Innholdsfortegnelse for March 10, 2021 i Autocar

The Taycan Cross Turismo is an estate-shaped and off-road-ready take on Porsche’s first electric car, promising heightened versatility over the saloon. Available to order now before deliveries begin this summer, the Cross Turismo is essentially a production-ready version of the bold Mission E Cross Turismo concept, which was described at its unveiling in 2018 as a “cross utility vehicle”. Most obvious among the raft of modifications for the new model is an extended roofline, which gives 47mm of extra head room in the rear seats and a maximum luggage capacity of more than 1200 litres – around the same as the Volkswagen Golf hatchback. The upright tailgate design can optionally accommodate a bespoke bike rack, too, and Porsche has designed a new roofbox that’s rated for use at speeds of…

A CONVERTIBLE VERSION of the ID 3 electric hatchback is “a very tempting idea”, said Volkswagen CEO Ralf Brandstätter as he revealed one of several official design proposals for the new model. Potentially arriving as part of the ID 3’s facelift in 2023, the soft-top would lose its rear doors in the name of improved structural rigidity and have a subtly tweaked rear-end design to mark it out more obviously from the existing hard-top car. “The convertible is the ultimate expression of emotional mobility,” then sales boss Jürgen Stackmann previously told Autocar, echoing an earlier vow that Volkswagen “won’t become a cold and technical brand”. The open-roof ID Buggy concept was revealed to widespread acclaim at the 2019 Geneva motor show, and had been tipped for small-scale production, but it…

The Audi Q4 E-tron will eventually also be offered in rakish Sportback guise. Aside from an altered side profile and different tailgate, it will be largely identical to the straight-backed SUV and will show minimal design changes over last year’s Q4 E-tron Sportback concept. For example, the flush external door handles will make way for protruding items and the wheel arches will be slimmed down. The concept had a 77kWh battery for a 311-mile range and a 302bhp dual-motor powertrain, but less potent and shorter-range set-ups are likely to be added.…

Volkswagen’s new Project Trinity flagship model will arrive in 2026 as a cutting-edge electric vehicle offering autonomous driving and introducing a “radical” new business model, with most functions offered as downloadable services. The forthcoming EV has been described previously as a “highly efficient flat-seat concept with an iconic design”, and a teaser image shown as part of a Volkswagen presentation suggests it will take the form of a swooping saloon similar to the Arteon. Project Trinity is the cornerstone of Volkswagen’s new Accelerate strategy, under which the brand has vowed to further increase its EV sales targets and invest heavily in digital technology. When it arrives in 2026, Project Trinity will be based on an advanced new electric architecture, which will use elements from the Volkswagen Group’s MEB EV platform.…

POISED ON THE verge of a new era though we might be, some aspects of vehicle design and engineering are still stuck in the dark ages. The future will be all about electric powertrains – that’s a given – but cars still rely on hydraulic systems for braking, a steering rack mounted across the chassis and hydraulic brake calipers at each corner. Driveshafts run from a transmission to drive wheels and four-wheel-drive cars need an additional transmission system to distribute torque to all four wheels. Manufacturers have toyed with the idea of ‘dry corners’ for decades and the PSA Group was in collaboration with supplier Delphi two decades ago to develop an electromechanical brake caliper free of hydraulics. The advantage of Delphi’s EMB concept was that assembly and servicing would…

The Aventador is hardly a car for shrinking violets, so it’s no surprise that Lamborghini has opted to turn this special based on the same architecture up to 11 – and that’s on a scale that goes to 5. The Sián FKP 37 sits on the same floorpan and is powered by the same glorious naturally aspirated engine, but it gets bespoke bodywork and pioneering technology in the form of a supercapacitor hybrid system. Despite a ¤2.5 million (£2.2m) pretax price tag, the entire 63-car run of the coupé has already been sold, as have the 19 roadsters that will follow. The 48V electric element may win attention, but the 6.5-litre V12 remains the headline act. This is basically the same engine that powers the mighty Aventador SVJ but with…

