Innholdsfortegnelse for January 5, 2022 i Autocar

2015 F015 This luxurious hydrogen fuel cell EV showed Mercedes’ vision for living spaces that could drive with no human input. It took a step closer to that goal last month, gaining approval for level-three autonomous technology to be deployed in the S-Class and EQS on German autobahns. 2018 EQ Silver Arrow This 738bhp single-seater was influenced by the Silver Arrow racers of the 1930s but also embodied Mercedes’ enhanced focus on aerodynamics as it embarked on an EV product offensive. Like the EQXX, it featured an extending rear diffuser to improve airflow at speed. 2020 Vision AVTR Developed with the makers of hit sci-fi film Avatar, the AVTR explored the relationship between machines and humans. Spherical tyres and open sides were its most outlandish cues, but active aero and…

2000 Subaru Impreza P1 With experience running Subaru’s rally cars, Prodrive was charged with engineering the original Impreza WRX STi for sale in Europe. A bespoke suspension tune, anti-lock brakes and wheels designed by Peter Stevens were the main modifications. 2006 Aston Martin V8 Vantage First-generation V8 coupé was available with a range of Prodrive-engineered upgrade packs, bringing a small power boost, firmer suspension, uprated aero and wheels inspired by the DBR9 Le Mans racer. 2006 Prodrive P2 Diminutive Imprezaengined two-seater was conceived as a showcase for Prodrive’s abilities. Although it had indicators and a theoretical retail price of £40,000, it never made production.…

UNDER THE SKIN FOR THE MOST part, low-cost and sustainable carbonfibre components have remained elusive in mainstream use primarily due to the cost of raw material and manufacturing, but sustainability and recycling have added another hurdle. That said, the composites industry keeps edging towards more affordable solutions and one of the latest is a new type of compression moulding technique developed by the Retrac Group, a composite specialist and Formula 1 supplier. The new approach to compression moulding is being combined with the use of both plant-based natural fibres and recycled carbonfibre, as well as bio-resins. The traditional method of making composite components, including F1 tubs, is to lay up various weaves of pre-preg (preimpregnated with resin) carbonfibre mat in a mould, put the whole lot in a vacuum bag…

Not since Dany Bahar-era Lotus have we seen a car company’s boss stand in front of so many design studies and concept cars that map out its future. But that was then-Lotus and this is today’s Akio Toyoda, announcing 30 Lexus and Toyota battery-electric cars by 2030, so you can bet that it won’t all end in unfulfilled pipe dream. It does, though, represent a significant step change in Toyota’s outlook. The company quietly had BEVs coming, but its outward focus also majored on hybrid technology and hydrogen. Now it thinks it will sell three and a half million BEVs per year by 2030, rather than two million. I still think the future is more nuanced than some electricity salespeople will have you believe. Hydrogen is coming for domestic heating,…

You’ve gone public, there are financial forums dedicated to guessing whether you’re going to succeed or fail and you have short sellers breathing down your neck, betting on the latter scenario. How do you keep the plan on track? “There’s a lot of pressure on all the start-ups, particularly if you’ve gone public,” said Henrik Fisker, founder of US EV start-up Fisker. He unveiled the production version of the Ocean, an SUV pitched against the Tesla Model Y, at the Los Angeles motor show in November last year ahead of sales starting in late 2022. Until then, the incredibly tough work of taking a concept to roadreadiness continues. The trick is apparently to keep your head down and deliver. “You’ve got to build a brand and you need to get…

MONDAY Here we are, back from another of those weird, Covid-raddled seasonal breaks during which it was okay to hold a party but deeply risky to visit a shop, depending on who you listen to. Like you, I hope, I spent lots of time driving cars – Berlingo, Volvo V90 estate, A110, Sandero Stepway, Cooper S, Veedub camper and a couple of short, cold motorbike trips – which not only proved handy for shifting people and gear (granny was moving house) but also provided that familiar solace we’ve been deriving from cars all our adult lives. When you’re rolling along, enjoying this country’s fine scenery, mulling gently over how your car is coping with corners and surfaces, trying to drive with reasonable precision and – above all – feeling reassured…

