Innholdsfortegnelse for 20/07/2016 i Autocar

THE NEXT-GENERATION Audi A8 is set to be the first ‘level three, hands-free’ autonomous car when it goes on sale in 2017 — and the technology will filter down to the new A7, A6 and Q8. The autonomous function is reported to be called Traffic Jam Assist. It will operate at up to 37mph in congested motorway traffic and — unlike any system currently available, which are all rated at level two autonomy because they require human input — will take full control. A separate Park Assist function will also be available to park the car automatically with the driver outside of the car, controlling it via an app on his or her smartphone. Audi is believed to have decided that it is willing to take liability for any incidents…

THE LONDON TAXI Company (LTC), maker of London’s iconic black cab, has been touring Europe’s capitals as a prelude to offering its all-new extended-range electric taxi, due next year, in markets around the world. So far, LTC’s marketing team has been talking to city authorities in Oslo, Barcelona and Paris and has imminent plans for a visit to Berlin. However, LTC chairman Carl-Peter Forster believes demand will also come from much farther afield, notably China, where LTC’s parent company, Geely, has its headquarters. “We also have high hopes for strong sales in Hong Kong and Singapore,” he said. The cab, a range extender with a 30-mile electric range and an efficient on-board generator, is built to be as light as possible, with a bonded and riveted aluminium body structure and…

The HS keeps the important things that make the California the best day-to-day Ferrari in the range Ferrari is keen to point out that this is not a mere entry model to the Italian supercar maker’s range. That distinction belongs to the California T without ‘HS’ in its initials – a quieter and smoother-riding version of the roadster-cum-GT that starts £5568 lower in the price list than this £160,812, somewhat sportier, new arrival. The Handling Speciale has been selling in Europe since the beginning of the year and about 20% of California T buyers have already shown a preference for the more focused package. The modifications include springs that are 16% stiffer up front and 19% behind, improved magnetorheological dampers, tweaks to the F1-Trac stability control that allow you to…

Cadillac is back for another crack at the European market. Only this time it really means it. The General Motors brand has now admitted what we knew already: it just can’t compete with the likes of Audi, BMW or Mercedes-Benz on their home soil. What it can do is offer a selection of distinctively styled models with plenty of equipment, powerful engines and, hopefully, some decent driving dynamics. It also hopes to build a customer base of discerning buyers who ‘get’ the brand and give it some visibility in Europe. The first of these models is the new CT6. It sits in the luxury saloon segment alongside the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class, but it’s perhaps closest in ideology to the Jaguar XJ. The CT6’s more sporting brief means…

'You get lined up and just hit it. If the revs drop, you sink. If the intake gets wet, your engine is ruined' Off-roading is illegal in Iceland. Seriously. It could cost you £2800 and two years inside, because tyre tracks cut into the country’s delicate, lightly grassed volcanic tundra take decades to heal. Unlike, say, the moon or Hollywood Boulevard, no one will hail you for leaving your imprint here. But, wonderfully, there is an exception, and it’s called Formula Offroad. In this sport, mad machines driven by even madder men battle it out over land and water – yes, over water – to compete for the Icelandic Formula Offroad title. In a stark white Land Rover Defender 110, we’re heading for a sunken gravel pit at Hella, an…

AMAZING AM-RB 001 The Aston Martin and Red Bull hypercar looks almost exactly as I imagined a two-seat enclosed Formula 1 car for the road would look (News, 6 July). One part of me wants to trade the quite ugly aero for something beautiful, but we already have the result of that thinking in the McLaren P1 and Ferrari LaFerrari. This is totally fresh, cutting-edge science and Aston Martin should be lauded for having the gonads to go from old man’s luxury GT to absolute cutting-edge Ferrari-beater. Well done, all. Brave and amazing. Ben Mitchell Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire CHARGING FOR CHARGING Ecotricity has announced that it is bringing in charges for its rapid charging network (News, 13 July). The big news is that it’s at a £6 flat rate for 30…

Mileage 11,307 The Levorg is piling on the miles quickly and the arrival of the 10,000th heralded its first service. It is surprising that it needs one so soon, especially when some of its rivals will go double the distance between servicing. It is something worth considering. If you are keen on the Levorg and plan to do lots of miles, expect routine visits to a dealership to become a familiar and relatively frequent fact of life. A clean bill of health was needed for our car, then, so after a quick ring-around of the local dealers, the car was booked in with Seward Subaru in Havant. Unsurprisingly, the Levorg flew through its service and free health check. It was returned fully valeted, too. Total cost: £170.75. The friendly and…

