Innholdsfortegnelse for October 7, 2015 i Autocar

The new BMW M4 GTS is being billed as the pinnacle of the 4 Series range. It’s a stripped-back model optimised for use on the track while still remaining road legal. The M4 GTS comes with a 68bhp boost over the standard M4, taking power to 493bhp. Torque has also increased, by 37lb ft to 443lb ft. These increases help to improve performance, with the 0-62mph sprint taking 3.8sec, notably quicker than the standard M4’s 4.3sec. The last BMW to wear the GTS badge — the previous-generation M3 — managed 0-62mph in 4.4sec. The performance increase is in part because of a new water injection system for the twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol engine. Despite the power boost, combined fuel economy remains at 34mpg. Even amateur drivers will be able to…

NISSAN WILL INTRODUCE autonomous technology to its line-up by 2017, according to its vice-president of vehicle design and development, David Moss. Initially, the technology will be used to enhance safety features, but it will lead to a fully autonomous car that utilises the manufacturer’s electric know-how. “Nissan isn’t about making cars that drive themselves,” said Moss. “What it’s about is building on the advanced features we have on the car, like the driving assistance aids. “We will bring in technologies that improve safety but take away the less attractive bits of driving, like sitting in traffic jams. But we don’t want to take the fun out of the cars. “It will initially work in single-lane ‘traffic jam mode’ up to a certain speed. Then the next thing, which will only…

DRIVING THE COSTELLO on one of the short circuits at Hällered back to back with a late-model version of the previous XC90 (which was based on Volvo’s own P2 platform) quickly shows just how much of a huge leap forward was made with this engineering prototype. Where the XC90 — admittedly, a much taller vehicle — is hopelessly vague and slow to steer and change direction, the Costello is sharp and dynamic. Volvo engineer Roger Wallgren points out that the XC90 suffers from the typical problems of large cars with MacPherson front suspension: a tendency for the nose to roll and ‘rotate’ into corners. The Costello’s chassis tuning is intriguing. It manages to be comfortable and compliant on undulating surfaces yet deliver agile turn-in response and flat cornering abilities. Clearly,…

Volkswagen has admitted it still doesn’t know whether the ‘defeat’ device software was fitted to cars that went through the European emissions tests. A spokesman for the company could only confirm that the Volkswagen Group was still working on a full list of cars fitted with the offending EA189 engine and the software that enabled it to cheat the US nitrogen oxide (NOx) tests. The spokesman said: “We can’t comment whether the software for the FTP75 [the US test] was on specific cars used in European tests, simply because at this time we are preparing an accurate list of models with EA189 engines. We don’t have the answer for each specific car yet.” However, the company has now provided some clarity to owners of cars with the EA189 engine, saying…

This turbocharged 1.6-litre petrol-engined X-Trail represents the cheapest yet fastest model available in Nissan’s larger crossover line-up. Prices range from £21,995 for Visia trim to £28,445 for this top-spec Tekna version. All models come with a six-speed manual gearbox but, unlike with the X-Trail’s diesel counterparts, all-wheel drive isn’t available. Seven-seat petrol crossovers are something of a rarity these days, so is this 1.6-litre engine the answer for those longing for a lower list price yet more performance from their practical crossover? Well, contrary to the initial on-paper appeal, it is, in fact, a little disappointing. A 1.6-litre petrol engine with 161bhp sounds like it should have enough power to lug around a sizeable pseudo-off-roader, but in practice the unit doesn’t have enough torque to offer any real pace when…

SUNDAY, 8.30AM When I arrive at the Team BMR pit garage, it is already bustling with activity. The disappointment over the previous day’s qualifying is palpable. Jason Plato will start from 10th position on the grid for the opening race and Aron Smith in eighth, with Colin Turkington settling for sixth. The team’s fourth driver, Warren Scott, fractured two vertebrae in a heavy accident during practice and is forced to miss the business end of the weekend as a result. These Silverstone races are huge for Team BMR. Plato and Turkington are both still in with a shout of the title, but Honda’s Gordon Shedden leads the championship. Plato and Turkington need some big points today. Outside the team garage, I meet Carl Faux, Jason Plato’s race engineer, who breaks…

The E10 may look like another of the UK’s cottage-industry kit cars, but under the David Lynch sci-fi glassfibre panels there’s a car of singular focus and execution. A work in progress, sure, and there’s a little way to go before Zenos can match the material quality and motive charm of the best of its rivals. But on real-world pace and dynamic maturity, its work is already done. An unrelenting focus on value for money has delivered something at once fast, exciting, modern, sophisticated and usable, and all for not far north of that £25,000 target price. The tractability of the turbocharged engine and the balanced civility of the suspension also make the E10 S easy to drive fast on the road. Whether it makes it as rewarding as a…

