Innholdsfortegnelse for January 6, 2021 i Autocar

Bentley’s first electric car is likely to be assembled and finished at its Crewe base, but the firm must earn the right to do this ahead of its Volkswagen Group peers, chairman and CEO Adrian Hallmark has revealed. The luxury EV is expected to be a high-riding saloon based on a bespoke Volkswagen Group architecture codenamed Project Artemis, an Audi-led initiative to develop an advanced EV platform. As such, it is anticipated that the as-yet-unnamed Bentley’s bodyshell would be cast at an Audi facility before being sent to the UK for overall assembly. “We started building in Crewe in 1936 and we’ve invested hundreds of millions in infrastructure and certification for electrification, so we have the capability to do it,” said Hallmark. “But the important thing to note is that…

When Automobili Pininfarina set out a development and testing programme for its 1900bhp, 217mph Battista electric hypercar, the disruption of a global pandemic clearly wasn’t part of the plan. But with customers already told that deliveries were due to begin in late summer 2021, the company knuckled down, adapted its programme and forged on with development. Nine prototypes have now been built, including three dynamic evaluation cars sent to southern Italy for as full an engineering development programme as possible. “It has been challenging, yes, and things have gone more slowly than we planned,” said Automobili Pininfarina CEO Per Svantesson, “but we remain on course for job one in 2021.” The Swede comes across as unflappable and determined – attributes much needed during the pandemic response – and says he…

When you hear the word aftermarket, you might think of the workshop down the road where you take your car after its warranty runs out, or perhaps a specialist that tunes imported Japanese cars. Perhaps you think of the technician with a tow truck that dragged you out of trouble that time the car wouldn’t start, or you think of the accessory shop on the edge of town with a window display that’s always oddly filled with cheap plastic wheel trims. All of these examples are true, but there’s much, much more to the aftermarket. Across the UK, the sector employs more than 350,000 people, and apart from the 25,000-odd general independent garages and one-make specialists, there are tens of thousands of people employed in the complex supply chain of…

This is the Skoda Octavia that company car drivers have been waiting for: the iV plugin hybrid, in ‘regular’ flavour rather than the more potent vRS iV version we drove last month. And we’ll get straight to the iV’s killer number: the 43-mile electric-only range, which reduces benefit in kind to just 6%. Thus, the annual tax bill for this SE L hatch model will be less than half that of the cheapest diesel (£649 versus £1336 for a 20% tax payer at the current-year rates). Given the government’s recent ban on petrol and diesel cars from 2030, it’s likely more private buyers will now flock into plug-in hybrids, too, as a gateway to an electric car. With fair winds like these, it’s no surprise to hear that Skoda expects…

Despite its many virtues, the £53,035 GR Supra is not the sharpest-handling or quickest sports car you can buy for that money. Toyota may yet remedy that itself, but in the meantime the car’s Bavarian roots have left Germany’s pre-eminent BMW tuner unable to resist tinkering, and the result is an unambiguous improvement, if also an expensive one. AC Schnitzer’s full and brilliantly menacing package costs £20,000. However, the salient elements are the ‘piggyback’ ECU that takes the B58 straight six from 335bhp to 395bhp and from 368lb ft to 443lb ft, and bespoke coil-over KW suspension, which is manually adjustable. The car we drove also had AC Schnitzer’s 21in wheels, which are around 3kg per corner lighter than the regular 19in items. Stick to these parts alone and you’ll…

BMW M440i xDRIVE Strong chassis, powertrain and interior deliver class-leading status, even if we’re not sold on the looks. MERCEDES-AMG C43 4MATIC EDITION COUPE Has every bit of the visual allure the BMW lacks. Powertrain is more rough-edged but likeable. KIA STINGER GT-S All right, it’s a four-door; but given it looks this good, goes this well and costs so little, don’t overlook it. LEXUS RC-F Brings enticing atmo V8 combustive appeal to the table for not much more than M440i cash. Heavy, but still tempting. AUDI S5 TDI QUATTRO COUPE Diesel lacks richness in this company. Lacks charm and handling balance of others, too. Big on ownership appeal.…

