Innholdsfortegnelse for February 15, 2023 i Autocar

Jeep’s UK range will swell to seven models by the middle of the decade in a line-up that will include an electric rival to the Land Rover Defender. The Stellantis-owned American brand revealed plans last year for a new range of electrified SUVs, starting with the Avenger this summer, ahead of its goal to go EV-only in Europe in 2030. After the electric Avenger, which will join the new Renegade 4xe and Compass 4xe plug-in hybrid models in UK showrooms, will come an all-new plug-in hybrid Grand Cherokee 4xe later this year. By 2025, it will be joined by two new EVs: the Wagoneer S, a sporty large SUV, and the Defender-challenging Recon. Both of these will be based on Stellantis’s new STLA Large architecture. The Recon will sit alongside…

Lancia is getting ready to reinvent itself as a stylefocused EV brand with designs heavily influenced by icons of its past, including the Aurelia, Delta, Stratos and 037 Stradale – to be previewed by a concept car in the coming weeks. The storied Italian brand has been a one-car operation since 2015, when it stopped selling rebadged Chrysler models, and although the Fiat 500-based Ypsilon supermini remains popular and was recently refreshed, it’s now in its 12th year of production. Charged with relaunching the brand and returning it to markets outside its native Italy, CEO Luca Napolitano has pledged to rekindle the ‘dolce vita’ spirit that was central to the appeal of many historic Lancia models, beginning in the 1960s with the Flaminia and Flavia. “This glorious and rich past…

A NEW £250,000 Range Rover signals Jaguar Land Rover’s intent to disrupt the bespoke market, with a new SV Bespoke division gunning for enhanced exclusivity – and profits. It becomes the latest firm to offer highly personalised cars, following record incomes from rivals using a similar model. Bentley broke its 2021 profit record by July 2022, which it attributed to a rise in personalisation requests. JLR hopes this will boost overall profits for the development of future models, following a difficult period. At the end of 2022, it posted its first profitable quarter since 2020 off the back of rising sales of its Range Rover line-up, especially in the US. Aiming to transition to an agency retail model by late 2024, JLR will eventually engage with customers directly rather than…

THE UK IS becoming “more challenging” as an automotive manufacturing base as the industry shrinks and becomes less attractive to suppliers, according to the country’s largest car maker, Nissan. The UK produced 775,014 cars in 2022, down 9.8% on 2021 and 41% down on prepandemic 2019, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. “The UK is becoming more and more challenging as a manufacturing footprint,” ºsaid Nissan chief operating officer Ashwani Gupta. He added that the UK’s shrinking car output is making it harder to source locally. Typically, automotive suppliers locate near a big manufacturing centre to cut down on logistics cost but often need secondary customers to achieve economies of scale. The issue is particularly problematic for batteries, for which raw materials are typically sourced and refined…

Car makers have been urged to work together to dramatically reduce their environmental impact, after a new study showed the automotive industry is on track to miss its decarbonisation targets, potentially threatening the global initiative to limit global warming to 1.5deg C. A new report by global consulting firm Kearney, based on publicly accessible data and supported by EV manufacturers Polestar and Rivian, shows that the global car industry isn’t moving fast enough to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and must take immediate action to avoid vastly overshooting targets. Named Pathway, the report is essentially an invitation for car makers to consider collaborating on emissionsreducing initiatives, and more pressingly presents data that suggests they must rapidly accelerate their plans to slash their own cars’ impact. “Competition is healthy, but perhaps the…

MONDAY Car factories light my fuse. When you tour a really good one, such as Toyota’s mighty Burnaston operation, which I visited for the first time today, you leave wanting to own the damned car. We were on hand to see the revised Corolla being built and to have a drive (see p29). It all bound up into a very absorbing day. Not long before departing, we spent time with assembly experts from Toyota’s dojos (training centres), where recruits learn skills needed on an assembly line. I found the exercises almost impossible. Can you imagine unerringly picking up five tiny self-tapping screws – not four or six – with one hand and manoeuvring them every few seconds so that they’re presented perfectly, one by one, to a powered spanner? It…

