Innholdsfortegnelse for 24/5/2017 i Autocar

IVA cam drive is by ECU-controlled electro-mechanical actuators that decide, according to speed, load and demand, when to open and close valves. Prototype IVA engine swaps a usual longitudinal camshaft for short, individually driven camshafts sited across the top of the cylinder head. The short camshafts control valves individually or in pairs. They can rotate completely for full lift, or rock back and forth when less lift is desirable. A revolutionary, British-designed digital valvetrain drive system called IVA, claimed to give petrol engines the driveability and economy of diesels but with more benign and manageable emissions, has been revealed by Leamington Spa-based technology firm Camcon Automotive. IVA, or Intelligent Valve Actuation, has been under development for the past six years, reaching a sufficient stage of maturity in bench tests for…

AMG HAS BEEN drafted in to lead development of the next Mercedes-Benz SL. Its brief is to inject a more sporting character to the seventh-generation luxury drop-top. Although it is not an exclusive AMG project like the four-door GT, the SL will benefit from AMG engineering and know-how to make it the fastest, most agile version yet. It will also be the most practical SL thanks to the addition of two small rear seats to give the car a 2+2 layout. AMG boss Tobias Moers told Autocar it “would make sense” because it would offer a “bit more space”. The car, pictured here in test mule guise wearing a modified S-Class Coupé body, will be built on Mercedes’ MSA (modularen sportwagen architektur) platform, which has been developed using various solutions…

“Alonso will find the competition is a lot closer. Out of 33 entries, you have at least 22 potential winners” The Circuit de Monaco features 19 tortuous turns packed into 2.074 miles of narrow, bumpy asphalt. By contrast, the wide, smooth 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway has just four corners — all identical left-handers. So you might think double Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso will have it easy this weekend when he skips the Monaco Grand Prix to race in the Indianapolis 500. But the Spaniard is about to find out that America’s biggest single-seater race will be a challenge unlike any he’s faced before — and as tough as any grand prix. Can he succeed? Autocar asked American racing legend Mario Andretti, who won the Indy 500 in 1969…

MODEL TESTED 720S Price £208,600 Power 710bhp Torque 568lb ft 0-60mph 2.9sec 30-70mph in fourth 4.3sec Fuel economy 18.6mpg CO2 emissions 249g/km 70-0mph 39.9m Skidpan 1.24g Sequels don’t come much bigger than this. Whispers within the walls of McLaren Automotive’s Woking headquarters suggest the new 720S – a replacement for the 650S – is considered by many to be the most important car in its maker’s modern history. In succeeding the 650S, it becomes the first car to replace a model in McLaren’s line-up and it’s the first of 15 new-generation models promised by CEO Mike Flewitt by 2022. Therefore, with bold sales targets and a new £50 million UK chassis factory recently unveiled to help realise McLaren’s ambitions, there is a huge weight of expectation on the 720S. The…

BENTLEY CUSTOMERS WILL be perfectly used to petrol engines that barely return more than 20 miles to the gallon. Many would probably rank ‘good fuel economy’ somewhere distantly below ‘a cigar humidor big enough for my collection of Cubans’ and ‘a paint job the colour of a Balinese sunset’ on their list of desirables for their next Continental or Mulsanne. It would be easy, therefore, to misread the significance of the V8 triple-turbo diesel engine recently dropped into the engine bay of the Bentayga. Crewe’s first diesel production model isn’t our new favourite super-luxury SUV because it’s a good 50% more efficient than the W12 version we tested in 2016, but because that diesel engine – and, my word, what an engine – is even better suited than the petrol…

DESPITE ALL THE hype about the 911 R, the crazy prices being asked and even Porsche positioning it as a 911 optimised for the purest driving pleasure, there seemed very little chance that we would conclude it was the best driver’s car on sale (at least in theory) in Britain. Why? Most obviously, there was the opposition, in the form of the 2015 winner, the Ferrari 488 GTB, plus two stunningly capable McLarens: the 570S and 675LT. These are not only far more powerful mid-engined cars from even more exotic brands, but they also represent manufacturers absolutely at the top of their game and are among our favourites not just of sports and supercars built today but of all time. For Porsche, there was an inconvenient precedent, too: both cars…

