Innholdsfortegnelse for October 7, 2020 i Autocar

THE BOSS OF Polestar has said that manufacturers must address the sustainability of materials they use to make vehicles or risk being shunned by the public in the future. Polestar recently confirmed that it would put its Precept grand tourer concept into production at a new facility in China that has been designed to minimise the amount of CO2 emitted in the process. The Precept extensively used recycled materials to minimise the need for virgin plastic, and Thomas Ingenlath has pledged that this will remain the case in the production car. Ingenlath said that Polestar is committed to introducing sustainable materials because “consumers will ask for it” and the industry can’t afford to “sleep” and not see where the market is going. He explained: “The mindset of people is changing;…

Now here’s a thing. In a world where new engines are rare: a new engine. Sort of. Mercedes-AMG’s famous cross-plane-crank 4.0 V8 burbler has turned into a flat-plane-cranked V8 for the new GT Black Series. It’s one of quite the raft of measures – others include some extraordinary aerodynamics – that turn AMG’s bespoke two-seat GT coupé into one of the most intoxicating track supercars of recent times. Black Series models occasionally grace the top of an AMG model line. This is only the sixth so far: we had the SLK, which was pants, the CLK, which wasn’t, the SL, which was weird but cool, the C63, which was mega, and, lastly, seven years ago, the also ace SLS. And now this, the GT, so far altered that if I…

Although based on the familiar form of the XC40 crossover, Volvo’s first full EV shares its core mechanical layout with the Polestar 2. As launched in all-wheel-drive P8 form, it uses a pair of 201bhp electric motors, one on each axle, for a combined 402bhp. Power is drawn from a 78kWh battery pack that can give up to 260 miles under the WLTP protocol and, using 150kW DC fast charging, it’s possible to replenish it from empty to 80% in 40 minutes. As with the Audi E-tron, the intention here has clearly been to offer buyers coming from the company’s internal-combustion models a familiar experience. Beyond some very subtle badging, the only obvious visual difference from other XC40s is the body-coloured cover in place of a conventional radiator grille. The…

The performance world is changing and so is Volkswagen R, as evidenced by the arrival of the Touareg R, the hot sub-brand’s first plug-in hybrid model. It indirectly replaces the Touareg V8 TDI – a car that was never sold in the UK. It’s not an exclusive development of VW’s R performance arm, though. The Touareg R’s petrol-electric driveline is the same as that used in a number of upmarket VW Group models, including the Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid, Audi Q7 TFSIe quattro and Bentley Bentayga Hybrid. Power comes from a twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine developing 335bhp and 332lb ft and an electric motor with 134bhp and 295lb ft. Together, they provide 456bhp and 516lb ft – 80bhp and 74lb ft more than the same driveline develops in the milder…

The Jazz is one of those rare cars that allows you to effectively drive the entire length of Millbrook’s challenging Hill Route with the throttle pinned to the floor. Its incredibly modest power reserves become readily apparent over the course’s various elevation changes, but that’s not entirely a bad thing. In fact, it serves to showcase just how stable and sure-footed the Jazz remains even when it’s being thrashed. Through tighter bends, it usually seems to generate more than enough grip to stay on track, and when understeer does arrive, it’s very easily corrected with a brief lift of your right foot. There is some pronounced body roll through quicker directional changes but it’s mostly well controlled, and even with the outside tyres loaded up, the car doesn’t seem to…

For a moment, I confess, I did wonder what the bloody hell I was doing on that road, trying to follow a 5.0-litre V8 coupé in a hatchback with half the number of cylinders and less than half the engine capacity. And then I remembered: it was interesting, that’s all. Clearly my little long-term Ford Focus ST was not going to keep up with a mighty Mustang Bullitt, and nor should it be expected to, given that its svelte sister costs over half as much again and has more than 60% more power. But it was interesting nonetheless. Interesting because Ford, the company that brought motoring to the masses more than a century ago, is also the company whose record in producing fast and fun but affordable cars down the…

