Innholdsfortegnelse for October 6, 2021 i Autocar

While the first Neue Klasse models will use battery technology familiar from today’s electric cars, BMW has repeatedly pledged a commitment to introducing solid-state batteries as a means of increasing range and reducing costs. The brand remains tightlipped on when such batteries could enter the mainstream market, but it has said that it will deploy the technology in a demonstrator vehicle by 2025. That is likely to be in the vein of the new fuel cell powered iX5 Hydrogen, which will be used for customer trials but isn’t yet planned to go on general sale. As well as offering enhanced usability by requiring fewer charges, the solid-state batteries will also be recyclable in line with BMW’s ambitious sustainability pledges and will be produced “in a European value chain”, as confirmed…

HOW WILL CUPRA make its Volkswagen-based electric cars sporty? CEO Wayne Griffiths believes that it’s about more than trick styling. “We adapt the chassis and suspension and add different brakes and steering,” he said, adding that small EVs need to “feel like a go-kart”. The Spanish brand will maintain a focus on driver engagement, which is great news for us – although, Griffiths acknowledged, “not very democratic to passengers”. THE REPLACEMENT FOR the Lotus Elise being an EV was always going to upset some, but Lotus boss Matt Windle is confident that the Type 135 will deserve the hallowed emblem. He said: “I know some people won’t like it, but we’ve always been innovative and looked for the best solutions. There’s a lot of references to what Colin Chapman would…

FISKER, THE AMERICAN EV start-up developing the 300-mile Ocean SUV for launch in 2022, has appointed ex-Aston Martin engineer David King to head a new UK-based special vehicles division. Called Fisker Magic Works, it will “focus on low-volume, rapid-development vehicle programmes and specialised versions of Fisker’s portfolio”, much like the Special Vehicle Operations division that King oversaw at Gaydon. Fisker plans to expand its line-up to four models by 2025, and CEO Henrik Fisker said the new British division will provide “an opportunity to create sustainable and fantastic vehicles outside the confines of established industry segments”. Fisker also plans to open a “brand experience centre” in London as it gears up to bring the Ocean to the UK market in 2023. King, who has already been assigned two Fisker projects…

Is Yasa an APC success story? Judged from most angles, the innovative electric motor manufacturer is the very definition of one. The Oxford-based firm was founded in 2009 and received funding from the APC, including a £13m injection in 2019 for a specific project. By 2018, it had opened a new factory with the capability to make 100,000 of its high performance motors a year, and now sells its product to some of the most demanding car companies in the world, including Ferrari for its SF90 Stradale plug-in hybrid. Then in July came the news Yasa had been bought by Mercedes-Benz and would provide motors for the AMG. EA platform for highper formance electric cars. So while the APC’s funds helped push an innovative company to create products coveted by…

This is more resto than mod, if you want to disassemble the portmanteau. It’s the Unleashed, a restored and part-modified Series 3 Jaguar E-Type roadster from the descriptively named E-Type UK, a restoration and sales (and now modification) specialist based on a pretty farm in Kent. In a group of tidy buildings, E-Type UK has a good number of cars in storage, repair and restoration or prepared for sale. The company says to budget up to £160,000 for a full restoration. Ten cars passing through its doors, though, will become these Unleashed models, all of them Series 3 roadsters, which will have 4000 hours lavished on them to become like the car you see here. For this, E-Type UK asks £390,000 (including VAT) plus a donor car, which, going by…

If you don’t like the phrase ‘softtouch plastic’, look away now, because I’m afraid that’s the most important change to the facelifted Seat Ibiza. The current generation of the Spanish supermini became one of our favourites in the class when it was launched four years ago but stopped short of leading it due to overly light steering and some interior fittings that weren’t quite up to scratch. Seat has given the interior a remarkably thorough overhaul, replacing the very matter-of-fact angular dashboard that looked like it belonged in the (closely related) Volkswagen Polo with a more playful rounded item; and adding extra soft-touch materials, a new steering wheel, the option of digital gauges and air vents that light up at night. The touchscreen, which hosts the latest iteration of Seat’s…

