Innholdsfortegnelse for August 21, 2019 i Autocar

THE FIAT CHRYSLER Automobiles group has enjoyed huge success in recent years, with buoyant sales and major growth. But that success has been driven by Jeep and Alfa Romeo (and, in North America, Ram). By contrast, Fiat and Chrysler – the two brands in the group’s name – have withered away. The future for Fiat has long seemed uncertain – until this year’s Geneva motor show when the firm wheeled out the Centoventi electric concept, which combined delightfully retro styling with a clever, thoroughly future-focused, modular concept. As Richard Bremner found out when he took an up-close look at it (p56), the Centoventi taps into Fiat’s proud heritage of bold, innovative design – the sort that led to the original 500 and the Panda. If the eventual production version can…

Nissan is reinventing its trend-setting Juke crossover for 2020 with an all-new generation. Ahead of that car’s official unveiling in early September, Autocar joined Nissan for a preview of a disguised pre-production model, including a brief stint behind the wheel. The outgoing Juke arrived in 2010 with a design that can be best described as polarising. But that didn’t stop Nissan selling a total of one million Jukes in Europe, with 60,000 sales last year. But it knew the writing was on the wall: the crossover market, which the Juke arguably conceived, is full to bursting. With an abundance of more modern rivals on the scene, Nissan couldn’t afford to rest on its laurels for the second-generation Juke. So it hasn’t. The aim was simple: keep the sense of fun…

Bugatti has paid homage to the landmark EB110 supercar with the Centodieci, the latest limited-edition model based on the Chiron. Introduced in 1991, the EB110 was the first car launched by Bugatti following its revival by Italian businessman Romano Artioli. While not a commercial success, with just 118 examples made before Bugatti went bankrupt in 1995, it did signpost the future direction of the firm after it was bought by the Volkswagen Group in 1998. Revealed at Pebble Beach, the Centodieci – meaning 110 in Italian – features a number of elements inspired by the EB110, including a similar grille design, a windscreen that wraps around an invisible A-pillar and a five-aperture side air intake. “We think [the EB110] should not be forgotten. It was the start of a trilogy…

TOYOTA HAS BEEN seen testing a plug-in hybrid variant of the RAV4. The prototype SUV features a disguised opening on its right-hand side – the opposite side to where the fuel filler cap resides – which is a classic telltale that a charging port is lurking underneath. Toyota wouldn’t officially comment, but the TNGA platform has been designed to house a mix of powertrains, with a fully electric e-TNGA variant under development. Car makers need to meet strict fleet average emissions targets for 2020/21, and despite Toyota’s advocacy of its ‘self-charging’ parallel hybrid system, plug-in hybrids with a more substantial all-electric range are the most effective short-term solution to reduce CO2 ratings. It’s most likely that a plug-in hybrid RAV4 would continue to use the 2.5-litre Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder petrol engine…

The automotive industry is fully committed to the development of zero-emission cars, but pressure is growing to achieve CO2-neutrality across the entire production and supply process, including production facilities, their networks of suppliers, and the trains, trucks, ships and planes that move components and vehicles. The industry already acknowledges the issue, with many car makers quoting the quantity of CO2 generated per car during its manufacture. The average figure for the BMW Group, which includes Mini and Rolls-Royce, currently stands at 0.40 tonnes per unit – down by an impressive 39% over the past five years – although the plan is to reduce CO2 output per unit to zero. For Nissan the figure is 0.49 tonnes per unit, for Toyota it is 0.39 tonnes and for Volkswagen a rather less…

The SVJ Roadster is the ultimate expression of what an Aventador can be, not only from a coldly technical perspective but also from a place of flamboyance and high emotion. It makes for a strange, 218mph conflict of interests – one that also costs more than £400,000 after you’ve ticked the boxes for contrast stitching and some carbonfibre trim on the rocker cover and door mirrors. If you’ve not already suspended reality, do so now. As a technical exercise, the roadster presents as a Can-Am sports car-esque racer whose aerodynamic sophistication extends to electronic actuators in the front splitter that channel air through vortex generators on the underbody. The same network of flaps found on the coupé can vector downforce to either side of the huge carbonfibre rear wing to…

