Innholdsfortegnelse for July 28, 2021 i Autocar

Ineos Grenadier FCEV Ineos Automotive’s first car will be available from launch with straight-six petrol and diesel engines supplied by BMW, but a new partnership with Hyundai, maker of the Nexo fuel-cell SUV, opens up the possibility for a future hydrogen variant. Ineos commercial director Mark Tennant told Autocar last year that a battery-electric Grenadier isn’t on the cards, because it wouldn’t make sense to take up a “usable payload with a battery pack” sufficiently sized to make an electrified Grenadier capable of venturing far off road. A time frame hasn’t been given by Ineos, but a Grenadier FCEV is unlikely to arrive until after 2023, following the ICE-powered 4x4’s 2022 market launch. Jeep Wrangler PHEV and BEV Jeep’s flagship model is more utilitarian in its ethos than its European…

THE COMMEMORATIVE Ultimae edition of the Lamborghini Aventador brings bespoke design elements but doesn’t preview its hybrid successor, CEO Stefan Winkelmann has told Autocar. He said: “The Ultimae is a design that comes out of the tradition of the Aventador. The follow-up will be a completely different cup of tea, much like going from the Murciélago to the Aventador.” THE NEW PORSCHE Cayenne Turbo GT (driven, p27) is a 631bhp SUV with supercar pace that costs £20,000 more than the new 911 GT3 supercar. Who will buy it, and what will they do with it? Sales and marketing boss Dirk Britzen explained: “We’re speaking and appealing to a very specific target group of customers with this car. Customers who are quite conscious and deliberate, wanting to go for the most…

TO SUPPORT ITS rapid EV expansion, Mercedes-Benz has committed to building eight new battery factories – of which four will be in Europe, three in China and one in the US – for a total production capacity of 200GWh. This comes in addition to Mercedes’ existing plans for “nine plants dedicated to building battery systems”. One of the European sites will be created with an as-yet-unnamed technical partner; details will be revealed when the deal is made official. The next-generation batteries produced at the new factories will be “highly standardised and suitable for use in more than 90% of all Mercedes-Benz cars and vans”. The firm plans to boost energy density using silicon-carbon anode technologies to offer “unprecedented range and even shorter charging times”. Notably, Mercedes claims to be “in…

McLaren has unveiled the much-anticipated 765LT Spider, which, it claims, will offer the “highest-ever levels of driver engagement” of any track-focused ‘Longtail’ model. The new drop-top, McLaren’s fastest yet, is based on the Coupé version of the Woking firm’s flagship Super Series model and shares that car’s 754bhp and 590lb ft 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, driving through a seven-speed sequential gearbox. As with the sold-out Coupé, the 765LT Spider will be limited to 765 units, with prices starting from £310,500. The 765LT Spider is a lighter, sharper and more focused version of the 720S Spider. Its retractable hardtop – which can be raised or lowered in 11 seconds at vehicle speeds of up to 31mph – makes it 49kg heavier than the Coupé but, at 1388kg, it is still 80kg lighter…

Stellantis is aiming to put its stamp on the second-hand car market with the launch of what is said to be the UK’s biggest manufacturer approved used scheme. Known as Spoticar, it sees Stellantis – formed by the merger of the PSA Group and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) in January – create a solitary programme for the majority of its brands, along with a website to market its cars and services. Spoticar, which kicked off in France in 2019 and is established in eight other countries, was launched in the UK in June with around 13,000 used cars advertised on its site. It is due to completely replace the Citroën, Peugeot and Vauxhall approved used schemes and their online used car search facilities before the end of the year, including…

MONDAY Deep joy to have rival 1.0-litre three-cylinder superminis on my drive: a £23,000 Ford Fiesta and an £18,000 Renault Clio. These are two of the happiest cars going. It might sound ridiculous to call them uncomplicated, but that’s their nature. The Ford arrived first, and I warmed to its sporty character: 153bhp mild-hybrid powertrain, strong body control and quick-fire responses. I like Clios, but didn’t expect the cheaper TCe 90 to match it, and it didn’t. In fact, it was better. This was a shock. The Clio was slower, of course, taking three whole seconds more to reach 0-60mph and having a top speed 20mph lower, but that hardly matters on traffic-bloated roads. The car still felt brisk, and its composed, quiet ride suddenly made the Fiesta seem (whisper…

