Innholdsfortegnelse for 22/3/2017 i Autocar

MCLAREN SPECIAL Operations (MSO) is of growing significance within the company’s business activities as it seeks to increase the volume of personalisation and bespoke service it offers its customers. Ansar Ali, who joined McLaren Automotive last year, initially as motorsport director, heads the division. He’s a veteran of British sports car firms. Ali speaks of a common goal between himself and McLaren boss Mike Flewitt whereby the firm seeks to maintain as personal a relationship as possible with its customers. “People want to be closely associated to the brand and have a sense of belonging,” said Ali. “Mike and I have very much a shared vision for McLaren, a view of where he wants the brand on customer expectation. It’s all about experiences and personal relationships. We think products can…

With a route programmed into its navigation system and its driving assistance features switched on, the revised S-Class gets under way with a nudge of the throttle from the driver. From there, it autonomously accelerates and brakes its way out of the Mercedes-Benz technical centre on the outskirts of Stuttgart. We spend almost an hour on a six-lane autobahn, winding country roads and urban streets. The only action required by the driver is an occasional tweak of the S-Class’s new multifunction steering wheel. What really impresses is the predictive element of the latest Distronic cruise control system. As we exit an autobahn, the S-Class brakes within the exit lane, recognising the corner ahead. When we reach the corner, sufficient speed has been wiped off to enable the driver to confidently…

NEW CAR SALES figures are heading for a record March as up to 40,000 motorists bring forward their planned purchases in order to avoid Vehicle Excise Duty changes that come in effect in April. Some estimates predict that the biggest-ever March sales total will be recorded in the UK, with up to 550,000 new cars being registered. That would be an increase of around 6% compared with March 2016, when 518,707 new cars were registered. Car dealers are using the VED rises in their sales pitches to potential customers, particularly the large number of car buyers currently on PCP finance deals, which have the flexibility to allow owners to exit a contract early and sign up for a new, lower-tax car. April’s VED changes will affect cars costing more than…

“This is a genuinely talented car and one that is engaging on the right road” As a versatile hot hatch, the Audi RS3 has always been close to the top of the podium. If you want a quick, luxurious and secure all-weather machine that offers decent levels of practicality and reasonable running costs, it’s hard to ignore Ingolstadt’s junior performance car. But we’ve always struggled to gel with the five-pot Audi, partly because of its prodigious price and partly because it places unflappable performance ahead of flamboyant entertainment. However, as demonstrated by the surprisingly playful TT RS, it seems that Audi Sport isn’t completely averse to producing cars with a sense of fun. Therefore, for 2017, special attention has been paid to the RS3’s historically straight-laced dynamics. Firmer RS Sport…

We’ve driven this new BMW M760Li xDrive as it should be driven and as one would assume many prospective buyers might: a full 700-mile international slog from Megève in the French Alps back to Blighty. The car borrows the 6.6-litre twin-turbo V12 from the Rolls-Royce Wraith. Although the engine has been detuned slightly, its 601bhp and 590lb ft wouldn’t look out of place in a supercar. Indeed, this is currently the fastest-accelerating model BMW produces, bar none. Predictably, the pace is epic: away from autoroute toll booths the raw acceleration is fearsome, but beyond the attack of g-forces the power delivery is progressive and utterly manageable. The big V12 is the epitome of smoothness at idle and remains that way during relaxed driving. Ratchet it up to Sport mode and…

MODEL TESTED 124 SPIDER Price £29,565 Power 168bhp Torque 184lb ft 0-60mph 6.8sec 30-70mph in fourth 8.3sec Fuel economy 35.4mpg CO2 emissions 148g/km 70-0mph 49.1m Last year we saluted Fiat for the canny reasoning that resulted in the 124 Spider, its first rear-drive sports car since the original model was discontinued in the early 1980s. Although the amalgamation of Mazda MX-5 mechanicals and Italian styling was not a flawless integration by any means, it delivered the kind of desirable product that was so obviously missing from Fiat’s limited and conventional line-up. However, to Abarth, Fiat’s feisty tuning division, the 124 is of arguably much greater import. Where its parent, through minimal investment of resource, gained a useful image bump (particularly in the US) and a very decent roadster, Abarth gets…