SOME CARS CHANGE the world, but the DB11 will settle for being able to change the fortunes of its maker, Aston Martin, a creator of fast, beautiful and engaging cars but a company that, over the years, usually hasn’t sold enough of them. The DB11 is the first car of many, then, in a new era for Aston – the ‘second century plan’ introduced by newish company gaffer Andy Palmer, who plans to introduce one new model every year, with the whole range therefore being resurrected once every seven years. That means “raising the tempo” of new model development and “straightening out history”, says Palmer. The DB11 is as comfortable as new Aston GT cars will get, but what’s just as important as how excellent it is is what it’s…

TO QUALIFY AS worthy game changers, most contenders display one or maybe two standout features. The Giulia has around half a dozen. As Alfa’s first compact executive saloon in half a decade, the first in over two decades to be built on a longitudinal-engined, rear drive platform and the first to spawn an SUV, the Giulia is the pivot around which its maker’s reinvention is designed to rotate. Not bad for a car that lingered on the drawing board longer than da Vinci’s parachute. The circumstances of its repeated delay are now apparent: Alfa in general and boss Sergio Marchionne in particular were striving to get the model right – right enough to threaten Germany’s hegemony on the market and to make a telling impact in North America – and…

WHERE TO START with the Lamborghini Huracán Performante? The technical innovations that mean it can be faster than a 918 Spyder – sister company Porsche’s technical masterpiece hypercar – around the Nürburgring are legion. This is a car with ‘only’ 631bhp yet one that has redefined the pace at which a sports car can move. For a start, it shows just how valuable a light structure is for going quickly. Its dry weight is 1382kg. Yes, it’ll be more than that at the kerb, but given that it’s a four-wheel-drive supercar with a V10 engine and dual-clutch transmission, that’s pretty good going. As is the fact that new forged carbonfibre elements make it 40kg lighter than a standard Huracán. Some of its potential must also be attributed to the fact…

“I’d never been to Korea before, but quite early on, I felt an affinity” Anyone who ever doubted that great new designs dramatically boost sales of existing cars needs to study the extraordinary exploits of Peter Schreyer, winner of this year’s Sturmey Award, Autocar’s premier annual accolade for innovation. A decade ago, Schreyer, then the high-flying design boss of Volkswagen, shocked the car world by moving to little-fancied Kia with an open brief to improve the look and function of its cars by completely overhauling their design. Back then, Kia was making honest but unstylish models that hardly ever went wrong but sold slowly because buyers looked past them at more eye-catching brands. After extensive research, the Hyundai-Kia group’s famously cautious bosses decided there was an opportunity to reboot Kia…

“Racing is rubbing. You have to expect some paint-swapping” They call him ‘BTCC’s Bernie’ but Alan Gow, boss of TOCA, the organisation that owns and stages the British Touring Car Championship, doesn’t encourage the description. His authority is total, but Gow has a reputation for running things with a lighter touch than others. “In the end,” he says, “we’re all doing this to enjoy it.” This is why we’re meeting him today. Our mission is to spend – and enjoy – a race day with Gow, Autocar’s Motorsport Hero for 2017. But our original plan – to meet at 6.30am outside his house west of London and then travel the 60 miles further west to Thruxton circuit in his black Porsche Panamera – is in ruins. They’ve shut the M3…

COMPARISON The Sports Car World Cup Which country makes the best sports car? Andrew Frankel heads to the host nation of our tournament, Wales, to find out FEATURE The one millionth 911 We drive this milestone 911 and celebrate its longevity and appeal INVESTIGATION Subaru: what happened next? Hilton Holloway looks at how the company has changed EVERY WEEK ROAD TEST BMW 520d Impressive new 5 Series steps up for the eight-page road test treatment FIRST DRIVE Lamborghini Huracán Performante Nürburgring record holder driven USED BUYING GUIDE Volkswagen Golf R32 Why you need a potent six-cylinder Golf in your life SUBSCRIBE autocar.co.uk/subscribe or see p22…