The development of Kia has been fascinating to watch these past couple of decades. Having existed in the wilderness beforehand, it first became an imitator of European car design, and then something of a precocious master of it. The company now has a range of very attractive showroom models. From Stonic to Soul to Ceed to Proceed to Stinger, you’ll notice them when you see one, and for the right reasons. Suddenly, the company has a legacy; something to lose. So what now? Well, it’s evidently not afraid to take a risk. If this new version of the Sportage compact SUV is any useful guide, Kia’s next design chapter might be entitled ‘bold and avant-garde’ rather than ‘studiously practised and accomplished’. The fifthgeneration Sportage isn’t a ‘pretty’ car – clearly,…

I don’t know if you saw the gap, but Volkswagen did. The Taigo is a crossover-coupé-SUV-type thing with a sloping back that slots into the small space between the T-Cross, which is 150mm shorter, and the T-Roc, which is 37mm longer. It’s based on Volkswagen’s MQB platform, like the Polo and T-Cross, so is a front-wheel-drive, internally combusting small car. Tempting though it is to call cars like this niche fillers, it’s worth remembering that more than a third of all Volkswagen’s sales are accounted for by its seven SUVs (or something approximating them; the margins meld these days). The Taigo has 1.0-litre and 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine options. Our test car was the 148bhp 1.5 TSI, which comes with a dual-clutch automatic gearbox only. It’s spacious for a small…

The seemingly neverending SUV boom has left a trail of destruction in the sales charts, with everything from city cars to executive cars left fighting for their lives on the showroom floor as buyers make a beeline for their bulked-up, off-the-beaten-track-biased brothers. With almost every class and niche being given an injection of ride height and a big dose of chunky body cladding, the fate of less overtly outdoorsy offerings looks increasingly precarious. The stark truth is that if it doesn’t look like it will tackle the north face of the Eiger as comfortably as the North Circular, most buyers don’t get that excited. And perhaps no sub-species has been harder hit than the estate car. Once the obvious option for those wanting more space for growing families or to…

RANGE ROVER It’s a shame we can’t show you video on these pages. Not so much for the inevitable drifting shots, standing starts and drag races but for those must-see elements of new cars that don’t fully capture the imagination through only words and pictures. Take the new Range Rover. As one of the most important cars revealed last year, it warranted six pages of news, covering every angle and specification detail imaginable. But honestly, when we were first shown around the reborn Rangie, it was the ‘club table’ in the rear that truly captivated us, and you really do have to see it in action to appreciate it. Yes, yes, it’s no less than the fifth iteration of the ‘original luxury SUV’, it will provide the basis for Land…

MINI HATCHBACK AND COUNTRYMAN The Mini brand is about to undergo arguably its biggest transformation since BMW reinvented the flagship way back in 2001. Starting next year, Oxford will transition to electrified power and create an expanded line-up of models. It’s only fitting that it will all start with a next-generation version of the model that remains at the heart of its range: the three-door hatchback. It will be offered with both ICE and fully electric powertrains – although expect the latter to be more versatile and capable than the adapted electric version of the current three-door. The focus is on refining the design, with engineers promising that it will retain and improve the classic positive handling and fun driving characteristics that the car is known for. But it will…

I absolutely agree with Mark Pearson and James Ruppert (Clash of the Classifieds, 1 December): the Citroën 2CV wins every time, and I personally wouldn’t know what to do with chickens or even a beard. For fun and learning about the smooth maintenance of momentum when driving, nothing beats ‘the snail’. Going round corners is an absolute hoot, timing your entry into roundabouts becomes a fine art (don’t stop at any price: it will take half an hour to get back up to speed) and the thrills of clinging onto the steering wheel while being passed on a motorway by a lorry or crossing the Severn Bridge in a high wind are unique driving experiences. Of all the cars I’ve owned, the only one that came close for fun was…

Posh SUVs: they’re everywhere. People love a premium badge, a high ride height and a dollop of road presence. And while entries into the class often home in on speed, space, style or otherwise, few combine all of the sought-after features of an SUV like the current Audi Q5. For instance, its engine range is varied. The 249bhp 2.0-litre petrol (renamed 45 TFSI in 2019) is pretty punchy. The 187bhp 2.0 TDI (later 40 TDI), meanwhile, is flexible enough to deliver strong real-world economy and pace. Both engines come with a seven-speed dualclutch automatic gearbox as standard. For even more poke, there’s the 282bhp 3.0 TDI. It’s effortless in everyday driving, with enormous shove from low revs and a responsive eight-speed automatic gearbox. There’s a high-performance SQ5 version, too. It…

