Innholdsfortegnelse for Agosto 29, 2018 i Autocar

WITH ASTON MARTIN’S Valkyrie and the Project One from Mercedes-AMG soon to appear, and with the McLaren Senna already blowing our minds with its ability, this is truly a golden age for hypercars. Money-no-object machines such as these are incredible pieces of engineering; works of art as much as they are cars. Frankly, though, I’m more impressed with what you’ll find at the other end of the performance car market. For this is also a golden age for hot hatches, which offer attainable performance thrills at a relatively affordable price point. We’ve rounded up eight such cars for this year’s Britain’s Best Affordable Driver’s Car contest (see p38), and the strength in depth of the entry is a real reflection of the car industry’s ingenuity. The engineers who create such…

THE NEW MCLAREN 720S GT3 racing car has begun an extensive testing programme ahead of its introduction next year. Two development versions of the successor to the 650S GT3, which won more than 50 races, will take part in an extensive testing programme. More than 18,500 miles of running is planned, including a number of 24-hour and 36-hour tests. Built to GT3 regulations for customer GT championships, the 720S GT3 uses a race tuned version of the 720S road car’s M840T twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8, driven through a six-speed sequential gearbox. The engine has been tuned to deliver smoother torque and to boost efficiency for endurance races. The GT3 shares the Monocage II structure of the regular 720S, although extensive race-spec bodywork developments increase downforce. It also gains adjustable dampers with…

MERCEDES-BENZ HAS resurrected the spirit of its streamlined high-speed record breakers with the EQ Silver Arrow concept at Pebble Beach. The 5.3m-long single seater pays homage to the W125 Rekordwagen prototype, which hit 269mph on a closed German road in 1938. The super-slippery shape of the EQ Silver Arrow concept is combined with the use of active aero tech, such as spoilers that extend at speed, and a lightweight carbonfibre body. There’s only room for a driver in the wood-and-leather-lined cockpit. Destined to remain a one-off concept, it’s based around an extended version of Mercedes’ new modular electric platform, using a flat floor to house an 80kWh battery. The concept is powered by a 738bhp electric powertrain (13bhp more than the original V12 of the Rekordwagen). No performance figures have…

Whatever you think of the Lamborghini Urus, even if you find it so objectionable that you can hardly bear to look at these photographs, you must arrive at your opinion of it availed of two pieces of information. The first is that it is right and proper that this car exists. Lamborghini is no less a money-making concern than a house builder or an accountancy firm, and for it to overlook a vast and growing sector of the market on the grounds of some sort of imagined sacrosanctity, or to respect Ferruccio Lamborghini’s legacy, would be a curious self-punishment. Porsche, Maserati, Aston Martin, Bentley, Rolls-Royce and the rest are building SUVs of their own and Lamborghini would be mad to watch them gobble up the pie while it sat back…

Renault’s European battery car sales champion, the Zoe, has just been updated for 2018. It gets a more powerful electric motor, a revised touchscreen infotainment system, a new shade of paint and some new interior trim. So, having had 91bhp and 162lb ft to call its own last year, this year’s Zoe gets 107bhp and 166lb ft. The motor upgrade doesn’t affect its battery range, either. Renault says that it’s at long-distance speeds where you’ll notice the difference made by the Zoe’s motor upgrade and that the new version is fully two seconds faster-accelerating from 50mph to 75mph than the old R90 one was. But to this tester, the car felt quicker than its forebear at urban speeds, too. The Zoe now really zips away from standing, and up to…

When Kia Motors broke ground on its first wholly owned factory outside of its home territory, in Slovakia in 2004, it might have imagined getting to this point more quickly, but be that as it may. At the third time of asking, the firm seems finally to have succeeded in making a European-style family hatchback that is designed, engineered, finished and tuned to a standard of which a great many of its better-established European rivals would be rightly proud. After a couple of nearly cars, the Ceed has fulfilled its potential. That doesn’t mean it has become a class-leading car in our estimation, but it certainly now has a roster of static and dynamic qualities that’s long enough to make it more worthy of recommendation than all but the very…

FINAL REPORT MILEAGE 14,982 WHY WE RAN IT To ascertain if so much power and four-wheel drive are assets or unnecessary excess. And, well, because it’s an M5… What’s it like to run a supercar? What’s it like to run an executive car? It’s possible that both of these questions can be answered by explaining what it’s like to run a BMW M5. We’ve had one for a few months, in which time we’ve covered 10,000 miles. You might well suspect that the BMW M5 isn’t like a supercar at all, despite the fact that it makes 592bhp. It hasn’t needed a service, nothing has fallen off, I haven’t grounded it on a speed ramp, nobody has tried to race me away from traffic lights and people haven’t called me…