It’s come to something when not even Ethan Hunt, fictional hero of movie franchise Mission Impossible, can prevent his BMW X7 from being stolen. That’s what happened one night in August when Tom Cruise’s SUV was pinched from outside the Grand Hotel in central Birmingham, where he had been staying. The car, which was equipped with a tracking device, was recovered three miles away a short time later. CCTV footage showed three people leaving it with a bag containing some of its contents. The actor was reportedly furious about the incident, and we British motorists should be concerned too. At the time, a relay attack, where the car’s electronic security is fooled into believing the key fob is present, was the favoured explanation. However, weeks later, the police don’t know…

According to Neil Thomas, director of investigative services at AX Innovation, a fleet management company, you’re unlikely to have your car key stolen from your house. “Many criminals who steal cars to order are reluctant to enter their victim’s home,” he says. “Such crooks call themselves twoccers, which stands for taking without consent, and don’t regard themselves as burglars.” That’s a comfort, then. Even so, it does happen. Indeed, one of Thomas’s neighbours woke up recently to find a thief standing on his landing, demanding his car keys… Mark Silvester says that programming a key fob to unlock and start a car is another method of attack: “The equipment is freely available but, generally speaking, most vehicle ECUs won’t accept more than three keys being assigned to the car. Ask…

This Jaguar EPace with just 200 miles on the clock was recently stolen, and experts aren’t sure how. “No key was used and the vehicle wasn’t in close proximity to one, which rules out relay attack,” said Neil Thomas, investigative services director at AX Innovation, which captured the footage.…

We see it all the time in sport: returning to the scene of past glories is always fraught with jeopardy. Can it ever be the same or better for someone who previously enjoyed great success? If the comeback falls flat, could it even sully what might once have been an unimpeachable reputation? Martin Whitmarsh knows all this, yet he has still taken the bait for another crack at Formula 1. He spent 25 years at McLaren, experiencing the unforgettable highs of working with Ayrton Senna and Mika Häkkinen, playing a formative role in the early career of Sir Lewis Hamilton and rising to the position of team principal, before Ron Dennis manoeuvred him out in 2014. Now he’s coming back – but not at the team he loved and where…

When people look back at the results of the British Touring Car Championship event at Silverstone in September 2021, the headline will be an impressive weekend for Rory Butcher, who put his Toyota on pole position and then backed it up with a pair of wins on race day. However, arguably the biggest story from the weekend was the appearance on track of another Corolla GR Sport, as the BTCC’s hybrid test car joined the series regulars in the latest stage of the ongoing development programme for the new electrical system that will feature from 2022. It was back in August 2018 that the BTCC first announced its plan to introduce hybrid technology, before a tender process was opened the following April to determine who would provide a system that…

SPECIAL FEATURE Mustang Mach-E vs Escort Cosworth Ford’s radical new performance SUV meets a distant cousin. Do the two hot machines have any family resemblance? INVESTIGATION New car delays Will your new car be delivered tomorrow – or sometime next year? We investigate DRIVEN BMW i4 It may have a kidney grille, but does this electric saloon feel like a BMW to drive? EVERY WEEK ROAD TEST Renault Arkana We put this affordable BMW X4 to the test over eight pages USED BUYING GUIDE Westfield SE Just in time for winter, here’s how to bag an open-top kit car bargain SUBSCRIBE autocar.co.uk/subscribe or see p34…

MILEAGE 2522 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To find out whether Audi can retain its premium appeal in the EV age When, like you and I, dear reader, you’re the car person in any peer network, people come looking for car-buying advice. And they do so usually having already made up their mind on what they want – or having just bought the car and simply wanting validation. Remember to remain polite and keep smiling in these scenarios. “What do you think of the Peugeot 308 CC, then?” “Have you bought one?” “Yes.” “Great car…” That’s how it usually goes. But what I’m finding with people who you wouldn’t call car lovers or enthusiasts is that they already seem far better educated about and aware of not only electric cars but…

Ford Escort XR3 Thanks again to Matthew, who showed us his lovely Rover 420GSi Tourer a fortnight ago. He owns some amazing cars – and has a word of warning about my enthusiasm for old Mercedes: “The plan is to treat a few tiny spots of rust, then the Rover will join my stable of a 1981 Ford Escort XR3 – of which I did a bare-shell restoration over six years, including two years of welding – and a 1990 Mercedes 420 SE, which has cost me a bomb. I’ve had to treat it as a project, which I’m about halfway through, again with much welding.”…