The Ariel Motor Company is one of the rarest of rare beasts in the automotive industry: a start-up car company that survived. Boasting only a name from an obscure, defunct motorcycle company, Ariel has, over the past 17 years with Simon Saunders and his team, built some of the most exciting sports cars in the history of the automobile. But that’s far from the only reason Ariel has not only survived, but also thrived. For the truth is that designing a fast and fun car is as easy as slipping on black ice compared with getting it to market at a price that the customer will pay and that will also return you a profit; and that, in turn, is as easy as falling off a dental floss tightrope compared…

“We have to ind a compromise between winning and keeping the show interesting” Toto Wolff is grabbing a sandwich downstairs when we arrive for a chat in his refreshingly unpretentious office in the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 team offices at Brackley, just down the road from Silverstone. Wolff’s previous appointment has overrun, which is understandable. In these important days leading up to the season’s first F1 race, everyone wants a word with the team’s executive director and managing partner. In any case, a few minutes’ delay is a bonus for the interviewer. There is time to note the orderly state of the glass-topped desk, the neatly folded jumper over one of the chairs, and the fact that the one and only photograph in this office is a signed image of…

While the Scenic feels large inside, driving and manoeuvring it couldn’t be easier The MPV class has suffered somewhat at the hands of the SUV and crossover. Gone are the days when affordability and practicality were the only considerations when buying a seven-seater: luxury, refinement and faux-by-four looks are now just as important to most buyers. The Renault Scenic hasn’t been able to avoid this shift, despite being a car that defined the compact MPV sector back in the mid-1990s. Indeed, these days you’re much more likely to see a new Seat Ateca or Nissan Qashqai parked on your neighbour’s drive, so as a result, Renault has been rather more adventurous with the styling of its Scenic this time around. Instead of fully embracing an off-road aesthetic, as Peugeot has…

It has been a busy time for our Jag, which was purloined by the road test team to go up against the new BMW 5 Series in the comparison test that you can read on p40. The XF was returned to me with a new set of Pirelli P Zeros, which told me all I needed to know about how hard it had been pushed by the testers during the comparison. I was surprised by the amount of additional grip provided by the fresh tyres. The original set had been aging well when I handed the XF over to the testers, so without their intervention, there wouldn’t have been any need to consider replacements. Now, though, there’s a noticeable improvement in grip. The warmer weather and drier roads have helped…

Procee’d to checkout with a funky Kia I think it is the name that I really like, but when I saw the image of this three-door Kia Procee’d sitting on black alloy wheels, it looked rather funky. It has only a 1.4-litre engine, but that will keep the insurance down so it could be the ideal set of (17in black alloy) wheels for a young driver. Mileage is just over 100,000 for this 2010 car but these are reliable little things. Yours for £3702. Old-school coupé, new-school money The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is a fantastic head-turner and still quite pricey. This 2011 example with 36k miles is £140k. Apparently, it has a paid-for paint colour that’s officially known as Le Mans red. It makes a change from silver or white.…

Fiat 500 £3000 The Fiat 500 has always been a cute little bundle of driving joy. Retro looks and wallet-soothing running costs made it popular when it was launched in 2008 and it has remained a favourite ever since. With prices now falling into the seriously tempting sub-£3000 bracket, this could be the perfect urban runabout or second car in your household. Our contacts in the motor trade recommend avoiding early build models and instead heading for the 2010-on versions that have softer and better-resolved rear suspension. A 1.2 Pop model will feature stop-start as standard with its five-speed manual gearbox and you should see the right side of 50mpg on average. It’s also only £30 a year to tax at present. For those who need to carry more than…