Whether you’re Team Volkswagen or Team Peugeot, you’re bound to respect the pedigree carried by those famous three letters. The venerable nameplate first appeared in 1961 on the Maserati 3500 GTI, but it was Volkswagen that made GTI synonymous with mainstream performance hatchbacks after the Golf GTI hit the market in 1976. Peugeot followed suit, eventually, and released the 205 GTi in 1984 – and it was worth the wait. The 205 GTi was a more than capable opponent for the Golf. Indeed, it arguably set the benchmark for its German counterpart and many enthusiasts still describe it as one of the greatest hot hatches of all time. Initial prices undercut the Golf significantly, too: the 205 GTi was over £1000 cheaper, launching at £6245. Peugeot’s hot hatch charmed keen…

The new Mercedes-Benz Vision EQXX concept is claimed to set new energy efficiency benchmarks to get a “real-world range of more than 620 miles” – 167 more than the EQS flagship EV. The rakish compact saloon is the latest in a long line of design studies made public by the German car maker. It has been conceived to challenge existing EV principles in a programme aimed at hatching new ideas, processes and innovations for adoption on upcoming EVs. The result is a car that, despite conforming to all existing German roadworthiness regulations and providing seating for four adults, is claimed to set a new record for aerodynamic efficiency, with a drag rating of below 0.18Cd. This compares with the 0.20Cd of the EQS. The development programme for the EQXX is…

Prodrive is putting the finishing touches to the first road-going version of its latest Bahrainibacked Dakar Rally car, the BRX Hunter T1+, and intends to have it ready to drive through Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in time for the start of the 2022 event this week. The first road car, built for Bahrain’s Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, spearheads a batch of 25 road-going T1s that will be produced at Prodrive’s Banbury HQ over the next two years. Exact pricing is still being worked out, but it is understood cars will cost around £1.25 million apiece. Prodrive chairman David Richards has previously described the road-going Hunter T1 as “the Ferrari of the desert” and has created the vehicle to be the fastest cross-country production car in the world. An elaborate…

The new iX M60 is BMW’s most powerful electric car, delivering 611bhp and 811lb ft of torque and achieving 0-62mph in 3.9sec. It becomes BMW’s new electric flagship and, alongside the new i4 M50, marks a milestone in M’s 50-year history as the sub-brand moves into electrified cars. Priced from £111,905 and arriving this summer, the iX M60 is the third variant of the iX, which was launched last year. The entry-level iX xDrive40 offers 257 miles of range and the xDrive50 up to 380 miles, while this M60 has a 357-mile range, compromised by the extra power to make it deserving of the M badge. It shaves 0.7sec off the xDrive50’s 0-62mph sprint time and also has a top speed of 155mph to differentiate it from its siblings. The…

Toyota rounded off 2021 by revealing no fewer than 15 all-new EV concepts, most of which will become production vehicles in the next few years. The diverse e fleet unwrapped by president Akio Toyoda included city cars, SUVs, saloons, commercial vehicles and offroaders from both Toyota and Lexus, and two dramatically styled sports cars also making a shock appearance. Toyota showed what could become the first EV from its Gazoo Racing performance sub-brand: a squat, low-slung, convertible two-seater with characteristically ‘midengined’ styling cues. Toyota gave no details about the GR-badged car, stopping short of even giving it a proper name at this stage, but its compact proportions and overall shape line it up as a spiritual successor to the venerable MR2, which bowed out in 2007. A revival of that…

$191.06bn Toyota’s market capitalisation in 2015 $31.54bn Tesla’s market capitalisation in 2015 The sky-high valuations of companies such as Arrival, Canoo, Lucid, Nio and even Tesla are already deflating. Of 23 electric vehicle manufacturer stocks tracked by the Financial Times in a chart entitled Electric Bubble Watch, all are down on their peaks, some by more than 70% as we went to print (including Arrival, Faraday Future, Lordstown and Workhorse). In one crazy moment last year, Tesla was valued at more than the next 10 largest manufacturers while selling fewer vehicles than Isuzu. If you organise global car makers based on their market capitalisation (the combined price of publicly and privately held stock), Tesla still comes way out in front of Toyota, with a $1 trillion (£750 billion) valuation in…