Our survey of quick classics for reasonable money begins with the Porsche 968. Launched in 1992 and phased out just three years later, it was destined to be a sort of 944 S3, but in the end Porsche’s engineers replaced so many of the 944’s parts that the company decided to give the model a completely new name. In any case, although it was a two-door coupé like the 944, the 968 looked different enough to deserve one. Like the Cayenne of 2002, the new model also helped keep Porsche afloat, albeit not to quite the same degree. Unfortunately, it didn’t sell as well as the company might have liked – around 12,750 found homes – but today that means survivors are rare and ones in good condition rarer still.…

It’s a wonder it took this long for us to really feel the lorry driver shortage. Last week’s fuel supply crisis came from a perfect storm of contributing factors, some easier and cheaper to take a pop at than others. Take away any single reason and the outage probably would’ve been averted. You would’ve found the odd pump dry, shrugged and moved to another one or a different forecourt. But, ultimately, the crisis exposes the truth that we’ve taken the mickey out of lorry drivers for too long. The immediate problem was sparked by BP when it complained to a Cabinet Office meeting in mid-September about its driver shortage. When ITV News headlined those comments “BP prepares to ration fuel deliveries”, the resulting panic buying was probably inevitable. It’s ironic…

BMW will kick-start the third phase of its electrification strategy in 2025 with an all-new executive saloon that will serve as the vanguard for a reinvented line-up based on a new EV architecture. It will feature Munich’s sixthgeneration electric powertrain, long-range battery technology, rapid-charging capability, lightweight construction, a fully customisable digital operating system and a new mix of sustainable construction materials. Set to be sold alongside other new battery-electric and combustion-engined saloons, the new model, known under the internal working title NK1, will be the first car based on the Neue Klasse EV platform, paving the way for a whole new generation of EVs, including an extended line-up of SUVs. The NK1 is likely to be initially positioned as an electric alternative to the next-generation 3 Series, in a relationship…

THE SECOND-GENERATION BMW 2 Series Active Tourer has been revealed with a bold new look, an overhauled powertrain line-up and a raft of enhanced technology. It is available to order now in the UK before customer deliveries begin in March 2022, with prices starting from £30,265. It continues to be related to the 2 Series Coupé – which was recently renewed itself – in name and styling only, retaining the front-driven FAAR architecture also used by the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupé, BMW X1 and Mini Countryman. But an overhaul inside and out brings it into line with its new namesake. The most obvious differentiator from the outgoing car is the upsized front grille, which houses the radar sensor for some of the new advanced driver assistance functions and an…

The ID Life, Volkswagen’s new compact crossover concept, points towards a future of affordable battery-electric mobility in much the same way as the Beetle promised the masses access to internal-combustion motoring in the aftermath of the Second World War. The production version will go on sale in 2025 at a price of around €20,000 (£17,250). The original plan was to sell it from 2027, but after a faster than expected acceptance of EVs among private buyers, Volkswagen brought forward the launch by two full years. Moves are already under way to produce the new Volkswagen at Seat’s Martorell factory in Spain, which is being prepared for annual volumes of up to 500,000 electric cars off the back of a generous subsidy from the European Union. There will be Cupra, Seat…

The all-new Jeep Grand Cherokee, which will go on sale in the UK in the middle of 2022, will gain a plug-in hybrid powertrain for the first time – and a fully electric version is tipped to arrive by 2025. Due to be launched in the US early next year, the fifth iteration of the large SUV has been extensively redesigned inside and out, and Jeep has placed a renewed focus on balancing on-road dynamics with off-road capability. The new Grand Cherokee 4xe features a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine mated to two electric motors, delivering a system output of 375bhp and 470lb of torque. The alternator is replaced by a motor-generator connected to the crankshaft, while a larger, transmission mounted motor-generator replaces the torque converter. A dual-clutch system manages…