It’s easy to spot the people who have really successful careers – because they then tend to go and do something different equally well. Look at Tommi Mäkinen. It might have seemed improbable for a farmer from Puuppola in Finland (close to the home of Rally Finland in Jyväskylä) to eventually become a four-time world rally champion, but he managed to do it. It seems even harder to believe that the same man would then go on to build a team from scratch, designing a car that was radically different from the others. But he did that, too – and won the world championship with it. Both drivers’ and constructors’ titles, as it happens. Motorsport is littered with stories of absolute greats who tried that and failed: mostly in Formula…

In 2018, Button shared a Honda NSX-GT with Naoki Yamamoto in Japan’s Super GT series, winning the title at his first attempt. “What I loved about Super GT is you had 15 cars that on their day could win a race,” he says. “One of the best texts I got was from [three-time Le Mans winner] André Lotterer, who never actually won the title he fought so many years for – and I won it in my first year. It really annoyed him! I probably drove better in my second year, but we weren’t so competitive. It was a shock to the system, going from F1, the pinnacle of luxury and hospitality, to Super GT, where there’s none. I was sat on the back of our truck on a deckchair,…

COMPARISON Volkswagen ID 3 vs Nissan Leaf VW’s new electric vehicle for the masses against the car that started it all a decade ago. Matt Prior adjudicates FEATURE Car auctions How is the auction trade faring in 2020? We go and visit one FEATURE Alpina B3 mega-drive Alpina needed the UK’s first B3 delivered to our shores. We happily obliged EVERY WEEK ROAD TEST Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 Merc’s big, brash super-SUV gets the full eight pages LONG-TERM TEST Volvo S60 Volvo produces great SUVs but can it still make a good saloon? Our verdict SUBSCRIBE autocar.co.uk/subscribe or see p62…

QUESTION I’ve got my eye on an older car, but it doesn’t have much history and the seller has had it only a few months. Should I take my £9000 elsewhere? Tom Buxton, Hertfordshire ANSWER You would kick yourself if you walked away from a solid, desirable car just because of some missing paperwork. If the V5 document, MOT certificate and receipts for any recent big jobs are present and correct, and you conduct a thorough inspection of the underside and mechanicals, there’s little to fear at that money. For extra peace of mind, take a qualified mechanic with you to look at the car, and be sure to check its mileage against previous MOT test results at gov.uk/check-mot-history. FP QUESTION I own a 2009 Toyota Prius. It’s a 250,000-mile…

Rolls-Royce Phantom £60,000 Last week, Rolls-Royce revealed the Extended version of its new Ghost saloon, which has reclining rear seats with 170mm more leg room and a champagne cooler with an 11deg C setting for vintage bottles or 6deg C for newer tipples. Classy, but the stretched Ghost will command upwards of £250,000, at which point the mind wanders to where your money might be better spent. Well, what if we told you that you can own a modern, long-wheelbase Rolls-Royce for little more than a quarter of that? Yes, the once-unfathomably luxurious Phantom VII has started its transition from the realm of fantasy to that of feasibility for the luxury car buyer on a budget. That’s all relative – it’s still a Rolls-Royce, after all – and at £60,000,…

An owner’s view TIMOTHY PEPPERELL My Evo makes 720bhp and has a sequential six-speed gearbox. The engine was poorly built when I got it and had a few problems, including taking most of the teeth off the gears. Don’t worry about mileage when buying a stock car, as long as the service book is up to date. Buyer beware… ▪ ENGINE Evo X’s 4B11T engine likes an oil and filter change every 4500 miles or six months under normal use, more often if you like track days. Timing chain on pre-2011 cars can stretch, so replace for peace of mind. If a car has an aftermarket exhaust fitted, check that the original catalytic converter will be supplied too. Fuel pump relay is a weak point, causing lean running – Mitsubishi…

