Innholdsfortegnelse for June 12, 2019 i Autocar

RIFLING THROUGH THE Autocar archive recently, an October 1955 issue described the Bentley S1 as having “a degree of comfort and performance that is beyond the experience and perhaps even the imagination of the majority of the world’s motorists”. As Bentley reveals its third-generation Flying Spur (p8), more than 60 years later, those exact words could still apply today. Through its 100-year life, Bentley has held true to its original and very British values. That’s true even under its German owner of the past 21 years, the Volkswagen Group, which has largely left Crewe to run itself. Yet these past few years for Bentley have been tough, with heavy VW investment yielding little profit. At last, the tide seems to be turning. In the first quarter of this year, it…

FORD COULD MAKE further UK workforce cuts beyond its Bridgend engine plant losses in the event of a no-deal Brexit, according to the company’s European president, Stuart Rowley. The statement comes after Ford confirmed last week it plans to close the South Wales facility in September 2020 as part of a wide-reaching restructure of its European business. It has started a consultation to close the plant, is talking to unions and will agree an “enhanced employee separation programme”. Around 1700 people are currently employed there. When asked if further job losses could come from the lack of a deal with the EU, Rowley said: “should a no-deal Brexit happen, we will have to review our business plan and evaluate the environment with regards to tariffs and customs issues – we’re…

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A few months ago, I polled some car people on what their ‘dream’ three-car garage would be. The answers were satisfyingly eclectic, but after a raft of spaces taken up by Range Rovers/Audi RS6s (because we all need something like those) and Porsche 911s various (because ditto), there was a notable standout model: the Ferrari 458 Speciale Aperta. That was an exotic mid-engined low-volume V8 supercar with an open top and a naturally aspirated engine that revs to the heavens. This is its successor, the 488 Pista Spider, which is a mid-engined low-volume V8 supercar with an open top. But with turbos. Mechanically, it’s all but the same as the 710bhp 488 Pista coupé, which I think is the best of today’s supercars, although it has a 100kg weight penalty…

Despite its raised ride height, the Nexo coped slightly better with the Millbrook Hill Route than the last hydrogen fuel cell car we road tested, the softer and more boat-like Honda Clarity FCV. You wouldn’t say it revealed previously undetectable depths of grip and handling composure, but it tolerated higher cornering speeds and a more aggressive driving style than you may expect of an eco-conscious option. The car can be hustled into an apex fairly keenly, and although it rolls a bit en route, it doesn’t do so to the detriment of stability or steering precision. Mid-corner grip is assured enough to allow you to accelerate through that apex and well before taking all of the lateral load out of the front tyres. The stability electronics are always on and…

If you want to get well and truly lost, there are few better cars in which to be than an Aston Martin DBS Superleggera. And I mean that both literally and figuratively. In the literal sense this car is so broadly defined there’s nowhere beyond the city limits to which it is not suited. When you have a car like this, there’s a fabulous freedom to be enjoyed by just heading into the unknown. Get held up (unlikely with 715bhp, I know, but it happens), you just turn onto another road. Or turn around. Do that for a couple of hours in any car and it’s amazing how far you can go and how much fun you can have. Do it in a DBS and you might just end up…

You’ll have read plenty on these pages over the years about how a car’s wheel size affects how it drives. There’s a reason why we bang on about it with such regularity: yes, there may be style benefits to upgrading to the most extravagant rims, but more often than not they have an adverse dynamic impact. Yet it appears our protestations are falling on deaf ears. Wheels are continuing to get larger across every new car category, and buyers keep on lapping them up. The rise of the SUV has also had a marked effect, with most running wheels and tyres substantially larger than their hatchback or saloon equivalents for that chunky look. So, we thought the best way to illustrate this was to get two cars together from either…