It was only a matter of time before ace Ford fettler Mountune turned its attention to the Puma ST, especially given its work with the Fiesta ST, which is identical under the skin. Based on the firm’s M235 kit, the new M260 upgrade (available for both the Puma and Fiesta) raises the power of the 1.5-litre turbo triple to 256bhp (from 197bhp as standard), and torque swells from 236lb ft to an extremely healthy 269lb ft. The extra energy is unlocked by Mountune’s Bluetooth-enabled OBD dongle and mTune Smartflash smartphone app, which combine to reprogramme the ECU in minutes. You can just upgrade the software (£675, or £99 if you already have the £575 M235), but to get the best out of the remap, it’s recommended you add the alloy…

1 SEAT ATECA 1.5 TSI EVO 150 FR SPORT Still the one to beat, with capable handling, a roomy interior and good value. The interior is a bit dated now. 2 HYUNDAI TUCSON 1.6 T-GDi 48V 150PS SE CONNECT Bold exterior, with an interior that’s as good as anything in the class, but it’s better to sit in than it is to drive. 3 MAZDA CX-5 SKYACTIV-G 2.0 SPORT By far the classiest cabin of them all, and assertive driving dynamics, but the 2.0-litre petrol engine lacks torque. 4 NISSAN QASHQAI 1.3 DIG-T 158 TEKNA Comfortable ride and highquality interior with userfriendly controls, but indifferent to drive. Engine is disappointing. 5 FORD KUGA 1.5 ECOBOOST 150 ST-LINE X EDITION Typically strong Ford chassis dynamics, with responsive powertrains. Interior is spacious but unimaginative.…

Sprint qualifying pleases F1 boss Formula 1 managing director Ross Brawn said the sport’s bosses were “pleased” with its first Sprint qualifying race, which was held on the Saturday before the British Grand Prix. He said that they had received “massive positive feedback” on social media, although they won’t make a final decision on the future of the format until the end of the year, after it has been tried at two more events. F1 stewards defend Hamilton penalty F1 race director Michael Masi has responded to the Red Bull team’s anger over Sir Lewis Hamilton being given a 10sec penalty for his British GP clash with Max Verstappen. Verstappen was hospitalised after being hit from behind by Hamilton, who recovered to win, greatly boosting his title hopes. Masi said…

COMPARISON Super-estate shootout A fortnight after the Peugeot 508 SW PSE claimed the fast hybrid estate crown, Audi’s RS6 takes on rivals from Porsche and Mercedes-AMG in another epic clash FEATURE Good neighbours What’s lurking in the garage on an average suburban street? John Evans finds out ROAD TEST Maserati Quattroporte Mighty new twin-turbo V8 powers this overhauled super-saloon. We rate it EVERY WEEK FIRST DRIVE Lamborghini Huracán STO Latest version of stunning supercar is essentially a road-legal GT3 racer USED BUYING GUIDE Rover 75 Rover’s last executive saloon gets the once-over in our inspection bay SUBSCRIBE autocar.co.uk/subscribe or see p26…

MILEAGE 5815 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To explore the breadth of the Octavia range and see how it fares as a family car Truth be told, our vRS was involved in a ridiculously low-speed glancing prang at a fuel station. Not the finest moment, and made worse because the owner of the Range Rover, whose bumper was grazed but whose vehicle barely moved, is making an injury claim. The only upside is that while Skoda kindly fixes the vRS diesel, I have the opportunity to try the newest addition to the vRS line-up for a few weeks – the iV plug-in hybrid. At first glance, there’s not much difference: the iV has a slightly classier red paint (a £975 option) and, of course, there’s a charging port on the front…