THE Q30 IS LOADED with technology. When parking, there are all-round sensors, a reversing camera and a surround-view monitor to make it pretty easy to slip into a tight spot in a multi-storey. It’s just as well, because the car’s Intelligent Park Assist can be a liability. In the right circumstances, when parallel parking, it’s a dream. You spot a space, indicate and the system takes over. All you have to do is brake when necessary and make sure you don’t run anyone over. But the system struggles with bay parking. Attempt to park in a bay on your right and five times out of 10 it works a treat. The other times, you drift past the space in the hope the car will spot it and the little arrow…

Andrew Talbot is more than happy to relate the story of the car he bought for his son. “He is at university and needed a replacement for his high-mileage Ford Ka,” says Andrew. “An ad in the newsagent had this 2003 Fabia with one owner, full history, garaged and 23,000 miles. Yup, 23,000. “The price was just £925. I went to see it and it has to be one of the most immaculate little cars that I have ever seen, with a perfect interior and great tyres. So I bought it on the spot! Great value.” SEND YOUR USED CAR TALES TO  james@bangernomics.com…

 TESTED 2.5.17, SURREY ON SALE 2006 PRICE £9000-£15,000 “Keep the throttle pinned and the yelp becomes a glorious wail” If ever there was a car that had a preposterously skewed moniker-to-size ratio, this is it. You may know it as the first-generation Mini Cooper Works GP, which is somewhat less of a mouthful than its official title: the Mini Cooper S with John Cooper Works GP Tuning Kit. That vast nameplate comes about because the Works GP of the time was not actually a factory model, as was its successor. In fact, all of the John Cooper Works versions of this first, R53-generation ‘new’ Mini were sold as upgrade packages, which were fitted to your new Mini at dealers – and the GP was no exception. It wasn’t cheap, either.…

1 Volkswagen Up From £8995 VW’s city car is no revolution, just a trademarked effort to beat its rivals on ›inish, re›inement and economy. 2 Hyundai i10 From £9250 The latest i10 prioritises maturity over its former liveliness, but the re›ined result is still a ›irst-rate city car. 3 Suzuki Celerio From £6999 Pleasing to drive, cheap to buy and decent to sit in, the Celerio is a no-nonsense option — and very likeable for it. 4 Fiat Panda From £9245 The Panda may not have quite kept pace with its rivals, but it still sells robust, practical charm better than any. 5 Vauxhall Viva From £9175 A derivative and charisma-free take on the modern city car but not devoid of usability or space. Cabin is decent, too.…

“VW claims a 0-62mph time of 8.8sec and a 122mph top speed, outpacing the original Golf GTI” The fast and affordable junior Volkswagen hot hatch will return early next year with the arrival of the Up GTI, a 114bhp version of the firm’s city car that packs more power than the original Golf GTI Unveiled at this week’s GTI fan meet at Lake Wörthersee in Austria, the Up GTI is set to go on sale in early 2018 and is expected to cost from around £15,000. The new hot hatch arrives well into the latter half of the first-generation Up’s planned seven-year life cycle, providing Volkswagen with its first serious rival to the likes of the Fiat 500 Abarth. Autocar understands the launch of the Up GTI is the first…

“At its launch, the Karoq will be offered with a choice of two petrol and three diesel engines” Skoda chiefs believe the new Karoq compact SUV could become the firm’s best-selling model — and they are evaluating the development of a hot vRS version. The new car is the second Skoda SUV to have been launched within the past year, following the larger Kodiaq, and marque chiefs believe it is perfectly designed to exploit the segment’s explosive growth in Europe and China. The Karoq replaces the Yeti as Skoda’s entry-level SUV. Speaking about the model’s sales potential, CEO Bernhard Maier said: “The Yeti sold 100,000 cars per year, 10% of global sales. We expect the Karoq to do more than that. “I think we will sell, in Europe, more than…