It’s taken five years or 50, depending on how you look at it. It’s been five years since David Brabham won a lengthy court battle for the right to apply his family name to a car once more, and 50 since his dad, legendary triple Formula 1 world champion Sir Jack Brabham, sold his stake in the business. However you look at this car, the first new Brabham since the F1 team fizzled and died midway through the 1992 season, it really matters. For this is not a one-off Gavin & Stacey-esque appearance before heading back to retirement: it is intended to be the start of something big for Brabham. Something very big if you ask ex-F1 driver and Le Mans winner David Brabham. He has talked freely about plans…

Time to spark up now I wonder what Graeme Morrison’s bladder range is (Your Views, 29 May)? Driving from Dorset across country, I guess he can’t average more than 50mph, so after four hours driving I imagine he needs a comfort break and a coffee. That will be after 200 miles, which covers most EVs on sale today. While taking his comfort break, his car could be charged up. I bet he will stop twice on his trip to Scotland, which is what an EV will need. A quick check on Google shows there are 8500 charging stations and 8400 petrol stations. I have never had any issues driving to Cornwall from Lancashire in my BMW i3. Ecotricity states that only 4% of chargers are in use at any time.…

MILEAGE 4277 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To discover if the spirit of the iconic 3dr Mini lives on in the 5dr hatch, while also providing a dose of practicality It’s been a dream ticket for me, having the chance to do 1000 miles in our five-door Mini Cooper S while its usual custodian, Rachel Burgess, is busy looking after our new Bentley Continental GT (see story last week). For no particular reason, I’ve never spent much time in BMW Minis, but when the opportunity has come up, I’ve usually liked what I’ve found. In particular, I love the way Mini’s latter-day custodians have continued to make the cars so enduringly special. The way you sit in a Mini – down there among the wheels with your bum practically on the…

MILEAGE 130,080 LAND ROVER SERIES 3 It’s that time of the year when the Lorry does a full shift as an ice cream van. It’s even the correct vanilla ice cream colour, officially described as Limestone by British Leyland. It has been cleaned for the first time since this time last year and then loaded up with a freezer and all the paraphernalia needed to raise funds for the village hall. There’s a classic car event going on, so it does get compliments. However, there was another damp patch on the ground, seemingly from the front brakes. I’m already in trouble for allowing the fuel leak, and now brake fluid could be worse – for me.…

If you’ve ever wanted to go to a Ferrari dealership for your next used car, then buy an approved used Ghibli. Many Maserati dealers share their premises with the fabled brand, so when you stroll onto a Maserati forecourt in search of a used Trident, you may find yourself rubbing shoulders with 488s and the like. Better still, the experience may cost you from as little as £25,000 – what one dealer is asking for a 2016-reg Ghibli V6 diesel with 26,000 miles. If that’s below your price range, how about the most expensive we found, a pre-registered 2019 Ghibli V6 GranSport for £66,457? That’s £1600 more expensive than the model’s current new price, but as you’ll find when you go Ghibli hunting, prices can be inflated by options packs…

FORD RACING PUMA Is there a prettier small car than the Ford Racing Puma 1.7? It was limited to 500 copies and cost more than £23,000 new in 2000, but this 75,000-mile example went under the hammer at £8800. Compare that with the £13,000 and upwards sellers tend to be asking. It wasn’t tatty, either. There were 11 stamps in the service book (fingers crossed the exposed brake pistons were cleaned each time), while a recent MOT had no advisories. It also had a new timing belt at 74,000 miles, and its ‘FRP’ registration was even included in the sale.…

The third-generation Bentley Flying Spur will represent a “quantum leap in technology, performance and innovation” over its predecessor, according to the Crewe-based maker. Bentley hopes to establish itself as the leader in the ultra-luxury saloon market ahead of the new Rolls-Royce Ghost’s arrival next year and says it has created a car that “maintains Bentley DNA” to appeal to loyal customers while offering contemporary design to entice a new generation of buyers. The goal for the model – which follows the Bentley Bentayga and Continental GT in the sales rankings – is to offer sports saloon agility paired with limousine refinement so that it caters to both drivers and those being chauffeured. The latter is a crucial selling point for the Flying Spur in China, which is the largest market…