The first rule of journalism is to write for your reader, and when we review cars, we always do. There may be any number of cars to which we do not, as individuals, personally warm, but that does not in itself make them bad cars or ineligible for recommendation. If we can see such a car makes sense for a certain kind of person and if we think such people come within the broad church that is Autocar’s readership, recommended to them it will be. Except here. Once a year for the past few years, we’ve allowed ourselves the rather indulgent opportunity of simply listing our 50 favourite cars on sale. Last time, we kept it to cars costing less than £50,000, but today the list is once more open…

Fiat Centoventi Olivier François has a problem. He’s been nursing, nurturing and nibbling away at an idea he had several years ago – a rather good idea – and although that thought has been turned into a three-dimensional object for us all to see, he doesn’t know when it should be turned into something that all of us might buy. François (above) is chief marketing officer at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and head of the Fiat brand. His idea is how to set about replacing the Panda, Fiat’s most charmingly basic model, with a car that will have legs for a greener 21st century. One look at the Centoventi, Fiat’s concept car celebration of its 120th anniversary, tells you that François and his team have been mulling a lot more…

SHOOTOUT Britain’s Best Affordable Driver’s Car The best driver’s cars the right side of £30,000 – including the all-new Ford Focus ST – assemble as we find out which is the cream of the crop FEATURE VW ID Buggy driven We head to California for a spin in VW’s revived beach buggy INTERVIEW Meet Mr Hypercar Loris Bicocchi is behind cars from Bugatti, Pagani and Koenigsegg EVERY WEEK ROAD TEST Ford Ranger Raptor Ford Performance has built a go-faster pick-up. We drive it USED BUYING GUIDE Alfa Romeo GTV Stunning looks, great to drive – this guide explains how to spot a good one LONG-TERM TEST Jaguar I-Pace The most radical new Jag yet joins our fleet. This is going to be good… SUBSCRIBE autocar.co.uk/subscribe or see p20 CONTENTS SUBJECT…

MILEAGE 7300 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see whether £65,000 is too much for a 4 Series without an ‘M’ on its rump We’re on the home straight. In fact, it’s a matter of mere weeks before the B4 S leaves Autocar’s long-term fleet and returns to Alpina GB. Obviously there’ll be a full debrief in due course, but the impending departure of its pinstriped form is triggering bittersweet emotions every time I slide aboard and start its straight six. Most of this magazine’s editorial staff have the privilege of sampling several lifetimes’ worth of cars and that’s especially true for road testers, who drive numerous new models every week and are expected to assess and write reports on at least two or three of them. Never is there a…

Peugeot 206 Nick has a great tale involving two cars, so we have split it into two exciting instalments: “Having got tired of depreciation and only needing to go to the railway station for much of the past few years, I spent £700 on a 12-year-old 206 1.4 Verve in early 2018. It had 58,000 miles and three owners to its credit. Not much service history but the belts and clutch had been done. “After 20,000 trouble-free miles, I landed a position that requires a daily 65-mile round trip, so I was toying with the idea of getting a diesel.” Part two next week……

Ford Fiesta ST200 Price £13,750 Fast Fords have always had a strong following and there’s no reason to suppose that in years to come the previous-generation Fiesta ST will be any different. However, it’s the more exclusive specials that attract the greatest interest, which is why we reckon the 197bhp 200 (212bhp on overboost), launched in 2016, could be one to keep an eye on. In addition to the extra power, it has a shortened final drive ratio for quicker acceleration. We found a 2017/66-reg ST200 with 15,000 miles for £13,750 – or £2000 more than an ST-2. Ouch……

“The new Mercedes-AMG GT is scheduled to reach UK showrooms in early 2022” Mercedes-AMG is well into the development of a second-generation GT, which is due on sale in 2021 with a hybrid powertrain that will offer increased power and torque. The next iteration of AMG’s supercar will adopt a revised twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 petrol engine with new mild-hybrid assistance, as well as a transaxle re-engineered to accommodate a fully variable four-wheel-drive system in selected models. That move is set to endow it with significantly greater performance potential than its predecessor. Insiders at Mercedes-AMG’s headquarters in Affalterbach, Germany, suggest a series of driveline innovations will push the power output of future upper-end GT models beyond 650bhp. The innovations will include an electric boosting capability as part of a range of…

