Innholdsfortegnelse for May 12, 2021 i Autocar

The PPE architecture will underpin its first production cars in 2023 when Audi launches its new mid-sized Q6 E-tron SUV and Porsche the closely related pureelectric Macan. As was the case with the Taycan and E-tron GT, it is likely that Porsche’s SUV will arrive first, having now been officially shown at the start of its on-road development programme (below). Audi, meanwhile, has confirmed that the Q6 E-tron will be revealed next year but has yet to hint at its final form. The visual parallels will be kept to a minimum, but it is expected that both models will offer similar powertrain options, and be equipped with 800V charging functionality and a range of more than 300 miles. Each will also be sold initially alongside a combustion-powered counterpart. Porsche has…

THE RENAULT GROUP can be the first manufacturer to sell a million EVs per year, according to boss Luca de Meo. The French manufacturer (which comprises Alpine, Dacia, Lada and Renault) already sells the successful Zoe supermini and in 2022 will launch the Mégane E-Tech Electric crossover – one of 11 new EVs that it plans to roll out by 2025, including the revived 5 supermini. Renault is also expanding its E-Tech hybrid and plug-in hybrid range, leading de Meo to predict that it will be the “greenest brand in Europe” by 2030, with electrified cars accounting for 90% of sales. Its future EVs will be based on two platforms developed under the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance: CMF-EV for mid-sized cars, such as the Mégane E-Tech Electric, and the modified CMF-B small…

On acquaintance, the new Cupra Leon is a puzzling car. Toffee-coloured trim liberally applied both inside and out might be the aesthetic calling card of the newly formed Cupra subbrand (no longer is this the Seat Leon Cupra, but simply the Cupra Leon), but it is suggestive of style over substance. Yet when you slide aboard and onto the soft leather of the thickset semi-bucket seats, there it is: the poker-chip-sized button that turns off the ESP, sitting in pride of place, dead centre of the transmission tunnel, begging to be noticed. It makes you question whether the toffee accents are any more indicative of this car’s true personality than the awful coloured cabin vents you sometimes see on Porsche 911s. Which is to say, not at all. Fingers crossed,…

If you must have a Kuga in your life, Ford has certainly got an engine to suit. There’s one petrol, three diesels (one of which is a mild hybrid) and two ‘proper’ hybrids – one traditional and one plug-in. Factor in all-wheel-drive versions available on some, and picking which Kuga to get rapidly turns into a brain-teaser. Ford justifies all of this because the Kuga is now its ‘heartland’ car. As a sign of the times, the Kuga and Puma were both in the top 10 best-sellers in April. The Focus? It had slipped out, at least for that month. This is the 2.5-litre FHEV (Full Hybrid Electric Vehicle), with 187bhp and a 0-62mph time of 9.1sec. A torque figure isn’t available yet as the homologation isn’t complete. The engine…

The new Vauxhall Mokka is a much smarter, bolder, more ambitious and more desirable car than its predecessor, by margins nobody could miss. For all of that, we should award it due credit; because if Vauxhall had given us a modernised take on the dowdy and awkward-looking first-generation version, it wouldn’t now be nearly so well placed to pick up sales, and to bring new customers into its showrooms. This car looks fresh and appealing, feels modern and interesting on the inside and drives easily, comfortably and competently enough. Nevertheless, it is a little lacking in the more measurable on-paper strengths that might have elevated it into the compact crossover top five you see below. It isn’t the most practical car in its class. It doesn’t threaten the plusher operators…

Ralf Brandstätter is a Volkswagen Group lifer. He joined the firm 28 years ago, working his way up the management ranks in relatively low-profile purchasing and procurement roles. So when he was named the new CEO of the Volkswagen brand in June last year, especially with reports that his predecessor Herbert Diess – who remains Volkswagen Group CEO and Volkswagen brand chairman – was shuffled out of the role in an internal power struggle, it seemed Brandstätter’s mission was to maintain the status quo. After all, even with his appointment coming in the middle of a global pandemic, Brandstätter took on the top job in Wolfsburg in a far better position than his predecessors. Matthias Müller had to steer the brand through the immediate fallout of Dieselgate, before Diess oversaw…

