Innholdsfortegnelse for November 9, 2022 i Autocar

An exclusive limited-run Alfa Romeo supercar is currently under serious consideration for production, and it could be signed off within the next few months. Alfa boss Jean-Philippe Imparato said the project could even be announced as soon as March next year. “We are working on something ‘few-off’ for Alfa Romeo,” he said. It is not yet known what form the car will take, or whether it will be petrol or electric, but Imparato hinted it would be a bespoke Alfa rather than share components with another model or brand within the Stellantis group, such as the Maserati MC20. “It’s 1969 since the last time Alfa Romeo was stamped on a chassis,” he said, in reference to the Spider launched that year, adding it would be “a cool thing” to do…

ZEEKR IS POISED to enter selected European markets next year as part of a globalisation strategy for the Geely-owned electric vehicle company, its CEO An Conghui has confirmed. The move coincides with the firm posting record results in its home market of China, where it recorded 10,109 sales of its first model, the 001 liftback, last month. An, who is also president of Geely Holding and chairman of Geely Auto, confirmed Zeekr will add two new models to its line-up next year – in addition to the 001 and 009 (see below) – in preparation for its push into the wider global market. Included is a new four-door saloon and mid-size SUV, both of which are being engineered to meet European safety regulations, according to sources at Geely’s headquarters in…

THAT OLD FAVOURITE ‘there’s no such thing as a free lunch’ may be a cliché, but where energy is concerned, it’s never been more appropriate than it is now. Tyre manufacturers have been warning about the pitfalls of poor tyre maintenance forever, but in truth, how many drivers see it as a major priority? Continental points out that it’s not just our wallets that are under stress at the moment, but tyres are too, and the two are connected. Both the compound and the design of winter tyre sipes (the myriad of slits on the blocks of the tread) are designed to perform better on cold surfaces as well as on ice and in snow. The way they do that is by being malleable enough to deform and grip the…

BENTLEY SAYS NEW derivatives of popular models helped push pre-tax profits to a record £495 million in the first nine months of this year. The British brand claimed the rise, which was more than double that of the same period last year (£236.7m), was helped by the release of the Bentayga Extended Wheelbase. That model accounted for 40% of overall sales of the Bentayga, which was Bentley’s top earner with 4413 total sales and a 39% overall share. Despite the record profits, global car sales were up just 3% to 11,316, due mainly to a drop of 17% in Chinese markets (which still enforce strict Covid rules). Yet China remains the firm’s second-most-profitable market (2693 sales; 24% global share), just behind the Americas (3154; 28%). The UK was the biggest…

US-ITALIAN START-UP Aehra is looking to shake up the “ultra-premium” market with its supercar-styled 497-mile electric SUV, which looks to take on the BMW iX and Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV. Priced from €180,000 (£155,430), the currently unnamed car will sit on a three-metre-long wheelbase that houses a battery (size not yet revealed) powering three motors, one mounted to the front axle and two at the rear. This will produce “quite an output”, the firm’s CEO and founder, Hazim Nada, told Autocar. No performance figures have been disclosed. Aehra chief designer Filippo Perini, who helped to create cars such as the Lamborghini Urus, said the firm has “shunned the conservative constraints” of EV design. The front end of the car appears to have taken some inspiration from the Urus. It gets unique…

The seventh-generation 7 Series has arrived. In a departure from its various predecessors, it comes in long-wheelbase guise only and with a wider choice of drivetrains than ever, including an impressive array of plug-in hybrid and pure electric systems. For selected markets, including the US, where our first drive took place, there are other, more conventional drivetrains on offer that will never require a cable and a charging point, including the new M-developed mild-hybrid petrol unit that powers the 760i xDrive driven here. Not initially planned for UK sales, this boldly styled replacement for the earlier 750Li xDrive has been re-engineered from the ground up, making it a good deal larger overall and more luxurious inside. It is a highly agreeable car in which to travel, whether behind the steering…

MODEL TESTED SUPER 3 • Price £43,165 • Power 118bhp • Torque 111lb ft • 0-60mph 6.9sec • 30-70mph in fourth 9.1sec • Fuel economy 36.5mpg • CO2 emissions 131g/km • 70-0mph 59.3m Cars can be awfully serious. Every new generation of performance car has more power, stickier tyres, a faster Nürburgring lap time. At the other end of the spectrum, there are ever more sophisticated emissions controls, bigger battery sizes and cleverer charging strategies. For the past 10 years, there has been a car that doesn’t care about any of it. The Morgan 3 Wheeler has provided light-hearted fun and giggles all round for anyone who has climbed aboard one, or has simply seen one drive by. The revived 3 Wheeler was a breath of fresh air when it was…

