Innholdsfortegnelse for 12/7/2017 i Autocar

“Traffic Jam Pilot manages starting, accelerating, steering and braking functions” The new fourth-generation Audi A8 has been unveiled in the run-up to the start of UK sales in October. Hailed as the dawning of a new era for the German car maker, the new flagship saloon has been comprehensively re-engineered. Audi intends it to mount a successful challenge against upmarket rivals such as the BMW 7 Series, Lexus LS and Mercedes-Benz S-Class. The new A8, which is tipped to be priced from just under £70,000, draws on the latest evolution of Audi’s MLB platform. It offers the same 48V electrical system used in the SQ7. There will also be a new hybrid drivetrain that offers an electric-only range of up to 31 miles and there is advanced road-scanning active suspension.…

Bosch, the automotive technology giant, is ramping up its plans for mobility with several self-driving car projects. The German company, which is the world’s largest supplier of automotive parts, intends to focus more on “developing and providing mobility solutions in connected, smart cities”. It will specifically look at producing artificial intelligence that helps to eradicate road accidents. Bosch is currently working on ‘Level 3’ autonomous car technology, which enables manual or automated driving, with a Tesla Model S being used as a test vehicle. Bosch has stated that driverless cars must be “infrastructure independent” and capable of dealing with any traffic scenario they encounter. With that in mind, the company has partnered with technology firm Nvidia to produce what is claimed will be the most advanced artificial intelligence system for…

“Up to 20kW can be pulsed into the EV at speeds of up to 60mph” Technology that will allow electric cars to top up their charge on the move is being readied for production in the next decade. The ‘electric road of the future’ could be a reality sooner, but car makers will need to design the next generation of electric vehicles (EVs) to incorporate induction charging pads into their technical make-up. Road infrastructure companies, meanwhile, will need to install multiple numbers of pads under road surfaces to make the idea a reality. “Maybe ten years is a good timescale for this technology,” said Virginie Maillard, a senior Renault EV engineer. “We have to design cars and the road network to accept it.” The third-generation Renault Zoe, for example, might…

Aware that rivals from Audi and Mercedes-AMG are relentlessly upping the performance game, Alpina’s B3 and B4 models are now B3 S and B4 S models. Each has another 30bhp prised from their 3.0-litre N55 BMW engines thanks in the main to bigger turbos boosting at up to 1.4 bar, plus a host of other modifications designed to strengthen the powertrain and keep its temperatures under control. More instructive, however, is a mighty increase in torque from an already M4-busting 442lb ft all the way up to 486lb ft. When you drive the B4 S, it is this, more than anything, that you feel most. In the usual Alpina way, this is not a car that broadcasts its capabilities. Its appearance is quite discreet, its voice reasonably quiet at all…

“Whereas the Mk1 is always eager, always ready to play, the Mk2 is not like that” It has always fascinated me how the cars that are broadly believed to have invented the categories in which they sit rarely, if ever, actually did. The Land Rover was not the first off-roader, and nor was the Range Rover the first luxury off-roader. The Renault Espace was not the first MPV, and nor was any one of the BMW 2002 Turbo, Porsche 911 Turbo or Saab 99 Turbo the first turbocharged car to go on sale. And not only was the Volkswagen Golf GTI not the first hatchback, it wasn’t the first hot hatchback, either. And yet while we struggle to remember the Simca 1100 Ti and even the Renault 5 Alpine,…

“Formula 1 is the pinnacle of the sport and has to stay that way” Fish across the globe must be relieved. Since January, when Ross Brawn decided to accept a “lifetime opportunity” to lead a comprehensive rethink of Formula 1 for the sport’s new owner, he has had no time to go fishing – a hobby he’s so serious about that he spent a generous part of the previous three years travelling the world to pursue it. Brawn’s is undoubtedly the best-known pastime of anyone involved at the top echelon of racing, probably because his admirers find it so life-affirming. Famous for his calmness and affability, Brawn is one of the highest achievers motorsport has ever produced (drivers included), having been a winning team owner and team principal, one of…

