Innholdsfortegnelse for April 10, 2019 i Autocar

WHEN FORD ANNOUNCED a few months back that it was embarking on a major global restructure, who knew that the firm would decide the way to revitalise its flagging European business was a new Puma? Of course, this isn’t really a Puma: it’s a Fiesta-based crossover that shares a name with the short-lived Fiesta-based coupé. You might groan at the arrival of yet another crossover, but it’s a smart move: the Fiesta is Britain’s best-selling car, SUVs are the fastest-growing car segment. Mix the two and you have the recipe for a huge – and much-needed – sales hit that comes with relatively low development costs. Ford has taken decisive action in its European restructure, axing a number of unprofitable models and focusing its resources on areas where it is…

The last time Ford used the Puma name, it applied to a beguiling little Fiesta-based coupé that lasted only five years (1997 to 2002) because the Fiesta Mk4 underpinnings on which it was based went out of currency. It had a quirky shape but caught on nonetheless, assisted by the fact that Ford plundered the ‘Bullitt’ image of Steve McQueen in a much-discussed TV advertising campaign. As well as being a brilliant-handling and steering car (Ford was already well into its market-changing ‘driving quality’ era), it had a terrific, free-revving little 123bhp 1.7-litre variable-cam timing engine, the top end designed and the whole thing assembled by Yamaha, which really understood high-revving engines – as the Puma demonstrated. Pretty soon, cheaper, lower-powered, insurance-beating 1.4 and 1.6-litre versions were offered, but enthusiasts…

Lexus is developing a new entry-level compact model to replace the ageing CT 200h, according to the firm’s European boss. Plans to release a model that is smaller in size than the new UX SUV were confirmed by Pascal Ruch at last month’s Geneva motor show, after UK boss Ewan Shepherd first hinted at such a car earlier this year. Despite being introduced back in 2011, the CT 200h is set to remain on sale for another two years. The new model is therefore expected to arrive in 2021 and will almost certainly be based on Toyota’s new TNGA platform, which should offer significantly better interior packaging than today’s car. What’s not clear yet, however, is whether Lexus will retain the CT 200h’s hatchback bodystyle or move to something more…

Aston Martin’s recent announcement that it will move aggressively into the mid-engined sports car market also confirmed that it will develop its own V6 hybrid powertrain. But why not make use of its existing relationship with Daimler instead? “I wanted an engine that reflects the brand, one that needs to sound and feel like an Aston,” CEO Andy Palmer said. “It’s not so easy if you’re not in control of everything.” Palmer also confirmed that the V6 layout has been chosen to help with packaging the electrical side, and also that the powertrain is likely to find its way into the brand’s future front-engined models. But the engine shouldn’t be seen as a replacement for the AMG-sourced V8; instead Palmer says it’s “an addition”. In contrast to McLaren’s plans (see…

Jaguar is a car maker so instinctively associated with saloons that it’s near impossible to imagine a future for the firm without them – and yet I bet there are plenty of product strategists at the company’s UK headquarters who are being paid to do exactly that. Right now, Jaguar’s more traditional executive four-doors just aren’t doing enough business, and with pressure mounting on the firm to cut costs and only to back winners, the worry must be that the current XE, XF and XJ may never hit the sales heights necessary for all of them to be worth a place in a rationalised, revitalised range of future models. And so for the maker of the original XJ and MkII of the 1960s, both celebrated, formative, world-class four-doors of their…

When BMW announced the return of the 8 Series in 2018, a Riviera-spec flagship convertible was always on the cards. After all, dynamism broadly comparable to that of a Porsche 911, only with levels of space and opulence closer to Mercedes’ formidable two-door S-Class, should appeal just as much in open-air form as it does with a fixed roof. Perhaps more so. The £107,000 M850i xDrive tested here represents one half of the initial line-up – the other being an 840d xDrive with BMW’s super-smooth, economical 3.0-litre straight-six turbodiesel, though an M-badged derivative with more than 600bhp is expected. Both drivelines are carried over wholesale from the coupé, meaning this M850i gets a tractable 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 packing 523bhp/553lb ft. Explosive potency ensues, and despite a hydraulic roof mechanism and…

