Innholdsfortegnelse for 17/02/2016 i Autocar

Welsh car maker Riversimple has revealed a hydrogen-powered car that is set to enter production this year. The new two-seater is called the Rasa. It produces nothing but water from its tailpipe and is capable of an estimated 250mpg and a 300-mile range from just 1.5kg of hydrogen. The Rasa makes use of an 8.5kW fuel cell (equivalent to about 11bhp), which combines hydrogen with oxygen to form water and electricity. This electricity powers four motors that drive each of the car’s wheels, with a combined output of about 443lb ft of torque. Each electric motor works as a generator when the brakes are applied and can recover as much as 70% of kinetic energy during heavy braking. Under normal applications, around 50% is recovered. The whole drivetrain features just…

THE HYUNDAI i30 N hot hatch is being developed to deliver thrills and everyday usability, according to a leading engineer working on the project — and development work has already been conducted in the UK. Hyundai is open about launching its first N car next year and following it with a range of high-performance versions of other models, but an unusual amount of secrecy surrounds the project, to the extent that the firm won’t even confirm engine details. However, Martin Bott, senior engineer in charge of vehicle testing and development, confirmed that the car is being engineered to be usable as well as a full-blown hot hatch. He also revealed that the car will use a sound actuator in order to control the level and quality of cabin acoustics. It…

An estimated 20% of cars sold each year fail to meet the minimum United Nations-recommended crash standards. So says World NCAP secretary general David Ward, who has pledged that his organisation will eradicate zero-star-rated cars by 2020. Speaking exclusively to Autocar, Ward said: “The current arguments being made by car makers as to why they won’t meet minimum standards are absurd, and the regulators and consumers aren’t going to stand for it much longer.” UN regulation 924 sets out minimum standards for a 35mph crash, which Ward sums up as requiring “a basic crash structure and a single airbag”. In recent years, NCAP has heavily criticised cars — including those built by Datsun, Ford, Hyundai and Tata — for failing to provide sufficient protection. “The argument put forward by some…

A real-world 65mpg is within easy reach on the motorway, and that won’t decrease any at town speeds Toyota would like nothing more than for you to think about its new Prius as a normal family hatchback – and this time, there’s more than snowball’s chance in hell that you just might. The Japanese giant launched the first-generation version almost two decades ago now, and hybrids have certainly been moving closer to the European automotive mainstream in the past 10 years. But although Toyota is ever keen to suggest otherwise, that doesn’t mean petrol-electric cars are desperately big business on this continent – not yet. The Prius’s biggest European sales year on record was 2010, when just short of 43,000 cars were shifted. In the same year, Audi sold 180,000…

The VW is an exceptionally easy car in which to drive many hundreds of miles in a day Most comparison tests don’t begin on a quiet, brilliantly curved, sun-dappled road in southern Europe. This one nearly ends there when, surprised to find a UK-registered Volkswagen Golf R, Ford threatens to confiscate the new Ford Focus RS’s keys from us, but that’s another story. No, this comparison test, like so many others of ours, begins when I climb into a Golf R outside a lock-up near Heathrow on a Friday night after work and prepare to drive across two countries. This is the sort of thing that could give the new Focus RS a really hard time, because when it comes to Golfs in general, and Rs in particular, familiarity breeds…

Mileage 14,122 Car Swap sounds like an idea for a reality TV show, and just in case anyone wants a pilot episode, snapper Luc Lacey and I have the raw material in the bag after swapping our respective Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Corsa VXR for a week recently. Some pearls of wisdom from Luc on the VXR another time, so up first before the ad break is my stint in the Mondeo. It’s a car I feel I know so well, having seen it for the first time as far back as the 2012 Detroit show, yet the various delays in getting it to the UK and Luc’s daily pounding of the motorway network mean I hadn’t gotten behind the wheel of one until now. First impressions were of just…

