Innholdsfortegnelse for June 24, 2020 i Autocar

Vauxhall has gone radical with the second generation of its popular Mokka crossover, with a bold redesign and an electric version available from launch. Shunning the conventional approach of its predecessor, the new Mokka also ditches the X suffix from its name. Its more expressive look is based around Vauxhall’s new Vizor front-end design, which will be rolled out across the rest of the British brand’s range in due course. The Vizor forms a distinct frame around wing-shaped LED running lights and ‘glare-free’ adaptive-beam matrix LED headlights, which are claimed to be a first for the segment. A chrome bar stretching over the side windows visually separates the roof and leads to a rear featuring tail-lights in the same shape as the front running lights. The Mokka is a substantial…

Volkswagen has revealed the new Arteon Shooting Brake alongside the facelifted version of the executive fastback – with both models gaining new plug-in hybrid and range-topping 316bhp R variants. The Arteon was launched in 2017 but has so far been offered in only a fastback saloon bodystyle. The new Shooting Brake variant features a separate design from the B-pillars back, with an extended roofline, tapered glasshouse, prominent haunches over the rear wheels and an angled tailgate. It has 565 litres of boot space (versus 563 litres in the fastback) and 1632 litres with the seats folded (1557 litres). Both models will be launched early next year, with the R versions arriving as part of the continued range expansion of VW’s R performance division. They will use the fourth evolution of…

Given the mass investment in electrification, plus the additional fallout from the pandemic, many car makers are unlikely to back synthetic fuels. Mercedes-Benz research and development boss Markus Schäfer recently told Autocar that the use of synthetic fuels in cars isn’t viable in the mid-term, adding that his firm is focusing investment on electrifying its vehicles. “We have made a clear decision that our way will be electric first,” Schäfer said. “When we develop new platforms, we think electric first. We have to watch regulations and customer behaviour, but this will be our main road.” Schäfer expressed reservations over the efficiency of transforming green energy for synthetic fuels, saying he expected them to be more useful to industries such as aviation. He said: “If there were more clean energies available,…

Did you know that Seat’s first model, assembled back in 1953 and at the furious rate of five units a day, was a rear-driven saloon? Maybe you did – in which case, well done. But if you didn’t, I can understand why. At 67 years old, the company is now associated almost exclusively with front-driven hatchbacks and SUVs such as the Leon, Ibiza, Mii, Arona, Ateca, Tarraco… Neither is it hard for us Brits to incorrectly believe that the marque only came into existence some time after 1986, when Volkswagen took over once Fiat had backed out and the cars were sold here for the first time. The point is that the modern Leon and its forebear of the 1950s – the chrome-bumpered, 75mph and latterly Pininfarina-styled 1400 – could…

It has always been a minority fuel in the UK, but liquid petroleum gas (LPG) continues to do well on the Continent. So well for Dacia, in fact, that one in every three cars it sells in Italy can run on the stuff. Now it’s hoping to repeat that enthusiasm here by offering dual-fuel across its line-up – and in doing so becoming your sole choice for UK-registered, factory-fit LPG cars. Every Bi-Fuel Dacia uses the same 1.0-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol engine, paired to a five-speed manual gearbox. The second fuel tank for the LPG adds an extra 35kg but does little to diminish the Duster’s relaxed ride and should deliver an 11% reduction in CO2 and NOx emissions compared with an equivalent petrol-only model. Dacia expects the combination to…

MODEL TESTED SAGARIS TVR may consider the Sagaris to be its finest creation yet – but we can’t help thinking they made a terrible spelling mistake with the name. Surely, they should have called it Thugaris? This car looks like the result of some bizarre scientific experiment involving a giant insect, an MGB GT and a wind tunnel. But what it represents, according to TVR, is a radical improvement for the factory in terms of build quality, performance and chassis dexterity. It’s surprisingly small, yet the drama of its stance and its details lend it massive road presence. Beneath the bonnet, but mounted so far back in the chassis as to make for a front/mid-engined designation, lies Blackpool’s 3996cc aluminium straight six tuned to produce 406bhp between 7000rpm and 7500rpm…