Mileage 8995 Ford wanted my/our/its Focus back the other day, because our road testers needed a different Focus from the press fleet for a group test and Ford needed to plug a gap with our car in the meantime. But it was okay, because Ford was going to give me something else to run around in. Another Focus, as it turned out. Confused? I was. A metallic blue Focus at that, with a 1.5 TDCi engine. But it was, in fact, usefully different, because this stand-in came in range-topping Titanium X trim (ours is middling Zetec) and with a six-speed Powershift dual-clutch automatic gearbox (ours is a manual). Space is too limited to list its extensive spec here, but the car’s £24,545 on-the-road price (including £1250 for the dual-clutch ’box)…

FordFocusRS Spring2016 The third-generation Ford Focus RS is set to arrive next spring, powered by a turbocharged 2.3-litre four-cylinder Ecoboost engine that produces 345bhp and up to 346lb ft. The four-wheel-drive hatch is capable of reaching 62mph from rest in 4.7sec and has a top speed of 165mph. Racer Ken Block has been involved in its development. Price £28,940 AUTUMN/WINTER 2015 Alpina D3 Biturbo, Audi A4, Alfa Romeo Giulia, BMW X1, DS 4 facelift, Ford Ecosport, Hyundai Santa Fe facelift, Tucson, Jaguar XF, F-Type SVR, Jeep Grand Cherokee facelift, Kahn Vengeance, Flying Huntsman Pick-Up, Kia Optima, Cee’d facelift, Koenigsegg Regera, Agera RS, Lexus GS F, RX, Mercedes-Benz A-Class facelift, C-Class Coupé, G500 4x4, GLC, Mini Clubman, Nissan Murano, Pulsar Nismo, Peugeot 308 GTi, Porsche 911 facelift, Renault Mégane 275, Seat…

The production-ready Tesla Model X has been unveiled in the US, with the first cars being handed over to customers at a special launch event hosted by company boss Elon Musk. Expected to go on sale in the UK mid-way through next year, the seven-seat electric SUV remains close in design to the original prototype model, unveiled in 2013. The production car also keeps the prototype’s ‘Falcon Wing’ doors, which are double hinged to allow them to open in tight spaces. The doors need only a 30cm-wide space at the side of the car in order to open fully. Power for the all-wheel-drive, all-electric Model X comes from the same dual-motor set-up as used on the Model S P85D. In the P90D performance version, the front motor provides 259bhp and…

ZENOS, THE SPORTS car company founded by Caterham veterans Mark Edwards and Ansar Ali, already has buyers for the 80 cars it plans to build this year. The Norfolk-based company has now begun taking orders for production of “up to 150 cars” before 2016. According to CEO Edwards, the company has already begun sending cars to key export markets, with 10 cars heading to China and 10 to the US by the end of this year. Zenos, which is funded by a network of venture capitalists and counts actor Hugh Grant as an investor, has focused so far on selling its launch model, the open, doorless Lotus Elise-sized E10, which was designed from scratch with an entry price of £24,995. The basic E10 comes with a 200bhp normally aspirated 2.0-litre…

There’s a good chance Jeremy Corbyn would drive a Volkswagen Golf R Estate, and not because this one happens to be scarlet red. No, it would be for what it represents. As we know, Volkswagen translates as ‘people’s car’, and the original Beetle brought freedom to the masses. As the Golf is the Beetle’s spiritual successor, it stands to reason that one with 296bhp and a useful 605-litre boot must be the ultimate expression of ‘power to the people’. However, you could argue that the sharp-looking R-design bumpers, side skirts and tailpipes are more reminiscent of shiny-suited New Labour than Mr Corbyn’s blue-collar brand. Anyway, enough of that; let’s talk nuts and bolts. Other than the extra length over the Golf R hatch – which allows the estate to swallow…

We’ve already driven the 2.0-litre diesel Hyundai Tucson in the UK and were impressed by its breadth of talent. But, like that model, this smaller-capacity diesel will need to be on top form to topple the all-conquering Nissan Qashqai in its own entry-level diesel guise. This 1.7 CRDi engine, here powering a Tucson in SE Nav spec, sends all of its 114bhp to the front wheels. Hyundai claims 61.7mpg combined and CO2 emissions of 119g/km, neither of which is a match for the equivalent 1.5-litre diesels in the Qashqai and Renault Kadjar. The Tucson is certainly an excellent car to drive around town. It feels sufficiently nimble and manoeuvrable that you find yourself forgetting you’re in a bulky SUV. The 1.7-litre engine is willing at low revs and gets up…