If, like me, you have an unhealthy and somewhat embarrassing fondness for the monstrosity that is the BMW X7 M50i, then Alpina’s take – the XB7 – should be right up your alley. In addition to all that new exterior finery (think 23in alloy wheels, an extended bodykit, quad exhausts and those trademark Deco lines), the regular X7 M50i’s mechanical hardware has also been Alpina-fied. The Buchloe company has strapped a brace of larger turbochargers to BMW’s 4.4-litre V8 and completely overhauled the car’s cooling system. There’s a new stainless steel sports exhaust in the mix, too. The result is a massive 613bhp and 590lb ft – increases of 90bhp and 37lb ft over the ‘standard’ car. An eight-speed automatic transmission jointly developed by Alpina and ZF has been fitted…

VERDICT Mazda clearly had a more challenging time than most car makers in launching its inaugural production EV. An elevated focus on driver engagement has long played a huge part in the Hiroshima firm’s corporate identity, and over the years this has been successfully leveraged to set Mazda apart from so many of its competitors. The added weight that inevitably comes with electrification is arguably the greatest threat to such a position, though, and so it was unsurprising that Mazda would be so up front about its decision to equip the MX-30 with a smaller, lighter battery pack than rivals, in a bid to preserve at least some of its hard-earned dynamic soul. Sadly, the gamble hasn’t paid off. While the MX-30 certainly has a degree of dynamic pep, it…

DAVID POOK Then: Dynamics specialist at Daewoo and JLR Now: Self-employed dynamics specialist “At Daewoo, I was very lucky to work with an experienced dynamicist who had come from General Motors. This grounding and the wider application of problem-solving and methodology is something that I still use today. “In 19 years at Jaguar Land Rover, I maintained this career direction, but as I aged, the interest in the business and people side grew. There was a big itch I needed to scratch and, to be honest, I was worried about what JLR’s future looked like. “So I went from heading the vehicle dynamics team at SVO, took a voluntary redundancy package and set up on my own. I planned multiple avenues, from consultant engineering to Alpine A110 tuning and private…

Covering 9000 miles in 37 days across 10 countries, including the Gobi Desert of Mongolia, the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge is one of the few remaining truly great challenges in motorsport. The 2022 event will be the eighth edition of the recreation of the marathon challenge that was first run in 1907. Back then, the winner took two months, but in 2022 it will take just over five weeks to get the surviving vehicles from the Great Wall of China to the French capital. Despite the daunting physical challenge, time away and sheer cost, more than 700 prospective competitors logged their interest in being on the start line in Beijing on 29 May 2022. Just 110 entries are available and all must be in pre-1976 vehicles. It’s an event…

Jaguar XKR Stuart is back with his Jaguars that raise money for good causes, and he’s very welcome: “You’re probably fed up with me sending photos of my XKs, but I thought you might be interested in my Grantley-bodied XKR. I’ve had it nearly two years; it has done just over 65,000 miles and goes like stink. As you can see, it has had a front and rear conversion with an F-Type appearance, plus side skirts and wheel spacers. Sheffield Prestige have been good enough to sponsor me; they’re great chaps. When I bought the car, it was black, but it had a full respray before being wrapped.” To find out more, visit tinyurl.com/sherwoodjaguar…

Volkswagen Polo Dune 1.4 £2495 With its raised ride height, roof rails, plastic body cladding and sundry off-roadery details, the Polo Dune of 2004-09 reminds fans of today’s SUV-inspired superminis that we’ve been here before. Remember the Rover Streetwise, too? Of the few Dunes currently for sale, most are 1.4-litre diesels. It’s the sensible choice; indeed, the right choice. Still, we were drawn instead to a solitary 1.4-litre petrol. The 2005-reg car – a pre-facelift model with the prettier twin headlights – has done 113,000 miles but doesn’t look it. The body gleams and the interior is like new.…

