Innholdsfortegnelse for 19/10/2016 i Autocar

There was a time, back in 2011, when we thought Land Rover’s DC100 concepts — revealed in three-door hardtop and open-top guises — might be the new Defender. The company allowed us to think it held strong clues. Most at Autocar liked it, especially when they let us drive it on the beach in Los Angeles, where we enjoyed its compactness and modernity. But the DC100 wasn’t the new Defender. It finished up showing what the Defender would not be. While we approved, the Defender faithful emphatically did not. They reckoned it too slight, too small and simply not imposing enough to rule as the new icon. Looking back, especially with the extra insight brought by last year’s end-of-Defender celebrations, they were right. One thing the DC100 did, though, was…

CHINESE CAR MAKER Zotye Auto is again under fire for a copycat design, in this instance for a new SUV called the SR9 that closely resembles the Porsche Macan. Although Porsche threatened legal action when the SR9 was shown as a concept in 2014, the German maker has yet to officially sue for copyright infringement, according to officials at the firm’s HQ in Stuttgart. Autocar’s comparison pictures reveal the extent of Zotye’s plagiarism. As well as aping the overall proportions and silhouette of the Macan, the SR9, which costs from £12,300 and is offered with a Mitsubishi-sourced 187bhp turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine, also features similar shut lines and exterior detailing. The SR9’s interior also bears a striking resemblance to the Macan’s. Zotye is well known for its plagiarism of successful…

Mini has confirmed that its second-generation Countryman will be offered in hybrid form alongside three and four-cylinder petrols and diesels when it arrives next year. The petrol-electric SUV will be Mini’s first hybrid car ahead of other alternatively powered models, including a fully electric version of the Cooper hatchback due in 2019. The Countryman hybrid will share its platform and drivetrain with the BMW 225xe plug-in hybrid, with a 1.5-litre combustion engine mounted up front and the electric motor sited within the rear axle. It offers four-wheel drive in hybrid mode and rear-wheel drive in pure electric mode, with combined system outputs of 221bhp and 284lb ft and a 0-62mph time of 6.7sec. Mini is yet to reveal figures for the Countryman, but sources suggest they will not vary too…

ABMW i5 SUV is strongly tipped to be the firm’s next all-new all-electric model, but it is not scheduled for launch until 2021. Earlier this year, Harald Krüger, chairman of the board of management at BMW AG, revealed that the next BMW i product would be launched in 2021, dubbing it ‘i Next’. But he declined to elaborate beyond describing the future model as the “new spearhead of innovation and technology”. Now sources have suggested that BMW has settled on an SUV bodystyle for its next model, reasoning that it is a shape with global appeal in a segment with booming sales and greater profit margins than hatchbacks or saloons. In addition, an SUV bodystyle more easily accommodates the bulky battery pack without compromising proportions. Without commenting on the bodystyle,…

Darn fine car, the Audi R8 Coupé. Really, it’s among the best supercars you can buy, rubbing shoulders with the pantheon of greats from Maranello, Sant’Agata, Stuttgart and Woking. However, these supercars are rarely so super when you lop the roof off and turn them into cabriolets, so has this act of apparent brutality sullied the mighty R8? In an attempt to maintain the structural rigidity of the fixed-roof R8, the composite central tunnel and rear bulkhead have been retained, but that bulkhead has been modified to accommodate the Spyder’s folding roof. The aluminium spaceframe that extends forward from the bulkhead also has thicker box sections in the sills and around the windscreen, making this car 50% stiffer than the old R8 Spyder – but it still has 40% more…

MODEL TESTED 1.6 TDI ECOMOTIVE SE Price £21,900 Power 114bhp Torque 184lb ft 0-60mph 10.5sec 30-70mph in fourth 13.7sec Fuel economy 50.2mpg CO2 emissions 113g/km 70-0mph 47.7m It seems hardly five minutes ago that the perennial Seat-related question was not a matter of shiny new product but whether the Spanish car maker could possibly hope to survive its seemingly endless non-profit status. Last-chance survival plans and borrowing end-of-line Audi machinery have featured in the manufacturer’s recent past, as has filling its Martorell factory with Q3 production in an effort to finally make it a cost-effective operation. Now, though, the future looks suddenly bright. The firm actually claimed a wafer-thin profit for last year, evidence that its latest business plan was on the right track – a track leading inexorably to…

