche facelifts. The main change is to the…

There are few bigger automotive bandwagons on which to jump than that of the small crossover. The Yaris Cross may be very late aboard, but it’s important for Toyota, as it’s predicted to become the brand’s second-biggest seller after the Yaris. The new Nissan Juke rival uses the same TNGA-B platform and 1.5-litre petrol hybrid powertrain as the Yaris, then adds raised suspension, RAV4-inspired styling and the option of four-wheel drive – rare in this class. Dynamic trim, as tested here, is the highest of four, costing £26,465. The most popular is expected to be midrange Design, starting at £24,140. On the road, the Yaris Cross is pleasingly reverent to its supermini roots, delivering respectable body control for a crossover and direct steering, making it surprisingly fun on faster roads…

Three years ago, we saluted the emphatic V8 performance and drama, and the charismatic front-engined, rear-drive handling, of the standard Vantage with a 4.5-star road test verdict. Now, in a market in which the 992-gen Porsche 911 GT3 and Turbo S both exist and where the McLaren 600LT has left its lasting mark, the notably enhanced Vantage F1 Edition does a shade poorer. To some, that may not seem fair; but benchmarks relevant to this car for outright performance, track capability and driver reward have advanced over the past 36 months; and in other ways, the Vantage probably hasn’t advanced enough. The simple truth is the Vantage’s interior needs updating pretty urgently as part of a bigger mid-life facelift. But the F1 Edition’s refinements have nonetheless sharpened the car’s on-road…

I won’t condone it, but I can certainly understand how it happens. You start off wanting something quick, elegant and genuinely rewarding to drive, but it also has to feel special. The budget? Unlike most of us dreamers, you actually have enough cash to make this happen: £150,000. That, or you at least have the ability to pay £10,000 up front then around £2000 monthly. So you head to the classifieds and begin your search for that noblest of breeds – the grand tourer, perhaps from Gaydon. Or even Maranello. But hold your emblematic horses. Circumstances mean door fours and good acreage in the back are non-negotiable, and herein lies your problem. What to do? Separating your desirables from your must-haves and going for two cars instead of one is…

The use of fan technology in motorsport goes back a long way. In 1970, Jim Hall’s Chaparral 2J blitzed its Can-Am opposition, and all thanks to a schoolboy’s letter. The 12-year-old wrote to Hall suggesting that he use a helicopter rotor in his car to suck air out and suck the car down. Hall took the idea to General Motors, which duly installed into the 2J two fans from a M109 Howitzer tank, which together extracted a mind-boggling 9650 cubic feet of air per minute. But reliability woes and an eventual ban after a complaint by rival team McLaren put paid to any future success. Then in 1978, Brabham installed a fan system in its BT46B Formula 1 car as a counter to the dominant ground-effect Lotus 79, earning Niki…

Exactly 70 years after it first burst onto the scene, the Acropolis Rally in Greece is back. It was last part of the World Rally Championship in 2013, won by Jari-Matti Latvala, and even throughout its WRC absence it retained a fearsome reputation for being the ultimate car-breaker: a stomach-churning mix of dust, noise, rocks and ruts. And there’s something about the searing heat of Greece that’s suffocatingly airless, so dehydration is as much of a risk as broken suspension. So tiring is this epic event that it’s where the The Sleeping Co-Drivers’ Association was formed several years ago – the result of a joke between co-drivers who found that they were sometimes nodding off, even when reading their pace notes. And that’s despite the fact that Nicky Grist once…

HIS CAREER PLANS “I’m not saying I will stay here until we win the championship. My objective is building a team that’s long-term sustainable and works properly. Then I would feel my job is done. I’m not putting any time limit on it, but that’s my objective.” THE IMPORTANCE OF F1’S NEW COST CAP “I didn’t believe it could work at first, and there are still grey areas, but you have to start somewhere. Without the cap, our new owners certainly wouldn’t have come in, and I probably wouldn’t have taken the job either. I don’t believe it would be possible for an independent team like ours to win without it. Of course, the big teams still have an advantage, because they start ahead on infrastructure. But it definitely helps…