AFTER VARIOUS RUMOURS of change to the Volkswagen Group’s corporate structure, the company has confirmed a major shake-up, with key figures getting new roles. Herbert Diess will remain CEO of the group, despite reported internal disputes with unions. These ratcheted up recently after he was alleged to have suggested that as many as 30,000 jobs could be cut as part of the group’s electrification – which the company denied. Diess has long been vocal about the need to adapt to competition in the arena of EVs, with rivals such as Tesla planning to build European production facilities. Diess will take on more responsibility as part of his existing role, replacing Audi boss Markus Duesmann as head of the Cariad software arm in the coming months. Meanwhile, Volkswagen brand CEO Ralf…

We’re used to huge numbers from Mercedes-AMG, but even so, those credited to the EQS 53, its first seriesproduction electric car, are surely enough to capture the attention of even the most ardent ICE holdouts. At 751bhp and 752lb ft (with the optional AMG Dynamic Plus package fitted), the big saloon’s drivetrain delivers 110bhp and 88lb ft more than the twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 found in the GT 63 S 4-Door Coupé. It’s essentially the set-up from the magnificently refined EQS 580 with a number of performance-focused modifications. With a single-speed gearbox and fully variable 4Matic to deploy it, the result is 0-62mph in 3.4sec – which, considering the generous dimensions and 2575kg kerb weight, is quite an achievement. This potency is relayed by several design elements that set the AMG…

It’s just a light nip and tuck for this updated Ceed Sportswagon, which remains a popular business car choice in Kia’s line-up, despite the Xceed crossover arriving in 2019 and inevitably stealing some estate buyers. What’s new? The front and rear get the Korean firm’s new logo, there’s a black gloss finish on the familiar ‘tiger nose’ grille, the two large side air intakes have been redesigned and there’s a refresh for the rear bumper. More importantly, there’s a new 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine (as tested here) to replace the 1.4-litre turbo petrol – a goner due to emissions regulations. An entry-level 1.0-litre turbo petrol and a fleet-focused 1.6-litre diesel are also available, but this 1.5 will be the most popular, at least among retail buyers. It’s a feisty…

BMW i7 There’s no doubting the technical prowess or the luxury credentials of BMW’s new iX electric SUV, but there are many people who simply can’t stomach its outlandish styling. Step forward, then, the BMW i7. A familiar, low-slung take on the traditional luxury saloon, with (as you will have inferred from the lowercase letter in its name) an all-electric powertrain. To be sold alongside internal-combustion versions of the next-generation 7 Series, the fifth addition to Munich’s EV family has its targets locked on the Mercedes-Benz EQS, which hitherto has had no true direct rivals. As with the electric versions of the X3 and 4 Series Gran Coupé, the i7 will be differentiated visually from the standard 7 Series by a blanked-off front grille (the shape of which has yet…

MERCEDES-AMG ONE For a car that is all about speed, the Mercedes-AMG One has sure taken a long time to arrive. Zero to 124mph in six seconds? Of course you can, so long as you don’t mind waiting five years for the privilege. Still, the 275 people who filled the order book when the Project One concept was revealed must have known that it might take longer than the promised 18 months to arrive, such is the complexity of it: this was Mercedes’ attempt to take the 1000bhp-plus 1.6-litre V6 turbo hybrid powertrain from Lewis Hamilton’s Formula 1 racer and put it into a production road car. F1 powertrains aren’t meant for road use. They don’t enjoy trundling along a pit lane, let alone idling in heavy traffic in the…

BMW XM The XM is just the second entirely bespoke M car in BMW’s history, but it couldn’t contrast more with the first. The M1 was a supercar co-developed with Lamborghini, whereas the XM is a massive SUV with a 740bhp PHEV powertrain built around a 4.4-litre V8 that will kick-start M’s electrification. Still, it will probably sell far better. MASERATI GRANTURISMO While the MC20 supercar is a fine halo product, the next-generation Granturismo is key to Maserati’s revival as a true Italian luxury brand. The super-GT will gain sleek new styling and be offered with a range of petrol engines – likely to include V6 and V8 options – as well as in battery-electric form. ROLLS-ROYCE SPECTRE The first electric Rolls-Royce is an all-new model that is expected occupy a similar…

