Innholdsfortegnelse for September 05, 2018 i Autocar

ASTON MARTIN’S DECISION to float in part on the Stock Exchange will reward its shareholders handsomely. The flotation value of £4-5 billion is extraordinary for a company that Ford sold for £479 million 11 years ago and which has made a loss for most of the years since. That dramatic increase in value is credit to the work of boss Andy Palmer, who has galvanised the company behind his ‘Second Century’ plan. The first three models to emerge from it, the DB11, Vantage and DBS, have been outstanding, but for the final four cars Aston is entering uncharted territory by launching models with no direct predecessor, starting with next year’s DBX SUV (p6). The idea of an Aston SUV is no longer as alien as it once was, yet much…

JAGUAR IS SET to release a facelifted XE next year and prototypes are hot weather testing in the US. The BMW 3 Series rival will receive minor revisions to the exterior design, alongside technology, material and fit and finish improvements inside. Semi-autonomous features would also help to keep the compact executive car competitive with fresher-faced rivals. It’s likely that a 48V mild-hybrid system will make its way onto many of the 2019 XE’s engines, boosting efficiency for the four-pot petrol and diesel line-up. The recently introduced range-topper, the all-wheel-drive 300 Sport, is expected to be carried over largely unchanged. Mild refinement upgrades should feature and chassis tweaks would ensure the XE better balances ride comfort and handling. Nothing has been confirmed yet, but we could see the updated XE at…

VOLKSWAGEN LOOKS SET to team up with Ford to develop a shared pick-up platform, according to sources close to the German brand. The move would mean that a future truck based on the Atlas Tanoak would share its platform with a successor to the existing Ford Ranger. The deal would be an extension of a proposed ‘strategic alliance’ between the two industry giants to help boost the competitiveness of both companies through sharing development costs. Previously, the deal mentioned only the development of new commercial vehicles together. A new ladder-frame chassis could be developed as part of the deal, which is yet to be officially confirmed. That would help Volkswagen to boost the profitability of models such as the US-aimed Atlas Tanoak, allowing it to sit above the Amarok in…

LADA’S NEW 4x4 Vision concept was revealed in Moscow, previewing what a successor to the firm’s long-running Niva off-roader could look like when it arrives in 2022. The 4x4 Vision takes its styling cues from the current Lada range and features ‘X-motif’ design cues inspired by the X-Ray SUV. It also has “clear DNA connections to the original 4x4”, according to Lada design chief Steve Mattin. The 4x4 Vision features five doors, although the rear doors are disguised by the sculpted bodywork so the car echoes the original Niva’s three-door design. The next-generation 4x4 will get a new nameplate when it is launched in 2022, following the company’s sale of the rights to the Niva name to General Motors. The original 4x4 has been produced largely unaltered since its debut…

In a market in which there seems to be another six-figure ‘super-SUV’ along every other week, with everyone from Aston Martin to Rolls-Royce gearing up to launch one, what future is there for the pumped-up, AMG-engined Mercedes Gelandewagen? Will anyone be willing to part with upwards of £140,000 for this boxy throwback, you might wonder? If you’re looking for luxury, capability, convenience and conferred status from an exotic SUV, you could have a Bentley Bentayga for the same money, a Range Rover Sport SVR for a lot less, or a Lamborghini Urus for not much more. Well you might wonder. For a while, at least: until the new G63 rolls into the car park in which you’ve been waiting for it, side-exit exhausts burbling hilariously and brooding with enough visual…

Think of the i30 N Line as a mashup of Hyundai’s rather exciting i30 N hot hatchback and the not-so-exciting standard car that a member of the village bowls club might be inclined to buy. It’s an increasingly common formula: take the name of nearly any manufacturer’s more hardcore performance division, slap ‘line’ on as a suffix and, voilà, you have a new model that looks fast, but isn’t really. Ford has done it with its ST-Line models, Volkswagen’s got R-Line and, at the other end of the spectrum, Mercedes has AMG-Line. As with those models, the changes wrought on this N Line car are largely aesthetic. The front and rear bumpers ape those you’ll find on the i30 N. You get 18in alloy wheels shod in 225/40-section Michelin Pilot…