If you were an avid Autocar reader back in the day, you’ll be acutely aware that the original Juke had dynamic vices to go with its questionable looks. Indeed, during an early test, Matt Prior had to pull over to check the tyres weren’t “massively overinflated”. They turned out to be just fine. It simply rode like an unsaddled mule. Is the new car any better? It’s tricky to tell after our brief encounter of a prototype, which involved following a Nissan official around a loop of Millbrook test circuit’s hill route. There are still nagging doubts. The secondary ride is less jittery over smaller imperfections, but the primary one still feels a bit abrasive over sharper ridges. That said, our car was on 19in wheels, and apparently on 17in…

MOBILE PHONE USE behind the wheel should be banned entirely, according to the Transport Committee. In a new report, the group of MPs called on the government to extend the ban on handheld devices to hands-free ones, stating that “evidence shows that using a hands-free device creates the same risks of crashing”. The committee also said that all phone use while driving, irrespective of whether it involves sending or receiving data, should be stopped. Throughout the UK in 2017, 773 casualties, including 43 deaths and 135 serious injuries, were caused by collisions in which a driver using a mobile phone was a contributory factor. The number of people killed or seriously injured in such incidents has risen steadily since 2011. The committee also called for tougher enforcement, stating that the…

THE UK PRICING and specs of the new Mercedes-Benz GLB have been released. The compact SUV is available to order now, priced from £34,200 for the GLB 200 Sport, which uses a 161bhp 1.3-litre turbo petrol engine. AMG Line trim adds another £1500 and brings the option of four-wheel drive. Further engine options include a 2.0-litre diesel offering 148bhp in the GLB 200d and a 187bhp version in the 4x4-only GLB 220d. Flagship AMG Line Premium Plus starts at £41,700. First deliveries are tipped for December.…

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Mitsubishi has been making hay with its L200 pick-up since the end of the 1970s and, given the continued rise in popularity of four-door pick-ups, the sixth edition it is launching in the UK over the next few weeks is likely to be the most successful yet. These days, the model accounts for a third of all UK Mitsubishi sales, and British buyers take around 45% of all L200s sold in Europe – which is why Japanese bosses take heed of local feedback. The markedly more handsome new edition reflects this: it is familiar in dimensions and essential elements but has been comprehensively improved on nearly every important front. The frame chassis and suspension (independent in front, leaf-sprung live axle behind) have been rethought to give a better, quieter ride…

MODEL TESTED 250 AMG LINE PREMIUM PLUS Price £36,630 ● Power 221bhp ● Torque 258lb ft ● 0-60mph 6.8sec ● 30-70mph in fourth 8.2sec ● Fuel economy 33.6mpg ● CO2 139g/km ● 70-0mph 49.2m (damp) We like • Exterior design widely acknowledged as more successful and the car more desirable • Engine combines assertive performance and unexpectedly strong touring economy We don’t like • Both the rolling and the mechanical refinement leave a bit to be desired • Mixed body control and average grip levels limit its driver appeal Of all the smallish new cars with which, over the past couple of decades, Mercedes has pumped up its global sales volume and lowered the average age of its customer, the CLA four-door coupé might not spring to your mind as…

The second-generation CLA got off to a much more promising start on these pages than its predecessor managed. It looks the part, has an impressively upmarket and high-tech interior and sprang from a willingness to give keener drivers the appealingly energetic and engaging compact Mercedes sport saloon they’ve been denied for decades – a willingness we would applaud wholeheartedly. Regrettably, having done enough to impress us with a differently engined version on foreign soil some months ago, the CLA that ought to typify the car’s sporting credentials – the punchy 250 petrol version – doesn’t quite cut the mustard on UK roads. Its performance is strong and its real-world efficiency likewise; but its engine, gearbox and ride are all surprisingly raucous in too many of the wrong ways and its…

QUESTION What’s the best way to wash my car without scratching the paint? Dean Whittam, Boston ANSWER We asked Richard Tipper, top vehicle detailer and founder of Perfection Detailing, who said: “It’s best to do it on an overcast day so the water doesn’t dry off. Hose down the car, then apply a snowfoam to soften the dirt and leave for a few minutes to do its work. Now hose off the foam. If there are still stubborn bits like tar spots on the paintwork, use a clay bar to gently rub them away. Then, using a bucket with a grit guard, shampoo the car using a hand mitt. Hose off and dry with a chamois.” JE QUESTION I have up to £40,000 to spend on a new convertible but…