SECURITY VEHICLES, DESIGNED to withstand even the most determined attack, are rarely shown or even discussed at motor shows. But at the recent IAA show in Munich, BMW revealed details of a latest concept that is not only bomb (and just about everything else) proof, but powered by a hydrogen fuel cell system, too. It would be easy to assume that protecting a vehicle from attack is as simple as adding some armour steel plate and glass, but the reality is more complex than that. What if the engine or cooling system is damaged (easy to do) and the vehicle rendered a sitting duck? What about hand grenades, or worse? As well as covering all the options, security vehicles have to look like the normal production versions from which they…

WHILE MUCH OF the world has been plotting routes to EV adoption, Norway – oil-rich enough to incentivise like crazy and awash with clean energy solutions thanks to its geography (renewable sources supply 98% of its energy) – has been cracking on. So much so that some analysts are now running trend graphs that suggest it might sell its final pure-ICE car in the first half of 2022. While that seems fanciful, given how hard it is to force a figure from very low to zero, 95% of the 110,000 new vehicles registered in Norway in the first half of this year were hybrid, plug-in hybrid or electric. While hybrids represent a loophole (the electricity being sourced by burning petrol and providing but a thimbleful of assistance), they don’t actually…

Perhaps you’ve always liked the plug-in hybrid idea but so far they’ve made little sense for you as an individual. You’re certainly not alone: with any PHEV, it’s possible to save magnificently on fuel costs, but only if your driving habits fit a very specific pattern of behaviour. If they don’t, the meagre electric range of most PHEVs starts to feel pretty nominal and the heavy battery pack becomes an ornament that drags down the efficiency of an engine forced to work harder than necessary. All pretty contradictory. However, with this new Mercedes C300e, the technology is coming of age. The plug-in C300e has an official electric range of 62 miles, almost double that of the outgoing version. By comparison, the otherwise excellent BMW 330e musters only 37 miles and…

Almost a year after we first drove the latest Golf R hatchback, the new Golf R Estate has arrived. Subtle exterior and interior styling changes mark it out as the flagship and it’s 71mm longer than its predecessor, 68mm of which is in the wheelbase to give it more rear-seat room. Boot space rises to 611 litres seats up and 1642 rear seats down. The new Golf R Estate continues with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine, with 316bhp and 310lb ft, mated to a seven-speed dualclutch gearbox. More notable is the heavily reworked 4Motion four-wheel drive system. It now features two electronically controlled clutches on the rear axle to apportion drive more accurately between the front and rear wheels as well as provide individual drive to each of the…

WHY SUBSCRIBE? Discounts Including savings at Beaulieu, home of the National Motor Museum Competitions Subscriber-only competitions and rewards Weekly Newsletters Exclusive content in weekly newsletters Subscriber Events Access to special activities and ticket giveaways FOR MORE GREAT GIFT IDEAS FIND ALL OF OUR SUBSCRIPTION OFFERS ON THEMAGAZINESHOP.COM VISIT AUTOCAR.CO.UK/SUBSCRIBE OR CALL 0344 848 8807 AND QUOTE PROMOTIONAL CODE X21EBPA TERMS AND CONDITIONS This is a UK-only offer; for overseas offers, please visit themagazineshop.com or call +44 (0)1604 251452. Please allow up to 35 days for delivery of your gift (if applicable) and first issue. Direct Debit rates are valid for one year, after which they are subject to change; should prices change, we will inform you in writing. Should you wish to cancel your subscription, it will be cancelled upon…

You might think carjacking is something that happens only in other countries, but three years ago in Birmingham, a motorist who stopped his car to move wheelie bins blocking his path was set on by baton-wielding thugs who forced him out of the vehicle before taking it. It was one of a series of carjackings that occurred in or near the city the same year. Other techniques the criminals used included waiting near the victim’s house to attack them and grab their keys; and encouraging victims to stop their car by pretending to be broken down, bumping their car from behind or flashing their headlights. In a concerted effort to quash the city’s carjacking epidemic, the police made 600 arrests in just a few weeks. STAY SAFE ◼ Be suspicious…