Fifteen years has had a rather profound evolutionary effect on the Cayenne Turbo, the original super-SUV that was potent in its abilities yet divisive among purists. For 2018, Porsche’s flagship SUV is now not only considerably easier on the eye but also far more technologically sophisticated and brutally quick in a straight line and on a challenging stretch of road. However, where the Cayenne once distinguished itself against its immediate rivals with its heightened ability to truly engage and enthral keen drivers, the same isn’t necessarily true of this new one. Some of that fervid temperament and dynamic prowess has been toned down in a bid to broaden the Cayenne’s appeal; to help sell it to those who still want a devastatingly quick SUV but don’t want to sacrifice comfort,…

CITROEN C1 £3500 The C1 Racing Club was formed as a spiritual successor to the Citroën 2CV series, where running costs had begun to escalate. The club says a C1 can be bought and race-prepared for less than £3500. Once built, the little C1 racing car is more fun to drive than you would ever believe. The race calendar is made up of 19 rounds, mostly in the UK, with a handful of trips to the Continent. It features 24-hour races, too, including one at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. Little wonder the series is proving so popular. 750MC LOCOST £3000 The 750 Motor Club’s Locost championship is so deliberately geared around affordability that it even says so in the name. The tyres, for instance, cost £35 each and will last a…

Speeding idea is not fine I read that some high-ranking police are intent on implementing fines to motorists who exceed speed limits by only 1mph. It has to be said that speed doesn’t kill, but stupidity does. We need to ban the technology in cars that allows texts and emails to be read out and teach all to drive to the conditions we are faced with while looking out of the windows, not panicking about our speed or the next text. Motoring organisations such as the AA need to be stronger in their stance on this. How can holding a phone in your hand be any more dangerous than trying to type into a touchscreen on the move? These people in charge need assistance – and quickly. Kerry GiddingsVia email…

MILEAGE 2389 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see if a cut-price luxury offering can be as urbane to live with as it is to look at Can a hatchback/fastback do everything an estate car or SUV can? I didn’t plan on finding out, but logistical headaches meant I had do. Pictured here is my lad, Red. Red is 15, and before the summer break he came home from school and said he fancied swimming the English channel during the holidays. Which is fine, we said, but are you sure you can swim that far? Besides, where do we get the goose fat? Alright, he said, how about I run from one side of the country to the other? Great, we said. At Hadrian’s Wall, which stretches from Bownesson-Solway to Wallsend…

QUESTION I have a Seat Leon ST FR Technology, which I love, but I’m due to change next year. Do I stick with a Leon or should I look at an Ateca? Adam Harvey, via Twitter ANSWER You’re unlikely to be disappointed by an Ateca if you like your Leon: they share a broadly similar interior and both drive really well. Bear in mind that the Leon is better value for money as a used prospect. Even high-spec FR Tech Leons are cheaper than the most more poorly equipped SE Tech Atecas. Also the Leon has the bigger boot with the seats up, so we’d lean more towards the Leon. MA QUESTION Which colour is least popular with used car buyers at the moment? Tim Bakersfield, Bramley ANSWER The Society…

The Citroën C6 of 2006-12 must be one of the few cars that was launched with its own specially commissioned garage. Described by the building’s designer as “an envelope to present the C6 in a truly unique and independent environment”, the garage, designed by architect Neutral, was made from light-transmitting concrete (it had optical fibres embedded in it) and cost £112,000, or about three times as much as the most expensive C6. You won’t find any for sale in the small ads today. On the other hand, there are a few examples of the car it was intended to accommodate. A few, note, not loads, since the C6 never caught on among the Audi and BMW drivers at which it was aimed. Well, sort-of aimed. The thing was, the C6…

Your choice is a little limited if you’re after a convertible with a V8 engine that costs around £15,000. There’s the Jaguar XKR, but at that price point most are first-generation cars. Then there’s the BMW 650i, but that’s more of a luxury four-seat grand tourer. If you turn your attention to Mercedes, though, you could get an SL55 AMG, which has a superb 469bhp 5.5-litre supercharged V8. Mind you, these are complicated cars, so ensure all the electrical gadgets work. Also, check the roof for leaks. At £15,052, including the auction premium, it’s a lot of car for the money. GET IT WHILE YOU CAN Kia Cee’d Sportswagon Price new £23,960. Price now £14,820 Kia has just replaced the old Cee’d with an all-new Ceed (without the apostrophe) so…