The Lotus story took another twist recently with the announcement of an electric two-seater developed in partnership with Alpine and slated for launch in 2025 (Autocar, 3 February). It marks a new chapter in the company’s history but here we’re concerned with the continuation of one that opened in 1996 with the launch of the Elise S1. The model transformed Lotus’s fortunes but, by 2000, European crash regs had caught up with it. Lotus needed some serious cash to bring it up to spec and, cap in hand, approached General Motors. The American giant agreed to help on the understanding that it would get its own branded version of the model, which it called the VX220. Lotus named its revised Elise the S2. It was in production from 2000 until…

Cupra is entering its fourth year as a stand-alone performance brand with a plan to dramatically boost its market share, expand its line-up with crucial new models and overhaul its global retail model with an innovative digital approach. Established as a brand in its own right alongside Seat in February 2018, Cupra will now seek to build on the sales success of its hot versions of the Seat Ateca and Leon, as well as its bespoke Formentor SUV, with a performance-focused push into electrification and digitisation. The first step will come with the launch later this year of the Born hot hatchback – Cupra’s first bespoke EV. The Born, now shorn of its ‘El’ prefix, will eventually sit between two other bespoke EVs, with the Volkswagen Group’s MEB architecture allowing…

JAGUAR LAND ROVER is looking for a partner to help develop a new EV platform that will underpin Jaguar’s reinvention as an electric-only luxury brand. Under new CEO Thierry Bolloré’s bold Reimagine plan, Jaguar will go electric-only from 2025, with all of its models built on a dedicated EV platform for luxury cars. Land Rover, meanwhile, will use two different platforms and offer a mixture of powertrain types. With the high cost of developing a new vehicle architecture, it had been expected that JLR would look for a partner – either a third party to buy a platform from or another manufacturer to share the development costs with. Bolloré confirmed during an investor presentation that JLR is in talks with “a selection of actors” with a “massive appetite” to work…

Volkswagen will launch at least one electric car per year in a further acceleration of its electrification plans – but the debut of the sub-£18,000 entry-level ID 1 has been pushed back to 2025. As part of a new Accelerate plan, Volkswagen CEO Ralf Brandstätter has pledged that EVs will make up more than 70% of Volkswagen cars sold in Europe by 2030 – double the previous goal. The firm has also vowed that over 50% of its sales in the US and China will be fully electric by 2030. “The automotive industry is changing fast,” said Brandstätter. “We will fundamentally change Volkswagen in the coming years. We intend to defend our market leadership on a clear position: Volkswagen will be the most attractive brand for sustainable mobility.” Volkswagen has…

Is there a disconnect between what BMW thinks an M car should be and what purists think an M car should be? Is there still a hangover from those early days, when the M badge stood for compactness, lightness and Group A homologation? Well, if so, give it up: it was 35 years ago. Anyway, there’s a new M3, and if you hadn’t seen that coming, then look at this car when it’s coming at you. It’s quite, er, striking, isn’t it? Behind that nose, which I’ll gloss over, today M3 means a car based on the four-door 3 Series saloon, with the coupé called the M4 for the second generation running (see p23). A growing 3 Series means a growing M3. This car is 4.79m long, 1.90m wide and…

In the opening months of 2021, the entry-level member of the Mustang family is no longer a sleek, slightly agro-looking two-door coupé with a heavily boosted four-pot motor at its nose. Instead, it’s this: an electric four-door SUV that Ford calls the Mustang Mach-E Standard Range RWD. Bit of a mouthful, that; and an extremely vivid sign of the times. You’ll have formed your own opinion by now on Ford’s decision to slap that fabled pony badge and nameplate on the Mach-E, so we won’t delve into that aspect in any great detail here. But if it means that we’ll live in a world where the full-fat, big-daddy V8 Mustang is around for a few more years, then I’m on board with that call. This particular version of the new…

After 17 years, BMW has retired the folding metal roof that first appeared on its E46 3 Series Convertible. The new 4 Series Convertible has a traditional fabric hood, and with it arguably more appealing proportions, being longer, wider and 10mm lower than before. Multi-layered, the soft top is 40% lighter than the original 4 Series’ metal roof. It stows beneath a plastic cover behind the rear seats, in the upper part of the boot, in 18 seconds, while you’re driving at up to 31mph. The packaging is much improved, too, leading to slightly more head room up front and a larger boot. With the roof down, the car offers 80 litres more capacity than before. With it up, you get 385 litres – similar to the Volkswagen Golf hatchback.…