THERE WAS A case for making the previous-generation Ford Fiesta ST the pound-for-pound most fun car on sale. It had one of the all-time great chassis and an incredibly strong 1.6-litre turbocharged engine. It also did that great hot hatch trick of being usable as an everyday hatch without fully succumbing to the ‘hot’ part. I’ll have a shiny new one of those one day, I thought, so when the time came to swap the family Mini Cooper, off to the Ford garage we went. By then, though, that Fiesta ST had been replaced by the current one, and for me the suspension is just too bone-shattering and the now-smaller engine too highly strung to be enjoyable when you just want to get home at some godforsaken hour. Our attention…

“Carrying speed in the Citroën requires a bit of effort, but it certainly keeps you engaged” IT WAS ON an unusually quiet Friday night commute earlier this year that I recognised the unexpected pleasure of the Citroën ë-C4. And it wasn’t just the end of the working week talking. I’d driven the car before, but not quite in the right circumstances to appreciate how much fun it can be, because this so clearly isn’t a modern-feeling fast family hatchback. Instead, it’s much more like some emissary from decades gone by. This is a car like Citroën used to make. It is one with light, delicately paced steering, modest grip levels and fairly soft but consistent body control, but it has a moderately high driving position, a comfortable seat, simple controls…

Experts speak on Porsche SUV prospects THE UNVEILING OF the Cayenne as Porsche’s first SUV 21 years ago was famously controversial. At the time, we asked various experts for their views. So who was prophetic and who had to eat humble pie? Peugeot designer Keith Ryder said: “I was expecting something with a lot more character and strength. It’s a disappointment.” Brand consultant Steve Saxty followed: “The world doesn’t need a 450bhp SUV and Porsche doesn’t need this car. But it will still sell.” Martin Ward, a researcher at CAP, said: “Why have they done it? I can’t understand. Porsche is good at sports cars, not 4x4s. It’s just climbing on a bandwagon.” Porsche GB marketing chief Geoff Turral said: “Will it dilute the brand? It won’t be on a…

MILEAGE 20,327 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT Too see if this humble but capable sevenseater is slick enough in day-to-day use My number one priority for any long-term test car is for it to swallow my photography gear as well as any camping, surfing or climbing paraphernalia I can throw at it. That’s why some of the most fondly remembered ones have been the van-based cars such as the Citroën Berlingo and Ford Transit. They’re a tool for a job, and as long as they don’t fall over when aimed at a corner with some gusto, their lack of handling appeal is a compromise I am happy to accept. And on the practicality score, the Jogger has already more than proven its usefulness on several weekend jaunts. With that being said,…

“Alpine will ensure that the spirit of its flagship model is carried over to its first SUV” The upcoming Alpine GT X-Over, a dynamically focused and aerooptimised sporting crossover to rival the Lotus Eletre and Polestar 3, will provide Alpine with the volume-focused, practical proposition it needs to achieve substantially increased global sales. The GT X-Over will use the same CMF-EV architecture that underpins parent brand Renault’s Mégane E-Tech hatchback and the larger Nissan Ariya SUV. It is likely that the Alpine’s lofty power figure and keen dynamics will come courtesy of a second motor on the rear axle, mirroring the range-topping e-4orce version of the Nissan, while the front wheels will be driven by the 215bhp unit used by the Mégane. Speaking at the Paris motor show last month,…

MG WILL STICK with petrol power for the replacement of the MG 3, due before the end of 2024, but it is likely to add a hybrid system to reduce CO2, the brand has said. The current 3 is now a minor player within MG compared with hotter-selling models such the ZS small SUV and HS compact SUV, but the Chinese-owned brand still sold 3876 examples of the supermini to the end of September – up 134% on the same month in 2021. MG is focusing more on electric power with the launch of the MG 4 compact hatch, a rival to the Volkswagen ID 3, and the facelifted MG 5, the only compact estate EV. The brand also sells the electric version of the ZS and a plug-in hybrid…

Audi has unveiled facelifted versions of the E-tron and E-tron Sportback, bringing a longer range and more efficient battery. The models will also carry the Q8 nameplate to position them as the brand’s new flagship SUVs. As well as technical upgrades to their drivetrains, the two electric-powered SUVs receive a series of subtle exterior and interior styling changes. The line-up stays the same, offering 50, 55 and S models, the latter of which continues to develop 496bhp and up to 717lb ft of torque. Among the styling changes made to the three-year-old car is a new-look grille featuring Audi’s two-dimensional ring emblem and altered electronically controlled cooling ducts. It is set within a reprofiled bumper and is bookmarked by headlights with new functions, including an orientation light for country roads…