“The DBX’s development is now nearly complete ahead of a world debut in around a year’s time” Aston Martin’s comeback is to be crowned by the most radical model in its illustrious history and the flagstone of its expansion: the DBX SUV. First previewed as a concept in 2015, the DBX’s development is now nearly complete ahead of a planned world debut in around a year’s time, with sales due to start in early 2020. The DBX — which will compete against the likes of the Lamborghini Urus, Bentley Bentayga, Rolls-Royce Cullinan and upcoming Ferrari SUV — breaks new ground for Aston in several areas. It’s the firm’s first SUV, the most controversial of body types for such a brand but also potentially the bestselling and most profitable. Indeed, so…

THE NEXT-GENERATION Porsche 911 GT3 will follow the rest of the range by adopting turbocharging, according to sources close to the German car maker. Early prototypes of the more track-focused model have been seen testing in preparation for its 2020 launch. The GT3 is expected to inherit the 911 Turbo’s 3.8-litre flat six motor, rated to deliver somewhere in the region of 520bhp. It’s not known if a manual variant will be offered but it looks increasingly unlikely.…

THE NEW TOYOTA Auris has been rebadged Corolla ahead of its introduction next year, bringing the name back to the UK market after a 13-year absence. The decision has been made after the new Ford Focus rival was launched back in March, when it was still badged Auris. At the same time, Toyota has revealed the Touring Sports estate version of the Corolla ahead of its market debut in 2019. It features the same engine range as the hatchback, with a 114bhp 1.2-litre turbo petrol as the entry point, plus a Priussourced 121bhp 1.8-litre petrol hybrid and a 178bhp 2.0-litre petrol hybrid topping the range. The Touring Sports’ 2700mm wheelbase is 60mm longer than the hatchback’s, with Toyota claiming best-in-class rear leg room. It also gets a 598-litre boot with…

Chinese electric startup Byton has recently secured £385 million in funding to help it take on established players such as Tesla. The company’s chief vehicle engineer is Irishman David Twohig, who formerly worked for the Renault-Nissan Alliance and won the Mundy Award for Engineering at this year’s Autocar Awards for his work on the Alpine A110. We caught up with Twohig at the Pebble Beach Concours event to find out more about Byton’s ambitious plans. Where is Byton in terms of products? “Getting close. Launch is committed for China in 2019, we’ll do North America a few months later and we’ll be in Europe at the back end of 2020. The plant at Nanjing is going ahead at a speed I’ve never seen in 26 years in the car industry.…

MODEL TESTED TURBO Price £99,291 Power 542bhp Torque 568lb ft 0-60mph 3.9sec 30-70mph in fourth 5.9sec Fuel economy 20.7mpg CO2 emissions 267g/km 70-0mph 44.5m The automotive landscape into which the third-generation Porsche Cayenne Turbo is now emerging is very different from the one into which the 2003 original exploded, like a lump hammer bludgeoning its way through a plasterboard wall. Today, the idea of a 542bhp luxury SUV ready to handle like a super-saloon at one moment, before disappearing off the beaten track and over the mud the next, isn’t that hard to contemplate. Several brands offer one. In 2003, however, there was nothing in the world quite like this car. And although some still don’t like to admit as much, there were very few more powerful tributes to the growing…

There is a curious irony that lurks at the heart of retrospective drive stories like this. For while my brief, or at least part thereof, is to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Jaguar XJ and have a sentimental wander around the many lanes that took it from that date to this, the cars that represented the best of the breed only ever focused on the future. ’Twas ever thus: throughout history, the cars that make us want to look back are almost exclusively those that chose to look forward. And despite the historical and somewhat stereotypical image of a Jaguar being what you bought yourself as a retirement present, Jaguars themselves have delighted in doing it differently. Even today this Jaguar XJR575 feels deliciously iconoclastic. The hot Mercedes, BMWs…

To you, me and Lloyd, this is a Rover 75 coupé. To the DVLA, it’s a Lloyd Viking 75C, as its creator has christened it. I have just driven Rover’s latest model. It’s the handsome production version of a concept the company revealed in 2004, finely executed from its flush-fit windscreens to its frameless door glass and bespoke alloy wheels. A premium model, like the car it’s derived from, this handsome two-door is classy enough that many might reckon it to be a mini-Bentley GT. Only rarer. So rare, in fact, that there will likely be no more than one example of a car not developed at Rover’s last home of Longbridge but in a tiny village in south-western Wales, near Haverfordwest. Its birthplace is a slightly larger than average…