READER’S CAR: AUDI A3 Howard Weir hails from New Zealand and has a lovely Audi A3 2.0 TFSI S line. “I paid NZ$20,000,” he says. That’s approximately £11,200. “There are lots of the V6 4Motions available and their prices would qualify as bangers at around $8000-$12,000 [roughly £4500-£6750]. “Mine is a used Japanese import. It’s immaculate and appeals as a subtle, quick real-world car. A keeper, indeed, and I feel these are underrated and qualify as a poor man’s Volkswagen Golf R.” SEND YOUR BANGERNOMICS TALES TO JAMES Twitter: @Bangernomics Email : james@bangernomics.com WHAT CAUGHT MY EYE THIS WEEK: USED CAR WARRANTIES Are used car warranties worth it? Well, you have to look at the terms and conditions. For the nervous used car buyer, they will deliver a half-decent…

      Autocar’s star ratings explained Inherently dangerous/unsafe. Tragically, irredeemably flawed. Appalling. Massively significant failings. Very poor. Fails to meet any accepted class boundaries. Poor. Within acceptable class boundaries in a few areas. Still not recommendable. Off the pace. Below average in nearly all areas. Acceptable. About average in key areas, but disappoints. Competent. Above average in some areas, average in others. Outstanding in none. Good. Competitive in key areas. Very good. Very competitive in key areas, competitive in secondary respects. Excellent. Near class leading in key areas, and in some ways outstanding. Brilliant, unsurpassed. All but flawless. Any car that has had a full Autocar road test is highlighted in yellow.…

WHEN PRODUCTION of the McLaren F1 began in 1992, company bosses reportedly planned to sell at least 150 of the £640,000 road cars in order to turn a profit. In fact, when production ended in 1998, just 106 F1s had been made: five prototypes, 64 standard road cars, one LM prototype, five LM road cars, one Longtail prototype, two Longtail road cars and 28 GTR race cars. However, the race programme is said to have been so successful that the project still made money for McLaren. For many, the relatively low sales remain a surprise today, but they also underline just how expensive the car was relative to top-end opposition. Even a glowing road test in Autocar in 1994, which declared the McLaren F1 “possibly the fastest production road car…

AUDI COULD RACE a hydrogen-powered Le Mans car in the future, Autocar has learned — but the project depends on the technology gaining more of a foothold on production cars than is currently the case. Confirmation from Audi’s head of technical development, Stefan Knirsch, that a hydrogen-powered Le Mans racer “could be possible” is the first hint of the project. Rival BMW has previously been linked to racing a hydrogen-powered car at Le Mans in the future. “If we wanted to demonstrate our capabilities that way, we could do it,” said Knirsch. “But we must be certain that it has a production future. We don’t like to show things that are not leading to a production reality and, at the moment, the lack of infrastructure leaves that uncertain.” If Audi…

Mercedes-Benz performance arm AMG is set to give its next A45 4Matic a further boost in performance. The move is part of a plan to enhance the four-wheel-drive mega-hatch’s competitiveness against rivals such as the recently introduced Audi RS3 and BMW M2, sources have told Autocar. Currently in the early stages of development, the second-generation A45 is scheduled to go on sale in early 2019. It will be the flagship model for an extended range of A-Class models that will include a new plug-in petrol-electric hybrid. Changes to the A45’s body structure mean that it will be marginally longer than today’s version and adopt a higher percentage of aluminium in a bid to retain a similar kerb weight. It will also feature an updated version of AMG’s M133-designated turbocharged 2.0-litre…

With such a short wheelbase, it feels super-quick at the helm, despite 3.5 turns between locks City cars are all about nipping around town, but what if you desire a bit more nip from your neatly packaged, urbane urban runaround? One for the suggestion box is this new Smart Brabus Fortwo, a car that so perfectly fits the term ‘dinky’ that you could almost grab it by the roof and give it a playful zoom across the kitchen floor. Park it next to a modern Abarth 500 and suddenly the sporty little Italian icon seems borderline gargantuan. So has Brabus given the Fortwo the acceleration of a 1:43-scale model powered by the arm of an overexcited five-year-old? Well, not really, but it is pokier. Upgrades include an increase in fuel…

Few cars possess the sort of grace exuded by the Mercedes-Benz SL. The 1950s W189-generation SL is the stuff of bedroom wall posters, the 1960s W113 ‘Pagoda’ is stop-in-the-street gorgeous, the 1970s R107 is now deep in ‘phwoar’ territory and the 1990s R129 is getting prettier every day. We’ll gloss over the 2000s R230. Mercedes found better form with its next one, this R231, which has been available from 2012 and was facelifted earlier this year. We’ve already sampled the impressive entry-level V6 SL400 on UK roads. This time we’re driving the AMGfettled twin-turbo 5.5-litre V8 SL63. Unlike the 400, the 63 gains no extra oomph for 2016, but it didn’t need any with an already colossal 577bhp. It does receive the range’s other (minor) changes, though, including new headlights,…

