Innholdsfortegnelse for January 15, 2020 i Autocar

BY ITS OWN admission, Ford has been tardy in keeping up with the seismic shift towards small SUVs for European buyers. The original Ecosport was so far off both the pace of the class best and the standard set by the likes of the Fiesta and Focus that you’d have thought it had come from another car maker. Although enhanced since, it still offers no outstanding reason to buy one over fast-improving – and increasing – competition. Yet while immensely popular with buyers, none of those small SUVs can claim to be truly exceptional. Which is where Ford comes back in, because it has finally delivered a small SUV really worth getting excited about in the Puma. As Matt Prior declares (p26), the Puma is the best-driving small SUV yet…

“The plug-in hybrid should be good for nearly 250bhp and as much as 300lb ft” Skoda is planning its most comprehensive Octavia vRS line-up yet, with sources at the company hinting that the new models will be the fastest and most focused to wear the vRS performance badge so far. Standard versions of the new-generation Octavia were unveiled late last year, but the new vRS-badged performance models are due to make their debut at the Geneva motor show in March, with a plug-in hybrid variant set to join the vRS range for the first time. The new PHEV version promises to offer the most potent version yet of the drivetrain already seen in the Volkswagen Golf GTE. As before, there will also be 2.0-litre petrol and diesel vRS models, with…

MORGAN IS BUILDING a batch of 20 uniquely specified Plus Four roadsters – priced at £60,995 – to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the model’s 1950 debut. The special-edition cars also celebrate this year’s move from the steel ladder chassis that Morgan has always used to the new CX bonded aluminium platform, launched in the Plus Six. The 20 cars, painted platinum metallic in honour of their platinum anniversary, have already found homes. Each will get a gold-painted chassis with a motorsport-inspired front valance, plus an exterior ‘black pack’, and will roll on Satin Grey wire wheels. Inside, an individually numbered plaque will feature on the dashboard. Heated black leather seats will have monogrammed head restraints, while fascias will be finished in near-black Ravenwood. The anniversary models will have a…

HONDA HAS DEVELOPED the Augmented Driving Concept, a car to address the “cultural transition to autonomous” vehicles. The roofless four-seater offers users the chance to take full control or to be driven. There are eight different levels of input from the vehicle and Honda claims there’s a “seamless” transition between each step. Sensors can also detect the appropriate level of autonomy based on the driver’s behaviour. The Japanese manufacturer revealed only minimal technical details about the concept – with no information about the powertrain – but it did showcase a minimalist interior focused on maximising space. The car retains a steering wheel, although it has been developed to serve numerous functions beyond steering.…

HYUNDAI IS WORKING with Uber to develop a personal air vehicle (PAV) concept that could be used as a flying taxi in the future. The S-A1 can carry up to four passengers, is capable of vertical take-off and landing and has a cruising speed of 180mph at an altitude of 1000-2000ft above ground. Hyundai said the machines will initially be piloted but are capable of becoming fully autonomous eventually. The fully electric S-A1 will be developed and produced by Hyundai, with Uber’s nascent air taxi division providing links to ground-based transport options and customer interfaces. The S-A1 is intended to be capable of trips of up to 60 miles and can be recharged in five to seven minutes. It will be propelled by multiple small rotors. Hyundai said this…

CARLOS GHOSN HAS accused his former Nissan colleagues of being “petty, vindictive, lawless criminals” and the Japanese justice system of treating him “like a terrorist” in a bizarre press conference. The remarks, part of an hour-long monologue in which the former CEO protested his innocence, were made in Lebanon. Ghosn fled there after escaping Japan, where he was on house arrest facing financial misconduct charges. Ghosn claimed he had to illegally leave the country, to flee “injustice and political persecution”. He stated that he was interrogated daily for months with no lawyer present, not given a trial date, kept in solitary confinement, not allowed to speak to his family and allowed to shower only twice a week. The most significant claim made by Ghosn was that high-ranking Nissan executives, the…

NOT LONG AGO, big powertrain news involved the launch of new engine plants like JLR’s Engine Manufacturing Centre. Now the attention has switched to battery manufacturing and the best way to produce lithium ion batteries for EVs. Some, like Tesla, keep schtum about the precise details, but lithium ion EV batteries all have the same basic components. Individual cells are arranged into modules that are connected together via a high-voltage connector (busbar) and encased to form a single battery pack. Two other main components are the battery management system, which controls and monitors every aspect of the battery’s performance and behaviour, and the liquid cooling system. Individual cells work in much the same way, with an anode and cathode separated by a thin polymer layer and surrounded by electrolyte, but…