There’s a fair weight of responsibility resting on the shapely shoulders of the new Maserati Granturismo. The latest addition to the Italian maker’s increasingly fresh lineup won’t be the biggest moneymaker (that will be the Grecale, which is pitched at the heart of the premium SUV sector) or the most exciting (take a bow, the MC20 supercar), but it’s the machine that in many respects embodies the trident brand’s rich heritage yet is also entrusted with setting out its store for the future. With a history stretching back 75 years and 12 generations (albeit bearing many different names), the Granturismo has been a nearpermanent fixture in Maserati’s century-long life and remains something of a talisman. Like that other sporting icon, the Porsche 911, it has evolved greatly over the years…

The word ‘overkill’ dates back to the 1940s, referring to the multiples by which mankind could be nuked into extinction. Black humour dubbed the phenomenon ‘pounding the rubble’ but even cold war tensions can’t match the excess of the arms race between pick-up truck makers in the US. Here’s Ford’s latest tactical weapon, built to knock Dodge and Chevrolet back into the stone age. The Raptor name needs no introduction to UK readers, because Ford sells its Ranger Raptor to any would-be hooligans who think Kent looks a bit like Baja, if you squint. But this is the F-150-based version and the even more Raptory Raptor R, complete with a supercharged 5.2-litre V8 good for 700 horsepower. Thanks to flared wings filled by 37in all-terrain tyres, the Raptor R fills…

“There won’t be mass adoption of sustainable ideas unless they are attainable, useful and fun. That’s what Oli is” Less excess, less consumption – but more fun. Cars of the future must be sustainable while still delivering mobility, freedom and aspiration. We must treasure and desire them. That’s easy to write but hard to do. The Oli concept is a demonstration of that belief. It sounds obvious to say that natural resources have a limited supply, but it’s a realisation that society is only just coming to. There’s a shift to restraint and sobriety, and expectation that our actions should have at least a neutral impact on the planet we live on. The tension is that very few people wake up in bed in the morning energised by sacrifices they…

I’ve got thermal underwear on, jeans, waterproof trousers, a T-shirt, a shirt, a woollen jumper, a gilet, a down jacket, gloves, a scarf and a full-face helmet. And I’m still freezing cold. Matt Prior is obviously made of tougher stuff because it doesn’t look like there’s quite so much ice coursing through his veins, but then that’s because he’s used to this frigid transport malarkey, on account of his bike licence. The reason we are suffering for our art, dear reader, lies underneath us, as Matt and I are sitting in the Polaris RZR and Segway Villain respectively, two off-and on-road buggies that are aiming to change the way we feel about these previous farm and forestry workhorses. We’re here to answer a very simple question: in the age of…

As an Autocar reader of some 30 years without ever having written in before, I was motivated to respond to Trevor Hunt’s enlightened letter in your 11 January issue. A black interior is more than a subjective issue – it’s a strongly practical one. Try buying any normal car that doesn’t have black carpets, often with black overmats – the silliest possible choice. The first footstep into the car in anything but a spotless shoe creates dirty marks. Every small mark shows. Then there is the recent fad for black headlinings. As a professional interior lighting designer, the last thing I would specify for a client (except a nightclub) is a black ceiling. In a car, it’s like driving with a thunderstorm permanently overhead. Black interiors absorb 95% of the…

MILEAGE 14,590 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see if the latest VW ’bus has all of the charms of its predecessors From one large empty volume to another. I was in the VW Multivan and in the area of the onceproposed TVR factory in Ebbw Vale so dropped by to see how it looked. Last time I did, two years ago, it was definitely supposed to be the new factory and appeared abandoned. Now TVR isn’t necessarily the new occupier (on the gate they say they’ve “no idea” who it’ll be and the company said it’s still deciding where to go), but it looks spick and span. And so back into the Multivan’s cavernous interior. Not factorysized, but it’s big enough for me not to see a half-finished milky cocoa…

