Innholdsfortegnelse for October 28, 2015 i Autocar

Porsche has added a sporty GTS model to the Macan range. The new Macan GTS gets visual and chassis upgrades as well as a boost in power. This addition to the Macan line-up means all of Porsche’s mainstream models now have a GTS variant. The new Macan GTS slots into the line-up between the S and Turbo. It uses the same V6 twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre petrol engine as the Macan S but it has been reworked to increase peak power by 20bhp to 355bhp. Peak torque also rises, to 369lb ft. Alongside the engine tweaks, the GTS comes as standard with Porsche’s seven-speed PDK dual-clutch automatic transmission and paddle shifters, as well as the Porsche Traction Management system, which splits the power distribution between all four wheels as required. The brakes…

AUDI’S PERFORMANCE CAR division, Quattro, has turned up the wick on its RS6 Avant and RS7 Sportback models by providing the rapid estate and four-door coupé with an added 45bhp and 37lb ft in a pair of models badged ‘Performance’. The lift in reserves boosts the cars’ twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 petrol engine to 597bhp and 553lb ft. The hike has been achieved by changes to the engine management and added turbo boost pressure. In combination with a revised eight-speed automatic gearbox and detailed upgrades to the chassis, the tweaked engine is claimed to take the RS6 and RS7 Performance models from 0-62mph in a claimed 3.7sec some 0.2sec faster than the standard versions. Audi also claims the two new Performance models accelerate to 124mph 1.4sec faster than the standard versions,…

NISSAN SALES ARE booming in western Europe, but the brand won’t “force the market” in pursuit of pure market share, according to the company’s European boss. Paul Willcox, chairman of Nissan’s European region, said sales were up by 14% last year, giving the brand a 4% market share, and growth was running at around 9% for the first nine months of this year. Achieving a European market share of 4-5% will be a “comfortable” position for the company, he said. “We want to stay in profit in western Europe, so trying to get to a 6-7% share would just be forcing the market,” he said, citing the risk of having to offer discounts and cheap PCP deals in order to hit increased sales targets. Willcox also revealed that the next…

OPEL HAS BRANDED allegations aired by a German environmental group that the Zafira 1.6 CDTi emits levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx) up to 17 times higher than prescribed under EU6 emissions laws during rolling road testing as “false and unfounded”. Tests carried out by the Bern Technical College under commission from the German Environmental Aid Association are claimed to have identified discrepancies in the emissions of the 118bhp 1.6-litre diesel Zafira (badged Zafira Tourer as a Vauxhall in the UK) during rolling road tests in which only the front wheels are turning and those in which all four wheels turn. The association also said the amount of NOx generated by the Zafira increased rapidly when it was accelerated to 93mph. The allegations led to insinuations that Opel may have equipped…

With its new 7 Series, BMW is looking to muscle in on the sizeable market share of the impressive Mercedes-Benz S-Class. More than that, the 7 Series seems to be out to steal some of the limelight the S-Class enjoys as a benchmark for technology and safety. BMW has really gone to town. Not only has it used carbonfibre in the 7 Series’ construction but it has also included as standard a wirelessly chargeable key with a 2.2in screen that acts as a remote for various functions, including, eventually, remote driving of the car from the outside. But maybe the biggest hint that it’s out to ruffle the S-Class’s feathers is the Executive Drive Pro option, which acts like Mercedes’ Magic Body Control by studying the road ahead and slackening…

What’s the perfect weekend car? It’s a difficult question to answer and nearly everyone will have their own answer. But after a number of weekends away and with almost 4000 miles on the clock, the MX-5 is making a good case for itself. That’s not to say that it isn’t a very good car the rest of the time. In fact, the Mazda is a pleasure to commute in, but it’s just that the MX-5 really shines when the working week is done and you can head out of town. So what makes a good, or great, weekend car? For me, it needs to be fun, good to drive, capable of handling a couple of weekend bags and also refined. The Mazda offers all of these. First off, it is…

READER’S CAR: PEUGEOT 306 RALLYE Dion Price’s brother had a Peugeot 306 GTi-6 when they were new. Dion loved that car, so the prospect of a stripped-out version of an already light car led to him find a Rallye. “I bought it for £1750 about two and a half years ago,” he says. “It took me a while to find as they are (a) rare and (b) usually pretty rough. “Values were sub-£2000, but given the limited run of only 500 cars — 200 red, 200 black, 100 white — I know prices will be heading back up again soon enough.” SEND YOUR BANGERNOMICS TALES TO JAMES Twitter: @Bangernomics Email: james@bangernomics.com WHAT CAUGHT MY EYE THIS WEEK buyer Buying from a used meeting car online the seller really…