“For the first time in the 3 Series Touring, there will be a plug-in hybrid 330e model” BMW has taken the wraps off the new 3 Series Touring and promised it will retain the dynamic handling of the saloon version. The new 3 Series estate will go on sale in late September with a range of petrol and diesel engines. For the first time in the Touring, there will be a plug-in hybrid 330e model, which will arrive in July 2020. As with the 330e saloon, it will feature a 248bhp powertrain, comprising a 181bhp petrol engine with a 111bhp electric motor, and the ability to run 39 miles on electric-only power. At launch, the petrol engine range will start with the 181bhp 320i and the range-topper will be the…

TOYOTA WILL RAMP up development of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs), with plans to launch at least 10 models worldwide from 2020 onwards, including six global models based on its new e-TNGA platform. The Japanese firm has brought forward the goal for electrified vehicles to make up half of global sales from 2030 to 2025. As part of that plan, Toyota aims to sell at least one million BEV and hydrogen-powered vehicles, along with 4.5 million hybrids. The roll-out will begin next year when the firm launches electric versions of the Toyota CH-R, alongside a Japan-only two-seat city car. A collaboration between Toyota and Subaru has also been announced under which the two marques will share development of an EV platform and jointly produce an electric SUV that will be sold as…

KIA HAS REVEALED the side profile of its new Ceed-based crossover, the Xceed, ahead of a full unveiling for the model on 26 June. Rather than compete directly with fully fledged SUVs, the Xceed aims to offer a sleeker design and better handling than such cars, but with comparable interior space and a higher ride height. Its closest rival is the Ford Focus Active. The new images reveal that, unlike the Focus, the Xceed will get a bespoke body shape compared with its conventional hatchback sibling. From the B-pillar forward it is similar to the Ceed, but the design is altered towards the rear with more prominent shoulders, a chunkier rear end and a sloping rear windowpane. The new car also features the plastic lower body cladding typical of this…

SKODA BOSS BERNHARD Maier has said the student-built Mountiaq pick-up concept is good enough to inspire a production vehicle – although the firm has no plans to add a truck to its range. The Kodiaq-based concept was designed and built by students from the Skoda Academy, a college run by the Czech firm at its Mlada Boleslav base. Students had free rein to develop their own design, but the finished model had to be approved by Skoda’s board. Academy student Melanie Grmolenska said that when Maier saw the Mountiaq, he “told us it should definitely be a production vehicle”. The Mountiaq is the sixth car produced by Skoda Academy students. Although none has reached production, they have showcased future concepts, the electric Citigo-based Element foreshadowing the recently launched e-Citigo IV.…

SCREENS EVOLVED IN cars as a means of simplifying the way in which drivers could interact with increasingly complicated, button-cluttered dashboards – but, in the end, may have turned out to be a massive own goal. With the introduction of touchscreens, the problem has got worse, not better, because drivers have no chance of knowing what they’re prodding, swiping or sliding without actually looking at it. The answer may lie in haptic screens, which give a physical, tactile response you can feel when using a soft (virtual) button or slider. That staccato bumping when ABS is activated is probably one of the earliest forms of haptic response in car controls and, more recently, vibrating steering wheels as part of lane departure or blindspot warning driver assistance systems. However, both are…

There’s very little about the fast, handsome Range Rover Velar SVAutobiography Dynamic (SVA) – apart perhaps from the record-breaking 16 syllables of its name – that comes as a shock. Once it was established last year that the ‘base’ Velar was one of Jaguar Land Rover’s successes (66,000 sold so far) and that the mechanically similar Jaguar F-Pace SVR was also doing well for JLR’s Special Vehicle Operations department, it became pretty clear that a higher-performance Velar was on the cards. Not that the new Velar SVA was ever likely to be sold as a mere ‘hot Velar’. Land Rover has been successful at avoiding a ‘cookie cutter’ approach to Range Rovers – which it now offers in three sizes – and the same goes for this new SVA, which…