AMG’S INTEREST IN hybrid power (see main story) comes soon after the launch of fellow Mercedes sub-brand EQ. The electric division’s Paris motor show concept, also called EQ, is being used as a rolling blueprint for its first truly dedicated electric production model, which will spearhead a 10-strong EV line-up that’s due by 2025. Autocar has sampled the EQ concept from the passenger seat. The model’s dual-motor powertrain can deliver more than 400bhp and the driveline can send 100% of drive to the front or rear wheels or give the car full four-wheel drive capability. Around town at lower speeds, it is programmed to run mainly in front-wheel drive. It switches automatically to four-wheel drive for added handling security at higher speeds. The silent qualities of the concept’s electric driveline…

LAMBORGHINI’S BID TO make its Urus SUV live up to the marque’s reputation for performance has been on display during high-speed tests at the Nürburgring. The Urus will sit on the same platform that underpins the Audi Q7, Bentley Bentayga and next Porsche Cayenne. Lamborghini will offer the Urus with two firsts for the brand: a plug-in hybrid powertrain and a twin-turbo 4.0-litre petrol V8. The V8 produced 584bhp in the Urus Concept and a similar output is expected for the production version. Lamborghini has already confirmed to Autocar that only four-wheel-drive Urus variants will be available and that rear-wheel drive won’t be offered. Special-edition versions are under consideration and could include a harder and faster Superveloce variant, as well as a more luxurious model. The Urus will go on…

Hyundai has high hopes for the plug-in hybrid version of its Ioniq hatchback, not least because the car you could consider its warm-up act – the regular Ioniq Hybrid – rattled through Hyundai UK’s annual allocation before the end of February. The PHEV version will be more expensive than the Hybrid, of course (its UK price is still to be confirmed), and its real-world fuel economy will depend on how it’s used (as with all plug-in hybrids). But if you’re reading this for one reason, I expect it’s this: 257mpg. Such remarkable claimed fuel economy could only come from an outstanding car, surely? The third Ioniq derivative (there’s a full EV, too) is ostensibly the same as the Hybrid but with a much larger and more powerful lithium ion drive…

The 720S has gone through our road test process with imperious disregard for its norms. In accelerating from rest to 60mph in less than 3.0sec and to 190mph from rest within a measured mile, in stopping from 70mph in less than 40 metres and in coming within a fraction of a second of smashing our all-time dry handling circuit lap record, it has shown itself to be a car of incredible, almost unprecedented speed and purpose. It’s the sort of car we’d have been delighted to call a ‘supercar’ in the original, decades-old sense – if that word hadn’t come to mean something slightly different today. The 720S’s class-transcending performance comes combined with remarkable breadth of ability on the road (ride and handling that can be more supple, progressive, tactile…

WITH ITS CLEVERLY refined styling and an all-new platform that will go on to underpin the next Bentley Continental GT, along with many other Volkswagen Group cars, the second-generation Porsche Panamera is every inch a landmark in the development of both the Porsche brand and the four-door grand tourer breed as a whole. Having reported separately on the top-of-the-range Turbo derivative, we elected to concentrate on the 4.0-litre 4S Diesel model when we road tested the car early this year, giving due attention to the introduction of an eight-cylinder diesel option in the Panamera where before Porsche offered only a V6 oil-burner. Any concerns that a relatively heavy, torque-rich twin-turbo V8 might not suit this uniquely sporting four-door were wiped away in precisely 4.1sec – the average time it took…

YOU MIGHT THINK we concluded that the Ford Fiesta ST200 was the best driver’s car priced at less than £25,000 because when you lob it into a corner on a trailing throttle, its eagerness to go sideways is matched only by the ease with which it can be recovered. It’s a hooligan’s delight, as have been all the best fast Ford hatchbacks since the Fiesta XR2 was introduced 36 years ago. And you’d be right. But although this is the truth and nothing but the truth, it is very far from the whole truth. Indeed, the more important truth is that to dismiss the ST as a one-skid wonder is to sell it woefully short. In fact, it’s positively misleading. The reason the Fiesta beat the Fiat 124 Spider, Renault…