FEATURE Lotus Emira We join the development of the first all-new Lotus in more than a decade – and go for a blast around the firm’s Hethel test track FEATURE What happened to all the ’90s cars? James Ruppert wonders why so few are left on our roads DRIVEN Mercedes-AMG SL The SL has been reimagined as a much sportier GT. We rate it EVERY WEEK ROAD TEST Kia EV6 This electric SUV made a great first impression. Now for all eight pages CULT HERO Fiat Panda 100HP Go-faster city car proved you don’t need deep pockets to have tons of fun SUBSCRIBE autocar.co.uk/subscribe or see p18…

MILEAGE 8061 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see if a plug-in hybrid family SUV can justify its eco credentials We are lucky so-and-sos these days: cars just don’t really go wrong. They fit in with our lives and rarely complain. Tell that to someone from the 1960s, who would spend precious minutes on a cold winter’s morning trying to de-ice the carbs. Or the rigmarole a farmer from the 1950s would go through trying to start their CAT D2 with a donkey engine that was needed to fire the main diesel motor in a process that took about 15 minutes. Just to start actually driving. Even when things do go wrong, they’re not really fundamental to the main operation of driving. Take our Kia Sorento. Recently, the Apple CarPlay connection…

The trouble with a number of very desirable sporting cars, such as the Porsche 911 and the Lamborghini Huracán, is that they’re just too common. Go out for the evening and there’s every possibility that when you return to your car, there might be an identical one parked beside it. The chances of that happening are much slimmer with the Alfa Romeo SZ. Just over 1000 of these eye-catching coupés were made between 1989 and 1991 (and for those who insist on arriving everywhere with messed-up coiffure, 300 RZ roadsters were made, too). The trouble is, though, that not since that, er, referendum in 2016 we won’t talk about has there been an issue as divisive as the SZ’s looks. Love it or hate it, everyone has an opinion, and…

Why build a road-going Hunter T1+? “Many people in remote areas, especially the Middle East, do a lot of desert driving for recreation. There’s a big off-road culture. It seemed logical to propose such a car – and then the crown prince [of Bahrain] became interested in being our first owner…” How different is the roadgoing car from Sébastien Loeb’s Dakar racer? “Not very different, really. It’s a bit more comfortable and quieter in the cockpit, and it rides a bit lower. There can be boot space if the owner wants. But it has the same chassis and suspension and very similar tyres. We intend it to be very, very capable in places where there are no roads.” Why have you chosen that sand colour for the first car? “That’s…

How will you retain repeat M customers in the switch to EVs? “If we look at the market 10 years ago when we started with the i3, electric cars were seen as smaller cars with little range and mobility restrictions. If we look at our targets now, we will keep improving electric [range], offer electric vehicles of every size and show sportiness to convince M4, M6, M8 owners that electric cars are good for them. You must offer a top-end powertrain to achieve this, which is why we’re launching the iX M60.” Do you think it’s important all BMW models have performance variants? “As you know from all models of BMW, we will always have an M sports car at the top end. It’s easier to explain with combustion engines:…

VROOM SERVICE Italian supercar maker Pagani has finally revealed the Huayra’s replacement: a luxurious residential tower block in Dubai. Well, not really: the £163 million DaVinci Residential Tower is the work of property firm Dar Al Arkan, but Pagani will provide bespoke furniture for the “Paganiinspired exclusive spaces” throughout. No word yet on whether the coffee machines will run off the Huayra’s 739bhp V12. CLEAN CAB Of all the new cars we will see in the next 12 months, Arrival’s first effort, a sleek and airy urban EV, is the one you’re most likely to try for yourself. That’s because it has been designed for – and partly by – Uber drivers and is expected to join the ride-hailing company’s London fleet in late 2023. FILL YOUR DIARY Even with…

ALTHOUGH IT CAN trace its roots to 2015, when ex-Tesla executive Peter Carlsson set up SGF Energy, battery maker Northvolt has officially only been in existence since March 2017. But in that short time, it has already established itself as a significant presence, with battery orders coming from BMW, Volkswagen and Volvo. The ramping up of its manufacturing facilities has been equally as rapid. So far, it has started to build its own factories in Skellefteå in Sweden (Northvolt Ett) and Gdansk in Poland (Northvolt Jeden), with a stated aim of 150GWh overall production capacity by 2030. Currently, Ett has permission for 60GWh while Jeden deals with battery assembly, tailoring each system to its client. A further plan was recently announced for Northvolt and Portuguese energy firm Galp to co-develop…