“I only want to be in Formula 1 if I’m 100% sure I am capable of doing the job” What a difference a few months can make. In April, Robert Kubica’s prospects of racing at the top level in 2017 were in tatters after his deal to compete in the World Endurance Championship had fallen through. In June, however, he was back at the wheel of a Renault Formula 1 car for a test session at the Circuit de Valencia and rumours were rife about a full-time grand prix comeback. Adding further fuel to the fire, Renault is already lining up a second test for Kubica and he drove a 2012-spec car at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, where he was mobbed by fans eager to ask him whether the…

A year ago, the Toyota Mirai scored a four-star road test commendation for its boldness and significance – and four stars may be translated as ‘very good’. Honda’s like-for-like vision for hydrogen motoring deserves greater recognition in some ways (performance, packaging, driving range) and a bit less in others. So overall, it seems fair to award it the same score, one intended to reflect the remarkable effort and commitment that has brought the Clarity this far, but also the distance it still has to go before it can be a realistic choice for most drivers. Some of the remaining progress isn’t for Honda to make, of course. Hydrogen refuelling infrastructure has a fraction of the UK coverage of, say, fast-charge facilities for EVs and it’ll clearly be a while longer…

“First impressions are that the reviews have understated how terrific this thing is to drive” With a track record as erratic as Alfa Romeo’s, it’s hardly surprising that the past keeps coming back to haunt it whenever the prospects for the new Giulia saloon are weighed up. It’s understandable that you might be tempted to recall the underwhelming products that the brand has produced in the past two or three decades and be sceptical as to whether it is really capable of taking on the likes of the BMW 3 Series. But I, for one, have had enough reminders of how long it has been since Alfa last had a hit on its hands. What matters is what it’s doing to rectify the situation now. We already know that the…

BREAK OUT THE tiny violin: an absence of other cars to drive has forced me to use the Aston Martin Vanquish S as daily transport. This is, to be fair, only slightly unusual. I know of owners of Super GT cars who use their Ferrari FFs or GTC4 Lussos more than anything else on their fleet. Such is the appeal of beautiful four-seaters. And although, at 600bhp, the Vanquish is short on power compared with some other Super GTs and short on rear seat space compared with a GTC4 Lusso or Rolls-Royce Wraith, its ability to be both special and fast is undimmed. The engine is terrific, the ride good. The Vanquish S has used no oil, nothing has fallen off and, apart from one ‘turn it off and back…

Imported NSX is an automatic choice As prices for the Honda NSX head ever upwards — and that’s for the new one at £200k, or sometimes a bit less — there is always the original. Even those are entering the rarefied £100,000 region, though, with good ones costing from £60-70k. So it’s the automatic (“boo, hiss,” say some) imports, like this 1996 example for £35,000, that start to look like value. Frugal Peugeot with all the extras The Peugeot 508 is a curiously interesting French saloon, and we know that because they depreciate like Camembert probably does. Buying one is a risk, but this 2011 1.6 eHDi SR will burn hardly any fuel at all. The 508 comes with a ton of kit, of course, including audio streaming — which…

Ford Fiesta ST from £7000 We’ve always been tempted by the Ford Fiesta ST, and now that used examples can be had for half of what they cost new, our wallets are positively trembling. Strong demand is keeping values up and dealers tell us Fiesta STs fly off the forecourt quicker than any other hot hatch. That’s not good news when you’re trying to track down a mint one, but it does mean your cash will be safe in this pint-pot funster. Expect to spend £8500 to bag a 2013 example with around 60,000 miles. For that, you’ll enjoy 0-62mph in 6.9sec, although it feels faster, and potentially 47.9mpg. It’s even cheap to tax, at £135 a year. The best bit is the way the Fiesta ST handles and steers,…

