Innholdsfortegnelse for 17/01/2018 i Autocar

VOLKSWAGEN IS TEAMING up with a start-up firm headed by the former boss of Google’s car division to develop autonomous cars – with the technology first appearing in new mobility sub-brand Moia’s Shuttle concept later this year. Aurora Technology, which was founded last year by a group involving Google’s ex-autonomous driving head Chris Urmson, will supply its self-driving system across VW Group brands. The two companies have been working together for the past six months. The electric Moia Shuttle is due to begin testing in a city with the necessary communication infrastructure, likely to be Hamburg, later this year. The six-seater is designed for ride sharing and has a range of 186 miles. Aurora has also signed a deal to provide its self-driving technology to the Hyundai Motor Group. TOYOTA…

Whichever good ol’ boy it was who first bawled the phrase ‘There ain’t no replacement for displacement!’ way back when – almost certainly from beneath the wide brim of a Stetson, rye whiskey held aloft – he probably had a point at the time. If you wanted to go faster, you needed more cubes. But in the age of smartphones and cryptocurrencies, it’s a bit of a quaint notion. There are, after all, countless other ways of making a car shift along more quickly, such as hybridisation and turbocharging, or perhaps using clever lightweight materials so that what displacement you do have can work a lot harder. And yet, there really is no replacement for displacement. Nothing else comes close to the soaring soundtrack of a great big atmospheric engine,…

Battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) are slowly winning favour with buyers but there’s still a long way to go before they become the norm. In the whole of 2017, just 0.54% of all vehicles registered in the UK were purely battery-electric, a total of 13,597 cars. Feedback from Autocar readers suggests potential buyers are being put off by the uncertainties of BEV ownership, such as real-world range, concerns over battery life and replacement cost, availability of charging stations, depreciation and how to charge them. We’ve put together this guide to tackle some of the most common questions.…

No. Charge points can be tethered (with a permanently attached cable) or untethered (sockets only, so you need a cable). Rapid charger cables are always tethered and have more than one type for compatibility with different EV rapid-charging sockets because there’s no single standard yet. For untethered charging, EVs typically come with two cables. The first connects to a domestic wall socket but is more than just an extension lead with an integral electronic unit to control the amount of charge delivered to the battery. The second will allow connecting to a public charger.…

The digital thermometer within the instrument binnacle is showing –21deg C. Factor in the stiff north-westerly wind blowing in off the Arctic Ocean and it is scarily, painfully, life-threateningly cold. But from where I’m sitting, life couldn’t be any more pleasant. Perched high on a heated quilted leather seat with a warming current of air being directed to the footwells of our Mercedes-AMG GLE 43, we’re driving along what, at certain times of year, is the only road that connects the towns of Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk in northern Canada. Except that it is not a road at all – not in the traditional sense, anyway. In the later spring, summer and early autumn, it is a huge river delta whose vast waterways draw in tourists for kayaking and boating adventures…

USED SPECIAL Autocar’s used handling heroes Want a used car that’s fun to drive above anything else? We’ve picked the very best. Start saving… TWIN TEST Hot hatch vs sports car Honda Civic Type R takes on Abarth 124 Spider. Which wins? FEATURE Aston DB4 GT Continuation Car making returns to Newport Pagnell with this ‘new’ icon EVERY WEEK FIRST DRIVE VW Up GTI Volkswagen’s smallest car is the latest to get the hot hatch treatment USED BUYING GUIDE Mercedes-AMG C63 Brilliant super-saloon with recently retired 6.2 V8 is a bargain used buy ROAD TEST VW T-Roc A crossover trying to be different by offering a fun drive. Does it succeed? SUBSCRIBE autocar.co.uk/subscribe or see p24…

MILEAGE 7623 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT Is a plug-in the logical next step towards full electrification or an expensive distraction? Few cars intrigue more It’s been freezing lately. For months we’ve been wondering how our plug-in Prius would cope with the traditional winter enemies of electric cars: a lower range when fully charged and a tendency for on-board power to be diverted to stuff like heating, headlights and keeping screens alive. Now we’ve had the opportunity to find out. The Prius does, expectedly, lose charge when it’s cold, but not disastrously. Compared with the best fair-weather driving range available from a fully charged battery (about 33-34 miles), we’re now being offered 28 instead. On motorways, while cruising at 65-70mph and keeping decently warm, you get a real-world 20-22 miles, but…

