Innholdsfortegnelse for 24/01/2018 i Autocar

Jeep’s British boss, Mike Manley, insists that despite recent success, the Cherokee SUV has “more to do”. The model, launched in 2014, has trebled the sales of its predecessor. US sales alone have easily exceeded 200,000 a year at times. The mid-life refresh of the Cherokee, revealed at Detroit, is intended to bolster sales further. Revisions include a new-look frontal treatment, an all-new 270bhp 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine and a sliding rear seat. UK cars, mostly diesels up to now, should be in showrooms by November. HYUNDAI VELOSTER N PACKS 271BHP Hyundai’s new Veloster, unlike its predecessor, won’t be sold in the UK. The range includes a hot Veloster N. The performance N variant uses the same turbo 2.0-litre engine as its i30 N sibling, producing up to 271bhp and…

A PRODUCTION VERSION of the Q Inspiration concept could accommodate an electric powertrain, according to Infiniti designer Karim Habib. Although the concept uses Infiniti’s variable-compression turbo powertrain, the proportions of the model could also be used for a fully electric model, said Habib. Infiniti is due to unveil its first zero-emissions car soon and the Q Inspiration is expected to hint at the styling of such a vehicle. Talking about the concept, Habib said: “We felt it was important to have a new era in design mostly because of technology, including autonomy and our new VC turbo. “We’ve made the cabin really long. It’s challenging to create elegant proportions with a short nose and long wheelbase.” The Q Inspiration is positioned as a flagship saloon, said Habib, slightly bigger in…

The new Mercedes G-Class will eventually be offered with pure electric and hybrid variants. Mercedes boss Dieter Zetsche admitted the latter would arrive first, highlighting one issue with electric in serious off-roaders: a battery fitted under the floor of a model that needs major ground clearance. When asked whether the set-up could accommodate a hybrid powertrain, G-Class boss Gunnar Güthenke said only that his team had the ability to react incredibly quickly if a hybrid-powered G-Class was required.…

CITROËN WILL LAUNCH a new large saloon to replace the C5 and C6 – and it will stand out by “bringing something different”, CEO Linda Jackson has said. The new Ford Mondeo rival, which was previewed by the C-xperience concept that was unveiled at the Paris motor show in 2016, will be launched in 2019 or 2020. Jackson said: “Having a large saloon is a crucial part of being a big manufacturer. To be credible, you need a range across small, medium and large cars, including SUVs.” Jackson confirmed that much of the business case for the car was built around demand in China, where large saloons continue to command significant sales and strong profit margins. Confirming that the C-xperience concept hinted at the saloon, Jackson said: “Like all concept…

After spells at BMW, Aston Martin and Ford, in 2005 Henrik Fisker set up his first firm, Fisker Coachbuild, to produce limited-run reworkings of other models. It also did design work for other firms including Tesla and its Model S in 2007. That year, Fisker formed his own electric car company, Fisker Automotive, launching the Karma sports car a year later. The firm was sued by Tesla, which claimed Fisker stole the its ideas; the suit was settled in Fisker’s favour. In 2011, there was a recall of the A123 Systems batteries Fisker was using for the Karma. A second recall the following year put A123 Systems into administration, shortly before a shipment of 282 Karmas at a port in New Jersey were destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. Fisker left the…

TESTER’S NOTE Design director Ian Callum would have you opt for 21-inch wheels. Under no circumstances should you do so. This car was developed on 19-inchers, so going larger does the ride no favours and Jag’s engineers a disservice. RL The E-Pace is not only Jaguar’s first compact SUV. It’s also the first Jaguar to be offered with just the four cylinders, and the first Jaguar to be manufactured abroad. Something of a shake-up, then, though one that was predictable given the spoils of this particular segment. And just to be clear: the forecast is that this car will outsell the F-Pace, which itself now accounts for more than half of the marque’s sales. Not that the status quo has been entirely disregarded. Diesel has faced a barrage of negative…

Even in chilly, damp conditions, the T-Roc made short work of fairly brisk progress around Millbrook’s Alpine hill route. Where taller, firmer-sprung crossovers can feel exposed for cornering grip and a little unforgiving when driven quickly, the VW shows its dynamic class by developing plenty of grip both on turn-in and under high lateral load. In tighter bends, its ability to carry speed and hit apices simultaneously belied expectations. VW’s stability control (ESC) almost imperceptibly prevents you from breaching the car’s grip levels with power as you accelerate out of corners but, like all the best similar systems, it feels as though it’s metering out power rather than reining it in. With the ESC off, meanwhile, you eventually become aware of the limitations of the four-wheel-drive system, which isn’t sophisticated…