BMW has revived its historic Turismo Internazionale name for the 128ti, a new hot version of its 1 Series hatchback that will sit below the four-wheel-drive M135i. Said to offer a more “unfiltered” driving experience than the 80kg-heavier range-topping M135i, the 128ti will be BMW’s first front-wheel-drive hot hatch, following the standard car’s shift away from rear-wheel drive last year, and is positioned to compete with the Volkswagen Golf GTI and Ford Focus ST. It is also the first BMW in more than 20 years to wear the ‘ti’ badge, which, the firm says, is used for “particularly sporty members of a model range”. The 128ti uses a detuned version of the M-badged car’s turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder, pumping out 261bhp and 295lb ft for a 0-62mph time of 6.1sec. That’s…

Jaguar has revised its XF in a bid to rejuvenate its dwindling saloon sales and stave off highly successful German rivals such as the BMW 5 Series and Audi A6. The updated XF saloon and Sportbrake have a subtly tweaked exterior and an all-new interior co-developed with the recently revised F-Pace. They are now also offered with a diesel mild-hybrid powertrain. The interior, a criticism of the outgoing car, is the most dramatic change. Jaguar interior design chief Alister Whelan said: “We really needed to take the interior to the next level. We deliberately planned the F-Pace and XF together to achieve economies of scale. They share new interiors from the ground up.” Highlights inside include considerably improved materials (“no scratchy plastics”, said Whelan), such as on the headrests and…

VAUXHALL’S BOLD DESIGN revolution continues with a mid-life update for the Crossland compact crossover, which joins its larger Mokka sibling in receiving the brand’s new Vizor front end. The family-oriented Crossland – which follows the Mokka in dropping its ‘X’ suffix – has been restyled three years after it was introduced. It will go on sale this month, priced from around £20,000, ahead of deliveries beginning in 2021. Design tweaks for the Renault Captur rival are centred on the front end, where LED headlights and Vauxhall’s simplified new brand emblem are brought together with the grille on a single panel. More subtle updates at the rear include dark-tinted brake lights and a contrasting black bootlid, which is claimed to give the Crossland a wider stance, visually. The model name is…

ENGINEERS HAVE BEEN trying to perfect variable-compression engines for almost as long as engines have existed. So far, though, only Nissan has succeeded in bringing one to production. Its Variable Compression Turbo (VC-T) technology does what so many have failed to do: alter the compression ratio of the engine while it’s running. This ratio is that between the swept volume of a cylinder (the part of the cylinder through which a piston travels, or sweeps) and the swept volume plus the combustion chamber volume (the unswept volume). The combustion chamber at the top of the cylinder is where the fuel and air are compressed by the piston and ignited. The higher the pressure in this chamber, the more efficient the combustion and the more power is made. There’s a caveat…

Car executives frequently claim their firm thinks differently, often when they’re about to pull the covers off a new box-shaped, box-ticking, firmly inside-the-box SUV. But Mazda? Mazda really is a little bit different. From its belief in the rotary motor to its compression-ignition petrol engines, Mazda frequently stands alone in a fug of car industry conformity – and that’s true of its approach to electric cars. Mazda, you see, doesn’t seem entirely convinced by them. Not because of tin-hatted climate change denial, but due to a belief that the environmental impact of an EV should be measured across its whole life cycle – and big lithium ion batteries mean making an EV produces more CO2 than making a combustion-engined car. But Mazda knows it needs EVs – to meet both…

“Can I be geeky and take a closer look?” asks a man charging his Nissan Leaf, no sooner than I’ve plugged the Volkswagen ID 3 into an Instavolt charger in Banbury. Why of course you can, sir, although one question: as an electric vehicle convert, driving the world’s most populous EV, does the arrival of the new ID 3 still feel like a significant moment? “Absolutely.” Interesting. You can buy an electric vehicle that does everything an ID 3 does already. You’ve been able to buy an electric VW already. But, somehow, the ID 3, in the UK here in ‘1st Edition’ trim, still feels like a waypoint on the road. It sits, as you’ll doubtless know, on VW’s MEB electric architecture, so although, at 4.3 metres, it’s about the…

