Innholdsfortegnelse for November 4, 2015 i Autocar

THERE WAS A moment in Toyota boss Akio Toyoda’s speech at the Tokyo motor show when he spoke about his company’s commitment to embracing new ideas, such as it did with hybrids and fuel cells all those years ago. “Once we step up to the plate, regardless of what happens, we have to take responsibility without excuses,” he said. A sly dig at crisis-hit competitor Volkswagen and the way the German car giant has handled its emissions scandal, perhaps? That wouldn’t be Toyoda’s style. Nevertheless, Toyota officials are wearing quiet smiles, having regained their lead over the Volkswagen Group in the global car-building stakes, making 7.49 million cars in the first nine months of this year compared with the German company’s 7.43 million. The recent emissions scandal came too late…

HONDA WILL BE able to base its next generation of fuel cell vehicle on the same platforms as existing models, allowing it to offer the hydrogen-fuelled technology in multiple bodystyles and ramp up production levels. Honda launched its latest hydrogen-fuelled car, the FCV Clarity, at Tokyo — and the new vehicle’s fuel cell stack is one-third smaller than the set-up in its predecessor, the FCX Clarity. Kiyoshi Shimizu, chief engineer for large projects at Honda’s R&D centre, said: “The most important thing with this FCV is getting the fuel cell stack small enough to fit under the bonnet. That means it can be accommodated with gasoline engine-like packaging in the future, and this opens up lots of possibilities. “We could use the same stack in an SUV as in a…

TOYOTA HAS NO IMMEDIATE plans to put its S-FR baby sports car into production — but the company is planning to listen to Tokyo show feedback and could react positively to public acclaim. The 2+2 S-FR is the result of a three-year project by Toyota’s central design studio. The team was tasked with creating a new type of sports car that could sit alongside the GT86 in the line-up. The concept — described by project leader Koichi Matsumoto as “the GT86’s baby brother” — makes clear design references to the classic Toyota S800, with barely a single sharp-creased panel. Although Mazda’s MX-5 was one of the reference cars, Matsumoto insists the S-FR has a wider brief. “We want it to be a fun car that’s enjoyable to drive,” he said.…

Nissan’s IDS Concept, a four-seat hatchback that hints strongly at the styling of the next-generation Leaf hatchback, has two different cabin configurations, depending on whether the driver selects its conventional manual driving mode or the autonomous ‘piloted’ mode built in via its on-board artificial intelligence. The battery-powered five-door has a screen-based instrument panel when driven normally, but in piloted mode the steering wheel folds away and the seats incline towards one another “to facilitate conversation”. Design director Mitsunori Morita said: “It’s like relaxing in a living room.” Even in manual mode, the Intelligent Drive system stays ready to assist if needed. The IDS Concept has a low roof height of 1380mm to reduce frontal area and improve aerodynamics, and the car runs thin, big-diameter, aerodynamically designed wheels with 175-section tyres…

The creator of the bold Toyota Kikai has played down the prospects of the Tokyo motor show concept ever making it to production. The Kikai features no bodywork, exposing all of its working parts — including the 1.5-litre petrol-electric powertrain, suspension and steering — to the elements. “In modern cars, it is very hard for young people to see the movement of the steering wheel and the suspension,” said project leader Kazuo Suyama. “Usually, designers draw beautiful lines to create cars, but I think engineering is beautiful.” The Kikai features a 1+2 seating arrangement, sliding doors and a glass front bulkhead so the driver can see the road passing under his feet. “We’ve created a connection between the driving seat, the car and the road,” said Suyama. The car’s aluminium…

ZENOS IS PLANNING a more powerful version of its E10 sports car and it could share its engine with the Ford Focus RS, Autocar understands. The new, more potent variant of the E10 is poised join the E10 and E10S in Zenos’s line-up. Company boss Mark Edwards has hinted that the E10’s chassis is capable of handling more power, and a harder, more focused version of the E10 is the next logical step for the company as it seeks to establish itself in the low-volume sports car market. One engine option for the hot E10 would be a more powerful version of the turbocharged 2.0-litre Ford Ecoboost unit used in the E10 (with 200bhp) and E10S (250bhp). But Autocar understands that the new Focus RS’s 2.3-litre Ecoboost engine is also…