MG F £650 The MG F created a stir when it landed in 1995. Here was an alternative to the MX-5 that was also more interesting thanks to its mid-mounted, 1.8-litre 16-valve engine. In MPi form it produced 118bhp while the VVC version made 142bhp. Hydragas interconnected suspension ensured the car was comfortable and composed, while standard goodies included remote locking, electric windows and heated mirrors. VVC spec added half leather, anti-lock brakes and electric power-assisted steering (EPAS). The Mk2 version followed in 1999 and then in 2002 it was succeeded by the TF, with its stiffened chassis, quicker steering and traditional, fully independent, coil-spring suspension. It was a good car but today it’s the F where the bargains – or buckets – lurk. Many have been taken in by…

An expert’s view MARTIN ROWLES, DIRECTOR, RARDLEY MOTORS “The 456 is a usable everyday supercar. We have some through our workshop with over 100,000 miles on them. Increasingly, though, it’s seen as an investment and quite a few sit in garages never turning a wheel. Often it’s these that give trouble. Saying that, I reckon 30% are ‘Friday cars’ – it doesn’t matter how well they’ve been serviced, they’ll always have a problem. When checking one, establish what was done and when. The air-con service, valve clearances and brake fluid change are vital jobs but often ignored. My favourite is the manual. This, together with a low mileage, can mean a price difference of around £10k over an auto with a higher mileage.” Buyer beware ▪ ENGINE Valve clearances need…

Mercedes-AMG will crown its current GT range with a long-rumoured Black Series model in the second half of 2020. Spied in prototype form sporting large bonnet vents and a fixed rear wing, the run-out Black Series will feature the current twin-turbo-charged 4.0-litre V8 taken to its limit, with an output of 680bhp mooted by insiders. That should bring the 0-62mph time below 3.5sec and push the top speed beyond 200mph. Expect the price for the Black Series to move towards – and maybe even beyond – the £200,000 mark. SPY SHOT MERC-AMG GT BLACK SERIES…

Audi Sport has revealed the fourth-generation RS6 Avant, which features a 591bhp mild-hybrid twin-turbo V8 and will spearhead a major RS range expansion. The hot estate is one of six new Audi Sport models due this year, including the RSQ3 and RSQ8 SUVs, which have been spied testing recently. But the flurry of launches kicks off with the latest high-performance Audi estate, extending a lineage dating back to the first RS model, the 80-based RS2 Avant, which was introduced 25 years ago. Project manager Michael Binder said the RS6 Avant represented “the DNA of Audi Sport”. The fourth-generation model has been extensively reworked from the A6 Avant to showcase the latest design language of Audi’s performance car division. The only body panels carried over from the standard A6 are the…

SPY SHOT MERCEDES-AMG GLA 45 The first prototypes of the second-generation Mercedes-AMG GLA have hit the roads in preparation for a 2020 debut. Alongside the new GLA 45, which is set to get up to 416bhp from a 2.0-litre engine, a new 302bhp entry-level GLA 35 is on the cards. Both are all-wheel drive. The hot crossover is the sixth AMG-tuned compact bodystyle, joining the A-Class hatchback and saloon, the CLA saloon and Shooting Brake, and the GLB SUV.…

A FAIR NUMBER of different automated transmissions have been tried over the years but the most successful and enduring has to be the torque-converter-based epicyclic gearbox. New kids on the block like DCT (dual-clutch transmission) and even grownup variants of CVT (continuously variable transmission) have threatened to knock the world’s favourite auto from its pedestal, but none has succeeded yet. That said, the classic automatic transmissions didn’t earn the moniker ‘slush ’boxes’ for nothing. The name derives from the ‘slushy’ response of early transmissions, which got people from A to B but were hardly rewarding to drive. Torque converters are fluid couplings that connect the engine to the transmission instead of a clutch. They look like large metal doughnuts but internally contain three main components plus automatic transmission fluid. The…

So here we are, then. After our first passenger rides and test drives on the Continent, the ST version of the fourth-generation Ford Focus has finally touched down in the UK, ready to battle the hot hatch world’s finest. You’ll find out exactly how it fares against the likes of the Honda Civic Type R, the Renault Mégane RS and more on the pages of this magazine very soon, but for now let’s see what this hot Focus is like in isolation. Up front, the new Focus ST has the same 2.3-litre four-cylinder engine you get in the Mustang and the previous Focus RS, producing 276bhp and 310lb ft. That’s less than you’d get in both of those cars (quite a lot less than the RS’s 345bhp and 325lb ft,…