1 PEUGEOT E-208 GT PREMIUM Blows the Mazda out of the water on range, and doesn’t give up anything on style or desirability. Fun to drive, too. Still the best compact EV. 2 MINI ELECTRIC LEVEL 3 Range is not its strong suit, but the electric Mini majors on driver engagement and stylish desirability. Lacks a bit of interior space. 3 VAUXHALL CORSA-E 11KW ELITE NAV Slightly bland next to its Peugeot relation, but a solid performer that would be worth a look at – if only for its range. 4 HONDA E ADVANCE Excellent design meets clever tech in Honda’s first-ever EV. Lacks the range of the Peugeot and the Vauxhall, but its charm still goes a long way. 5 MAZDA MX-30 GT SPORT TECH Like the Honda, Mazda’s first EV really impresses when…

Jonathan Palmer’s Wikipedia entry describes him as “a British businessman”, which is a hopelessly inadequate label when you consider the multifarious patchwork of activities that constitutes his career. What it especially fails to note is the clear and powerful thread that runs through everything: a lifelong love of cars. As a schoolboy in Sussex, Palmer set a course to become a doctor like his father, the local GP. But he became obsessed with motorsport and soon was doing so well at it that, by the time he had qualified in medicine, he was winning in single-seaters against top-class drivers and eyeing a professional racing career. Within a couple of years of graduating, he hung up his stethoscope and was testing Formula 1 machinery for McLaren, Williams and Lotus. Most people…

How are we to assess the driving experience of future sports cars? At present, in the real world, I feel that it comes down to the shape of the torque curve combining suitably with the power curve and the gearing to provide the confidence of increasing acceleration when you’re overtaking. I say real world because power output and 0-60mph sprint times are pretty irrelevant; the important performance is that required to overtake a vehicle travelling at 45-50mph in about 300 yards on a single-carriageway road. As I understand the physics of an electric motor, the torque curve begins at rest at the peak output and declines from there – the opposite to which we’re accustomed. At present, the only indication of an EV’s performance seems to be its battery capacity…

MILEAGE 1636 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see if a coupé still has a place on today’s SUV-dominated roads If you were ever in any doubt about what people think of BMW’s latest design language, take a peek at the online comments beneath our recent interview with Adrian van Hooydonk and Domagoj Dukec, Munich’s styling bosses. Let’s just say readers have yet to be convinced… Interestingly, you don’t get as much reaction from people on the street. Whether that says more about the current atmosphere online or the fact that you rarely see anyone in these locked-down days, I’m not quite sure. Or maybe it’s because the 4 Series is largely an elegant shape that’s only questionable from certain angles; if it’s driving along or someone walks past it, they…

QUESTION Should I be worried about the roll-out of E10 petrol this year? I cover lots of miles but can’t afford anything too new. Monica Regan, Hove ANSWER In a word, no. From 2011, it became a legal requirement for new cars to be capable of running on fuel containing 10% ethanol, so you can pick up a leggy compatible car for a couple of grand. Even if you drive something older, you’ll still be able to fill up with E5 fuel (5% ethanol) at every petrol station, in line with the government’s plan to support drivers of the more than 700,000 incompatible vehicles still in use. If you’re in any doubt, use the government’s online checker at gov.uk/check-vehicle-e10-petrol FP QUESTION Are there any cool hybrids? I want something frugal and…

Porsche Panamera 3.0 V6 4S £28,994 This facelifted first-generation Panamera was registered in 2014 and has done 79,000 miles. It has a full Porsche service history and has had just one previous owner. Fitted extras include adaptive air suspension, a red leather interior and LED headlights. Being a facelifted model, it has the more powerful and responsive twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 engine rather than the 3.6 V6 its predecessor made do with. The motor is suitably torquey, with 383lb ft at 1750rpm a mere squeeze away. It has a balancer shaft, too, so feels almost V8-like in its smoothness on the motorway. New, it cost around £95,000 so £29,000 doesn’t sound like a bad shout for such a refined, classy and powerful four-seat express. Of course, the V8 GTS and Turbo…