We once described the standard Audi S8’s potency as inhabiting the realms of lunacy, because, with 513bhp, it’s no sloth. However, that wasn’t enough for the engineers at Ingolstadt, so they’ve produced this uprated Plus version with 597bhp and 516lb ft of torque, or 553lb ft on overboost. Capable of hitting 62mph from rest in just 3.8sec, the S8 Plus can now lay claim to the title of fastest-accelerating limo you can buy. The upgrades have been achieved by remapping the engine to increase boost pressure and stretching the rev limiter by 200rpm. To handle the extra stress, the internals have been beefed up and stronger head gaskets and modified exhaust valves fitted. Fundamentally, the drivetrain remains the same. The engine’s mighty output is distributed to all four wheels through…

Power take-off unit Electrohydraulic clutch-based PTU on the gearbox is Ford’s own proprietary technology, originally developed for the Kuga crossover. Gives the rear axle a 2% ‘overspeed’ relative to the fronts and can route up to 70% of engine torque rearwards. Front driveshafts Not the ones from the Focus ST but instead the heavier-duty alternatives from the torquiest Focus diesels. Electronic management Has selectable Normal, Sport, Track and Drift modes, as well as a proper ESC off mode. Monitors steering, throttle, engine revs, power and torque, lateral and longitudinal acceleration, wheel speeds and yaw rate 100 times a second. Rear differential Not actually a differential at all, but a simpler pair of gears and a pair of electronically controlled clutch packs. Based on GKN’s ‘rear axle disconnect’ 4x4 system, but…

Over the past few months and several thousand miles, our C4 Cactus has performed without major fault or annoyance. It has been delivering on all those fronts you’d expect a family-oriented crossover to and hasn’t once let us down. Until now. I was driving home recently when the car suddenly decided to throw its toys out of the pram, the dashboard lighting up like the proverbial Christmas tree. I was cruising along at 40mph at the time, so I quickly planned and executed a manoeuvre that enabled me to pull up safely. Both the media system and instrument cluster were displaying warnings, suggesting a trip to the dealer was imminent, and the ‘check engine’ light was glowing brightly. Nothing sounded amiss, so I turned off the Cactus’s engine, got out…

1 Ford Sapphire RS Cosworth (1988›1992) Prices for Sierra Cosworths have skyrocketed in the past year or so. With RS500s now commanding well in excess of £60,000 and good examples of the ‘normal’ three-door Cossie comfortably topping £30,000, the Sapphire looks a relative bargain. Sharing the same 2.0-litre turbocharged ‘YB’ lump as the earlier cars and later Escort Cosworth, the Sapphire was intended to provide a stiffer platform for rallying. Early cars were rear drive, but in 1990 four-wheel drive became standard. You can pick up a minter for less than £15,000 and project cars are much, much cheaper. 2 Ford Focus RS Mk1 (2002›2003) Few modern hot hatches seem to court as much controversy as the Mk1 Focus RS. Depending on what you read or who you talk to,…

Vauxhall Astra Sports Tourer Spring2016 Having made its debut at the Frankfurt motor show, Vauxhall’s stretched estate version of the new Astra will appear in UK showrooms in March. As well as more interior space, Vauxhall has added 80 litres of storage space, giving it a total of 1630 litres. Expect cabin trim, engines and options to carry over from the hatchback. Price £15,585 AUTUMN/WINTER 2015 Alpina D3 Biturbo, Audi A4, RS6/RS7 Performance, 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,…

THE NEXT-GENERATION Subaru Impreza has been previewed in concept car form at the Tokyo motor show. It is described as being the first of a new generation of Subaru models and is expected to be offered with a new 2.0-litre flat four engine complete with cylinder deactivation technology. However, the 1.6-litre engine that features in the current car is likely to be carried over to the new model. A hybrid version is also a possibility, but this is unlikely to make it to the UK. The key visual cues of the car, such as the large air intakes at the front and a prominent lip spoiler at the rear, are likely to carry through to production, as Subaru also says that the look of the five-door concept hints at the…

THE STRIKING MITSUBISHI eX points towards a new crossover that will slot into the Japanese company’s line-up below the ASX. The concept is described by its maker as a mixture of a shooting brake and a compact SUV. Similar in size to the current ASX, the eX features a new interpretation of Mitsubishi’s ‘Dynamic Shield’ frontal design cues and was created under design boss Tsunehiro Kunimoto. Its electric powertrain is based around a next-generation battery pack and a twin-motor all-wheel drive system. The eX has a range of up to 248 miles on a single charge, according to Mitsubishi. The eX also comes with an augmented reality windscreen and automated driving systems. Mitsubishi says the car is representative of the company’s future design direction, both inside and out, although it…