Think you know, broadly speaking, what’s involved in running a Ferrari restoration business? Huge skill is the prime commodity, no doubt, but surely it’s simple enough after that: you take worn and rusty old cars that might well have been standing unloved in a barn for decades, spend months lovingly renewing and repainting them and then charge high prices for your concours-level work. Not such a difficult concept, is it? If this is your opinion (and it was mine until a few weeks ago), I advise an urgent trip to GTO Engineering in Berkshire, where the art of Ferrari rebuilding and restoration sets some of the highest standards in the world. It’s a 25-year-old business founded by Ferrari enthusiast Mark Lyon, currently based in a building that looks more like…

Sir Lewis Hamilton has predicted that he and Max Verstappen will be “sick of each other at the end” of the season, given the close Formula 1 title battle shaping up between the duo. The evenly matched Mercedes-AMG and Red Bull-Honda rivals have dominated the podium so far this year, with the Dutchman trying to deny the reigning champion his fifth successive drivers’ crown and eighth overall. Ilott gets another go Ferrari-backed British racer Callum Ilott is set to run for Alfa Romeo in the first free practice session before the French Grand Prix at Circuit Paul Ricard in June. The 22-year-old was runner-up in Formula 2 last year and is spending this season as reserve drive for both Alfa Romeo and Ferrari. Toyota wins first race of WEC Hypercar…

MILEAGE 839 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see if app-based subscription services can replace car ownership PART OF THE Onto premise is app-based motoring, with no need for a key to unlock or start your car. I’m a fan for the most part, although I have found that reopening any doors before pressing the start button can confuse the DS, making it think there’s no key present. The solution is to lock and unlock the car again using your phone, after which it happily flickers into life. Sometimes it will fail to lock the doors, too: the indicators will flash but the wing mirrors won’t fold and you can open the doors. Opening and shutting a door usually wakes it up. Clearly there’s customer demand for a real key, as…

Just when we were thinking the Golf wouldn’t be troubling these pages for months to come, suddenly there was drama: full-on mid-traffic failure of everything, which involved the owner of the car getting out to push. A Good Samaritan gave a jump-start, which was just enough to get home (with the stop-start wisely switched off). I saw phone footage of the dashboard doing a firework display. Afterwards, the car was recovered to the local garage, where the battery was replaced. It was a stiff £180, but batteries have to do an awful lot these days. When they go, everything goes with it.…

Each new generation of Volkswagen Polo manages to feel more grown up than the one it replaces, and so it is with this sixth and current one, launched in 2018. However, it is also more attractively styled than its predecessors – an admission, perhaps, that nowadays looks matter as much as substance. The Polo sits on a variant of the Volkswagen Group’s multi-talented MQB architecture, and as a result the car rides comfortably and handles adroitly. It’s also bigger and roomier than ever before. It would seem perverse to offer a three-door version with all this new-found space, so the Polo is only available with five doors. And it isn’t alone, since most car makers no longer offer three-door versions of their smaller models. So this bigger, roomier, better to…

Our recent experience of a 360 Spider reminded us just what a usable and entertaining motor it is. It set us on the trail of a cheap one and the auctions duly delivered this 2000-reg 360 Modena F1. It had covered 48,000 miles and sold for £43,000. There’s no such thing as a ‘cheap Ferrari’ since repair bills can easily wipe out your savings, but a stack of receipts, including for a gearbox and suspension overhaul, suggest this one had been looked after. It sold via an online auction so, having seen a 360’s complex mechanicals, we salute the courageous buyer.…

As Mitsubishi winds down in the UK, it leaves a legacy of interesting cars. Some were successful models, including the Shogun and this, the FTO. For a long time, the UK distributor refused to import the FTO until, faced with a deluge of unofficial examples, it relented, albeit in the car’s final year of production. That reluctance is hard to fathom. After all, the FTO looked right; it was light, at just 1200kg; decently quick, at least with the most powerful engine, the 197bhp 2.0-litre V6 MIVEC; and was available with a Tiptronic-style automatic gearbox. This smart transmission learns your driving style in manual mode and applies it when in auto. Around 70% of surviving FTOs are fitted with it. The compact, front-wheel-drive, 2+2 FTO was launched in 1994 and…