MILEAGE 80,018 VOLKSWAGEN POLO I had to follow the Polo the other day and noticed the lower half of the nearside rear light wasn’t illuminated. It wasn’t dangerous, because 75% of it was working, but it needed to be fixed ASAP. I had forgotten how to remove the rear light cluster after undoing an old-fashioned wing type nut. Luckily, my daughter hasn’t got a feeble, forgetful brain like mine and what you do is wrestle it out. Yes, really. While the old cars are straightforward and all you do is loosen a couple of screws, fairly modern cars continue to baffle me.…

“Few cars make people as happy as a Beetle and that, really, is one of its appeals” I first drove a Volkswagen Beetle a couple of years ago. I was in Mexico, and I decided I wasn’t leaving before I’d driven the country’s most famous automotive export. Sadly, the Beetles they have for hire in Cozumel are not exactly the best in the world. The first was rejected for the fact that neither of the front seats was properly bolted in; one tipped the passenger forward into the dashboard each time you braked. The second was fractionally less lethal – nothing makes you drive as gingerly as several rusty, razor-edged bits of metal sticking out from beneath the dashboard – but still felt as though it was held together by…

An expert’s view PAUL RODDISON, RODDISONS MOTORSPORT “The 2.0 Sport is the one to buy. I know from experience that the 1.8 is less popular, because whenever we stock them, they can hang around for months. Saying that, there’s nothing fundamentally wrong with the model, and if you’re on a budget, there’s nothing better. We’ve raced MX-5s for years and, in my opinion, the Mk3 is the best of the lot; better than the Mk4, in fact. Engine and diff oil are the two main issues. Regarding engine oil, there’s not enough spare capacity when the level drops. With the diff oil, the official change interval is too long. Change it every two years.” Buyer beware… • ENGINE Check the oil level is spot on, look for oil smoke and…

Mercedes-Benz S-Class From £66,000 Opulent, advanced, incredibly re ined: the S-Class is the classic limo, expertly realised and utterly persuasive. Range Rover From £73,000 Whether outside the Dorchester or atop Ben Nevis, the Rangie shrouds you in an invincible sense of expense Tesla Model S From £59,900 Superior range doesn’t just make it a standout electric car; it’s also one of the best luxury options around. BMW 7 Series From £64,000 Rules the roost on in-car entertainment and diesel powertrain sophistication – but otherwise too bland Jaguar XJ From £56,000 No other irm is currently mixing sportiness and re inement with the skill of Jaguar. It makes the XJ a rare blend.…

JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE TRACKHAWK | APRIL Jeep has installed the 697bhp, 6.2-litre V8 from the Challenger Hellcat into the Grand Cherokee to create an SUV which can hit 60mph from a standstill in 3.5sec and has a top speed of 180mph. The Range Rover Sport SVR rival arrives here in the spring. Price £85,000 (est) JANUARY 2018 Alpina D5 S, Bentley Continental GT, Ford Fiesta Active, Hyundai i30 N, i30 Fastback, Jaguar E-Pace, Jeep Compass, Kia Picanto X-Line, Stinger, Sorento update, Land Rover Discovery SVX, Range Rover and Range Rover Sport updates, Range Rover and Range Rover Sport PHEVs, Lexus LS (left), Maserati Ghibli update, Mercedes-Benz S-Class update, Peugeot 5008, Porsche 911 Carrera T, 911 GT3 Touring, Rolls-Royce Phantom, Seat Arona, Skoda Karoq, Vauxhall Grandland X, Viva Rocks, Volkswagen Golf…

“Mercedes claims the G-Class is even better off road yet also significantly more agile on the road” Mercedes has revealed its second-generation G-Class, which closely resembles the original utilitarian off-roader that was launched 38 years ago and has since received various updates. So iconic is the G-Class’s styling that Mercedes has only mildly updated its angular exterior design and has instead focused on heavily revising the interior and improving its ride comfort and agility. Details such as the distinctive door handles and door-closing sound remain, as does the exterior protective strip, exposed spare wheel on the rear door and prominent indicator lights. Despite the visual similarities, Mercedes claims surface quality is improved, resulting in “narrower, more precise gaps”, and the wheel arches and bumpers are a more integral part of…