Jaguar XF From £32,490 Outstanding ride and handling and a rich, pleasant cabin. Not as roomy as some; four-cylinder engines should be better. Mercedes-Benz E-Class From £35,160 A bit on the pricey side and less sporting to drive than its key rivals, but supremely comfortable, well put together and luxurious. BMW 5 Series From £36,270 Still going strong, with performance, handling sophistication, practicality and desirability in abundance Volvo S90 From £32,995 Tears up the business-smart formality of the segment and plays the refreshing, comfortable, appealing alternative well. Audi A6 From £33,720 Perfect for anyone looking for a smart office cubicle on wheels. Supremely well constructed but soulless to drive.…

“The new F1 will have more power than the P1 thanks to a twin-turbo4.0-litre V8 and electric propulsion” McLaren has previewed the styling of its three-seat homage to the F1 road car for the first time. The new model will eclipse the P1 as the most powerful road-legal McLaren yet when it arrives in 2019. The new model, codenamed BP23, will slot into McLaren’s Ultimate Series — the range-topping tier for its most exclusive models — and is billed as a ‘hyper-GT’. It will bring hybrid technology back to a McLaren for the first time since the P1, ahead of a roll-out of similar technology across its mainstream models in 2020. The BP23 will also introduce elements of McLaren’s next-generation carbonfibre structure, which will be built in Sheffield from 2020…

TVR’s new super-sports coupé has been revealed at last — but only to the exclusive group of enthusiasts who have already agreed to buy one. The car, a 200mph, front-engined V8 two-seater, very much in character with the traditional Blackpool TVRs but entirely new from the ground up, is being unveiled in a series of secret launches at designer Gordon Murray’s HQ near Guildford, Surrey. Only those who have already placed a deposit are invited. The company is swearing its customers to secrecy — to the extent of asking them to sign confidentiality agreements — because it has elected not to show the car’s finished look in public until an official unveiling in September. First customers are seeing the car in groups of about 30, at intimate meetings with designers…

“The Juke must maintain its funkiness. Smaller cars are easier. They can be quite aggressive” Nissan’s chief designer, Shiro Nakamura, who styled hugely significant cars including the GT-R, Qashqai, 350Z, Juke, Leaf and Cube, retires this month after 17 years with the manufacturer. Nakamura will be replaced by Alfonso Albaisa, currently Infiniti’s head of design, with ex-BMW design chief Karim Habib taking Albaisa’s role. Nakamura, 66, was brought to Nissan by Carlos Ghosn. The firm soon underwent a remarkable turnaround, going from the brink of bankruptcy to huge sales successes, among them the Qashqai, which sparked the crossover boom. In recent years, Nakamura has overseen all kinds of projects, from the super-budget Datsun brand to more experimental work with Nissan’s flagship Infiniti marque. Nakamura’s replacement, Albaisa, joined Infiniti in 2013…

The Abarth 124 Spider is what you might call ‘a bit of a giggle’. Most Mazda MX-5 owners would have a lot of fun in one for an afternoon, we suspect, but then would probably be quite happy to swap their car keys back. Compared with the Japanese sporting icon from which it is sprung, it is a little noisy, harsh, gauche and trying. But the Abarth 124 Spider is far from a failure. Abarth’s mission with this car must rightly have been to claim territory that the Mazda has never managed to secure: to convince petrolheads that a cloth-topped two-seater could feel as focused and hardcore as a really specialised £30,000 hot hatchback. In that mission, the Abarth does remarkably well. This 124 Spider is more of a niche…