The post-referendum fear and scaremongering go on and on (News, 6 July). However the resilience of the car industry should not be ignored Looking on the negative side is not a car industry format. Rather, it has an enviable reputation for meeting challenges head on and responding immediately with innovative solutions. Most manufacturers will have been discussing the ramifications and opportunities for several months. This most recent challenge will be absorbed and a plan to combat a loss of volumes, or potential gains, will be just another forward-thinking blueprint for bosses. Those in the industry will work hard to dismiss the negatives and will, I am sure, create positive marketing solutions for the dealers and manufacturers alike. It is the reason the car industry flourishes. The dedicated people fight their…

We’ve been willing it for years, but now there are signs that Honda is recovering its mojo. The brassy Civic Type R hot hatch and intriguing NSX hybrid sports car are two indicators of the firm’s resurgence, and if it can now persuade the public that its engineering excellence and clarity of purpose are as prevalent in its everyday cars as they are in those two rather more specialist products, a return to its former glory is surely just a variable camshaft profile away. The Jazz, to a degree, needs no such public re-engagement. This immensely popular and eminently practical car accounts for more than 40% of Honda’s UK sales and is far more relevant to most people’s real motoring needs than those two high-performance machines could ever be. So…

1 Leon (2012-present) The third generation of Seat’s family stalwart is available as a three-door SC, five-door hatchback and five-door ST estate. Our pick is the rather unassuming sub-Cupra FR model, with a 1.8-litre petrol engine. It develops 178bhp and gets from standstill to 62mph in 7.3sec. The FR avoids the higher fuel and insurance costs of the Cupra but is good to drive and has well-weighted, direct steering and a composed, comfortable ride. The Leon has a good reputation for reliability, with just a few issues with the DSG dual-clutch automatic gearbox being jerky in lower gears. We found a 2013 example of the FR with sat-nav and 52,000 miles on the clock for £10,900. 2 Exeo (2009-2013) If you fancy a well-made, German-like executive saloon but don’t care…

Super-GTs 1 Ferrari F12 Berlinetta From £240,000 Thrilling in a way that only a front-engined V12 Ferrari could be. Crushing performance and unparalleled drama. 2 Rolls-Royce Wraith From £230,000 An intimate and involving Rolls-Royce; less grand, perhaps, but only in the measures that serve to make it great. 3 Aston Martin Vanquish From £190,000 If your money is only intended to buy dazzling exterior beauty, it is best invested in Aston Martin’s flagship. 4 Bentley Continental GT From £140,000 It may have lost four cylinders, but the new Audi-sourced V8 is so good that it completely reinvigorates the Conti. 5 Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupé From £125,000 So long in the legs that continents flash by mid-stride. Has a business-like opulence. The 63 AMG is the best.…

The power-to-weight goal is to eclipse any other car with three seats or more’ Autocar has sensationally uncovered a secret plan to reinvent the iconic McLaren F1 before the turn of the decade in a project made possible by the bespoke skills of the Woking-based firm’s Special Operations division. The all-new, limited-edition £2 million car will be built in homage to the F1 and include many of its standout design features — including the three-seat layout, powered dihedral doors with openings that extend to the roof’s central vein, and a roof snorkel. However, the car is also being engineered to an all-new brief as an ultra-powerful GT car. With the P1 remaining at the pinnacle of McLaren’s line-up, Autocar understands the new F1 development team has been given the goal…

Jaguar Land Rover is working on technology that could enable its future production cars to drive autonomously off road as well as on the road. The systems — part of a raft of connected car projects the company is developing — aim to make JLR’s self-driving cars viable in a range of driving environments. Future Range Rovers, Land Rovers and Jaguars should be able to automatically read off-road surface changes, sense bumpy terrain and even connect with each other in convoy. These prototype systems, such as surface identification and 3D path sensing, use camera, ultrasonic, radar and lidar sensors to give the car a 360deg view of the world around the vehicle. It can then anticipate a change from one surface to another, or highlight an imminent obstruction, with the…

Audi will enter an era of more dramatic design next year, starting with the launch of an all-new A8 and swiftly following it with new A7, A6 and Q8 models. The look will be showcased by the new A8 — which will err towards sophistication when it is revealed in autumn 2017 — and the more overtly sporting new A7, due in late 2017. However, it is the new A6, which will be launched in early 2018, that will take the new design language into the mainstream. The fresh design approach has been led by Marc Lichte, who joined Audi from Volkswagen in February 2014. Audi bosses hope the dramatically sportier look of the new A6 will be a key differentiator in its battle for sales with the more conservative…

A replica of the Land Rover Defender could go into production, if a feasibility study carried out by chemical giant Ineos is successful. Earlier this month the company, which is headed by billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, revealed it had held talks with Jaguar Land Rover about the possibility of putting the Defender back into production, but the car maker dismissed the idea. “There is no way this is happening,” a JLR spokesman said. “We’re not going to let anyone build our Defender.” Despite JLR’s stance, Ratcliffe said he was a great admirer of the Defender and was determined to bring it back in some form, possibly on a new vehicle bearing a strong resemblance to the discontinued Defender but using a different name. “I think the Defender can be upgraded to…