After four years of Volkswagen domination, the World Rally Championship went a bit bonkers in 2017. Sure, Sébastien Ogier won the title for the fifth year in a row, but he did so driving for a privateer team based in Cockermouth, Cumbria. And he wasn’t really the fastest driver, except all his rivals kept crashing or hitting trouble. It was a welcome shake-up for a championship that had grown all too predictable – and the good news is we’re set for an encore this year. With four top teams all capable of scoring victories, two rally-winning British drivers and the return of the most successful driver in WRC history, 2018 could just be even crazier. Although, if we’re being honest, Ogier will probably win the title again. He’s good at…

The best hot hatch of all time We name the greatest. Read our longlist and then our top-five shoot-out. Andrew Frankel is your referee Renault Sport Mégane It’s back and we’ve driven it. And yes, it has a manual gearbox Your car’s future tech What kind of innovations will be in the car of tomorrow? EVERY WEEK VW Polo It shares tech with Seat’s Ibiza, but can it rob the best-in-class crown? Honda Civic Type R Our favourite hot hatch on sale joins our fleet. Is it also the best to live with? Vauxhall Monaro The Aussie import is now available from less than £7000. Go on then… BUMPER 100-PAGE SPECIAL ISSUE SUBSCRIBE autocar.co.uk/subscribe or see p24…

MILEAGE 37,870 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To delve into the world of aftermarket mods and discover how to respectfully improve on factory efforts The plan for our M135i project car was always to get the suspension sorted first to make it ride and handle the way we wanted it to. Next, we would fit a Quaife limited-slip differential, (LSD) and only then would we go anywhere near the engine. That is exactly how it has worked out so far, but with the engine now having been remapped to liberate a good wedge of extra power and torque, I felt somewhat sorry that the project was close to coming to an end. Which is precisely why I’ve twisted the arms of the good people at Birds – the tuning company we’ve…

MILEAGE 128,201 LAND ROVER SERIES 3 My Land Rover has been without any sort of ‘in-vehicle entertainment system’ for at least five years. I really wasn’t that bothered. The interior was always a noisy affair so what was the point of a radio? Well, it is a tad more refined these days. There is still a lot of noise, but there isn’t so much bouncing around. So I decided to begin the installation process by using some old TV speakers. The speakers actually fitted into the radius of the roof perfectly. Just 15kW each, but I think/hope they will do a job.…

“The engine is a delight – rich and creamy with a gravelly six-pot tone” If you’re looking at the pictures and wondering why you’ve never seen a Mercedes-Benz 190 like this one before, we don’t blame you. That’s because, first, the 190E 3.2 AMG was never made available with right-hand drive or for the UK. Second, even in the markets where it was made available, there aren’t all that many kicking around. Relatively few 3.2 AMGs were built compared with the more popular 2.5-16 (although AMG also offered the sports chassis, 16in wheels, bodykit and even the 3.2-litre engine separately as aftermarket accessories, so it was possible to build your own, non-official example). And finally, of course, there’s the fact that even in its home market, the 3.2 lived somewhat…

An expert’s view OLIVER STONER, PRESTIGE CAR SERVICE “We get around four C63s through the workshop every month. I’ve heard all the stories about noisy cam lifters and the rear head bolts failing on some cars – we’ve never seen those problems. We’ve seen lambda and thermostat issues, though. The thermostat sticks open, so it’s just warming up that suffers, rather than the engine being starved of coolant. They can use a bit of oil: one to two litres between services. The suspension is simple – no Airmatic – and as long as you steer clear of the Performance Pack brakes, discs are relatively cheap. One of my technicians owned a C63 Estate for 12 months and other than its running costs – 17mpg and £535 road tax – he…