VERDICT That the latest Wrangler remains one of the toughest, most capable off-roaders in the business comes as little surprise. Jeep knows what it needs to provide to retain the 4x4’s passionate cult following. Image is crucial, but ultimately it’s incredible go-anywhere ability that represents the cornerstone of its appeal. Even in Overland spec, the new JL model packs plenty of both. But as impressive as its skills off the beaten track undoubtedly are, it’s the gains made in everyday usability that will do the most to broaden the car’s reach. The cabin is now roomier and finished to a higher standard. And while it doesn’t ride or handle with the sort of sophistication that would make it a viable alternative to a conventional SUV, you could easily forgive that…

Generally speaking, a spaceship destined for the moon is a tiny capsule stuck on the end of a huge, pointy rocket somewhere in sunny Florida. But the spaceship we’re looking at is a family hatchback at a used car dealer in West Drayton, off the M4. In fact, it’s a 10-year-old Ford Mondeo 2.3 Ghia X auto that has done 293,000 miles, or a bit more than a spacecraft does on a lunar mission. It’s for sale at Trade Price Motors, a large used car lot at the end of an industrial estate. Be honest – would you buy such a motor? For most of us, 60,000 miles is the cut-off. Any higher and we start to worry about component life and reselling the thing. The idea of buying one…

Loved reading your recent article on cars that have virtually no depreciation (‘Cars that will cost you nothing to own’, 27 March). It’s exactly what I’ve been doing for the past five years. As a car lover, it depressed me that I drove a van all week and the family car was an Audi Q3 (hardly inspirational!). So I persuaded the other half that we should get a “fun car” that hopefully wouldn’t cost a lot. It started with a Mk1 MX-5 bought for £2250 and sold for £2500 18 months later. It was replaced by a Lotus Elise, bought for £12,500 and sold two years later for £12,250. Then followed a Mini GP2, bought for £17,500 and sold for the same 18 months later, to a dealer who then…

MILEAGE 4294 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT We know the 720S is one of the world’s greatest driving machines. But is it an equally rewarding car with which to live? As it turns out, I live precisely 750 miles away from the centre of Geneva, otherwise known as a nice leg stretch for a car like the McLaren 720S. Most years, I fly out to attend the motor show held there. But not this time. There was no question of doing it over two days or having anyone beside me. There is probably nothing I like more than big, single-stint drives done solo. Indeed, I find I become more selfish the better the mode of transport. It’s hard to tell colleagues they can’t cadge a free lift when you’ve got three…

MILEAGE 47,795 Well, this will be interesting: the nipper’s Gordon the Golf is due its first MOT in a few days. One of the tyres is more than an advisory and there’s been another pheasant strike, which has cracked the offside bumper and pushed it beyond the lip, to the extent that we have to stage an intervention to pull it square again. So what is the youngster going to drive to work while the Golf is in for work? Well, there are BMWs, Minis and Land Rovers available. But what’s the insurance on a V8 for a 21-year-old? More details on that soon.…

Having been unveiled at the Geneva show in 2012, the 981-generation Porsche Boxster reached its seventh birthday just last month. Ordinarily you would expect a car of that age to be worth only a fraction of what it cost to buy new, perhaps as little as one-third. But were that true of Porsche’s mid-engined roadster there’d be 62-plate Boxsters kicking about on the used market with £12,500 price tags. If that were the case, Porsche would probably never sell a brand new sports car again… The 981 has held its value better than just about any other comparable performance car. The cheapest examples offered for private sale go for around £23,000, but if you want a Porsche Approved car with a two-year manufacturer warranty, you’ll have to budget for £28,000.…

This 1996 Volkswagen Corrado with 113,000 miles and only one owner since being sold as a nearly new ex-demo made £6270 on the block. It had a heated leather interior, refurbished Speedline alloys and a good history. The bid looks a little strong given that it probably needs a thorough overhaul, but good, unmodified Corrados are rare. Tempted? Check the timing chain. They can let go at around 100k and it’s an engine-out job to replace. Headlights are hard to source and the heater matrix can be troublesome (a tell-tale sign is a damp carpet).…