The moment has come for electric cars. Lockdown is easing and, due to that, we’re seeing a rapid acceleration in demand for new cars – along with a determination in many a keen owner’s mind that this is a time to take a new view on life and concentrate on what really matters. For a great number of us, that means making a well-informed and far-sighted decision about our next car. Do we stick with the same, safe, internal-combustion choices or embrace the future with an EV? We know it’s coming, so why not do it now? Autocar believes it’s okay to think such things. Even before Covid-19, this was always going to be a major year for EV sales. The biggest European car makers must this year begin reducing…

ANDREW UNSWORTH HEAD OF VEHICLE DYNAMICS, BENTLEY Looking at the whole performance envelope of cars like ours means seeking out a very wide variety of roads. We need to assess ride comfort throughout the speed range, even beyond 150mph in our case. We need big primary ride inputs at times and sweeping bends for steering tuning. Loops are good – and we have a few – so we can keep driving the same corners and over the same surfaces to judge changes we’ve made. One of our evaluation loops starts at the factory gates at Pyms Lane in Crewe, quickly takes in a road with a changing surface that’s deteriorating in places and then has A-roads and B-roads with truck grooves. We have an unofficial agreement with the local council…

Almost as soon as the coronavirus led to racing engines around the world being turned off, so the simulators were fired up and motorsport went virtual. Much like Zoom video calls, Joe Wicks, home baking and online shopping, esports has enjoyed a lockdown-sized window of opportunity in which to showcase itself. The result has been a surge in interest, fuelled by real-world drivers, manufacturers and championships out to fill the void until real racing can resume. It started with established esports organisers. As the Formula 1 circus headed home after the last-minute cancellation of the Australian Grand Prix, Veloce Esports and Torque Esports set up ‘all-star’ events, both featuring real-world drivers, including F1 stars Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, and leading sim racers. F1, Formula E, Indycar, Nascar and others…

EVs need not be SUVs In the 20 May Confidential news section, Mercedes-Benz design boss Gorden Wagener said we “shouldn’t expect the trend of electric cars having SUV-style designs to disappear any time soon” because the battery “makes a car more SUV-like from the off”. Er, what? There are loads of very successful EVs that are in no way SUV-like – even some with long ranges, such as the Tesla Model 3 and Model S. I think what Mr Wagener actually means is that it’s much easier for Mercedes (and everyone else) to churn out 2.5-tonne SUVs and sell them at a huge profit than it is to make the effort to build something smaller, cheaper and (whisper it) less profitable. Indeed, only a couple of pages later, we heard…

Pre-lockdown, I was charging the EV I’d been running at the office whenever it needed a top-up. But when word came that we’d be working from home for the foreseeable future, I had to decide if the indicated 140 miles of range would be enough to get me through. A weekly round trip to the supermarket would see me out of juice in little over a month, so with no way to charge it at home, I decided to play it safe and swap for something at least a little less reliant on a plug socket. This Ford Kuga may be a plug-in hybrid, but I wasn’t worried about the drained drive battery when I picked it up. The petrol tank was full and one of the driving modes disables…

Studebaker Avanti £36,750 It wouldn’t be much of a surprise if you were to say that you had never heard of the Studebaker Avanti. After all, it lasted for just a couple of years, managing a production run of only around 1600 units. So why celebrate a failure? Well, because the Avanti was years ahead of its time. Studebaker was in a financially precarious position in the early 1960s, and its new boss, Sherwood Egbert, thought a luxury coupé would revive the brand and be a commercial success, much like the Ford Thunderbird. He enlisted the French-born US industrial designer Raymond Loewy – whose CV included Lucky Strike packaging, Coca-Cola vending machines and the Greyhound Scenicruiser bus (Google it) – to pen Studebaker’s last hope. Within six weeks, they had…

MERCEDES-AMG HAS updated its E63 saloon and estate with a range of upgrades intended to enhance comfort without compromising performance. The hot range-topper gains a raft of design changes to match the recent facelift rolled out on the regular E-Class line-up, with more aggressive new styling said to create a stronger link to Mercedes-AMG’s sports cars. The E63 retains its 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged petrol V8 engine, which makes 562bhp and 553lb ft in the standard E63 and 603bhp and 627lb ft in the E63 S, which is the only choice for customers in the UK. Power continues to be sent to all four wheels through a nine-speed automatic gearbox. While the engine’s output is unchanged, Mercedes-AMG says that considerable tuning work has been done to increase the E63’s performance window. The…