“The brand has a lot to offer. We’ve had a lot of negativity; now we can turn a corner” “Diess’s to-do list doesn’t end with the Dieselgate fallout and the need for an EV strategy” 4 years Diess believes it will take this long for VW to put the emissions scandal behind it and restore its reputation The security is discreet but notably present, the office down a pure white corridor of Volkswagen’s Paris show stand. Inside, it’s cool, calm and ordered. Standing before me is the man I’ve been asking for a year to speak to, tieless, smiling and welcoming. You’d never guess he faces one of the biggest challenges in corporate history – but, charged with restoring VW’s fortunes, that is exactly what is confronting company chairman…

“If your commute is short but you do longer weekend drives, the T8 is a viable option” The ‘test best’ economy figure on the factsheet to the right tells you how best to use a Volvo XC90 T8 plug-in hybrid. ‘Infinite mpg’, it says, which is an achievable, if unlikely, state of affairs in which to find a seven-seat luxury SUV. Certainly it’s unlikely if you use an XC90 T8 like we have been for the past 8000 miles. The T8 – which has a petrol engine and an electric motor – replaced a D5 diesel XC90, in which we’d covered nearly 18,000 miles while returning 37mpg. Do short journeys in a T8 and its plug-in hybrid system, which suggests an electric-only range of 25 miles, means you can do…

Not so long ago it was easy to choose between Germany’s big three prestige brands. You bought a BMW if driving pleasure was your top priority, a Mercedes-Benz if you were more interested in comfort and an Audi if you wanted to spend your time in one of the classiest cabins around. Then things got confusing. BMW started making front-wheel-drive MPVs, while Mercedes started pushing its AMG Line trim, with the big wheels and stiffer suspension that brought a firmer ride. Only Audi stayed true to its traditional strength, with all of its cars featuring interiors built to the highest standards. Or, at least, that’s what I thought. Don’t get me wrong: the materials in the A4 feel extremely plush from carpet level upwards, while the crisp on-screen graphics and…

I have something called PDC — Park Distance Control — which irritatingly beeps at you when you approach an inanimate object, or a pedestrian walks behind or in front. In Shed 7, it worked perfectly; in Shed 5, not so much. Now, though, it screeches whenever I engage reverse and thereafter serves no useful purpose at all. That may explain why there’s a scrape on the rear bumper. I traced the area of wiring that controls it with the help of the online community of E39 5 Series owners. Whereas they usually want to fix it, I’ve decided to unplug it. PDC, RIP.…

“The HR wielded 308bhp and 264lb ft, enough to propel the Zed from 0-62mph in 5.5sec” The Nissan 350Z is one of those models the genuine petrolheads in the big car companies manage to slip past the suits from time to time. Among the Almeras and the Micras, it stood out like a sore thumb. A good sore thumb. On paper, the ingredients were mouth-watering: a two-door, two-seat coupé with a naturally aspirated 3.5-litre V6 engine driving the rear wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox (there’s a rare automatic, too), multi-link suspension, rack and pinion steering and Brembo brakes behind 18in alloy wheels. On the road, they made a lip-smacking dish, this magazine describing the Zed as “superb” and “so fundamentally correct”. So, reasons for buying one ticked, what are…

1 Rolls-Royce Phantom From £310,200 BMW built a phenomenal Rolls-Royce when it took over in 1998. Wonderfully made and knowingly aristocratic. 2 Bentley Bentayga From £160,200 Bentley’s first attempt at making an SUV is versatile, genteel and luxurious, with a silken edge. 3 Bentley Mulsanne From £229,400 If the Phantom is best experienced from the back seat, the Mulsanne is a ›lagship best ›lown from the front. 4 Mercedes-Maybach S600 From £165,700 Doesn’t have the badge allure to rule its class like the regular S-Class, but equally superior in terms of function. 5 Rolls-Royce Ghost From £227,000 The ‘affordable’ Rolls rounds out the silly-money list, narrowly trumping the Flying Spur with its superior cabin.…