The rear wing is 150mm lower and 200mm wider than before, with inward-curving endplates. An increase in aerodynamic parts, and consequently downforce loads, will make the cars between 3sec and 5sec quicker per lap, depending on the circuit. The fuel limit for each race has been increased by 5kg to 105kg, so the cars have larger tanks. The overall track of the cars has increased from 1800mm to 2000mm. Wheels are still 13in in diameter, but they’re 25% wider than last year’s. The front tyres are up from 245mm to 305mm and the rears have grown from 325mm to 405mm. The greater contact area increases grip. The sustained lateral g-force that drivers experience could be up to 5.5g around corners such as Turn Three at the Catalunya circuit. Last year,…

Push Vauxhall upmarket PSA’s takeover of Vauxhall/Opel is cause for concern, particularly for those employed in GM’s UK factories, but after 16 years of continual losses it is perhaps fortunate that the Americans’ patience has lasted so long. My feeling is that for many years the Vauxhall/ Opel brands have suffered from GM’s inherent conservatism. Whenever, say, a new Astra or Corsa is launched, it is immediately ‘competitive’ against the equivalent Ford or Volkswagen but never a market leader. It is suggested that PSA wants to take its new acquisition upmarket in order to compete with Audi. Let’s hope it will build more adventurous products that we will genuinely be excited to buy. Fingers crossed it will also choose to continue building vehicles in the UK. Gareth Tarr Chertsey, Surrey…

To Wales from London, four up, laden for a week’s stay and nursing a sore leg, the legacy of old age and amateur running. The former I expected the Bentayga to cope with, especially with the recent adornment of a roof box; the latter I expected to be nursing with little sympathy. The roof box is a controversial addition. In its smart, dark paintwork, I reckon the Bentayga is understated – if an off-road Bentley can ever be described as such. The roof box lends the car a purposeful look and forgives some of its excesses. The box is contoured to carry skis and accessories, although in our case it made do with wellies and big coats for a trip to the Preseli Hills. It was convenient for swallowing the…

RUNNING THE ATECA has given me the opportunity to get much more familiar with Apple CarPlay, the connectivity system that enables me to hook up my iPhone and run some of its functions through the car. Apple tech gives some easy wins. For example, your iPhone knows where your home is so when you activate Apple Maps in the car, it’ll tell you how far away you are and suggest a route (unless you’ve already chosen a different destination). However, I prefer to navigate using Google Maps rather than Apple’s equivalent. The Google Maps app isn’t compatible with CarPlay so when I have everything connected in the car, I have the navigation running on my iPhone’s screen. It works well until Google Maps issues a verbal navigation prompt. At that…

The teenager’s toy car is providing all the excitement at the moment. I really didn’t think that a blown rear brake bulb would make much of a mention in these pages. Then I looked at the instructions in the manual for changing it. I searched for advice online and found that it was, in some cases, a 10-minute video. Instead of unscrewing the old bulb, bayoneting in the new one, the teenager was popping out the whole light cluster. It proved to be reluctant to move. Indeed, we managed to get the offside one (which had no broken bulbs) out first to prove to ourselves that the nearside should shift. Eventually, it did.…

“The 267bhp RCZ R is rare in the UK and likely to become a classic” Few who saw Peugeot’s futuristic 908 RC show car at the 2006 Paris motor show could have predicted that it would spawn the compact and beautiful 308RC Z concept revealed at Frankfurt the following year. Fewer still would have guessed that the latter car would emerge almost unchanged in production form two years later, again at Frankfurt. Almost? Based on the 308 it may have been, but this time it was known only as the RCZ. Letters have proved quite important to Peugeot’s catwalk coupé. The addition of a second R, as in the range-topping RCZ R, came along with a 267bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine and a 0-62mph time of 5.9sec. Deliveries of the £31,995…

Volkswagen Golf From £17,625 Expensive it may be, but there’s enough class here to make the price look reassuringly precise. A cut above. Ford Focus From £19,695 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. Seat Leon From £19,180 As always, a Golf in cheaper Spanish drag. Margins are cleverly engineered to show, but this is the best Leon yet. Audi A3 Sportback From £20,445 Outstanding cabin quality, peppy engines and low ownership costs makes it eerily good for uninterested drivers Vauxhall Astra From £16,375 The new Astra is big on practicality, standard specification and range of engines but overall remains an ordinary car to drive.…