QUESTION When I asked a used car dealer for a test drive, he asked if I was just trying before buying from Cazoo, as he claimed many do. Is this common? Petra Davies, via email ANSWER I recently had the same experience. I can understand that, as Cazoo and other online used car sellers gain traction, traditional dealers will worry they’re becoming unpaid demonstrators for them. However, discouraging test drives on the grounds that a customer might be a time waster isn’t the way forward. Dealers’ advantage is having cars that we can touch and drive, and they should be capitalising on that. JE QUESTION I need a car to tackle the Yorkshire Dales, where I’m moving to, as well as a weekly drive to London and back. What can…

A four-and-a-half-star car for less than half price is the deal with this BMW M235i that we’ve alighted on. The 2015 coupé has done 52,000 miles, it has a full service history and it’s painted in must-have Estoril Blue. Annoyingly, the dealer levies a £250 admin fee. Not impressed: seems like a way of sneaking in a bit extra under the cover of a lower screen price. Still, back to the car. It has a turbocharged 3.0-litre straight six that produces 322bhp and 332lb ft of torque. It’s a smooth-revving motor and comes alive with a delicious howl at around 6000rpm. Mercifully, there’s very little turbo lag. Economy, even under hard driving, is around 30mpg. Our find has the six-speed manual gearbox, which can yield 0-62mph in 5.0sec. It’s much…

An expert’s view ZOE COGHLAN, THE BAVARIANS “I love the E46 3 Series. I’ve owned an M3, a Club Sport and loads of 318is and 320is. They all drive as well as each other – although, of course, some are a lot more powerful. They are generally reliable, but neglect and abuse means there are lots of rogues fit only for the scrapyard. On the other hand, it means the best cars are rising in value. If you have a nice E46, look after it.” Buyer beware… ■ ENGINE Older (pre-2001) diesels are prone to turbo problems, symptoms being oil smoke and power loss. Four-cylinder petrols suffer intake pipe and vacuum system issues. Six-cylinder petrols are slanted, which, if the oil level is low, can cause oil starvation. The angle…

Your car, your rules. Not for me the sneering at a lowered Volkswagen Golf GTI that scrapes fibreglass along every speed hump it meets, nor any tutting at a Ford Granada turned banger racer. And ultimately I will turn a blind eye to those who put 6.0-litre AMG V8s in genuine Mercedes 300 SL Gullwings. There were a dozen, I think. One was painted in camouflage. So, I’m not a purist, then. I own a 1973 Volkswagen Beetle with ‘Baja’ springs and terrible fibreglass; and a Honda 125 commuter motorbike that’s slowly becoming a Scrambler. I’m very much of the ‘your car, do what you like’ mindset. And so to Everrati, which has turned the 964-generation Porsche 911 into an EV (First drives, 9 June). It’s a restomod, electrified. An…

Mercedes-Benz will preview the long-mooted electrification of its G-Class SUV with a concept at the Munich motor show that will spearhead the roll-out of a 4x4 sub-brand. It has been nearly two years since CEO Ola Källenius confirmed that the Magna-built Land Rover Defender rival – launched in 1979 as the G-Wagen – would gain an all-electric variant, also predicting that “the last Mercedes built will be a G-Class”. A production version is due in 2024, by which point most of the mainstream models in the Mercedes line-up will be available with electric power. The Munich show car is expected to reveal how the G-Class will be restyled and reconfigured for the electric age, with design and interior cues that closely preview the final production model – much like how…

Mercedes-Benz plans to go all-electric by 2030 “where market conditions allow” as it gears up to reveal a raft of crucial electrified models at the Munich motor show in September (see p11). Included in a wide-reaching strategy announcement were plans on how the German firm will reduce investment in combustion engines, cut EV manufacturing costs and maintain its current profit margins. Most notably, it will introduce four all-new EV platforms by 2025 for use across its entire product range and has committed to building eight new EV battery factories worldwide, four of them in Europe (see p10). Key to the new strategy is a commitment to prioritising profit over volume, which will result in Mercedes increasing sales of top-rung models and standardising the majority of the components that it uses…

The radical Vision EQXX concept, touching down in 2022, will serve as a dramatic representation of Mercedes-Benz’s design and capability ambitions for EVs. Described as “a symbol of our ambition to create the most efficient car”, it has been previewed as a streamlined coupé with a promised range of more than 620 miles and the “highest efficiency” of any EV yet produced. The headline claim made of the prototype at a strategy conference last year was that it will be capable of driving from Beijing to Shanghai (about 750 miles) on a single charge. Mercedes is keen to emphasise that the range hasn’t been achieved simply by using a larger battery, saying the EQXX’s pack will appear in a “future compact model”. The car’s aerodynamically optimised design, most evident in…

