Innholdsfortegnelse for January 8, 2020 i Autocar

WHAT DO YOU think of Vauxhall as a brand? Solid, dependable – but ultimately forgettable. This week Vauxhall boss Stephen Norman, as energising a car company boss as any, reveals a multimillion-pound plan to help transform the image of Vauxhall off the back of a next-generation range of cars that starts with the new Corsa (p18). Norman sees Brexit and the general election result as an opportunity to capitalise on a changing social landscape with a range of ‘Made for Britain’ models, transforming the brand into one you’d actively switch to from another car maker, rather than look to trade up and out of. Vauxhall is almost unique in the industry in existing to serve just one country. Why shouldn’t it enjoy the success here that Seat has in Spain,…

Some analysts believe JLR’s massive £3 billion write-down in ’property plant and equipment’ at the beginning of last year was related to phasing out some of its own engine development and instead turning attention to working with BMW on future electrified drivetrains. JLR already has plans to make electric drive units at its Wolverhampton engine plant, and a battery factory at Hams Hall, coincidentally next to BMW’s UK engine factory, is on the cards, too. JLR has also told investors it will greatly reduce its workforce in mechanical engineering, again pointing towards plans for significant co-operation with other car makers on powertrains and platforms as the huge costs of moving to electrification crush the premium brands. According to JLR’s financial documents, the firm will spend up to £4bn a year…

Volkswagen will reveal a concept for its new entry-level ID electric model this year, with the car set to be built on a new variant of the MEB platform. The VW Group has invested heavily in the electric MEB architecture, which will underpin the planned ID range as well as models from sibling brands Audi, Seat and Skoda. The Golf-sized ID 3 hatch will go on sale this summer, followed later in the year by the production version of the ID Crozz SUV, which is likely to carry the ID 4 badge. While developing those models, the VW Group has also been working on a sub-€20,000 (£17,000) entry-level hatch, known internally as the ID Entry. The firm is still developing the technology and build processes to achieve that target price…

MAHLE, THE GERMAN company behind many combustion-engine design innovations over the past 100 years, has developed a combustion system called Mahle Jet Ignition (MJI). It’s already in use in the engines of a major Formula 1 team and will also form part of a new modular hybrid powertrain that should make the production of petrol-electric hybrids much easier. MJI works like this. In a traditional petrol engine, fuel is injected into the inlet ports along with the incoming air (port injection) or directly into the combustion chamber (direct injection). MJI comes in two types: active and passive. The first incorporates both types of injection. The port injector works in the normal way, but tips of both the direct injector and the spark plug are positioned in a tiny pre-chamber immediately…

Q-cars – models that expertly hide their performance and capability under a bushel – seem to be a dying breed. Traditionally, most of these were large, family-focused saloons or estates – the more mainstream the brand the better – with unusually powerful engines but barely any visual evidence of that fact. With the mainstream large saloon car segment flatlining in the face of the Great SUV March, many Q-car models have bitten the dust. But Skoda (along with sibling brand Volkswagen – see overleaf) is still defiantly holding the Q-car torch with its flagship Superb, driven here in facelifted form. We first drove the updated Superb in the UK with a 148bhp 1.5-litre petrol engine, but this car has 268bhp from a 2.0-litre unit. Yes, that’s 8bhp less than the…

No ladder chassis or full-time four-wheel drive here, but a conventional monocoque architecture and on-demand Haldex driveline still deliver more off-road ability than most are ever likely to need. This platform heralds new electronic wheel-management controls, which can direct torque across the axles to maximise traction. All the driver needs do is keep their foot deep into the throttle, at which point the Terrain Response brain, which also controls the locking rear diff, takes matters into its own hands. Modes include Sand, Grass-Gravel-Snow and Mud & Ruts, with differing levels of slip and torque profiles for each. The car can also be optioned with Land Rover’s ClearSight Ground View camera, which projects images from beneath the car onto the 10in cabin display, appearing to render the bonnet invisible. On the…