An expert’s view BARRY ELY, BARRY ELY SPORTS CARS “I’ve been selling Elises since 1996 when the S1 came out but, for the money, the S2 is the best driver’s car you can buy. The Bilstein sports suspension is so good that S1 owners replace their Koni set-ups with it. The S2’s composite body is a liability, though, because it absorbs moisture. My favourite S2 is the 160bhp 111S: the performance of the K-series engine is very progressive and the close-ratio’box is really sweet. At the moment, an S2 is better value than an S1, whose prices are being talked up by purists simply on the basis that it’s the original. I’d take a good S2 any day.” Buyer beware… ■ ENGINE Despite the rumours, the K-series head gasket is…

As it expands and overhauls its line-up of bespoke models, Cupra will also develop a new digital retail set-up centred on its virtual ‘e-Garage’, which will serve as a readily accessible hub for owners, both prospective and current, and a venue for brand events. Cupra will continue to develop its global network of physical dealerships, with 800 sites set to be in operation by the end of 2022, but will combine the online and offline retail experience to “ensure a sustainable sales model for the brand and its investors in the future”, according to CEO Wayne Griffiths. Aftersales boss Lourdes de la Sota said the new service will be “digital, disruptive and connected, but always with a human touch”, demonstrating how customers can explore the simulated venue – situated on…

The next-generation Land Rover Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque duo will shun pure combustion in their switch to the ‘native electric’ EMA platform. Set for launch in 2024, EMA can accommodate petrol and diesel engines, but these will be used only as part of hybrid powertrains offered alongside purely battery-electric variants. Land Rover will use the new MLA platform, which is compatible with mild-hybrid, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric powertrains, for the larger Range Rover and Range Rover Sport.…

The Q4 E-tron will join the E-tron, E-tron Sportback and E-tron GT on UK roads later this year as Audi continues to swell its electric car ranks. The new mid-sized SUV is based on the Volkswagen the E-tron, E-tron Sportback and E-tron GT on UK roads later this year as Audi continues to swell its electric car ranks. The new mid-sized SUV is based on the Volkswagen Group’s versatile MEB electric car platform, so it shares its drivetrain, lithium ion battery, charging system and chassis with the Volkswagen ID 3 and ID 4, alongside which it will be produced at Volkswagen’s factory in Zwickau, Germany. Prices are expected to start at around £40,000, with the range-topping model pitched closer to £50,000, when the Q4 E-tron goes on sale in April.…

Volvo will increase its focus on its hugely popular SUVs as the firm shifts to becoming an electric-only brand by 2030 – but boss Håkan Samuelsson insists it will still offer saloons and estates in the future. At last week’s launch of the new C40 Recharge, a coupé sibling to the XC40 Recharge P8 electric SUV, the Swedish marque committed to a fully electric line-up by 2030. It’s aiming for half of its sales to be electric cars by 2025, with the other half plug-in hybrids. Volvo is also working on a compact electric SUV that could take the C20 or XC20 name. An electric version of the next-generation XC90 seven-seater is also set to arrive next year as the firm ramps up to offer seven EVs by 2025. Samuelsson…

Volkswagen has committed to developing next-generation versions of key combustion-engined models, including the Golf and Tiguan, despite its focus on electric models. While several car firms, such Volvo, have pledged to make their entire range EVonly by 2030, Volkswagen boss Ralf Brandstätter said the firm will not move away from combustion-engined models entirely: “We will still need combustion engines for a while, but they should be as efficient as possible.” He said this will be achieved through the use of plug-in hybrid technology. Brandstätter has committed to next-generation versions of the Golf, Tiguan, Passat and T-Roc. But he admitted the Touran MPV is unlikely to be replaced and was non-committal about the future of the Arteon. The UK will ban sales of most new ICE vehicles by 2030, but an…