RENAULTSPORT CLIO 172 £1000 That Porsche 911 GT3 RS might well come flying past you every five laps, but the satisfaction will be all yours. After all, your entire track day car cost you less than the price of a set of tyres for the GT3 RS. And should you suffer a mechanical failure or misjudge your line into a demanding corner and end up gently interfacing with a tyre barrier, you’ll simply laugh it off. Bargain-basement track day driving might just be the most entertaining sort. The car that ignited Renaultsport’s hot hatch hegemony in the modern era has the kind of edgy handling balance that’ll keep you smiling all day long. CATERHAM SEVEN £10,000 Burning through tyres and brake pads does mean the cost of track driving can…

PORSCHE BOXSTER £4000 It’s a poor man’s Porsche. No, it’s a hairdresser’s car. Quite why the Boxster has been so maligned over the years is anyone’s guess, but all you really need to know about Porsche’s mid-engined roadster is that it’s great to drive and not at all expensive to buy. It is a purpose-built sports car, too, based on a platform designed from a clean sheet to be an entertaining driver’s car. Not even the E46-generation BMW M3, let alone the Audi TT, can claim that. Problems? Intermediate shaft bearing failure and leaky rear main oil seals are the biggies. HONDA S2000 £6000 The Honda S2000’s handing balance can be a little, well, unforgiving at times. They aren’t inherently dangerous cars: they simply need to be treated with some…

GREAT REASONS TO BUY ON SALE 12 SEPTEMBER USED GUIDE The 90 best used cars from the 1990s The decade of Britpop, TFI Friday and New Labour also produced some great cars, many of which are now bargains. Find out which to buy FEATURE 1994: the best year for cars Colin Goodwin on why car lovers never had it better than this INVESTIGATION Lada: what happened next? The butt of 1990s car jokes, Lada is now a big deal. We find out why EVERY WEEK ROAD TEST Jaguar I-Pace The full eight-page appraisal of the most radical Jaguar model yet FIRST DRIVE Audi A6 Avant As big as ever and now even better to drive, says Audi. We deliver our verdict LONG-TERM TEST Citroën C3 Aircross Is the most interesting…

MILEAGE 7769 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To discover whether this sharply styled crossover is Toyota’s most appealing petrol-electric hybrid yet It has been a fortnight of many miles and several times I’ve had cause to head to the West Country. It turns out you can learn a lot about a car when you’re stuck in a jam on the A303 at Stonehenge during holiday season and the traffic seems to be moving more slowly than the standing stones. Firstly, I’d say an electrified vehicle is the least stressful car to have under you in a traffic jam. You can just glide forward gently and silently on battery power, and the rapid response from the electric motor is useful when you have to claim a gap in the traffic as your…

The Multipla was never a people carrier as we knew it. No, it was an all-purpose vehicle that dovetailed neatly with modern life. One car wasn’t enough any more; we needed something for the school run, local commute, DIY store excursions and cross-country expeditions. The Multipla is clever, roomy and good value. Its diesel engine delivers 44mpg — around 30% better than the 1.6 petrol. We hated the customer-friendly facelift in 2004, so we’d buy an early 2004 1.9 JTD SX with 126k miles and in Doom Blue, all for £895. Lovely.…

An expert’s view DANNY PEARCEY, WOLSEY HOUSE MOTORS “I’ve been selling and servicing Citroëns for 30 years. Most days I’m driving a C6, either one we’ve just serviced, or running one we’ve bought. Aside from differences in their suspension where the bushes might have worn, they’re pretty consistent: they float over broken roads but still feel agile and positive. The C6 is a complex car and while you may find the odd bargain, it’s worth spending more for a well-cared-for example. The 3.0 petrol is the quietest but rare. The 3.0 diesel is rare too, but I’d choose one over the earlier 2.7 diesel, which is more expensive to tax.” Buyer beware… ▪ ENGINE Check the condition of the plastic thermostat housing, which can crack, causing a coolant leak. First…

New Bugatti CEO Stephan Winkelmann is looking to push through a second model line-up alongside the Chiron, with a potential SUV bodystyle favoured over the originally mooted four-door saloon. Winkelmann, previously of Lamborghini and Audi Sport, took up his position as Bugatti’s chief executive in January, pushing the recently revealed Divo from a working project to a production reality in just eight months. Speaking to Autocar during the Divo’s unveiling at Pebble Beach, he confirmed the luxury brand is “ready to do more than one model”. He said: “It’s clear that if we do something different from a super-sports car like the Chiron, then it would not be enough just to be in love with one type of car”. When asked if a second model would be a saloon or…