FINAL REPORT MILEAGE 12,201 WHY WE RAN IT In the absence of a new RS, is the latest Focus ST good enough to be considered a credible flagship fast Ford hatchback? What is it about the colour orange? A recent Twitter poll seemed to suggest it’s a magnet for traffic-light Lewis Hamiltons and teen racers, whether the car in question is a supercar or a hot hatch. Having spent the past few months in the latter, I don’t disagree. Wherever I went in it, the Focus ST was never short on attention – not all of it good. Had our now-departed long-termer been delivered in a different hue, I’m convinced the otherwise subtle visual upgrades over the standard car would have let it fly under most people’s radars. The £800…

I’ve been using my adorable Italian Mini quite a bit recently. That hatchback boot can take an awful lot of boxes when I need it to. I exchanged a thumbs up with the driver of a passing Citroën 2CV the other day as we both celebrated motoring at its most fundamental. It gets surprisingly dirty in the garage, so I need to give it a deep clean and tidy up. The engine still overruns when warmed up and the gearbox is more obstructive when at operating temperature. I just regard it all as quirks that I can live and drive with. It’s still an astoundingly amusing car to own.…

In the 1990s a small coupé, today a small SUV: the Ford Puma is yet another sporty car revived as a much more utilitarian product. It’s not the first and, judging by the likes of the Ford Kuga and Mustang Mach-E, it won’t be the last. Putting thoughts about its name to one side, the modern Puma is an outstanding crossover. Introduced in 2019 and based on the excellent Fiesta supermini, it offers a punchy yet frugal turbocharged 1.0-litre petrol engine with 123bhp or 153bhp. Mild-hybrid technology (cheekily badged Hybrid) is applied to both variants of the three-pot, although at first it wasn’t standard on the lesser-powered one, so keep that in mind when hunting around. The Puma ST arrived last year with the 197bhp 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo engine from…

This rare special-edition 350Z, inspired by the 2005 PlayStation 2 game, achieved a solid £20,000 at auction recently. The 2005-reg car had done only 11,000 miles and was in excellent condition. The regular version is fast gaining classic status because of its strong, 3.5-litre V6 engine, tough, no-nonsense interior and the raw driving experience it offers. The GT4 builds on these attributes with an extra 20bhp over the standard car’s 276bhp, revised engine internals and additional equipment including unique 18in alloy wheels and powered seats. Only 176 cars came to the UK, 76 in Ultra Yellow and the rest in Kuro Black.…

News of the reborn Lamborghini Countach prompts memories of the original’s successor, the Diablo. Launched in 1990, it was offered in coupé and roadster forms and powered by a 485bhp mid-mounted 5.7-litre V12. The top speed was 202mph and 0-62mph took 4.5sec, making it, at the time, the fastest car in the world. The Diablo is the archetypal Italian supercar: difficult to drive, impractical – and magnificent. Happily, prices aren’t as steep as you may think. For example, we found a 1993-reg Diablo with an unusually high 60,000 miles, on sale for £125,000. We tracked it down to a workshop where £11,000 has just been spent making it road-ready. The example in question is a ‘basic’ 485bhp model. Between the Diablo’s launch and 1998, when Audi assumed ownership of Lamborghini,…

TO CALL THE unveiling of Jaguar’s new Mark X flagship saloon at the 1961 London motor show ‘a big deal’ would be quite an understatement. Announcing it to Autocar readers were no fewer than 44 advertising pages following a full-colour ad taking over the entire cover of the best-selling show-report edition. Proud proclamations from parts suppliers (“Pollard are privileged to provide bearings for the new Mark X”; “In the superb luxury of the finest Jaguar ever produced you will find Vynide seat trim and Novon panelling”) fed into dealer addresses all over the country. An editorial analysis of the Mark X elsewhere in the issue concluded: “When the total price of £2392 [about £54,475 today] is related to the technical specification and standards of appointment and accommodation, it is a…

“JLR bosses believe the Defender can be a high-profit business in the mould of Range Rover” Land Rover will soon crown its Defender range with the largest 130 model – but it is already investigating plans to turn the Defender nameplate into a model range in its own right. Under consideration is a luxurious version based on the next Range Rover’s underpinnings, along with a pick-up based on the standard model – but plans for a smaller version based on the Discovery Sport have been axed. Sources say Jaguar Land Rover bosses believe the Defender has the potential to become another high-profit business in the mould of Range Rover, with a line-up of distinct Defender-badged models in dealerships set to arrive by early 2025. If they prove successful, JLR’s fortunes…