The Copen is a Poundland Audi TT, but only because it’s titchy I always pay attention to new car news. You never know: I might learn something. Apparently, Toyota is doing the small car thing again with Daihatsu (because it has bought the rest of the company) and I am absolutely delighted. Daihatsus were great. They still are — and it’s such a shame that they aren’t officially imported any more. As cute, odd and expensive as a Toyota iQ is, by comparison a Daihatsu Cuore seems like quite an ordinary, crude, old-school city hatch. Around £1000 for a 2002 Cuore actually seems fairly pricey — if you can even find one for sale. It is, though, an inoffensive, light, boxy little thing that won’t ever break down. At the…

1 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS From £90,000 Delivered on the eve of a sixth decade, the 991 is as brilliant and distinctive as any before it. Tweaked GTS the best. 2 Mercedes-AMG GT From £97,000 Million-dollar looks and a railgun V8. A 911 is nicer to pedal than this but not better to sit in or look at. Not much is. 3 Jaguar F-Type R Coupé From £85,000 A full-blooded assault on Porsche’s back yard, with noise, power and beauty. As characterful as any Jag, ever. 4 Aston Martin V8 Vantage From £90,000 What the Vantage lacks in agility it makes up for with pomp, presence and grunty V8 power. 5 Lotus Evora S 2+0 From £60,000 The ride and handling put nearly everything else in its shade. Shame the…

1 Range Rover Sport SVR From £93,000 The debut act from the new SVO wing, and boy, do they know what we like. Not perfect, but an SUV for the soul. 2 Porsche Macan From £43,000 Few rivals challenge the Macan’s completeness or polish, and where it excels, there’s simply nothing else like it. 3 BMW X5 M From £90,000 A staggering concoction — especially the underbonnet contribution. Suffers from tunnel vision, though. 4 Alpina XD3 Biturbo From £54,000 Low volume may make it difficult to get, but Alpina’s first SUV is judged to perfection. Price to match, though. 5 Audi SQ5 From £44,000 Serious ground-covering ability with the bi-turbo engine aboard. For more involvement, see the above. Visit autocar.co.uk for all of our Top Fives…

Seat is aiming to muscle in on the lucrative SUV market with the Ateca, a crucial new model targeted squarely at the likes of the Nissan Qashqai. The Ateca was unveiled at a special event in Barcelona by company president Luca de Meo ahead of a Geneva motor show debut next month. It will reach the UK in September and be priced to compete head on with the Qashqai, with orders being taken from late spring. The Ateca, which has a similar footprint to the Leon, is Seat’s first SUV and should bring significant growth to the Volkswagen Group brand. Underpinned by the VW Group’s versatile MQB platform, the Ateca is 4.36 metres long, which makes it just 2cm shorter than the Qashqai. It shares its 2.64m wheelbase with the…

KIA HAS KICK-STARTED the next stage of its green car strategy by unveiling the Niro petrol-electric hybrid at the Chicago motor show. Billed by the Korean car maker as a ‘Hybrid Utility Vehicle’, which essentially means it combines crossover looks with hybrid technology, the vehicle is part of Kia’s plan to increase its green car line-up from four models to 11 by the end of this decade. It is the first Kia product to make use of a new platform that has been specifically developed for hybrid and plug-in hybrid models. The Niro sits between Kia’s existing Soul and Sportage in terms of size and has a 2700mm wheelbase. At the heart of the Niro’s powertrain is an all-new 1.6-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that has been engineered specifically for hybrid…

THE END OF haggling over the price of a new car is an “inevitable” result of the rise of internet sales, according to Hyundai UK boss Tony Whitehorn. Hyundai has trialled internet sales through its Rockar offshoots, which combine shops in the Westfield and Bluewater shopping centres with an online ordering system. Although Rockar can discount the cars it sells, customers cannot haggle on the price. Last year, Rockar sold more than 700 cars this way, and Whitehorn says the buying trends suggest that no-haggle selling will become normality. “I can’t say when, but it’s clear that there’s a growing number of customers who want transparency and a quick, simple buying solution,” he said. “That trend will only continue, and it is up to the car industry to react. “At…