Audi’s finalised plans for the all-new A4 include an electric-only four-wheel-drive performance RS model and a hybrid RS4 to top a line-up underpinned by two different platforms, according to well-placed Ingolstadt insiders. One platform will be used for combustion-engined hybrid variants and the other for pure-electric models. The sixth-generation A4 is due to go on sale in the UK in 2023. Volume-selling versions of Audi’s long-running BMW 3 Series rival will continue to be sold in saloon and estate (Avant) bodystyles based on a modified version of the existing MLB platform, which underpins a wide variety of other Volkswagen Group models. The new A4 will offer a range of upgraded petrol and diesel engines equipped with either mild- or plug-in hybrid assistance and offered in both front- and four-wheeldrive (quattro)…

The Gordon Murray Group (GMG), founded by the eponymous British car designer, has detailed a bold £300 million, five-year expansion plan that will result in the Surrey-based firm substantially diversifying following the launch of its pioneering T50 supercar. Central to GMG’s growth will be significant investment into its Design division, which is in the process of developing a “revolutionary, lightweight, ultra-efficient electric vehicle architecture” designed for urban-oriented passenger and commercial vehicles. Official details remain under wraps, but Murray told Autocar this will take the form of “a highly flexible EV skateboard designed to form the basis of a B-segment vehicle – a little SUV with a compact delivery van derivative, for starters”. It will be less than four metres long, so likely to be comparable in size to the Volkswagen…

VOLKSWAGEN HAS UPDATED the long-wheelbase, sevenseat Allspace version of its Tiguan SUV with exterior styling tweaks, enhanced safety technology and its latest infotainment software. The Allspace follows the standard Tiguan in gaining a more prominent grille with illuminated strips, a redesigned Volkswagen emblem and new IQ Light LED adaptive headlights. The IQ Drive Travel Assist system is also new for the facelifted Tiguan Allspace, bringing an enhanced suite of advanced driver aids, while the infotainment touchscreen (8.0in as standard or 9.2in as an option) sits above a new climate control stack with touch-sensitive sliders. The petrols on offer continue to be a 148bhp 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine that drives the front wheels or 2.0-litre four-cylinder units that send their 187bhp and 242bhp to both axles. A pair of 2.0-litre diesels remain…

FERRARI HAS SHARED further details of the new limited-run Competizione version of its 812 Superfast grand tourer and revealed its Competizione A (for Aperta) convertible sibling. A series of substantial mechanical revisions boost the naturally aspirated 6.5-litre V12 engine’s output from 789bhp to 819bhp, making the 812 Competizione Ferrari’s most powerful non-electrified road car yet, while a rev limit of 9500rpm makes it one of the fastest-spinning V12s ever to make production. The 812 Competizione also receives an aerodynamics-focused bodywork package, plus Ferrari promises enhanced driving dynamics over the standard Superfast, thanks to chassis upgrades including independent four-wheel steering and a weight saving of 38kg. Maranello will build 999 examples of the coupé and 599 of the Targa-top, with prices starting from £430,000 and £499,000 respectively. Deliveries won’t start for…

SCIENTISTS AT IMPERIAL College London have come up with an ingenious, low-cost idea for deflecting exhaust fumes away from pavements and pedestrians. Tilly Collins realised vortices alongside roadside walls trap pollutants inside them, making air quality worse in those places for pedestrians and anyone in adjacent areas, such as school playgrounds. Installing curved barriers at the roadside reduces the effect of the vortices and deflects fumes away from the pavement back into the road. The Imperial College team is in advanced discussions with Transport for London to select several sites where the barriers could be installed for testing. Two types of barrier are under consideration: low level and high level. The low-level ones resemble simple Armco barriers, with the concave surface facing the traffic, bolted to the ground along the…