Volkswagen Golf From £17,600 Expensive it may be, but there’s enough class here to make the price look reassuringly precise. A cut above. Ford Focus From £14,000 Has a blend of ride and handling that rivals can’t match. One of the UK’s most popular cars for all the right reasons. Seat Leon From £16,200 As always, a Golf in cheaper Spanish drag. Margins are cleverly engineered as a result, but this is the best Leon yet. Audi A3 Sportback From £19,200 Outstanding cabin quality, peppy engines and low ownership costs makes it good for those less interested in dynamic zest. Vauxhall Astra From £15,500 The current Astra is big on practicality, standard speci ication and choice of engines, but it is still an ordinary car to drive.…

“The performance flagship will feature a 300bhp 2.0 turbo petrol engine and four-wheel drive” BMW’s front-wheel-drive revolution is set to kick into high gear in 2019 with the launch of the third-generation 1 Series, although the flagship M130iX M Performance model will be four-wheel drive. The next 1 Series is described by one high-ranking official as a distinct turning point for the German car maker, which last year surrendered the global luxury car sales lead to its key rival, Mercedes-Benz, for the second consecutive year. The M130iX hot hatch will be a crucial part of the overhaul to front-wheel drive as BMW bids to prove that it can offer a credible front-drive performance model, alongside its traditionally successful rear-wheel-drive M cars. Currently in the early stages of development, BMW M’s…

In China, the BMW 1 Series’ switch to front-wheel drive has already happened. The 1 Series saloon built and sold in that country (and that country only, before you ring your dealer) is part of a joint venture with Brilliance. Smart looking, isn’t it? Size-wise, the 1 Series saloon closely matches the old E30-generation 3 Series. It looks a lot less ungainly than the current 1 Series hatchback for its switch to a transverse engine layout, something previously unthinkable from BMW. The benefit of that layout is chiefly interior packaging and making the cabin more spacious, particularly for rear passengers, which is so important for buyers in China. They’ll be satisfied. They’ll also be satisfied with the way it drives. What this 1 Series may lack in old-fashioned purity it…

Ford demonstrated its seriousness about building the Mustang and its new Mach 1 associate into a cohesive range of cars in its own right by launching two new conventional V8 Mustang models, a lightly tweaked GT dubbed the Mustang Bullitt (pictured, left) – so named to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the legendary Steve McQueen film this October – and a much higher-performance GT500 that doubles the power of the original performance Mustang model of 1967 and brings back the Shelby name. The Bullitt gets a gentle power hike from 450bhp to 475bhp and a standard six-speed manual gearbox and gives owners the colour choice of the original Highland Green or black. The only option is a sports pack (performance exhaust, magnetic shock absorbers), which means the car should sell…

Mini believes the launch of its first series-production electric model is a pivotal point in its history because it directly links to the core values for which Mini was created. Speaking to Autocar at the 2018 Mini launch in Brussels, brand boss Sebastian Mackensen said he believes the Mini Electric is the car Alec Issigonis, who was responsible for the original Mini 59 years ago, would have created had he been alive today. “We always joke and say if Issigonis would invent the Mini today, it would definitely be an electric car,” said Mackensen. “It is the answer to current challenges, as the original Mini was in 1959.” Mackensen also expects the first electric Mini, which was previewed by a concept at last year’s Frankfurt motor show, to handle more…

TESTER’S NOTE The ‘ePedal’ throttle calibration is clever and makes the Leaf easier to drive than its predecessor. I miss properly adjustable coast/regen settings, but Nissan’s market research suggests they’re too complex for Leaf owners. MS So that’s why it’s spelled out in block capital letters on all the billboards: because the name of the world’s best-selling electric car – the Nissan Leaf – is an acronym. Turns out they didn’t just name it in honour of Carlos Ghosn’s favourite rubber tree pot plant, after all. This car is Nissan’s ‘Leading Environmentally friendly Affordable Family vehicle’. Of course it is. And while it takes a bit of a fudge to turn that into the acronym in question (‘LEFAFV’ doesn’t have quite the same ring), the contrivance neatly conveys the car’s…

The fourth-generation Audi RS4 Avant is upon us. It comes with a base price scraping £60,000 and substantial mechanical changes to the underwhelming car it supersedes but, before any of that, know this: it is absurdly, vindictively quick on patchy UK tarmac. In fact, stretching this car to anything like its potential is a feat of mind over matter. You must override the monkey-brain that screams ‘lift’ and allow the car simply to get on with it. It’s a job that begins in the engine bay. Gone is the naturally aspirated V8 of the old model, replaced by a twin-turbo 2.9-litre petrol V6 shared with the RS5 and that takes a good measure of weight from the nose. Audi claims the exhaust note is reminiscent of the V6 in the…

