Auto Express 1432

EVERYONE has very different criteria when in the market for a new car. For some, reliability is most important. For others, running costs. Maybe styling is key for you. Or performance, perhaps? Aftersales care, I’d wager, rarely figures too prominently in the thinking of many potential buyers caught up in the excitement of choosing a shiny new motor. But it should. Because as our Watchdog pages prove on a weekly basis, when things go wrong, the service you receive from your dealer can become the single most important factor in shaping your perception of a brand. This week, our Ultimate Guide To Buying A Car features our countdown of the top 31 official dealer networks compiled from feedback supplied in our Driver Power survey of around 50,000 motorists. And as…

Jonathan_Burn@dennis.co.uk @Jonathan_burn Mercedes’ 2017 plans laid bare THE next A-Class may be two years away, but a leaked document that surfaced online last week has outlined Mercedes’ product plan for 2017. First to arrive will be an all-new E-Class Coupé that will join the saloon and Estate in a revamped exec line-up. It will be swiftly followed by an All Terrain version of the Estate, rivalling Audi’s A6 Allroad. Towards the end of the year, a drop-top version of the E-Class will also land, taking the model range up to five. An updated S-Class will launch, likely to offer tweaks inside and out, and more autonomous tech. A facelifted GLA will arrive, too, alongside a new GLA Coupé. Mysteriously, Mercedes outlines plans for a GT C roadster and a GT…

“The RF is softer than the standard Roadster, but enthusiasts shouldn’t worry; it’s a sports car” WHEN Mazda tinkers with the MX-5 it certainly doesn’t go unnoticed. The new “Retractable Fastback”, or MX-5 RF for short, caused quite a stir when it was revealed at the New York Motor Show back in March. Rather than think of the RF as a hard-roofed drop-top like the previous MX-5 Roadster Coupé, consider it instead predominantly as a coupé but with an occasional supply of fresh air. This is our first taste of the RF as we get an exclusive preview from the passenger seat. The focal point, obviously, is the roof. Pressing the button under the air-con controls starts the folding ritual, with it dancing away in four parts. The rear fins…

Sam_Naylor@dennis.co.uk @SamNaylor_AE ...And RS6 to get Porsche power? THE next Audi RS6 could be powered by the newly developed 4.0-litre V8 twinturbo used in the new Panamera. Porsche powertrain expert Dr Thomas Gunther told Auto Express: “Audi is free to use [our V8] for its cars.” If the Porsche-developed 4.0-litre V8 is selected for the new RS6, this car will be the first Audi since the RS2 Avant from 1994 to be Porsche-powered. The V8 currently develops 542bhp in its most powerful state of tune, but that’s expected to rise well beyond the 552bhp of the current RS6 (above) if Audi tunes it. THE Porsche Panamera family is to grow in more ways than one, with a longwheelbase version of the new sports saloon set to join the range, Auto…

Richard_Ingram@dennis.co.uk @rsp_ingram “It’s likely Tesla’s first pick-up will rival Mercedes’ new X-Class, but without conventional petrol or diesel power” Elon Musk’s‘masterplan’ set out Smaller SUV, plus trucks and buses to come, alongside new pick-up, boss says A NEW EV pick-up and more autonomous tech are only part of Elon Musk’s ‘Master Plan, Part Deux’ for Tesla. It comes 10 years after the first Master Plan, which the company founder and CEO says is now “in the final stages of completion”. Key to the plan is a broader model range to cover all “major forms of terrestrial transport”. That means a smaller SUV to sit below the Model X, as well as lorries and driverless buses – the latter two being unveiled next year. Plans are also afoot for a solar-roof-with-battery…

Competition Edition takes M5 out in style BMW has announced a run-out Competition Edition of the M5. The super-saloon (above) sees power and torque boosted by 40bhp and 20Nm, to 592bhp and 700Nm respectively. There’s a bespoke M-Performance bodykit, black wheels and embroidered leather upholstery. The chassis has also been tweaked for sharper handling, while the new car benefits from a big upgrade in standard kit. Only 200 of the special M5s will be produced worldwide, priced from around £101,000 each. Six-fold increase in market for used EVs THE growing popularity of electric vehicles has seen a massive rise in the availability of affordable, secondhand versions in the UK over the past two years, according to AA Cars. The used market for EVs has grown six-fold in the past two…