AUDI WILL ENTER the Dakar Rally in January 2022 with its all-new RS Q E-tron rally-raider, which it calls an “electrifying high-tech test laboratory”. With testing of the car under way, Audi has confirmed new details of the aggressively styled electrified off-roader, which will face what project manager Andreas Roos has called “the ultimate challenge for an electric drivetrain”. With up to 500 miles to cover every day for two weeks, the RS Q E-tron needs to have an on-board charging solution, for which Audi has chosen the 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine used in its now-retired RS5 DTM racer. The engine is unconnected to the wheels and serves as a generator for a 50kWh, 370kg battery pack. An electric motor taken from Audi’s 2021 Formula E car features on each…

CELEBRATED DESIGNER AND engineer Gordon Murray has joined the Drivers of Change judging panel. Drivers of Change, a joint initiative between Autocar and Ennis & Co, promotes emerging talent in three areas of the automotive industry: technology, digital and retail. Murray is one of the senior industry representatives who will judge the innovative ideas submitted to the competition. Each category winner will receive a cash prize of £5000 and an invitation to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders annual dinner. “It is always an honour and a privilege for me when I am invited to judge an automotive competition which involves innovation and new talent,” said Murray. “This type of initiative is in perfect alignment with our thinking and the ethos within the Gordon Murray Group with our apprentice…

When Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius unveiled the EQS back in April, he described it as a “defining moment” for the world’s oldest car maker. Such statements are often heard in the car industry nowadays. In this case, though, it’s hard to argue against. Unlike the EQC, EQV, EQA and EQB that arrived before it, the EQS isn’t derived from an existing ICE-powered model, instead having Mercedes’ first dedicated EV platform to host a new high-density battery pack that promises a range of up to 485 miles and one of the most advanced interiors you will find in any car. The luxury liftback-style saloon has been conceived to provide buyers with an electric alternative to the traditionally powered S-Class. Positioned at the top of a growing list of electric Mercedes, it…

You’ve got to be quite bold to put the GT badge, usually reserved for Porsche’s most road-focused sports cars, on an SUV, even one that will be associated with – and I’m almost sorry to mention this – a 7min 38.9sec Nürburgring lap time, which is faster than, well, you almost certainly don’t care. What we might both care about is how a Cayenne Coupé responds to the Weissach treatment. There are some significant changes. On the outside, that’s bumpers, spoilers and the like – all functional changes – with 22in wheels. Inside, they’ve slaughtered a herd of Alcantara, the poor things, which, with a yellow rev counter and huggy seats, immediately makes things feel much more racy. Power from the 4.0-litre V8 is up by 89bhp and 52lb ft…

How much sophistication do you need from your EV? If you can live with some compromises, then the MG 5 might be a good choice. It’s been around for just over a year, making it the first fully electric estate. For 2021, MG has added a long-range version that offers 250 miles from a full charge of its 57.7kWh battery, up from 214 for the standard model. At a price of just £26,495 after the plug-in car grant for the Excite trim version, or £28,995 for the Exclusive, that’s pretty appealing when Kia wants over £30,000 for its e-Niro, which will do just 180 miles. When you consider that you get a fairly brisk and spacious estate with 464 litres of boot space, a thoroughly usable rear seat and a…

A phone rings in Honda’s Bracknell press office. Nothing unusual. Just a journalist, asking if they can borrow a car for an upcoming group test. With almost any other car, from Honda or another maker, this kind of request would automatically trigger an internal discussion to weigh the risks against the rewards. Because in the end, somebody has to lose these very public contests, and if you reckon that somebody might be you, maybe it’s better not to play (though we would rather you did). Not this time, though. This time there’s no need for debate. There isn’t even so much as an ‘against who?’, out of curiosity. “Of course you can have one. When do you want it?” It’s the kind of wild insouciance that emerges when your car…