BMW i3 From £27,800 With a fairly generous budget and modest mileage in mind, the i3 could revolutionise your motoring experience. Volkswagen e-Golf From £27,200 Pioneering technology delivered with VW-brand polish. Strong in every important area, and as familiar as electric cars come. Renault Zoe From £18,500 Outstanding value and very commendable battery range make Renault’s big-selling Zoe a real contender. Hyundai Ioniq From £24,500 Hyundai’s irst dedicated battery car shows promise. Strong practicality, value and usable range. Nissan Leaf From £22,000 Original electric hatchback poster boy shows how far rivals have moved the game on. Still credible and usable, if a bit dull to drive.…

“Sources have suggested it will generate up to 1816kg of downforce at top speed” Aston Martin has unveiled a near-production version of its Adrian Newey-inspired hypercar, the Valkyrie. The car’s exterior shape is now “about 95% ” finished, according to designers inside the firm’s Gaydon top-secret design centre at Gaydon. The essence of the £2.5 million, 1000bhp-plus two-seater’s proportions have been known for many months but Newey, revered as the world’s greatest creator of Formula 1 cars, is still finding ways of increasing its aerodynamic downforce as his colleagues finesse details such as headlights, stoplights, scoops and badges. Unprecedented levels of downforce are needed if this road car is to fulfil the promise of Aston boss Andy Palmer that it will “lap Silverstone as fast as an F1 car”. Sources…

Renault Sport is exploring the possibility of launching a high-performance version of the electrically powered Renault Zoe before 2020. Renault Sport boss Patrice Ratti previously confirmed that his team have built a prototype, and the creation of the 460bhp Zoe e-sport concept car (officially a nod to Renault’s involvement in Formula E) was seen as a further indication of the brand’s intentions. “We are thinking about doing a Zoe RS but it is a big study that will take time,” said Ratti. “The performance of batteries has improved [to the point] that it is now feasible, which certainly wasn’t the case a few years ago. So the studies have begun.” Renault Sport’s Clio chassis and steering modifications are said to fit the Zoe, although Ratti said “a Renault Sport car…

Every Volvo car launched from 2019 will have an electric motor, the company has announced, describing the decision as “placing electrification at the core of its future business”. The move will mark the end of Volvo cars that draw power solely from an internal combustion engine. Volvo’s range of electrified cars will include all-electric models, plug-in hybrids and 48V mild hybrids. Although Volvo has pipped its rivals to the post with this announcement, it is expected that all large new vehicles with internal combustion engines will need electrical assistance — most likely in the form of a 48V mild hybrid — to pass future emissions legislation after 2019, so other car makers will need to quickly follow suit. An industry insider said: “Brands that only have large vehicles in their…

“On the road, the 400 Sport’s sub-five-second 0-60mph time is effortlessly delivered” Jaguar has learned plenty in four years of selling F-Types. One key discovery is that there’s a band of prospective owners who seek an F-Type with its focus very heavily on driving, packing the agility of a V6, a practical performance level close to a V8, a configurable chassis with an ideal brake-wheel-tyre combination and a uniquely styled body. They would like all of that at a price well below the cheapest V8. Step forward the F-Type 400 Sport, a special launch edition in the facelifted F-Type range featuring Jaguar’s most powerful V6 yet and claimed to offer “unrivalled driver appeal”. Available as a coupé or convertible, and in two- and four-wheel-drive editions, the 400 Sport is…

It’s a rare treat to be allowed inside a working design studio, but being invited into a design studio to work with car designers is probably a once-in-a-lifetime treat for most of us. And Mazda decided to do just that at its newly refurbished studios on the outskirts of greater Frankfurt. The facility is one of four Mazda studios worldwide. The others are in Shanghai, Los Angeles and Hiroshima. The German studio is also tied in with an engineering and development facility that is charged with tweaking future Mazda models for the tastes of European car buyers. This studio, which was constructed in the late 1980s, has just been given a major overhaul. Hidden at the rear of the sprawling building is the design studio and the viewing area, where…