BENTLEY BENTAYGA BUYERS now have the option of a V8 petrol model with 542bhp and 568lb ft, alongside the existing W12 petrol and V8 diesel. Its performance splits the W12 and V8 diesel right down the middle, with 0-62mph taking 4.5sec to the W12’s 4.0sec and the diesel’s 4.8sec. Top speed is 180mph – 7mph down on the W12 and 12mph up on the diesel. Fuel economy is improved over the W12 with 24.8mpg but far down on the diesel’s 35.9mpg. The V8 model’s pricing starts at £136,200, just £400 more than the diesel but £26,500 less than the full-fat W12. The new 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 Bentayga weighs less than both other models and Bentley is pitching it as the sportiest in the range. A black grille, sportier exhausts and…

“The progress of Tesla hinges entirely on the progress of the Model 3” In the past 18 months, the world has seen some improbable events – most notably the election of Donald Trump and the Brexit vote – but what has been even more unlikely has been the financial rise and rise of Tesla. While the two elections involved ordinary voters, Tesla’s ranking last April as the most valuable car company on the planet was, remarkably, driven by hard-headed investors and analysts. In 2016, Tesla sold just over 76,000 cars globally, while General Motors sold 9.96 million. But that didn’t stop the financial markets valuing this automotive minnow at $51.54 billion (£38.03bn) last spring. That was more than one billion dollars above the market value of second-placed GM. Although analyst…

TESTER’S NOTE I must have driven 10 four-cylinder Boxsters and Caymans now but not one without sports exhausts. Could they possibly sound better on standard pipes? AF For the first 10 years of the Cayman’s life, Porsche had been studiously careful not to pull any big surprises with it. This was not because it has been a runaway success – in sales terms, it’s nowhere compared with Porsche’s SUVs – but because it has been such a brilliant brand builder. Caymans are, for want of a better word, proper. Proper cars driven by proper people. Proper Porsches, in fact. It was spun off from the existing Boxster as it was, so why change such a winning formula? But after a decade in the field, change it Porsche did when, in…

The X3’s handling satisfies moderately high expectations when it’s driven quickly. With smarter directional responses and tauter body control than the average medium-sized SUV, and a fairly tenacious grip level that maintains decent inter-axle balance even when leant upon for hard cornering, the car feels like the natural choice of a keener driver – albeit one who expects the comfort and isolation of a typical SUV. An Alfa Romeo Stelvio and a Porsche Macan feel markedly more dynamic handling prospects still, in other words, but neither has the roundedness, refinement or maturity of this BMW. The X3 has fine stability, with its electronic stability and traction controls on and off. Leave them on, dialled back to Sport+ and Traction modes, and you’ll find them unobtrusive until they’re really needed. But…

The truth is that manufacturers are not sure. Modern production EVs have been around for a relatively short time and all manufacturers offer long battery warranties. The 24kWh Nissan Leaf gets a five-year/60,000-mile warranty and the 30kWh and new 40kWh versions are covered for eight years/100,000 miles. Other manufacturers offer similar battery warranties against outright failure or a significant fall in capacity (measured in kilowatt hours or kWh) to below around 70%. The Leaf is the UK’s best-selling BEV. Nissan says batteries are designed to last the life of the car and the “replacement cost is similar to that of a combustion engine but we don’t expect customers to need replacement engines”. Nissan says by 2014 it had replaced only 0.01% of Leaf batteries in Europe since launch in 2011,…

FINAL REPORT MILEAGE 9601 WHY WE RAN IT To see if this performance plug-in hybrid estate could master the broadest of briefs it’s been given When the Volkswagen Passat GTE arrived on Autocar’s long-term fleet, we reckoned the part-electric, plug-in hybrid was going to cause some head-scratching. Alternatively powered vehicles made up around 20% of our long-term line-up, disproportionate because the real-world percentage of alternatively fuelled vehicles is much lower. But it’s worth us having them, because it’s worth asking if the future is going to be one in which the plug-in hybrid prevails. And that’s the question you end up with several answers to after 11 months and nearly 10,000 miles of Passat GTE motoring. First things first, though: the basics. This Passat uses the VW Group’s increasingly familiar…