Kia has unveiled the European edition of the new fifth-generation Sportage – and it’s the first time in 28 years that it has offered a version of the SUV specifically developed for the region. The Sportage is among the Korean firm’s most successful models sold globally and the new version switches to the Hyundai Motor Group’s N3 platform. That architecture has allowed the firm to develop two distinct versions: a long-wheelbase model launched in June, intended for the South Korean and US markets; and this short-wheelbase variant, developed specifically for Europe, where it will be offered with a choice of mild-hybrid, ‘traditional’ hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains. There won’t be an electric version, in part because the Sportage is a similar size to the forthcoming EV6, a bespoke electric crossover.…

HOW’S THIS FOR a winwin? Mercedes-Benz boss Ola Källenius has outlined his aim for the firm to speed up its electrification shift while maintaining profit margins. He said: “The cost of batteries and other components of the electric drivetrain is gradually coming down, which will accelerate the shift and aid profitability.” So we get cheaper EVs sooner while Merc invests in improving them more quickly. WHAT POSSESSES someone to put an EV motor in a 964-gen Porsche 911? Let’s ask Justin Lunny, CEO of conversion specialist Everrati. “My daughter was having nightmares about climate change, genuinely screaming and worrying about the world flooding,” he explained. “Secondly, I saw Harry and Meghan drive away from Windsor Castle in an electric Jaguar E-Type.” If classic EVs are good enough for royalty… SOON…

New British firm Soventem is hoping to shake up the EV industry with a unique take on car sharing, using carbon-neutral electric cars with unconventional designs and a focus on automation. The London-based start-up aims to launch its EVs in the UK in March 2024, making them available for outright purchase and for use as part of shared-mobility schemes. They will be developed at a new facility in Warwickshire’s MIRA technology park through partnerships with Israeli EV platform developer REE and US suspension specialist Clearmotion. Soventem claims its cars will have 300 miles of range and be able to charge to full capacity in less than five minutes. Speaking exclusively to Autocar, founder Robert Parson explained his thinking behind the radical designs of the company’s planned EVs, which feature gullwing…

THE GEARBOX IS one of the most tactile elements of driving and one of the driver’s closest connections with the car. And as they have become more complex, with a greater variety of sophisticated technologies emerging, opinions have also become more focused. If internet chat is anything to go by, the favourite among enthusiasts is still the good old-fashioned manual. A look inside the different types of gearbox may give a clue as to why that is. Manual gearboxes, straight-cut manual gearboxes, automated manual transmissions (AMTs), dual-clutch transmissions (DCTs) and motorsport sequential gearboxes all share a similar constant-mesh geartrain. In its simplest form, gears on one shaft (the main shaft) are in constant mesh with a second set of gears on a layshaft, hence the name. The layshaft is cut…

MY WEEK IN CARS MONDAY That’s twice this year. For the second time in 2021, renewed acquaintance with a car I’ve previously driven induces me to promote it to the top of this column’s tiny list of unimpeachable favourites. The first was the Porsche Taycan (world’s best saloon). The latest is the entry-level Alpine A110 Pure (world’s best sports car) that landed this week. Of course, this petite coupé established itself long ago as a favourite with Prior, Saunders and co, but ‘favourite’ in my head means something extra: a car I’d unhesitatingly buy with my own money. You can argue that the A110 is a simple mixture of Clio and Mégane bits in a £60,000 envelope, but this leaves out the brilliance of the decisions its creators took on…

Last month, we discovered that the circuit-sired, stripped-out new Huracán STO is pretty good on track. Shorn of weight and loaded with extra downforce, the low-slung 631bhp Lamborghini delivered a dynamic display to rival such paragons of motorsport-infused performance as the Porsche 911 GT3 and McLaren 765LT. Yet while track time was the ultimate development target, the reality is that STOs are more likely to be sashaying down the road (or tucked up in a garage gathering value) than shaving tenths from lap times. Even Lamborghini admits that only a third of owners will end up going around in circles. So what’s it like when you hit the highway? If anything, the STO looks even more outlandish here – its huge rear wing, vestigial rooftop snorkel and gravel-grazing front splitter…