BMW iX One of the most hotly discussed cars of last year was the bold centrepiece of BMW’s new-era EV line-up: the iX. The controversially styled rival to the Audi E-tron and Mercedes-Benz EQC has been touted by BMW as a “technology flagship”, and as such it represents a radical departure from the i3 that has led the company’s electrification drive since 2013. The five-seat, four-wheel-drive SUV packs up to 500bhp, is able to accelerate from 0-62mph in less than 5.0sec and is claimed to have a range of more than 373 miles. While comparable in size to today’s X5, the iX is said to feel as spacious inside as the seven-seat X7, courtesy of its flat floor, lack of a centre console and predominantly touchscreen-based control panel. Specifications of…

PEUGEOT 308 Peugeot has recently reinvigorated its 208 supermini, but the larger 308 hatchback and estate also remain vital to its fortunes in Europe and other global markets. The current generation is now overdue a replacement, and that new model’s unveiling will take place during the first quarter of this year. It won’t arrive in showrooms until the autumn, however. We’re expecting a substantial generational leap for the new 308, which won’t just bring the Ford Focus rival up to date with Peugeot’s newer models but is expected to move the game on further, with a fresh look that lays the groundwork for a new design era at the French brand. Expect new technology to be introduced, too, although the car’s platform will be an updated version of the current…

IONIQ 6 Expected to be revealed towards the end of the year, the Ioniq 6 will become the flagship of Hyundai’s new Ioniq brand for electric cars. The stylish saloon will be heavily based on the swooping Prophecy concept that was first seen early last year and be built on Hyundai’s new Electric Global Modular Platform, which has been designed around a long wheelbase and flat floor for maximum interior space. The cabin will be modelled on a “smart living room”, with various possible seating configurations. E-GMP-based cars will be rear-wheel drive as standard, with an optional second motor on the front axle for adaptable four-wheel drive. The high-performance Ioniq 6 is likely to use dual motors to deliver a top speed of around 162mph and a 3.5sec 0-62mph sprint…

MASERATI MC20 The new Maserati MC20 isn’t just a supercar: it’s a mission statement. “You need to have something that pulls up the tempo,” said company boss Davide Grasso. “You need the crown jewel, the shiny object.” There’s no doubt the MC20 is very shiny. In fact, there’s probably already a queue of Instagrammers lining up to take pictures of it. But significantly, Grasso promised there’s more to it than that: “It can’t be something just to be noticed, because then it becomes crass. This goes back to the roots of the brand, which was born on the circuit to go to the road.” Effectively, the MC20 is designed to relaunch Maserati, to pitch it back into the rarefied premium Italian air after years of muddled machines that have lacked…

MG E-MOTION MG fans have been crying out for the brand to return to sports cars, and this year they will be satisfied with a two-door, four-seat flagship. The as yet unnamed electric coupé is based on the MG E-Motion concept that was shown at the Shanghai motor show in 2017, but recently leaked patent drawings show the styling has moved on considerably since then. Technical details are scarce, but we do know that it uses parent company SAIC’s twin-motor, four-wheel-drive powertrain. A sub-4.0sec 0-62mph time is likely.…

The old belief that race tracks are for racing and forests are for rallying really doesn’t hold true any more. This winter, the best-supported and most competitive rallies in the UK will be run at permanent facilities. With most rallying, particularly the kind done on forest tracks, still on hold, the special-stage rallies running at race tracks are enjoying an unparalleled boom. If you don’t get your entry completed in the first 10 minutes after entries open online, you’ll miss out. Rallying on and around tracks isn’t new, of course. Since the 1960s, tracks have sometimes been turned into special stages; the 1968 RAC Rally featured a special stage at Silverstone, taking in some of the track and looping around the wartime Nissen huts. But the whole movement took a…