MODEL TESTED 1.5 i - MMD HYBRID EX Price £ 21,385 • Power 107bhp • Torque na • 0-60mph 9.6sec • 30-70mph in fourth na • Fuel economy 60.1mpg • CO2 emissions 104g/km • 70-0mph 65.0m They say it’s lonely at the top but, for the subject of this week’s road test, the same can equally be true towards the other end of the scale. Indeed, the hybrid superminis of the world is a group that counts this new Honda Jazz, the latest Toyota Yaris and the recently released Renault Clio E-Tech as its only members. Conceptually, the Jazz has always been defined by its ‘functionality first’ ethos and ingenious interior packaging. Since its 2001 launch, the relatively compact Honda’s exceptional practicality and versatility have helped it to win favour with…

FINAL REPORT MILEAGE 7387 WHY WE RAN IT To see if the Juke can continue to hold its own in what is now a crowded market When you consider the cars on Autocar’s fleet at the moment, the Nissan Juke stands out for not standing out. That’s saying something given how radical its styling once was – and, to some extent, is still considered to be. It’s not electric like our Vauxhall Corsa-e, nor is it retro like the Honda E or a bold new sports car like the Toyota GR Supra. No, what we have here is a trusty compact crossover using a 115bhp 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine. It might not be revolutionary these days but it remains massively relevant: it is built at Nissan’s Sunderland plant, remains part…

Go over a bump – and there are loads of them to choose from around where we live – and the Flying Pig blinks. By which I mean the nearside dipped beam can turn off, because the headlight unit works loose just enough to break a connection. It only needs a tiny shove to make it light up again, so I’ve had a fiddle with the clever nut you twist to release the whole unit. No idea if I found its gripping sweet spot or not; only time – and other drivers – will tell.…

For some, an executive car is all about the badge contest in the work car park. But there are those for whom space and value for money are more important, and in both of those departments, nothing can hold a candle to the Skoda Superb, which looks like a bargain used buy. If ‘value for money’, practicality or indeed the very idea of such a strait-laced saloon as the Superb is enough to send you to sleep, don’t worry because this Czech executive has a firecracker or two up its sleeve. It sits on a stretched version of the Volkswagen Golf’s underpinnings and comes with a huge range of excellent engines and a choice of six-speed manual or dual-clutch automatic (DSG) gearboxes. The sensible choice is the 1.4 TSI 150,…

Alongside the Mondial and 308 Dino, the pretty but otherwise relatively tame 308 GTS occupies that small section of the classic Ferrari market that remains open to mere mortals. This 1985 car stands out with its Chiaro Blue paintwork and Crema leather upholstery, but still mustered just £40,500 – around a 60th of the price of a same-aged 288 GTO. And that’s despite some celebrity provenance: it was apparently once owned by American rock legend Iggy Pop, although it’s unconfirmed whether he preferred driving it or being The Passenger.…

We wouldn’t blame you for not shedding a tear at Mitsubishi’s withdrawal from the UK market, such is the broadly uninspiring array of machinery the company currently has on the market. Perhaps things would be different had the brand followed through with plans to introduce an 11th iteration of its fan-favourite Lancer Evolution. But alas it was not to be, so let’s pay our own tribute to the departing brand with a look at the fearsome Evolution X, produced from 2007 to 2016. As a swansong for the hallowed nameplate, the X fitted the bill rather well. It sported a sharp new look compared with that of its increasingly bulbous predecessors, a specially developed 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine producing 291bhp even in its mildest form and a host of torque-vectoring…

A light update to the XF’s smaller sibling, the XE, has also been revealed. It focuses on a new mild-hybrid powertrain option and the introduction of the Pivi Pro infotainment system, now being rolled out across the Jaguar Land Rover range. The XE’s three-strong powertrain line-up echoes that of the XF, with the highlight being the 201bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel employing a 48V set-up, emitting 127g/km CO2 and achieving up to 58.5mpg. The 296bhp petrol is the fastest XE, doing 0-60mph in 5.6sec. There are no exterior design changes, but inside the XE receives an updated seat design and new split-rim steering wheel. The Pivi Pro system is accessed through a 10.0in touchscreen and is underpinned by Jaguar’s new electronic architecture, dubbed EVA 2.0, which allows for over-the-air software updates…