In recent years, there has been a nagging feeling that the adage ‘less is more’ could have been coined for the Mini. With every extra dollop of power, each new exterior add-on and, crucially, every additional pound on the price, the appeal of this classy and compact four-wheeled fashion accessory takes a little bit of a dive. So, does the same hold true for the latest John Cooper Works, which sits atop the pecking order (if you ignore the stripped-out, limited-run GP)? Like the rest of the Mini hatchback line-up, the JCW has been treated to a facelift that comes as the company celebrates the 20th anniversary of BMW reinventing Sir Alec Issigonis’s 1959 trendsetter. As updates go, this is a subtle one. And it’s even harder to spot on…

There’s no confusing this updated Rexton from its predecessor, is there? With a colossal chrome grille that wouldn’t look amiss on a BMW designer’s mood board and sharp new LED headlights leading the changes, this new sevenseater is said to bring “more presence, more prestige, more strength, more safety, more style and more space”. It remains among the largest SUVs on sale, and you feel every millimetre when parking it. But it’s not half as unwieldy as you fear when gawping up at its window line for the first time. An expansive glass area, chunky door mirrors and slick, clear cameras at each end promote confidence at low speeds, while the lofty driving position allows a clear view over, say, hedges and into neighbouring buses. So far, so surprisingly usable.…

VOLKSWAGEN T-CROSS 1.5 TSI EVO SEL DSG Practical, drivable, comfortable and smart, the T-Cross still bosses the class for all-round appeal. FORD PUMA 1.0T MHEV ST-LINE X DCT A better two-pedal gearbox might have made this particular Puma a class leader. Looks great and drives well. SEAT ARONA 1.5 TSI EVO FR SPORT DSG The T-Cross’s engine for a sweeter price. Also a finelooking car that handles well by class standards. RENAULT CAPTUR 1.3 TCe 140 S EDITION EDC Captur’s punchier four-pot engines aren’t as refined as some but are frugal. Smart inside and out. PEUGEOT 2008 1.2 PURETECH 130 GT AUTO More practical and comfortable than the Mokka for similar money, but with little less styling pizzazz.…

The reduction of carbon emissions is increasingly dominating global politics as a key to stemming global warming. Historic motorsport may only be a tiny carbon contributor in the grand scheme of things, but it can’t simply ignore the issue and hope it will go away, because it won’t. Thankfully, the innovative team at Hero-Era is, as ever, ahead of the curve. The Historic Endurance Rally Organisation, which includes the Endurance Rally Association, is one of the busiest event organisers with an impressive programme of global events, from fairly simple, single-day UK rallies right up to the Peking to Paris. The eighth edition of this daunting epic will pit more than 100 classic cars against 37 days of challenging roads, across 10 countries and 9000 miles. It’s a glorious test of…

Parry-Jones’s masterpiece I was absolutely devastated to hear of the tragic passing of Richard Parry-Jones (News, 28 April), the father of the Mk1 Mondeo, made all the more poignant by the recent announcement that Ford will soon drop the Mondeo name. My father bought an early-1994 Mondeo 2.0 Ghia in May 1995 as an ex-Ford management car, and we’ve owned it ever since. It replaced a 1987 Sierra 2.0i Ghia and in comparison was such a huge leap forward, from its front-wheel-drive set-up to its safety (airbags, side-impact bars, anti-submarine front seats and relocated fuel tank) and, most importantly, its handling. It has covered 190,000 miles in our ownership, so we can vouch for the genius of the man who worked wonders on the set-up of this car. After 12…

MILEAGE 7712 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To find out if this plug-in hybrid SUV can eclipse its higher-profile donor model A funny thing happened the other day. The weather was lovely, and perhaps that lifted the mood, but whatever the reason, I couldn’t keep my eyes off my Suzuki. The way the light was falling on the car, picking out sculpture in the doors that I’d never noticed before, was suddenly quite arresting. The Across won’t win awards for its looks, especially when the market is packed full of glitzier, sportier cars that scream: ‘Look at me! I have such drama! Such style! Such limited useful storage space!’ But in its details, the Suzuki has something. The headlights are a pleasing shape, for example: rakish but attractive. Stand back and…