MILEAGE 4722 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To find out if it’s good enough to be a credible fast Ford hatchback flagship The significance of the victory of our long-term Focus ST over the brand-new Volkswagen Golf GTI published on these pages a few months back (Autocar, 28 October) shouldn’t be underestimated. First, it wasn’t a contest the Ford was expected to win. The previous ST wouldn’t have stood a chance against any of the modern iterations of Volkswagen’s iconic hatchback. Second, the margin of victory was not small. It may not have been a comprehensive dusting, but there was clear air between them, leading to the biggest win I can remember a fast family Ford scoring against its most bitter rival. I’m not going to delve back into it all…

Honda Accord We’ve seen Nick’s car before, but here’s proof that it’s still going strong. “It’s a 2008 Honda Accord 2.4 EX automatic,” says Nick. “I’ve now owned it for seven years and it is quite likely that I will keep it for at least another 10 years. It has covered nearly 100,000 miles and has been fairly economical, returning 33mpg around town and up to 45mpg on long runs. “Although it is pretty anonymous, it is at least smooth, reliable and, when I use kickdown, very fast, but with fantastic brakes when needed. There’s a ton of equipment, including a reversing camera, sat-nav, parking sensors, sunroof, radar cruise control, folding mirrors… the list goes on. Overall, the Accord is a very underrated car.”…

Mercedes-Benz C55 AMG £8995 The C55 replaced the slow-selling C32, swapping its predecessor’s 3.2-litre V6 for a meatier V8 of 5.4-litre capacity. Performance gains were not immense (power went from 349bhp to 362bhp and the 0-62mph sprint was no quicker, at 5.2sec) but the increased aural pleasure wrought by the larger motor is not to be disregarded and nor are the 55’s tighter handling and vastly improved gearbox. This 2004 car has covered a commendable 125,000 miles, which at today’s prices amounts to more than three times the car’s value in fuel costs alone.…

Honda’s plan to electrify its line-up by 2022 won’t extend to the next Civic Type R, which will retain a high-output turbo petrol engine, Autocar has learned. In late 2019, Honda brought forward its plan to offer hybrid or fully electric variants of every mainstream model from 2025 to 2022 due to “the pace of change in regulation, the market and consumer behaviour in Europe”, said Honda Europe’s senior vice-president, Tom Gardner. But that plan will exclude the upcoming Type R version of the 11th-generation Civic, which, when it arrives in 2022, will be one of the last purely petrol-powered Hondas on sale. An “ultimate high-performance” Type R will return once again, Honda confirmed during the unveiling of the next Civic in prototype, US-focused saloon form. The standard car will…

When the extent of the pandemic lockdown became apparent, understandably there were concerns among the kit car community about the effect it would have on the long-standing industry. Manufacturers, too, were anxious about customers cancelling orders or not making them at all. As it turns out, the kit car industry has been one of the few to prosper this year. What actually happened was that we ‘garagistas’ got busy in our workshops and cracked on with modifications, repairs and builds. People who were thinking about buying a kit car ‘one day’ found they had much more time and bit the bullet. As a result, the industry is currently flat out. Some manufacturers have waiting lists of over two years for fully built cars, and kit packages could take six months…

Is this it? This could be it. The end. This is the 2020 Nissan GT-R Nismo, announced in the middle of 2019 and available to us just in time for 2021, and with it, it could be that the R35-generation GT-R will reach the end of the development line. Maybe. So far, age hasn’t stopped Nissan developing the GT-R. But if you’re thinking that the relative gains must be getting smaller and smaller by now, then I think you’d probably be right. But gains there are, and engineers there must be, looking for them, constantly tweaking and evolving everything there is to have from this brutalist sports car even 13 years after they started making it. The first iteration of this more hardcore Nismo variant arrived in 2015. Nissan then…

Nobody could accuse Audi of scrimping on choice when it comes to the A3. Hatchback or saloon; petrol or diesel; plug-in hybrid with 201bhp or 242bhp; five trim levels; warmed S or hot RS. Save for a dog-friendly Avant in fuchsia, there’s something for everyone. The most recent to launch is this 40 TFSIe Sportback, and the clue as to how this is partly powered lies in the ‘e’. Yes, this is the plug-in hybrid, with a 1.4-litre petrol turbo engine making 148bhp and an electric motor adding 107bhp and 243lb ft. All in, it’s good for 201bhp and 258lb ft, the latter from a usefully low 1550rpm. It can do 0-62mph in 7.6sec so isn’t quite up there with the Mercedes-Benz A250e, but then that car has more shove,…