Thatcham Research and Euro NCAP have jointly launched a new grading system for driver assistance systems to reduce confusion over their abilities. The Assisted Driving Grading supplements Euro NCAP’s traditional crash-test-based star rating system, providing scores for the effectiveness of the driver assistance tech on offer in a car, its ability to keep the driver engaged in the process of driving and its performance in an emergency. The safety bodies will also consider the way the systems are marketed by each manufacturer, determining if they encourage the driver to put too much faith in them. “The systems that are currently allowed on our roads are there to assist the driver but don’t replace them,” said Thatcham’s director of research, Matthew Avery. “Unfortunately, there are motorists who believe they can purchase…

Vauxhall must rebuild momentum around its hugely significant new Corsa, having been hit hard by the lockdown occurring at the time as the supermini’s launch, according to its boss. In a recent Autocar Business Live online seminar, Stephen Norman said: “Unfortunately, the lockdown came bang in the middle of the Corsa launch. We were in the midst of launching petrol and diesel versions and, to be frank, the lockdown has suspended our ambition for the brand because of that for at least six months. The lockdown may only have been two or three months, but it has certainly made a dent in the run rate we intended to build up to.” However, Norman remains positive about Vauxhall, saying it “has a job to do in marketing terms to build [Corsa]…

If you want to know how serious Hyundai is about making driver’s cars, there are 12 places on the new Hyundai i20 chassis that will be reinforced – with additional welding and bracketing – over and above the regular supermini to create the i20 N, the hot hatchback variant. Hyundai’s N division engineers wanted a more rigid car, so they asked the question of their bosses. And management signed off the considerable nuisance and expense of adding additional components and procedures onto the production line, as the new hot supermini rolls down the same line as what will otherwise be a regular small hatchback. I admire the commitment. And I like what Hyundai is doing with its N division, named equally after its Namyang test facility in South Korea and…

Wolfsburg has wasted little time introducing the eighth-generation Golf GTI into the wider Mk8 Golf family, which speaks volumes about how significantly the model now underpins the profitability of the Golf’s business case. Relatively restrained and judicious tuning has, as its four decades on sale have rolled on, given the GTI a broader-based appeal than so many of its hot hatchback rivals. But does it still? While Volkswagen assures us that everyday, real-world driver appeal, along with that just-so blend of desirability and bang-for-your-buck value, remains the heart and soul of the GTI’s mission statement, it has certainly taken a risk with its golden goose this time around. So while the mechanical make-up of this car looks familiar, very little of it has escaped overhaul. The car’s engine may have…

The Mini Countryman has been around since 2010 and we know that Minis aren’t mini any more, but when you park up somewhere in deepest Hesse, mid-west Germany, and someone pipes up with an honest comment of “that’s part Mini and part tank”, you do wonder just how far the brand is pushing the envelope. Or perhaps that remark merely reflects the somewhat aggressive looks of this facelifted Countryman, which wears its new LED headlights, restyled bumpers, grille and de-chromed ‘brightwork’ like a young tyke looking for trouble. Of the revised model range, it’s the plug-in hybrid tested here that has changed the most mechanically. It has lost a bit of power (now 217bhp) but, as a plus, now emits less CO2 and has an improved official electric-only range of…

1 VOLKSWAGEN POLO 1.0 TSI 115 SEL DSG VW doesn’t yet offer the Polo with any form of electrification, but its all-round capability keeps it at the top of the class. 2 FORD FIESTA 1.0T ECOBOOST 125 HYBRID TITANIUM X Mild hybridisation offers marginal economy and CO2 gains. Still the most fun supermini to drive. 3 TOYOTA YARIS 1.5 HYBRID DESIGN New-generation Yaris is the most desirable example we’ve seen in years. Good to drive and economical, too. 4 RENAULT CLIO E-TECH HYBRID 140 S EDITION Classy French styling and a visually alluring cabin are now joined by improved economy. A very likeable hybrid supermini. 5 HONDA JAZZ 1.5 i-MMD HYBRID EX Impressive fuel economy and an eminently practical interior are the Jazz’s standout features. Dynamically dull, but competent.…