This is the one that counts for Audi. If the brand is to make a real stab at electrification, the Q4 E-tron needs to be the car doing the heavy lifting. We’ve driven the lower-powered, reardriven 40 before, so now it’s the turn of the pricier 50 Quattro. Audi’s cousin of the Skoda Enyaq iV and Volkswagen ID 4 in this form gets a 77kWh battery (as in the 40) and two motors, together offering up 295bhp and 339lb ft. The healthy 94bhp uptick over the 40 means the 50 Quattro is 1.3sec quicker from 0-62mph, in part thanks to its small front motor giving all-wheel traction. The flip side is a range of 291 miles, which is 25 miles down on that of the 40 and a massive 88…

£150,000 FERRARI GTC4 LUSSO T For roughly the same price as the AMG or Alpina, you can have something truly blue-blooded, albeit pre-owned and in V8 rather than V12 form. Don’t be put off too much by the absence of rear doors, either: the Ferrari’s back seats are truly spacious, and the car’s dynamic flair is undeniable. £90,000 PORSCHE TAYCAN 4S All-electric Taycan has a finer blend of ride and handling than its sibling Panamera and, with the proliferation of public rapid chargers, could make sense as a truly special four-door GT car. Expect around 270 miles of range with the Performance battery. Oh, and 533bhp to see you along. £40,000 KIA STINGER GT-S The Kia is taller in stature than some might like – more saloon than GT in…

Donington Park’s paddock is awash with supercars. I don’t mean the impressive selection that you would find at a typical Goodwood Festival of Speed but industrial volumes that after 20 minutes of wandering around make you think that this is somehow normal. (Oh, there’s another Bugatti Chiron…) But this is five levels above normality. It’s known as the Michelin Secret Supercar Meet, although, judging by the crowds of smartphone-wielding teenagers at every junction between the M1 and the circuit, secret it is not. I’m here to meet the team from McMurtry Automotive and learn more about its unique Spéirling (pronounced ‘spearling’) prototype race car, which presently occupies half of pit garage 22 and is making the Ferrari 250 GT SWB parked next to it look obese. At 3200mm long and…

We’ve been talking for an hour and Jost Capito, the boss of Williams Racing for the past 10 months, is displaying the fine personal qualities for which he is well known: positivity, generosity, modesty and good humour. But something is missing: the racer’s edge. I start wondering how and when Capito will display the urge to win that has carried him and his teams to success over 30 years at BMW, Porsche, Sauber, Ford, Volkswagen, McLaren and now Williams. In the end, it comes with a rush, just as Capito’s minder is getting restless about the time; the CEO must soon move to another meeting. I pose one of those questions that I’m pretty sure will elicit a non-committal answer: does Capito think Formula 1’s regulation changes for 2022, which…

WRITE TO autocar@haymarket.com LETTER OF THE WEEK We could be world leaders I couldn’t disagree more with David Driscoll (4 August). The only thing I do agree with is that ICE is dead and electric motors will drive cars of the future. My issue is how the power is ported. BEV is a solution for the rich only and will create an environmental mess. The UK has missed the boat on being leader in this field, but hydrogen is still up for grabs. The challenge is sustainable hydrogen production and distribution. Why throw our money at charging infrastructure that will put pressure on the National Grid while subsiding the wealthiest into premium cars? BEV batteries are mostly produced abroad using unsustainable materials sourced in some politically unstable parts of the…

MILEAGE 11,402 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see if this car, the first of its kind for BMW, can tackle its established rivals This is going to be a tricky one for me to write, because the brief with such pieces is to describe your recent experiences in the subject car. Of which there have been few indeed. Partly that’s because I did that rarest of rare things in the freelance writer’s world and actually took a holiday; and, as previously discussed, me, my missus, offspring and our accumulated luggage simply won’t fit in the BMW 128ti all at the same time, so we took something rather larger and more, er, Range Rovery. The second reason is that the staff of this august publication keep nicking it. The first time…

It was great to hear again from Richard, who has done it once more with this magnificent 1971 Alfa limousine: “I took a chance and bought unseen from a classic car auction. It was imported by McGrath Maserati for their collection, then fettled by Tanc Barratt. I needn’t have worried: it drove the 103 miles home with not one issue. I’ve owned a lot of Alfas from this era and always found them very robust and reliable. I’ve returned to my first love and it’s soon to be joined by a Fiat Barchetta, so it’s Italian left-hand drive all the way for me.” SEND YOUR USED CAR TALES TO james@bangernomics.com AND READERS' QUESTIONS TO autocar@haymarket.com…