MILEAGE 7660 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see how easily a hot-shoe rally-replica fits into daily life I’VE BEEN LOOKING for a firm chance to try out the GR Yaris’s different drivetrain mode settings for the four-wheel drive system. In Normal, torque is slightly front-biased; in Sport, it’s rear-biased; and Track splits it 50:50. So I booked myself onto one of the ‘socially distanced skidpan sessions’ run by the armed forces charity Mission Motorsport (missionmotorsport.org) on the new low-grip hosed pad at Thruxton Circuit in Hampshire. A session costs around £40; you get to play with your car’s beyond-the-limit handling at very low speeds, fall off a bit and generally have a very nice time. My conclusion? Sport or Track modes are both fine and perhaps the GR Four system…

Thanks to Matt for sharing with us his latest purchase, this, a Skoda Citigo. Take it away, Matt. “I was looking for a Mii/Up/Citigo right at the bottom of the price range and found this at a dealer in Suffolk. We agreed on £2000 provided it was valeted, MOT’d and delivered, and that’s what they did. It has done 144,000 miles but feels like nearer 44,000. It’s great to drive, tiny on the outside but roomy inside. I’ve never bought sight unseen before, but this has worked out well. First job will be to fit decent tyres all round.” SEND YOUR USED CAR TALES TO james@bangernomics.com AND READERS' QUESTIONS TO autocar@haymarket.com…

History can be kind to cars once judged inferior. One example – we hope – will be the Mini Coupé. Less practical than its hatchback sibling, cramped, noisy, hard-riding and with poor rearward visibility, even its maker reckoned the car wouldn’t sell in serious numbers and pulled it in 2015. This has only made the model a gift to speculators. The thing is, despite its downsides, it’s still a Mini so a hoot to drive, especially in super-rare, 211bhp John Cooper Works trim, our tip for future classicdom. This 2012-reg example has done 86,000 miles.…

An expert’s view BOB STANNARD, FTO OWNERS CLUB “When someone turned up at work one day in an FTO, I knew I wanted one. I bought a red GPX project car and restored it to showroom condition. That was replaced with another GPX, a 1997-reg, which I still have. I also owned a rare COTY Japan-edition GPX, which I was restoring. The FTO is comfortable but sporty, and I love the automatic gearbox, which you can snick into manual for faster responses. Unfortunately, many FTOs are owned by people who can’t afford to run them and who have little mechanical knowledge, so be on your guard.” Buyer beware… ■ ENGINE Make sure the engine pulls cleanly and quietly and doesn’t blow smoke. Rough idling may be dirty idle control valves…

Porsche is building a business case for a seventh model line that could allow it to challenge the Tesla Model 3 and BMW i4 with an electric fastback-style saloon closely related to Audi’s A4 E-tron. It is proposed that the new model will use the PPE platform developed in partnership by Porsche and Audi and sit beneath the Taycan at a starting price of around £50,000 in the UK. Details remain scarce, although there have been suggestions that the new model might take the Cajun name first trademarked by Porsche in 2011. Insiders have told Autocar that Porsche’s third pure-electric model has been earmarked to share key platform, driveline and battery components with the upcoming Macan EV – alongside which it is expected to be produced at Porsche’s Leipzig plant…

Development has formally begun on two all-new mid-engined Aston Martin supercars, with the Vanquish and Valhalla becoming live engineering projects, company boss Tobias Moers has confirmed to Autocar. In his first interview since becoming CEO in August last year, the former Mercedes-AMG chief outlined his Project Horizon vision for the British brand. This includes “more than 10 cars” before the end of 2023, the cancellation of some of the previous management’s projects – including a bespoke new V6 engine and relaunching Lagonda as a super-luxury EV brand – and a push towards improving the quality and dynamic performance of Aston models, which is already yielding results. The Ferrari F8 Tributo-rivalling Vanquish and more potent Valhalla are the flagship projects of this new era for Aston. Both were first seen as…

The Mercedes-Benz Concept EQT previews the brand’s new T-Class MPV, the electric version of which will be the ninth model sold under the EQ sub-brand. Set to rival the Volkswagen Caddy Life when UK sales get under way in 2022, the T-Class is twinned with the Mk3 Renault Kangoo that was revealed late last year, while the electric EQT is a sister of the recently announced Kangoo E-Tech Electric. The new Mercedes is based on the Renault Group’s CMF-B platform, which was designed to support both internal-combustion and battery-electric powertrains. Production-bound styling cues include a prominent black panel ‘grille’ featuring a 3D star pattern, slim LED headlights and a full-width rear light bar. However, the large wheelhouses, 21in wheels shod with low-profile tyres, expansive panoramic glass roof and leather-lined interior…

