Innholdsfortegnelse for August 12, 2015 i Autocar

Suzuki’s B-segment iK-2 concept from March’s Geneva motor show will reach the UK in production form next summer, badged as the Baleno. This preview picture shows the new five-door hatchback’s styling is almost identical to that of the iK-2 concept. Suzuki says the car combines “a stylish design, spacious interior and new technologies”. The Baleno will be the first model to be powered by Suzuki’s new turbocharged 1.0-litre petrol Boosterjet engine. A mild hybrid version — utilising a 1.2-litre petrol engine and lithium ion batteries — will also be available, but most likely not at the car’s launch. Suzuki says the car’s layout, and the materials used in its construction, have been geared towards reducing weight “in order to meet the rigorous size and weight requirements specific to compact cars”.…

RENAULT’S NEW D-segment crossover has been spotted testing for the first time ahead of its launch in Europe in 2017. The as yet unnamed model is based on the Nissan X-Trail and will sit above the Kadjar in the French firm’s line-up. These spy pictures give little away about the SUV’s styling, although it’s expected to take inspiration from the Kadjar. A large Renault badge and grille can be seen at the front, while some plastic body cladding can also be seen around this test mule’s lower edges. As the X-Trail is available in both five and seven-seat forms, it’s highly likely that at least one variant of Renault’s large crossover will offer seating for seven. Like the Kadjar, the car’s cabin is expected to feature a digital instrument cluster…

CAR MANUFACTURERS need to reconsider the digital security of their products following the most recent case of vehicle hacking in the US, says Professor Kevin Curran, a senior member of the Institute of Electric and Electronics Engineers. Hackers were able to control many of the functions of a Jeep Cherokee while it was being driven on a public road. They used what’s been described as a “flaw” in the vehicle’s infotainment system to control the windscreen wipers, radio, climate control and accelerator. They also controlled the brakes and stopped the engine. Professor Curran told Autocar that manufacturers appeared to be more concerned with beating the competition to market with new technology, rather than fully testing its security. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said no vehicles in the UK are affected by the…

Not that many years ago, the brand synonymous with American luxury cars broke with tradition to go head to head with Mercedes-AMG and BMW’s M division. Today, virtually all premium brands offer powerful and stiffly suspended variants of their normally sedate saloons, but Cadillac is no longer the newcomer to this battle. Following two previous generations of performance-minded models, Cadillac’s latest CTS now gets the V treatment. This time around, coupé and estate variants are gone, along with the availability of a manual gearbox. So the new CTS-V is exclusively a rear-wheel-drive, automatic four-door saloon. The CTS-V’s supercharged 6.2-litre V8 is a derivative of the engine developed for the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 but is a wet-sump iteration that develops 640bhp and 630lb ft. Cadillac touts this engine as being more…

A shore thing Intrepid Richard Webber drives a Defender off the edge of Britain p38 Meet Mr Defender Former chief engineer explains how the Defender came into being p46 In safe hands Steve Cropley joins Land Rover’s Defender production line p52 Plus How we demolished a house with this Land Rover Defender p53…

Bill Morris looks like a man born behind the wheel a Land Rover Defender. He sits comfortably in the driving seat of a One Ten at the top of The Staircase, one of the tougher obstacles for 4x4s on Solihull’s famous Land Track, and smiles at the memory of tackling it a minute earlier, resting his arm on the window sill the way Defender people do when in all but the dead of winter. The 3.5-litre petrol V8 woofles quietly at idle. Then comes the characteristic deep clunk as Morris selects first gear with the long lever. The engine note rises just a little and he’s off to tackle it again, smiling still. It’s a few years since he’s driven one of these, but the pleasure never fades. Morris was…

Don’t change the MOT I was disappointed at Steve Cropley’s comments about the proposed extension of the deadline for MOT tests for new vehicles to four years (A Week in Cars, 29 July). Having worked in the retail motor industry for more years than I care to remember, it never ceases to amaze me how people are prepared to drive vehicles without even cursory checks as to whether they are roadworthy. This applies to many vehicles less than four years old. Each MOT station up and down the country has its own tale to tell of the horrors they have seen presented for an MOT. This is a major safety issue, and the government must not be allowed to alter the status quo. Ian Grieve via email WIN…

Collision assistance — the system that warns of the danger of a crash and automatically applies the brakes if necessary — isn’t the sexiest item on a new car options list. Like smoke alarms and health insurance, it’s one of those add-ons you hope you’ll never need to find useful. When you’re faced with spending a few hundred pounds on such a system, you might be tempted to opt for, say, visible features such as roof rails or something that will boost your enjoyment of the vehicle, such as uprated audio speakers. I’m thankful, then, that Skoda’s Front Assist system came as standard with my Octavia Estate’s Elegance trim. Optimistically, I decided to drive from Hampshire to Cornwall on the last Saturday in July, traditionally one of the busiest days…