THE 2021 REGULARITY rally from Land’s End to John O’Groats, better known as the LeJog, was one of the toughest on record, as 54 of the 70 crews survived atrocious weather to complete a length of Britain. From the 7.30am Cornish start on Saturday 4 December to the 10.20pm Scottish finish on Tuesday 7 December, the gruelling event threw everything imaginable at its hardy entrants over 1300 miles. Unlike with stage rallying, outright speed isn’t the key on regularity rallies, such events instead focusing on driving accuracy on tests run on private land and the to-the-second navigational acumen of co-drivers on public roads. They’re far tougher than they might look at first glance, and the LeJog, run by the Hero-Era organisation, is among the most challenging. There’s no winner; instead,…

Those of a squeamish disposition, avert thy gaze. BMW’s latest M3 is hardly the most elegant creation, and this AC Schnitzer interpretation escalates the thuggery. It’s called the ACS3 Sport and it’s the most recent model in a line of Aachen-fettled M3s that stretches back to 1989 and the E30 3 Series. As ever, the idea here is to make the regular M car smoother on the road, faster on the track and more stable on the autobahn. Quite an ask, given the superb all-round proposition that is the standard G20-generation M3, but when it comes to factory BMWs, Schnitzer generally finds a way to meaningfully improve the recipe. For this new ACS3 Sport, there’s the usual suite of targeted upgrades, which can be collectively thrown at an M3 donor…

MODEL TESTED 50 TFSIe S LINE QUATTRO Price £57,965 Power 295bhp Torque 332lb ft 0-60mph 5.7sec 30-70mph in fourth 7.9sec Fuel economy 49.4mpg CO2 emissions 28g/km 70-0mph 55.8m You’d expect a technologically innovative brand like Audi to have played a part in the earliest days of the plugin electrification of the automobile, but looking at how the market for PHEV executive cars has developed over the past decade might give you other ideas. The modern commercialisation of the breed has been taken on by other companies, so we now associate brands like Volvo, BMW and Volkswagen with PHEV powertrains much more readily. Should we? Perhaps not. While its rivals may have lately committed with greater intent, Audi certainly dipped its toe with petrol- and dieselelectric powertrains several times over the past…

The mid-sized executive saloon is one of Audi’s more practised art forms. Many it now makes are a far cry from the restrained, refined, relaxing prospects that the company became so celebrated for 30 years ago, but this whispering, immutably solid-feeling, understated petrol-electric A6 comes straight from its classic playbook. The car is hushed, smooth, comfortable and easy to drive. It has an attractive, roomy, expensive-feeling cabin that looks good and is a pleasure to while away the hours within. It has ample performance to go with its excellent cruising manners but isn’t over-endowed for pace. It handles with total assuredness and security, but little frippery. And the electric half of its drivetrain delivers useful range, slick drivability and the potential for worthwhile economy savings – but, just like the…

“I’m tired, I don’t eat well, I rarely exercise and I have to fund all my expenses up front” As we know, car dealers are falling over themselves for stock at the moment, buying from auctions, from private sellers and even from fellow dealers. But how do you think they get – I mean physically get – the cars that they buy? Some, especially those purchased by big dealer groups or car supermarkets from auctions, are moved by transporters but, remarkably, others are moved individually by people dispatched to drive them from A to B. In a moment of between-jobs desperation, a neighbour of mine applied for a job with one of the companies moving cars this way. On his first day, he was instructed to get himself to the…

ASTON MARTIN V12 VANTAGE Aston Martin has finally confirmed that its largest engine will find its way into its smallest car for 2022. That’s a tantalising enough prospect in its own right, no doubt, but as critics voice concern about the potential homogenisation of Astons under former Mercedes-AMG boss Tobias Moers, it’s also a welcome indication that Gaydon’s finest still know how to have a bit of fun. But our first drive of this creation (which has the potential to be nothing short of wondrous, given how much praise we’ve already heaped on the existing Vantage’s chassis and DB11’s sonorous V12) will be a bittersweet moment. Because, as all good things must come to an end, this will be the last outing for the V12 Vantage name. So, a fitting…