RANGE ROVER D300 VOGUE £4800 deposit, £800 per month, 48 months, 8000 miles per year Smartly styled and wonderfully furnished, Land Rover’s flagship model combines on-road waft with off-road utility. Most will go for this 3.0-litre diesel V6 version, and they will be rewarded with strong performance and adequate economy. AUDI Q7 55 TFSI QUATTRO SPORT £3700 deposit, £616 per month, 48 months, 8000 miles per year The second-generation Q7 is much improved over the original, being nicer to drive, more comfortable and roomier. And despite its considerable weight, it’s quick, too, thanks to each engine option offering plenty of oomph. BMW X7 xDRIVE40d MHT £4722 deposit, £787 per month, 48 months, 8000 miles per year Luxury SUVs are all about status and theatre, desirability and opulence, and with similar…

The M3 Coupé of 2007-13 promises to be a future classic, but the Frozen Edition versions are guaranteed to be. They include the extremely rare Frozen Black Edition of 2010 and the Frozen Silver Edition of 2012. New, this run-out special cost £58,720 – £4000 more than the regular M3 – but it had around £9000 of optional extras, including the coveted Performance Pack and dual-clutch gearbox. Our privately advertised one has done 38k miles and has a full service history. For comparison, last year a Frozen Black with 73k miles made £17,000 at auction.…

An expert’s view KARL VERDI, FOUNDER, VERDI FERRARI “Engineering-wise, the Diablo is a pile of… Well, you finish the sentence. For example, because it’s spring loaded, the accelerator pedal is heavy and tiring to use. On early cars, especially, the clutch is also heavy and very tiring to work. The Diablo is not easy to drive quickly – you’ll be eaten up by a modern hot hatch – and you’ll have trouble threading it through country lanes. However, it is great looking – a poster car that sounds like thunder. The four-wheel-drive VT is the best one – easier to drive thanks to its power steering and lighter clutch. It also feels much more secure and predictable. Look out for a facelift car, what those in the know call ‘big…

Hydrogen fuel cell JLR aims to achieve zero tailpipe emissions by 2036, but it is not pinning all its hopes on battery-electric vehicles. Its Project Zeus programme has been set up to develop hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles, which the firm has called “complementary” to BEVs in its new-era product portfolio. A hydrogen-equipped Defender prototype will take to public roads later this year, with JLR highlighting the longer range, enhanced off-road ability and temperature-resistant performance of an FCEV powertrain as desirable attributes for an alternatively fuelled Defender. Pick-up Land Rover now offers panel-sided commercial vehicle versions of the Discovery and the Defender, but the brand has not had a pick-up model in its portfolio since 2016 – a market gap that it is set to plug with the introduction of…

How different is the European Sportage from the global version? “This model really is our baby, and Kia Europe has done extensive work on it. It’s less compromised than some global cars when the platform remains exactly the same. We were given latitude to change things to meet the tastes of European customers.” Is it hard finding the balance of pushing the design forward without putting off existing customers? “It’s a difficult process, but we’ve used customer research and some intuition. We’re hoping the fresh philosophy will attract some new customers and ensure we keep our existing customers happy. We try to balance pushing the design language on while keeping it still a Kia. We’ve got a very modern, fresh design but one that still has lots of nods and…

Morgan will launch an all-new 3 Wheeler next year – a thoroughly modern machine using the same advanced aluminium chassis technology as the new Plus Four and Plus Six roadsters, but which the firm claims will offer the same raw driving experience as the outgoing 10-year-old model. The new 3 Wheeler’s most visible – and initially most controversial – change entails ditching the old S&S-sourced air-cooled 2.0-litre V-twin engine in favour of a normally aspirated, longitudinally mounted version of Ford’s considerably more refined 1.5-litre three-cylinder unit, as used by the Fiesta ST hot hatchback. The change is likely to result in a dramatic boost in performance, since the V-twin produced barely 80bhp (because of punitive exhaust emissions restrictions) whereas the Ford unit should be good for 120-130bhp (it runs to…