The industry’s most competitive segment: that’s how we’ve often described the family hatchback class. It receives massive investment, deals in colossal volume, is filled with household names and populates more driveways than dandelions. However, for the past few years, critically speaking, the market has been about as competitive as the Scottish Premiership. There are plenty of also-rans, for sure, but our advice, based on fitness for purpose and driving pleasure, has monotonously circled the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus. By the end of its lifecycle, Vauxhall’s entrant, the big-selling old Astra, was way down the field. Over-engineered, a spokesperson termed it in hindsight recently. Overweight and developmentally undernourished would be more accurate. Had it been built by another manufacturer, it might have sunk further from view, but Vauxhall, as it…

The back pages of Autocar looked very different in 1915. Squeezed between all the classified ads for mechanics and engineers were large sections advertising chauffeurs. Here, young men posted ads “seeking situations” with employers. One was my own great-grandfather, a professional butler whose job included ferrying his employer, the ninth Earl of Shaftesbury, around the country on visits. Which got me thinking: do I have what it takes to become a professional chauffeur in the modern era? Step forward Rolls-Royce. It still trains professional drivers in the art (and etiquette) of chauffeuring, under the banner of White Glove Training, although it’s currently an exclusive service available to high-profile customers only. My trainer is Andi McCann, the man asked for by name to drive Rolls-Royce boss Torsten Müller-Ötvös in the UK…

NOT FOR VIEWING The proliferation of cycle helmet cameras referred to by Steve Cropley (A Week In Cars, 23 September) is also happening here in Vancouver, as I suspect they are everywhere else, together with ever increasing numbers of vehicles with cameras, too. If the owner of one of these is involved in an accident for which they may be partially or wholly responsible, will they turn the footage over to the police and/or insurers? No, I thought not. Peter Bull Canada TAXING MATTERS If you or I had falsified our tax returns, we would be pursued by HMRC for the back taxes, the court costs and (in all probability) punishing damages. In the current Volkswagen Group exhaust emissions scandal, if it transpires that certain vehicles would have fallen into…

If you’re expecting this first full update on our Fiat 500X to wax lyrical about its delicately balanced on-the-limit handling and neck-snapping performance away from the line, I’m afraid you’re about to be disappointed. You see, like all of its small SUV rivals, the 500X is more about image than dynamics, although that’s not to say it hasn’t impressed me. This is a family car, after all, and it performs its cleverest tricks not at a track day but when fully laden with kids and clobber. In such circumstances, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how many smart touches the 500X offers. For example, there’s the rear parking camera, which I’m loving. It gives me great confidence in tight suburban spaces. Meanwhile, I’ve already learned to blank out the children in…

READER’S CAR: TOYOTA LAND CRUISER Dr Stephen Thomas bought his 2001 Toyota Land Cruiser Amazon just over a year ago, for £8999, and we can only hope that he likes to take it a little farther afield than what appear to be his flower beds. “It replaced a very incontinent P38 Range Rover, which has left its black signature on my drive,” says Stephen. “The Toyota had 49,000 miles on the clock and was shod with a lightly worn but perished set of 10-year-old Michelins. It’s now just past 60,000 miles. No bother in the first year. It’s a keeper, for sure.” WHAT CAUGHT MY EYE THIS WEEK: PRIORITIES Most people don’t buy cars based on economy, emissions or number of seats. They buy them because they like the styling,…

TVR fired up its new Cosworth V8 for the first time a few days ago — and discovered it had so much grunt that it overloaded the dyno. Company bosses Les Edgar and John Chasey were visiting Cosworth’s Northampton works to view and hear a prototype of their new car’s Le Mans engine and watch it do a simulated lap of the famous circuit, but barely a minute into the test its torque output so exceeded expectations that the test equipment had to be shut down and reconfigured. A few minutes later the re-engineered, all-alloy Ford ‘Coyote’ V8 completed its test lap in 3min 40sec — good enough to have made a TVR Cosworth-powered car a frontrunner in the GT3 category at this year’s Le Mans 24 Hrs. TVR says…

Mazda has revealed that it will unveil a new sports car concept at the Tokyo motor show later this month — prompting speculation that it could be a forerunner to a new, rotary-engined RX-8 successor. So far, Mazda has only issued a shadowy teaser picture, which shows the car is a coupé, plus a statement claiming the car “clearly embodies the car maker’s lineage”. That is thought to be a direct reference to the fact that the car could be rotary powered. The statement also said: “Designers strove to condense the company’s sports car history to as great a degree as possible into this concept. Mazda is also highlighting the brand’s unique approach to the joy of driving.” In what is believed to be a further hint at the new…