You can tell much about a car in just the first few metres of driving it. Yet in the case of the new i7, the electric flagship saloon that sits atop BMW’s range, we’re not actually doing the driving. Instead, the start of our test route has been preprogrammed so the car can drive itself. The Parking Manoeuvre Assist function can ‘teach’ the car up to 600 metres of road, such as in and out of driveways, so it can do it itself next time. It’s debatable quite how useful that really is, yet it’s impossible not to be impressed as the i7 creeps silently out of the car park, the steering wheel spinning on its own. As a scene-setter, this gives insight into the i7’s role as not just…

The Solterra is the first batteryelectric series-production car Subaru has made. The company hasn’t done it alone, though: the car has been co-developed, not badgeengineered, with the Toyota bZ4X. While Toyota offers a single-motor, two-wheel-drive version alongside a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive model, the Subaru is all-wheel drive only. And unlike in the Toyota, the Subaru’s AWD system is a permanent one, thanks to some software changes. There are also chassis tweaks and front and rear styling changes. The Solterra has a firmer suspension tune and more heavily weighted steering, plus some paddle shifters to control the level of regenerative braking and an extra Power driving mode Our first drive in the Solterra starts initially on an off-road course, which perhaps shows you the positioning Subaru is going for here: it’s very…

THERE’S A MAKEOVER reality show on Netflix called Queer Eye, in which the premise is that the ‘Fab Five’ address and improve the lot of each episode’s downtrodden ‘hero’ by overhauling his or her lifestyle from top to bottom. It’s surprisingly gripping – and it reminds me of the Yaris. Until five years ago, Toyota’s trusty supermini was the quintessential beige shopping cart. That’s no criticism, by the way; the Yaris’s reliability, economy, size and general user-friendliness served my own granny well through two model generations until she hung up her licence. However, it was irredeemably staid. And then, in 2017, Toyota pulled the ultimate volte-face and sent a transmogrified version of the car into battle in the World Rally Championship. Off the back of that, the zinging Yaris GRMN…

“Throttle response and steering weight are pretty much spot on” THIS ISN’T A case of less being more, rather it’s the fact that more equates to less, if that makes sense. This entry-level MX-5 is what Mazda considers to be the definitive example of its best-selling sports car. Weighing a fraction over 1000kg, powered by a zingy small-capacity, naturally aspirated engine and with relatively skinny tyres, the 1.5-litre MX-5 is a right-sized roadster that makes more sense in the current climate (economically and meteorologically) than it ever has. The pricier 2.0 is quicker, but it’s something of an afterthought – a sop to the US market, where there still ain’t no replacement for displacement. It’s this simplicity that goes straight to the heart of the tautlooking MX-5’s appeal. Slide behind…

MUCH LIKE MATT Saunders in his ë-C4, I too had an epiphany moment in the Kia Soul. It can be too easy to get sucked into expectations of a car because of its looks, and with its Noddy paint and tall stance, the Kia doesn’t exactly scream ‘contender’. But my way home includes the M3 to M25 northbound link, with a cracking off-camber right-hander that can reveal an awful lot about a car. The way the Soul sailed through there, gamely holding on with a surprising amount of grip and body control, made me realise there’s more to this car than meets the eye. The physics tell you it shouldn’t be like this. At 1605mm tall, the Kia Soul is 380mm higher – well over a foot – than the…

I enjoy browsing your online slideshows and have just read ‘31 used performance bargains’. Among other cars, I’ve had the joys of a 2008 Porsche Boxster S, a Lancia Delta Integrale, an E46 BMW M3 Cabriolet, an Alfa Romeo GTV 2.0 TS, a 2007 Porsche 911 Carrera, a Range Rover, a Seat Leon Cupra R, a Mk2 Volkswagen Golf GTI and a Volkswagen Corrado 2.0. The point I’m making is that most of these are of interest to one enthusiast group or another and for good reasons – reasons we all understand. My latest purchase is a 2009 Mercedes-Benz SL 350 (the model designation is R230 facelift) as a daily driver. It has more power than the first SL 500 in the R230 range, so it’s no slouch at all,…

MILEAGE 6234 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see whether the Cupra is a new EV contender or just a gussied-up VW ID 3 Life with an electric vehicle has left me with a serious sense of humour failure recently. I’m writing this sitting in the Cupra Born, somewhere in the wilds of Oxfordshire, having finally found somewhere to charge it after a third wild goose chase in as many days to keep myself on the road. It all began when I offered my wife’s parents a lift to their holiday in Chipping Norton. With that in mind, I ensured the Born was fully charged – the last thing you want is to be left stranded with your in-laws on board. In theory, the Cupra’s range should – just – manage…