Ford Performance is watching reaction to the new Focus RS closely before signing off an even quicker limited-run special. Ford insiders have confirmed that an even more hardcore version of the 345bhp five-door is under consideration — and it has the potential to be the fastest-accelerating hatchback in history. Ford’s options for bringing extra grip, performance and excitement to the new RS will be delivered mainly through weight saving and upgrading the RS’s drivetrain. This will be possible in a car with an asking price that could even eclipse the £40,000 of the Ford’s premium-branded opposition. However, the car’s 2.3-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine is already operating close to its maximum and attempts to conjure more power will be hampered by the lack of room for additional cooling capacity. Because…

The Q30 is a new upmarket hatchback from Nissan’s premium brand, Infiniti, and a model the manufacturer is hoping will continue its growing sales momentum in the UK. The five-door Q30 is slightly longer, wider and taller than the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, with which it shares some of its platform. Infiniti’s pricing puts the Q30 up against some strong premium competition, including the Audi A3, BMW 1 Series and the aforementioned A-Class. A choice of four engines will eventually be offered: 1.5 and 2.1-litre diesels and turbocharged 1.6 and 2.0-litre petrol units. These will be paired with five trim levels, although only an entry-level SE and, at the other end of the spectrum, an equipment-laden City Black Edition will be available at launch. Four-wheel drive and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission…

This is the most powerful production Cadillac to date. It packs a 640bhp supercharged V8, is claimed to be capable of 0-62mph in 3.7sec and can knock on the door of 200mph. Cadillac has done more than just shoehorn a stonking engine into an unassuming saloon and leave it at that, though. Compared with the standard CTS, the CTS-V benefits from a significant reworking. Performance-focused upgrades include a stiffer structure, wider front and rear tracks, recalibrated steering, substantial Brembo brakes and bespoke Michelin tyres. An eight-speed, paddle-shift automatic gearbox channels drive to the rear, while an electronically controlled limited-slip differential distributes torque between the wheels. At a shade over £75,000, the CTS-V faces some stiff competition. For similar money, you could have a BMW M5 or a Mercedes-AMG E63 –…

Imagine the luxury. Pre-‘One Ford’, before the age of austerity, imagine being in a position to not only develop a hatchback just for Europe but also decide that, when you want a hot version of it, you’ll pull it away from the production line for finishing, in expensive fashion. Thus was the 2002 Mk1 Ford Focus RS: unique bodywork, a limited-slip differential, carbonfibre added to the interior and a tasty turbocharged engine. Someone signed off the prospect of building 4501 of them and selling them at the remarkably low price of £19,995, which seems too good to be true now. For Ford’s bottom line, it was quite bad, but it did revive the RS brand to considerable effect. The Mk1 Focus RS wasn’t universally loved at launch, though. Some thought…

Classy, demure and very technologically savvy, the new Audi A4 is a better car in all of the ways that Audi owners would have requested. It feels like it has been created by a company that has already discovered what its expanding customer base wants and needs only to tweak a winning formula at the margins to keep the orders rolling in. The car’s dynamic character hardly departs at all from the previous A4’s in making high-speed stability and ease of operation clear priorities over driver involvement, and that will always condemn it somewhat in this magazine’s estimation. We’d also warn prospective buyers that real-world fuel economy could be an unusually long way off advertised claims and that rival saloons are markedly more dynamically compatible with British roads. But those…

Matt Prior’s argument that cars are more than mere appliances (Tester’s Notes, 14 October) is a valid one for someone who is, and always will be, interested in cars. I can assure you, though, that not everyone thinks that way. My mother, for example, likes her new Kia Picanto very much (well, more so than her old Honda Jazz at any rate). But I can assure you she likes her fridge and iron, too. All three are necessary for modern living, but all will be replaced at the end of their useful lives without a moment’s regret or sorrow. I’m sure she’s not the only one to think about cars in this way, strange as it may seem. Mike Spencer via email WIN Letter of the week wins…

Mileage 9595 My trusty Mondeo is back in action. It has had two new doors fitted and looks as good as new. Since I last drove it, I’ve been in a number of different cars from different price brackets and I’ve been surprised how basic functions such as seating adjustment haven’t been up to scratch in a large proportion of them. Being able to adjust the driver’s seat effectively is a fundamental requirement. It’s impossible to enjoy driving if you start developing cramp on long journeys as a result of having to stretch to reach the steering wheel. Fortunately, the Mondeo’s driving seat and steering wheel offer a wide range of adjustment. I’m 6ft 2in tall and find it easy to get comfortable. I definitely missed the car on my…