When the Nissan Qashqai first entered production in 2006, no one could have predicted the impact that it would have on the car-buying masses. Combining the high-riding driving position of an SUV with the exterior dimensions of a more regular-sized hatchback, it marked the birth of what’s widely regarded as the first commercially successful crossover hatchback. Rivals were quick to launch their own takes on Nissan’s formula for sales success and as consumer appetites for crossovers developed, so have the cars. Those with more athletic styling and more dynamic, driver-focused handling traits have emerged of late, enlivening what was previously a rather snooze-inducing segment. Next to Seat’s excellent Ateca, Toyota’s striking C-HR and Audi’s upmarket Q2, Nissan’s reserved – yet still very complete – Qashqai suddenly seems old hat. The…

The T-Roc is one of countless compact crossovers introduced over the past six months, but it stands well clear of most within that melee as both something to look at and interact with. You’ll have your own view on the stylishness and desirability of this car, but to almost all of our testers, the T-Roc seems a very clever visual concoction of likeable compactness, coupé-like rakishness, SUV-like robustness and typical VW-brand smartness. To deny it credit for that here would be wrong. The T-Roc imposes a price for that style and the palatability of that price will depend, equally subjectively, on whether you need the greater occupant practicality that bigger crossovers in this segment afford. Indeed, it’s for the slightly disappointing accommodation level of its back seats, as well as…

FINAL REPORT MILEAGE 4725 WHY WE RAN IT Muscle car icon is officially being sold in the UK for the first time. But is it suited to UK life? Simplicity is something that the motor industry is missing these days. Cars have become super-complicated and cluttered with gadgetry but that’s not so with the Mustang. It is a long way up the technology tree from its 1960s ancestors and well equipped with all the essentials, but the Mustang retains that purity and is relatively uncomplicated. Those original pony cars were never stripped back or raw but had the luxury features of the day, including radios, interior courtesy lights, reclining seats and optional air conditioning. The Fastbacks even had modern fold-down rear seats to increase the load-carrying capacity and some GT…

Audi Coupé John Phillips told us that a friend of his son owns 47 cars. “They’re not all running, of course,” John said, “but they include four Audi Quattros, a Porsche 911 and a mixture of others he considers worth saving. I was allowed to see some of the cars, including a red Audi Quattro in a storage facility, and I was hooked. “On his advice, I bought an Audi Coupé – 1983 2.2 on 66,000 miles in silver. I have not been disappointed. It is a great drive, comparable with a modern car for ride quality, and holds its chosen line well. I love it.” SEND YOUR USED CAR TALES AND READERS' QUESTIONS TO ✉ james@bangernomics.com…

Alfa Romeo Brera £3995 What’s in a name? A lot, if that name’s Alfa Romeo. Such sporting heritage and Italian glamour can turn the most ordinary car into a deep, deep want, and this 2006 Brera offers exceptional chic for little more than loose change. With a 2.2-litre petrol engine, it goes pretty well, but you won’t be buying this car for its performance potential: you’ll be buying it for its horny badge and its seductive looks. BMW 640d M Sport Gran Coupé £26,950 New, this gorgeous four-seat, four-door BMW coupé will set you back £67,450, but you can pick up this 30,000-mile (barely run-in) 2014 model for the price of a new Renault Kadjar. This one has a punchy and frugal 3.0-litre diesel, an eight-speed automatic, sporty handling, limo…

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 911 Carrera From £73,500 Delivered on the eve of its sixth decade, the 991 is as brilliant and distinctive as any before. Tweaked GTS is the best. Jaguar F-Type From £51,300 A full-blooded assault on Porsche’s back yard, with noise, power and beauty. As characterful as any Jag, ever. Aston Martin Vantage From £85,000 What the Vantage lacks in agility it makes up for with presence and grunty V8 power. V12 S is something special too. Nissan GT-R From £80,000 Monstrously fast Nissan is more rounded, but remains a blunt instrument among sharper and more charismatic rivals. Lotus Evora From £64,000 The ride and handling put nearly everything else in its shade. Shame the interior doesn’t match the price tag.…