THE GENEVA MOTOR show, historically the largest of its kind in Europe, will spawn a biennial event in Doha as part of a new tie-up between its organisers and Qatar Tourism. The motor show will be held in Switzerland as normal each February, plus there will be a related event at the new Arabian venue from either autumn 2022 or autumn 2023. Dates are set to be confirmed in the coming weeks. Both events will be referred to jointly as the Qatar Geneva International Motor Show, with the co-organising bodies hailing the new addition to the automotive industry’s calendar as a “new world-renowned motor show for the Middle East”. The Geneva motor show has been held near-annually since its inception in 1905, although the 2022 event will be the first…

Richard Bartlett is the senior vice-president of future mobility and solutions at BP. Best known, of course, as an oil and gas multinational, BP is transitioning to an integrated energy company that also has interests in biofuels, wind power, smart grid and solar technology, and that accelerated its strategy for electric car adoption with the acquisition of Chargemaster in 2018. We ask Bartlett about these and BP’s future plans. Are you an environmentalist as well as a businessman? “I’m a bit of both. The environmental narrative for us all is really clear: we need to take carbon out of the environment. I see that human necessity combining with the possibility of creating very exciting new business models.” You’ll be perceived as working for a Big Oil firm. How long has…

Here’s something very new: another new model from a new (to us) manufacturer. It’s the Genesis GV70, and if news of this brand’s arrival has escaped you, it’s the posh bit of the Hyundai Motor Group, so think the equivalent of Lexus (Toyota), Infiniti (Nissan) or Acura (Honda). Like those brands, Genesis has so far been more about America than Europe. Sales figures reflect that to the extent that, in Infiniti’s case, it gave up on us entirely. V is for versatile, which means the GV70 is an SUV. Genesis sells an estate, too, yet although those are also quite versatile things, it calls it the G70 Shooting Brake. This SUV, then, is 4.7 metres long and costs from a bit under £40,000. Like the latest batch of Hyundais, it…

The enduring popularity of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class is rooted in its combination of incredible off-road rugged utility with extravagant luxury. Basically, it’s the ideal choice should you desire a vehicle capable of traversing a post-apocalyptic wasteland that can soothingly massage your back in the process. The second generation G-Class (or G-Wagen, if you prefer) was launched in 2018 with the G350d diesel and the range-topping, slightly bonkers petrol V8-powered AMG G63. This new G400d replaces the G350d as the entry level in the UK line-up. ‘Entry level’ is a relative term here, of course: the G-Class’s combination of luxury and capability comes at a price. The cheapest G400d will set you back £98,525, while our range-topping AMG Line Premium Plus test car costs £115,995. Still, that usefully undercuts the £153,995…

MODEL TESTED F1 EDITION COUPE Price £142,000 Power 527bhp Torque 505lb ft 0-60mph 3.6sec 30-70mph in fourth 4.8sec Fuel economy 20.6mpg CO2 emissions 264g/km 70-0mph 41.8m Now under new ownership and with former Mercedes-AMG boss Tobias Moers at the helm, Aston Martin has yet another plan and vision for the future. The business has had a much-needed reality check over the past 12 months. It has been made much more efficient and pragmatic, and this time, Moers insists, it will build its success from firmer foundations. Having become CEO in August 2020, Moers waited until March 2021 to announce the first car in his plan for the most famously elusive business turnaround in global sports car making – and it wasn’t a million-pound collector’s item or a right-on zero-emissions pariah.…

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There are plenty of great cars on the road today, but only a handful will become true classics. And trying to work out which will earn a spot in the history books is no easy task. Autocar has teamed up with the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu to try to solve that problem. We’re hunting for five future classics that will be part of a special exhibition later this year. The idea is to find the cars that will be remembered 50 years from now. We’ve compiled a longlist of 100 cars with future classic potential for you to choose from, and for some extra inspiration, over the next five pages, Autocar’s writers champion their own personal picks from those contenders. To view the Autocar-Beaulieu Future Classics longlist and have…