“Ford will balance an SUV-like seating position with the desire to retain the Fiesta’s driver focus” Ford is bringing back the Puma nameplate for the first time since the Fiesta-based coupé that last carried the badge went out of production in 2002. However, instead of a returning to the dwindling sporting two-door market, the Blue Oval is reviving the badge for a new, Nissan Juke-rivalling compact crossover, based on today’s Fiesta and launching later this year. It was spied testing for the first time late last year and was briefly previewed last week in Ford’s ‘Go Further’ brand offensive, which gave a glimpse of the new model’s design (far right). Initially the new car was believed to be a replacement for the Ecosport, another crossover that shares its platform with…

NEW FORDS ARRIVING Puma Ford’s attempt at a youthful, fun-to-drive crossover, the Fiesta-based model will be revealed this summer and arrive in UK dealers before the end of the year. New Kuga The ever-popular family SUV moves to its third generation, bringing three hybrid powerplants and a new Focus-inspired look. Explorer The large SUV will be coming to Europe for the first time since the 1990s, with a 444bhp plug-in hybrid option set to be offered. But it’s not destined for the UK. Mach 1 Described as a ‘performance utility vehicle’, the Mach 1 is a Mustang-inspired electric vehicle with the promise of a 370-mile range. It’s destined to arrive next year. OLD FORDS LEAVING B-Max Ford’s smallest MPV is also its cleverest, with sliding rear doors and no B-pillar,…

PEUGEOT, CITROEN AND DS will devote far less time and effort working on the user interface systems of future models, focusing instead on the ease of integrating with smartphones. “We’re not running 100 screens or bigger screens,” Citroën design boss Pierre Leclercq told Autocar. “You will use your phone to start the car and to do everything. That is the future – it has to be simple, but it has to be intuitive as well.” Agreeing that many buyers have been frustrated by clunky native user interface systems, Leclercq said that future Citroëns will be far simpler. “Five years ago, we could not assume everybody would have a smartphone,” he said. “Now, when we design cars, we assume that in a couple of years everybody will own a device like…

Audi is set to intensify its development of hydrogen fuel cell technology. The decision was made public by Audi chairman Bram Schot. The reasons for it include concerns over the sourcing of natural resources for battery production and doubts over electric cars being able to deliver on ever-more-demanding customer expectations. As a result, the German car maker will re-establish its h-tron programme in a move planned to make it the centre of competence for hydrogen fuel cell technology within the Volkswagen Group. “We really want to speed it up,” Schot said. “We are going to put more priority into hydrogen fuel cells – more money, more capacity of people and more confidence.” Schot confirmed a new sixth-generation hydrogen fuel cell prototype will be revealed later this year. He added that…

TOYOTA’S UMPTEENTH incarnation of the Corolla is now on sale, mainly in Hybrid form. It’s billed as having an ‘e-CVT’, which at first had our news antennae all a-quiver. In fact, e-CVT is simply another marketing moniker for essentially the same hybrid driveline concept Toyota came up with in the 1990s for the first Prius and has stuck with ever since. Originally called the Toyota Hybrid System (THS), it then also became Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD), giving a nod to the fact that it was also used by Lexus and even sold to a couple of other car makers. Swapping cogs, gear changing, shifting: whatever your favourite expression, gearboxes and cars go together like sticky toffee pudding and custard – unless it’s a CVT. Some drivers loathe the way a…

SKODA’S FORTHCOMING range of electric vehicles will retain a front grille but be distinguished from internal combustion-engined models by a bold, full-width lighting strip, according to company boss Bernhard Maier. The design was previewed by the Vision iV SUV shown at the recent Geneva motor show and will be retained for the production version due next year. That car will be Skoda’s first model built on the Volkswagen Group’s MEB electric platform. Maier said the production design will feature a single LED light strip that links the headlights and splits the grille into upper and lower sections. “This is the new expressive crystalline design language,” said Maier. “Glass working has been a Czech specialism for centuries, so this is something that is authentic.” The lighting strip will be made of…