MODEL TESTED M440i xDRIVE Price £53,865 • Power 369bhp • Torque 369lb ft • 0-60mph 4.1sec • 30-70mph in fourth 5.4sec • Fuel economy 27.2mpg • CO2 emissions 176g/km • 70-0mph 49.6m Enough time should have passed since the arrival of the latest BMW 4 Series in UK showrooms in October for those who objected to its styling in pictures to have seen the car in three dimensions on UK roads. So now, as the hostile social media reception is softened slightly by familiarity for some and no doubt set in aspic for others, comes our time to get beyond the styling and interrogate the engineering substance of this car as only the Autocar road test can. The second-generation 4 Series is, for now, on sale in two-door coupé (codename G22)…

Purposefulness, precision and verve bubble out of the M440i when it’s cornered quickly. A measured initial steering response prevents it from diving into bends, then good inherent balance and plenty of lateral grip keep your appointment with the apex and stop the car from washing too wide even when you feed in power. As always, BMW offers fully enabled stability control, dynamic mode and full deactivation – and you don’t need to switch it off totally to be given the freedom to move the chassis around on the power. The suspension works the contact patches evenly, and the drivetrain keeps torque at the rear wheels when you’re accelerating out of bends, only moving it forwards in any quantity when you’re beginning to blend attitude into the car. Outright vertical body…

PORSCHE 911 GT3 “Emotion is the reason people buy a GT3. It’s the enjoyment of driving the car. That’s definitely the main driver: to be driving just for the sake of it.” Not our words but those of Andreas Preuninger, the engineering virtuoso charged with ensuring the next 911 GT3 is both Porsche’s finest yet and a fitting send-off for the naturally aspirated flat six. Early indications are promising. Our recent first ride in a prototype suggested that a subtle size increase over the previous, 991-generation car has come with minimal dynamic penalty, largely because it hasn’t brought any extra weight with it while the intimidating aerodynamic package has increased downforce by 50%. The powertrain tweaks are subtler, with output up by only 10%, but given how strict emissions and…

RANGE ROVER So much is up in the air at Jaguar Land Rover at the moment around future product plans. Under new CEO Thierry Bolloré, a leaner portfolio of models is set to emerge, and the rapid expansion of all different shapes and sizes of SUVs in particular will end as the company instead focuses on its core – and highly profitable – models. One of those will be the Range Rover, which will retain its role as the flagship of the Land Rover range. An all-new model is due this year as the first car to use JLR’s MLA platform, which will ultimately underpin everything bigger than the Evoque. A huge investment, MLA can house petrol, diesel, hybrid and fully electric powertrains, all of which will emerge on the…

CUPRA EL-BORN With an ‘e-boost’ mode and a unique sporting chassis set-up, it’s clear that Cupra is pitching the El-Born at the sportier end of the electric hatchback market. The first electric Cupra will also show how Seat’s premium sibling brand will pitch future electric performance models. It was originally destined to be a Seat, but the El-Born will appear only in sporty Cupra form. Details remain scarce ahead of the launch in late 2021, but we know it will run a 77kWh battery (82kWh gross) that sends power through a single rear-mounted electric motor. The hot hatchback’s 0-62mph time remains a closely guarded secret, but a 0-31mph time of 2.9sec has been quoted. For reference, the concept promised a 0-62mph time of 7.5sec from a 201bhp motor. That’s on…

The greatest of all time Reflecting on another excellent Britain’s Best Driver’s Car contest (18 November), I wonder how the winning Ariel Atom sits with Andrew Frankel’s brilliant formula for driving greatness: the enjoyment the car provides, multiplied by the number of times you actually drive it. This encapsulates what sets Autocar apart from other titles: bringing the same rigour and passion to reviews of humdrum metal that others reserverve for exotica. Which led me to the question: over the years, which car has offered the greatestt happiness to the greatest number of people the greatest number of times, therefore laying legitimate claim to being the greatest, full stop? Supercars don’t get off the starting grid, being rare and chronically under-used. The Porsche 911 Carrera fills the brief as well…