THE ABILITY TO improve your car’s sound system simply by downloading new software could become reality as manufacturers and their suppliers look to find new ways to upgrade existing cars during their lifetime. Buying premium audio at a later date is the brainchild of American company Harman, which has a significant presence in the automotive field through its Harman Kardon, JBL, Mark Levinson and Bang & Olufsen brands. This seemingly impossible task, announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in the US (round-up, p12-13), will be made possible as wireless software updates become more prevalent. Harman’s pitch to car makers is that they install slightly better speakers and more computer power into models sold with the base audio system, then persuade the customer to buy an upgrade from whichever audio brand…

MODEL TESTED XDRIVE M SPORT PLUS EDITION TOURING Price £48,035 • Power 262bhp • Torque 428lb ft • 0-60mph 5.5sec • 30-70mph in fourth 5.8sec • Fuel economy 42.0mpg • CO2 • emissions 142g/km • 70-0mph 54.3m Contemplating the BMW 330d’s place in the motoring world as we move into a brand-new decade is a fascinating undertaking. Just over 20 years have now elapsed since the first 30d-badged 3 Series rolled off the production line in Munich, Leipzig and Regensburg, kick-starting a phenomenon in the process. Those particular E46-generation models were by no means the first Threes to use oil-burning six-cylinder engines, but their arrival marked the birth of what could be one of the most multi-talented vehicle genres to date: the performance diesel compact executive car. A sub-8.0sec 0-62mph…

Few cars in this class deal with Millbrook’s Hill Route as impressively as the 3 Series Touring. With its dampers firmed up, the 330d Touring exhibits exceptional body control and poise, while the direct, accurate steering makes the process of nosing in to an apex at speed a predictable and enjoyable undertaking. Traction levels are generally good courtesy of the xDrive four-wheel drive system, although with the stability systems reduced, the BMW will happily adopt a fair amount of attitude through sharper bends. Such moments of oversteer arrive in a predictable, readable fashion, however, and its front axle gracefully steps in to pull you out of a corner’s exit before things become too lairy. Meanwhile, the course’s more gruelling ascents are dispatched with ease owing to the engine’s effortless torque,…

“This car might well change opinions about how objectionable big, powerful SUVs must be” The past 15 months have been challenging for Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc, ever since the company took its ‘Second Century’ business expansion plan public on the London Stock Exchange. I’d imagine a stock market analyst would probably choose a word other than ‘challenging’ to describe it, in fact; one preceded, perhaps, with an even more colourful term beginning with the letter ‘b’ or ‘f’. The truth is, Aston’s stocks have yet to really become buoyant at all. They’ve been taking on water steadily since an ambitious debut at £19 per share in October 2018. They rallied briefly over Christmas but sat at a new low of £3.86 apiece as these words were written. Although…

The mild epiphany came last year: I am probably the world’s worst small fleet manager. Apart from not quite knowing how many cars I had – 12, 13? – most of them had no MOT, no tax and few were runners. This is the challenge of having a deep-seated urge to own a car museum, a busy job and limited mechanical skills. Having this many cars might suggest that I’m loaded, but no – most of them are cheap cars, bought cheaply. One reason there are so many is a large one-time chicken shed. It’s eight miles from home and shared with an enthusiast mate and some other friends who store the odd car there. But it’s only the odd car. Most of them are mine. Once you have a…

It was 5.30am when Aaron Herringshaw set off from his home in Bournemouth at the wheel of his Mercedes-Benz C200 CDi estate to drive the 25 miles to his job as a chef in deepest Dorset. He liked the drive, especially at that time of the day when the sun is rising and the roads are quiet. Then, as he was travelling along a familiar country road, a deer leapt out from a hedge immediately ahead of him. With no time to react, Herringshaw struck it. The deer bolted away. Some months later, Herringshaw recalls the experience of hitting a large deer at about 40mph. “It was terrifying,” he says. “The animal was literally right in front of me and there was nothing I could do. The Mercedes was a…