Here it comes – another subjectively indulgent curating of Autocar’s top 100 most beautiful cars ever. We now have more than 120 years’ worth of cars to enjoy – some memorably ugly ones, too – and that, very obviously, makes it ever harder for new models to break into this top 100 list. Around four years have passed since Autocar last published this chart, during which time several dozen new designs have emerged. As ever, few of them have stunned enough to break into this list at the expense of another model. That’s as it should be – diamonds rarely appear in the rough. But there are new entries – a hatchback and a hypercar among them. That means some deletions, of course, although some have been replaced by their…

It was overshadowed by the subsequent events of the weekend, but in the buildup to the British Grand Prix, Formula 1 bosses staged a grand unveiling of the 2022 car. Well, sort of. It was actually a full-size model built to the new rules and probably won’t look much like the actual cars the teams are currently creating. Still, it did showcase the design changes, most notably the new 18in tyres and reworked wings. What a model can’t reveal, of course, is the vital question: will the new cars improve the racing? The 2022 rules were the result of years of work to produce a package that would lower costs and improve the racing, in a bid to make F1 more appealing to teams, manufacturers and the public. Key to…

WRITE TO autocar@haymarket.com Impending disasters On the government’s ‘road to 2030’, I foresee a depreciation nightmare brought on by plunging demand for ICE cars and a desperation for used EVs that have already been made obsolete by the pace of development and will, as a result, soon produce another huge loss for the unfortunate owners who swap into them. Secondly, while it will be possible to buy new ICE cars until 2030 and certain plug-in hybrids for five years beyond that, for how long will petrol or diesel actually be available in practical terms? Not long ago, we were regularly being told that fuel stations made so little money from fuel that they were pretty much surviving on the sale of snacks. How big a reduction in the number of…

“Frankly, I couldn’t care less what other people think, because I’m loving this car” FIRST REPORT WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To discover whether a drop-top Mini could be the perfect car for summer “You’re a journalist, you said?” a fellow attendee at the British Grand Prix joked as we discussed my new hi-vis-jacket-coloured Mini Convertible. “Not a hairdresser?” It’s safe to say that you can’t miss this car – and that everybody has an opinion about it. As well as that quip, which I must admit made me laugh, those I’ve heard from friends, family and strangers have ranged from “that’s so cool!” and “I absolutely love it” to “shame about the colour” and, amusingly, coming from a gay man, “ugh, that’s such a gay car”. My friend and I…

It’s fair to say that the BMW 1 Series isn’t the maverick it used to be. Gone is the rear-wheel-drive layout and the option of a rorty straight-six engine. Instead, this third-generation model, introduced in 2019, features more conventional front- and four-wheel-drive set-ups and offers three- and four-cylinder engines only. Nevertheless, there’s still a lot to like about this 1 Series, especially if you shop for a used one. There’s plenty of performance on offer, for starters, even in base 118i form: it has a 1.5-litre turbo triple petrol with 138bhp. Diesel cars begin with the 113bhp 116d and work through from there to the 2.0-litre 118d with 148bhp and the 187bhp 120d, which has four-wheel drive. In terms of fast 1 Series variants, there’s the 128ti, with a 261bhp…

TOYOTA RAV4 GX In the febrile world of 1990s classics, where the most unlikely relics change hands for ridiculous sums, this 1994 SUV stands out for being reasonably good value. The hammer fell at £4400, which – considering the car’s apparently immaculate condition, its low mileage (8631 miles) and the fact that it’s one of the earliest examples of the original RAV4 that inspired legions of imitators – doesn’t seem too bad. Well, at least it doesn’t if you’re not the one paying it. Whoever did stump up the readies has got themselves a rare bird indeed. Not the most attractive thing, but a genuine trendsetter.…

Knowing your E numbers is a rite of passage in BMW circles. No one talks about marks, so for the record, the 3 Series under the spotlight here is the E46 of 1999 to 2006 (or, whisper it, the Mk4). Two decades on and the E46 is still a handsome car, while one in tip-top condition is very desirable. Saloon, coupé, convertible, estate (named the Touring) and even a hatchback (the Compact): there are as many bodystyles as there are days in the working week. Convertibles are highly desirable, in plentiful supply and tipped to be future classics but saloons are most common. Petrols outnumber diesels, too, while gearboxes are split equally between automatic and manual. Prices range from £500 for giveaway diesels to £20,000 for the best low-mileage convertibles.…