THE CUPRA ATECA has been updated inside and out for 2021, mirroring the facelift given to the standard Seat version earlier this month. As with Seat’s non-performance version, Cupra’s hot Ateca has been subtly redesigned, most obviously at the front. It receives new LED headlight and foglight designs, a reshaped front bumper with an aluminium diffuser and Seat’s angular new grille – as seen on the Tarraco large SUV and new Leon – which is framed by a dark chrome surround to differentiate the Cupra variant. Additional styling changes include an aluminium finish for the side mouldings, mirror caps and roof rails, as well as new puddle lights that project the Cupra logo onto the floor, dynamic rear indicators and larger, optional 19in alloy wheels that can be specified in…

TVR is attempting to raise fresh capital in order to take its reborn Griffith sports car to production, having outlined to investors a plan for adding new derivatives and even future-proofing the model for the electric age. There have been no public updates from the company since March, when it confirmed that a planning application had been submitted to Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council for refurbishing a factory on an industrial estate in Ebbw Vale, South Wales. “ TVR is now predominantly targeting investors who understand the brand, its history and its roots ” The building is to be turned around by the Welsh government before being leased to TVR. When contacted by Autocar, the council said a decision on planning approval still hasn’t been made. The Welsh government told…

MANUFACTURERS HAVE BEEN talking about vehicle-to-grid (V2G) transfer of energy since the fledgling days of EVs but, back in the day, it sounded like a fanciful idea. Now it doesn’t and it seems likely that V2G will become a standard feature on planet EV in the next few years. In early June, Western Power Distribution (the folks who brought you the Electric Nation smart-charging trial in 2018) kicked off phase two of Electric Nation – a V2G trial in the midlands, south-west and South Wales. WPD is partnering with CrowdCharge to supply specially developed £5500 V2G domestic chargers free to 100 users of Nissan Leafs across the three regions. In the 24 hours after users were invited to take part, exactly 100 Nissan drivers snapped up the opportunity. Electric Nation…

The first Mercedes-Benz GLA was the embodiment of the style-over-substance phenomenon of early-2010s crossovers. Here was a hatchback deemed different enough from the A-Class to warrant a new name in line with the brand’s fully fledged SUVs but, in reality, it was just an A-Class with a rugged styling pack and taller springs. The new GLA is a more considered effort from the outset: vital to rival the competence of the BMW X1 and Volvo XC40. It’s taller, by a full 104mm, and slightly wider, shunning the old hatch-on-stilts look – even if it does look a bit MPV-like from some angles. It’s 15mm shorter, too, but its wheelbase is longer, making it a true family car, with rear head and leg room to spare, even for six-footers. Only the…

The annoying thing about the Reva G-Wiz, and the Mahindra e2o that followed it, is that it made sense. This tiny, ugly, Indian-made electric contraption, registered as a quadricycle to avoid lots of awkward European crash and compliance laws – even if it looks vaguely like a little hatchback – was quick to catch on in London a couple of decades ago. That was because it allowed moneyed owners who cared only about convenience to zip through the traffic in something barely bigger (and significantly uglier) than a wheelbarrow and then park all day for free in the centre of the capital – a sacred advantage. You’d see grand-looking legal or corporate types, who had left their Bentleys in the garage, looking smug as they crawled along with the traffic…

After a few months during which our collective motoring fix has largely come from essential trips to the supermarket, the gentle easing of the coronavirus-induced lockdown has us imagining a time when life returns to normal (as opposed to ‘the new normal’ we keep hearing about). That’s still some way off, but the gradual return of some driving freedom means we can start to dream and plan out some road trips for the future. So these are our ultimate post-lockdown road trip suggestions – along with a slightly more achievable British equivalent. Want to suggest yours? If so, email autocar@haymarket.com. SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS FOR A 24-HOUR ENDURANCE RACE After missing out on so much motorsport, there’s only one remedy once restrictions get lifted: full immersion with a 24-hour race, and the holy…