1 BMW 330i SPORT Deserves prime consideration by anyone wanting a sporty small executive saloon. Quick, classy fun. 2 JAGUAR XE P250 SE Took a leap with the facelift. Powertrain is still not the greatest, but the car is dynamically impressive. 3 ALFA ROMEO GIULIA 2.0T NERO EDIZIONE It’d be pricey to beat the CLA for power with this pretty Alfa but agile handling makes amends. 4 VOLVO S60 T5 R DESIGN EDITION Strong alternative design and very appealing inside. A slightly mixed bag to drive. 5 AUDI A5 SPORTBACK 40 TFSI S TRONIC SPORT Roomier cabin than the CLA’s, equally luxurious and more refined. Expensive, trim for trim.…

Richard Anderson is not impressed with Lotus’s choice of the name Evija for its new hypercar (Your Views, 31 July). I agree. But naming is an increasingly difficult area for car manufacturers. urers. A bit of online research suggests Evija is a given name of Hebrew origin, should be pronounced ‘Eviya’ and means ‘first in existence’ – which is loosely appropriate, I suppose. But it’s still an awkward, ward, unattractive word that seems contrived. Perhaps the Lotus marketing team was so excited about the prospect of a fully electric hypercar that they concluded the name could only start with EV. Looking back, I think a couple of the most attractive and appropriate names have been Cortina, with its connotations of continental travel and upmarket sporting activity, and Ka, a super-short…

MILEAGE 4909 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see whether this trailblazing small EV has evolved enough to still be considered the best in its class I like to think that any car can be fun when driven on the right road – so shifting the already entertaining BMW i3s from the stop-start city traffic of south-east London to the quieter country roads of Surrey following a house move has really brought out the EV’s playful side. Instead of gridlocked roads that rarely allowed for anything above 25mph and where the only amusement was always being first off the line at traffic lights, my morning commute now offers the choice of free-flowing motorway, or quiet country roads with honest-to-goodness corners. The BMW might be tall, but it’s proving brilliantly chuckable, with…

MILEAGE 55,725 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF It’s always good to know that aftermarket gadgets are actually working and have a real-world purpose. You might remember I have a Michelin Fit2Go tyre pressure checker. The posh one on the Baby Shark is resting at the garage at the moment – more on that next time. The Golf, though, uses a simpler version, but it rapidly zeroed in on the fact that the nearside rear tyre had a large tack in it. I’ve already sold a few of these to mates with lower-tech 1990s cars who reckon this could be a lifesaver and it is. So let’s get that tyre fixed as there’s no spacesaver these days.…

The Leon is the fourth piece in the Volkswagen Group family hatch jigsaw, the one with Spanish eyes. It’s the partygoer, although whether you believe it rocks the night away or simply has an early night like its three siblings depends on how seriously you take Seat’s brand positioning. It certainly looks the part, with its sharp creases and flowing lines. Inside, though, it’s a bit more subdued, and the quality of some out-of-the-way trim is average. Fortunately, it comes alive with a broad range of mainstream petrol and diesel engines, while beyond these are sporty 2.0-litre engines producing up to 306bhp and found in the Cupra. The Leon arrived in 2013 atop parent company Volkswagen’s new MQB platform and bristling with driver aids and technology. The headlights were full-LED,…

AUDI 80 2.6 CABRIOLET Just as everyone knows Princess Anne drove a Scimitar, so they know her sister-in-law, Princess Diana, drove an Audi 80 Cabriolet. Hers was a 2.3 registered in 1994, while the one we spotted at auction was the more powerful 2.6, registered in 1996. Still, the 62,000-mile lookie-likie is almost the same colour. It has a manual roof and its old-school, tall-profile tyres should mean a comfortable ride. It has a ream of service receipts including one for a timing belt change in 2017, a consolation prize for its less-distinguished V5. The hammer fell at £3410.…

Apologies – we’re a bit late to this V12 gem. In around 2009-10, prices for the 456 fell back to about £40,000 tops, while some cars in poor condition dropped to as low as £25,000. Then from around 2014 they began to rally, only to fall back slightly a couple of years ago. It all means that today you’ll struggle to find a good right-hand-drive 456, or the later 456M, for less than £40,000 while, if you want to sleep soundly in your bed, you’ll need to spend between £58,000 and £65,000 for a proper one with a low mileage and a good service history. That last bit – a good service history – is crucial. Too many 456s have gaps in their histories, a legacy of those rock-bottom prices…