NISSAN QASHQAI | JULY The second-generation Qashqai has received some mild styling changes as part of its mid-life update, but the big changes are under the skin. The crossover now has autonomous driving tech allowing it to steer, accelerate and brake by itself in a motorway lane. There’s also new active safety kit. Price£19,000 (est) MARCH AC Cobra 378, Atalanta sports car, BMW M760Li xDrive update, Ferrari GTC4 Lusso T, Honda Civic, Hyundai i30, Jaguar F-Type update, F-Type 400 Sport, Nissan Micra, Renault Captur update, Seat Leon Cupra 300, Skoda Octavia update, Smart Fortwo Cabriolet Brabus Edition #2, Spyker C8 Preliator Spyder, Volkswagen e-Golf, Golf Hybrid, Zenvo TS1 GT APRIL Audi Q5, Avatar Roadster, BMW 4 Series update, Dacia Logan MCV Stepway, Lamborghini Huracán Spyder, Mercedes-AMG GT Roadster, GT C…

MCLAREN WANTS TO create “two to three” bespoke one-off cars commissioned by customers per year, according to McLaren Special Operations (MSO) boss Ansar Ali. McLaren has noted the success Ferrari has had in giving its customers the chance to create their own one-off models and has now built up the structure within its MSO division to be able to facilitate that. Ali said McLaren now has the ability to make such models, which will typically take around 18 months to two years to become a production reality. However, it will be up to a customer whether or not their bespoke creation makes it into the public eye. Talking about such cars, Ali said it is his job to ensure McLaren doesn’t become distracted from its core product offering in creating…

The updated S-Class will spearhead Mercedes-Benz’s use of next-level autonomous technology by offering an extended range of driver assistance systems that will eventually feature on all of the company’s models. The new features include Active Distance, which can provide fully autonomous acceleration and braking within legal speed limits on a route programmed into the car’s upgraded navigation system. The autonomous driving function is part of a revised Distronic cruise control system. It promises improved safety as well as ‘set and forget’ speed limit assurance by strictly adhering to posted and temporary speed limits in an urban environment, on country roads and out on the motorway. The development is being touted as a key step towards fully autonomous driving. The Active Distance function reduces speeds in bends, at roundabouts, junctions and…

Volkswagen will complete a quartet of ID electric concepts later this year with the unveiling of a saloon, possibly at the Frankfurt show in September. It will join an ID SUV, set to be unveiled at the Shanghai show next month, alongside the already revealed ID Buzz MPV and ID hatchback. VW design chief Klaus Bischoff has promised a “surprise” for the saloon, which apparently prompted “wows” from his colleagues when they saw it for the first time. The ID models preview VW’s EV ambitions, with the brand aiming to sell one million electric cars annually by 2025. The electric concepts represent ‘families’ of models, each of which will have different identities and bodystyles but a common theme, according to Bischoff, including what he calls “a no-grille” philosophy. “Volkswagen was…

The perceived decline in demand for large cars over the past decade hasn’t done much to harm the UK success of the Vauxhall Insignia. Luton counts the 4.9m-long exec as one of its successes – which is why it has unveiled this new version, now called the Insignia Grand Sport. First deliveries are planned for June. Prices, some revised downwards by as much as £1500 to fit new benefit-in-kind tax categories, start at £17,115 for the 1.5-litre Design model and peak at £29,210 for the Elite 2.0, which comes with an eight-speed automatic, an exceptionally deep specification and full-time four-wheel drive. There are two petrol and two diesel engines on offer, with six power levels, starting with the 108bhp 1.6 diesel that delivers the range’s headline CO2 figure of 105g/km.…

