Innholdsfortegnelse for 15/11/2017 i Autocar

THE EUROPEAN UNION has proposed a 30% cut in CO2 emissions from cars and vans by 2030. It follows an existing target for 2021 in which car makers must achieve a fleet average CO2 target of 95g/km. The new proposal brings the 2030 target down to a 66g/km fleet average as the European Commission aims to encourage a more widespread adoption and investment in zero-emissions vehicles by car manufacturers. The 2021 proposals were the first part of a two-step process to reduce Europe-wide total CO2 emissions by 40%. At the time, the plans came under fire from Mercedes-Benz boss Dieter Zetsche, who also said even a 20% target between 2021 and 2030 would be “a steep reduction”. The push is being presented by the EU as encouragement to develop more…

“In three months during this summer, Tesla has seen £1 billion in cash leave the company” Tesla may be the new standard by which financial markets measure the rest of the car industry, but the stock market darling is suffering a major hiccup as it struggles to launch the $35,000 Model 3. Last week, Tesla announced that the production ramp-up of its much-awaited Model 3 had achieved only 260 cars built compared with its plan of 5000 per week. The setback cost Tesla £468 million in financial losses in three months of late summer trading. As Toni Sacconaghi, Tesla analyst at Bernstein Research, wrote in a research note last week: “Our key concern with Tesla is whether the company can profitably build the Model 3 and do so with sufficient…

Of all the staggeringly large numbers that characterise the Zenvo TS1 GT – the power output figure that rounds up to 1200bhp; the 233mph top speed that’s more aeronautic than automotive – it is, in the end, the list price that really grabs you. By charging £1.2 million for its new hypercar, Zenvo is slotting itself into a corner of the fast-car world where very good simply isn’t good enough. As it is, the TS1 GT falls a long way short. The Zenvo ST1, as it was known back then, first started appearing on magazine covers almost a decade ago. The Danish company has been hanging around on the sidelines for a while now but, having been acquired by a Russian billionaire a couple of years ago, it finally has…

To the surprise of nobody, the Discovery Sport is Land Rover’s fastest-selling model. Just how popular is it? Well, more than 200,000 have rolled out of the firm’s Halewood plant since it replaced the aging Freelander in 2014. That popularity is likely to now get a boost with the introduction of Jaguar Land Rover’s latest four-cylinder Ingenium engines to the range, including two Si4 petrol options – with 237bhp and 286bhp – and an SD4 diesel, driven here. Equipped with a pair of sequential turbochargers, it promises robust performance, developing 237bhp and, more appreciably, a 367lb ft slug of torque at 1500rpm. The lesser TD4 diesel makes 177bhp and 317lb ft by comparison, although both models share a nine-speed automatic gearbox that channels power to all four wheels. (As an…

MODEL TESTED 1.0 TSI SE TECHNOLOGY Price £17,545 Power 94bhp Torque 129lb ft 0-60mph 10.5sec 30-70mph in fourth 14.9sec Fuel economy 36.9mpg CO2 emissions 111g/km 70-0mph 53.8m You may or may not be the sort of driver who is suggestible to the idea of trading in a hatchback for a compact crossover – but even if you’re not, you can hardly blame a car maker for selling one at the moment. By Seat’s estimation, the global market for supermini-based pseudo-SUVs is four times as large today as it was even as recently as 2015 – and it’s expected to continue to grow just as quickly for years to come. For those reasons alone, any car manufacturer whose business depends even vaguely on volume and market share would need a very…

When the American style of christening storms came to Britain a couple of years ago, it was inevitable that some wag in the Met Office would find a way to undermine the whole concept with an underwhelming name to snigger about. Storm Brian was the result. It’s a fine English name but perhaps lacking the gravitas of many of those coined overseas. “In terms of impact, we’ve had spray overtopping quaysides,” someone from the Environment Agency told the BBC of Brian’s pummelling of Cornwall. Top marks for not trying, Brian. While Brian was doing his thing on the other side of the world, Typhoon Lan – now there’s a name – was homing in on southern Japan, bringing with it 140mph winds and a storm that made photographer Stan Papior…

“It’s as though Caterham has built an off-roader” It was the interior light that got me. Nothing about this odd little car’s oppressively grey cabin is at all modern – not the brittle plastic dash, nor the thin and scratchy carpets – but the interior light is from another age altogether. Rather than sitting flush against the headlining, the Suzuki Jimny’s cabin lamp is a clumsy, blocky lump of clear plastic that hangs down from above like an illuminated prolapse. In fact, every corner of the Jimny’s cabin is comically out of date. You wouldn’t believe it was even possible to find a supplier who could manufacture such state-of-the-ark manual heater controls today. But here it is: a brand new 67-plate car with the kind of interior you haven’t…