Sometimes, a name doesn’t need all of its parts to garner recognition. Mention ‘Boris’ and it’s clear who you’re talking about, and the same goes for ‘G-Wagen’ – no need to stick Mercedes-Benz in front of that. Introduced in 1979 as a civilian version of a 4x4 initially made for military service, the original car, codenamed W460, did an 11-year stint until it was replaced in 1990 by the W463, marking the beginning of the G-Class’s reign as both a luxury car and status-enriching entity for the wealthy. Nearly three decades later, this was superseded by the highly Instagrammable second-generation W463. Although that car is considerably more modern to drive, the original W463 is the G we want, because it has already succumbed to the gods of depreciation. It offered…

Volkswagen has gone back to the drawing board for its longawaited ID 2 urban EV, providing its smallest electric car with a completely new exterior and interior that are set to be previewed on a new concept car in March. Scheduled to go on sale in 2025 at a targeted base price of €22,500 (£20,135) in today’s money, the compact five-seater is being lined up to get the Golf name, according to Wolfsburg insiders. Autocar sources have also confirmed that the ID 2 will be the first Volkswagen based on the MEB-Plus platform – an updated version of today’s widely used MEB electric car structure that features new LFP (lithium iron phosphate) prismatic battery cells and charging speeds of up to 200kW, among other developments. Nothing is official at this…

THE POLESTAR 4 has hit the road for the first time ahead of an anticipated launch by the end of the year, hinting at what to expect from the EV firm’s Porsche Macan rival. Pictures sent to Autocar show the rakish crossover donning light camouflage for its first round of public testing, having previously only been shown under a sheet in official images. The 4 is destined to fill the gap between the Polestar 2 saloon and recently revealed Polestar 3 SUV and will be its third series-production car. The Polestar 5 supersaloon will follow in 2024 and the Polestar 6 roadster will arrive a year later to ultimately give a varied line-up of five pure-electric models. These new shots reveal that the 4 will sit higher off the ground…

TWO NEW SUPERCARS mark the end of Lamborghini’s naturally aspirated V12 era. The Aventador-based Invencible coupé and Auténtica roadster are dubbed “a unique farewell” to the iconic engine. They arrive just before the unveiling of what is expected to be the Aventador’s successor with an entirely new V12 engine boosted by electric motors. The radically designed one-offs have a 6.5-litre atmo V12 sending a total of 769bhp and 531lb ft to all four wheels, which should give them a 0-62mph time close to 2.8sec and a top speed near 221mph. Lamborghini chairman Stephan Winkelmann said: “The V12 engine is one of the pillars of our history and our marque’s success. As we head towards embracing a new era of hybridisation at the heart of our Cor Tauri strategy, this is…

DESPITE THE RACE to electrify, there’s still plenty of room for interesting combustion engine stuff, especially in motorsport. Even if motor racing isn’t your bag, the statistics for Porsche’s latest thriller, the 670bhp V8 hybrid 963, are enough to warm the cockles of any self-respecting petrolhead. For those who don’t follow endurance racing, the 963 is an LMDh machine, giving Porsche the opportunity to compete in both the FIA World Endurance Championship and North America’s IMSA Sportscar Championship, which respectively include the two ‘big ones’ – the Le Mans 24 Hours and the Daytona 24 Hours. LMDh (Le Mans Daytona Hybrid) sits alongside Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) and in essence is a full-on, purpose-built racing sports car formula for the highest level of racing and nothing else. Using LMP2 chassis…

VOLKSWAGEN HAS revealed its facelifted Touareg in camouflaged form prior to a planned unveiling of the updated SUV in early May. Set for UK deliveries in October, the model receives a range of detailed mid-life changes in line with its sibling models, the Audi Q7 and Porsche Cayenne. All are based on Audi’s MLB platform and are produced alongside each other in the former Tatra factory operated by Volkswagen in Slovakia. Coming five years after the third-generation model was launched in 2018, the facelifted Touareg adopts a number of detailed styling revisions, including a lightly reworked front bumper and, in keeping with other models, a new LED light band across the top of the grille. Among the changes is a first for a Volkswagen sold in Europe: an illuminated logo…