In recent months, Autocar has run two hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles on its long-term test fleet. The Toyota Mirai and Hyundai ix35 FCV have been put through the rigours of everyday driving in an effort to better understand the challenges – and solutions – they present. The Mirai and ix35 FCV are the only two hydrogen cars on public sale in the UK. The new Honda Clarity (the subject of this week’s road test on page 52) has recently arrived as part of a pan-European hydrogen refuelling project, and Welsh start-up firm Riversimple aims to commercialise its car, the Rasa, before the end of the year. Here, the guardians of the Mirai and ix35 FCV, Steve Cropley and Jim Holder respectively, debate the cars’ merits and ponder the future of…

Your long-term write-up on the BMW 320d xDrive centre dash panel (Our Cars, 21 June) would lead readers to believe that the eight buttons were only for use with the CD player – which, of course, they’re not. I would also hope that the ‘tone’ of your article was not intended to deride the future of the CD player. Far too many vehicle manufacturers have been ditching CD players just because there have been changes in the methods of music storage. But this is not to say that the CD player is, or should be made, obsolete merely because there’s a move towards iPods and the like. If you enjoy music in your vehicle, there is no comparison in quality between CD playback and that of the many digital devices…

“I often activated two-cylinder mode on my M25 commute, achieving more than 50mpg” I am not a fan of small SUVs because, although they look roomy, they don’t offer enough interior space for me and my family. So I was slightly concerned about the prospect of living with a small new Audi SUV for three months. However, the Q2 isn’t a mini SUV. It’s based on the same platform as the Volkswagen Golf and, although it’s not quite as roomy as the hatchback, it accommodated me and my teenage daughter (and her huge GCSE art and textiles portfolios) well on our daily commute. It also proved tall enough for my partner to cradle a five-feet-tall weeping willow tree in the front passenger seat. The Q2 is also the poshest small…

The Suzuki Ignis is one of the coolest new cars of 2017, it strikes me. It looks characterful and different, it is cheap, cleverly packaged and does things that most small cars won’t. If I were 21 again and in the market for a new car, it would be high on my shopping list. There are some compromises to accept if you choose to have your Ignis with four-wheel drive, however – and life with our long-termer is shining a light on some of them while making others seem less important. First, to touch on that live axle rear suspension. It impacts much more on the Ignis’ ride than its handling, but it doesn’t leave the car with an insurmountable dynamic obstacle to overcome. Around town, there’s a bit of…

It only seems like a couple weeks since the last time we were setting up a car for the MOT, and now it is the X5’s turn. There aren’t any major worries at the moment, just a low groan at times from some untraceable area. It doesn’t sound expensive at the moment. The X5 has been borrowed from Mrs R for long journeys recently, and it has been sensationally comfortable. The worst I can say is that the CD shuffler hates my taste in music. ‘No CDs’, says the readout. Let’s hope the car has a full MOT soon.…

The Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit was launched in 1980 and only ceased production in 1998 ARolls-Royce for Mondeo money: it may be an old used car chestnut, but it never ceases to be true. Once upon a time, it was an old 1970s Shadow I or II for the price of a Ford Mondeo Mk1, but now that the best of those (the Rolls, not the Ford) are nudging £70,000, it’s that model’s successor, the Silver Spirit, that squares up to Henry’s finest. Even then, a new entry-level Mondeo 1.0T 125PS Ecoboost Zetec is, at £21,945, around £5000 more expensive than a tidy Spirit II of the early 1990s. “But consider the Spirit’s running costs,” you say. “But consider the Mondeo’s depreciation,” we reply. Still, we get the point. Depreciation is…

Ferrari F12 Berlinetta From £240,000 Thrilling in a way that only a front-engined V12 Ferrari could be. Crushing performance and unparalleled drama. 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. 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 lagship. Bentley Continental From £140,000 It may have lost four cylinders, but the new Audi-sourced V8 is so good that it completely reinvigorates the Conti. Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupé From £125,000 So long in the legs that continents lash by mid-stride. Has a business-like opulence. The 63 AMG is the best.…