1 DeLorean DMC-12 (1981-1982) The sorry tale of the DeLorean DMC-12 is one of the best known in the modern motor industry. None of the complex politics, drugs, cash or Hollywood glitz should hide the fact that the car was as much a dynamic disappointment as it was a commercial one. The technology was eye-catching, though. The brushed stainless steel exterior skin remains a style statement today, but what really made it stand out from the crowd was gullwing doors. The Renault-derived engine was not butch enough to haul this stylish 1980s car around with any real urge, which was lucky, because the rear-engined configuration gave it tricky handling. It was built over such a short period that there was no time to develop the car or improve its build…

Smart Forfour Brabus Winter2015 Already spotted in testing, the Brabus-tuned version of Smart’s Forfour is expected to get up to 115bhp from its 0.9-litre three-cylinder petrol engine. Other changes will give the Forfour a more sporting exterior, while modifications to the car’s chassis and cabin are also expected. Rivals include the 1.4-litre Fiat 500 Abarth. Price £15,000 (est) SUMMER Aston Martin Vantage GT12, Audi A8 Sport, Q7, BMW 3 Series facelift, Cadillac CTS-V, Chevrolet Volt, Citroën Berlingo Multispace, Ferrari 488 GTB, Ford Edge, Honda Civic Type R, HR-V, Jazz, Lamborghini Huracan Spider, Aventador Superveloce, Land Rover Range Rover SVAutobiography, Lotus Evora 400, Mazda MX-5, McLaren 675LT, P1 GTR, Mercedes-Benz GLE, GLE Coupé, Mercedes-Maybach S600, Mitsubishi L200, Peugeot 2008 facelift, Porsche 911 GT3 RS, Boxster facelift, Boxster Spyder, Renault Kadjar, Toyota…

Jaguar is planning a radical family of premium SUVs to run alongside the new F-Pace, to be launched early next year — and the range could include a baby rival to the Mini Countryman and Audi Q1. The F-Pace will be the first competitor Jaguar has had to the likes of BMW’s X models and Audi’s Q range, potentially opening up thousands of new sales as the SUV market continues to expand. Company insiders have all but confirmed additional models, saying: “Don’t think in terms of one more SUV — think a family of SUVs.” The smallest, Q1-sized SUV would be little more than four metres in length. The company is believed to see more brand cachet in a small SUV than in a supermini and, crucially, it would be…

Audi has stepped up development of its new A6 more than two years before it is due to reach UK showrooms. The fifth-generation A6 is being engineered in a joint programme with new versions of the A7 and A8. It’s known under the internal name C8. All three new models share platform, driveline, chassis and electrical systems to improve economies of scale. Stylistically, the new A6 leans heavily on Audi’s Prologue concept car. The next A7 and A8 are set to share a lot of their look with the A6, too. Audi design chief Marc Lichte said: “We designed the new A6, A7 and A8, then put the essence of all three into the Prologue. Every element can be traced to the production car.” Key design elements include a wide…

Up to this point, our enjoyment of the otherwise impressive Land Rover Discovery Sport has been hindered by the sole occupant of its engine bay. With sister marque Jaguar calling dibs on the first Ingenium motors off the production line, Land Rover’s compact seven-seater was stuck with the venerable 2.2-litre Ford-sourced oil-burner. For as long as that motor remained, we urged caution and suggested patience would be rewarded by the all-new incoming 2.0-litre unit. Well, the time has come. The Sport is the first Land Rover to receive the Ingenium (the Range Rover Evoque is next) and almost all the important figures shrink or swell accordingly. There are two versions: a 148bhp example, dubbed E-capability, with low 129g/km CO2 emissions and most likely a very small customer base, because it…

Our Land Rover Defender is skipping along a single-track A-road at 30mph. I flick the left-hand indicator and turn 90deg onto a rough track that leads down a shallow slope. Within moments, the engine’s persistent chuntering no longer dominates the cabin. It has been joined by the sound of splashing. The road dissolves into saltwater and, in a heartbeat, we’ve reached the car’s stated wading limit of 500mm. But this Landie’s not for turning. There are two miles of North Atlantic ahead, and it’s about to get much, much deeper… Last of the direct descendants of the original Land Rover, the Defender could never go gentle into that good night. It needed one last hurrah – a final test of the storied go-anywhere grit that has cast lifelines into the…

COIL-SPRUNG LAND ROVERS might have come to market years earlier if an early proposal by veteran Land Rover development engineer Roger Crathorne had reached fruition. “The idea for coils emerged during visits to export markets we made in the early 1970s to discover our customers’ priorities,” he says. “People could see how well the Range Rover chassis worked, but a proposal I made at the time was kyboshed.” Within a couple of years, Crathorne was given the task of building four coil-sprung Land Rover prototypes that led eventually to today’s Defender. Did he see the irony of retracing his steps? “Not really,” he says philosophically. “I was just pleased we were getting on with it.”…