Setting out to design something that will become ‘iconic’ is an extremely risky proposition. The status of ‘icon’ used to take decades to earn or was instantly applied to a new product that had received near-universal acclaim. For the latter, think of the Audi TT, the original Mini or the iPhone. For the former, think of the Big Ben clock tower or the classic red telephone box. Indeed, the development of this telephone box was a hard-fought battle after London’s boroughs had refused to accommodate the Post Office’s concrete art deco K1 design. The 1924 competition to design a more acceptable box included the Royal Fine Art Commission, the Royal Academy and the Royal Institute of British Architects. The final design was executed by architect Sir George Gilbert Scott. He…

Hamilton scores historic century Sir Lewis Hamilton secured his record-extending 100th Formula 1 win at the Russian Grand Prix, overtaking longtime leader Lando Norris in a late-race downpour. The Mercedes man now has a points lead over Max Verstappen. Zhou linked to 2022 Alfa Romeo F1 seat China’s Guanyu Zhou has been tipped to race for Alfa Romeo alongside Valtteri Bottas next year. The Formula 2 frontrunner is part of Alpine’s young driver scheme, but the French outfit has said it won’t deny him an F1 opportunity. Qatar to be F1 fixture The first-ever Qatar Grand Prix has been added to this season’s F1 calendar and the night race will be held at the Losail International Circuit on 21 November. As part of a long-term deal, Qatar will host F1…

The new hybrid system being introduced into the BTCC for 2022 won’t be the first time that the series has moved from a traditional ICE running solely on petrol or diesel. Back in 2004, Mardi Gras Motorsport joined the grid running a Honda Civic Type R on liquid petroleum gas (LPG). However, it struggled to get the car down to a competitive weight so swapped to a Peugeot 406 Coupé mid-season – although driver John George would still fail to score a point. Tech-Speed would then introduce bioethanol fuel for 2005 on Fiona Leggate’s Vauxhall Astra, and both Kartworld Racing and WSR would run the fuel in their MG ZS pairing in 2006. LPG returned in 2010 in Arena Motorsport’s Ford Focus STs, with Tom Onslow-Cole and Tom Chilton both…

“The infotainment system is being rolled out across all of Volvo’s facelifted 2021 models” MILEAGE 567 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To evaluate Netflix-style subscription services as a way of ‘buying’ a new car Our Volvo XC60 is back from the dealer and we can finally put some miles under its wheels. At the time of our last report, it had been taken by low-loader to TMS Volvo of Coventry with a mystery electrical problem that had drained the 12V starter battery dead flat. It resisted any attempt I made at a jump start from an external booster battery, and while it was revived briefly by a breakdown technician, the electrical system still wouldn’t produce enough current to charge the battery, so off to the workshop it went. The car was…

QUESTION One of my car’s rear lights is currently not functioning. Is it still legal to drive on the road, even during the day? Emma Hoxton, Loughborough ANSWER It’s illegal to drive on public roads with a broken tail-light, because it can be dangerous at night and other road users might not be able to see when you’re indicating. If you’re caught, the police can issue a vehicle defect rectification notice, meaning you will need to get that light fixed with a receipt from the mechanic who completed the work. As per the government’s advice, you have 14 days from the date of the notice being issued to show the police proof that it has been fixed. JW QUESTION I live in the proposed expansion area of London’s Ultra Low…

The Renault 4 was produced as an economy vehicle with a practical edge, arriving to challenge the wildly successful Citroën 2CV. The GTL went on sale in 1978, equipped with a 1.1litre fourcylinder engine taken from the 6. It was also Renault’s first-ever front-wheel-drive car. Later models gained grey plastic trim, bigger wiper blades and disc brakes up front. This 1984 example has received a full chassis, engine and body restoration by specialist Renault Reborn. It’s one of 91 left on UK roads and probably among the finest, despite having driven 75,000 miles. It eventually sold for £10,750.…

Long before the Up, Volkswagen had a city car called, equally bizarrely, the Lupo. Launched in 1998, it was a well-built, practical and inoffensive thing that sat below the larger and more expensive Polo. Small it may have been, but the Lupo had big ambitions. For example, the 3L version could, thanks to special lightweight body panels, a three-cylinder 1.2-litre diesel engine and an automated manual gearbox, do up to 94mpg. In fact, one was driven around Britain in 2001 and achieved almost 120mpg. Coincidentally, that same year, the little Lupo once again demonstrated its appetite for world domination with the addition of a GTI version. This pocket rocket was powered by a 1.6-litre 16-valve engine producing 123bhp. That output may not look so impressive today, but the Lupo made…