ROAD TEST New Vauxhall Corsa You’ve read the first drive, now we deliver the full eight-page road test verdict. Can the fifth-gen Corsa finally dethrone the Fiesta? FEATURE Northern Lights road trip On the hunt for the Aurora Borealis – top down in a Rolls FEATURE Thermal Raceway We visit the housing development built on a race track EVERY WEEK FIRST DRIVE Bentley Flying Spur Our first UK drive in Crewe’s impressive new saloon USED BUYING GUIDE TVR Tuscan Is this fast but fragile British-built two-seater a good used buy? We find out LONG-TERM TEST Volvo S60 No more diesel for Volvo’s exec saloon. Does that affect usability? SUBSCRIBE autocar.co.uk/subscribe or see p24…

MILEAGE 10,936 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see whether the modern-day Jimny is as worthy as its iconic predecessor Living with the Jimny in London has been a breeze, most notably because of its dinky size and brilliant visibility. But a trip to my parents’ home during the holidays gave me the perfect opportunity to spend some time in the Jimny in its natural habitat – the countryside. As soon as I hit the familiar, rural roads of Bedfordshire where I grew up, the Jimny felt a suitable companion: petite for tight country lanes, elevated for big puddles and with no need for high speeds, which we know aren’t the Jimny’s forte. When I was growing up in a tiny Bedfordshire village and winter came around, every night there’d be…

Mercedes E300d Estate Here’s Andrew’s 1996 W124 Mercedes E300d Estate: “Bought in 2011 for £800 with 166,000 miles, a full history and just two owners from new. I intended it to be an everyday car for my gardening business but, after spending money to make it really nice, I soon used it just as a fine-weather car. With a footprint very similar to a current Golf estate, it’s equally capable of winding along lanes as it is cosseting passengers on motorways with its renowned magic carpet ride. It’s now at 197,000 miles and, of course, only just run in.” SEND YOUR USED CAR TALES TO ✉ james@bangernomics.com AND READERS' QUESTIONS TO ✉ autocar@haymarket.com…

Alfa Romeo 4C Price £31,950 Hardly a bold prediction, but the petite, hand-built, carbonfibre-tubbed 4C has future classic written all over it. For now, though, prices are slipping, partly because it’s winter, partly because it’s no longer made so it’s relatively invisible and also because – whisper it – it’s not very good. Well, it’s sensational on a polished track, but its steering writhes in the hands on our pockmarked roads, the engine suffers turbo lag and the gearbox is slow-witted in auto mode. Far from perfect, then, but since when was that a requirement of a future classic?…

Nissan will reinvigorate its ageing line-up by introducing three new models in the next 18 months. A new Qashqai and a new X-Trail are due to be revealed this year and an all-new electric SUV will take on Ford’s Mustang Mach-E in 2021. The significant product overhaul comes at a crucial time for the Japanese maker, which has recently suffered dwindling profits and job cuts and is still reeling from the fallout from the arrest of former CEO Carlos Ghosn. New CEO Makoto Uchida, himself barely a month into the job, is implementing a product plan with renewed vigour, ensuring the manufacturer’s global best-sellers are brought up to the class standard in good time. Following the recently launched, second-generation Juke, three more new SUVs are at the core of the…

RENAULT HAS ANNOUNCED details of two new electrified powertrains added to the Clio and Captur ranges, while also confirming that a plug-in hybrid Mégane will soon be launched. The two new models both feature ‘E-Tech’ branding but have substantially different takes on the hybrid powertrain. The Clio uses a ‘full hybrid’ system – an innovative take on the proven parallel hybrid set-up – that Renault says is protected by about 150 patents. It’s based around a multi-mode dedicated hybrid transmission, which controls a naturally aspirated 1.6-litre petrol engine and two electric motors either simultaneously or independently. The battery pack is a small 1.2kWh, meaning the car weighs just 10kg more than an equivalent diesel Clio. Renault says the Clio E-Tech can spend up to 80% of the time in electric…

CHINESE ELECTRIC CAR start-up Faraday Future believes its days as the automotive industry’s bad student are nearly over – and has given Autocar a first drive in a prototype of its oft-delayed FF91 electric car. Once tipped as Tesla’s biggest threat, the California-based firm has battled through a series of financial struggles since being founded in 2014. It’s now headed by former Byton boss and BMW veteran Carsten Breitfeld and its first EV is close to production. The FF91’s powertrain consists of a mammoth, 130kWh lithium ion battery with three electric motors for a total of 1035bhp. Breitfeld claimed the firm has achieved those figures in real-world testing. When we drove its EV in Las Vegas just before CES, its futuristic design attracted lots of attention as we negotiated dense…