The hydrogen fuel cell plug-in hybrid F-Cell is an intriguing model in the Mercedes GLC line-up, which has just received a nip and tuck. The facelift brings to the range a mix of mild cosmetic changes, improved infotainment and cleaner, more efficient engines, all adding appeal to what is a likeable but not class-leading machine. We’ve already had a brief spin in a pre-facelifted GLC F-Cell, but this is our first chance for an extended drive of the high-tech high-rider. First, a quick recap. Nestling under the GLC’s bonnet is a compact hydrogen fuel cell, which is fed by a pair of carbonfibre-skinned tanks concealed under the floor. Motive force comes from a 208bhp electric motor that is mounted between the rear wheels. However, the F-Cell also has a 13.5kWh…

The Hyundai Nexo is only the third hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (FCV) to undergo an Autocar road test in our history, all carried out in the past four years. Even so, testing new FCVs at a rate of one in 66 drastically over-represents the rate at which these cars are being adopted globally. Hyundai can make only 3000 Nexos a year at present. Toyota’s capacity for Mirai production is very similar. So while the technology is developing quickly, much else needs to grow before hydrogen motoring becomes practical. When the world is finally ready for the fuel cell car, however, we can clearly depend on Hyundai to be right there, pushing it forwards. Right now, the Nexo makes a slightly bland and underwhelming alternative to the battery-electric, premium-branded SUVs we’re…

The Nürburgring race was almost as remarkable as Goodwood. Moss got a huge lead, then handed over to Fairman who beached the car on a bank. He somehow lifted the car back onto the track – a car with a gearbox between its back wheels – and drove to the pits where Moss had changed back into civvies, having been told they had retired. Stirling blasted back into the race over a minute behind two works Ferraris, overtook both within three laps, then did it all again after Fairman’s final stint, winning by 31 seconds having driven for six of the race’s seven-and-a-half-hour duration.…

Cars and the environment – they’re a big part of the problem, aren’t they? We all know that, of course, even if their contribution to global warming is slightly smaller than general opinion would have us believe. But cars have certainly never been part of the solution, all of them requiring energy generated from somewhere, whether they’re fuelled with petrol, diesel, compressed natural gas or hydrogen. Most of that energy will generate CO2, and all of it will be expended driving only the car and its systems. That’s the way it is now, and the way it has been for the 120-plus years that the car has been around. But electric vehicles have the potential to do more than this, as Renault is demonstrating on a tiny island 30 miles…

COMPARISON Toyota Supra vs Porsche Cayman T vs BMW M2 Competition Can the reborn Japanese sports car hold its own against two illustrious German rivals? We have eight pages to find out INSIGHT Shanghai wonders What we found inside China’s first dedicated motor museum ROAD TEST Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Italian excess goes under the Autocar microscope EVERY WEEK FIRST DRIVE BMW X3/X4 M The latest German performance SUVs take their bow AS GOOD AS NEW Renault Clio Mk4 Why the new-generation supermini has a lot to live up to BUYING GUIDE Jaguar E-Type It’s a good time to pick up one of Britain’s greatest sports cars SUBSCRIBE autocar.co.uk/subscribe or see p22…

MILEAGE 5556 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? Twenty-five years ago, I took a deep breath and launched a McLaren F1 onto the runway at Bruntingthorpe intent on seeing how fast I could make it go before my nerve deserted me. The answer was 211mph, and because it was a prototype whose movable aerodynamics were not working quite as designed, the second or so after I took my foot off the throttle was really quite interesting. I was smart enough not to try to correct it or, worse, emergency brake, but instead let it find its own way back to more sensible speeds. Which it did by using most…

P is for Peugeot 406 Peugeot played on its strengths with the 406. It was quiet, smooth and refined with huge grip, good balance and sharp steering. On late models just about everything was standard, and remarkably that included satellite navigation. Diesels are the go-to models, otherwise the 2.2-litre petrol is the eager one. Central locking can play up, as can the indicator stalks. Rear suspension can need an overhaul at high miles and the cambelt needs doing at 76,000 miles. A 2003 2.0 SE with 100k miles is still only £795.…