Volvo has revealed the secret ‘Costello’ prototype that was used to convince the company board to invest in the new SPA architecture. Volvo says the Costello also gives big clues about how the new S90 will drive, as the Swedish company prepares to break into the global market for premium saloons. The new S90, which is currently in the final stages of testing and validation and is expected to be unveiled in the next few months, is a much bigger challenge for Volvo than the reinvention of the XC90. It has to break into a world market that is dominated by the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, BMW 5 Series and Audi A6. Autocar can also reveal that the design of the new S90 is distinctively striking, effectively using the front and rear…

HONDA HAS CONFIRMED that the production version of its Fuel Cell Vehicle will make its debut at the Tokyo motor show later this month before going on sale in its home market of Japan next March. The Japanese manufacturer has already said sales of the five-door hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle are also planned in the US and Europe. Sales in the UK are scheduled to start in 2017. The FCV is the successor to Honda’s first hydrogen fuel cell-powered model, the FCX Clarity. The FCV was seen as an early-stage concept at the 2013 Los Angeles motor show. A second prototype model was then unveiled in Japan last year. Power for the FCV comes from an electric motor, which is capable of providing more than 134bhp, and power density…

The Subaru Levorg represents a Japanese manufacturer once highly rated for its estate cars returning to heartland territory. This, in short, is an indirect replacement for the Legacy estate. Except that it wouldn’t be much like Subaru to be either normal or predictable – and so, true to form, it’s chosen to try something different. The Levorg is smaller than the Legacy it succeeds and addresses a demand that came to be neglected by its predecessor as it grew old. It’s a proper sport tourer – an estate turned sporting GT, roughly in the mould of the old Legacy Spec-B. Only roughly, though, because instead of a burbling flat six, the Levorg is powered by an all-new turbocharged 1.6-litre flat four petrol engine with relatively modest outputs. The only drivetrain…

Classic & Sports Car – The London Show is the unmissable new international motoring event taking place in the UK capital from 30 October to 1 November. More than 300 of the world’s most desirable classic cars will be in show against the spectacular backdrop of Alexandra Palace, the historic 19th-century ‘people’s palace’ that is just 15 minutes from of central London and offers unrivalled views over the city. The show will be based around three main features: a celebration of the 10 greatest British cars ever made (including the unveiling of the overall number one selected by a global poll); the history of Aston Martin illustrated through every single one of its benchmark models; and the legendary British single-seaters of Sir Stirling Moss. Following the sad news of the…

In the face of the Volkswagen emissions scandal, the future for powertrains that are both low in pollution and low in CO2 has never been more important. Just days before the VW story broke, Jaguar Land Rover revealed its advanced work on electrification. There are three projects on the go: two hybrids – one for transverse-engined models and one for rear and all-wheel-drive models – and an electric rolling chassis proposal. But despite rumours of an all-electric JLR production model being imminent, R&D director Wolfgang Epple said these technologies were a vision for “beyond 2020”. Work on these projects began in 2013, with the £16.3 million cost of the research and development part-funded by the ‘Innovate UK’ agency. JLR says 12 partners were involved, including those from the industry, universities…

In the light of the Volkswagen scandal, there are many diesels in the UK with remaps, exhaust gas recirculation systems blanked and diesel particulate filters removed. These cars are emitting high levels of pollution and the owners are blatantly flouting the law. They pay low road tax, too. This needs looking into, because the MOT test currently can’t detect this. These are not innocent people who bought a car. They have deliberately altered them. WIN Letter of the week wins a ValetPRO exterior protection and maintenance kit worth £58.95…

Not for the first time, I was feeling the need to go for a proper thrash in the Golf R — not just for a few hours but for a couple of days, having spent far too much time pottering around London recently with few chances to stretch the all-wheel-drive mega-hatch’s legs. Some of the Golf R’s talents are evident even in urban driving, from its ease of use to its supple low-speed ride, but a car like this would be wasted if it weren’t presented with challenging Welsh roads now and then. The Golf R is so versatile that it can turn even a motorway slog into a pleasant exercise, its high level of comfort marred only by the amount of road noise generated by the Bridgestone tyres on…

1 Renault A610 (19921 994) Four-seat supercars seem to promise practicality and performance, but the problem for the Renault A610 came in German form. While it was fast, handled well and certainly looked the part, people couldn’t bring themselves to eschew the obvious Porsche alternative. Fewer than 100 found homes in the UK as a result. Even the best A610 will cost you a reasonable amount in ongoing repairs and maintenance, as these are highly strung classics. It’s not just the mechanicals you need be wary of, either. Rust underneath the GRP exterior is a known issue, so check the chassis carefully before handing over the £10k you’ll need to start shopping. 2 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia (1955 1974) In the mid-1950s, if a Porsche 356 was out of reach, there…