“The Jaguar XF sinks its tyres into the tarmac's knotted jugular” There is little need for introductions here or even any real debate on the key question. The new BMW 5 Series, launched a few months ago and in the UK for the first time, is really good. The odds on it not being so were always fairly slim. BMW, like a nation state fretting over the health of a high street bank, does not entertain the idea of its flagship exec failing. Certainly, it sells more 3 Series and probably makes more money from the X5, but the classier, capacious 5 Series is primarily intended for the industrial world’s wheel-turners, and that bespectacled mob of grease men know quality when they see it. The peachiness of this G30-generation 5…

FIRST DRIVE Bugatti Chiron Matt Prior drives the Veyron’s successor. Has Bugatti once again redefined what’s possible in a road car? NEW VS USED Mazda MX-5 RF vs Mercedes SLK Box fresh or second hand? Thrilling £25k cabrios compared FEATURE Vauxhall Insignia vs Norway We drive through Norway in Vauxhall’s crucial new saloon EVERY WEEK FIRST DRIVE Mercedes-AMG GT C Open-top sports car brings a more powerful engine to the GT range MOTORSPORT BTCC preview We drive the new Honda Civic Type R racer ahead of the 2017 season ROAD TEST Alfa Romeo Giulia Alfa’s new 503bhp super-saloon gets the eight-page road test treatment SUBSCRIBE autocar.co.uk/subscribe or see p30…

THE MINI REMAINS an uncanny mix of brilliant and slightly irritating. I’ve never known a car to be filled with such extremes of good and bad. A car is usually consistently good or consistently poor, and in a BMW product’s case, most often the former. Let’s start with the good. The range is tremendous, with a 49-litre fill being good for a waft of 500 or more miles. Then there are some things that soothe those miles away, such as what is basically BMW’s iDrive system but with more cutesy graphics, the funky interior lighting and the fun manner in which the Mini will assess how economically you’re driving. Thanks to the Driving Assistant pack (an £810 option), it’ll tell you all kinds of things, like if you’re going to…

Charlie Johnson was looking to replace his Alfa Romeo GTV 2.0 TS, which he’d had for almost two years. “I have a long commute and wanted a change,” he says. “I thought I’d go back to my original interest, MG/ Rover. I’d had a Rover 45 about four years ago, so knew about their reliability in diesel form. “I soon found a 135bhp MG ZT 2.0 CDTi with full service history and 110k miles for £2300. It had had most of the major work done. I’ve only had to replace the thermostat, battery and rear cluster gaskets.” SEND YOUR USED CAR TALES TO james@bangernomics.com…

An expert’s view SAM WEBBER, CHARTERS PEUGEOT, ALDERSHOT “We’ve sold lots of RCZs. Its looks are a big selling point. It’s the kind of car you turn around to look at after you’ve locked it up. Early cars had a few issues but later ones were no trouble. The 154bhp 1.6 GT with standard leather is the one to have. The gearing suits it, whereas the 197bhp car is longer-geared and feels less responsive. The RCZ R will be the classic, though, if you can find one. We recently took a 64-plate R with 14,000 miles in part-exchange. It sold for around £19,000 before it hit the forecourt.” Buyer beware… • ENGINE Early cars suffered timing chain and tensioner problems, so find a car that has had them replaced. Power…

Volkswagen Golf GTE From £34,100 The GTE offers a usable electric range, is potentially cheap to run, has strong performance and is as practical as a Golf should be. BMW i3 REX From £35,480 Onboard generator allows it to be your go-anywhere only car while retaining an electric range as good as that of most pure EVs. Audi A3 e-tron Sportback From £35,930 A quality product. Functionality, comfort, refinement and practicality are creditable, but it lacks the verve of the Golf GTE. Toyota Prius From £24,100 The Prius handles and performs as well as many European hatchbacks — and that’s a major achievement for Toyota. Hyundai Ioniq From £19,995 The Ioniq is commendably practical and a cheap way into the hybrid world, but it fails to deliver an inspiring drive.…