AUDI IS MARKING 20 years since the first Allroad model was launched with a new rugged A6 version, unveiled ahead of it going on sale in August. The A6 Allroad quattro sits 45mm higher than the A6 Avant on which it’s based, with standard adaptive air suspension allowing you to lower or raise the body to suit prevailing conditions. Hill descent control and tilt angle assistance are also included in the off-road-focused model, which features the quattro all-wheel-drive system. Lower body cladding, a different grille design and a new Gavial Green paint hue also mark it out from the standard estate. The Allroad is available with only the mild-hybrid 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine in two states of tune – 228bhp and 282bhp. The more powerful Allroad model is capable of…

Jaguar Land Rover and BMW will collaborate on the development of next-generation electric and plug-in hybrid powertrains. A joint team of experts from both brands will base themselves in Munich, with the task of “further developing the Gen 5 power units” – a reference to the electric powertrain making its debut in next year’s BMW iX3. BMW’s Gen 5 is claimed to feature an electric motor that does not rely on rare earth elements, and makes use of an ‘e-axle’, which houses the transmission and electronics in one unit. JLR claims both will develop the system to “deliver the specific characteristics required for their respective range of products”. “We see collaboration as key for success, also in the field of electrification,” claimed BMW’s board member for R&D, Klaus Fröhlich. “In…

The UK’s public charging infrastructure is just about keeping pace with electric car expansion, but there’s now a new concern: the poor usability and reliability of the network. Currently there are 13,702 public chargers with a total of 23,280 connectors across the UK, according to the latest data from popular charging locator app Zap-Map. These chargers support a growing fleet of vehicles classed as ultra-low emission (the vast majority of which are plug-in), which totalled 185,853 by the end of 2018, according to data from the Department for Transport. As firms such as Volkswagen, Vauxhall, Peugeot and Honda expand their electric car line-ups, the number of plug-in cars will grow dramatically to seven million in the UK by 2030, according to a recent study from consulting firm Deloitte. However, because…

MODEL TESTED NEXO Price £65,995* Power 161bhp Torque 291lb ft 0-60mph 9.6sec 30-70mph in fourth na Fuel economy 42mpkg CO2 emissions 0g/km 70-0mph 47.5m To borrow a sporting analogy, Hyundai seems to have timed its run exceedingly well. At the same time that China – already the world’s largest market for battery-electric vehicles – announces tentative plans to dramatically build out its fuelling infrastructure for vehicles powered by hydrogen, the Korean brand launches its first dedicated fuel cell car. ‘Dedicated’ being the imperative. The ix35 Fuel Cell was Hyundai’s first proper stab at a series-production hydrogen-fuelled car and eventually became available to the public in 11 countries under a lease deal, including in the UK, where this magazine successfully ran one as a long-term test car. But the Nexo is different,…

JAGUAR I-PACE EV400 S Doesn’t use a fuel cell, but its close price makes it a genuine alternative to the Nexo. Fast, engaging, good looking and a convincing luxury car to boot. AUDI E-TRON 55 QUATTRO A full road test is coming, but initial UK impressions are promising. Hugely refined, and comfortable with plenty of technological sophistication. HYUNDAI NEXO Top FCV has impressive zero-emissions range, but is also a bit forgettable to drive. Moves the hydrogen game forwards and is a promising sign of things to come. TOYOTA MIRAI You can still buy (or lease) a Mirai, but you’ll have to pay a hefty sum for the privilege. Drives well and has a swanky cabin, too. HONDA CLARITY FCV Not on sale but was a convincing case study on the…

After setting a new outright record on the 12.42- mile Pikes Peak hillclimb last year, the electric Volkswagen ID R already sat atop one very big mountain. Which left the question: what next? For VW, the answer was simple: showcase the electric car’s potential on the proving ground of choice for all car firms, the 12.90-mile snaking ribbon of bumpy, undulating Tarmac that is the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Officially, the goal was to break the 6min 45.90sec electric car lap record. In truth, that was never really in doubt. This was about pushing that electric record as far as it would go. The previous mark was set by the Nio EP9 which, while producing 1341bhp from four electric motors, was still a production-based car that could be made road legal. The…