BEFORE RED BULL and McLaren, another British F1 team designed a supercar – but you won’t ever see a March Scar beside a Valkyrie or F1. March had become the world’s biggest race car maker by 1989, succeeding in both F1 and CART, so it decided to expand into road cars. By the time we caught wind of the 200mph Scar (which was due in 1993), its aluminium honeycomb and composite monocoque were designed, blueprints were drawn and March was looking for a V8 or V12 to be fitted behind the driver. Mechanical aid was still needed, though, and the resources to build the Ferrari F40 rival were lacking. “The difficult part is getting it into production,” said March boss Dave Reeves. “It won’t happen this year, but it will…

Austrian battery specialist Kreisel turned its hand to the G-Class back in 2017 to create a one-off, 186-mile electric 4x4 developed in partnership with actor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Based on the first-generation G350d diesel, Kreisel’s electric G-Class featured an 80kWh battery pack, weighing 510kg, split between its emptied engine bay and fuel tank cavity. Power was supplied by “several” electric motors that produced a combined 483bhp for a 0-62mph time of around 5.6sec and a top speed of 114mph – figures that are likely to be almost replicated by the similarly conceived EQG. Kreisel’s G-Class EV remains to this day a one-off, and the company hasn’t given the same treatment to the second-generation G-Class, but it serves to indicate how readily the G-Class can be converted to battery-electric power.…

MERCEDES-BENZ WILL have an EV in every market segment from 2022 and will offer an electric powertrain in all of its models from 2025, accelerating a number of targets revealed in its earlier Ambition 2039 strategy. Following the introduction of the MMA EV architecture for small vehicles in 2024, every Mercedes platform developed will be EV-only. In 2025, the firm will add three all-new platforms catering to its entire line-up. The new MB.EA platform will underpin medium and large passenger vehicles, such as SUVs. AMG.EA will be developed by Mercedes’ in-house performance division, AMG, for electric sports cars. And the Van.EA platform will be used for light commercial vehicles. Following the launches of the EQC SUV, EQA hatchback, EQV people carrier, EQB crossover and EQS limousine (driven, p22), Mercedes will…

MERCEDES-BENZ WILL sell more top-end models rather than “chase volume” as part of its strategy to maintain current profit margins during its transition into the EV era. CEO Ola Källenius said: “The EV shift is picking up speed, especially in the luxury segment, where Mercedes belongs. The tipping point is getting closer, and we will be ready as markets switch to electric-only by the end of this decade. “This step marks a profound reallocation of capital. By managing this faster transformation while safeguarding our profitability targets, we will ensure the enduring success of Mercedes.” As part of the plan, Mercedes will invest more than €40 billion (£34.3bn) in the development of new EVs. It will stick to the profit margin targets set in 2020 but has noted that its earlier…

Audi Grand Sphere concept Exclusively previewed by Autocar earlier this month, the Grand Sphere concept is Audi’s vision for an all-electric and highly autonomous successor to today’s A8 luxury saloon. Developed under the ‘Landjet’ codename by Audi’s Project Artemis division, the Munich-bound concept will be the first of three ‘Sphere’ concepts Audi will show in the next year as a preview of flagship models with levelfour autonomous capabilities. Dacia seven-seater Dacia will unveil a “versatile seven-seater family car” at Munich, unrelated to the large Bigster SUV that will crown the line-up when it arrives by 2025. It is thought that the unnamed new model will serve as a replacement for the Lodgy MPV, previously not sold in the UK, and it is likely to follow the Sandero hatchback onto parent…

The UK government is planning to adopt a Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate to help drive the shift away from petrol and diesel vehicles. The plans for the mandate, which echoes a system first used in California and since adopted by other US states and China, have been outlined in a Department for Transport (DfT) green paper on the future regulation framework for vehicular CO2 emissions, which is currently open to public consultation. The ZEV mandate would complement the existing system of giving car firms a fleet-average C O2 emissions target, which will become increasingly tough as the 2035 cut-off for all nonelectric cars approaches. There is concern within government that the fleet-average system rewards incremental improvements in petrol and diesel engines and is reliant on WLTP fuel economy figures…