TOYOTA QUIETLY GOES about the business of being first surprisingly often. You wouldn’t necessarily know it, but it has an impressively high number of technical ‘world firsts’ in its back catalogue, and during its history it has been given more than 100 awards by the Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan. Toyota is probably most noted for its work with petrol hybrid technology – a strategy that looks ever more sensible in light of urban air quality issues – but is no slouch when it comes to model innovation, either. There are plenty of cars whose makers would like to claim they were the first small, funky SUV, but the RAV4 of 1996 is right up there among them. Toyota’s latest model, the C-HR, might prove just as significant again…

THE ZOE’S GAME-changing status was practically assured straight out of the box. Affordability is one of two key criteria for edging buyers closer to the critical mass of an electric car tipping point, and Renault’s supermini looked like an ideal option for those hoping to try zero-emissions motoring on a modest budget. The approach was duly rewarded: the Zoe was Europe’s bestselling plug-in electric car last year. At the tail end of 2016, its maker addressed the other all-important criterion. By doubling the storage capacity of its lithium ion battery, Renault could lay official claim to a 250-mile range – exceeding the quoted range of Tesla’s forthcoming entry-level Model 3. Even the lower real-world forecast of 186 miles was close to double the distance its predecessor offered. Better still, it…

A JOHN DEERE tractor isn’t the most obvious possession for the boss of the fastest-growing performance brand in the world. But until recently, that’s exactly what AMG boss Tobias Moers owned – “for logging”, apparently. So what else is in his garage? Nothing, he says, simply because he doesn’t have time. And, of course, as an engineer for his entire working life until becoming head honcho in 2013, he still prefers to drive every AMG mule and production car at any given opportunity, even opting to drive, rather than fly, to business meetings around his native Germany. No wonder he’s our Engineering Hero in this year’s Autocar Awards. Moers is a friendly yet formidable character who clearly marches to the beat of his own drum. He defies the statutory suit-wearing…

JEREMY THOMSON, HIGH-achieving MD of Mazda UK and winner of an Autocar Outstanding UK Leader award, knows more than most do about riding a series of sales peaks and troughs. Hired as fleet director in 2001 before becoming marketing director and then sales director, Thomson was instrumental in trebling sales over the next six years and looked like the right man to take over when the business needed a new MD towards the end of a stellar 2008. The problem was that a few weeks earlier, Lehman Brothers had gone bankrupt, crashing global business and dramatically weakening the sterling-yen relationship. “We had to reconfigure the business completely and cut the number of dealers from 165 to 130 as sensitively as we could,” he says. “We did reasonably well from the…

“This fresh approach has been driven by what customers want, says Nissan” There’s no need to rub your eyes: this is the new Nissan Micra. Yes, this handsome-looking brute is a Micra and Nissan’s attempt to disrupt the established supermini order. That means the bubble-shaped Micras to which we have become accustomed are no more, having been banished to history along with the hideous C+C. This fifth-generation car, with its sharp exterior lines, has been given “an athletic and dynamic makeover”, according to Nissan, while subtly harking back to the straight lines worn by the original Micra, launched in 1983. This fresh approach has been driven by what customers want, says Nissan. Through its various focus groups and clinics, it believes it has created a no-compromise package that answers the…

A month into running our BRZ, I’ve learned two very significant things. One, the BRZ is not a supercar slayer, because it’s not particularly potent and those Michelin Primacy tyres don’t offer masses of grip. And two, I don’t give a hoot, because on the right road, in the right conditions, it is just sublime. The reasons why are easy to explain. For starters, the car’s low centre of gravity gives it balance that cars of twice the value will envy, and its nicely weighted steering responds with an eagerness that makes it feel as though the whole car is wrapped around you and moving with your every input. Power hard out of a corner with the engine turning over close to peak torque at around 6000rpm and the outside…