Manufacturers selling cars in the UK face a looming Brexit-related financial crisis from 2021 as a result of having to meet increasingly stringent emissions regulations. New standards come into force across the EU this year, in simple terms demanding that new cars sold by manufacturers average CO2 emissions of 95g/km. Fines will be imposed at the rate of €95 per gram per car. Industry analyst Jato Dynamics has predicted that the bill for the industry could be as high as €34 billion (£29bn) in 2020. However, should the Brexit timeline promised by prime minister Boris Johnson be kept, UK sellers face intensified problems after the withdrawal is certified, because the government has committed to mirror the EU emissions regulations in isolation. “The government has pledged to meet global climate targets…

In a few years, EVs will be taking to UK roads in much greater numbers than they are today. But will the UK’s electricity-generating network be able to keep up? Although there has been widespread concern that it won’t, the current assessment by National Grid plc (which also manages the UK’s natural gas supply) is far more optimistic. If the right steps are taken, then far from overloading the network, EVs could actually contribute to reducing energy consumption by 2050. Thanks partly to the 2019 Climate Change Act, which aims for net zero CO2 emissions by 2050 across the board, energy supply for EVs will form part of a massive UK decarbonisation strategy. In its annual Future Energy Scenarios report (FES), National Grid lists four possible ways in which the…

Land Rover will launch its first hybrid Discovery as part of a roster of updates aimed at boosting the model’s sales, which continue to fall below expectations. Photos of this camouflaged prototype show a substantial disguise for what is described by a Land Rover source as a “model-year update”, suggesting the changes are more far reaching than the usual equipment upgrades and light tweaks. More revealing still, however, is that this prototype is registered as a hybrid-electric model. Land Rover has yet to officially confirm which hybrid powertrain this test mule is using. It’s possible the brand is considering introducing a plug-in hybrid variant with the four-cylinder P400e system used on the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. However, Autocar understands the model spotted testing is a mild hybrid, using…

VOLKSWAGEN HAS relaunched the Up GTI in the UK, eight months after the sporting city car’s production allocation was fulfilled and it was withdrawn to coincide with the transition to WLTP emissions testing. The Suzuki Swift Sport rival’s return to market comes as Volkswagen prepares to begin deliveries of the upgraded e-Up, which, unlike its new Seat Mii Electric and Skoda Citigo-e iV siblings, will continue to be sold alongside petrol variants. Given the Up GTI’s relatively short time off sale, it returns almost unchanged, save for the introduction of Volkswagen’s new logo and the removal of the three-door shape in everything but the base model and the GTI. The Up GTI’s three-cylinder 1.0-litre turbo engine remains at 113bhp, meaning it can still sprint from 0-62mph in 8.8sec and hit…

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The new Hyundai i10 shouldn’t exist. The petrol-engined city car has been declared dead, you see, sparking an ongoing ‘whodunnit’ to determine whether it was low profit margins, prohibitive emissions legislation or changing consumer tastes that delivered the final, fatal blow. And yet, in an improbable plot twist, here we have an all-new i10, looking fresh, relevant and, indeed, very much alive and well. Who saw that coming? This third-generation i10 isn’t just a minor update, either. Hyundai has re-engineered it from scratch, evidenced by a fresh new design. The styling is familiar, but the adoption of the firm’s latest design language means a bolder grille, giving the i10 a more dramatic feel that further distances it from the dull but practical feel of early versions. It’s all a bit…

VERDICT The temptation to award the 330d Touring five stars was difficult to resist. The refinement and performance of its six-cylinder powertrain make it a worthy diesel flagship; it handles very nearly as well and enjoyably as any 3 Series saloon; and it’s one of the more practical estates in its segment. That it can also average 42mpg without really trying and has a materially appealing, ergonomically sound cabin only amplify just how desirable and well rounded a machine it is. However, there is a hefty price to pay for such excellence these days. Stricter emissions-based company car taxation means the car is now nearly twice as dear to tax as its predecessor was in 2012. And given the exceptional competence of the current 320d Touring models, that greater premium…

Walters Arena, near Merthyr Tydfil, granted a chance to find out how the DBX might handle wet gravel, mud and rocks – and some deep standing water. Much as few owners of a £160,000 car would ever be likely to discover with their own purchases, it handles all very capably indeed. The car’s air suspension and active anti-roll bars are apparently key in producing the chassis’ ability to stay level and to rotate into corners when you select Sport+ driving mode. So explains Matt Becker as you approach a wide gravel bend in third gear, then throw the car’s nose into the apex on a trailing throttle and feel the rear pivot benignly wide as its rear-axle roll stiffness peaks. The car’s mid-corner handling adjustability is better off the throttle…