Ian Callum, Jaguar design director, is taking the rest of the afternoon off. It is a spur of the moment decision. The original schedule was for Callum, the man who found a new direction for Jaguar in the early 2000s when it needed one most – and followed that by creating a whole new-look model range – to join us at 11am for a photo session at the Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) Fen End test track. He has left an intense and somewhat argumentative engineering meeting to do it and is scheduled to go back to another one much like it. But as the cameras click, something else has started happening. The phone in Callum’s pocket has started chiming and vibrating like an unquenchable alarm clock. My own is doing…

QUESTION A reader recently lamented the decline of manual gearboxes. I’m considering buying a new hot hatch but it must be manual. Have I missed the boat? Geoffrey Hawkes, Tunbridge Wells ANSWER The new WLTP economy and emissions test appears to have consigned some sporty manuals to the history books, but some good ones remain. They include the Hyundai i30 N, Honda Civic Type R, Mini John Cooper Works, Peugeot 308 GTi and Skoda Octavia vRS. And in a ringing endorsement of the transmission, the new Ford Focus ST will likewise have a stick shift. JE QUESTION I’m considering a Porsche Cayenne TDI or Volkswagen Touareg TDI for around £10k. I’ll be towing a caravan. Which do you recommend? Alud Jones, Cardiff ANSWER You could have an ’09-reg Cayenne 3.0…

Chrysler Crossfire £5999 You can say what you like – dozy recirculating ball steering, awkward looks – but a Chrysler Crossfire will always be an intriguing old thing. But why would anyone have chosen to buy one over its close relative, Mercedes-Benz’s Mk1 SLK R170, back when it was launched in 2003? Possibly because as the Chrysler came on stream, that version of the SLK was being replaced by the more expensive Mk2, with its longer-lasting galvanised body. The Crossfire convertible was prettier than the coupé and looks best in red. We found just such a car, a 2006-reg manual with 82,000 miles and eight stamps in the service book. It has a black and cream leather interior with smart alloy facings on the dashboard and centre console. This regular…

Toyota RAV4 2.5 Hybrid Dynamic Price new £34,400. Price now £31,990 Not a huge saving here, but all the same it’s interesting that it’s on a model as new as the RAV4, and this one a 2019/19-reg with 1600 miles. There are others, too. The thing is, you can bet that if you’re shopping for a new one, you’ll be told discounts are next to zero. Indeed, under current offers, there’s not even a PCP deposit contribution from Toyota. So buying this nearly new one will save you a bit of cash, and it still has most of its five-year warranty.…

All hail the used car market, which has produced another supercar bargain in the shape of the CLK 55 AMG of 2002-06. Note, not the first-gen version launched in 2000 and powered by a 342bhp 5.4-litre V8; no, we’re talking about the more powerful – with 367bhp – second-generation model. Being AMG, that’s a hand-assembled V8, of course. On the plaque affixed to the rocker cover is scrawled the engine builder’s signature. Owners gamely trade their names, like train spotters. One we spoke to refers to his engine’s builder, one Rosario Indorre, in tones you might reserve for a close friend… Still, if you’ve ever driven a 55, you can understand why owners hold these people in such high regard. Tales of electronics problems and body corrosion abound, but there…

An owner’s view MARK ANTHONY, MERCEDES CLK 55 OWNER “I’ve got a 2006/06 cabrio with 49,000 miles. It’s rock-solid with no scuttle shake. I wanted a supercar with more class than an M3, and it needed to be fun. The CLK ticked all the boxes. Don’t ask about economy – you buy a car like this to have fun. Mechanically, I can’t fault it but the electrics have let me down. First an ECU (£400), then a sensor that prevented it starting. When buying, check the gearbox and adaptive suspension are okay – I’ve had a few arms and bushes go. You won’t know about electronic faults until they happen.” Buyer beware… ▪ ENGINES Have someone rev the engine while you check how much it moves on its mountings (too…