Ford has announced plans to spend $11 billion (about £8bn) on 40 new battery and hybrid cars between now and 2022. Spearheading the move will be a revolutionary high-performance battery-electric SUV heavily influenced by the Mustang sports car and provocatively dubbed Mach 1, a name associated with previous Mustang versions. The new investment announcement, made at last week’s Detroit motor show, dwarfs a previous commitment to spend around $4.5bn (£3.25bn) on electric cars over a slightly shorter period. It will include fresh investment in new electric-only platforms, but Ford bosses won’t yet reveal how many they intend to build. The company also intends to convert many of its existing internal-combustion models to 48V mild hybrids from 2019. “Once the mild hybrid programme starts, it’ll happen quite quickly,” said a spokesman.…

Mercedes-Benz is considering the addition of pure electric models to its AMG sub-brand, despite the in-house tuning division’s long-time devotion to thunderous V8s. “Are we going to see all-electric AMGs?” said Mercedes R&D boss Ola Källenius. “Why not? It is not a concrete programme at the moment, but it is conceivable. Besides, we have been there before.” Källenius is referring to the SLS Electric Drive project that saw a tiny number of all-electric SLS supercars built for specific customers. Asked what customers would think of an AMG without its trademark V8 soundtrack, he observed: “When we went to turbocharged engines, everyone thought that would be the end of the AMG character. But we don’t exactly get many complaints about that any more. We all love the sound of the V8…

“There’ll be new segments nobody has thought about. Some traditional companies are too slow to react” Henrik Fisker believes that the huge changes to the car industry brought on by autonomous and electrified machines will create a window of opportunity for start-up firms to thrive. “The sense of opportunity lies in having a menu of mobility options,” he told Autocar. “There are going to be new car segments that nobody has thought about and some of the traditional companies are too slow to react. Some will lose their traditional customers who’ve been sitting on the fence and in the next two or three years will say: ‘I’m going to try one of those new car companies because they seem like they know what they’re doing, they’re doing electric and they’re…

TESTER’S NOTE The Up GTI is the first VW to comply with new WLTP (Worldwide Harmonised Light-Duty Vehicles Test Procedure) and RDE (Real Driving Emissions) tests, which replace the old (and easier to fudge) New European Drive Cycle (NEDC) economy and emissions tests. MP You’re going to read a lot about the Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk1 when you read anything about this latest Volkswagen Up GTI because VW has pitched it as some kind of homage to its original (perhaps not the original) hot hatch. The Up and that first Golf have a similar level of power, for example, and not dissimilar performance figures, and all of the original’s design cues have been replicated here; just like they’ve been replicated on pretty much every GTI from every manufacturer since 1976.…

“The Abarth has an essential rightness a car like the Civic could not hope to emulate” However much motoring journalists might wish that they did, car buyers tend not to think in straight lines. They don’t organise cars into nebulous classes and categories, then restrict their trawl only to those that populate the most relevant resulting constituency. Recently I had a conversation with someone agonising over whether to buy a Porsche 911 or a supercharged Range Rover Sport, and another with someone wondering if their life would be spiced more by a Ferrari 488 GTB or a light aircraft. Indeed, the only thing likely to be common to all candidates on any shopping list is that whatever is bought must fit within a fixed budget. So perhaps we should not…

The prospect of an empty racetrack and a sports car is an enticing combination, but there are some substantial catches to making first acquaintance with the ‘Continuation’ Aston Martin DB4 GT at Silverstone on a damp day in January. The air temperature is a bracing six degrees, the greasy National Circuit hasn’t had a wheel turned in anger upon it since before the Christmas break – and the American buyer of the prototype that I’m driving isn’t going to want to find any extra patina when he takes delivery. Continuation models are clearly now a thing, with the DB4 GT following Jaguar’s decision to produce six new E-Type Lightweights, and having announced a similar run of nine XKSSs. But Aston’s project is altogether more ambitious, with the run of 25…

Anew year means a fresh start. The reset button has been hit and there are 12 shiny new months reaching out ahead of you, every one of them packed full of potential. You could view the passing of one year and the arrival of another as an opportunity to put that ill-advised used car purchase firmly behind you, or it might be the excuse you need to finally buy the sports car you’ve been promising yourself. This is our guide to the used driver’s cars – be they hot hatches, roadsters, fast saloons or sports coupés – that absolutely should be on your shopping list in 2018. We really have focused on driver’s cars here too – machines that, in one way or another, are truly fantastic to pedal along.…