Methanol to replace petrol? 23 June 1979 RECENT SCENES WILL be familiar to those who were around in 1979, when the Iranian Revolution cut oil production and doubled its price. We wondered at the time if alternative fuels might therefore enter the mainstream, inspired by seeing a methanol-fuelled Chrysler Sunbeam 1600Ti win a celebrity saloon race at Brands Hatch. We reported: “Not only did the vegetable-based fuel prove trouble-free, but it also gave Mark Thatcher a win – a pointer to its potential for increasing power outputs. The car ran with advanced ignition, larger jets in the carburettor and, as a precaution, with an electric fuel pump. But it could, the team said, have run with no adjustment at all.” As it turned out, oil production massively ramped up elsewhere,…

Rolls-Royce will launch its first series-production electric car in late 2023 and has pledged to phase out internal combustion across its entire model range by 2030. The first product to emerge from this rapid-fire electrification strategy will be the all-new Spectre, which has been previewed ahead of the “imminent” start of what will be a highly publicised on-road development programme. Resembling the retiring Wraith coupé, the development prototype is adorned with one of the best-known quotes from company co-founder Sir Henry Royce: “Strive for perfection in everything you do. Take the best that exists and make it better. When it does not exist, design it.” This is most likely a nod to the Spectre’s bespoke mechanical make-up, which Rolls-Royce claims is “free of any group sharing strategy”. Rather than using…

The ID 2 is due on sale a year before Volkswagen’s new flagship EV, which is being developed under the codename Project Trinity. As such, there will be a disparity in the capabilities of the software fitted to the two cars, which will bookend the company’s EV line-up. The Trinity will ultimately get level-four autonomous functionality, allowing it to drive for extended periods on motorways with no human input, while initially the ID 2 will be technically more closely related to the ID 3 and ID 4 that are already on sale. Volkswagen CEO Ralf Brandstätter told Autocar: “The customer needs are different in this segment. A typical Passat or Tiguan client who drives distances will be the first to need level-four [autonomy].” This means that, although the ID 2…

POLESTAR WILL LAUNCH a new electric car in a different segment every year for the next three years: the 3 flagship SUV in 2022, the 4 crossover in 2023 and the 5 fastback in 2024. Company boss Thomas Ingenlath gave further details about the expanded line-up following the news last week that Polestar is to list on the New York Stock Exchange at a value of $20 billion (£14.6bn). Ingenlath explained that the price difference between the 3 and newly confirmed 4 will be the crucial differentiator between them. The 3, he explained, is an “XC90-sized car” (it will use the same SPA2 architecture as its Volvo sibling), which “for European dimensions is a big SUV”. However, it has “nothing to do” with the XC90 shape-wise, because it will have…

REE Automotive is an Israeli start-up with a smart head office in a leafy suburb of Tel Aviv and a listing on the New York stock market that values it at roughly $1.68 billion (£1.24bn). So why did UK taxpayers give it £12.4 million in August to further develop its EV platform? We put this question to Ian Constance, who heads the government-funded Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) that awarded the grant. Why does REE need our cash when it’s already awash with money from its stock listing? “Because a big chunk of that investment money will be spent with the UK economy,” he told us at the recent Cenex-LCV (low-carbon vehicle) show. “The work we’ve done with them has brought their research and development here. It was in Israel before.”…

MONDAY It’s always fascinating to hear of new people getting into supercar creation, but it strikes me that Ferrari boss John Elkann has pulled off a design king-hit by attracting superstar creatives Marc Newson and Sir Jony Ive – both Ferrari enthusiasts – to the task of creating a new strain of Maranello products. Of course, as soon as I say this, my middle-class doubts kick in: the only previous car the pair has created between them appears to be the neat but modest 021C concept car that Newson penned for Ford a couple of decades ago. And I don’t know whether to be optimistic or scared about the self-confident shot they issued with their news. It’s certainly a long way from the bloke-in-blackpolo-neck portraits we’re used to. Yet when…