The Mini Convertible is the latest model to join the British car maker’s line-up. Due in showrooms in April, the new open-top car is larger and roomier than its predecessor and comes with a range of three and four-cylinder diesel and petrol engines that offer added performance and greater fuel economy. Mirroring the dimensions of the three-door hatch, the Convertible has grown by 98mm in length (to 3821mm), 44mm in width (to 1727mm) and 7mm in height (to 1415mm). Its wheelbase is also 28mm longer, at 2429mm, and its track is 42mm wider at the front and 34mm wider at the rear. However, the addition of more substantial structural elements and other stiffening measures have made it 115kg heavier than the hatch. The Cooper S Convertible tested here uses a…

Another senior manager complained: ‘People don’t love our cars’ If you were running a global car maker and your sales had gently more than doubled over the past 11 years, surely you would be pretty happy, wouldn’t you? Especially if you have global sales and a global manufacturing footprint, your factories are running at capacity and you sold around five million cars in 2015? Even better, you have just been rated number one in the US’s rigorous JD Power Initial Quality Ranking survey for non-premium brands. So what’s the problem? Well, Hyundai has one – and it’s pretty all-encompassing. For more than two years, senior management have been fretting over the medium and long-term future of the company. They have come to believe that Hyundai’s brand image is not clear…

For the past year, I’ve been driving a tatty, slightly lowered 1.8 Eunos Roadster (aka Mk1 Mazda MX-5), so I couldn’t wait to find out how it compared with the all-new MX-5. Even though I’d driven all the past generations of the open-top Mazda, I chose the Mk1 for its pure and undiluted ability to entertain. To me, the heavier, chunkier later generations were too staid and predictable. The latest MX-5 promises to correct the shortcomings of the past and, on paper at least, it seems strikingly similar to my car. At a sprightly 1075kg, it’s less than 100kg heavier and the dimensions are eerily similar, even though the pair look positively unrelated parked side by side. Both are just 1225mm tall and a shade under 4000mm long, and it’s…

READER’S CAR: PEUGEOT 106 GTI This S-plate Peugeot 106 GTi was brought for £800 by Mike Waldron. “My ex-girlfriend saw it advertised in Brighton,” he says. “She asked me to collect it with her. It had around 118,000 miles on the clock. “Around six months later, she decided she didn’t want it and asked if I’d be interested. I couldn’t resist. “It’s now got around 127,000 miles on it. I’ve taken it all over the finest roads in the West Midlands. Here it is next to my daily ‘French bread’: a Renault T-Series 460 truck.” SEND YOUR BANGERNOMICS TALES TO JAMES Twitter: @Bangernomics Email: james@bangernomics.com WHAT CAUGHT MY EYE THIS WEEK: NOT THE MILEAGE Mileage ityou see is , of the no less consequence important factors whatsoever it…

1 Ford Fiesta Zetec S Black From £13,000 Gets the most powerful version of the 1.0 Ecoboost. Easier to live with than an ST and almost as much fun. 2 Mini Cooper From £15,000 Never mind the S; the three-pot Cooper is the best-value Mini money can buy. The best to drive, too. Great car. 3 Suzuki Swift Sport From £13,000 The cheap, pretty and chuckable Swift defines this category best. Fun cannot be had more cheaply than this. 4 Seat Ibiza FR From £16,000 VW’s latest four-pot gives the Ibiza some real grunt. Shame the chassis it’s connected to is less than compelling. 5 Fiat 500 Abarth From £14,000 One of the cutest cars on sale is also pleasing to drive. The handling is keen, but the ride is…