QUESTION Is there any essential equipment I should take with me when I go to inspect a used car? Jon Webber, Torquay ANSWER There’s usually a long list of things, but the one we’d recommend over all others for everyone from an expert to an amateur is a torch. Armed with that and pairs of eyes and hands, you can see and touch a lot of the bits of a used car that might set alarm bells ringing. Whether you have the knowledge to know that what you’re looking at is potential trouble will depend on your level of experience, but the basics of rust and decay should be obvious. JH QUESTION I want to go as bargain basement as I can. Where’s the best place to find cars that…

OFFBEAT V6 SUV Remember Infiniti? Of course you do, because the brand is still tapping away trying to carve a niche in the premium market. You’ve got to love a trier. Back in the day, when Infiniti decided to try to crack Europe, it had a sometimes wildly inappropriate line-up of cars which were often more appealing than the more mainstream offerings the firm sells now. Chief among them was the FX, a big brute of an over-styled SUV which was in many ways ahead of its time for its out-there styling. In V6 diesel form it warranted a reasonable, if not eye-catching, three-star review from our road testers and drew praise for the way it drove (other than off-road, where testers noted it had “little ability”), exceptional build quality…

CITROEN ID19 Let the arguments begin: when is a DS not a DS? When it is an ID19, of course, this model being a cheaper version of Citroën’s premium version and featuring more conventional steering and suspension, a detuned engine and a less luxurious interior. Before anyone peers down their nose, look at the photo and ask yourself if you wouldn’t be proud to rock up in this piece of French automotive history. This 1962 example, up for sale at Anglia Car Auctions, has an MOT until next April but a failed clutch. The reserve price of £4250-£6250 reflects that. GET IT WHILE YOU CAN Audi Q3 Price new £29,495, price now £20,720 Having an Audi on the drive is all that some people want. And why not? A Q3…

“ The limited-volume Z4 M40i M Performance First Edition goes from 0-62mph in 4.6sec ” BMW has revealed its new, third-generation Z4, with a renewed focus on driving dynamics to take on the Porsche 718 Boxster. The new Z4, developed in conjunction with Toyota’s upcoming Supra, made its public debut in the US at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California, with global sales due to commence later this year. The new roadster will make its European debut at the Paris show in September, when BMW will reveal more about its mechanical package ahead of right-hand-drive deliveries to the UK early next year. The first derivative to be unveiled is the flagship M40i Performance First Edition, which will use a 335bhp turbocharged 3.0-litre straight six. The 718 Boxster rival has…

PININFARINA HAS SHOWN its upcoming PFO electric hypercar to potential customers at a private event at Pebble Beach — and released an image that details some of the car’s rear. The PFO is set to cost about £2 million and is expected to go on sale in 2020. Based on Rimac’s latest EV platform, the PF0 is said to be capable of covering 0-62mph in “less than two seconds” and crack 186mph. A driving range of 310 miles is promised. The company aims to sell 150 examples globally. The PF0 is the first production car branded purely as a Pininfarina and is described by chairman Paolo Pininfarina as the realisation “of an American dream”. It’s the first of several pure electric models due to be produced by the Italian design…

MCLAREN HAS ALSO revealed a 600LT shod in bespoke upgrades from the firm’s MSO division. The car features a number of carbonfibre parts, including an F1-Longtail inspired air intake scoop, bodykit and roof. Lightweight carbonfibre seats are sourced from the McLaren Senna and feature six-point harnesses, and an upgraded Bowers & Wilkins sound system is also showcased. Detail touches, which can be specified by potential 600LT owners, include bespoke embroidery, ‘600LT’ etching on the throttle pedal and even a set of hand-painted keys.…

“ If the BMW-Great Wall project goes ahead, the 2023 Mini family will be quite different ” The future of the Mini brand is being radically rethought as its BMW parent makes major changes to its product plans. Autocar understands that plans for a new fourth-generation Mini have been pushed back and any new model will not appear before 2023. Even the major makeover scheduled for today’s Mini range in late 2019 might be canned as part of BMW’s comprehensive planning overhaul. One plan for the Oxford based brand would see BMW and Chinese car maker Great Wall teaming up to engineer a new small front-wheel-drive platform, which would be used for an all-new range of Minis to be launched from 2023. Sources also say the fourth-generation Mini range is…