THE FAMILIAR SUPERCHARGED 3.5-litre Toyota V6 engine might be the obvious choice for many buyers of the new Lotus Emira, but the smart money could well be on the alternative: the turbocharged 2.0-litre Mercedes-AMG unit. The M139 is the latest four-cylinder engine from Affalterbach, and it is claimed to be the most powerful turbocharged four-cylinder production engine in the world. In AMG applications, there are two versions, one producing 382bhp and 204lb ft and the other delivering 415bhp and 369lb ft. Lotus quotes the power output of the Emira “across the range” as being between 355bhp and 395bhp, encompassing both V6 and four-cylinder engines. At those relatively conservative levels, the door is left wide open for Lotus to further tap into the AMG engine’s huge potential in the future. Sheer…

The 107.8kWh, 396V lithium ion battery pack is integrated wholly within the floor inside a steel and aluminium casing, giving the EQS a much lower centre of gravity than the S-Class with which it shares a good deal of its chassis. Meanwhile, the EQS’s power electronics are packaged under the fixed bonnet up front and the charging mechanism is integrated within the floor of the boot. Charging is done via a CCS socket at rates of up to 22kW (AC) or 200kW (DC). The latter can add 186 miles of range in just 15 minutes in optimal conditions. Mercedes claims that a pre-conditioning function and an intelligent cooling strategy allow a high current to be maintained for long periods, maximising charging efficiency. The manufacturer provides a 10-year/155,000-mile guarantee for the…

A radical design overhaul isn’t the only big development for the fourth iteration of Hyundai’s best-seller: a new plug-in hybrid option means the Tucson now offers the broadest array of powertrains anywhere in the brand’s line-up. The PHEV pairs a 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine with a 90bhp electric motor annexed to the six-speed automatic gearbox. Four-wheel drive is standard and in total this range-topping SUV produces a gutsy 261bhp and 258lb ft. Naturally, it’s also a heavy beast: the drive battery under the rear seats raises the kerb weight to 1924kg, making the PHEV some 500kg heavier than the standard petrol. It pays the price for this in terms of straight-line performance, with a 0-62mph time of 8.6sec compared with the 7.7sec of its 227bhp hybrid sibling. It’s also…

MODEL TESTED 1 .3 DIG-T 158 TEKNA Price £31,565 Power 156bhp Torque 192lb ft 0-60mph 10.0sec 30-70mph in fourth 12.3sec Fuel economy 43.0mpg CO2 emissions 145g/km 70-0mph 47.3m The subject of this week’s road test has been dubbed the Nissan Cashcow by some in industry circles. That’s because the Qashqai crossover almost single-handedly saved Nissan in Europe when the first generation was launched in 2006. It really popularised the idea that you can have something that looks like an off-roader without it actually needing all the heavy, inefficient hardware to make it capable in the mud – and people responded in numbers. Although practically every other manufacturer followed suit and produced a competitor, Nissan’s original continues to top the UK crossover-class sales. With 52,532 registrations in 2019, it was the…

You won’t find a La Sarthe in any Bentley dealer’s stocklist, much less in the history of the company. However, my hunch is that, one day, examples of this stunning vision of what a Bentley Le Mans racer of the early 1950s might have looked like will find their way into the world’s exclusive showrooms and concours events and their story into the history books. The fact is, although it’s not made by Bentley, the La Sarthe actually is a Bentley and is recognised as such by the car maker. This is because each one is built around the original chassis, engine, gearbox and mechanicals of a Bentley RType saloon, the largebooted model that Crewe produced between 1952 and 1955, supplying it to the public with a standard steel body…