“Land Rover is determined to make the new Defender the world’s most capable off-road vehicle” The new Defender, Land Rover’s forthcoming replacement for the much-lamented 67-year-old icon that finally went out of production late last year, will make use of technology even more modern than that adopted by the recently launched, all-new Discovery when it finally hits the market at the beginning 2019. Land Rover, which over the past 20 years has cleverly adapted conventional anti-lock braking and traction control systems to pioneer Hill Descent Control and Terrain Response for its strong-selling 4x4 models, is determined to make the new Defender the world’s most capable off-road vehicle. It is also understood to have further electronic enhancements for the chassis systems under final development in time for Defender production to begin.…

Alfa Romeo’s first SUV will have driving dynamics to rival the likes of the Porsche Macan when it goes on sale next year, according to the company’s CEO, Reid Bigland. Although no technical specifications for the mid-sized SUV — rumoured to be called the Stelvio — have yet been released, Bigland confirmed that it is being engineered for driving enjoyment. “The reason people will buy our mid-sized SUV is because they will get blown away by the driving dynamics,” he said. “Every car Alfa Romeo makes must stand apart for that reason, and this car will not disappoint.” Alfa’s SUV has been spotted testing in light camouflage ahead of its debut early next year. The development car was the first to be seen in public without heavy cladding and revealed…

A road-going version of US supercar maker Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus’s SCG 003 racing prototype is set to make its public debut at the Geneva motor show next March. The SCG 003S — the brainchild of American businessman James Glickenhaus — features a carbonfibre monocoque and is powered by a twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 that produces about 800bhp. Cornering loads in excess of 2g are expected, Glickenhaus claims, along with a 0-62mph time of less than 3.0sec a top speed beyond 217mph. Production will be strictly limited.…

Lamborghini is working with German motorsport carbonfibre specialist Becker Carbon on the development of its 2017 Huracán Superleggera. The Italian car maker’s track-focused model will be revealed at the Geneva show in March, featuring carbonfibre body panels and a more carbonfibreintensive structure. The car will benefit from Becker Carbon’s experience of supplying Formula 1 and Le Mans teams with parts to significantly undercut the Huracán LP610-4’s 1422kg kerb weight. The bodywork will also produce more downforce. Test mules for the new lightweight model have been spotted with the exterior of a regular Huracán, but the latest development car sports a large, fixed rear wing, different intakes and a raised, twin-exit exhaust system like that of the Huracán GT3 racer. The freer-flowing exhaust will allow the mid-mounted 5.2-litre V10 to breath…

MERCEDES-AMG IS working on a hardcore version of the C63 Coupé to rival the BMW M4 GTS. The C63 R, spied undergoing tests at the Nürburgring in Germany in near-production form, wears a large rear wing and a prominent front spoiler, suggesting it will produce enough downforce to enhance track performance and hinting at a more powerful version of the C63’s ‘hot-vee’ twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine under the bonnet. The most powerful C63 on sale at the moment is the C63 S, which produces 503bhp from its 4.0-litre V8. However, the hardcore 577bhp AMG GT R demonstrates that significantly more power can be extracted from this engine. Like the GT R, the C63 R will shed some weight through the use of carbonfibre parts. A titanium exhaust system is also…

THE ‘ONE FORD’ policy, under which the same basic models are sold in all regions around the world, “has peaked”, according to the company’s global design chief, Moray Callum. Speaking to Autocar, he said the approach isn’t being abandoned, but new models will be “more tailored to each region”. Of the One Ford policy, introduced by previous Ford boss Alan Mulally, Callum said: “It was the right approach at the time.” One Ford prompted the development of the Mustang as a global model, the launch of the Fiesta in the US and the arrival of the Brazilian Ecosport crossover in Europe, as well as the disposal of the Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo and part-owned Mazda brands from Ford’s portfolio. The One Ford strategy was also partly responsible for…