“Even at this early stage, it already feels like it will be an excellent cruiser” FIRST REPORT WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see if a coupé still has a place on today’s SUV-filled roads It’s probably best to get the grille discussion out with the controversial nose… Hmm, maybe ‘blessed’ isn’t quite the right word. Cursed? Damned? Either way, it features the grille and there’s very little getting away from it. But we’ll get into that a bit more in a subsequent update. The road test verdict that you’ll have already read was less than enthusiastic – personally, I’m genuinely intrigued to see whether it grows on me. What is less controversial than the grille is the styling around the rest of the car: classic coupé lines and all the…

QUESTION I own an older car that I have to keep outside. How can I deter any would-be thieves?Patrick Masters, via email ANSWER In terms of deterrents, parking under a street light or within view of a CCTV camera makes your car an unattractive proposition to ne’erdo-wells. A good old-fashioned steering clamp also serves to discourage theft because removing it can delay a swift getaway, and fitting an aftermarket immobiliser switch to the battery cable is a cheap, quick and effective addition. Consider taking the ignition coil lead off overnight, as well. The basic aim is to make stealing your car so inconvenient and timeconsuming that it’s simply not worth the risk. FP QUESTION My partner and I are downsizing the fleet. We need something that can serve as both…

Kia Stinger £30,000 It seems only yesterday that we were waving goodbye to our long-term Stinger, the first Kia ever to conduct a credible burnout on these pages. Such wanton displays of exuberance have hardly been intrinsically linked to the South Korean brand since it was launched in the UK in 1991 with the misleadingly named Pride hatchback, but the Stinger (aside from being much more suited to its moniker) is a bit of a departure from normality. For starters, there’s the method of propulsion: a 3.3-litre turbocharged petrol V6 sending a useful 365bhp and 376lb ft to the rear axle, which is good for a 0-62mph time of 4.9sec and a top speed of 168mph. A genuinely fast car, then, and one that doesn’t fall apart at the sight…

An owner’s view DAVID WELLS “It’s old inside and the infotainment is rubbish but generally the noise from the engine outweighs the need for music. They are temperamental if the battery isn’t kept charged up and you need to get an independent inspection if buying from anywhere other than a main dealer, but I believe they have a poorer reputation than they deserve and are reliable if looked after. They only need servicing every two years or 12,500 miles, which is a bonus.” Buyer beware… ENGINE Oil leaks are not as big a bugbear as they were for the notoriously porous 4200, but even the most accessible gaskets will cost hundreds of pounds in labour costs to replace. One small coolant hose in particular is prone to cracking, so check…

Another Japanese maker bucking the electrification trend is Toyota, under its Gazoo Racing banner. Alongside the straight-six petrol GR Supra, it last year introduced the rally homologation special GR Yaris to critical acclaim. It is expected to follow up that car with a hot hatch big brother, the GR Corolla. Although it has yet to be confirmed and is unlikely to be launched until 2023, Toyota filed a trademark for the GR Corolla name last year. Insiders have told Autocar that such a car will “inevitably” be offered. A hot Corolla would also allow Toyota to leverage its substantial investment in the bespoke chassis and powertrain used in the GR Yaris, which makes use of some platform elements from the Corolla. If that is the intention, expect the 1.6-litre three-cylinder…

Subaru’s first electric car will be an SUV built on a new EV platform shared with Toyota, and it will come to Europe after being unveiled this year. Rumoured to be named the Evoltis, it will share its e-TNGA basis with Toyota’s first BEV, a RAV4-sized SUV that will be launched this year. Subaru’s EV will be similar in size to its existing petrol-powered Forester. Although slow to the EV scene, the company wants at least 40% of its global car sales to be hybrid or electric by 2030.…