OFFICIAL PICTURES Mercedes-Benz has revealed the first of up to 10 new pure-electric models due before 2025 with the unveiling of its eagerly awaited EQ C. A key rival to the Jaguar I-Pace, Tesla Model X and upcoming Audi E-tron Quattro, the new five-seat EQ C SUV is the first dedicated electric Mercedes model to enter series production. The EQ C is based around a heavily modified version of the GLC platform. Stylistically, it leans heavily on the early Generation EQ concept of 2016. It retains the same basic shape and five-door layout of the earlier concept, albeit with altered detailing such as the front-end design. Autocar understands that the EQ C achieves a drag coefficient of less than 0.30. At 4761mm long, 1884mm wide and 1324mm tall, the EQ…

Ferrari has revealed the drop-top version of its most hardcore 488 yet, ahead of sales beginning later this year. The 488 Pista Spider, which made its first public appearance at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance last week, is the 50th open-top Ferrari in the company’s history. It’s billed as the most technically advanced convertible that Ferrari has made and promises to deliver identical performance to the coupé. With 710bhp and 568lb ft of torque from the same twin-turbocharged 3.9-litre V8, the 488 Pista Spider is claimed to cover 0-62mph in 2.85sec and reach a top speed of 211mph. Those figures are despite the Spider being 100kg heavier than the coupé, at 1380kg dry to the hard-top’s 1280kg, when all of the car’s lightweight options have been selected. These include a…

The new Renault Arkana coupé crossover, launched at the Moscow motor show, was developed to serve as the firm’s new Russian flagship – but its remit will now expand into becoming a ‘global’ car. The C-segment crossover will be built at Renault’s Moscow factory and go on sale in Russia next year before being exported to other markets. There are plans to offer the car for sale in Asia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). There are currently no plans to bring it to the UK or mainland Europe but it could eventually be offered here if there is sufficient demand and a business case can be made. The Arkana was largely developed at the request of Renault Russia, after consumer research, to capitalise on demand for saloon cars…

NEW RUSSIAN ULTRA-luxury car brand Aurus is aiming to take on Rolls-Royce with its first model, the Senat, which was launched at the Moscow motor show. The brand has been developed by NAMI, Russia’s state automobile and engine research centre, after Russian president Vladimir Putin called for a national state vehicle. The Senat will also be offered in armoured Limousine form, offering an “uncompromising” level of ballistic and explosive protection. It’s powered by a 590bhp 4.4-litre V8 petrol hybrid co-developed with Porsche, with a 6.6-litre V12 also available. The car is built on a modular platform that will also be used for a future minivan and SUV. The Senat includes a number of luxury features for rear passengers, including rear seats that recline up to 45deg, fold-out tables with leather…

The Mk4 Mazda MX-5 has only been with us for three years but already it has cemented itself as a legend of the family. We love it for its attainable thrills and back-to-basics character, and apparently so does almost everyone else, as is evident by the two-seater’s growing number of sales, which totalled a not-unimpressive 39,773 in Europe last year alone. But while it’s successfully serving as the plucky halo car for Mazda by appealing to the mainstream, it is yet to reach its full potential for some keen drivers. The reason relates to its powertrains. With just two engines available from launch – a 129bhp 1.5-litre and a 158bhp 2.0-litre – the car has never been able to garner the attention of those after something serious. It has looked…

One tester called the Cayenne Turbo the “most alarming” car he’d ever piloted around Millbrook’s Hill Route, namely because of the 2.2-tonne bruiser’s ability to just grip and go, regardless of camber or gradient. The immense torque developed by the 4.0-litre V8 seemed to have the uncanny effect of flattening the technical stretch of the track, too. Irrespective of how steep a hill was or which gear you were in, the Cayenne would attack the ascent to its peak with intense ferocity. Sharp turns, coupled with the sudden dips and troughs peppered along the length of the Hill Route, also served to highlight the sophistication of the Porsche’s stability control, which coped well with the sudden compressions and transfer of weight with alacrity. ACCELERATION…