Since the release of the revolutionary i8 in 2014, BMW has been striving to remain at the forefront of both plug-in hybrid and pre-impregnated carbonfibre technology – and the BMW 740Le xDrive, as seen here, represents the vanguard of those developments thus far. The 740Le is essentially two cars in one: an electric car with a 28-mile zero-emissions range, as well as a continent-crushing cruiser with searing straight-line performance. It’s a compelling combination. In the name of downsizing, BMW has based the powertrain around its excellent turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine, retuned to produce a substantial 265bhp and 295lb ft. It’s mated to a specially developed eight-speed automatic transmission that is fitted with a 111bhp electric motor, and the combined reserves of 322bhp and 369lb ft are channelled to all four…

Following the VW Tiguan’s successful debut, we expected much of the Ateca. Frankly, much is needed of it if the brand’s aspirations of steady profitability are to come true. Happily, Seat’s first crossover is an assured accomplishment, instantly establishing its place in a popular, margin-rich segment while also surpassing second and third-generation rivals to boot. Its success ultimately brings to mind the introduction of the VW Up. The likeable city car – also offered as the Seat Mii – didn’t reinvent the class or prove particularly innovative; instead, it shrewdly met buyer expectations in the key areas of practicality, usability, appearance and fuel economy, then neatly exceeded them when it came to the chronically undervalued business of actually driving it. By adopting the same approach, Seat has produced an SUV…

WHEN I MEET Volkswagen design boss Klaus Bischoff in a windowless room at the Paris show, he’s been on duty for six hours, talking to hundreds of journalists about the ID concept. He says he’s not tired. “I could never get tired talking about design,” he says with a touch of defiance. Bischoff has been at VW for 26 years and head of VW brand design for a decade. His first project was the development of the Mk3 Golf, starting in 1989. It was a rocky project, with the final production cars lacking some of the production precision of its evergreen predecessor. By the time the Mk3 Golf was in production, VW was going through a period of serious financial stress. Bischoff is arguably a veteran of bad times, then,…

“This would make a ine tool for a rally hopeful to cut his teeth in” Single-seaters have Formula E, touring cars will soon have Electric GT and bikes have MotoE. But so far rallying has had nothing to bring to the electric table. A few independent electric entries into events such as the Dakar Rally have shown the potential of electron-fuelled rallying, but no electric-only series exists. That could soon change, however, because a small British company wants to lead the way by establishing the world’s first electric rallying championship. Fife-based eRally already has support from UK motorsport’s governing body, the MSA, and it hopes to offer electric rally cars to compete in junior rallying in the next year or two. The key to securing this future comes in the…

Having done a few thousand miles in my new F-Pace, I hope Jaguar and the police can see its potential as a police car. It has enough room for burly cops and all their kit, it handles well without being tiringly firm and the 3.0-litre diesel is fast enough and economical. Four-wheel drive offers all-weather and some off-road ability, while the 500mm wading depth and the raised driving position rounds off the car’s abilities. Plus, and this should clinch it, it’s about as British as a car can be these days. WIN Letter of the week wins this ValetPRO exterior protection and maintenance kit worth £58.95…

Every September I jump in a car and head to Belgium to compete in the Spa Six Hours. And for the past five years, me, various relatives and a bloke called Chris Harris have raced a 1965 Ford Falcon, a safe old bus that is both lighter (about 1100kg) and more powerful (around 460bhp) than it looks. The route to Spa is dull, but I’ve always enjoyed it, not least because Harris provides weapons-grade banter all the way. But this year he was committed elsewhere, so I faced the drive with just an i8 for company. Happily, I love travelling alone. In fact, and with very few exceptions, I prefer it. Go alone and you leave when you want, listen to what you want, drive how you like and get…