FIRST DRIVE New Jaguar E-Pace Matt Prior assesses Jaguar’s new baby SUV, a crucial model that challenges every Jag convention you know REVEALED New Aston Martin Vantage We uncover the second new-era Aston: the DB10-inspired Vantage FEATURE What’s going on at MG? Can one of Britain’s most famous car makers ever be a force again? EVERY WEEK FIRST DRIVE Lotus Exige Cup 430 Lotus has made the Exige even faster and lighter. We drive it ROAD TEST Jaguar F-Type 2.0 Does Jaguar’s sporting icon still stand out with a four-cylinder engine? USED BUYING GUIDE Porsche Boxster How to buy an original 986 Boxster, the cheapest way to own a Porsche SUBSCRIBE autocar.co.uk/subscribe or see p70…

MILEAGE 3543 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT For more than 40 years, the BMW 5 Series has been the go-to executive saloon for those who enjoy driving. But is it also a great family car? Sometimes you don’t realise how dependent on something you’ve become until it has gone. As I mentioned in my first report (Our Cars, 27 September), I ran a Volvo S90 before the 5 Series and, in most respects, this experience serves only to highlight how much better the BMW is in key areas. However, one thing I really miss about the Volvo is its head-up display. BMW does, of course, offer one of these. It costs £225. But this box on the options list wasn’t ticked when our car was being ordered – a mistake that…

Mercedes-Benz S500 Coupé £74,995 The S-Class Coupé is one of the best cars Mercedes makes, and the S500 model is the cream of the crop, with a pillow-soft ride, near-silent running at a cruise and plenty of poke on tap from the muscular V8 engine. This example is £28,000 cheaper than a new one, yet is only a year old and has done just 12,000 miles. The spec is good, too, with some cracking options and a very tasteful colour scheme. Porsche Boxster £8289 Look how cheap 987-generation Boxsters are getting now. Okay, so they’re always going to be a bit of a gamble because of potentially unpleasant intermediate shaft bearing and rear main seal faults, but if you can stomach the risk, these are now starting to look like…

1 Ford Fiesta From £10,000 Not a class-beater in every regard, but its dynamics are so far ahead of the curve that it’s currently unassailable. 2 Mini From £14,000 Three-pot engines and cleverly recycled interior make the Mini a superb choice. Second to Fiesta on value, though. 3 Mazda 2 From £12,000 A very grown-up and well-made supermini. Drives with real charm, too. Engine not quite so appealing. 4 Volkswagen Polo From £11,300 Still the sensible choice in a lot of ways: usable, re ined, easy-going, desirable and very solidly built. 5 Nissan Micra From £11,995 An attractive replacement for the dowdy Micras of the past. Lacks a stellar engine and practicality of the best.…

“There will be 11 hardcore BMW M models and 15 M-Performance variants” BMW’s M division is to take the fight to Mercedes-AMG and Audi Sport by staging a major expansion of its line-up. A series of new M and slightly softer M-Performance models is planned, with the overall aim of clawing back the sales advantage currently being enjoyed by the performance divisions of its arch-rivals. At the heart of M’s new-car development progamme is the sixth-generation M3 and its mechanically identical sibling, the second-generation M4 Coupé and Cabriolet. The next M3 is tentatively scheduled to make its world debut at the 2019 Frankfurt motor show, prior to the start of UK sales in early 2020. The architect of the plan to broaden the M line-up is Frank van Meel, the…

“It will be launched with a 604bhp twin-turbo 4.0-litre petrol V8” The production version of the Mercedes-AMG GT Concept will be sold with a range of EQ Power-branded petrol-electric hybrid drivelines featuring differing battery capacities, outputs and electric ranges, sources at the performance car division’s parent company Mercedes-Benz have revealed. The new Mercedes-AMG model has been conceived as an upmarket replacement for today’s CLS63. The production version is due to make its world debut at the Geneva motor show next March and UK sales are scheduled to begin in the third quarter of 2018. It will be launched with the same 604bhp twin-turbo 4.0-litre petrol V8, nine-speed gearbox and fully variable four-wheel drive system as the latest E63 S 4Matic, on which it is largely based. However, Mercedes officials say…