Given the hefty weight loss and longevity of its predecessor, it’s tempting to compare the renewal of the new Q7 with Land Rover’s replacement of the Range Rover Sport. Both are lighter, nimbler, quicker, more economical, better appointed and far more luxurious and technology-packed than their forebears. In driver reward, off-road ability and handsomeness, the two diverge. But the Q7 is hugely practical, commendably potent and immaculately mannered, and it comes with a brilliantly constructed cabin – a breathable mix of cathedral-like tranquillity and upper-class imperiousness. Audi knows what its customers want as well as any car maker – and this Q7 feels much more like the ultimate expression of that knowledge than the last one ever did. It’s undeniable that we prefer some of its rivals as more engaging…

Mileage 3050 The more I drive the Suzuki Celerio SZ3 Dualjet, the more I worry about the common sense of not only my fellow drivers but also myself when I’m driving something else. Why? Because the impression you get whenever you go anywhere, or do anything in this vivacious little car, is that even on a Volkswagen Up scale of achievement, it gets a tremendous amount done, at a remarkable level of refinement given its power and price. And gets amazingly little credit for it. On several longish trips I’ve made on a British motorway recently, the Celerio has been able to cruise comfortably with the repmobiles, even holding its own on gradients because (due to a slick gearchange and a willing engine) you can easily hook fourth and stay…

Location matters, and I’m lucky enough to live near enough to an ex-Citroën dealer to seriously consider a CX or XM of my very own. It is a terrifying thought that the only big French cars I’d like to own are so old and complicated, though. So I started to wonder: if I really wanted a Le Barge, shouldn’t I consider something less ancient? The thing is, there isn’t an awful lot of available choice. But still… The Peugeot 607 is a handsome beast. Available from 2000, it offers a mix of petrol engines that no sane person would buy and diesels that everyone wants. The 110bhp diesel struggles, and there is a whole boring list of engines and trim levels that came and went, as well as a minor…

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.…

Compact crossovers 1 Skoda Yeti From £16,000 Almost a blueprint for crossover appeal: chunky looks, hatchback handling and compact MPV practicality. 2 Renault Captur From £14,000 The best of the B-segment crossovers, the Captur combines style, freshness and value in a versatile package. 3 Nissan Juke From £14,000 The Qashqai taught Nissan the value of being different; the Juke is its equally bold (if not quite as brilliant) follow-up. 4 Suzuki SX4 S-Cross From £14,000 Capable in most respects — being decent to look at, drive and sit in — with exceptional fuel economy as the kicker. 5 Dacia Duster From £10,000 Outstanding capability for the money. Better with all-wheel drive. Basic, yes — but in a very good way. Visit autocar.co.uk for all of our Top Fives…

A MORE POWERFUL version of the Audi S8, called the S8 Plus, is set to go on sale in the UK from January. The S8 Plus is powered by the same twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine as the standard 513bhp S8, but its power has been boosted to 597bhp. Torque peaks at 516lb ft in normal use, but an overboost function can temporarily lift that to 553lb ft. Audi claims the S8 Plus can reach 62mph from rest in 3.8sec, making it the fastest S8 model yet. The S8 Plus’s top speed is limited to 155mph, but an optional Dynamic Package can lift that to 189mph. The same package also equips the car with carbon-ceramic brakes and a modified sports exhaust system. The S8 Plus’s standard features includes a full-leather interior,…

Mazda’s Koeru concept, which will make its global debut at the Frankfurt motor show next month, previews a future seven-seat crossover that is likely to crown Mazda’s SUV line-up in the UK. Designed by Luca Zollino, lead designer at Mazda’s European R&D centre in Germany, the five-door, seven-seat Koeru is described as making “a bold statement in an increasingly popular and competitive segment”. Mazda says it will “surpass existing standards and raise the bar for performance, efficiency and overall value”. Koeru means to ‘exceed’ or ‘go beyond’ in Japanese. The concept’s swept-back design gives it a different appearance from Mazda’s current SUV offerings, the CX-3 and CX-5. Its shape is more akin to the new generation of SUV coupés such as the BMW X6 and Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupé. The concept…

BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz are to share user data to improve in-car navigation systems, after the three German manufacturers joined forces to buy Nokia’s mapping division for almost £2 billion. The manufacturers’ consortium fought off reported interest from taxi giant Uber to buy Nokia subsidiary HERE for €2.8bn (£1.9bn). HERE has maps for almost 200 countries and provides live traffic information for 33 of them. Nokia has claimed that its data is installed in around 80% of new-car multimedia systems. The move is a bold one from BMW, Daimler and Audi. The last of those brands means, in effect, that the VW Group is committed to the deal. It also means the three manufacturers remain wedded to their own navigation systems, despite the increasing influence of brands such as Apple…