Is the Audi TT a true sports car? It’s an interesting question, one apt for investigation and debate by intelligent, astute, critical observers. Unfortunately, none were available, but let’s dive into the topic anyway and unravel the Mk1 TT. Launched in 1998, the TT coupé and subsequent roadster (of 1999) certainly looked like sports cars at the time – and they still do now. What you have is a sleek, athletic, arguably timeless exterior that’s matched by a classy, sporty interior. Venture beneath the surface and it’s a different story, because the TT actually shares its mechanical underpinnings with the Mk4 Volkswagen Golf and, as a result of that, it was only ever offered as a front-or all-wheel-drive model. That’s not your typical sports car formula, but it does come…

There are many ways to measure an engine’s effectiveness. Economy and performance are obvious, but we’re focusing on versatility. This can be defined as suitability across a variety of cars, perhaps produced over a long period, and in some cases its use in machines that are not cars at all. Engines that are dissimilar in almost every other way can be equally versatile. Rover V8 The alloy Rover V8 was a development of a Buick engine from the early 1960s. It was used in many high-performance, premium and off-road cars with Rover, Land Rover, Range Rover, MG and Triumph badges, plus several commercial vehicles. Like the much smaller Hillman Imp unit, the Rover V8 was powerful and relatively light, which made it an obvious choice for amateur motorsport competitors to…

DS will launch a large SUV by the end of 2024, with the new model sitting above the DS 7 and closely reflecting 2020’s Aero Sport Lounge concept. The model will complete a five-car line-up for the brand, which starts with the DS 3 (recently renamed from the DS 3 Crossback) and includes the DS 4, DS 7 and DS 9 saloon. While the DS 7 rivals the Audi Q3, the new model is likely to take on the Q5, which occupies a vital segment for the UK and European luxury market. The new SUV, which has already undergone extensive testing, will be significantly smaller than the Aero Sport Lounge concept, which measured five metres in length. But the production car’s design closely reflects that of the concept, DS boss…

THE NEXT-GENERATION Hyundai Santa Fe will receive a significant design overhaul next year as the Korean car maker’s largest SUV looks set to continue to offer seven seats and a selection of hybrid powertrains. A heavily updated prototype of the Santa Fe was photographed testing on public roads in Germany. The model appears to feature a much more squared-off silhouette than the previous Santa Fe, with key design changes made to the roof and A-pillar, along with new lights at the front and rear. The current Santa Fe sits on Hyundai-Kia’s N3 Y6 platform, but the new model, which is likely to be launched in 2024, will make use of the firm’s N3 structure, set to be shared with the new Kia Sorento. Hyundai UK confirmed the model seen under…

Adecade ago, the industry was talking about market fragmentation. As the cost of bodyshells fell relative to the cost of the chassis, a new age of niche models seemed near. In fact, the opposite has happened. The three biggest segments (superminis, lowermedium and premium/large SUVs) now take 87.7% of all sales, a record figure. If you look at the market in terms of bodystyle, crossovers/SUVs now account for 54.8% of all sales – another record. Hyundai i10s. Today, it is hard for manufacturers to make the numbers add up. City cars sell in smaller volumes than superminis, cost almost as much to make, but sell for a lower price. BEV versions would be too expensive for any model bar the Fiat 500, a situation that has led Volkswagen, Ford, Nissan…

JOHAN KRISTOFFERSSON stormed to his fifth World Rallycross title and the first of the new electric-powered era with a dominant display at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. The Swede was only fifth in the opening round in Spain after early contact in the final with Kevin Hansen but he proved untouchable the following day. The Volkswagen driver took the superpole by almost a second, remained unbeaten across the heats, progression race and semifinal, and then simply drove away from his competitors in the final to beat Saturday winner Timmy Hansen by 5sec. The victory was also the 34th of his World Rallycross career. “A fifth world title is just unbelievable and it will take some time to sink in,” said the overjoyed champion. “It’s the first time my girlfriend and son…

Amodel range that starts at a smidge over £50,000 doesn’t feel especially ‘people’s car’, yet that’s exactly where the Volkswagen ID 5 sits. As the name suggests, it’s the latest in VW’s electrical onslaught, although its styling – from most angles – isn’t a vast departure from the ID 4 that came before it. It’s one of those oh-so-fashionable crossover-coupés, only in the world of EVs they do at least provide a slight aerodynamic benefit for a mite more range. You’ll just pay handsomely for that benefit: like for like, an ID 5 is about £6000 more than an ID 4, although that gap closes up on the leasing market. Still, people obviously love these things, otherwise sensible brands such as Skoda and Volvo wouldn’t have latched onto the trend.…