Motorsport slowly begins to come out of lockdown Motorsport, like most of the world, was forced to shut down during the pandemic, but as restrictions ease around the world, series are beginning to make plans for their returns. Here’s a guide to how the major championships are shaping up for the remainder of the year. Formula 1 F1 bosses have confirmed the first eight races of the season, beginning with a double-header in Austria on 5 and 12 July. Hungary will host on 19 July, followed by a double-header at Silverstone on 2 and 9 August and then races in Spain, Belgium and Italy. No spectators will be allowed at any event. The calendar has yet to be finalised, although F1 hopes that 15-18 races will be held. The events…

FIRST DRIVE SPECIAL The future of BMW M Our first go in the new M2 CS, plus an early taste of the next M3 and M4. Oh, and Alpina’s take on the latest 3 Series… FEATURE The 2032 ban Our questions to the government ahead of its proposed ban of non-EVs by 2032 FIRST DRIVE F8 Tributo Spider Matt Prior’s verdict on Ferrari’s latest topless V8 supercar EVERY WEEK ROAD TEST BMW 330e Munich’s plug-in hybrid 3 Series saloon enters our inspection bay USED BUYING GUIDE Citroën Saxo VTS/VTR You don’t need to shell out big bucks for a proper French hot hatch SUBSCRIBE autocar.co.uk/subscribe or see p32…

LAND ROVER SERIES 3 I’ve gone on about the Lorry a lot recently, but that’s because I’m using it a colossal amount. There’s a section of road I travel on every single day that doesn’t have centre demarcations, but I know it well enough to realise that a builder’s Ford Transit pick-up isn’t wide enough to trouble a Series 3 Land Rover. Well, maybe there was something in the back of the Transit, because there was a hell of wallop as I drove past. The right door mirror flew up in the air, landed on the base of the windscreen then fell off. There’s a job to be done to make it roadworthy for Monday.…

Loud was the hoo-ha in 2016 over the adoption of a four-cylinder turbocharged engine in place of the flat six in the then new 718 Cayman and Boxster. Feelings were so strong that the debate still rages, despite the 2019 reintroduction of a naturally aspirated 4.0-litre six-cylinder unit to two additional models, the GTS and the GT4. If you are into your sports cars, such things as the number of cylinders in the engine and whether or not that engine is turbocharged are of paramount importance, so it wasn’t surprising that enthusiasts the world over wept when this car was introduced. Nevertheless, you don’t just write off four-cylinder 718s. They’re much faster than the older Cayman, for one thing, and ruddy good to drive for another, having been comprehensively refreshed…

ASTON MARTIN DB7 Aston Martins are beautiful, sound brutish and go like the clappers, so they can never really be regarded as inexpensive – unless, of course, you’re looking at a DB7 Vantage. A very presentable DB7 can be found for around £30,000, making this one that sold at auction for £17,000 a bit of a bargain. Even after buyer’s fees and VAT, it still sat at the lower end of the DB7 pricing scale. It isn’t perfect, with only a partial service history, a high mileage and a number of previous owners. But it is a rather rare manual and is said to be in very good condition, making it an excellent buy for the lucky person holding the paddle when the hammer fell.…

With a complicated suspension system, thirsty great motors and more electronics than you can shake your proverbial stick at, Land Rover’s Discovery 3 is categorically not a bargain buy for the faint-hearted, but go in prepared and you could bag a convincing alternative to the new Defender for a tenth of the price. Launched in 2004, the Disco 3 was a stark departure from the model’s utilitarian roots, pioneering an innovative monocoque construction method, Range Rover-aping air suspension and a raft of electronic traction control systems to bolster the SUV’s revered and well-established off-road prowess while bringing welcome enhancements to its on-road behaviour. Engine options in the UK included a torquey 2.7-litre diesel developed by Ford and the PSA Group and a 4.4-litre Jaguar V8 with 295bhp, both of which…