Full disclosure time: during the course of 40 years of driving, I can recall the occasion a car crashed into the back of my Astra at traffic lights and, later, another into my Mondeo. Then when I drove my Renault 5 into the back of the Mini I could have sworn had pulled away ahead of me at a roundabout. Each time, I left the decision about who should repair my car in the hands of my insurer. Even my Mazda Eunos, for heaven’s sake – a sweet little thing that had been shunted by one car into the path of another. How I loved its precision steering, at least before its rack was shattered. The insurer-approved repairer to which it was sent operated out of a tin shack beside…

Honda has announced that it will quit as a Formula 1 engine supplier at the end of 2021. The Japanese company struggled after rejoining in 2015 but finally won again in 2019. Honda said the decision has been taken so that it can instead put its resources into battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicle development. It leaves sister teams Red Bull and AlphaTauri without an engine supplier from 2022. Schumacher extends F2 points lead Mick Schumacher took victory in the Formula 2 feature race at Sochi to extend his series points lead. The Ferrari junior racer will also drive for Alfa Romeo in first practice for this weekend’s F1 Eifel Grand Prix at the Nürburgring in Germany. Chinese Renault junior Guanyu Zhou won the second F2 race in Russia. Jackson…

I felt I must write in agreement with the friend James Ruppert mentioned in his Bangernomics column of 26 August, praising the Volvo S60 T8 Twin Engine (mine has the Polestar Performance Optimisation software option rather than being the full-fat Polestar Engineered variant). Having decided on a plug-in hybrid because I do mostly town driving with occasional forays into East Anglia, and have charging available in my flat’s car park, it was between the BMW 330e and the Volvo. I don’t feel that I’m a good enough driver to tell the difference between their driving dynamics, but the Volvo’s acceleration felt harder, its cabin is much nicer, with more space in the rear, and its price after dealer discounts was around the same as a dealer offer on a 330e…

MILEAGE 2280 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To find out what sort of car the GR Supra is, and whether it can live up to the name I’d been waiting – praying, even – for an opportunity to stretch the Supra’s legs, and then, early last month, one arrived. Would Autocar like to try BMW’s first proper hot hatch, the new 128ti, in pre-prod guise? Of course we would. And because the drive would take place from BMW’s R&D base in the village of Nürburg, it was either fly to Frankfurt then transfer via minibus, or go directly to the ’Ring via forced-induction straight six. Not an especially taxing decision, then, although quarantine bingo overshadowed the build-up. If Germany slid off the government’s exemption list, the whole road trip would be…

Many thanks this week to Stuart, who is more than happy to show us his latest purchase. “I give you the Hyundai Terracan,” he says. “Bought for £3500 two weeks ago from Mark Taylor Specialist Vehicles in Keighley. It was Mark’s own car and is immaculate, having been undersealed by Rustmaster a few years ago. It’s a four-cylinder 2.9-litre diesel with 163bhp and has done 85,000 miles. I wanted an auto but the manual is so light that it’s a joy to use, and I’m getting more than 33mpg. It has new Yokohama Geolanders on 16in wheels, so the ride is excellent, and it has been serviced fastidiously. This was engineered when Hyundai was trying to break into Europe with larger cars, and it shows. A real keeper.”…

Ford Escort 1.3 £3000 (est) We’re no longer surprised when the earliest and most desirable versions of the Ford Escort change hands for tens of thousands of pounds, but it’s only now that the final, fifth-generation car has started to generate interest in the collector sphere. It’s unclear how this never-registered 1991 car has managed to cover just 414 miles in 29 years, but a reserve price in excess of the £2300 maximum bid serves as proof that even the most unremarkable runaround could one day be where the smart money lies. Time to buy an old Fiesta, perhaps?…