The recently confirmed Euro 7 emissions regulations may have forced some investment here and there, but few firms seem to be doing proper research and development on brand-new combustion engines any more, clearly having other priorities. Mazda, as ever, is different. It believes in a global decarbonisation strategy that makes room for ICEs while there’s still call for them and while they can still be made more efficient. And as its new CX-60 3.3 e-Skyactiv D clearly demonstrates, in the case of the bigger ones in particular, they absolutely can. Mazda’s product renewal plan happens to have just delivered a new family of larger, longwaysengined SUVs: the CX-60 last year, the seven-seat CX-80 to Europe later this year and their CX-70 and CX-90 siblings to other global markets. And because…

MODEL TESTED XDRIVE60 M SPORT • Price £115,045 • Power 536bhp • Torque 549lb ft • 0-60mph 4.5sec • 30-70mph 3.4sec • Economy 2.6mpkWh • Max DC charging speed 196kW • 70-0mph 46.0m Perhaps it’s the inherently traditional character of the fullsized limousine that has made it one of the slower vehicle classes to embrace electrification. The race is now on, however, to carve out a lead in the fully electrified luxury saloon market – and BMW is joining the vanguard. Mercedes struck first with the EQS at the end of 2021, before the Genesis Electrified G80 arrived in 2022. And in 2023, we will see the segment-defining Tesla Model S return to the UK market in its latest form, reportedly followed by right-hand-drive examples of the Lucid Air. An…

An hour into our enthralling, enthusiastic one-on-one chat, Citroën chief Vincent Cobée proves that the best-laid plans can always be subject to a whim. It’s been set out in writing that under no circumstances am I to drive the Oli, the one-off, £1 million concept car set to go on a nation-tonation tour to energise dealers and customers prior to anyone outside the firm getting behind the wheel. But who does the person who set it out in writing report to? Well, Monsieur Cobée, of course, and as he’s the one asking, who’s to argue? Everyone hurries to prepare the Oli. Autocar has an exclusive. Of sorts. Full disclosure: we’re in an empty show hall in the NEC, Birmingham, not on the open road. But it is a special opportunity,…

GROUP TEST Honda Civic Type R vs rivals We’ve loved it in isolation, but now the new Type R faces its toughest test as it takes on the Audi RS3, Hyundai i30 N and VW Golf R DRIVEN AC Schnitzer M240i German tuning meister unlocks the magic in BMW’s junior coupé FEATURE Lunaz Meet the firm aiming to revolutionise how we can repurpose ICE cars in the age of EVs EVERY WEEK OUR CARS Ora Funky Cat China’s Mini-rivalling EV joins our fleet. Is it more than a cute name? USED GUIDE Bristol Fighter There are cult cars and then there’s this. How to buy a hyper-rare coupé SUBSCRIBE autocar.co.uk/subscribe or see p40…

MILEAGE 9227 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To find out if a big Citroën can make you feel relaxed about a charging network with so few places for a PHEV to plug in A utomated convenience features have become hard to avoid on so many cars. In terms of efficacy, they’re a very mixed bag, as often as not annoying and frustrating rather than making your life easier. Those on our C5 Aircross are a fine example. Some I’m coming to like, some I can’t turn off quickly enough, if at all – and a few cause such alarm as to threaten mishap. Highway Driver Assist, a £550 option, combines lane keeping assistance with adaptive cruise control, helping you keep the car within its lane and regulating your speed. The thing…

Volvo may have pulled off many splendid tricks with this secondgeneration XC90 – notably its impressive refinement, amazing practicality, sybaritic luxury and seven wholesome and very usable seats – but the trick for which it should really be applauded is how it makes this artlessly slabsided but space-maximising luxury SUV look so devilishly handsome. The first-generation XC90 was a bit of a peach to look at, too: all fruity and softly rounded. This later one is a larger, more purposeful and muscular four-square chariot clearly intent on doing whatever it takes to barge the likes of the Audi Q7 out of the arena. The XC90 also pulls off the trick of being properly aspirational and desirable, despite never offering any more than a four-cylinder engine under its imperious bonnet. Buy…