“The worst period is a cold evening when Manchester United are playing in the Champions League” Smart charging, the system that manages the recharging of electric vehicles to reduce pressure on electricity networks, could prevent the need for a costly overhaul of the nation’s electricity infrastructure to cope with widespread adoption of EVs, according to the interim results of a UK trial. The Electric Nation trial has provided free Alfen or EVolt 7kW smart chargers to 700 users of electrified vehicles in return for access to their recharging data. The trial, which began in January and will continue into next year, was conceived by Western Power Distribution and EA Technology and aims to determine whether smart charging can help the electricity networks cope with the anticipated mass roll-out of EVs.…

Jeep’s European boss says the decision to bring the 697bhp Grand Cherokee Trackhawk to the region was made to highlight the brand’s on-road performance credentials. The range-topping version of the SUV features a 6.2-litre supercharged V8 Mopar Hellcat engine, which has previously only been used in the Dodge Charger and Challenger. The Grand Cherokee Trackhawk will be offered in right-hand drive and is due to go on sale next May. Dante Zilli told Autocar that while the firm expects the Trackhawk to be a “niche proposition”, Jeep predicted that there was enough of a market to make it worthwhile as a flagship product. “We’re confident enough people in Europe want an SUV that’s damn quick and thrilling, and we think UK customers in particular will like it,” Zilli said. “It’s…

On Twitter, April 2017 “Tesla Semi truck unveil set for September. Team has done an amazing job.” October 2017 “Tesla Semi unveil now Nov 16. Diverting resources to fix Model 3 bottlenecks & increase battery production for Puerto Rico & other affected areas.” June 2017 “I don’t think we should expect any significant negative surprises.” October 2017 “Production hell is Level 9. And now we’re in Level 8.” July 2017 “Looks like we can reach 20,000 Model 3s per month in December.” October 2017 “We expect… a production level of 5000 per week by late Q1 2018.”…

The Mercedes-AMG GLC S 63 is the three-pointed star’s most powerful mid-sized performance SUV yet, catering for a seemingly unquenchable customer appetite for prodigiously powered, muscularly styled, high-riding vehicles. To cover all the bases, the GLC 63 is available in a choice of two bodystyles and in two states of tune; it is the full-fat S version of the more expensive GLC S 63 Coupé that we’re focusing on here. The GLC S 63 derives much of its technology from Affalterbach’s other creations. There’s the nine-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel-drive system from the E 63, for example, and the GLC’s adjustable air suspension uses the four-link arrangement from the C 63 at the front with the multi-link set-up from the E 63 at the rear. The S version is also…

A small footprint, a subtly elevated driving position, deceptive practicality and a sense of style – that’s the supermini-SUV recipe and it’s a concept sure to boost the bottom line of the many manufacturers who have chosen to compete in this popular segment. None more so than Seat, on the evidence of this road test. Dynamically, the Arona may not be the most rewarding car that you’ll ever drive, but such matters are unlikely to concern most buyers. They will take greater satisfaction from the tangible quality of its interior construction and its ability to ride with the composure of a larger, more expensive car, not to mention the intuitiveness of its impressive array of technology and the car’s all-round ease of use. That Seat’s hard-edged design language – now…

Derek Hood, founder of Essex-based JD Classics, never set out to create the world’s greatest old car business or, for that matter, to join the Sunday Times Rich List in 2015 with a fortune exceeding £100 million. He attributes these things to “a stroke of luck 30 years ago”, but the truth is they’re a direct result of a philosophy of excellence he has carefully built up in 30 years of business. The spark that ignited his classic car career was first struck in 1986. At the time, Hood was a young Essex dentist who enjoyed detailing the classic cars he bought as a hobby. But everything changed one day in 1986 when another enthusiast, walking by, spied the super-immaculate Jaguar Mk2 on Hood’s drive and made him an offer…

FINAL REPORT MILEAGE 8120 WHY WE RAN IT For one last glorious hurrah to Aston’s era of ‘Vertical Horizontal’-based cars with big, normally aspirated V12s What’s it like to live with a super-GT on a daily basis? That was the purpose of this test. And the simple answer is: super. And GTish, of course. Few cars do GT as well as the Aston Martin Vanquish S. Although those cars do include the Aston DB11, which is why the Vanquish received the upgrades that make it an ‘S’ about a year ago: they made it more powerful, helped it deliver the power a bit more keenly and made it noisier. The big, naturally aspirated V12 engine might be endangered, but the Vanquish S shows why it will be a such shame…