Chances are that by the time you read this, you’ll be up to your armpits in snow — a snowmaggedon. Welcome to the annual scare story courtesy of the Met Office. Who knows? They could be right this year. So far, it has been winter tyre marketing departments that have been the busiest. As we all know, a set of winter tyres is all you need to transform a rear-wheel-drive skideroomobile into something that sticks to the ice. If you’re after a 4x4, you may well be too late, according to auction firm Manheim, which says prices have surged by an average of more than £1200 (17.6%) since August. Compared with September last year, the average price of used 4x4s sold by Manheim was up by more than £2400 (41.7%),…

Super-GTs 1 Ferrari F12 Berlinetta From £240,000 Thrilling in a way that only a front-engined V12 Ferrari could be. Crushing performance and unparalleled drama. 2 Aston Martin Vanquish From £190,000 If your money is only intended to buy dazzling exterior beauty, it is best invested in Aston Martin’s flagship. 3 Bentley Continental GT V8 From £140,000 It may have lost four cylinders, but the new Audi-sourced V8 is so good that it completely reinvigorates the Conti. 4 Ferrari FF From £227,000 A mighty engine, and the drivetrain to handle it. Not the purist’s Ferrari by definition — but a more usable one for it. 5 Mercedes S63 AMG Coupé From £125,000 So long in the legs that continents flash by mid-stride. Has a business-like opulence. Not as evocative as some.…

The Mazda RX-Vision concept car revealed at the Tokyo motor show signifies Mazda’s intention to launch a new range-topping sports car powered by a rotary engine. The likely badge for the front-engined, rear-drive model is RX-7. The debut of the production version at the Tokyo motor show in 2017 is a possibility. That would mark 50 years since Mazda launched its first rotary-powered sports car. The last rotary model, the RX-8, went off sale in 2012. The two-door, two-seat coupé is officially described as being “Mazda’s vision for the ultimate in front-engined, rear-wheel-drive sports car styling”. Mazda president and CEO Masamichi Kogai confirmed: “One day rotary will make a comeback.” He added: “This gives form to our brand’s vision of the future. It expresses our intention to make rotary. There…

The Yamaha Sports Ride concept could go on sale within three years and be a halo model for a family of Yamaha road cars developed with legendary British designer Gordon Murray, Autocar has learned. The baby sports car, which was one of the stars of the Tokyo motor show, sits on underpinnings designed by Gordon Murray Design. It uses a variation of his revolutionary iStream production process, the key difference being that the car’s structure uses carbonfibre rather than the iStream’s glassfibre. As a result, the car is said to be extremely light and strong, while the iStream process means manufacturing costs are not greatly increased. Yamaha and Murray have declined to release details of the car’s dimensions or mid-mounted powertrain. They have also refused to comment on the production…

Lexus has announced its entry into the hydrogen fuel cell market with the unveiling of the LF-FC concept, which also provides clues to the styling of the next-generation LS luxury saloon. The LF-FC name stands for Lexus Future — Fuel Cell and the car “offers a peek into the design and technology direction of the brand’s future flagship sedan”. The concept uses a hydrogen fuel cell electric powertrain, which directly powers the rear wheels while also sending drive to two in-wheel electric motors at the front. Lexus says the concept’s drive system allows it to precisely distribute torque to all four wheels, resulting in “exceptional dynamic handling and superior road stability”. The firm says the location of the fuel cell stack at the rear of the car, with the power…

Honda is considering adding more sports cars to its range — including a radical proposal for an all-electric vehicle with a motor at each corner. The Japanese manufacturer has confirmed that its new NSX will start production next spring, but its president, Takahiro Hachigo, has acknowledged that the hybrid supercar’s high-end price — likely to be in excess of £120,000 in the UK — allows considerable scope for additional models that could rival the Toyota GT86 or Mazda MX-5. Hachigo said: “We have the S660 in Japan and the NSX and Civic Type R globally, and we do want to further enhance those models that are already with us. However, we are receiving lots of requests from different regions for more sporting models, so we are considering a lot of…