New Zealand’s summer is so wet that 1000 tourists have been stranded by road blockages, rain is falling at up to 40mm per hour, the Met Office says “small tornadoes are possible” and, earlier today, while driving along a road in a Jeep Gladiator, I was overtaken by a speed boat in the other lane. Now it’s, well, I don’t know what time exactly but gone midnight in a basement bar in Queenstown, on New Zealand’s South Island. It’s loud and dark but Jeep’s global president and the company’s star exterior designer are still here. Both have just spent two days getting soaked to the skin and are ready for several more. Pick a car company boss and a chief designer: can you picture them in a pub talking about…

Our round-up of Lotus-engineered rarities opens with the VX220. The Vauxhall shared key parts with the Elise and was built at the same factory, and it went on sale in 2000 supported by an appalling ad campaign that held back sales. It was why, for many years, the car was a bargain. Not any more. Today you’ll pay almost as much for a VX as you will for an Elise, mainly because everyone now knows the little Vauxhall is just so darned good. Prices open at around £10,000 for a Turbo but we were drawn to one costing £14,000. The private-sale, two-owner car was registered in 2003 and has done 45,000 miles. It looks tidy but there’s nothing about the service history and it has had a respray. Maybe one…

An expert’s view NICK NEWEY, SUMMIT GARAGE “We’ve been MG dealers since 1945 and I’ve been working on Rovers and MGs for 34 years. If we get a good ZR in stock, which we do from time to time, it sells quickly. The model still looks good but it looked even better with its go-faster decals, alloys and low-profile tyres. Because it was so light, all three petrol versions were nippy and fun to drive. The engines were generally reliable, let down only by the head gasket. It’s why you should check the filler neck for emulsion and the coolant for oil contamination. Rust never used to be a problem but that might not be the case 15 years on.” Buyer beware… ▪ ENGINES Check oil filler neck for sludge…

Autocar understands the X-Trail will be prioritised for an unveiling before its smaller Qashqai sibling, possibly in the summer. Prototypes have been seen testing in the US, where the X-Trail and Qashqai are sold as the Rogue and Rogue Sport respectively. Nissan sells significantly more Rogues in the US than X-Trails in Europe. It’s also more popular than the smaller SUV in both the US and China, so Nissan will want it to be the centre of attention in these markets. The US test cars provide a clear glimpse of the upcoming X-Trail’s exterior styling. Spy shots also reveal a significantly overhauled dashboard design dominated by a large, free-standing central display that’s flanked by traditional knobs and shortcut buttons rather than touch-sensitive items. There is a separate, small screen for…

THE 500 AND Panda have become the first electrified models in the Fiat line-up, ahead of the electric 500e arriving later this year. The city cars use a mild-hybrid powertrain that Fiat says reduces CO2 emissions by up to 30%. Replacing the 1.2-litre engine, it comprises a 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine, a 12V belt-driven electric motor and a lithium ion battery. It produces 69bhp and 69lb ft of torque. The cars use a six-speed manual gearbox that allows the engine to switch off entirely by shifting into neutral at speeds below 18mph. The powertrain will first appear in Hybrid Launch Edition models, which get recycled plastic upholstery.…

MERCEDES-BENZ HAS partnered with the team behind science-fiction film Avatar to produce the Vision AVTR concept car, which previews how an S-Class could look in the 22nd century. The bold electric four-seater was developed with Hollywood producer James Cameron, who created the 2009 hit film. The car showcases new organic design, interior materials, active aerodynamic elements and a hologram-based interface. The Vision AVTR (Advanced Vehicle Transformation) is powered by an electric motor on each wheel, combining for more than 469bhp. Power is drawn from a 110kWh battery, which Mercedes conceives as a high-density unit made from recyclable graphene-based organic cell chemistry, offering a range of more than 434 miles. Although it doesn’t preview any upcoming production model, the Vision AVTR is described by Mercedes’ head of advanced design, Stefan Köhl,…