Audi is aiming to put itself at the head of the electric luxury car ranks with a new flagship model being developed by an in-house working group called Artemis. Described as “a highly efficient electric car that is scheduled to be on the road as early as 2024”, the advanced Audi is an extension of the Aicon project showcased at the 2017 Frankfurt motor show. The new electric flagship is set to be a direct rival to the upcoming Mercedes-Benz EQS and Jaguar XJ and have the latest in electric drivetrain, battery cell and autonomous driving technology. It will also have 5G connectivity functions, including extensive use of ‘car-to-X’ features, augmented reality and over-the-air upgrades. The new model has the internal codename E6 and is in the early stages of…

THE 2021 LEXUS IS has been unveiled as an extensively updated version of today’s compact executive saloon. The BMW 3 Series rival will now be sold only in the US, Japan and elsewhere in Asia, despite its 21-year history in Europe. Lexus UK says it’s not needed, given 80% of Lexus sales in Europe are of SUVs, while the larger ES saloon outsells the IS by two to one. The IS now looks similar to the ES and is 30mm longer and 30mm wider than before. Its interior remains familiar, although there’s a new, larger touchscreen positioned three inches closer to the driver. Safety and comfort tech has also been uprated to bring the IS up to class standard. The mechanical side has been worked on extensively, resulting in a…

THE JAGUAR I-PACE will gain a new faster on-board AC charger and revised infotainment as part of a number of upgrades. The British firm’s first EV has previously been offered with a 7kW on-board charger, but it will now be sold with a three-phase 11kW unit as standard. Plugged into an 11kW AC domestic wallbox, that will allow 33 miles of range to be added per hour, with a full charge from empty in 8.6 hours. With a 7kW wallbox, a full charge takes 12.75 hours, at a peak rate of 22 miles of charge per hour. The I-Pace will continue to be offered with a 100kW on-board DC charger, enabling up to 78 miles of charge in 15 minutes. The revamped I-Pace will also be the first Jaguar to…

McLAREN IS MARKING the 25th anniversary of one of its most important motorsport victories with a new special-edition 720S. The Le Mans edition supercar features bespoke design elements that pay tribute to the F1 GTR endurance racer that won at La Sarthe on 18 June 1995 – McLaren’s race debut with a production-based car. Just 50 examples of the 720S Le Mans will be built, with 16 destined for Europe. Each features a VIN starting with ‘298’, referencing the number of laps the F1 GTR completed, alongside a build plaque. New five-spoke wheels echo the design of those used by the F1 GTR and hide gold-painted calipers. Two two-tone paint schemes are available. There’s also Le Mans badging on the side skirts, a contrasting black roof scoop, black contrasting body…

Europe’s major oil refinery companies have called on the automotive industry to pave the way for synthetic fuels as a significant means to achieve the European Union’s target of climate neutrality by 2050. FuelsEurope, which represents 40 companies that account for almost 100% of EU petroleum capacity, said its plans could bring CO2 reductions of 100 million tonnes by 2035 and claims that is the equivalent of 50 million electric vehicles on the road. While FuelsEurope recognises that synthetic fuels will be particularly suited to sectors such as aviation, maritime and heavy-duty transport, where no viable technological alternatives yet exist, it believes road transport must lead the way, because “the sector is already heavily regulated and price signals already exist. This market will then enable [synthetic fuels] to become competitive.”…

Cast your mind back to 2008. It was the year the global banking system broke, that Instagram first slipped into existence and that Lotus launched an all-new model called the Evora. Back then a mere eight-year lifespan was planned for this 280bhp 2+2 GT, but 12 years later the economy is once again on its knees, Instagram has grown to serve one billion users worldwide and, amazingly, the Evora is still with us. To put this timescale in some context, since this magazine first drove the Evora, Lotus has gone on to develop operational hybrid prototypes, return to Formula 1, win in Formula 1 for the first since 1987, threaten a dangerously over-ambitious former boss with high court action, depart from Formula 1, plan an all-new Esprit, make an annual…

MODEL TESTED 2.5 PHEV ST-LINE You may have noticed Ford is on a roll. Admittedly, the company is undertaking major restructuring in Europe, something felt most keenly in the UK by the closure of its historic Bridgend engine plant. And in an effort to rationalise R&D costs, it is also now teaming up with the Volkswagen Group on electric and ‘autonomous’ vehicles. There is some belt tightening, and plenty of business uncertainty, but this is the road test section of Autocar, not the news pages, and from the perspective of the driver’s seat, Ford is doing things very well indeed. The most recent Fiesta won’t blow anyone away with its cabin ambience, but in terms of handling, it is simply head and shoulders above supermini rivals. And when it arrived…