Subaru XV Spring The Subaru XV crossover gets a facelift for this year. Changes include minor tweaks to the chassis, revised styling inside and out and an improved infotainment system, while revisions to the engine line-up improve efficiency. Sales commence on 1 March. Price £21,160 SPRING 2016 Abarth 595 facelift, Alpina B7, Ariel Nomad Supercharged, Audi S8 Plus, S4, RS6/RS7 Performance, R8 Spyder, SQ7, SQ5, BMW M2, M4 GTS, 225xe Active Tourer, 330e, 3 Series GT facelift, X4 M40i, Bugatti Chiron, Cadillac CT6, Chevrolet Camaro, Detroit Electric SP:01, Elemental RP1, Ferrari 488 Spider, Fiat Tipo, Ford Focus RS, Ranger, Mustang, Infiniti Q30, Hyundai i20 Active, i20 1.0, Jaguar F-Pace, XE AWD, XF AWD, Kia Sportage, Optima, Kahn Speed 7, Koenigsegg Agera RS, Lamborghini Aventador SV Roadster, Huracán LP580-2, Huracán Spyder,…

Renault will formally revive its Alpine performance brand next year with an all-new sports car closely related to this concept, the Alpine Vision. The Alpine Vision is a mid-engined two-seat coupé that will make its public debut at the Geneva motor show next month. It was unveiled yesterday by Renault boss Carlos Ghosn at an event in Monte Carlo, a location chosen as a nod to the original Alpine’s historic early successes on the Monte Carlo Rally. A whole new team and division has been set up within Renault to help launch and develop the Alpine brand. The division has a dedicated boss (Bernard Ollivier, a former Renault Sport chief), a head of design (Antony Villain, the man behind recent Alpine concepts) and a head of sales and marketing (Arnaud…

THE ATECA SUV is the first of four new Seat models to be launched in the next two years, Autocar has learned. The Ateca will be followed by a facelifted Leon range later this year and then next year by an all-new Ibiza and, soon after that, an Ibiza-based compact SUV. Autocar understands that the facelifted Leon will highlight a more grown-up look for the range. Work has also been done on refinement, and more technology and convenience options will be added. The Ibiza that’s due to arrive next year will be an all-new car and the first to be based on the Volkswagen Group’s MQB A0 platform. It will be a bolder-looking car than today’s, with improved quality, refinement and detailing. It will then spawn an SUV, which will…

Jaguar has confirmed the full specifications of the F-Type SVR sports car ahead of its Geneva motor show debut next month. Previously, Jaguar had only confirmed the 200mph top speed of the F-Type SVR coupé, although a leaked brochure revealed many more details. Now, Jaguar has confirmed that power will come from a 567bhp, 516lb ft version of the firm’s 5.0-litre supercharged V8. The F-Type SVR is four-wheel drive and uses an eight-speed automatic gearbox. The 1705kg F-Type SVR coupé can crack 0-60mph in 3.5sec and reach a 200mph top speed. The 1720kg convertible shares its 0-60mph time with the coupé but has a top speed reduced to 195mph. Economy and CO2 emissions figures are the same for both cars, at 25.0mpg and 269g/km respectively. The SVR’s aerodynamic package is…

THE KIA OPTIMA Plug-in Hybrid has been unveiled at the Chicago motor show. The Optima PHEV uses a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that produces 154bhp at 6000rpm and is mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, combined with a transmission-mounted 67bhp electric motor powered by a 9.8kWh lithium ion polymer battery pack. The car is claimed to have a range of 27 miles in full EV mode or a combined petrol-electric range of 600 miles. The battery pack is situated low down behind the rear seats, both to maximise boot volume and provide the space needed to offer 60/40 split-folding seatbacks. Additional power for the battery is harvested via a regenerative braking system. The Optima PHEV is equipped with a single charging port located in the front wing. A full charge…

The new Volvo V90 estate has been given an early debut online after images leaked on social media ahead of its Geneva motor show unveiling next month. The V90 will be built on the Swedish manufacturer’s SPA platform and is the estate version of the recently revealed S90 saloon. An official launch date has not yet been confirmed, but the V90 is set to go on sale in the UK in the second half of this year. A sporty Volvo V90 Polestar, tuned by the company’s competition arm, is also likely later in the car’s lifecycle.…