The P5 is the all-important third model from Chinese EV maker Xpeng and is aimed squarely at young families seeking a highly connected electric saloon. Already present in Norway, Xpeng is poised for major European expansion over the next year, and the P5 will be one of the cars spearheading that push. As the world’s first production car with built-in lidar, it expands on the autonomous features of the sportier P7 and, when the software is ready, will offer an inner-city self driving capability that’s likely to rival Tesla’s so-called Full Self-Driving system. Thankfully, the two lidar units sit well back within the front end, negating the risk of extremely expensive fender-benders. Sitting on the same platform as Xpeng’s first model, the G3 compact crossover, the P5 has quite a…

MODEL TESTED E300 AMG LINE NIGHT EDITION PREMIUM PLUS CABRIOLET Price £52,185 Power 255bhp Torque 273lb ft 0-60mph 7.0sec 30-70mph in fourth 8.8sec Fuel economy 33.4mpg CO2 emissions 190g/km 70-0mph 58.2m The current W213-generation Mercedes E-Class was, by its maker’s own claims, the most technologically advanced car it had ever built when it came along in 2016. This week, we check in on how it’s ageing, how adaptable its platform is and how wisely that five-year-old trailblazer has been kept up to date both under the bonnet and inside the cabin. These things matter, especially in Stuttgart, because the E-Class is the best-selling car that Mercedes has ever made and it remains one of its most globally important. Mercedes led with cutting-edge driver assistance technology and top-level luxury ambience when…

The E300 Cabriolet somehow isn’t the kind of luxury car you expect to find on the streets of 2021. There’s a strangely old-fashioned quality to its role as a refined, sophisticated, understated and usable four-seat convertible, but it’s a likeable one. The E-Class family’s latest four-cylinder engine doesn’t disgrace the E300 at all, proving itself potent and refined enough to serve a laid-back suntrap well, even if it doesn’t inspire you to cherish the driving experience. The car’s chassis is guilty of the occasional moment of structural wobbliness but generally works fine as the basis for a becalmed driving style – although it probably works better if you avoid Mercedes’ 20in alloy wheels and low-profile tyres. This car’s design isn’t set to stun, and neither is the driving experience. But…

Chew on this problem for a moment. How do you go about highlighting the special virtues of a vehicle that brings a new level of fuel efficiency and climate-friendliness to the super-luxury SUV class (a sector not known for such priorities) when its creators’ main aim is to make it drive exactly like its conventional brethren? This is the difficulty we faced with Bentley’s first plug-in model, the Bentayga Hybrid. Despite being packed from stem to stern with new equipment – a relatively small (3.0-litre) V6 petrol engine, a 126bhp electric motor sandwiched between engine and gearbox, a lithium ion battery under the boot floor with 13.3kWh of usable power and 25 miles of EV range, plus lots of mysterious black-box gadgetry connected under the skin by thick, brightly coloured…

The Exige and Evora have been killed off and the Emira has yet to go on sale. I expect you wouldn’t have trouble securing a slot for an Evija, but that comes with a snag in the form of a bill for two million quid. So while we wait for the brave new world of Lotus to unfurl, we thought it might be fun to revisit some cars from the past that were technically not Lotus (don’t let the firm hear you use Lotuses or worse Loti as a plural) but which simply wouldn’t exist without a considerable amount of help from the heroes of Hethel. So we start with what, at least in Europe, is the rarest of all. In the UK, there’s just one – and you’re looking…

There has seldom been a season like it in the British Hillclimb Championship (BHC): fierce competition and records being decimated. And it all happened with a level of sporting rivalry and paddock camaraderie that’s rare in modern-day motorsport. Ultimately, it was defending champion Wallace Menzies who retained his title, but the Scotsman had to work every inch of the way in 27 rounds at 12 events across nine venues. When the season started, it was a wide-open race involving a whole gaggle of contenders. But as the season developed, it increasingly became a two-way battle between Menzies in his 3.3-litre Cosworth-powered Gould GR59 and Alex Summers in his Indycar-engined DJ Firestorm. Regularly they traded times and points as the circus smashed records at five venues, including the blue riband that…