The new Mercedes-AMG GT R Pro has no more power than its GT R predecessor and the same Michelin Cup 2 tyres, yet is around seven seconds faster around the Nürburgring Nordschleife. It registered a time of 7min 4.6sec late last year. How? It’s all down to revised aero and suspension, and a modest weight saving. The prominent front splitter, dive planes ahead of the front wheels, Porsche 911 GT3 RS-style vents in the wheel arches, a bigger rear wing, a Gurney flap and various other wings and flicks reduce aerodynamic lift, keeping the car pressed into the track. The new coilovers are manually adjustable – for high- and low-speed compression at the front, plus rebound at both ends – as is the ride height. The anti-roll bars are adjustable,…

MODEL TESTED 2.2 MULTIJET-II OVERLAND Price £48,365 • Power 197bhp • Torque 332lb ft • 0-60mph 9.0sec • 30-70mph in fourth 9.8sec • Fuel economy 29.0mpg • CO2 emissions 202g/km • 70-0mph 53.1m We like • Awesome off-road ability, even in mid-range form • Usable family-sized interior We don’t like • Still notable compromises to on-road ride and handling • Now priced like a fashionable lifestyle vehicle The Jeep story began 79 years ago. At around the time Enzo Ferrari and Alfa Romeo conclusively parted ways, the United States Department of War sought to commission the design of a rugged reconnaissance vehicle for duties in febrile Europe. Out of more than 130, just two companies, Willys-Overland and Bantam, stepped up, and it was the latter’s BRC 40 that formed the basis…

LAND ROVER DISCOVERY TD4 SE A formidable off-roader, but still incredibly easy to live with every day. Comes with seven seats as standard, too. JEEP WRANGLER 2.2 MULTIJET-II OVERLAND Wrangler Overland likely the superior 4x4, but lacks the Disco’s all-round polish when you’re not green-laning. TOYOTA LAND CRUISER 2.8 ICON 7-SEAT Land Cruiser hasn’t earned its reputation for no reason. Highly capable off-road, and nigh-on invincible. Showing its age now. MERCEDES-BENZ G350D Diesel power suits the G-Class to a tee. Luxurious, but rugged, and all the more authentic for it. Seriously pricey in this company, mind. MITSUBISHI SHOGUN SPORT 4 Lacks the premium appeal of its rivals, but the Japanese adventurer is still commendably capable off the Tarmac. Shame it’s not quite as capable on it.…

There are no shortage of ways to blow £300,000 on a pure automotive indulgence. You could go mad on carbonfibre options and get a McLaren 720S up to that mark pretty quickly, while a relatively modestly specced Ferrari 812 Superfast or Lamborghini Aventador will soon lighten your pocket by the requisite amount. Or you could buy a brand-new Lister. You might know Lister from reading about its super-hot Jaguar F-Pace and F-Type-based LFP and LFT, the supercar it intends to make, or even the Lister Storms from a generation back. But the Listers that made the company’s name were gorgeous 1950s sports racing cars, culminating in a Jaguar-powered beast known as the ‘Knobbly’ for its voluptuous bodywork. And while it was built by a tiny company using a proprietary powertrain,…

COMPARISON New Range Rover Evoque vs rivals The new Evoque is much improved, but is it good enough for class honours? A Lexus UX, Volvo XC40 and Audi Q3 stand in its way INVESTIGATION WLTP: the ultimate guide Here’s what the new fuel economy and emissions figures really mean FEATURE World’s most comfortable cars Andrew Frankel puts on his slippers and goes in search of some R&R EVERY WEEK ROAD TEST Jaguar XF Sportbrake Jaguar’s 5 Series Touring rival gets our full eight-page treatment FIRST DRIVE Mercedes-Benz CLA The baby CLS is all new, with even sharper looks. We find out how it drives USED BUYING GUIDE TVR Griffith Brave? Foolish? Not a bit of it. Here’s why you should buy this TVR classic SUBSCRIBE autocar.co.uk/subscribe or see p24…