FiatTipo Spring2016 Fiat’s upcoming C-segment hatchback will take the Tipo name in the UK. It’s based on the Aegea saloon (above), which was unveiled earlier this year, and will be sold across Europe. Power will initially come from two petrol and two diesel engines with peak outputs ranging from 94bup to 118bhp. An estate version is also planned. Price From £17,000 (est) 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…

Lavish 1 Rolls-Royce Phantom From £310,000 BMW built a phenomenal Rolls-Royce when it took over in 1998. Wonderfully made and knowingly aristocratic. 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 Rapide From £147,000 There may not be room in the back for top hats, but the Rapide is the most elegant four-door sports car in the world. 4 Bentley Mulsanne From £229,000 If the Phantom is best experienced from the back seat, the Mulsanne is a flagship best flown from the front. 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.…

Vauxhall will launch a range-topping SUV before the end of the decade, with the new model combining dramatic coupé-like looks and seven seats with what insiders have described as a “value-for-money price tag”. The new SUV will be joined by two new crossover models, which will slot between the new Astra and a revamped Insignia, with the result that by 2019 Vauxhall will have four SUV and crossover models in its line-up, including the existing Mokka. Industry specialists say the boom in crossover and SUV sales is not likely to slow significantly over the next four years. Moreover, Vauxhall’s three MPV models — the Meriva, Zafira and Zafira Tourer — have all suffered sales slides as family-friendly crossovers and SUVs displace the traditional people-carrier. The flagship SUV was announced in…

Mini has revealed the fourth model of its new range, the Convertible, at the Tokyo motor show. Set to reach British showrooms next March, the third generation of the Convertible is larger and more comprehensively equipped than previous versions. It gets a heavily revised automatic cloth roof that is claimed to open or close in 18 seconds at the press of button at vehicle speeds of up to 19mph. As before, the multilayer structure folds and stows in an exposed position above the boot. Safety enhancements include a single-piece roll bar that extends from behind the rear seats when sensors detect a possible rollover. Mini says the car’s new structure provides added rigidity in a move claimed to reduce scuttle shake and improve handling. The use of reinforcing structural elements…

The Yamaha Sports Ride Concept sports car unveiled at the Tokyo motor show is underpinned by a revolutionary new carbonfibre chassis designed by McLaren F1 designer Gordon Murray, Autocar can reveal. While Yamaha kept the exterior design of the car a secret prior to today’s launch, Murray revealed that it sits on the radical, all-new carbonfibre structure called iStream Carbon and pictured here. It’s claimed it “sets new standards for chassis light weighting, rigidity and safety”. Murray described the technology used to develop the system as a “step change” and said it had the potential to fundamentally change car making. “Light weighting is the final frontier in the automotive industry fight to lower emissions,” he said. “There have been great strides forward in engine design, electrical control systems, tyre design…

Mercedes-Benz’s new Vision Tokyo concept gives a glimpse at the design ideas, zero-emissions powertrain and holographic multimedia technology it envisages employing on a future line-up of self-driving models. The rakish people-carrier has been created by Mercedes’ global network of advanced design studios. The Vision Tokyo is a follow-up to the F015 Luxury in Motion, with which it shares many of its key elements. According to Mercedes, the new five-seater sets out to “show how the car of the future can be turned into a hip living space in the midst of megacity traffic mayhem”. Clothed in a smooth monobox body sporting a large trapezoidal-shaped grille, the Vision Tokyo stretches to 4803mm in length, 2100mm in width and 1600mm in height. That makes it 117mm shorter, 180mm wider and 75mm lower…

VOLKSWAGEN HAS confirmed that its EA288 diesel engine does not contain the ‘defeat device’ software that has plunged the group into crisis. German news agency DPA had reported that early EU5-compliant versions of the EA288 motor — a unit derived from the EA189 design that has been at the heart of the emissions scandal — were under scrutiny by VW engineers as they tried to establish the full extent of the problem. VW said it had been examining the engines, but that process has since been completed. “No software constituting an improper defeat device as defined in law is installed in vehicles with EA288 engines,” the company said.…

QUICK FACTS PRICE £120,000 (EST) ON SALE SPRING 2016 After the multiple concept cars and prototype spy shots and a complete reboot of the programme halfway through, Honda has finally produced a driveable new-generation NSX that you can buy. Or will be able to buy, once the car goes into production in the US next spring or thereabouts – as long as there are no more gremlins to sort out. Our NSX test car spent half of our two-day drive in northern California partially brain-fried by a limp-home mode triggered by the rev limiter. The distraught engineers corrected that problem and the rest of the time the NSX revealed itself to be a mid-engine track slayer very much in the Japanese bushido mode of quiet but swift competence. Honda has…