DECEPTIVE APPEARANCE Revolutionary mechanical package means it hardly looks like an SUV, even though it’s Porsche-Macan-sized and has more cabin space. This journey we’re about begin, a 329-mile, seven-hour drive from central Edinburgh to Jaguar’s design HQ on the outskirts of Coventry, is exactly the kind of duty for which the revolutionary electric I-Pace has been devised, I decide. The thought springs into my head as we stand on the pavement outside our hotel and the car glides silently into the morning light from its underground car park. Compared with Einstein’s theory of relativity or Archimedes’ principle, this is hardly a Big Thought. Indeed, it may strike you as blindingly bleeding obvious. Yet so extraordinary has been the fuss surrounding the design and debut of Jaguar’s (and Britain’s) first premium…

“Tap the lever for Boost mode and milk was never delivered faster” Ernie, long since felled by one of Two-Tonne Ted of Teddington’s rock cakes, may once have driven the fastest milk cart in the west, but even he would have had difficulty keeping up with Ian Beardwell. A milkman for 28 years, he has just taken delivery of what must surely be the world’s fastest production milk float: the DHL StreetScooter. Weighing 2600kg fully laden, it has a top speed of 53mph compared with his old, 4500kg Unigate float’s 10mph. “Those old SEV Cabac floats were so slow,” Ian says when I join him early one morning on his south-west London round. “Uncomfortable, too. You’d end your shift with knackered knees and ankles.” His StreetScooter must feel like a…

JEEP WRANGLER £6000 Land Rovers and Suzuki Jimnys are the darlings of the green-laning crowd, so you’ll stand out when you turn up in a Jeep Wrangler. Our friends across the Atlantic swear by them, and even without the enormous off-road tyres and massively uprated suspension that are so popular Stateside, the Wrangler is capable in the rough stuff (although a two-inch lifting kit at around £600 will do wonders). There are far fewer Jeeps of any sort here in the UK than Land Rovers, but at £6000, you won’t be short of options. The six-cylinder 4.0-litre petrol is the engine to have. LAND ROVER DEFENDER £7000 The Land Rover Defender is one of only a handful of cars that can genuinely be described as iconic. With production of them…

"Racing tyres have sidewalls that are about one millimetre thick" What do tree plantations in Thailand and the perimeter of Brands Hatch have in common? Red-tailed tropical birds? You won’t find many of those fluttering along Clearways. Grandstands? Not sure folk have the patience to watch trees grow. Burger vans? No, the answer is rubber. Lots and lots of natural rubber. Admittedly the rubber in Thai forests is a liquid that seeps out of ‘wounded’ tree trunks, while at Brands Hatch it’s the primary material in the ‘well worn’ racing tyres that make up crash barriers. But these two rubber stores exist at the start and finish of the same process: racing tyre production. Making the rubber that will be used on track requires a different process to ones that…

FINAL REPORT MILEAGE 9850 WHY WE RAN IT To find out why UK drivers are turning to pick-ups in increasing numbers and to determine whether the X-Class is as refined to live with as Merc’s cars The mileage tells the story. No self-examination is necessary to decide whether running a Mercedes-Benz X250d pick-up as my private car for the past three months has been a success. You only have to see how the odometer reading has climbed from 884 to 9850 in just three months. I’m as surprised as anyone to discover that, while living in an environment where other cars are always available, I’ve used the Big X for most of my summer motoring. Why this should be the case is a matter for deeper thought. There was always…

MILEAGE 98,125 We’ve been cleaning the Cayenne. Well, I use the royal ‘we’ but it was actually the females at the Bangernomics Compound who’d had enough of the damp dog smell and decided to act. It involved a carpet cleaner, one of those that you plug in and add water so it sucks up all the dirt. And blimey, was there a lot of dirt. The water turned the colour of mud in seconds. After four or five refills with carpet cleaner it was still coming up mud. The dog whiff is fading but not nearly fast enough. The crazy solutions keep on coming from readers. Thanks.…

Bentley Turbo R £9990 A Bentley will never be a cheap car to run: fact. So one way around this problem might be to find an older, cheaper one that’s unlikely to depreciate further and may even become a bona fide future classic. That way, if it appreciates, it will at least cover some of your costs. One Bentley that could fit this bill rather nicely is the Turbo R. The Mulsanne Turbo had been on sale since 1982, and although it was revered for its straight-line speed, it wasn’t much cop in the bends. So the Mulsanne Turbo was dropped in 1985 for the Turbo R. That R suffix is important because it stands for ‘roadholding’. Although the R was not any faster than its predecessor, its anti-roll bars…