MILEAGE 3210 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT Can new Duster offer a few little luxuries to overtake more expensive rivals while still being a practical workhorse? “I’m thinking of buying one for my wife. What’s it like?” asked the security guard. I was entering our habitual proving grounds for a day of filming some super-GTs for an upcoming Autocar YouTube feature. I’ve been surprised how much attention the Duster has received from the general public. That’s to say this wasn’t the first time I’ve been accosted by Joe Public asking for a bite-sized review when in the company of some premium metal that itself gets totally ignored. I guess that’s testament to both the accessibility of the car and the marketing campaign that has backed up Dacia’s launch of its facelifted…

This is a 1930s gangster-style family MPV that drives like a hatchback and has plenty of standard kit. Not much else is going for it because it’s no people-carrier, taking just five on board – and don’t even try to get the seats out. Mind you, the boot is big and they remain really rather cheap. At some point they might become rare and ironically interesting. For now, though, this is a cheap set of fairly ugly wheels. You’re better off with the 2.0-litre petrol rather than the 2.2 CRD. Manual is more fun than the grim automatic, but who cares?…

Price new £28,260. Price now £22,980 It’s change-time for the Mercedes A-Class and its various spin-offs. First to arrive was the hatch and now there’s a new CLA coupé, although you can still get the old one with around £3500 off list price. Later this year the CLA Shooting Brake arrives. Time, then, to ponder a deal on a nearly new current model while they’re being cleared out. We found a zero-mile 2019/68-reg 180 AMG Line Edition for £22,980 – a saving of more than £5000 off list price.…

All next-generation Mercedes-AMG models look set to feature four-wheel drive as standard, including the AMG GT supercar, according to AMG boss Tobias Moers. Engine downsizing is also on the cards as Mercedes-Benz ramps up its brand-wide electrification strategy. Speaking to Autocar, Moers said in response to the idea of pure rear-wheel drive dying out in future: “Customers have given us the answer, and most want four-wheel drive. “Back in the days when we had an AMG E-Class as rear-wheel drive and with four-wheel drive as an option, over 90% chose 4WD. In the new E63 with drift mode, you have a real rear-wheel-drive car but with four-wheel drive also.” When asked if even the AMG GT flagship would adopt such a system, Moers said: “When I ask customers about the…

McLaren will launch a new “rule-breaking” grand tourer in May, and has shown the model in disguise. First detailed at last month’s Geneva motor show with heavy camouflage, the latest images have allowed our designer to render an undisguised image of the car. The as-yet-unnamed model is expected to be powered by McLaren’s 3.8-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine, with more power than the 562bhp 570GT. Speaking at last month’s Geneva show, McLaren CEO Mike Flewitt said the car will be “more differentiated” than the 570GT was compared with the 570S, with a “more dedicated focus on the characteristics you want in a GT”. The first customer cars will arrive this autumn with an expected price of around £145,000. Flewitt previously hinted that the new GT could be the first of several…

FREE MEGUIARS GOLD CLASS WASH & WAX KIT WORTH £27.50 when you subscribe today SUBSCRIBETOAUTOCAR For 124 years, Autocar has been dedicated to sharing with you our love of cars every week. You can turn your support of Autocar into access to an even more exclusive club by subscribing. Every Wednesday you’ll be first to read the magazine packed with news, reviews, insightful features, star columnists, used car buying advice and our expanded data section. You’ll also receive regular free supplements and gain access to exclusive benefits (see below). There has never been a more interesting or significant time for the car industry and we’d love for you to join us on what promises to be an exciting journey. SUBSCRIBE SUBSCRIBER EXTRA BENEFITS… 1 WEEKLY NEWS LETTERS Exclusive content in…