PORSCHE CLASSIC HAS revealed a one-off 993-era 911 Turbo S built from an original bodyshell but using all-new parts. Making its public debut at the Porsche Rennsport Reunion at Laguna Seca, the car, dubbed ‘Project Gold’, is a track-only restored model in which the bodyshell is the only original part carried over. The rest, some 6500 parts, were made using the original specs by the Porsche Classic division. It includes an original 444bhp twin-turbo 3.6-litre flat six engine, four-wheel drive system and gearbox. Finished in gold paint, the car pays homage to the far more recent 911 Turbo S Exclusive Series. The car is the 346th 993-era Turbo S produced and features a ‘1 of 1’ plaque inside, announcing its one-off status. It’ll be sold at auction by RM Sotheby’s…

MODEL TESTED 1.6 CRDI 115 2 Price £19,545 Power 113bhp Torque 207lb ft 0-60mph 9.9sec 30-70mph in fourth 18.1sec Fuel economy 49.7mpg CO2 emissions 99g/km 70-0mph 48.0m over the course of the past decade, the Ceed has been the instrument through which its globally ascendant creator has sought to convince the most discerning car buyers in the world that it deserves a mention in the same breath as Volkswagen, Toyota, Renault, Nissan, Ford, Peugeot, Citroën and others; and that it can make cars of matching style, quality, performance and dynamic sophistication as those brands do. The larger Stinger has lately taken on a talismanic role in that mission and the popular and handsome Sportage crossover has, at times, assumed a similar one. But the Ceed – an entrant into the important…

It’s that time of year again: lock away your bank cards and bury your smartphone in the garden, I because we’re going to decide this year’s most cost-effective route to performance thrills, handling poise and driver engagement. Last year the not-for-wallflowers Honda Civic Type R topped an order full of full-fat, full-sized hot hatchbacks that included the Mercedes-AMG A45, Volkswagen Golf R, Ford Focus RS and Audi RS3 Sportback, in doing so proving that you don’t need to spend Porsche Cayman levels of cash in order to get the best of this particular breed. But this year we’re sliding our definition of ‘affordable’ downwards in a direction which should please your mortgage advisor. This year’s flurry of new, downsized pocket rockets, ranging from the £14k VW Up GTI to the…

We’ve been here before. Not here here – sitting in the shadow of the Forth Railway Bridge at 4:30am – but rather in a brand-new Ford facing an unlikely challenge. From a round-Europe trip in the first Mondeo to 12,000 miles in a week in the original Focus, without ever leaving the warm embrace of the M25 motorway. For the all-new fourth-generation Focus, we’re aiming for a distilled adventure: shorter but just as tough. We’ve set one of the first examples of the new Focus to arrive in the UK the simple mission of visiting the maximum number of our favourite driving roads in just once day. Hence Edinburgh and a not quite dawn start. WE DRIVE AT DAWN The chosen Focus is an appropriately mid-range example. This is meant…

Let me spell it out for you Fifty years ago, as a ten-year-old, I was one of the winners who correctly identified the grilles of 32 different cars in a competition on the back of a Kellogg’s Corn Flakes packet. I won the largest Scalextric set available at the time and became everyone’s best friend at my school. Today car manufacturers spend indecent amounts on marketing their individual brands, but I have noticed that what must be their insecurity has led many to spell out their brand name across the tailgate – an expensively nurtured, iconic logo doesn’t seem to be enough any more. Bentley, Porsche, Jaguar and Aston Martin, to name a few, are all guilty. For others who rely upon the brand logo alone, they screw it up…

MILEAGE 4828 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To find out if the new, turbo Swift Sport still offers good, simple hot hatch fun that can compete with the best in class The owner of the Bentley Continental GT wasn’t taking any chances. To the chagrin of the car park official at Rockingham Motor Speedway trying to make the most efficient use of space, he left a huge gap between his car and my Suzuki Swift Sport. It was, he assured me, nothing personal. He’d only taken delivery of the car three days earlier and was taking absolutely no chances. In return, I assured him that I had no desire to swing a car door into the side of his fresh Bentley. But, frankly, I couldn’t blame him for doing everything in…

I might have written recently that the Ruppert family Golf, also known as ‘Gordon the Golfer’, is no bother whatsoever – and that continues to be the case. The Queen’s Highway, though, is littered with obstacles, and one that could not be avoided due to heavy traffic was this important part of a trailer, which got wedged underneath. The errant wheel punctured the plastic engine cover, but I managed to pull it out. Cable ties have stopped the cover from flapping around for the time being and nothing important seems to have been snagged. We will investigate further.…