Super day at Shelsley 24 July 1909 SEAN GOULD’S RECORD breaking 22.37sec blast up the 910-metre Shelsley Walsh hillclimb truly was an amazing feat, representing a 91.4mph average speed. Serving to highlight the staggering progress made by the motor industry in its relatively short existence is the difference to the best time from an open event there in 1909: 1min 8.4sec, clocked by Mr HC Holder in his 58hp Daimler (pictured). Holder also provided us with “unquestionably the sensation of the afternoon” in the members-only run, as he “appeared to go up faster than he did in the open event, and did a tremendous dry side-slip after negotiating the first bad bend just as he was straightening out before the second sharp turn”. Ignition and carburettor troubles were the most…

Gaps in the market Reading another article about Porsche’s gearing being so tall that you only need second to hit the speed limit (Our Cars, 15 September) reminds me of a similar problem we used to have with the Yamaha R1 superbike. The easy solution to drop the gearing was to put a smaller sprocket on the front: better acceleration and job done. Is there no one who alters the rear differential on Porsches to solve this? It seems there’s a gap in the market – like there is for new non-chipmunk front ends for the BMW M4. And yes, people, it’s time to buy your ‘keeper’ car now before they stop making them or they get too expensive. Mine is an E46 BMW M3 with a supercharger, coilover suspension…

MILEAGE 21,244 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To find out if PHEV power and eight seats give van greater lifestyle appeal I’ve been up to the Isle of Arran. Six of us with all our camping gear for a week of sleeping on beaches and a good serving of rain. Before setting off, my girlfriend and I removed two of the eight seats in the Tourneo to accommodate the extra luggage. This is definitely a two-person job unless you want a slipped disc, and I didn’t fancy having a bad back before a week on a rollmat. The rear seats, the passengers were pleased to report, are all just as comfy as the ones in the front and recline slightly. There was no problem fitting everyone’s belongings in the van, but…

You don’t hear much about the Flying Pig, which I would argue is a very good thing – especially for my bank balance. Anyway, its MOT isn’t far off, and as I’ve explained recently, I’ve created an MOTpocalypse by stupidly leaving the majority of garage visits to the end of the year. Apart from the odd random warning light, which always goes out, there seem to be no problems. That’s not what a Porsche agent said more than two years ago, when there was some recall work. Apparently, it needed also sorts of expensive attention, yet it has been consistently roadworthy and reliable. Long may that continue.…

The Lexus IS is an underdog, belonging to a class dominated by German rivals to the point that it can easily be overlooked. Deservedly so? Not at all. The IS is well equipped, efficient and impeccably reliable, so it’s very much worth a look on the used market. The latest (Mk3) IS arrived on the executive saloon scene in 2013 with a sharp design and an eco-friendly focus. Hence no diesel: just one petrol and one hybrid. The petrol, badged the 250, features a 204bhp 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine that drives the rear wheels via an automatic transmission. Officially, it delivers a combined 32mpg. However, this variant isn’t widely available on used car sites. Much more common is the hybrid, badged the 300h. It gets that same 2.5-litre engine with less…

This is a Smart Fortwo with a difference, with more aggressive styling, ramped-up performance and dynamic enhancements. The rear-mounted 1.0-litre turbo engine was uprated by Brabus to produce 30% more power, at 98bhp, so the 0-62mph sprint takes less than 10.0sec, while it produces an exciting, throaty grumble from its twin exhausts. The dampers, springs and gearbox were also upgraded and the suspension was lowered by 10mm. The draw of small fun cars has never been bigger, so grab one while you can.…

An owner’s view JOSHUA HOPKINS “I bought my first Lupo GTI aged 18. I liked that it had a twin-cam engine that wasn’t turbocharged and that it was rare and special. After seven happy years I changed it for a Mini JCW but last year bought my second Lupo GTI. The plan is to refurbish it and pass it on to my newborn son when he’s 18. Just like the first one, it’s huge fun to drive: agile, nippy and quick through the gears. Its rugged build quality has helped it weather the passing years, too. With some decent tyres (I always found Toyos to be good on my first Lupo GTI) and coilovers fitted to it, I know I’m going to have a lot of fun.” Buyer beware… ■…