While McMurtry won’t reveal full details of the Spéirling’s fan system, we do know that it’s housed within a sealed skirt beneath the car. Two ducts suck air in while the car is moving and direct it towards the fan, while twin exhausts at the rear expel the spent air. But unlike a conventional winged car (which uses a significant part of its power in a straight line to compensate for having downforce, which is largely redundant while in a steady state), the Spéirling takes a mere 80bhp to power its fan, and then only when it’s needed. The fan also operates automatically, although it can be manually overridden. And then, of course, there’s that noise……

Toyota has secured its fourth consecutive Le Mans 24 Hours victory and the first of the Hypercar era. Briton Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López dominated in their GR010 Hybrid to finally win the World Endurance Championship’s marquee event after years of bad luck. Alpine considering Le Mans Hypercar Alpine finished third at Le Mans behind the two Toyotas with its ‘grandfathered’ LMP1 car and is now considering a full Hypercar campaign in the future. Boss Laurent Rossi said the Renault Group brand is evaluating a project to start in 2023 – and that current Formula 1 driver Fernando Alonso, who won the WEC title in 2018/19, could be a member of its driver line-up. LMP2 drama while Ferrari reigns in GTE The second-rung LMP2 class produced last-lap…

NEWS SPECIAL Munich motor show: all the star cars Motor shows are finally back with the first-ever Munich show. We will have all the news from Audi, BMW, Mercedes, VW and more TWIN TEST Audi Q5 vs Genesis GV70 Korean Q5 meets the original. Matt Prior picks the winner FEATURE Secret new test site A disused railway tunnel in the Midlands is now a cutting-edge proving ground EVERY WEEK ROAD TEST Cupra Leon Estate Cupra’s take on the Volkswagen Golf R wagon gets the full eight pages USED BUYING GUIDE Mercedes-Benz 190 The W201 was once called the best used car in the world. Is it still? SUBSCRIBE autocar.co.uk/subscribe or see p36…

QUESTION My son was fined for collecting us at Gatwick airport’s passenger pick-up point. Given there were no ticket machines, he had no idea he had to pay. What’s going on? Sally Clarke, via email ANSWER Your son won’t be the only driver to be caught out by Gatwick’s new parking charge, which is triggered by numberplate-reading cameras. The charge is £5 for 10 minutes, plus £1 for each extra minute that you stay, up to 20 minutes. It must be paid online by midnight the next day. Non-payment triggers a £100 fine. Expect other airports to follow suit as they try to claw back revenue lost during the pandemic. JE QUESTION I’ve owned three special-edition Land Rover Defenders from new. I want to sell but can’t be bothered with…

The generation of Range Rover we’re considering here ran from 2001 to 2012 and was conceived by BMW during its ownership of Land Rover. The model was then brought to fruition by Ford, which acquired the company in 2000. Fortunately, the new owners shared BMW’s vision of a Range Rover for the 21st century. It was the first to be built with a monocoque structure and the first to have independent suspension. A neighbour of mine has one that he’s owned for at least 10 years. He has two other cars, both newish BMWs, but can’t bring himself to part with it. He uses it most days but, as far as I can tell, never cleans it. Even so, it still looks classy and imposing, while its cream leather interior…

ECONOMY EXPLAINED Between the various figures produced on the old-style NEDC, transitional NEDC Correlated and new-style WLTP laboratory emissions and fuel economy tests, it has become tricky to compare manufacturers’ claimed efficiency on the latest new cars. When you see a fuel economy and CO2 figure reference elsewhere, it’s often without explanation. So, to provide as fair and clear a basis for comparison as possible, you’ll only ever read WLTP combined fuel economy and CO2 figures in Autocar’s first drive reviews, features and comparison tests – and on these data pages. Those are the aggregated results of four lab tests carried out across as many different cruising speed ranges – although they’re sometimes expressed as a range rather than as one specific figure to show the different results recorded by…

‘Should I buy one?’ It’s a simple question that appears at the end of Autocar’s first drives online, but it’s not, alas, a question to which I want to give a simple answer. The quest for a plain answer is an inevitable demand, though, in a world that’s desperate for decisions and opinions. Yes or no; in or out; left or right; dogs or cats. Modern life loves a culture war in which everything is judged in brutal fashion and anything other than a full-hearted opinion frankly isn’t satisfactory. Which is a shame for me, because I find myself a bit less certain about all kinds of things in life. This is a problem in 2021 and when reviewing is my job. But then I don’t even like star ratings…