The Dakar Rally has long stood at the pinnacle of off-road motorsport challenges, earning a reputation as the world’s toughest motor race, challenged only by the Isle of Man TT for brutality and the World Rally Championship for its test of endurance. These days, the threat of terrorism has driven it from Africa to South America, but it is no less of a challenge for it. This year’s event began on 6 January and concluded on 20 January, covering 5600 miles – half of them at competitive speeds – from Peru, via Bolivia and into Argentina. The longest day involved more than 550 miles of driving, the longest competitive section was 310 miles. Competitors had just one rest day. The event produces a raft of iconic images every year, but…

In reading Steve Cropley’s final report on the Audi S5 Cabriolet (Our Cars, 10 January), I couldn’t help thinking of how future potential progress in diesel engine technology will now be consigned to the dustbin. What s the connection? Just that the Audi A5 produces 369lb ft from its 3.0-litre petrol engine, but at an average of 26.2mpg. Torque is, I believe, a far more accurate indicator of an engine’s day-to-day usefulness than bhp. In , my SLK , its Euro 6-compliant 2.1-litre diesel lump, also produces 369lb ft, but is currently giving an overall 52.3mpg. To add icing to this cake, the Mercedes loses out by under one second on the 0-62mph dash. Who knows what diesel technology strides might have been taken by car makers in the future…

MILEAGE 6619 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To find out if Seat’s small car can truly live up to its Fiesta-beating crown Finally. I’d finally caught it out. As the revs dropped and my momentum began to wane, I thought I’d found the Seat Ibiza wanting. After a few thousand miles of motoring on every type of road, I’d failed to find a situation in which the Seat Ibiza’s engine didn’t exceed any expectations you could fairly place on a 94bhp 1.0-litre three-pot. Until now. Because, on a fiendishly steep hill just a few hundred metres from my family home in Clevedon, I finally found myself asking for power that the engine was unable to deliver. Or so I thought. First, some explanation. Clevedon, a picturesque Somerset seaside town (fact: Clevedon…

“Here’s a former stunt car still doing the business hauling a family of four plus the dog” James, my neighbour, has a C63 Estate, bought used from Mercedes-Benz Brooklands, home of Mercedes-Benz World, where, for about £90, you can hoof an AMG around a handling circuit. In fact, James’s 11-plate C63, was, for the first six months of its life, one of the centre’s ‘experience’ cars, more used to opposite lock than straight ahead. He loves it, since not only does it have the optional Performance Pack Plus that raised power from 451bhp to 480bhp, but it also, he reckons, has a bit more up its sleeve – around 20bhp. He may be right, since Mercedes-Benz Brooklands knows about tuned C63s (it was the sole supplier of the limited-run C63…

BMW 5 Series From £31,900 Not totally peerless, but nowhere is a segment class leader represented by such an obviously talented all-rounder. Jaguar XF From £29,900 Knocked from its perch by the new BMW, although it remains best for keen drivers. Reward and repose aren’t packaged any better. Mercedes-Benz E-Class From £34,400 A bit on the pricey side and less sporting to drive than its key rivals, but supremely comfortable, well put together and luxurious. Volvo S90 From £32,600 Tears up the business-smart formality of the segment and plays the refreshing, comfortable, appealing alternative well. Audi A6 From £32,300 Perfect for anyone looking for a smart of ice cubicle on wheels. Supremely well constructed, but soulless to drive.…

VOLKSWAGEN T-CROSS | LATE 2018 Having entered the crossover segment with the T-Roc, which we subject to our road test on page 36, VW is now preparing to go one size smaller to take on the Nissan Juke and Seat Arona. The T-Cross will get chunky styling and engines from the Polo. Price £17,000 (est). FEBRUARY Audi A7, RS4 Avant, BMW i3 update, i3 S, DS 7 Crossback, Ford Fiesta ST, Lamborghini Aventador S Roadster, Lexus CT and NX updates, Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, Porsche 718 Boxster GTS, 718 Cayman GTS, Subaru Impreza, Volkswagen Up GTI MARCH Aston Martin Vanquish S Ultimate, Zagato Shooting Brake, Zagato Speedster, Audi S7, BMW M5, X2, Ford Ecosport and Mustang updates, Honda Civic diesel, Jazz update, Lamborghini Urus, Land Rover Range Rover Velar SVR, Lister Thunder,…