The BMW M2 is the indirect successor to the much-admired but short-lived 1 Series M Coupé, which finished production after a limited run of just 6309 cars back in 2011 – and it also happens to be one of the most eagerly awaited performance cars in years. But unlike its predecessor, the 365bhp M2 is acknowledged as a fully fledged M car. When it reaches showrooms in April, the muscular coupé will be priced from £44,070, which places it £12,520 below the four-door M3, until now the most keenly priced of all current M cars. The M2 will inevitably be compared with the £39,995 Mercedes-AMG A45 4Matic and £39,950 Audi RS3 Sportback, but unlike those four-wheel-drive hatchback rivals, it is rear-wheel drive, maintaining an M division tradition that harks all…

Let’s not pretend that this new, six-speed manual, 118bhp turbocharged 1.0-litre version of the Hyundai i20 Coupé is related in any way that matters to the steroidal World Rally Championship car currently rampaging around, through and over the world’s lakes, forests and mountains. In fact, launched last year, the i20 Coupé is unashamedly billed as the sort of car that’ll appeal to drivers after something that not only looks smart and has a bit of entertainment value but also makes costs a chief priority. It’s not going to make you feel like Ari Vatanen, then. Yet it does have real promise, chiefly because the naturally aspirated 1.2 and 1.4 engines were weak points in the i20’s armour, and this new turbocharged three-cylinder motor, also available in 98bhp and five-speed manual…

Steve Cropley’s comments about the value for money of the recently released Ford Focus RS (A Week In Cars, 27 January) and your first drive report (Autocar, 20 January) had me thinking about some of the cars I have owned. In 1989, I purchased a Ford Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth for £22,500 (including metallic paint and leather). It was great in its day — 204bhp, 150mph, 0-60mph in a little over 6.0sec — but by today’s RS standards very basic (two-wheel drive, poorly finished and few toys). Today’s RS offers 345bhp, 160mph, 0-60mph in under 5.0sec, four-wheel drive and all the toys an enthusiast would want for £29,995. At a compound inflation rate of 2.5% since 1989 (relatively conservative), my £22,500 RS Cosworth would now be £45,132. It puts the…

The NX owners that have written to me in the course of my tenure of our Lexus have expressed nothing but satisfaction with their cars. They all seem to love its build quality and driving characteristics and a couple of them have also praised the optional panoramic glass roof, which does a great job of brightening up the otherwise dark interior. Our car has one too, and I agree with them, although at £1000 it’s not cheap. Frustratingly, they have also all achieved better fuel economy figures for their cars than the 32.9mpg I’m averaging with ours. This is annoying, because I find myself driving this car more sedately than just about anything else I’ve ever driven. At first I thought this might be down to a natural slowing down…

1 Ford Galaxy (2006-2015) Whether it’s a supermini, family hatch or large MPV, Ford usually delivers excellent driving cars in a great package. The Galaxy may not be as fine-handling as its S-Max sibling, but it corners well and remains composed over bumps. Inside, there’s plenty of leg and head room throughout, and you’ll even get a couple of bags in the boot when all the seats are occupied. Usefully, the five rear seats fold flat into the floor, giving van-like space. The Galaxy is pretty reliable, but look out for power steering pump failures and alarm faults. A base Edge trim gets air-con, electric windows and a heated windscreen. We found a 2010 2.0-litre diesel with 52,000 miles for £8850. 2 Renault Grand Scenic (2003-2009) There aren’t too many…

1 Ford Mondeo From £18,000 Still the saloon king. Practical, well priced, dynamically gifted and now very refined and pretty. All hail. 2 Volkswagen Passat From £19,000 Good enough to run the Mondeo close, but for all its quality and refinement, it doesn’t appeal like the talented Ford. 3 Mazda 6 From £19,000 A huge wheelbase and Skyactiv diesel engine make the 6 look like a steal. Shame interior quality hasn’t caught up. 4 Skoda Octavia From £16,000 A lengthened wheelbase helps the Octavia to go from also-ran to title contender. Price growth understandable. 5 Vauxhall Insignia From £17,000 The Insignia will finish its life cycle a fundamentally better car than when it started. Latest Whisper diesel the best. Visit autocar.co.uk for all of our Top Fives…