Liam Cawley has a 2001 Hyundai Grandeur, the Aussie version of the XG30. “Mine has cloth upholstery — better than leather in a hot climate,” he says. “It was supplied new to its first owner in New South Wales and brought to the UK with the owner in 2007. I paid £700 for it recently and had it trailered up from Devon to Durham. It has a complete history from day one in Australia to date and is a 3.0 V6 auto. To drive, it’s super-smooth and in perfect order. It’s garaged now, too, so hopefully she’ll survive a few north-east winters. It has done 77,000 miles. I haven’t spent a penny on it yet, but the wheels deserve a pro refurb.” SEND YOUR USED CAR TALES TO james@bangernomics.com…

An expert’s view GREG RAMSEY, WYNYARD MOTOR CO “I’ve sold about 10 350Zs in the past five years and I never hesitate if a straight car comes up. I don’t want aftersales issues and I’ve had none with the Zeds. I wouldn’t buy one for myself. It’s a bit too raw and hard-edged. Of course, that’s its appeal to enthusiasts. It feels really connected to the road. There’s a big aftermarket scene because they’re so tweakable. Prices for good Zeds are bottoming out as they get rarer. Buy a good one, garage it and it’ll hold its value.” Buyer beware… • CLUTCH A weak point. Expect it and the dual-mass flywheel to fail at around 60,000 miles. Cost: around £1000. • GEARBOX Manual gearbox is noisy in neutral at idle…

SKODA HAS CONFIRMED that its long-rumoured new baby SUV has been given the green light and will be in showrooms as soon as 2019, where it will join the Kodiaq and next year’s all-new Yeti. “We are already working on the car,” said Christian Strube, Skoda’s technical development chief. The small SUV is based on the Volkswagen Group’s MQB A0 architecture, which will also underpin the next Fabia and VW Polo. Although different in concept and execution, the new SUV should, in effect, fill the space vacated by the slow-selling Roomster, which will not be replaced. Details of the small SUV are scarce, but with the Yeti increasing in size to become a fully fledged rival to the likes of the Nissan Qashqai, this frees up space for a fun…

The new Volkswagen Golf, which is due to be unveiled next month before going on sale next year, will not be available in as many variants as it is now, as the scandal-hit firm focuses on increasing profit margins, boss Herbert Diess has revealed to Autocar. VW’s operating profit margins are famously slim and dipped to 1.7% in the first half of this year. Diess has already signalled his intent to turn that around, both by renegotiating labour and supplier deals and by reducing the complexity of model line-ups. “We need to simplify the product offering of the next Golf and have fewer variants, because we have got to get more cost-effectiveness into our company,” said Diess. “We need to be more agile and more innovative, and this is one…

NEXTEV’S NEW HYPERCAR has been spied testing in the UK, revealing the sleek shape and race-grade aerodynamics of the electric two-seater. Set to be unveiled next month, it is the first in a series of models planned by NextEV, whose profile has been raised by its participation in the Formula E championship. The Chinese-based EV start-up, headed by former Ford of Europe president Martin Leach, has indicated that the hypercar will set new standards in EV performance. Speaking earlier this year, Leach said the car’s drivetrain would produce more than one megawatt of power, which equates to 1341bhp. NextEV’s hypercar will rival the McLaren P1 and LaFerrari, along with the upcoming Aston Martin AM-RB 001 and Mercedes-AMG hypercars. Reports suggest power could reach 1360bhp, but this is yet to be…

The next Nissan Juke will not be a straightforward update of today’s distinctive look, according to Nissan design boss Shiro Nakamura. “We don’t want the same design,” he said. “We want to go a step further. Its spirit is challenging; it needs to be like that again. Otherwise it’s not a Juke.” A concept version of the new Juke will appear at some point next year, followed soon after by the production model, which is being co-designed by Nissan in Japan and its design studio in London.…

Abstract design can be hit or miss, but on whichever side of that divide you fall, you have to agree that the new Citroën C3’s avant-garde looks add some froth to a sea of samey superminis. Old and new are literally welded together here, with the new C3’s funky body sitting on the PF1 platform of the previous car. It has been modified at the front to be kinder to pedestrians and toughened up around the B-pillars and front seat mountings to be kinder to you in a side impact. This, of course, adds weight, so the rest of the chassis has been lightened where possible, keeping the kerb weight roughly on a par with the outgoing model’s. Instead of gunning for the Ford Fiesta’s crown of best-handling supermini, Citroën…