Give yourself a new Elise of life There’s a brand-new superlight Lotus Elise on the block and that ought to make the old one look a bit silly. Well, it doesn’t, because the S3 is still a hell of a sports car. This one — a 2011 example with 17,000 miles showing — is difficult to miss because of its Metallic Motorsport Green with Sprint livery in white and gold vinyl. Push-button start, air-con and a CD player. Price: £21,450. A compact Merc that’s the B’s knees The old, well, not that old Mercedes-Benz B-Class is an underrated family hatchback. This one, a 2009 B150 in SE trim, has a panoramic roof and quite interesting five-hole 16in wheels. There were two previous owners and it has done a very reasonable…

“The sweet spot is between £14k and £17k but experts reckon £20k is safest” If you want a dream car for Ford Mondeo money, look no further than the Mercedes SL55 AMG. It’s bonkers fast, courtesy of its 5.4-litre supercharged V8 (0-62mph in 4.5sec or 4.4sec, depending on whether it’s the original 469bhp engine or the 493bhp powerplant that quickly followed it and the 510bhp unit of 2006). It’s refined and versatile, thanks to its metal folding vario-roof (it opens or closes in 16sec). And it’s loaded with so much standard and optional tech, including all the ‘-tronics’ (Dist, Lingua, Park and Senso), Active Body Control suspension, keyless-go and tyre-pressure monitoring that you’ll need a week with the handbook. New, it cost from £90,000; today, an SL55 can be yours…

1 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. 2 BMW i3 Range Extender From £31,200 The i3’s petrol engine allows it a chance to be your only car, while retaining an electric range as strong as most pure EVs. 3 Audi A3 Sportback e-tron From £19,200 The e-tron is a quality product. Its functionality, comfort, re›inement and practicality are creditable, but it lacks the Golf GTE’s verve. 4 Toyota Prius From £24,100 The fourth-gen Prius handles and performs as well as many European hatchbacks — and that’s a major achievement for Toyota. 5 Hyundai Ioniq From £19,995 The Ioniq is a cheap way into the hybrid world, but…

“The new four-seat GT will give buyers a more exclusive, faster alternative to the Merc-AMG E63” Mercedes-AMG has confirmed its four-wheel-drive GT Concept will enter production. The four-door is due to go on sale in the UK in 2019. It’s the third uniquely styled production model to be developed by AMG, following the SLS and the GT sports car. Rather than using the aluminium spaceframe platform of its two-seat siblings, the four-seat GT Concept is based on Mercedes’ MRA (modular rear architecture) structure, which has already been employed by a number of AMG’s more recent super-saloons. The GT — known internally under the official codename X290 — will directly rival the Porsche Panamera and become a linchpin in AMG’s plans to establish itself at the forefront of performance hybrid powertrains.…

The Conservative party has outlined its plans to remove combustion-engined cars from the road from 2050. In its manifesto, published in the run-up to the UK general election, Theresa May’s party pledged to make “almost every car and van… zero-emission by 2050”. When contacted by Autocar, the party added that this included making a zero-emission drivetrain mandatory for cars to pass their MOT test, in effect banning petrol and diesel vehicles. It linked the plans to the fight against air pollution in Britain. The Liberal Democrat party has taken an even harder stance against combustion-engined cars, outlining plans in its manifesto to enforce a ban on the sale of diesel cars from 2025. The party wants to launch a Green Transport Act and introduce a diesel scrappage scheme that would…

You know how people love SUVs and crossovers? Well, they like them so much that the previous-generation XC60, despite being nine years old, sold in greater numbers in 2016 than it ever had in its life before. That’s not how car sales patterns are meant to work. They usually peak a year or two after the car is launched and then slowly fade thereafter. But it shows how much people want (a) a Volvo, (b) an SUV and (c) ideally, a Volvo SUV. So here we are. Volvo is undergoing something of a resurgence, what with the new XC90, and S90 and V90. This new XC60 is in the same vein, which is why, if you’ve been following Volvo’s new-found good fortune at all, you’ll know what to expect. It’s…