Right about now, the sleek Bloodhound land speed record car will be docking in the UK after last autumn’s high-speed test programme on a dry lake bed in the South African desert, where it hit 628mph in the hands of its driver, Andy Green. I say ‘high speed’ but, for Bloodhound LSR, it’s running on only two-thirds power. The test was a prelude for a return to the remote Hakskeen Pan, in north-west South Africa close to the Namibian border, in 12 to 18 months, where the car will make an attempt on the land speed record that Green has held since 1997, when he took the twin-jet Thrust SSC to a supersonic 763mph. Bloodhound LSR’s target will be over 800mph and a new land speed record. That might be…

Love the ones you’re with I am the owner of both a 2016 Discovery 4 and a 2014 Aston Martin Vantage and feel qualified to comment on the recent revelation that recent sales numbers of their replacements have not met expectations. Great vehicles they are both, so it must seem disappointing to their makers. However, in my opinion, it’s simply a case of a manufacturer attempting to move too fast too quickly and ignoring its existing customer base. Neither is a true replacement for its earlier namesake. The Disco 5 is simply too nice and too good, but this makes it too expensive to put the dogs and rubbish in! The Mk1 Vantage was always a standard 911 S competitor, but now it’s simply too expensive and competes at a…

MILEAGE 16,408 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see if the funky van-based MPV can recapture the simplicity, practicality and flexibility of the original The Berlingo’s odometer has flown up faster than any other long-term test car I’ve driven in recent memory, and not just because I’ve had a packed work diary. I genuinely enjoy driving it and it’s ideal for my particular kind of long weekends – ones that typically involve a tent, some mountain bikes or a set of hiking backpacks. It’s no off-roader and our car doesn’t even have the optional Grip Control electronic traction system for trickier terrain, but it rides muddy tracks brilliantly. The Ferrari 488 I followed through some of the Peak District’s rougher roads didn’t look like it was having nearly as much fun.…

MILEAGE 105,842 PORSCHE CAYENNE Well, that wasn’t good. The nail in the tread of the Cayenne’s tyre wrote it off. Worse, the tyre specialist was not prepared to replace just the one because of what Porsche says. The fact that there was uneven wear across the tyres meant that it had to be an entire set or nothing. I could have sorted out a new tyre and mixed it with the surviving 6mm and 8mm Falkens but, with a busy period coming up, I needed fresh rubber as fast as possible so in the end had the lot replaced.…

Abarth Punto Evo 1.4 T-Jet Supersport Price £9775 If having a small band of loyal admirers is key to being a future classic, then the Abarth Punto may just be in with a chance. Not to be confused with the regular Fiat Punto, the Abarth Punto and the Evo Supersport in particular are entertaining and characterful cars. In the Evo Supersport, the 1.4-litre engine produces a brisk 178bhp, and Fiat’s Torque Transfer Control system sharpens cornering to an enjoyable degree. Our find, one of just 199 Evo Supersports made, is a 2014-reg with 47,000 miles, one owner and full service history.…

Jaguar Land Rover is bouncing back from a tumultuous 18 months with development under way on what could be the firm’s most important model: the new Range Rover Sport. Fresh from the successful launch of the Defender, the order bank for which is already well above projections (see graph, right), JLR also returned to profit last year under the firm’s crucial ‘Project Charge’ recovery plan. Engineers and designers have now shifted their focus to what should be an even bigger profit generator: the 2022 Range Rover Sport. The third-generation Porsche Cayenne rival is expected to stick closely to the formula of today’s model. It will adopt more electrified powertrains and a range of enhanced technology and will aim to retain the balance of luxury and dynamic ability for which both…

A future Bugatti EV would move away from the maker’s core business of hypercars to become its most practical model ever, but it would still offer the performance and exclusivity for which the brand is famous. Bugatti CEO Stephan Winkelmann told Autocar: “If we speak about a second model at Bugatti, I am convinced we don’t have to do a car which is only for weekends. This is a car to be used on a daily basis. It has to have a different shape [from the Chiron] and have a different mission. “If we do something outside of the hyper-sports car business, there will be a car that is not in the direction of the W16 [engine]. In my opinion, electrification would be the right approach.” A second Bugatti model…

This year will mark a revolution in new-car selling: for the first time, car makers will place the CO2 output of every model in their ranges at the top of their priority list, outweighing design, performance and other traditional sales points. The EU’s 95g/km fleet average CO2 regulation – under discussion in Brussels for a decade – means from 2020 every car maker faces significant fines if they miss their target. With such a long preparation time, car makers have at least had a chance to develop low-CO2 technologies, but most have only fed the improvements through in the past couple of years – and fresh into 2020 we have already seen car makers reshuffling the mix of engines in their model ranges and rushing to introduce low-CO2 models. Ford,…