“You don’t want 15 bags of pebbles entering the cabin at head height” 443bhp Power difference between the Maloo and a 1.6 CDTi Vauxhall Vivaro van 739kg Payload difference in the Vivaro’s favour Car journalism, in case you were wondering, is a mostly sedentary job. Long hours, yes; exciting, occasionally. But it is generally accomplished while either sitting behind a steering wheel or laptop, or standing next to a car at a fuel station eating a sandwich. As preparation for any kind of manual labour, it is about as effective as watching Man vs Food from a hospital bed. This much I reflected on last month as B&Q bag of shingle number four made its ungainly way from shelf to trolley via cantilever crane made entirely of yours truly. Why…

“Think how easy it is to blow £100 on a Saturday night” £83 That’s the weekly payment for a Mercedes-Benz GLC220d SE on a 36-month/30,000-mile PCP contract after a £6651 deposit One hundred pounds. What will that get you these days? A tank of diesel for your large SUV, most (but not all) of a one-way anytime train fare from London to Cardiff or, if the papers are to be believed, the fine for outstaying your welcome in a McDonald’s car park. Or were you prepared to pay as much on a weekly basis and stump up a deposit of varying size, £100 is all you need to park a fine new car outside your house, ideally suited to whatever your heart desires or head requires your daily driver to…

“There’s a sense of aggression to the RS, from the way it rides to the way it sounds” Everyone loves a fast Ford, right? Indeed, this year has arguably been the year of the fast Ford, with a glorious return to Le Mans, the arrival of the Fiesta ST 200 and the addition of right-hand-drive Mustangs to the UK line-up. For enthusiasts, Ford and its Ford Performance sub-division are very exciting brands right now. But it’s the Focus RS that’s of the most interest, for a number of reasons. On top of following its two iconic predecessors (plus all manner of legendary classic fast Fords), the Focus RS also enters a fiercely competitive sector. For around £30,000, rivals include the Honda Civic Type R, Seat Leon Cupra 290, Audi S3,…

MY REASONS FOR choosing our Kia Sportage for a recent holiday in the Lake District speak volumes of the car’s merits. The week of mountain walking with my parents is now an annual event; previously we’ve used a Toyota Auris Hybrid, Subaru XV, Nissan Qashqai and Skoda Octavia. I need a car that’s comfortable and frugal enough for the motorway trek from the south, sufficiently roomy to swallow three people and luggage and robust enough that we don’t feel too guilty about chucking our walking gear into the boot after scaling a Wainwright or two. The high-riding Kia offered an added advantage, because while driving I could peek over the dry-stone walls that line many Lakeland lanes. It can be hard to prepare for an area where glorious sunshine can…

Pantera-bly good value A 1970s supercar that isn’t a six-figure sum? Well, actually, De Tomaso Panteras usually are. But this one is £58,888 and it’s a 1974 car that appears to have been subject to lots of fairly recent work. That seems like a good enough reason to buy, not least because if the classic marketplace continues at the current rate, this is going to look like a giveaway. Now you see it, now you don’t The most overlooked hybrid in history is probably the original aerodynamic Honda Insight. The really boring Civic version is also forgotten because it looks invisible, but I’d have one and delight in the petrol savings and utter invisibility of it all. This 2011 example is a dealer car and has all the toys that…

1 Chevrolet Corvette C4 This wouldn’t be a proper crop of muscle cars without something American, and the C4 Corvette is about the most muscular bit of Americana you can get for this sort of money. Granted, it has less power than some modern hot hatches, but the fibreglass body keeps weight down. Go for a 1992-on car with the 300bhp LT1 engine, or ideally a 1996-on manual with the LT4 engine and an extra 30bhp. Pay around £7k for a tidy LT1 example with lots of history, and keep an eye out for electrical niggles — especially with the ignition system. 2 Jaguar  S-Type R Beneath the S-Type R’s mock-Tudor looks lies a brilliant performance saloon offering relaxed cruising for when you aren’t in the mood for fun and…