Mechanically, for the coupé, you can pretty much just substitute a four for a three in most of the text and you will have a good idea of what the new M4 is made of. It’s the same length but 16mm narrower and 40mm lower than the M3, with the same 2857mm wheelbase, and 5kg lighter – so as near as makes no difference. It has the same 2993cc engine, drivetrain, 18/19in wheels as standard or, as fitted to both our test cars, 19/20in wheels with 275/35 R19 front and 285/30 R20 rear tyres. Things of note? Different ratios to improve acceleration, although there are sufficient gears that it’s not obvious. It’s harder to get in and out of the back, clearly, especially past the silly seats, and there’s a…

Don’t be fooled by the looks. Despite this facelifted E-Pace appearing nigh-on identical to the old car, it’s radically different underneath. For starters, it’s a plug-in hybrid. Running a three-cylinder petrol and a rear-sited electric motor powered by a 15kWh mid-mounted battery, the E-Pace PHEV is good for a combined, and punchy, 305bhp and 398lb ft – figures that put it well ahead of the Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4 and match the Mercedes-Benz GLA 250e. As such, and despite the E-Pace weighing 2173kg (blame the 124kg battery for part of that mass), it will cover 0-62mph in 6.5sec and reach a top speed of 134mph. That makes it the fastest-accelerating E-Pace and outstrips the GLA 250e. It’s also on a new platform, ditching Ford-related P8 underpinnings for the newer Jaguar Land…

MODEL TESTED 145PS GT SPORT TECH Price £29,845* • Power 143bhp • Torque 200lb ft • 0-60mph 9.1sec • 30-70mph in fourth na • Fuel economy 2.9mpkWh • CO2 emissions 0g/km • 70-0mph 46.3m It’s a mark of how widespread the car industry’s adoption of EV technology has become, and how quickly it is expanding, that even the firms that have eyed it with considerable – and very public – circumspection are now, perhaps even somewhat reluctantly, getting on board. With the introduction of this week’s test subject, the new MX-30, famously independent of spirit Mazda acknowledges one key fact. That while the whole life-cycle carbon emissions associated with electric cars may not make them (for now, at least) as sustainable and environmentally responsible as some clearly believe them to…

After its slightly forgettable performance around town, it was surprising to see just how keenly the MX-30 took to Millbrook’s challenging Hill Route. Though the limited power reserves prevented the car from accruing anything approaching big speeds, guiding it through the course’s tighter twists and turns proved to be an enjoyable experience. You can better interact with its delicate, precise steering, and really feel the car settle on the outside tyres as you tip it into quick corners. There’s a good amount of front-end grip to be found, and no sense of the car’s electronic stability systems breathing down your neck. True, this car feels set up for a secure, surefooted style of handling, and perhaps a bit more adjustability wouldn’t have gone amiss. But given the sacrifices Mazda has…

There is a tremendous consistency to the things we’ve said about the Toyota GT86 and its Subaru BRZ twin during the past 10 years. In September 2011, a see-through full-size model of the coupé appeared on the Subaru stand at the Frankfurt motor show, with its drivetrain on full display. “It will have the lowest centre of gravity of any rear-drive sports car on the market,” we wrote. That November, I first drove the Toyota version, a disguised prototype when we still thought it would be called the FT-86. But while the name ended up different, what we thought about its purity remained the same. “If you add more power, you will need a turbocharger and bigger brakes, and that adds weight, and that’s where the downward spiral starts, right?”…

The 1970s TV commercial for Smash, Cadbury’s instant mashed potato, famously featured a group of Martian robots mocking humans for mashing their spuds by hand. To peals of laughter, the chief robot concluded that humans “are clearly a most primitive people”. Spring forward 50 years and it’s tempting to think that, after the staff have shut up shop, the last-mile autonomous robots that now deliver instant mashed potato and other groceries to the people of Milton Keynes and Northampton enjoy an equally hearty chuckle at the expense of us humans and our efforts to develop autonomous passenger cars. Test cars with level four (out of five) autonomy and a human inside for emergencies are only now feeling their way around public roads, while the little delivery robots have been confidently…