The Velar was originally pitched as a luxury SUV, and Land Rover priced it as such, before steadily expanding the range towards the more attainable end of the price spectrum, with the engines losing a few cylinders in the process. The D180 is hardly the only four-pot car in its class, although it does need to move a little over two tonnes of car and has just 177bhp with which to do it. That’s only enough to barely squeeze under nine seconds for the 0-62mph dash, but a healthy 317lb ft of torque does much to make up for it. It’s a capable performer, but unsurprisingly not to the extent of Land Rover’s more powerful engines. I’m not sure you’d want a Velar with anything less under the bonnet, but…

MODEL TESTED D180 AWD SE Price £43,175 • Power 177bhp • Torque 317lb ft • 0-60mph 10.3sec • 30-70mph in fourth na • Fuel economy 31mpg • CO2 emissions 155g/km • 70-0mph 62.2m Jaguar Land Rover has been in the wars of late. Abroad, troubles in the Chinese market in 2018 catalysed a sales nose-dive, while back at home the simultaneous public flogging of diesel cars and the uncertainty surrounding Brexit did their best to add two black eyes to the firm’s already bloodied nose. This axis of misfortune, along with a £3.1 billion write-down in the value of company’s capitalised assets, saw this storied British manufacturer post a staggering £3.6bn loss at the end of the last financial year. Encouragingly, things have started to look up in more recent months…

VERDICT There are more comfortable, efficient and quicker alternatives to this revised Discovery Sport, whose new-found mild-hybrid status should be taken with a pinch of salt. And despite the convincing technological showcase of the cabin, at times the Sport’s weight and thick-set manner can make it feel a touch antiquated among more polished classmates. However, few if any of those cars match the Land Rover’s off-road ability or sense of integrity, and none marries such a commanding driving position with controls that inspire an enjoyable degree of confidence. In these aspects the Discovery Sport transcends the norms of the class and inherits the character of more senior Land Rover wares. While the Discovery Sport can’t match the likes of Audi and BMW for rolling refinement, its abilities in this regard…

▪ That’s how quickly Bloodhound LSR accelerated during its most recent high-speed tests and it will go faster still, with its runs taking less time again but with far higher terminal speeds, when it gets a rocket. ▪ Bloodhound’s engineers think each pass will use something like 300-350 litres of jet fuel. That’s even less than it used in testing, on account of each run taking less time. ▪ The jet is by those standards “very efficient”, although these things are relative. ▪ Bloodhound’s engineers know that the rocket will use something like 900 litres of high-test peroxide fuel on every single run. So double that for each two-direction record attempt. ▪ Before the afterburner is fired, the Typhoon EJ200 jet engine makes 13,300lbf of force and on reheat 20,239lbf…

If you’re expecting the Victoria and Albert Museum’s latest headline exhibition, Cars: Accelerating the Modern World, to take an affectionate stroll through the 150-year history and progress of a much-loved four-wheeled transport device, you’d be dead wrong. It’s far better than that. It’s much closer to the truth that this superb display – detailed enough to provide two to four hours’ absorption for car lovers and neutrals alike – should be viewed as ‘The car and its influence, without prejudice’. Which, when you think about it, places it in a space nobody in recent memory has attempted to fill. We live nowadays either with stentorian condemnations of cars that ignore their role in enabling progress on many other fronts (and probably helped their critics get to work that morning) or…

DRIVEN Aston Martin DBX – the first test The word ‘crucial’ is attached to every mention of the DBX, given how high the stakes are for the company. Now, we drive it for the first time FEATURE MG in the UK Steve Cropley finds out how the MG of 2020 has changed DRIVEN Ford Puma The Puma is back – but this time as an SUV. We rate it EVERY WEEK FIRST DRIVE Hyundai i10 If the city car is dying, no one told Hyundai, as this all-new i10 shows ROAD TEST BMW 330d Touring Why this potent diesel estate is one of the world’s greatest all rounders USED BUYING GUIDE MG ZR MG turned the Rover 25 into a hot hatch. Here’s how to find a good one SUBSCRIBE…