Fiat Panda 100HP Colin Lewin is after a new runaround after making a bad decision: “I sold my Panda for £3600 and wish I hadn’t. I loved that car. It was fun to drive, economical and really practical. I ran it for 20 months and lost only £200 on the purchase price, which is my kind of car. “Nothing went wrong with it at all apart from the tracking. Otherwise, there were a couple of wiper blades and a service at ICS Kegworth Fiat. They really looked after me. I got great prices after a bit of negotiating. Having worked in the motor trade helps.”…

Subaru Outback £17,407 In need of a rugged load-lugger that’ll take on all seasons? The Outback has a cult following among buyers needing just such a thing, and it’s easy to see why. This SE Premium-spec car on a 65 plate is well-specced, and the CVT gearbox is well matched to the torquey boxer engine. There’s a huge boot and build quality is robust. Outbacks were expensive new, but used prices are competitive – and even though this one has racked up 28,000 miles already, Subaru’s legendary reliability means it’s got to be worth a punt. No mention of servicing in the advert, though, and it’ll be overdue its first two now, so make sure both have been done. BMW Z3 M Roadster £12,995 The miles are high on this…

No one produces as thorough a judgement on a new car as Autocar. As well as acceleration, braking, fuel economy and noise tests, we carry out benchmark limit-handling tests, setting lap times if appropriate. But we don’t just drive at the track, essential as it is for finding the limits of performance; we also drive on a wide range of roads. Where we have tested more than one model in a range, the rating is for the range overall; where a model within the range meets our coveted five-star standard, it is highlighted in yellow. » 30-70MPH Indicates overtaking ability through the gears » 50-70MPH Recorded in top gear (*kickdown with an automatic) and demonstrates flexibility » FUEL ECONOMY Prior to 7.1.15, figures are touring (recorded over a set road…

Porsche 718 Cayman From £39,700 Scalpel-blade incisiveness, supreme balance and outstanding driver involvement. A practical two-seater, too. Mazda MX-5 From £18,495 Brilliantly packaged, brilliantly priced and even more vibrant and perfectly poised to drive than the original. Toyota GT86 From £22,700 Who knew Toyota had another dynamic masterstroke in it after the Lexus LFA? Almost as fun as you can buy on a limited budget. BMW M240i From £35,100 Towers over most German rivals. Outstanding engine, characterful handling, strong usability. Lotus Elise Sport From £30,800 If you want a delicate, vivid and unfettered drive, none does it better. If you want a daily driver, shop elsewhere.…

Volkswagen Sharan From £25,500 Full-sized seven-seater offers outstanding versatility and space with tidy handling and VW-brand desirability. BMW 2 Series Grand Tourer From £24,200 Brings a proper premium brand badge to the MPV table but appeals for more reasons than that. Volkswagen Touran From £22,200 The medium-sized people-carrier done conservatively. Re ined and wieldy, with excellent infotainment options. Ford S-Max From £23,300 Better looking and better to drive than most, but not quite the class leader its predecessor was. Cabin a bit plain. Seat Alhambra From £24,900 A cheaper, plainer and less desirable sister for the Sharan. Spacious, versatile and decent to drive.…

Toyota Gazoo has hinted at a high-performance hybrid version of its upcoming Supra successor. The GR Super Sport Concept is based on the TS050 Hybrid World Endurance Championship prototype racer and uses the same 2.4-litre V6/ electric motor powertrain. Gazoo Racing boss Shigeki Tomoyama has suggested that a similar layout could be employed in the range-topping version of the new Supra, which is due next year. “This is how competing contributes to Gazoo Racing’s efforts toward making ever-better road cars,” he said.…

Electric car firm Fisker Automotive will launch a high-volume vehicle in the near future, boss Henrik Fisker has revealed. Fisker is aiming to launch an autonomous shuttle called the Orbit next year and revealed the EMotion, a Mercedes-Benz S-Class rival, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas last week. The EMotion, due to go into production in 2019, will be a low-volume model with a top speed of 161mph, a claimed 400-mile range and sensors that will enable Level 4 autonomous driving. Fisker is already working on a third machine. Talking to Autocar at CES, he said: “We’re planning a high-volume vehicle for less than $40,000 and it won’t be a saloon. The goal is to produce 300,000 of those a year, although it’s hard to say exactly…