Aston Martin F1 racer revealed Aston Martin has unveiled the Mercedes-AMG-powered AMR21, its first Formula 1 car since 1965. The British marque has returned to grand prix racing after new boss Lawrence Stroll rebranded his Silverstone-based Racing Point team, and the British Racing Green-liveried car is a development of its 2020 race winner. It will be raced by four-time champion Sebastian Vettel and Stroll’s son, Lance. Alpine reaches motorsport’s summit Alpine, which has taken over the Renault F1 team due to its new position as the French firm’s halo brand, has revealed its new A521 F1 car. Two-time champion Fernando Alonso will race it on his return to F1 after a two-year break, beside Esteban Ocon. Alonso broke his jaw in a cycling accident recently, but Alpine boss Laurent Rossi…

COMPARISON New BMW M3 Competition vs rivals You’ve read the first drive, now see how the new super-saloon gets on against the Alfa Romeo Giulia QV and Mercedes-AMG E63 FEATURE Nissan Leaf at 10 It has been a decade since the Nissan Leaf changed the game. We revisit the original DRIVEN Volkswagen Golf R Amazing new hot hatch all-rounder is tested on UK roads for the first time EVERY WEEK ROAD TEST Hyundai Tucson Does SUV now have the substance to match its new-found style? DRIVEN Volkswagen ID 4 Our first UK test of the ID 3 electric car’s SUV big brother SUBSCRIBE autocar.co.uk/subscribe or see p50…

MILEAGE 3301 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT It won our electric SUV mega-test but is it a Tesla-beater in everyday life? The Mercedes EQC has had a pretty good time of it at the hands of Autocar’s expert testers, from winning a group test against the Audi E-tron, Jaguar I-Pace and Tesla Model X when they first got their hands on it in 2019, through to more recently being crowned ‘the best luxury EV’ when it was put through its paces in a video special that pitted this very car against the latest iterations of the E-tron and I-Pace just a few weeks ago. What stands out is that the Mercedes keeps scooping these accolades as much for its all-round ability as any exceptional features. In so many ways, it is…

MILEAGE 132,666 LAND ROVER SERIES 3 Removing the spare wheel from the bonnet turned out to be a jolly good idea. Indeed, putting the idea out there a few weeks ago led to all sorts of encouragement. Some readers even know people who have been swallowed by a Land Rover bonnet; they lived to tell the tale but did have a bit of a headache for a while. So off came the wheel. A rusty padlock, a couple of bolts and galvanised pegs held it in place. It left an impression of the tyre that I will have to deal with. The next job is relocating it. There’s a bracket on the seat bulkhead, but I’ll have to adapt it to fit. Meanwhile, lifting the lid on the Lorry has…

It might not look like much of a trailblazer, but the Hyundai Ioniq was, at its launch in 2017, the first car to be offered for sale with three forms of electrification. You could have it as a hybrid model that combines a petrol engine with an electric motor, a plug-in hybrid version with a bigger battery that you can charge externally or a purely electric vehicle. Now, thanks to its competitive prices on used car forecourts, it offers buyers a nifty and good-value springboard into the fast-approaching future. You can pick up the hybrid model from just £10,000 and the earliest plug-in hybrids start at around £11,000. You’ll need a little over £14,000 to secure a fully electric one. All the different versions are quite pleasant to drive and…

LAMBORGHINI GALLARDO From a low of around £45,000 a couple of years ago, Gallardo prices have been rising steadily these past months and you’ll now struggle to find a good one much under £70,000. So imagine our surprise when we heard about this 2006-reg Spyder in must-have yellow that went under the hammer for £48,000. It wasn’t perfect. It had a solid 54,000 miles on the clock and some stone chips and gravel rash on exposed places. The interior was a little marked, too. However, its service history was good and it had had some vital preventative maintenance carried out in recent months.…