ALFA ROMEO TONALE On sale: June The launch of Alfa Romeo’s small SUV was reportedly delayed because its new boss wanted a better PHEV system. It takes design influence from the Stelvio and is key to plans to grow Alfa’s sales dramatically. BMW M3 TOURING On sale: Fourth quarter We’re unspeakably excited about the firstever M3 Touring. The brilliant performance credentials of BMW’s latest super-saloon plus plenty of room for your dog: what’s not to love? LOTUS EVIJA On sale: June This electric hypercar is Hethel’s new flagship – and it’s quite the flagship. Four motors produce a combined 1972bhp, with a top speed of 200mph and a 250-mile range. Just 130 will be built. LUCID AIR On sale: Fourth quarter ‘The next Tesla’ has finally started producing its Model S rival…

Some sanity remains With one notable exception, I enjoyed your 1 December issue thoroughly. The inference one draws from Matt Saunders’ conclusion (C-Class versus rivals) that Mercedes-Benz should be refocusing on old-school values over things like built-in music streaming and over-the-air updates was deeply refreshing. As was Jim Holder’s lamentation in Inside Information of the proliferation (and associated safety reduction) of touchscreens for controlling vital functions in-car. They left me feeling that there’s still sanity and integrity among some of the influencers in an industry that appears to be moving lemming-like towards a cliff edge at the bottom of which a senior Toyota executive (Bob Carter) in 2019 predicted might be “electric vehicle Armageddon”. Even a cursory consideration of literature and opinions on the subject leaves one feeling that governments…

LAST YEAR WAS another of global strife and uncertainty. Eighty-eight years ago, the story was much the same, as Britain struggled to drag itself out of the Great Depression and societal attitudes were rapidly changing in the wake of that and the Great War. At least 1933 was “from the very outset interesting for motorists”, as we said in our 1934 retrospective. The big news in January was a Hillman Wizard towing a caravan all the way to the Cairo motor show. In March, the SMMT revealed there had been “a satisfactory turn in the tide” in 1932 as more than 13,000 cars were registered for the first time; and Sir Malcolm Campbell once again broke the land speed record in Blue Bird. In April, the car world mourned Sir…

MILEAGE 5420 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT Can a Bentley be affordable to run and still be a Bentley at the same time? It was a difficult decision to run the Bentley. I know, I can hear the violins from here. But the harsh reality is that I rack up a huge annual mileage, I have to pay for my own fuel and I’ll not be alone in noting the stuff isn’t exactly cheap right now. Which is why I’ve never run one in the past. But the appearance of the Bentayga Hybrid changed all that, at least on paper. Yes, of course I knew it had no chance of doing the 83.1mpg claimed for it, but I thought that, in theory at least, it might drag the prospect of running…

An expert’s view ADRIAN JARDINE, ALFA AID “First and foremost, I love the SZ’s attention-grabbing look. It’s a constant delight. So too are the phenomenal sound the Busso makes and the brilliant and predictable handling. There are a few niggles, though. You can’t leave it out in the frost because the fibreglass bodywork will suffer from microblisters, so keep it garaged. The standard brakes are rubbish, although these can be dealt with by upgrading using decent pads. Some had a Brembo brake upgrade, sadly no longer available off the shelf. The headlights have all the illumination power of candles, and it takes 20 minutes to refuel because everyone wants to talk to you about your car!” Buyer beware… ▪ ENGINE Check the cambelt and the cambelt tensioner regularly and look…

There’s a general perception that a car that has already covered, say, 150,000 miles isn’t going to last much longer. But it doesn’t have to be that way. A very small number of cars have exceeded a million miles, some of them by a substantial margin. So let’s cross the Atlantic and take a look at the best of the bunch to discover the secrets of their longevity. Volvo 1800S 1966 The grandaddy of all high-milers is Irv Gordon’s Volvo 1800S. The science teacher collected his new car from Volvoville of Huntington, New York, on a Friday evening in June 1966 and took it back for its 1500-mile checkover the next Monday. A daily commute of 125 miles had it surpass 250,000 miles in just five years. Gordon was first…