US FIRM GENOVATION Cars is aiming to eclipse its own land speed record for a road-legal electric car with its new model, a 789bhp EV reworking of a Chevrolet C7 Corvette Grand Sport. The firm claims the GXE, unveiled at CES, is capable of more than 220mph. Genovation previously set the road-legal EV speed record of 205.6mph with a Corvette Z06 EV conversion. It is powered by twin front-mounted electric motors that drive the rear wheels and produce 700lb ft of torque. Genovation is offering the car with a seven-speed manual or eight-speed paddle shift automatic transmission. The use of gears was both to optimise power distribution and to ensure the car retained a similar feel to its donor car. The GXE has five battery packs and a total of…

Producing fuel cell electric vehicles is the topic that will most occupy the car industry between now and 2025, according to 907 leading company executives canvassed for consultancy firm KPMG’s annual Global Automotive Executive Survey. The survey, which quizzes car industry chiefs on which automotive trends they view as the most important for the immediate future, found that FCEV technology now outranks battery-electric vehicles, self-driving cars and connectivity as the most pressing topic. Trends relating to electrified vehicles hold three of the top four places in this year’s survey, reinforcing the car makers’ shift in focus away from traditional internal combustion engines towards electrified alternatives. This was echoed by the fact that the downsizing of the capacity of internal combustion engines – a major focus for car makers as recently…

TESTER’S NOTE Odd that Toyota has bothered to put chromed pedal caps on the clutch and brake pedals but left the accelerator plain, black and rubberised and looking rather like a refugee from a 1.0-litre shopping car. MS The Toyota Yaris GRMN reminds you of that old chestnut of a gag about asking for directions in some faraway place, only to be told: “If that was where I was heading, I certainly wouldn’t have started from here.” Among the current crop of turbocharged hot superminis, it feels every inch the misfit that you might imagine a warmed-up Yaris would make. It is also, however, one of the more involving, simple and likeable hot hatchbacks I’ve driven of late – not to mention a car that, although a long way from…

Easy to ignore, the Polo. Comfortable, safe, practical – all these things – but also bland to behold and a virtual mute if ever any dialogue between road and driver were to be attempted. It’s for these reasons we’d have made for the keys of a Ford Fiesta over the previous Polo, and those of a Renault Clio instead of the Polo before that. In ethos, this sixth-generation Polo is no different from its predecessors, only Volkswagen has now honed the model’s familiar characteristics to a level at which they are impossible to overlook. Built for the first time on the MQB platform, the Polo is now substantially longer and wider. It’s also stiffer, has a boot capacity more generous than that of some hatches in the class above and…

The BMW X3 family has undergone a bit of a coming of age in transition to its third full-model generation, something about which you’ll be reading in detail over the next few pages. And that growing up and general maturing process coincides neatly with a dimensional expansion that has made it a longer, wider car than the original BMW X5 that arrived on the scene in 1999. Since the X3’s launch in 2003, BMW has sold more than 1.5 million units worldwide, a success story it will no doubt be eager to continue with the version that’ll take the model into its third decade on sale. The car’s increase in overall length – 51mm over the outgoing model – creates more space in the back than ever before and aesthetically…

BMW’s mid-sized family SUV has taken large strides between its second-generation form and this, its third-model epoch. It has now developed the kind of completeness and class that ought to make it a contender for almost anyone shopping in this increasingly popular market segment, while retaining the better than average grip, poise and performance to attract BMW’s familiar customer base. Even though our test car was fitted with run-flat tyres, it had ride and refinement good enough to bear comparison with any rival. Even so, Audi’s Q5 still has it narrowly licked for general comfort, cabin isolation and perceived quality; and knowing how much those things matter to typical buyers of premium SUVs, we can only give the Audi the nod. However, this BMW wins our recommendation over every other…

Historically, many US car companies have had only a small presence outside of their home country, and even the ones that dared venture abroad kept some of their best cars to themselves. Models American motorists love are often ill-suited to foreign markets due to their gargantuan size and great thirst. Some were nothing to write home about, but there are plenty that other markets would have welcomed with open arms. Here’s our pick of the best. Cadillac Eldorado 1953 Introduced in 1953, the Cadillac Series 62 Eldorado was a large, expensive convertible built to make a design statement, not to generate any kind of volume. Buyers liked it, so Cadillac refined the concept the following year and transformed the Eldorado into the luxury-lined chariot of motorists who wanted to exclaim:…