Plus 4: it sounds like a pair of baggy trousers, but while older Morgan Plus 4s can feel distinctly loose, with their rotting ash frames, rusty chassis and unassisted brakes, the version made from 1992 and considered here is a very different animal – more Lycra than tweed. In truth, things for the little roadster had started to improve a few years earlier. In 1986 the ash frame came treated with Cuprinol wood preservative as standard. Two years later, in 1988, the model gained Rover’s punchy, 135bhp M16 16-valve 2.0-litre engine, along with the firm’s five-speed gearbox. Now the Plus 4 was looking and feeling in better shape for the new decade, an impression borne out by the rush of orders that followed – despite Sir John Harvey Jones’s mauling…

Audi has unveiled its new PB18 E-tron concept at the 2018 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. The car previews a potential electric successor to the R8. As well as providing a foretaste of Audi’s “high-performance supercar of tomorrow”, the 764bhp concept also hints at plans by the German car maker to adopt the latest in lightweight, solid-state battery technology. With a body constructed of aluminium, carbonfibre and plastic composite, the new four-wheel-drive Audi is said to weigh less than 1550kg. The PB18 E-tron draws on the styling lineage first established on the 2017 Audi Aicon concept, albeit with a more dramatic cab-forward silhouette. An extended cockpit incorporates tapered rear side windows and a large back window that hint at the look of a modern-day shooting brake. Key design elements include a…

Bugatti has used the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance in California to unveil its new Chiron-based Divo hypercar. Limited to 40 examples, and already sold out despite its €5 million (£4.5m) price, the Divo features a bespoke exterior design, modified chassis and improved aerodynamics. The result is a claimed 8sec improvement on the Chiron’s lap time around the Nardo handling circuit. The Divo — named after two-time Targa Florio winner Albert Divo — features an aggressive redesign that includes a distinctive front end look. A large front splitter boosts downforce and feeds air to the enlarged intakes, while new vertically oriented LED headlights give the Divo a unique lighting signature. Great attention has been paid to improving brake and powertrain cooling through a raft of new inlets across the bonnet and…

The Aventador SVJ, which has been revealed at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, lays claim to being the fastest Lamborghini on sale today. With 759bhp and 531lb ft on tap, the SVJ — which stands for Superveloce Jota — matches the power output of the super-limited Centenario and is 29bhp more powerful than the Aventador S. These reserves are delivered by a tuned version of the firm’s naturally aspirated 6.5-litre V12 and transmitted to the road through all four wheels. Four-wheel steering is also fitted, as on the Aventador SV, but the SVJ builds upon that car’s agility with the second generation of Lamborghini’s active aerodynamics system (ALA 2.0). Improvements over the first system include redesigned air inlets. This system helped the SVJ to lap the Nürburgring in 6min 44.97sec…

THE MERCEDES-AMG GT R Roadster will go on sale next year as the brand’s most hardcore drop-top yet. The C version is currently the flagship convertible in the range of the front-engined sports car and AMG was previously undecided about whether to produce an R version. However, that decision now looks to have been made because this prototype, seen testing at the Nürburgring, sport familiar R design cues. The roof mechanism and structural additions are expected to add around 35kg to the 577bhp GT R’s kerb weight. That could add a couple of tenths to the coupé’s 3.6sec 0-62mph time. Minor revisions to the suspension are also likely. The car’s arrival will coincide with a number of updates for the GT range.…

Jaguar will put the electric E-Type Zero into production following the enthusiastic reception received by a one-off concept version unveiled last year. Jaguar Land Rover Classic, the company’s fast-growing heritage division, will sell original E-Types that have been restored and converted to run on battery power. It will also offer a conversion service for owners of existing E-Types, alongside its current E-Type Reborn restoration programme. First deliveries are expected in summer 2020. The firm hasn’t released full technical specs but has said it is aiming for a range of more than 170 miles using a 40kWh battery. The E-Type Zero concept shown last year featured a 295bhp electric motor and had a claimed 150mph top speed — matching the original 1961 car’s — and a 0-60mph time of 5.5sec. The…