MILEAGE 79,402 BMW 320 I know that a water stain is a thing, but I didn’t realise how serious it was. All I did was negligently leave a bottle of water on the passenger seat and the lid must have been loose. It was tap water rather than mountain spring stuff, so left a big blotch. Luckily, I have an extensive ‘museum standard’ collection of period cleaning products. I found some proper old upholstery cleaner with an integral brush. Liberally applied and brushed off, it worked. However, the overall condition of the seat material is starting to give me cause for concern.…

“Weighing just 875kg, the rear-drive 144bhp VX220 could rocket from 0-62mph in 5.6sec” The Droopsnoot Firenza notwithstanding, Griff Rhys Jones’s professor was right when, in the company’s ill-fated TV commercial, he said: “The VX220 is the sexiest car Vauxhall has ever built.” In fact, the model is more admired today than it ever was. A tidy example of the VXR220, the most powerful of the three versions and launched in 2004, will set you back around £25,000, which is just a few thousand short of its price when new. At the other extreme, the ‘cooking’ 2.2 model – the launch version of 2000 – starts at around £7000. In between is the 2.0-litre Turbo, prices for which open at around £11,000. Vauxhall canned Rhys Jones’s ad perhaps because it saw…

1 Volkswagen Golf GTE From £30,635 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 REx From £36,230 The i3’s range-extender engine increases its potential, but it retains an electric driving range that’s competitive with most pure EVs. 3 Audi A3 e-tron Sportback From £36,040 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 £24,115 The latest Prius handles and performs as well as many European hatchbacks, and that’s a major achievement for Toyota. 5 Hyundai Ioniq From £20,585 The Ioniq is a cheap way into the hybrid or electric world. Although it is good…

BENTLEY HAS REVEALED its new Continental GT3 race car, a precursor to a hot Continental GT road car that’s likely to arrive by 2020. The GT3 has the same 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 as the Continental GT V8 with a Cosworth engine management system and, when not restricted to GT3 guidelines, produces around 542bhp. The previous GT3 used a tuned version of the same engine with more power but also more weight. Bentley collaborated with M-Sport on the racing model. Bentley claims the new GT3 weighs significantly less than 1300kg, compared with the road-going W12 launch car’s 2250kg. The GT3, which is based on the new Continental GT, features far more aggressive bodywork than the GT, with a deep front spoiler, wide wheel arches, aerodynamic fins and a huge rear wing.…

The Caterham Seven Supersprint is further proof that the smartest ploy for a niche-market sports car maker to guarantee success for its new model is simply to make it look like an old one. This car reportedly sold out its 60-unit production run within just six hours at the Goodwood Revival earlier this year. The second of two limited editions introduced to mark the 60th anniversary of the original Lotus Seven, the Supersprint is based on the Suzuki-engined entry-level Seven 160; but, with a more purposeful specification than even the Sprint had, it’s intended for track, as well as for road, use. A fettle for the Suzuki-sourced 660cc three-cylinder turbo petrol engine increases power from 80 to 95bhp, which finds its way to the tarmac via the same five-speed manual…

It isn’t a huge amount, £50 per week, but it could buy you a sports-coupé with a 5.0-litre V8. On the other hand, it might only afford a 1.0-litre hatchback. Consider a used car, meanwhile, and a whole world of engine sizes and body styles opens up before you. It all depends, of course, on how much you’re willing to put down as a deposit and what duration of agreement you sign up to. Over the next few pages, we’ll look at the most tempting personal contract purchase (PCP) deals out there, from the humblest of city cars to luxury saloons, with a few SUVs, sports cars and electric vehicles thrown in for good measure. Along the way, we’ll include some buying advice to help you find the PCP deal…

It’s raining. Bucketing down, actually, and everyone we meet en route to Seat’s headquarters outside Barcelona takes turns at apologising for the unseasonal precipitation. Today, for once, Spanish jokes about the British weather aren’t working. We’re heading for Seat’s giant Martorell factory, and ultimately to the executive suite atop the company’s six-storey administrative building with its airy white offices and giant murals on the walls. It’s all very contemporary, just right for what has become the fastest-growing car manufacturer in Europe, whose buyer body is a clear 10 years younger than the rest. Our mission is to spend the day discovering as much as possible about the Volkswagen Group’s formerly problematic, but now thriving, Spanish offshoot, and especially about Luca de Meo, its 50-year-old Milan-born president of the past two…