“It’s an opportunity, not a risk,” according to Vauxhall. Releasing a car that is only marginally different in size from another car in its line-up may look like the result of a muddled thought process, but the Crossland X supposedly fulfils a different role from the ‘larger’ Mokka X. The Crossland X is more of a mini-MPV – it is an indirect successor to the Meriva – than an SUV, whereas the Mokka X is more of the latter. The 108bhp 1.2-litre petrol will take the biggest portion of sales, but this entry-level 1.6-litre diesel will be the most popular oil-burner thanks to its appeal to the fleet market. The Crossland X meets many of the basic prerequisites of a small SUV. Space inside is fairly generous, and it has…

THIS YEAR’S AUTOCAR Readers’ Champion, judged by the users of autocar.co.uk and voted for on the basis that it changed the car making world more than any other, goes to the original Volkswagen Golf GTI. The original hot Golf’s real legacy, so often simplified or misunderstood, was to show us the form in which the affordable performance car would flourish. This wasn’t the world’s first hot hatchback, nor even the first factory-tuned version of an otherwise humble family car; it came long after the original Mini Cooper, the Ford Lotus Cortina, the Simca 1100 TI and others. But the Golf GTI hit on the ideal combination of enhanced pace, subtly tweaked style and interior specification and value for money that was subsequently emulated by every car manufacturer seeking to make…

YOU DIDN’T SEE this coming, did you? Why, oh why, would we pick an impractical convertible over something much duller and more obviously the identikit used car? Yes, there are more questions than answers, but always remember that you are reading Autocar. Eventually, some self-driving drone will pick up this award remotely, but right now we believe that driving should be enjoyed. This is exactly what the Mini Roadster delivers. The Roadster isn’t just good to drive; it is also good looking. As the other members of the Mini range get fatter, the de-roofed coupé is a purposeful projectile. It becomes roofless impressively quickly, too, so getting wind into your hair has never been easier. Or cheaper. For usefully less than £10k, you can bag yourself a great, Cooper-badged 1.6.…

IT’S ALMOST A given that a new model from Tesla will be considered a car that significantly alters the face of the motor industry. Tesla is demonstrating that it isn’t just how many cars you sell that changes opinions and makes an impact, but the kinds of cars you sell, too. The Model S made electric propulsion appealing like no other car before it. It has made it credible like no electric car before it. And its ludicrous acceleration made us giggle like no electric – or other – car before it. Now the Model X carries on what the Model S started. It’s a seven-seat SUV, of a fashion (although don’t go mistaking it for a 4x4 that likes off-roading), with that remarkable Tesla blend of technologies and features…

TRUTHFULLY, THINGS WERE looking much rosier for Seat even before the Ateca’s launch. The comparative success of the current Leon had already ensured that the brand was heading steadily out of the doldrums that had previously blighted its results. Nevertheless, the Ateca threatens to be the break-out model its maker never had – not just a survival guarantor, but the steady multi-year breeze it needs to find the open waters of lasting profitability. Conceptually, it does not stand out as much of a game changer. The Ateca is a compact SUV in a very crowded class of compact SUVs. It is well sized, practical, usable, efficient and affordable – features also attributable to many of its rivals. But it is very handsome, too, and appreciably good to drive – attributes…

THE OPENING LAST year of Kia’s largest European dealership – a glass-fronted, 3700-square-metre site next to the M4 in west London – is a sure sign of confidence from the Korean car maker. Of course, no such investment could be committed without robust business performance, and that’s why Kia’s UK CEO, Paul Philpott , has scooped an Outstanding UK Leader award this year. Philpott has been in the hot seat since 2012 – plenty of time to get to grips with the business, make his mark and notch up a record of successful decision-making. Kia is now on a roll, with its strongest-ever model range reflected in its best-ever new car sales, copious used customers and a happy network. Last year, new car sales hit 89,000 units, sufficient to lift…