Experts say daily rapid charging can degrade lithium ion EV batteries, which are mostly designed to have a high energy density (store more energy for greater range). In reality, most EVs are usually charged at home or work using lower-rate charging and are rapid-charged infrequently. The fastest rapid charging is managed so that it slows down once past 80% state of charge and further once past 90% to avoid battery damage. BMW says it is not seeing measurable battery degradation for cars regularly using rapid charging. Tesla says it does a lot to preserve its batteries through software control and that will be true of all major manufacturers of EVs.…

“All carbon panels are light but ours are so light they’re almost anti-gravity” Britain has a new Le Mans hope, the all-new Ginetta G60-LT-P1 sports/racer, which stands “a pretty good chance” of outright success in this year’s 24-hour French classic, according to Ginetta boss and project kingpin Lawrence Tomlinson, so long as pre-season testing goes well. The G60, so named to commemorate Ginetta’s 60 years of continuous car building, is an all-new non-hybrid LMP1 design created and built in the Leeds factory where Ginetta makes its existing cars. There will be no works G60s: cars will be campaigned by privateer teams. So far, Banbury-based TRS-Manor has signed up for two World Endurance Championship (WEC) Ginettas and Tomlinson is closing in on a similar deal with a different team that will…

If you want evidence that we live in some of the more turbulent times the car industry has experienced, just look at the Porsche 911. For decades, the 911 was the mainstay of the Porsche range, the mothership around which all others revolved. But look at it now: in 2017 – when Porsche delivered around 246,000 vehicles to customers – the once mighty 911 accounted for a touch over 13% of sales, despite being available as a coupé, convertible and Targa, with and without four-wheel drive and with manual or automatic transmissions, and that’s before we add in the GT3 and its motorsports relatives. By contrast, the Macan outsold all versions of the 911 by three to one despite coming in a single bodystyle. At almost every price point, the…

An Autocar reader since 1973, I enjoyed James Ruppert’s article on used cars fit for Santa (13/20 December), but was surprised he included the Land Rover Discovery 2 in his Christmas Turkeys. My Discovery 2 Autobiography (one of only two made) is 17 years old this month and has done nearly 150,000 miles. I haven’t found that “electrical issues abound”, as James wrote. The only recent issue was the brake light sensor, which is hardly significant. One hole in part of the air suspension while on holiday last August (quickly fixed by local Land Rover dealer Carrs in Cornwall) was the first issue in my four-year ownership of it. It is altogether a brilliant, reliable vehicle that is a pleasure to drive and useful in winter. I’ve experienced great servicing…

MILEAGE 1658 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see if the most hardcore TT is preferable to the cooking versions and a genuine alternative to a BMW M2 Christmas ought to have been the ideal opportunity to get to know the TT RS a little better, but in recollection it feels like I spent most of the time fussing with settings and screens and other peripheral nonsense. Some of this fumbling was inevitable, of course: like any other expensive German car, the RS is only slightly less adjustable than a Tempur mattress. Long gone are the days when getting the seat and steering wheel in the right place was the bulk of the job. I spend about a million times longer simply concerning myself with whether I want the seat to…

QUESTION I’ve been watching The Crown on Netflix. Is the car Prince Philip uses in it a Bristol? George Meller ANSWER The model you’re asking about does look like the post-war Bristols – which were related to pre-war BMWs – but it was a Lagonda 3-litre drophead coupé made from 1953 to 1956. It is incredibly rare. The show is a treat for classic car fans, with Rileys, Land Rovers, Humbers and MGs, to name just a few marques. QUESTION Do you have any tips for making the mobile phone in my 2000 Audi A6 Quattro work? Russ Howell ANSWER If the handset has a SIM card, you are usually fine. Older in-car phones are analogue and can’t be used any more. Make sure that the phone is not locked…

“It’s a great time to buy. Not a Mk1 or Mk2: too rusty and silly money. You want a Mk3” Mid-winter: what better time to buy a Mazda MX-5? Convertibles have come a long way since the days of draughty MG Midgets but car buyers’ instincts haven’t. It’ll be spring before they think about shopping for one. A great time to strike, then, while they aren’t looking and prices are soft. Not a Mk1 or Mk2, mind: too rusty and silly money. The Mk3’s the one you want. Not that certain sections of the motoring press thought so when it was launched in 2005 in roadster and, the following year, folding hard-top forms. Some thought it had gone a little soft but Autocar declared it roomier, quieter, safer and better…