Mitsubishi’s Outlander plug-in hybrid has become such a hit in the UK that it currently accounts for a staggering 50% of sales in the EV and PHEV sector. It has brought Mitsubishi a prominence not seen for decades, and the desire to keep this while underscoring its position as a producer of green SUVs are drivers for comprehensive updates to both looks and performance. The secret of the PHEV’s success is that it is currently the market’s only plug-in hybrid SUV, which means it qualifies for the government’s £5000 subsidy to buyers of electric cars while being sold for the same price as the regular Outlander diesel. Best of all, the PHEV’s fuel economy and CO2 figures mean it attracts a benefit-in-kind rate of just 5%. Even for a 40%…

Things seem to be going quite well for Jaguar all of a sudden, don’t they? Well enough that we might even risk a hostage to fortune: a hope for the future. Here’s mine. That in five, 10 or even 25 years’ time – once the model catalogue is more fully fleshed out, the balance sheet is handsomely repaying Tata’s investment and this great British brand is finally selling enough cars that any talk of its dreaded ‘untapped potential’ becomes a thing of the past – someone in long trousers has the good sense to say: “Enough. That’ll do. We’ve made it, everyone. This is what success looks like for us.” God knows how many cars the firm needs to shift annually to reach that point. I’d say a lot more…

I’d like to claim the idea for myself, but it came from an aside in a conversation about something else entirely with Ariel boss Simon Saunders. He mentioned in passing that while they were testing their Nomad, someone had casually timed its progress over a stage and thought its pace similar to that of a Group N rally car. Had I not known Saunders for many years, I’d have dismissed it as puff, the kind of comment we hear quite a lot: a big, improbable claim couched in terms broad enough to offer plausible deniability should anyone ever put it to the test, which of course they never would. Except that’s not his style. But could a rear-wheel-drive road car with a normally aspirated 2.4-litre Honda motor really keep pace…

As a portent of what to expect from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, the Renegade offers some reassurance. It’s proof that the group understands the Jeep brand and has ambitions for it. It also shows that Jeep’s dual-purpose remit continues to make it difficult for the car to match the dynamic sophistication of the best European crossovers, and perhaps that FCA’s engineering can still only take its cars so far. This is a likeable car and a reasonably effective one. That it doesn’t ride or handle as neatly as some of its opponents and isn’t as polished to drive on the road is at least partly because it aims for – and delivers – more off-road capability than those cars. Which is, after all, what a Jeep is for. And yet on…

Since I last wrote about the M4, BMW has straddled ‘my’ car with two interesting new M products. With £121,770 and sharp elbows in your local dealership, you could have the new M4 GTS — basically the car you see here but with a lot more bling, water injection to unlock 493bhp, sticky Cup tyres and a Nürburgring lap time to trouble Porsche 911s packing big wings and GT3 badges. Does the M4 stretch to such giddy heights? On performance, price and exclusivity, BMW clearly thinks so, but the reception from M fans hasn’t been so generous, with accusations that it’s gone a bit style over content and — gasp — ‘M for marketing’. Then we have the M2. At £44,000, it undercuts the M4 by just over £11k and…

1 Ford Fiesta Zetec S (19992002) There are countless superminis out there for considerably less than £1000, but we’ve picked one with a little poke. Fitted with a 1.6-litre engine, it may only have 101bhp, but it’s enough for a 0-60mph time of less than 10 seconds. Although outright speed is not this car’s forte, uprated suspension makes it a blast through corners, while the looks benefit from alloy wheels and a racy bodykit. Being a Fiesta of this vintage, rust can always be a worry. Corrosion at the rear arches will be easy to spot, but you’ll need to check sills, floorplans and battery trays. Listen out for bottom-end knocks in the engine, too. Prices for a roadworthy example start at around £600. 2 Jeep Cherokee (19932001) With winter…

Family hatchbacks 1 Volkswagen Golf From £17,000 Expensive it may be, but there’s enough class here to make the price 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…

An all-electric version of the Aston Martin Rapide has been revealed, with insiders hinting that in its most extreme form it could be developed with four-wheel drive and up to 1000bhp. The RapidE, which is set to go on sale in around two years’ time, has been developed by Williams Advanced Engineering in Grove with assistance from ChinaEquity, a Shanghai-based investment partner. The car is being targeted first at the Chinese market as a way of meeting pressing fleet-average CO2 regulations, although Aston Martin eventually intends to offer the car for sale around the world. The RapidE was unveiled at an event staged as part of a UK-China creative summit to coincide with the UK visit of Chinese president Xi Jinping. Unveiling the car, Aston CEO Andy Palmer revealed that…