RUMOURS THAT THE Volkswagen Group is preparing to enter Formula 1 will not go away — and insiders suggest the only decision still to be made is whether Audi or Porsche will make the leap. Before Dieselgate, the smart money was on Audi, either by supplying Red Bull with engines or buying Toro Rosso and installing Stefano Domenicali, former Ferrari F1 boss and now chief at Lamborghini, at the helm. Now, however, the situation is not so clear cut. Audi is fielding a factory team in the next Formula E season and has a raft of electric road car developments to promote. Porsche, meanwhile, also has electric cars to promote but, after winning the Le Mans 24 Hours again this year, is looking for new challenges. Sources suggest both Audi…

Looking back to when Quattro GmbH was rebranded as Audi Sport late last year, boss Stephan Winkelmann says the division had to work out what it wanted to be: a “super-sports” firm, or a brand known for “premium sport daily drivers”. It settled on the latter. Accordingly, Winkelmann says every Audi Sport model has to be comfortable for long journeys and regular use – to be “the first car in the family”, as he puts it – but also have a dynamic setting for fun driving. Our first drive of a UK-spec RS5 on British roads confirms Audi Sport has largely nailed that brief – which might be somewhat disappointing for those who thought adding ‘Sport’ to the division’s title might lead to a more ferocious RS model. The RS5’s…

We took a Golf R along with the Golf GTIs to Bruntingthorpe to answer a simple question: does the new breed of super-powerful 300bhp hatchbacks undermine the case for more traditional cars like the Golf GTI, which are happy to exist with rather more modest outputs under the bonnets and rear axles devoid of driveshafts? And in the leaden skies and sopping surfaces that greeted us, there would probably never be a better opportunity for the Golf R to make the Golf GTI look weak and silly. The threat never materialised. I bow to no one in my admiration for the Golf R, but in all the laps I did around a soaking Bruntingthorpe, it failed entirely to diminish the GTI in my eyes. Yes, it was quicker, but not…

MODEL TESTED CLARITY FCV Price na • Power 174bhp • Torque 221lb ft • 0-60mph 9.0sec • 30-70mph in fourth na • Fuel economy 50.6mpkg • CO2 emissions 0g/km • 70-0mph 48.8m Labelling its first hydrogen fuel cell car – the first such car made available to members of the public, no less – ‘Clarity’ in 2008 ranks among Honda’s bolder recent decisions. Doubtless, it was plucked from the marketing ether to echo the remarkable truth of the clear, semi-clean water trickling from the model’s tailpipe; because the alternative intimation is surely a reference to the brand’s strategic foresight, and its steely eyed dedication to a zero-emissions path that leads inexorably to the moral and technological high ground. There’s no small irony in option B. Despite others joining Honda on…

“Me and my dad are looking to get his TVR 3000S back on the road” If you see a young couple toiling over a 1951 Bentley Special at the side of the road, checking the valve clearances, inspecting the carburettor or generally twirling spanners and feeler gauges with the panache of a drum major in a marching band, give them a toot. It’s probably Jennifer Harding (27), a stage manager in London’s West End and her fiancé, Robert Harm (25), a production manager in film and theatre. I met them on the final day of their week-long intermediate maintenance course organised by Banbury and Bicester College, with the enthusiastic backing of the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs (FBHVC). As Harding, Harm and their three fellow students take a short…

REVEALED New Jaguar E-Pace: the full story First pictures and everything you need to know about Jaguar’s all-new – and front-wheel drive – baby SUV TWIN TEST Audi RS5 vs Nissan GTR Brain versus brawn in a battle of the four-wheel-drive sport coupés EPIC DRIVE New Discovery to Slovakia Matt Prior checks out the new Jaguar Land Rover factory EVERY WEEK ROAD TEST New Seat Ibiza We determine just how high the supermini benchmark has been set FIRST DRIVE Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo Porsche has turned the Panamera into a lavish estate car – and we’re first to drive it BUYING USED Jaguar XFR How to get a British bulldog in your garage for as little as £11,000 SUBSCRIBE autocar.co.uk/subscribe or see p24…