Are you the world’s fastest driver?” There’s a long pause from Max Verstappen before answering the question, probably more out of politeness than any doubt he believes the answer to be yes. “Difficult to say. Maybe there’s someone in Africa you don’t know…” I rephrase the question: is he the fastest guy on the Formula 1 grid? “As a driver, you’re always very confident,” he says, the smile now wider but the answer still diplomatic. Few would disagree with the inference he’s making, for Verstappen has been nothing short of a phenomenon since becoming the sport’s youngest-ever driver, at 17, two years ago, and its youngest race winner last year in a car that had no right to be winning races. Now 19, Verstappen has secured a reputation as the…

Given the current furore over the running of diesel-engined cars, I thought I would share a few figures with your readership. These were generated during a business trip from Beverley, near Hull, via the M62, A614, A620 and A1 – a nice mixed route – to north London last we e k . It was a 206-mile trip at an average speed of 47mph and with indicated fuel consumption of 55.7mpg. That might sound nothing to write home about, until you consider the car I drive: one of BMW’s finest – a 335d with 313bhp and a 0-62mph time of 4.8sec. Fantastic or what? If we want to save money, we take the Beemer, rather than my wife’s petrol-engined Mini Cooper 1.6. Phil Brewer Via email WIN Letter of the…

The other day I was driving along the A33 in the Renegade when a pheasant ran out of a roadside bush and into the road. I tried to dodge the bird but we collided. I pulled over to check for damage to the car, but there was nothing, not even a feather. I breathed a sigh of relief. Then, as I turned the car back on, a heard a ‘bing’ and the warning light for the Forward Collision Warning (FCW) system came on. I dug through the handbook, which redirected me to the infotainment menu. After a deep dive of the vehicle settings, I discovered that I couldn’t turn the warning off. So I rang a helpline that put me through to Italy, from where I was redirected to my…

Here it is, back from the menders and covered in bird poo. It really shouldn’t take three weeks to change a cambelt, and obviously it didn’t. All done for a staggeringly reasonable £150, especially as I had been warned by another garage that in order to do it, rather a lot of plumbing had to come out first. Another job to do has come up and that’s the front suspension bushes. On the road, it is wonderfully smooth. However, go off road or down a bouncy track and it becomes a touch lively. So that’s on the ‘to do’ list, then.…

An expert’s view PAUL THOMPSON, MERCEDES-BENZ CLUB “I bought my SL55 new in 2002. It has done 67,000 miles and, apart from needing new front struts, has never put a foot wrong. It’s not leaked at the roof but I know early ones are prone. Allowing the drain holes to get blocked with debris doesn’t help. If you’re looking at an SL55 for under £20,000, be very careful and have it inspected by an expert. Your ‘One we found’ looks interesting but I’d rather it was a private sale so you can gauge the owner.” Buyer beware… • ENGINE Check the supercharger’s separate cooler isn’t leaking. There’s a lot of plumbing around the engine so ensure everything is fluid-tight and rust-free. • SERVICING Variable but usually every 12k miles. Brake…

PORSCHE PANAMERA SPORT TURISMO | OCT The Sport Turismo, Porsche’s luxury liftback in estate form, is available with the regular Panamera’s petrol, diesel and plug-in hybrid drivetrains. The wheelbase and front end are unchanged, but it gets a 4+1 seating layout, a 520/1390-litre boot and an active rear spoiler to improve aerodynamics. Pricefrom £73,071 M AY Alpina B3 S, B4 S, D4, Audi A5 Cabriolet, David Brown Mini Remastered, Kia Picanto, Lamborghini Aventador S, Huracán Performante, Lotus Elise 250 Cup, Exige Cup 380, Exige Race 380, McLaren 720S, 720S MSO, Noble M600 Speedster, Renault Mégane Hybrid Assist, Grand Scenic Hybrid Assist, Scenic Hybrid Assist, Seat Ateca FR, Skoda Citigo update, Rapid (above) and Rapid Spaceback updates, Subaru Levorg update, Volkswagen e-Golf update, Golf update, Golf Hybrid JUNE Audi RS3 Sportback, RS5…