Nissan’s Infiniti brand is preparing for a full-scale assault on the expanding global premium market, headed up by a “revolutionary” new four-cylinder petrol engine that offers V6 levels of power and diesel-like fuel economy. The company also plans to launch a new medium-sized global SUV — a replacement for the ageing QX50 — and intends to roll out ever-greater levels of driver assistance and autonomy on its cars between now and the end of the decade. Brand sources claim that Infiniti has long led the industry in driver assistance, being the first to launch lane keep assist (in 2001) and lane departure warning (in 2004), as well as the autonomy-friendly ‘steer by wire’ set-up in 2014. It’s understood that the new four-cylinder petrol engine features variable compression ratio technology —…

THE NEXT-GENERATION Mini Countryman range is set to include a plug-in hybrid version with an electric-only range of up to 30 miles. Rumoured to be called Countryman E, the hybrid model is likely to be launched shortly after conventional versions of the second-generation Countryman, which are due later this year. The hybrid powertrain features a combustion engine that drives the front wheels and an electric motor that powers the rears, giving the PHEV Countryman four-wheel drive. The technology is based on the GKN-developed system of the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer PHEV. That car’s driveline also has links to the system used in the BMW i8. The PHEV model will accompany conventional turbocharged four-cylinder diesel and petrol-engined models in the Countryman line-up and is likely to be the most expensive…

Perhaps the most welcome feature of the Renault Clio’s wider update is confirmation that the RS 220 Trophy – a powered-up, hunkered-down version of the regular Renault Sport model – goes from nominal special edition to standard volume prospect. But aside from that revelation, the tangible alterations to the car are marginal. As before, outputs from the turbocharged 1.6-litre engine are 217bhp and 192lb ft (with only the former qualifying as superior to standard) and the EDC dual-clutch automatic gearbox remains – as does the uprated chassis, which drops the car by 20mm at the front and 10mm at the rear. An Akrapovic exhaust is also added to the cost options list, ‘inspired’ by the titanium system fitted to the RS16 concept car. Physically, the car changes, albeit only slightly.…

Material fit, finish and appearance are better than those of most VWs No, you can’t have one. Not unless you live in China (and if you do), in which case, fill your boots. You can’t have one because this is the Volkswagen Phideon. The new Phaeton, if you like – the contradiction that was the people’s car not built for the people. The car that was a rip-roaring success story, in two places, at least: China and Wolfsburg. Wolfsburg, home of VW, misses out this time. Although it is mostly German-developed, the Phideon is a car for China and China alone. They like big saloons in China, you see. Mostly black, often ugly. Some 60% of Bentley Flying Spurs are sold there. That’s why they liked the Phaeton. There’s some…

I’m driving the Miura by water temperature gauge rather than the optimistic speedo Never trust an ancient Italian speedometer. The needle is touching 260km/h – more than 160mph – but there’s no way the Lamborghini Miura is running at that sort of pace. Besides, there’s a police car alongside my bright yellow SV model as we hurtle down the dual carriageway between Bologna and Parma. Fortunately, the carabinieri are all smiles in their Huracán squad car. And the driver is definitely urging me on, rather than trying to enforce the national speed limit. Thousands of spectators have lined the route to wave Italian flags and photograph our progress. As we slow to pay a toll, the cry from a minibus opposite goes up: “Viva Lamborghini!” Welcome to the inaugural Miura…

Oops. The XC90 D5 has had to leave the Autocar long-term fleet halfway into its supposed yearlong test because, in less than six months, 18,000 miles had appeared on its odometer — and a reading of 40,000 miles on a year-old car wouldn’t be great for its residual value. Sorry, dealer network. What can I tell you? One, I drive a lot and, two, if you are covering a lot of miles, the front perch of an XC90 is a pretty choice place from which to do it. So the D5 had been to Geneva once, the Alps once, Paris once and Wales more times than I can remember. Mostly it was with me at the wheel, but such is the appeal of the biggest Volvo that any time a…

Newer Doblos are visually challenged, but the old ones have real character It was my deep misfortune to be lent a Ford Galaxy a few months back by an insurance company while one of our cars was being fixed. It was such a depressing amount of dead space. I am told it is great to drive, but I wasn’t interested enough to investigate further. I think character is good when it comes to space, and what it boils down to is this: I do love a van with windows. For many, the French have this category sewn up with vehicles from Renault and the PSA Group (Peugeot and Citroën). Obviously, they should have at least one hubcap missing. It is hard not love the Renault Kangoo, which has a crazy…