Toyota has unveiled the 257bhp GR Yaris at the Tokyo Auto Salon in Japan. The second model in the GR sports car line was based on knowledge developed from the firm’s World Rally Championship programme. The highly anticipated four-wheel-drive hot hatch, which Autocar has already driven in prototype form (2 January), was developed by Gazoo Racing as a ‘homologation special’ to aid development of the next-generation Yaris WRC. Tommi Mäkinen Racing, which runs Toyota’s WRC effort, had significant input into the model. The new machine joins the GR Supra in Toyota’s growing performance range. At the launch, Toyota Gazoo Racing boss Shigeki Tomoyama said: “While the new GR Supra is a sports car developed through track racing, the GR Yaris has been devised through our participation in rallies – something…

A rapid-charging project called DC Share is under way with Western Power Distribution, Electricity North West and Ricardo. Its aim is to boost the capability of local networks to power rapid chargers. Although local AC distribution networks can be protected from mass EV plug-in at peak times by smart charging, that doesn’t allow for attaching power-hungry rapid charger clusters to the same networks. For that, expensive ‘network reinforcement’ may be needed, such as increasing the capacity of transformers, overhead lines and cables. The DC Share project will tap into surrounding networks, drawing unused power to drive rapid-charging hubs. The project will lay a DC equalisation cable network between transformers, so those experiencing heavy demand can be supported by others that are lightly loaded. If successful, this approach would be cheaper…

Aston Martin will not produce its first electric vehicle, the Rapide E, as originally planned, Autocar understands. Revealed as a concept in 2015 and confirmed for production in 2017, the 602bhp luxury saloon had essentially completed development by the time it made its dynamic debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last summer. It was meant to enter production at the end of 2019, with 155 examples mooted at an undisclosed price. However, a source close to Aston Martin has said the Rapide E will instead become a research project used to further the firm’s broader electrification programme. It’s not yet clear how many orders were taken or whether refunds will have to be issued. The British manufacturer is focusing most of its efforts on the launch of the DBX,…

For quite a long time, we’ve been waiting for somebody to come along and set a new standard – any kind of standard – in the compact crossover segment. Finally, I think we’ve found the car that has done it, although the new Ford Puma has stepped rather than vaulted over what’s a relatively modest bar. Puma, then. No longer a stylish small coupé based on the Fiesta, but today’s equivalent: a tall pseudo-SUV based on the Fiesta. We’ll mourn the former kind of Puma but, well, if we wanted to keep cars like that in production, we should have bought more of the darned things. The truth is that the crossover is the mainstream manufacturer’s way to make money out of passenger cars and not just vans. So let’s…

Should a calculator ever determine which car you buy? It’s a question anyone contemplating a Kia Niro plug-in hybrid (PHEV) may have pause to ponder, given the yin and yang offered by its undoubtedly clever powertrain but eyebrow-raising price. You have the upsides of being able to run up to 36 miles on electric power alone, enjoying a potentially huge uptick on running costs as well as the delicious silence and compelling confidence of the instant torque from the electric motor. The official economy figure in the spec box (right) is fairly meaningless, because a PHEV is as efficient as the distances you drive. Living and commuting mainly short distances around a big town, I could nigh-on live on electric power. Life as a long-range sales rep would be harder.…

1 BMW 330D XDRIVE M SPORT PLUS EDITION TOURING Magnificent engine, impressive practicality and excellent handling marred only by asking price and emissions rules. 2 JAGUAR XF D240 AWD R-SPORT SPORTBRAKE Four-pot diesel can’t match BMW for performance, but larger XF handles sweetly and is even more practical. 3 VOLVO V60 T8 TWIN ENGINE R-DESIGN PLUS Reasonable dynamism and emissions-friendly powertrain wrapped up in a handsome and practical exterior. 4 MERCEDES C300DE EQ POWER AMG LINE EDITION ESTATE No UK drive of it yet, but diesel-electric powertrain makes a lot of sense. Greater focus on comfort than dynamism. 5 AUDI S4 TDI QUATTRO AVANT Impressively quick but lacks the handling character and panache of the BMW. Not quite as practical as the other estates on this list, either.…

New Zealand’s roads are a curious mix of the familiar and the unusual. They drive on the left and you can be on lakeside bends that feel like Scotland’s. But some of the markings are yellow. Mostly things are single carriageway. Around towns, there are dual-lane roads and there are motorways and expressways – although not much more than 200 miles in total. More common, then, are broad, well-surfaced single carriageways with a 62mph limit, dropping to 30mph or 25mph in towns. Traffic is, unsurprisingly, light, and visibility, where the road scores across plains, is very good, so overtaking is easy. You don’t see so many big old Fords and Holdens as I imagine you once would have. Japanese and Korean cars have taken hold. The Toyota Corolla is the…