The Audi Q8 is an impressive and highly competent luxury car that hasn’t quite got the styling verve or intoxicating performance to set it apart from the established sports SUV set. Well, not yet, anyway. That, more or less, was our verdict a few months back when we first drove Audi’s new flagship Q-car in Chile. Now we’ve driven it on the UK’s roads, not a lot has changed to move our opinion on. The SUV here is an S-Line model, similar to the one we drove before, while the 282bhp 3.0-litre V6 diesel – designated ‘50 TDI’ – remains the only engine currently available. The only difference this time around is that we’re in Buckinghamshire, not the Andes, to find out how the Q8 copes on British roads –…

Despite having its outright grip and balance compromised by its tyre specification, the Ceed showed off a creditable depth of dynamic integrity on the Millbrook hill route, handling with linearity of response and staying stable and predictable even when leant on hard. The eco tyres make it begin to understeer earlier than you might expect, although only markedly so when you set out to carry more speed through corners than you would in typical road driving. Mid-corner balance is good, even under plenty of lateral loading, and traction on the exit of corners is respectable. The car maintains good lateral control of its body at all times, and although its stability control system remains active even when it claims to be deactivated, it intervenes harshly only when you introduce adverse…

“I wouldn't swap the A110 for a new Ferrari, Lamborghini or Porsche” Vic Norman’s Alpine A110 arrived last week. The first right-hand-drive A110 in customer hands. Not surprisingly, he’s extremely excited. More revved up about the arrival of a new car, he says, than he’s been in decades, perhaps ever. That is quite a statement from an enthusiast whose back catalogue is dramatic in the extreme. At one time his garage contained not only a Ferrari 250 GTO but also an aluminium-bodied 250 SWB. They were second-hand of course, but Norman also bought a new AC Cobra in the 1960s, a couple of new Dinos in the 1970s and a Ford GT40 that, according to Norman, was his wife’s shopping car. So why all this emotion over a small, French…

ON SALE 5 SEPTEMBER FEATURE The Jaguar XJ at 50 Andrew Frankel celebrates one of the great British saloons with a drive in the fastest yet. Plus, Ian Callum discusses the future of Jag design. FEATURE How to fall in love with driving The best ways to have fun on four wheels, whatever your budget. NEWS Mercedes-Benz EQ C revealed Full details on the first model in Merc’s new electric sub-brand. SUBSCRIBE autocar.co.uk/subscribe or see p22 EVERY WEEK ROAD TEST DS7 Crossback First new-era DS targets Europe’s SUV heartland. Is it any good? USED BUYING GUIDE Citroën C6 Tired of your big German executive saloons? Citroën has the antidote. LONG TERM TEST Mercedes-Benz X-Class Posh pick-up’s stint with us is up. Steve Cropley delivers his verdict.…

MILEAGE 4376 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT We’ve had a diesel vRS for three months. Now it’s a petrol vRS for three months. Which makes the better buy? I don’t have a dog or any children, my wardrobe removal business is yet to get off the ground and you’re more likely to see me swim the Channel in a tutu than voluntarily undertake any DIY task. Basically, I don’t have much need for an estate car. Yet on a couple of occasions recently, I’ve found myself putting the vRS’s spacious rear seats and enormous boot to good use. The first occasion was an early morning dash from home in Bristol to Bicester Heritage with three carmad friends. We were going to the Luftgekühlt event – a gathering of air-cooled Porsches, basically…

Alan Horsman has so enjoyed some of the stories on these pages recently he was inspired to submit his own: “I’ve purchased a BMW 330ci Clubsport, manual on 52 plate, 97,000 miles, FSH in Estoril blue for £5200. And there are only about 400 left on the road. It looks amazing and classy. They sure built them well in those days. With this type of car, it is best to purchase while it is still relatively affordable.” Wise words from Alan. Buying at the right price at the right moment is the key to used car satisfaction. SEND YOUR USED CAR TALES TO james@bangernomics.com AND READERS' QUESTIONS TO autocar@haymarket.com…

An expert’s view PHIL BENFIELD, ALLON WHITE SPORTS CARS “Morgans are special. No two are the same, each one has character and soul. There’s a lot of misinformation circulating about the cars, that the chassis is wooden, for example [it’s steel]. Another is that they’re a sure-fire investment that’ll make you a fortune. True, after 10 years a used Plus 4 will be worth more than you paid for it, but don’t expect to clean up overnight. A 1988 E-reg Plus 4 that was £16,000 five years ago costs around £19,500 today.” Buyer beware… ▪ ENGINE Look for oil and rad leaks. Servicing is 5000 miles or 12 months (10,000 miles on post-2010 cars). Lack of use affects perishables like rubber hoses. Ensure any start-up smoke clears quickly. ▪ TRANSMISSION The…