Plans to phase out internal-combustion-engined cars could be scuppered by the location and supply of some key materials required to produce electric vehicles. Prior to the UK government’s announcement of its planned 2030 ban on new ICE cars, the European Commission voiced concerns about the EU’s capacity to gather resources in a report called Critical Raw Materials Resilience: Charting a Path Towards Greater Security and Sustainability. Published in September 2020, it highlighted Europe’s lack of natural substances compared with other areas of the world, especially China, which is the biggest supplier of 10 such materials to the EU. China is the second-largest global producer of cobalt and lithium, both of which are required for EV batteries, accounting for 7% and 37% of their production volumes. The Democratic Republic of the…

Land Rover’s all-new mild-hybrid 3.0-litre straight-six diesel engine powers two versions of the full-sized Range Rover: the D350 (which we reviewed a couple of months ago) and this D300, which now becomes the entry-level version of Solihull’s biggest, poshest 4x4, in as-tested Vogue trim level. From here, the Range Rover line-up rockets up to just short of £180,000 for a long-wheelbase 557bhp supercharged V8 SVAutobiography. So what comes as standard on a ‘poverty-spec’, £83,000 Range Rover in 2021, then? Not cloth trim, ‘workout’ windows and a VM Motori diesel five-cylinder any more, that’s for sure. As well as height-adjustable air suspension and the de rigueur permanent four-wheel drive with low range, there’s three-zone climate control, digital instruments, a gesture-controlled powered tailgate and a cooled front armrest cubby for starters. The…

It seems rather bonkers, at least to my mind, that we today find ourselves in a place where a car that can make as much as 563bhp can be considered ‘entry level’. But in the case of this Porsche Taycan 4S, that’s where things get started – well, here in the UK, at least. For what it’s worth, this £83,367 electric sports car doesn’t always develop that headline figure. It’s available only during launch control starts and only if you specify the £4613 Performance Battery Plus – which you absolutely should. Not only does the claimed range jump from 257 to 288 miles, but the combined output of its twin electric motors under regular running rises from 429bhp to 483bhp, too. Out on the road, that’s still more than enough…

It’s time, then, to start bidding a fond farewell to the internal combustion engine era, in which we have lived since 3 July 1886 and which will ostensibly enter its final chapter in 2030. It will be a difficult change for many, but solace can be found in the tantalising array of new metal due in the decade to come, which will get off to a good start in 2021. The latest Porsche 911 line-up will be expanded at both ends of the spectrum, the Chevrolet Corvette and Ford Mustang will stay true to their V8 roots and BMW and Alfa Romeo will launch delightfully unhinged saloons. Hybridisation is inevitable, but when electrical assistance can be used to create such engineering marvels as an 800bhp Mercedes S-Class, you can hardly…

FORD PUMA ST It was inevitable that when Ford poached the Puma name from its revered small coupé for a new sporty crossover that an ST version wouldn’t be far away. Combining its swoopy and surprisingly practical body with the running gear from the truly excellent Fiesta ST meant that Ford couldn’t go too far wrong. HYUNDAI KONA N While the Puma ST is just around the corner, we will have to wait until the middle of the year for Hyundai’s challenger to land in showrooms. The Kona N is the latest spoke in the wheel of the Korean company’s fledgling performance brand, and it has its sights firmly fixed on the fun Ford.…

NISSAN QASHQAI The Qashqai is without question the most important car Nissan makes from a business perspective, and the third generation of the family SUV will add to the five million examples sold globally to date. Designed, engineered and built in the UK, externally it will be an evolution of the current car to keep loyal buyers happy, but in all other respects it will be new. It has grown in every dimension to boost interior space, it uses a new, stiffer and lighter platform and, for the first time, no diesel will be offered. Instead, there’s a line-up of mild-hybrid petrols and a new 188bhp e-Power hybrid to boost efficiency. The new Qashqai even uses composite materials and aluminium in the body to keep weight down. There’s also overhauled…

BTCC at Brands Hatch Indy 4 April The British Touring Car Championship season opener is always fascinating, as teams and drivers reveal their pace on the Kent venue’s compact Indy track. Expect the intense battle between Ash Sutton, Colin Turkington and Dan Cammish to resume. Nascar at Circuit of the Americas 23 May The Nascar Cup schedule has been given a major overhaul, including a massive expansion in road course races. The most intriguing is an outing on the awesome COTA circuit, home of the US Grand Prix. Stock cars won’t be anywhere near as fast as F1 cars, but expect far more bumper bashing. Le Mans 24 Hours 13-14 June France’s endurance classic enters a new era with the introduction of the Le Mans Hypercar class. Toyota will be…