The new Toyota GR86 was lauded by road test editor Matt Saunders a couple of weeks ago. But what of its co-developed sister car, the Subaru BRZ? The differences were always marginal between the Toyobaru pair last time (that’s no bad thing, mind). Yet the gap is greater this time, according to Subaru engineer Satoru Sugiyama, who describes the GR86 as the “aggressive” one and the BRZ as the “sophisticated” one. That greater sophistication comes through a different tune for the suspension, the steering and the ECU, as well as a different mounting for the rear stabiliser. There is also more aluminium used for key suspension components in the BRZ, rather than the steel parts found in the GR86. The new GR86 feels a more grownup car than its predecessor,…

These are difficult and challenging times for the car. The industry behind them clearly believes that we, as drivers, can be motivated to pay for all sorts of things, from safety to sustainability, from performance to on-board technology and from space and convenience to luxurious lustre. But it seems to think that fewer and fewer of us are interested in at-the-wheel entertainment delivered in a simple, affordable, compact package. At least that is what you might be forced to conclude by looking at the vast majority of the new cars that we’re buying right now. As our hot hatchbacks and performance options seem to get more serious and more expensive, so many of the electric cars we’re offered seem to come from a place preoccupied with 0-60mph acceleration or are…

There’s a phenomenon in nature known as convergent evolution. Different species, despite being unrelated, can and do develop similar features independently of each other. And something like that, it seems, has happened with this pair of family hatchbacks. Honda’s Civic and Toyota’s Corolla are two of the longest-running nameplates in the business. The first Civic came off the production line back in 1972; the Corolla predates even that, launching in 1966. In that time, both models have gone through many different mechanical configurations, but now both Toyota and Honda have settled on front-wheel-drive, five-door hatchbacks (there is an estate version of the Corolla), powered by seriesparallel hybrid systems that mimic a CVT in normal driving (see box over the page). First things first, we’re here because there’s an all-new Honda…

“Its F1 ECUs have done nearly a million miles of racing without an on-track failure” Visitors to McLaren in Woking normally travel to the spaceaged Technology Centre in its leafy 120-acre campus on the edge of town. But not this time: I’m near the railway station, facing a much less snazzy office block that wears the familiar name. It’s next to a bronze statue of a seated figure holding a globe that turns out to be HG Wells, who wrote several of his most famous science fiction books while living in the town. Which, in terms of looking to the future, is entirely appropriate. Because despite the shared name and familiar branding, McLaren Applied is no longer part of the McLaren Group. It was spun off in August last year…

FEATURE Can the 5 save Renault? Thesuperminiof oldbecamea Renault icon. Will history repeat itself? Andrew Frankel investigates INVESTIGATION An EV for free Timesaretoughso we try commuting foraweekwithout paying a penny FEATURE Mini restomod Imagining what a Mini R50 restomod could look like – if BMW were brave enough EVERY WEEK FIRST DRIVE Alfa RomeoTonale The standard Tonale didn’t get rave reviews, so can the PHEV step up? USED GUIDE Honda Civic Impressed by its showing a few pages back? Here’s how to buy a used one SUBSCRIBE autocar.co.uk/subscribe or see p20…

MILEAGE 17,017 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see if an electric SUV is worthy of the Mustang name and, more importantly, if it augurs well for Ford’s future Regular readers will know of my – and now Ford’s – disdain for early Mach-Es’ suspension settings, such as those on this car. Seemingly, the determination to give the car a sporty feel worthy of the Mustang name led to a calibration that allowed the rear end to buck away on bumpy surfaces to the point that it could make your neck ache. No more, we’re promised, because back in the spring, Ford says a model-year update was introduced with new settings. It would be lovely to get a go in one to verify this, but in the subsequent six months, the…

You would have thought that a compact, relatively affordable and positively decent-to-drive Jag would have set the sales charts alight. But since its 2015 launch, the XE has played second fiddle to its executive car rivals, the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4, even on home turf. Odd, that, because this suave fourdoor saloon ticks many of the boxes buyers of such cars would go for: it’s good looking, it has a premium badge and it comes handsomely equipped. However, if new car customers were too easily swayed elsewhere, used car buyers can now put a good example on their driveway for buttons. Initially, petrol options ranged from a choice of 2.0-litre engines in three states of tune: 197bhp, 237bhp and 296bhp. If that wasn’t enough, a swift supercharged 3.0-litre…