MG is on a roll. Its biggest roll since the 1920s, you could argue, when an obscure British sales manager-turned-engineer, Cecil Kimber, took just three years to create the world’s best-selling sports car from the everyman Morris Minor – and then built a thriving, highly profitable global business on the back of it. Now it’s happening again. In the UK alone, annual MG sales have trebled in three years to 13,075 units and are strongly tipped to smash the 20,000 barrier by the end of this year. Even more expansion is predicted through 2021-22, fuelled by the arrival of more well-targeted, mostly electrified models. After a decade in the doldrums, MG has suddenly become the fastest-rising car brand in the UK and its management now realistically views the likes of…

Movie star stuntmen Among the titles in your favourite motoring movies feature (Autocar, 11/18 December) was Grand Prix with James Garner, and it was mentioned that he did the stunt driving for the film. What was omitted was that Garner actually crashed doing one scene, resulting in his eyebrows being singed. Garner reprised his skills behind the wheel a few years later on The Rockford Files TV series, where he chose the Pontiac Firebird as his mount owing to its dimensions and power-to-weight ratio after studying the cars on offer at the time. The Firebird was actually a full-house Trans Am, minus its body addenda and made to look like a modest Esprit model. When the series took off, the studios were nervous about Garner doing his own stunt driving…

MILEAGE 811 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see if reborn MG’s poster child is as easy to live with as the established names in the class Of all the issues I expected to face during my time right at the bottom of the list. And yet, somehow, the ZS has managed it. You’d need hearing on a par with Superman’s to moan about the electric motor, which is all but silent when pulling out of my street and only really audible inside the cabin when accelerating beyond 40mph. Have the radio at a reasonable volume and even that high-pitched whine is difficult to notice. No, it’s the alerts meant to stop you from forgetting your keys, or warn that you’ve left one of the doors open, that are causing the…

MILEAGE 63,009 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF There’s a whole Sunday I won’t ever get back, but it was my fault for going along with the whole madcap scheme. An oil and filter change on a 2015 Golf: what could go wrong? Well, my daughter is very hands-on so we jacked it up and put it on axle stands and took off the interminable covers. Trouble was, getting the filter off was impossible. I have all the gear, but maybe because I hadn’t been well I just didn’t have the core strength. Or the garage torqued it to infinity when they changed it last. Anyway, at least my daughter learned how to be towed in the dark by a lorry.…

In the case of the Peugeot 3008, the wisdom of buying used or, more specifically, nearly new, is clear. For example, the on-road price of a new 3008 1.5 BlueHDi 130 S&S GT Line Premium is £33,210. Of course, no one pays full price and, sure enough, dealers are happy to slice £2700 off that figure, taking it to £30,510. And that’s before they reach into their back pocket for things like a deposit contribution and a subsidised service plan. So not bad. But that pales into insignificance beside the saving you can make buying nearly new. How about £8715 off the full price or around £6000 off the discounted one? The car we’re thinking of, which costs £24,495, has done 7500 miles, but it’s a 2019/69-reg so would look…

BMW 330Ci CLUBSPORT The E46 M3 is the one people want, but for one buyer only this pretty 330Ci CS would do. The one-owner, 2002-reg car had done only 17,000 miles and was immaculate. There wasn’t much paperwork or history, but that wasn’t going to put them off parting with £13,500. Strong money, but while the 330Ci was possibly a bit soft, the Clubsport spices things up with slightly quicker steering, stiffened and lowered suspension, a bodykit and Clubsport kickplates. It also has 20kg less sound insulation – the better to enjoy that sweet, 228bhp 3.0-litre straight six.…

Although production ceased 15 years ago, you can still buy an MG ZR with delivery mileage and only the supplying dealer’s name in the log book. You’ll have to be quick, though, because just three of them remain unsold. One such example is with Hursley Hill SMG in Bristol. It’s an independent garage now but it was once one of Rover’s most successful dealerships. When the car maker was approaching collapse, SMG bought from it 300 factory-fresh MG Rovers of all types, and in the years since then it has been steadily making its way through them. Its ZR is one of the last. The 2004-registered model has done just 91 miles, or about the distance from the MG Rover factory at Longbridge to Bristol. It’s been in storage ever…