European Union proposals for new Euro 7 emissions legislation could kill off internal combustion engine (ICE) cars by 2026 – four years before sales of new ones will be banned in the UK – according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA). The first concrete proposals for the Euro 7 laws, which are due to come into force in 2025, were made in October last year by the European Commission’s Consortium for Ultra Low Vehicle Emissions (Clove) of engineering consultants. “The ACEA believes that the emission limit scenarios presented by Clove, coupled with the suggested new testing conditions, would in practice result in a situation very similar to a ban of vehicles powered by an internal combustion engine, including hybrid electric vehicles,” the trade body said in December. Even with…

In the immediate wake of the pandemic and with the government’s 2030 ban on the sale of new ICE-only cars fast approaching, 2021 has the potential to be a defining year for several brands in the UK, but few more so than Kia. The Korean manufacturer’s first bespoke EV, following on from electric derivatives of the ICE-powered Niro and Soul, is the headline-grabbing EV6 performance crossover. Despite being capable of outpacing the Porsche Taycan 4S in its most potent GT form and offering a Jaguar I-Pacebeating range of 316 miles, it’s priced from a mere £40,895 – just £3350 more than its far less sporty Soul EV sibling. Kia UK managing director Paul Philpott told Autocar that this is because the EV6 isn’t a “demonstrable push upmarket”; rather, it happily…

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With SUV sales continuing to boom and the recent rise of restomods, it was only a matter of time before somebody spotted the opportunity to combine the two. That somebody is Jensen International Automotive, the small Oxfordshire firm best known for its exquisite updates of the Interceptor and FF. And the SUV that it has updated is equally iconic: the original Range Rover. In truth, this isn’t JIA’s first crack at a reimagined Range Rover. A few years ago, it created the original Chieftain, which was essentially a Range Rover body grafted onto a Land Rover Discovery 3 chassis. While it looked the part and went well, the whole transformation proved too complicated and eye-wateringly pricey to make it viable. So after a bit of head-scratching, JIA came up with…

MODEL TESTED 1.2 TURBO 130 ELITE NAV PREMIUM AUTO Price £27,100 •Power 129bhp •Torque 169lb ft •0-60mph 9.3sec •30-70mph in fourth na •Fuel economy 39.9mpg •CO2 emissions 137g/km •70-0mph 45.8m As its old General Motorsera models have been replaced by new PSArelated cars, Vauxhall has had little choice but to accept pretty wide-reaching change to its various cars over the past few years. And with our road test subject this week, it is positively embracing it. The second-generation Mokka may still be a compact crossover hatchback, but it’s such a different prospect from the car it replaces that you wonder if Mokka owners will even recognise it. In case they don’t, Vauxhall has handily written the model name in large capital letters, Porsche style, across the bootlid. The old Mokka…

Nothing lasts forever. Not even one of the most successful and best-driving family Ford models ever built. Not even a car whose name was once used by the country’s leaders to define a particular variety of British voter. Not even the ubiquitous Ford Mondeo. Next March, after five million European sales over four generations, and 29 years in production, the Mondeo will disappear from our showrooms. Few buyers will even notice its departure, because few buyers go looking for a Mondeo any more. If you seek a graphic illustration of how radically the car market has changed in three decades, a Mondeo sales graph is well worth a glance. Back at the beginning of the 1990s, the new Mondeo was billed as the first truly global car, the probable foundation…

“Get in your car, make yourself comfortable, start up and drive yourself to Tokyo. Then bring it back.” That’s how we began our story from March 1993 about using a basic 1.6-litre Mondeo LX to drive halfway around the world – in a week. We used a 10-person Autocar team to do it and, as it happened, we kept the car in the UK and mainland Europe. Tokyo looked too hard. Still, we billed the journey as “the hardest test we’ve ever put a car to” and maybe that’s still the case. It took a lot of organisation, a copious amount of staying awake, some awkward sleeping arrangements and quite a bit of driving through France at velocities you wouldn’t contemplate today. The original objective was 10,000 miles, which seemed…