2016 VAUXHALL COMPACT CROSSOVER This model, which is being co-developed with PSA, is expected to share a platform with the replacement for the Peugeot 2008. Vauxhall’s version will replace the Meriva baby MPV and be built at the GM factory in Zaragoza, Spain. 2017 VAUXHALL MEDIUM CROSSOVER This other co-production with PSA will in effect replace the Zafira seven-seat MPV and the old Antara SUV. PSA’s version will be the new Peugeot 3008. 2017 ALL-NEW VAUXHALL INSIGNIA Based on the new E2XX platform, the Insignia will get a significant wheelbase stretch in order to greatly improve rear cabin space and access. Styling is said to be coupé-like, despite the size of the car. The interior will also take a step into the future with extensive use of TFT screens. 2019…

A BOLD NEW Renault concept car has been created to mark the 50th anniversary of the death of Le Corbusier, France’s best-known 20th century architect. Renault said the Coupé Corbusier concept has no direct relevance to any future project. Instead, it said “future-looking” concepts such as this allow its designers “to explore new ways forward”. The concept is a sleek coupé with a long bonnet, slim glasshouse, pronounced rear aches and dramatic dihedral doors hinged at the rear. Geometric shapes make up the front-end design. Renault has not yet disclosed its powertrain, dimensions or any other specific details. Renault has described the concept as “a 21st century car inspired by the architect’s modernist principles and theories”. Renault added: “The ideas of simplicity, a visually and aesthetically pleasing structure, geometric elegance…

Polestar, Volvo’s high-performance sub-brand, is preparing to launch a highly tuned version of the company’s new four-cylinder petrol engine. The new powerplant will have at least 350bhp and will replace the turbocharged straight six currently used in the S60 and V60 Polestar, according to Niels Möller, Polestar’s chief operating officer. The brand is also likely to launch a high-performance hybrid and is considering a hot version of Volvo’s highly successful XC90. The 2.0-litre Drive-E unit will get both a supercharger and a turbocharger. Möller said it will be “as strong or even stronger” than the current six-cylinder unit and be hooked up to an eight-speed automatic gearbox. “With the new engine, weight will be reduced and power will increase, but there will be nearly half the CO2 emissions,” Möller said.…

Nissan has teased its main concept ahead of this week’s Tokyo motor show — a car that’s rumoured to preview the next generation of the battery-powered Leaf. Nissan has remained tight-lipped about the concept, issuing only a single, poorly lit image so far that shows what appears to be a sleek hatchback that features the firm’s latest corporate grille treatment and a distinctive kink around the C-pillar. A short press release describes the unnamed car as “Nissan’s future vision of car intelligence and electrification”, supporting speculation that the concept will highlight autonomous technology and Nissan’s latest generation of batteries and electric motors. Insiders also suggest the Tokyo car’s styling will point to the next generation of Leaf, which is due by 2017. Nissan is considering expanding the Leaf sub-brand to…

QUICK FACTS PRICE £60,000 (EST) ON SALE SPRING 2016 Had you attended the European ATS-V press conference, you might have observed some wry smiles when Cadillac revealed what it regards as its new coupé’s rivals. There, alongside the ATS-V, sat the BMW M4 and Lexus RC F. However, cynics had their doubts dispelled as the conference ran on. As the development processes were explained, the upgrades detailed and the numbers presented, the ATS-V really began to appear a viable and serious alternative to an M4. It’s virtually the same size, for starters. Similarly, motive power comes from six force-fed cylinders. Power is sent to an electronically controlled limited-slip differential at the rear, albeit via an eight-speed automatic gearbox only. Alas, there’s no manual ’box for European models. The Cadillac even…

Lord Montagu’s life dedicated to the classic car movement will be honoured at Classic & Sports Car – The London Show. The founder of the National Motor Museum, Vintage Tyre Supplies and the Beaulieu autojumbles will be commemorated via a spectacular ‘Blower’ Bentley and Lord Montagu’s own favourite, a 19y9 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost. The special display is the latest feature added to the event at Alexandra Palace from 30 October to 1 November, which already includes a wonderful tribute to Sir Stirling Moss with five of his most significant single-seaters.The exhibits rangefromthe Cooper MkIV with which he dominated in Formula A to the Vanwall with which the boy wonder became the first British driver to win hishomeGrand Prix inaBrit-builtcar. Aswellasmorethan 300 oftheworld’s most desirable classic cars, other main features will…