How ‘Subaru’ is the BRZ? Is it a ‘true’ Subaru? These are questions I’ve been asked many times, often after someone accuses our car of being a “rebadged Toyota GT86”. So, to find out more about the true Subaru character, I jumped into a WRX STI – the yobbo of the Subaru range and a ‘proper Scooby’ – to see if I could identify any strands of DNA shared with the BRZ. Like our BRZ, this WRX was finished in WR Blue Mica and featured a rear wing, but that’s where the similarities ended. The BRZ, with its slick coupé exterior, welcomes you into a low-slung seating position and feels like it’s tip-toeing down the road. By contrast, the WRX, with its muscular styling and upright chairs, feels harder and…

THE CLICHE OF ‘a car of two halves’ or multiple personalities is a grave one, but it has never been more apparent than with the Passat GTE, which has five driving modes. If you’re driving it as a full hybrid or on pure electric power only, it’s typically brisk but nothing special, with light steering that’s well suited to driving on tight city streets. Switch to the GTE mode, which brings into play both the 1.4 petrol engine and the electric motor, providing a total system output of 215bhp and 295lb ft, and it’s a different story. A surprising burst of torque makes the 30-50mph dash startlingly punchy; overtaking is a doddle, but the downside is how much the car’s steering weights up. It is cumbersome and a bit annoying.…

Meyrick Cox bought one of his children a Peugeot 107 that was less than a year old. “I wanted something that would be safe and reliable for her,” he says. “She liked it because so many of her friends have one and learned to drive in a Peugeot. She does about 10,000 miles a year to and from our farm and seeing mates. It’s been brilliant. She takes our six dogs (four wire-haired Vizslas, a Dalmatian and a terrier) in it, it does 50-60mpg and costs £200-300 to service and MOT, and we run summer and winter tyres, since there’s a lot of snow on Exmoor. Insurance for the first three years was very reasonable with a black box; when there was no longer a cost saving, we swapped her…

An expert’s view STEPHEN BROWN, HANWELLS OF LONDON “From £15,000 to £20,000 is enough for a genuinely good Silver Spirit. The worst Spirits were scrapped long ago, leaving only the better cars. Of course, even these have their problems but budget £2000 over two years for maintenance and running repairs and you should be okay. Parts are very expensive, but there’s no shortage of bits thanks to places like Flying Spares (flyingspares.com). Buy privately so you can meet the seller or from a specialist with trained technicians. You need to see a selection of cars for sale because they’re all so individual.” Buyer beware • ENGINE Check underneath for oil and fluid leaks, especially from the two brake pumps. Make sure the oil pressure is good when warm. Listen for…

MERCEDES-BENZ G-CLASS UPDATE | 2018 The latest refresh of the 38-year-old SUV replaces the 5.5-litre engine with a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8, while the cheaper V6 diesel will be swapped for the E-Class’s inline-six. The G-Class’s track will be widened, creating more room, and the interior will be updated. Price from £90,000 (est) JULY Alfa Romeo Stelvio, BMW M4 update, Bristol Bullet, Kia Soul EV, Land Rover Range Rover Velar, Lexus NX update, Mercedes-Benz E-Class All-Terrain, SLC180, Mercedes-AMG E63 Estate, GT R, Nissan Qashqai update, Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid, Renault Captur update, Seat Ibiza, Skoda Octavia vRS 245, Vauxhall Crossland X AUGUST Audi RS3 Saloon, RS3 Sportback, Hyundai i30 Tourer (right), Kia Niro PHEV, Lexus LC, Volvo S90 T8, V90 T8 SEPTEMBER Alpina B5 and D5 Touring (below), BMW M4…