HONDA CR-V HYBRID Lacks plug-in hybrids’ potential for stellar economy, but the Honda is practical, quick and relaxing to drive. It’s also the least expensive car here. TOYOTA RAV4 HYBRID Rugged-looking Toyota is more inert than the Ford from behind the wheel, but it’s also a more convincing product in many ways, with a strong interior. FORD KUGA 2.5 PHEV Ford only manages third place in this electrified corner of the class, largely due to its pricing and dynamics. However, there’s still room for improvement. MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER PHEV Relative plug-in stalwart majors on space and price, although it isn’t anything like as good to drive as the Kuga and doesn’t go quite so far on electric power. VAUXHALL GRANDLAND X HYBRID It’s quick and competitive on paper but the cabin…

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Think of cucumber sandwiches, croquet and boater hats. Firmly established on the British social calendar, Salon Privé is the automotive equivalent of the Henley Regatta. And having been postponed due to the pandemic this year, it will be held at Oxfordshire’s Blenheim Palace at the end of September (the organisers seem pretty sure of that). Salon Privé is a motor show like no other. Here, they do things properly. Instead of burger vans and beer, there are lobsters washed down with champagne, and everything stops at 4pm for tea, complete with scones and cream. In this very-well-heeled atmosphere, you wouldn’t have thought that rally cars would be particularly welcome (even if Blenheim Palace did regularly host stages of the RAC Rally until 1997). But there are exceptions, and Salon Privé…

WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT Entry-level Lamborghini is surprisingly good to drive, but you’d still be mad to use one every day – wouldn’t you? You’re reading the final dispatches from Autocar’s lockdown-flavoured ‘Not Our Cars’ test fleet. You might remember that these were the machines left stranded with us when lockdown fell late in March – an event that rendered them irretrievable by rapidly hibernating manufacturer press garages. They present an interesting and mostly encouraging cross-section of 2020 metal: the new Ford Kuga, Volkswagen’s questionably conceived T-Roc Cabriolet, the latest Mazda MX-5 and, less democratically, a 202mph Lamborghini and Bentley’s 207mph Flying Spur. I know: the Italian supercar isn’t the fastest of the bunch somehow. Strange times. But also good times. Firstly because our industry is mobilising again, which is…

Morris Minor Two-Seater Tourer Roderick has been on these pages many times, but I just couldn’t resist sharing this wonderful story from the pre-Bangernomics days that he sent me. He says: “In 1959, a friend and I, both students, settled on the Morris Minor I described in your Readers’ First Cars article (autocar.co.uk). It was 27 years old, and many of the cars on the road were that old or older. You bought what you could afford in cash, and borrowing was still shameful. Classifications such as ‘vintage’ were established, but to call a car a classic just because it was old was laughable and the idea of polishing it to death to take to a car show ludicrous. You bought it because it was affordable and you drove it.…

Audi TT 1.8T 225 quattro Price £5000 The original TT was a bit of a mixed bag with critics and consumers. Reviewers at the time bemoaned that it didn’t drive like a sports car, yet the public were completely smitten with the way it looked. Even today it has a contemporary air to it and, with the end of the TT as we know it expected soon, interest in early examples will begin to pique. The ship has already sailed on Sport versions, but a tidy early 225 quattro should be a good bet for the future.…

An expert’s view ANGUS LEAT, AHL ENGINEERING “Budget £1000 a year on bits and pieces to keep them going – they’re not cheap cars. I wouldn’t buy one without a service history because they’re 10-15 years old, and lots of people have bought one and spent £10,000 on it in the first year, which is ridiculous. One of ours has 195,000 miles on the clock and another 160,000, and they’re fine.” Buyer beware… ▪ ENGINE Check previous owners have adhered to the 15,000-mile service schedule and the timing belts have been replaced at 105,000 miles or every seven years. Flywheels and clutches were fragile when new so most will have been replaced by now, but the TDV6’s two EGR valves are a ticking time bomb, so budget for replacements if…