If we had a pound for every time we had cause to write that Mazda was going to bring a new, rotary-engined sports car into production, we’d have, well, about six or seven quid. But still, another motor show looms – this one Tokyo – and it’s another where Mazda will have another rotary concept. It has now been so long since it had a rotary car in its range – since anyone had a rotary car in their range – that it’s worth reminding yourself what one is like. We could have borrowed a recent car, perhaps an RX-8, but I like the purity of an earlier rotary. So we’ve opted to try the first of the RX-7s – or near to it. This is a late first-generation car,…

THE RALLY CAR offers by far the more familiar driving environment. You have a standard dashboard, conventional driving position and even the original electric windows. It feels pleasantly rapid off the line and accelerates uphill on gravel as if it were on dry asphalt. “Let the car do the work” is Tony Jardine’s advice, so when the tail slides wide on entry, I don’t fight it but use the steering just enough to keep pace with it, applying the power to maintain the slide. Like this, the amount of grip it can conjure on this surface is simply absurd. And yes, driven like this in fourth gear on the loose, it is every bit as much fun as it sounds. Even at quite dramatic angles, it never feels frightening, never…

Electric motoring without constant range anxiety – in a luxurious SUV – sounds too good to be true. Well, until the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV came along, it was. But Mitsubishi’s plush ride – now revamped for 2016 – gives drivers the space and utility of a full-size SUV with running costs so low that they show up even the tiniest city cars. There’s really no wonder it’s the UK’s best selling plug-in hybrid. SPECIFICATION OVERDRIVE The Outlander PHEV is the most opulent Mitsubishi ever. The entry-level GX3h has an automatic gearbox, keyless entry, cruise control, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror and dual-zone climate control for the ultimate in driver comfort. A leather steering wheel and comfy C-Tec seats to keep you warm in winter and cool in summer round things off.…

At this difficult time for Volkswagen, Autocar suggests some model rationalisation, including concentrating on the Up and its sister models from Skoda and Seat (News, 14 October). My High Up of two years is an outstanding platform with brilliant packaging and great potential. I’ve been surprised that VW hasn’t also produced a crossover to compete with the Fiat Panda 4x4 et al, and a hot version, too, using petrol at this iffy diesel time. VW has proven in-house all-wheel drive and engine technology, and I’m sure both would sell well against their rivals. Anthony Snook via email WIN Letter of the week wins a ValetPRO exterior protection and maintenance kit worth £58.95…

Mileage 5675 A few weeks ago I reacquainted myself with the BMW M135i, a car I ran as a long-termer in 2013 and gelled with very well. I still love its brawny six-pot engine, but I was a little disappointed with it in comparison with the Golf R. The BMW didn’t steer or handle as well as I recalled, and its cabin seemed cramped next to that of the VW. Up front, head and leg room are no better in the Golf than in the 1 Series; in both cases, there’s a wide range of adjustment for the driving position. However, the Golf’s cabin has more elbow room, wider footwells and a less prominent dashboard, creating the impression that it is roomier and more comfortable by some margin. In the…

As I’m no longer 17 or in need of a marginal motor, I really shouldn’t bother looking for £100 cars. However, someone asked me nicely, so I thought I’d have a go. The trouble is, buying a car for nowt is very difficult these days. Some call it the ‘We Buy Any Car’ factor, which means any car with a bit of life left in it — an MOT, in other words — is always worth £150 to £200-plus. But never mind, I’ll take a car with damage, a short MOT, minor mechanical issues and all sorts of major cosmetic ones. So four wheels, ideally, an engine and, er, that’s it. The first rule of buying a cheapie is not to travel far. There’s no point tearing around the country…

Track cars 1 Ariel Atom 3.5R From £64,000 Everything learnt by Ariel during the past decade has been poured into this update. It shows. Sublime. 2 Radical RXC500 From £143,000 Radical’s revision of its road car delivers the power previously missing. A Nürburgring record holder in waiting. 3 BAC Mono From £79,000 A sublime attempt to recreate the single-seater driving experience for the road. Utterly incomparable 4 Lotus Exige V6 Cup From £63,000 Lighter and stiffer, the Cup is Lotus’s idea of a track-day Exige. Predictably, it’s brilliant. Easy to live with, too. 5 Caterham Seven 620R From £50,000 Supercharged engine provides Chapman’s imp with even more grunt. Usability suffers; acceleration does not…