The Scala is a big play from Skoda: a Focus-sized, Golf-shaped family hatchback that slots slap-bang into the two-box mould of Europe’s most popular segment. The brand has been here before, but the old Rapid was achingly bland, and rather than borrowing the Volkswagen Group’s MQB platform, its underpinnings were shared with the Fabia, with the same basic torsion beam rear axle. The Scala now benefits from the more sophisticated MQB, though because Skoda equips only its more powerful models with expensive multi-link rear suspension, there’s still a good ol’ torsion beam at the back. A mistake? We’ll see. The engine line-up comprises a selection of the VW Group’s transversely mounted TDI and TSI units. Some have three cylinders, but it’s the four-cylinder 1.5-litre TSI, which has a healthy 148bhp,…

Even if you don’t buy the Wrangler in go-absolutely-anywhere trim, it’s a remarkably capable off-roader. In any guise, it beats a Mercedes G-Class and a Toyota Land Cruiser for maximum wading depth and ground clearance, and across the board on clearance angles. A Land Rover Discovery will ford through deeper water and has more ground clearance, but even that can’t match the Jeep’s approach and departure angles. We didn’t get to test the car at its most rugged (only Rubicon trim gets BF Goodrich Mud-Terrain knobbly tyres, the ultra-low-range ’box, heavy-duty axles, locking front/rear diffs and disconnecting front anti-roll bar), yet were seriously impressed with its capacity to climb steep slopes, crawl over rocks and find traction on slippery surfaces. An accelerator and torque converter automatic ’box brilliantly tuned for…

The pitch is simple: these are the cars that do everything, the Gary Sobers, Kapil Devs and Freddie Flintoffs of the automotive world. Go extraordinarily fast? It’s a given. Make you appear suitably plutocratic wherever you turn up? Natch. Keep you endlessly entertained on any empty road? Just look at them. Carry you, your family and your luggage in hushed comfort and true luxury any damn place you want to go? I’m surprised you had to ask. But a pitch is one thing, reality quite another. We can see why you might think (and their creators suggest) that if any car can come close to being all things to all people, a Porsche Panamera or Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door might fit the bill better than any other. But the question here…

A POTENT ZED WITH CRED Nissan 350Z £6499 The Nissan 350Z caused a real stir on its launch back in 2003. Arriving first as a coupé, it was powered by a 276bhp 3.5-litre V6. From 2005, the year the convertible landed, the engine was uprated to 296bhp, although this more powerful motor was a tad troublesome, so in 2007 a revised version, producing 308bhp and codenamed HR, arrived to save the day. You can spot its presence by a power bulge in the bonnet. By this time, standard equipment included Rays lightweight alloys, bi-xenon headlights and Bluetooth. We saw a 2008/58-reg HR convertible GT with 65,000 miles and full Nissan history advertised for £6499. Finished in Midnight Blue metallic with black leather it looks a real eyeful. It’s had a…

It’s 41 years since the first Porsche 928 rolled off the production line in 1978. More astonishing still, in this age of model cycles barely longer than a weekend, it’s only 24 years since the last one bowed out in 1995. That’s a huge age range to contemplate, but as is always the case when we’re talking about old motors, only one thing really matters when buying a 928: condition. For years the model languished in motoring’s retirement home, celebrated occasionally but otherwise left to rot. As recently as 2013, decent runners could be picked up for as little as £4750, some dropping as low as £2300. One rare GT manual with a good service history was £8250. They’re not that cheap today. Cars that are decent if care-worn start…

An expert’s view ANDREW MEARNS, FOUNDER, GMUND CARS “I owned a 928 for five years, bought out of the classifieds for £6600 and sold for £20,000. Today you have to be really careful when buying one. I was offered three last year but didn’t bite; I later saw one of them sell at auction for £30,000. I hope the buyer knew it had a knackered gearbox. For years, few people wanted a 928 so they weren’t looked after properly. People pay fortunes for the rare manuals but the dog-leg ’box doesn’t suit right-hand drive. Give me an auto any day.” Buyer beware… ▪ ENGINE Engine smoke when warm hints at worn valve guides and cylinder bores. Check the oil level and try to gauge oil consumption (500 miles per litre…