No half measures: that’s one of the few things Sir Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have in common. A wary rather than warm respect has always marked their rivalry, which has now taken a potentially darker hue following the dramatic events at the British Grand Prix. Some have said that their coming together was inevitable. Then again, a former F1 driver told me earlier in the year that this was one rivalry he couldn’t foresee blowing up, because these two had enough sense to avoid a murky path walked most famously by Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna. But as we head to the next instalment of this previously sizzling, now volcanic duel at the Hungaroring, it’s hard to see how the pair will come back from that no-half-measures collision at…

JUNIOR SINGLE-SEATER formulas are known for their frequent incidents, and so too was calamity seen in the glory days – albeit usually for reasons other than immaturity. Following a Monaco race that was notable for a five-car pile-up at the infamous chicane, many of the Formula 3 lot met in Belgium for the Grand Prix des Frontières, held over 6.5 miles on the streets of Chimay and certainly not for the faint-hearted. “Right from the start, a group of seven detached themselves from the rest and fought a duel that kept the crowd right on their toes,” we reported. “The seven were Henri Pescarolo, Roy Pike, Peter Gethin, Manfred Möhr, Kurt Ahrens, Mike Beckwith and Peter Westbury, one leading and then the other as they frantically slipstreamed. “Somehow it had…

Don’t downgrade dealers My wife and I recently visited our Volvo dealer to buy a new XC40 P8 Recharge and arrange trading in our current XC40. After discussing the colours and trim levels and getting to the order point, the salesman told us he couldn’t discount this electric model at all and, more significantly, that it had to be ordered online from the Care by Volvo department, even if we were buying outright. This meant no finance (PCP) plan or trade-in within the deal. All the salesman could do was turn his laptop and let me order online. By the time we arrived home, I was really quite upset at the whole buying experience and for the first time actually feeling quite sorry for the dealer (yes, really). I would…

MILEAGE 3721 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To find out if PHEV power and eight seats give van greater lifestyle appeal The Tourneo could probably make its own way to mid-Wales by now, having been driven there so many times in a few weeks for work and visits to the excellent BikePark Wales. Fold a few seats down and it can practically swallow an entire peloton of mountain bikes. Notice that I said fold, not remove. While you can take out any combination of rear seats, it’s a real pain to do so. The process is simple enough and doesn’t require tools, but each seat is incredibly heavy and, even with the sliding side doors, it’s awkward to get them in and out without bending over awkwardly and risking back pain.…

MI LEAGE 73,563 KIA OPTIMA Remember that left-hand-drive saloon oddity that’s sort of in my extended used car orbit? Well, it has come back into the fold for a while, and I took the opportunity to use my garage door touch-up paint to cover the alarming number of scrapes on its bodywork. We don’t think of saloons, even big ones, as being particularly practical, but this one swallowed a superking-size timber bed in CKD state. (Car manufacturing reference for you there.) These giant Optimas are great, and ours has proved to be reliable and easy to live with. Clearly, previous owners had a problem with the left-hooker layout and manoeuvring. It’s in safer hands at the moment.…

MERCEDES-BENZ A250E AMG LINE £1929 deposit, £322 per month, 48 months, 8000 miles per year The A-Class is a very popular car and one we like, being good to drive and lovely inside. This PHEV version adds to the appeal with official economy of 282.5mpg. If you use it in the right way, it could prove very cheap to run. VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 1.4 TSI GTE £1867 deposit, £311 per month, 48 months, 8000 miles per year If you’re after a sporty PHEV hatchback, the new Golf GTE should be right up your alley. With great handling, a combined output of 242bhp and a 0-62mph time of 6.7sec, it’s a proper performer, yet it also officially achieves 256.8mpg, thanks to its electric capabilities. SKODA OCTAVIA 1.4 TSI iV SE TECHNOLOGY £1549…

Vauxhall Meriva VXR £4250 If you thought the Vauxhall Zafira VXR was daft, check out this: its little sister, the Meriva VXR of 2006. It’s powered by a turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine producing 178bhp and 196lb ft of torque and can go from 0-62mph in 7.9sec. A close-ratio gearbox, stiffened suspension, a lowered ride height and a bodykit round off a genuinely oddball collectable. In corners it leans more than a certain tower, but you can’t deny that it’s different. Vauxhall reckoned it sold 400 of them. We’ve found one: a very tidy 2007-reg with 62,000 miles.…