Generation excess I have some sympathy for Mr Harris, who questioned the need for a £70,000 Range Rover Velar (Your Views, 25 October). However, as someone who has been reading Autocar for a mere 50 years, I am happy to celebrate that the vanity and narcissism of the social media generation is so profound that they waste money on baubles like the Velar and in so doing bolster the economies of Solihull and its supply chain. Take pity upon today’s buyers, who will never know the joys of four-speed manual gearboxes and cross-ply tyres on uncongested B-roads. Let them console themselves with lane change assistance and ventilated massaging seats as they sit stationary on the M25 sending profane messages to each other. Robert Bishopp Lewes, East Sussex WIN Letter of…

MILEAGE 8776 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To find out if a turbocharged engine has done anything to the blunt the 911’s all-round appeal In the past few weeks, I’ve spent quite a lot of time in 911s with more power, less weight and greater agility than ‘my’ 911 and I wondered in advance if these far more seductive machines might somehow sour our relationship. Well, now I know. The first was a 2010 second-generation GT3 RS, which I had for a week for a story we published on 1 November. To me, this GT3 RS represents the greatest production Porsche of all, a dizzying synthesis of howling mechanical components, telepathic handling and just enough everyday usability to make you want to take it on almost any journey. Mine included Waitrose…

Honda CR-Z Chris Hendrie shows us his current daily driver. “I wanted something interesting, cheap to run and virtually guaranteed never to break down,” he says. “My Honda CR-Z fits all of those, I think. It has a full service history and had 41,000 miles on the clock when I bought it. I’ve added a few more miles since on trips to the Outer Hebrides and Ireland. I like the fact that the back seats are so small that nobody asks me for lifts any more. I'll keep it until it falls apart, which is unlikely ever to happen.”…

“The engine note is a full-throated baritone blare halfway between that of a V6 and a V8” Things to look out for • Glassfibre body doesn’t corrode but can glaze and crack with time, and repairs often aren’t carried out all that well, so check carefully. Also look for drooping doors: they have a tendency to fall off. • Rust is, of course, a big killer. Check the chassis structure behind the front wheel arches, as well as rear suspension trailing arms and outriggers. If the car hasn’t had a chassis refurbishment, it probably needs one soon. • Leaks can come from the roof and from the bulkhead. Check for damp carpets and upholstery, or a musty smell with the roof up. • Engines are robust, but rusty fuel tanks…

An expert’s view JON SEAL, JON SEAL SPORTSCARS “I’ve got two: one for the track and one for the road. Although prices have risen, they’re still good value compared with an Elise of the same era. The hardest thing is finding a good one. There weren’t many to begin with and today there are even fewer. I reckon there are probably just 50 remaining that you could truly describe as collectable. As for the VXR220, there’s only about that number left in total, and we’ve got three of them in stock.” Buyer beware… • ENGINE A rattly timing chain on the 2.2 engine needs urgent replacement. Dip the oil several times to get an average reading. Viewed from the rear, check there are no oil leaks from the right-hand spark…

1 McLaren P1 From £866,000 McLaren set out to build the best driver’s car in the world and it came ridiculously close. A 903bhp go-kart. 2 Porsche 918 Spyder From £674,000 Only in the hypercar category do ive stars not guarantee the class lead. The hybrid 918 feels built to rule, too. A mind-boggler. 3 LaFerrari From £950,000 A more than worthy successor to the Enzo. Indeed, it makes the old-timer feel gruesomely under-achieving and is far sweeter to drive. 5 Bugatti Veyron From £1.15 million A waning obsession with petrol power taken to its extreme limit. There are better cars, but few are quicker. 6 Pagani Huayra From £1.4 million Last century’s idea of a hypercar. Staggering in almost every way, not least its looks. As exclusive as it…

TOYOTA LAND CRUISER | EARLY 2018 After three years on sale, Toyota’s rugged 4x4 gets a mid-life update. It terms of design, it has tweaked bumpers, lights and grille, and is now 60mm longer. Inside, it gets a new 8.0in infotainment touchscreen and a bigger steering wheel. A suite of modern safety aids has also been added. Price £37,500 (est) NOVEMBER BMW X3, Citroën C3 Aircross, Hyundai i30N, Jaguar E-Pace, XJ update, XJR 575, Nissan X-Trail update, VW Tiguan Allspace DECEMBER Aston Martin V8 Vantage, Audi A8 (left), Dallara Stradale, Mercedes-Benz X-Class, Porsche 911 GT2 RS, Seat Arona, Skoda Karoq, Toyota Yaris GRMN, Volkswagen T-Roc, Touareg, Vauxhall VXR8 GTS-R JAN/FEB 2018 Alpina D5 S, Alpine A110 (right), BMW M3 CS, M5, DS 7 Crossback, Ford Ecosport and Mustang updates, Honda…