MILEAGE 4192 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see if Mazda’s bold claims about its revolutionary Skyactiv-X tech ring true Having now recovered from my learner driver stalling tendencies detailed in my last update (I haven’t stalled the Mazda in weeks), I’ve now plumbed new depths of idiocy by managing to run the 3’s battery flat not once but twice in the space of two weeks. The first time I was confused. Walking towards the car on my way to work, I reached for the handle to activate keyless entry, but nothing happened. A tap of the button, not a sound. My first thought was a dead key battery or locking issue, so I prised out the physical, emergency lock key, which is surprisingly tricky to slot into the door and…

BMW M135i £9995 An M135i for less than £10,000? Tempting, especially considering the 2012-reg car has done a reasonable 75,000 miles and has full BMW service history, faithfully recorded in its iDrive system. It’s the rare manual version, by the way, and being the three-door, it looks sportier than the practical five-door version. So it’s all looking good, and in case you’ve forgotten, its 3.0-litre straight six produces 315bhp and 332lb ft, enough to launch it from rest to 62mph in 4.6sec. Those rear tyres take a hammering, so the first thing to check is how much tread is left. In the wet, you might wish you were at the wheel of a four-wheel-drive Volkswagen Golf R. Otherwise, the rear-drive M135i is the car to have. That being so, and…

To put the importance of the new Range Rover Sport into perspective, we need to look at Land Rover’s sales figures over the past few years. Between January and November 2016, Land Rover sold 78,600 Range Rover Sports, well ahead of the 49,900 Range Rovers and the 46,700 Discoverys also sold over that period. Fast forward to last year and, over the like-for-like period, Land Rover sold 74,400 Sports and 47,400 Range Rovers. Considering that the new Velar also shifted 55,000 units between January and November last year, sales of the model’s sister cars held up remarkably well. While JLR bosses can be congratulated for establishing three of the company’s four premium models (Range Rover, RRS, Velar) as strongly differentiated brands that seem to suffer little in the way of…

Chinese electric vehicle start-up Nio has unveiled its third production car, the EC6 coupé-SUV. The new model is based on the similarly sized ES6. A range-topping Performance version will use two electric motors for a promised 0-62mph time of 4.7sec and will feature a 110kWh battery offering a range of more than 370 miles. It will be launched in China in July. Nio is listed on the New York Stock Exchange but currently only sells cars in its home market, despite having global aspirations. The firm has racked up substantial losses in its short history and recently revealed to Autocar that it is searching for new funding to achieve its ambitious growth plans (Autocar, 4 December 2019). BMW DROPS 3 SERIES GRAN TURISMO Production of the 3 Series Gran Turismo…

Bugatti’s quad-turbo W16 powertrain has life in it yet despite the broader trend for downsizing, according to the firm’s boss, Stephan Winkelmann. He acknowledged that Bugatti had a pool of other engines to choose from within the Volkswagen Group if it wanted but said the “mission for a Bugatti is a different one” from that of the group’s other brands. “The W16 has, in my opinion, an opportunity for the future,” Winkelmann said. “It’s a USP which is not diminishing in value.” He also said Volkswagen Group boss Herbert Diess “knows the value of a W16 engine”. Talking more broadly about internal combustion engines (ICEs), he said: “If it lasts another decade, ICE will be the last of a kind and the last of its kind means it is collectible.…

Vauxhall is using Britain’s imminent exit from the EU as the backdrop for its boldest marketing campaign in years. The move is part of a bid to boost its UK market share for cars and vans by a third – from 7.5% to double figures – by 2022. Managing director Stephen Norman believes Vauxhall has a unique opportunity to benefit from a possible post-election change in the UK’s social landscape. It has already begun using a challenging new strapline – ‘New Rules, Britannia’ – for a radical, all-media advertising campaign that started last month with the launch of the all-new Corsa. Building on the successful ‘British brand since 1903’ campaign that he launched soon after his appointment two years ago, Norman intends to position Vauxhall more directly as a maker…