“A growing frustration at seeing other brands’ GT3 cars so well represented at track days” is how Marek Reichman, Aston Martin’s design director, explains part of the thinking behind the Vantage GT12. This, then, is the most hardcore, track-focused variant of the Aston Martin Vantage, which, in V12 S form, is already hardly a shabby track car in itself. It’s so unshabby, in fact, that we placed it in the top three in our Britain’s Best Driver’s Car contest two years ago. The GT12 – which was to be called GT3 until Porsche became unnecessarily uppity about the name – takes the V12 S as a base and makes it even more extreme. Think of it as Aston Martin’s answer to a Ferrari 458 Speciale, only it’s yet more exclusive…

The UK launch of the new Mazda MX-5 started with a warning: welcome to Scotland, where the roads are long and winding and they’ll ticket you if you’re doing 61mph in a 60mph zone. So with that firmly in mind, I looked towards a car that could, in theory, be one of the best in the world for providing fun within the legal limits: the 1.5-litre MX-5. This 129bhp entry-level MX-5 starts at £18,495 (or around £230 per month on finance), undercutting the 158bhp 2.0-litre model by £600 to £800, depending on trim. However, the 1.5 does without the 2.0’s strut brace, limited-slip differential and – in 2.0 Sport trim only – Bilstein dampers and sports suspension. In essence, we already know how good the MX-5 is. What we want…

OUR DEFENDER WAS was lent to us by Scott Taylor, master technician at Pentland Land Rover in Edinburgh, who buys, sells and customises older Defenders in his spare time. For Taylor, like many, these cars are an obsession as much as a profession. Pictured above is a Defender 90 Pick Up Tdi300 that Taylor put through a nut-and-bolt restoration, including powder-coating the axles and support beams, new brakes with braided flexes, heavy-duty springs and shock absorbers and polyurethane bushes. Orkney Grey paintwork with a gloss black roof, custom black and grey leather upholstery and 20in Range Rover wheels complete this one-off special.…

After 67 years, it hardly seems possible that the original Land Rover, nowadays badged Defender, will cease production at the end of the year, killed by a mix of outmoded production methods and new-fangled regulations. To mark this ‘retirement’, Land Rover is sending its icon out on a high, staging a series of commemorative events, launching three limited-production heritage models and auctioning the two millionth Defender, built a couple of months ago, in an auction to be conducted by adventurer Bear Grylls this December. Building the two millionth Defender was a more strung-out affair than usual, because the company invited several dozen Landie-driving luminaries to participate, everyone from company chief Ralf Speth and veteran Land Rover engineer Roger Crathorne to actress Virginia McKenna, who, after portraying animal conservationist Joy Adamson…

The Golf R has just come back from a 450-mile round trip down to Devon in the hands of picture editor Ben Summerell-Youde, who had plans for a weekend of camping at Dub Fest with his Volkswagen-obsessed mates and wanted to take something with an appropriate badge and four-wheel drive while his Syncro van is off the road. In the end, school holiday traffic and persistent downpours made it one of the worst weekends possible for a run down to the West Country, but the Golf proved to be an excellent choice, both for the motorway sections and for traversing slippery, hilly fields to their campsite. Driving conditions may have been tricky, but the Golf (as always) succeeded in inspiring confidence with its unflappable traction and planted feel, meaning that…

READER’S CARS: SAAB 95 AND NISSAN PRIMERA Bob Blincowe applied Bangernomics to avoid debt and big overheads when he set up a new business two years ago. “We bought a 2003 Saab 9-5 Vector 3.0 TiD for £1600 and a 2004 Nissan Primera SVE 2.0 TD for £1450,” he says. “The Saab has covered just over 30,000 miles with us and shows 135,000 in total. The Nissan: 45,000 miles and just over 140,000 in total. The only costs have been routine servicing and fuel. We even drove the Saab to Frankfurt in March and it never missed a beat.” WHAT CAUGHT MY EYE THIS WEEK The truly insane values of classic cars. I will come back to this very soon. Trouble is, some of the models are rubbish — and…

Family hatchbacks 1 Volkswagen Golf From £17,000 Expensive it may be but there’s enough class here to make the tag look reassuringly precise. A class above. 2 Ford Focus From £14,000 Has a blend of ride and handling that rivals can’t match. One of the UK’s most popular cars for all the right reasons. 3 Seat Leon From £16,000 As always, a Golf in cheaper Spanish drag. Margins are cleverly engineered to show, but this is the best Leon yet. 4 Mazda 3 From £17,000 As ever, it seems, the Mazda aces driveability and efficiency but fails to totally convince in an all-star class. 5 Peugeot 308 From £16,000 No name change, but the appeal of the latest 308 is all new. A serious contender for family hatch money. Visit…