COMPARISON Discovery Sport vs rivals Land Rover’s vital new plug-in hybrid SUV faces rivals from BMW and Volvo. Just how good is it? INTERVIEW World’s fastest men Meet the drivers who have driven road cars quicker than anyone else ROAD TEST Rolls-Royce Ghost Goodwood’s new baby model gets the full eight-page treatment EVERY WEEK OUR CARS Toyota GR Yaris The standout car of 2020 is among the first cars to join our fleet in 2021 USED BUYING GUIDE Porsche Cayenne Stuttgart had a smash hit with its first SUV. We assess the follow-up SUBSCRIBE autocar.co.uk/subscribe or see p10…

MILEAGE 7455 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To find out whether the 911 in its purest form is all the sports car you need Back in March 2017, Andrew Frankel took delivery of a then new 991-gen-2 Porsche 911 Carrera S to run on these pages over the following nine months. Looking back at Andrew’s final report (Autocar, 17 January 2018), my eyes are drawn to the spec of his car: an £85,857 Carrera S became a £108,028 one after options. Which is a lot of options for a lot of money, and Andrew found that the likes of the £1530 rear axle steering and £2744 active anti-roll bars only really added to the cost rather than the enjoyment. Loading cars with options and charging for everything is something Porsche is…

MILEAGE 109,227 PORSCHE CAYENNE Just in case you wondered, it is possible to get a German fridge-freezer (Bosch) inside the Flying Pig. Just recently, the old V8 has been doing a fair impression of a working van. I think it is worth pointing out sometimes that apparently ridiculous, V8 gargantuan SUV things can do the everyday. Topping up with extra four-star is a downside, but on the whole I can recommend this as a removals van. Meanwhile, an electric garage door I am responsible for is under investigation, because it takes about half an hour to go up in stuttering stages. It may just need a service or be on its way out despite being only 12 years old.…

Despite sparking public interest with the large Model S and even larger Model X, Tesla’s intent to democratise electric motoring charged up a notch with this executive car-sized Model 3, launched in 2019. It’s been a runaway worldwide sales success, offering all the high-tech, drama, range and modernism of the larger cars in a smaller and more affordable package. Three flavours of Model 3 are available: Standard Range Plus, Long Range and the flagship Performance version. On the road, it’s very good, with even the entry-level, rear-wheel-drive Standard Range Plus managing 0-60mph in 6.1sec. However, the Long Range and Performance models have four-wheel drive and not one but two electric motors. At low speeds, the two lower-spec models jostle you around quite a bit. Oddly, the Performance version on its…

LOTUS ESPRIT Ferrari’s Grigio Ferro is a strange choice of colour for this recently resprayed X180-generation Esprit, especially when you consider factory options included such captivating hues as Norfolk Mustard (really) and Pacific Blue. Perhaps the silk finish would grow on you, but even if it didn’t, you’d no doubt be taken in by the sheer exploitability of its 2.2-litre atmo four and taut chassis. An equivalent Porsche 911 of similar vintage would command an eye-watering premium in comparison, so this looks like a bit of a steal at £11,200. Or at least it will once the tattered interior is refreshed.…

You can take advantage of the Maserati Granturismo’s exceptionally long 12-year production run by picking up an early car for less than £15,000 that’s almost visually indistinguishable from a run-out example costing more than five times as much. Obviously, that’s a rather flippant attitude to take, and older cars come with their own unique set of risks and quirks, as we’ll explore, but even in its more expensive forms, the Granturismo represents outstanding value next to the closely related Ferrari California (and arguably it comes without the ‘entry-level’ connotations). So let’s kick off at the princely sum of £13,500, which at the time of writing would buy you a recently written-off 57-reg coupé that, the seller claims, would be “very cheap” to repair. Hmm, we’re not sure about that: unblemished…