The headline figure is 95g/km. But during the political horse-trading in Brussels as the figures were agreed, the German and UK industry succeeded in tweaking the regulation so that weight was taken into account – ensuring it could work for heavier luxury cars as well as lighter ones. As a result, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, with a range dominated by small cars, has a target of 92g/km in 2020, while BMW has 102g/km. But Autocar understands the figure will change for 2021. That’s also when an exemption for the top five percent highest emitters will expire. Each company average is built up from CO2 target figures calculated for individual models and based on a reference mass of 1379.88kg (about the weight of a BMW 1 Series). The formula is: CO2 Target =…

One mistake car manufacturers make is assuming that customers always enjoy choosing options. It can be fun equipping a new Volkswagen Golf, but when you’re talking about a Porsche 911, the whole thing gets nerve-racking. You’re induced to add big money to an already-large price, under the lingering threat that if you don’t fit the right wheels or seats, your car won’t resell when the time comes. Which is why we were fascinated to get our hands on a near-standard Carrera as opposed to a fully loaded Carrera S, the kind of demo that usually comes our way. Not that our test car was exactly stripped bare. Its options totalled £8100 by the time its owner had added £1844 for a sports exhaust, paid £1600 for 14-way electric sports seats…

1 AUDI Q5 40 TDI S LINE QUATTRO S TRONIC As far as refinement, composure and practicality are concerned, the Q5 is tough to beat. Steering still a bit numb, though. 2 BMW X3 xDRIVE20d M SPORT Keen handling BMW SUV is now a serious upmarket contender. Appealing balance of performance, refinement and economy, too. 3 JAGUAR F-PACE D180 AWD R-SPORT Its diesel engine is a bit of an average performer, but the F-Pace is a striking thing to look at that handles well. 4 LAND ROVER DISCOVERY SPORT D180 AWD SE The only seven-seater here, and the only contender that will genuinely go off road. Tough to dismiss on those grounds. 5 MERCEDES-BENZ GLC 220D 4MATIC AMG LINE Handsome GLC offers impressive comfort levels and an appealing cabin. Dynamically a bit so-so.…

The Nissan Leaf was the first mainstream family-sized electric car to hit the UK when it was launched in 2011. Today, with over 25,000 Mk1 and Mk2 versions sold, it can also claim to be the first used EV to be available in significant numbers. In fact, one leading sales site lists more than 1000 of them, half being Mk1 models, the generation under review here and in production from 2011 to 2017. For a long time, and in common with most other electric cars, Leafs depreciated rapidly but values appear to have stabilised in recent months as demand for used EVs picks up. The first Leafs were built in Japan and offered in just one trim. They weren’t badly equipped, though, with a connected sat-nav, climate control and 16in…

PORSCHE 911 CARRERA 4 Every car has its cross to bear but the first-generation 996-series 911 has three of them: headlights that look like fried eggs, questionable reliability and a liquid-cooled engine where its predecessors had all been air cooled. All three go some way towards explaining why the model is a bit of a bargain, at least in 911 terms. For example, this 94,000-mile, 1998-reg Carrera 4 coupé made just £9768 before the hammer fell. Interestingly, the headlights had been converted to hide the fried-egg look, a popular fix involving the fitment of body-coloured covers.…

Better late than never, they say, and with prices of the legendary Lancia Delta HF Integrale of 1986-95 heading skywards, you could say the ‘elephant’ has well and truly bolted. But do not despair. Take your courage in both hands and buy an Integrale at auction and you might bag a tidy example of the less revered eight-valve version for around £15,000, as one bidder did as recently as last October. True, it had been converted from the standard left-hand drive to right-hand drive, although by well-regarded specialist John Whalley. Also in its favour was a mileage of just 56,000, a good service record, with work done by respected Integrale specialists, and a full body restoration in 2008. The auction house rated it as being in very good condition. The…

An expert’s view STEVE SHAW, SERVICE MANAGER, WALKERS GARAGE “I’ve been working on Integrales ever since the model first went rallying. I’ve owned two or three, although I admit I bought them to sell. There’s nothing like an Integrale to drive. When they’re good, they’re very good, but I have to say that when they’re bad, they’re horrible! Regular servicing is the key to keeping an Integrale sweet. Do that and things like the engine and transmission will be reliable. You can expect to find some rust, cracks in the body and tired suspension bushes, but get those sorted and with export demand very strong, you can expect to get your money back, plus some.” Buyer beware… ▪ ENGINE Look for oil leaks from the upper sump gasket. Beware camshaft…