MERCEDES-BENZ HAS completed the renaming of its SUV line-up with the introduction of a facelifted version of the GL, which is now called the GLS. The GLS receives subtle exterior styling upgrades, a more luxurious interior with additional connectivity options, more efficient engines, a new nine-speed automatic gearbox and revised air suspension. It gets a new grille, with an oversized three-pointed star and twin-blade adornment. There’s also a new front bumper, altered tail-lights, a revised rear bumper and newly styled wheels. Inside, an upgraded dashboard features a freestanding infotainment monitor, altered instrument graphics and a new steering wheel. The new GLS comes as standard with seating for seven in three rows and 680 litres of luggage space, rising to 2300 litres with all rear seats stowed. The sole diesel engine…

In the wake of the arrival of the Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell car, Honda has launched this, the FCV Clarity. To date, the company’s fuel cell vehicles, much praised for their technical innovation, have been available to only a select few. Honda made just 72 examples of the FCX Clarity, its last effort, for example. However, the firm has far higher hopes for the new FCV Clarity, which, it says, will be made in “much greater numbers”. It regards the FCV as a stepping stone to its first mass-produced fuel cell vehicle, currently in development and due in 2020. As with the FCX, the FCV Clarity sits on a bespoke platform but gets two hydrogen tanks instead of one, each of them storing the fuel at a higher pressure…

“I worked my ass off to make it do that,” says the man to my left. ‘It’ is the hot hatch of the moment, the brand-new Ford Focus RS. And the man talking about it – driving it typically enthusiastically – is David Put, vehicle dynamics specialist of Ford of Europe. The grinning Belgian has done a big chunk of the dynamic tuning of the new RS, and right now he’s flicking the car around the damp curves of the legendary ‘Track 7’ handling circuit at Ford’s Lommel proving ground. It looks like fun – a lot of fun, actually. And even to me in the passenger seat, it’s obvious that Put is demonstrating a particular handling trait that stands to distinguish the Ford from its front-drive and four-wheel-drive rivals.…

Consider this. In 1975, the Volkswagen Golf GTI developed 110bhp. In 2012, the latest Golf GTI was launched with 220bhp. Granted, the doubling of its output hasn’t occurred at quite the same breakneck clip as Moore’s law, which dictates a twofold increase in microchip performance every two years or so, but it is significant – not least because it’s now a recurring theme in the hot hatch genre. In 1987, the Peugeot 309 GTi developed 127bhp from its 1.9-litre petrol engine. Cut to 2015 and the new 308 GTi, its maker’s latest attempt to re-enter the credible end of the segment, produces 266bhp from an even smaller four-pot unit. With the introduction of its latest Mountune kit, the Ford Focus ST we’ve chosen to test it against develops 271bhp. That’s…

The likes of you and me know McLaren as the maker of some of the finest road cars around, as much as a racing team. However, to the average Briton, whose knowledge of cars begins and ends with what he sees Jeremy Clarkson and co driving, McLaren the road car maker is still very much an unknown quantity. Which is one of the reasons why the 650S Spider attracts so much attention — attention that has been exclusively positive and up there with the reception accorded an Aston Martin — wherever it goes. Once people are over its fantastic sound and vibrant colour, and their disappointment on discovering its driver is neither attractive nor famous, you invariably see them mouth the question: “What is it?” I’ve been more than happy…

READER’S CAR: BMW 3 SERIES COUPE Stephen Williamson bought his E36 BMW 328i coupé four years ago for just £1250. It was a two-owner car with a full service history and new tyres, and Stephen says it has never let him down. “I bought it for drifting, but that didn’t happen. I kept the car as I had a Merc diesel, and the BMW was faster. “It’s a great car. I do a lot of track days — Spa, Brands Hatch, Bedford Autodrome. At Spa, we did 200 miles of hard driving and it just purred. My son now services the car and I’ve only had new tyres and a battery.” SEND YOUR BANGERNOMICS TALES TO JAMES Twitter: @Bangernomics Email: james@bangernomics.com WHAT CAUGHT MY EYE THIS WEEK Would…

Warm hatches 1 Ford Fiesta Zetec S Black From £13,000 Gets the most powerful version of the 1.0 Ecoboost. Easier to live with than an ST and almost as much fun. 2 Mini Cooper From £15,000 Never mind the S; the three-pot Cooper is the best-value Mini money can buy. The best to drive, too. Great car. 3 Suzuki Swift Sport From £13,000 The cheap, pretty and chuckable Swift defines this category best. Fun cannot be had more cheaply than this. Seat Ibiza FR From £16,000 VW’s latest four-pot gives the Ibiza some real grunt. Shame the chassis it’s connected to is less than compelling. 5 Fiat 500 Abarth From £14,000 One of the cutest cars on sale is also pleasing to drive. The handling is keen, but the ride…