Genesis, Hyundai’s premium brand, isn’t strictly new to the UK. The Hyundai Genesis executive saloon arrived in 2015 as a BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class rival. When it was axed from Hyundai’s UK line-up in 2017, only 50 had been sold in the market. Yet just four years later, Genesis is back – and it’s now a full stand-alone premium brand, Hyundai Motor Group’s intended rival to Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. It’s a brazenly ambitious undertaking, and not just because of the history of that earlier Genesis saloon. Introducing a premium brand in Europe is a hugely tough task. The best-case scenario would be something similar to Toyota’s Lexus brand, which has taken considerable investment and decades of patience to become fully established in the UK, with sales still…

If you’ve ever watched top-tier rallycross before, then the silence here today is almost shocking. There’s no head-rattling rat-a-tat of anti-lag, or chainsaw buzz from a turbocharged four-cylinder straining at the leash. Instead, it’s eerily quiet and calm as we sit on the start line of the Lydden Hill Circuit. Have we stalled? Is there an engine fault? Nope. The reason why we aren’t accompanied by an angry internally combusted backing band is because there isn’t one. Welcome to the all-electric Stard Ford Fiesta ERX. Perched next to us in the passenger’s seat is the car’s creator, World Rally Championship stalwart Manfred Stohl (Stard stands for Stohl Advanced Research and Development), and I can easily hear every word as he talks me through the launch control protocol of a car…

DRIVEN Maserati MC20 Stunning new sports car has an all-new V6 mounted amidships and is the first Maserati of an exciting new era. We rate it COMPARISON Torque vectoring Such systems make cars handle better in theory. Which work best in practice? FEATURE Licence to thrill A week later than billed, we challenge art students to design the next Bond car EVERY WEEK FIRST TEST BMW 2 Series Coupé We join the development team of this new rear-wheel-drive baby coupé USED BUYING GUIDE Volvo C70 Volvo doesn’t just do estates and SUVs. We look at one of its cabrios SUBSCRIBE autocar.co.uk/subscribe or see p20…

WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT MILEAGE 2575 To evaluate the depth and especially breadth of ability of the luxury SUV cohort’s now established leader There we were, on the point of sending our Bentley Bentayga V8 off to a new owner, when it suddenly struck me that despite all the power and sophistication packed under that long bonnet and behind that vast grille, I’d never actually driven it at the limit of its acceleration. I’d never obeyed that primal drive to press and hold its accelerator to the floor until we were doing at least two and a half miles a minute. This might not seem a priority when we’re talking about a 542bhp SUV that can overtake troublesome traffic without the driver needing to rev its 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 petrol…

QUESTION I’m looking to buy my first EV. Are discounts available on electric cars or are they too new to warrant them? Greg Burrow, via email ANSWER Ultimately, supply and demand call the shots when it comes to car discounts and EVs are not immune. More new models are coming to the market, intensifying competition between manufacturers who, as a result, are loosening their grip on list prices. What Car?, our sister magazine, has found most electric cars are now being discounted, and some of them to the tune of 20%. Models attracting some of the biggest discounts include the Audi E-tron, the Fiat 500, the Hyundai Ioniq and Kona, the Jaguar I-Pace and the Renault Zoe. JE QUESTION I’m considering a Dacia Sandero Bi-Fuel. Where can I find garages…

Is there sense in buying ‘orphan motors’, cars that were generally unloved when new and on which the market has since turned its back? We’ve combed the classifieds and found five of them, starting with this, the Ford Ecosport of 2014-18. It’s a compact SUV with, bizarrely, a spare wheel attached to the tailgate that makes it look like it’s about to flip backwards. At its launch, reviewers were largely united in condemning the Ecosport’s sluggish performance, poor handling, fidgety, unsettled ride, weak brakes and small boot, accessed via that unnecessarily heavy door, which incidentally opens the wrong way for right-hand-drive roads. So far, so bad, except the Ecosport does have some saving graces. Its high driving position provides a good view out, the controls are well placed and most…