An owner’s view AHMAD KHASHAWI “It’s daunting to begin with, especially in one of the high-erpowered versions like the AMGs. As soon as you touch the throttle, it pushes you into the back of your seat. But once you’re on the move, it’s genuinely comfortable. Even when manoeuvring around town or driving generally, it’s quite easy, despite how big and boxy it is.” Buyer beware TRANSMISSION If you notice the car judder or shake while driving, this could be an indication that the propshaft is at the end of its life. Budget at least £1500 for a replacement. ▪ SUSPENSION As the coil springs carry significant weight on a car designed for on-and off-road use, they’re known to crack, particularly in cold weather. This is normally indicated by a loud…

A LIMITED-EDITION Mini Cooper SE convertible will arrive later this year, with a hefty price tag of £55,000. The firm claims it is the first convertible to be sold with electric power, with the Fiat 500 Cabrio EV its closest competitor, but that has only a landaulet rear. The news comes after the brand built a one-off electric convertible last year to “test the waters of emission-free, open-top driving with Mini”, which Autocar test drove and was impressed by. The production version is the result, albeit launched as a special edition and limited to just 999 cars in Europe and 150 in the UK. Mini hasn’t revealed a release date, or confirmed if the model will have a global presence. Like the prototype, the convertible gets the same 181bhp singlemotor…

Zeekr has shaken up the electric car market in its native China with uniquely styled offerings, and now has its sights on Europe – with the rest of the world to follow. The latest in a long line of EV specialists from the east, two-year-old Zeekr follows the likes of China’s Xpeng and Vietnam’s Vinfast with a swiftly evolving model range and bold plans. A representative told Autocar: “Zeekr’s target is to achieve annual deliveries of 650,000 units by 2025 and be among the top three in the premium EV industry globally.” And this is an ambition that can be taken seriously, because Zeekr sits within the expanding portfolio of Geely, beside Lotus, Lynk&Co, Polestar, Smart, Volvo and more. This is a group that is already very active in the…

The Vauxhall Corsa will receive a major mid-life refresh this year and gain the ‘Vizor’ grille that defines the Astra and Mokka. “We’re really making a big modern statement in how it looks, but at the same time there’s a lot of familiarity,” vice-president of design Mark Adams told Autocar. As Britain’s second-bestselling car, the Corsa plays a major role in rebuilding brand awareness for Vauxhall and, coupled with the new Astra released last year, “people will start to see way more [Vauxhalls] that have the new look and feel”, said Adams. In 2017, the Corsa was the first Vauxhall to move away from GM architecture and onto a PSA platform. However, it continued on the design path that had been set under GM, and big changes to the brand’s…

Kia says it remains committed to selling small cars in Europe, but as its Rio supermini becomes the latest victim of crossover takeover and a shepherd’s crook approaches from stage left to hoick it from sale, the cheap car takes another blow. Do I have to bore on about this again? I’m sorry, but it feels like we must revisit. As with Fords Fiesta and Puma, the supermini has given way to a crossover with a higher asking price (the Rio starts at £16,150, the Stonic that becomes its de facto replacement £20,100). The maker can’t make money from the supermini while meeting the latest regulatory standards without pushing its price so high that buyers opt for the plusher crossover instead. It’s a theme. New cars must be given so…

TEMPERS FRAYED AS the Nascar Cup Series started its 2023 with a fender-bending Clash at California’s Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The 150-lap gladiatorial preseason race on the quartermile oval was peppered by 16 caution periods, in an event that Kyle Busch described as a “disaster” after “disrespect from everybody”. Martin Truex Jr didn’t win at all last year in his Joe Gibbs Toyota, but he was bumped into the lead with 24 laps to go in LA and survived two final caution period restarts to score a sweet victory. He saw off Richard Childress Chevrolet pairing Busch and Austin Dillon, but the runner-up was the cause of great angst. Dillon had “dumped” a disgruntled Bubba Wallace into the wall in the closing stages, whereupon Wallace returned with retribution on his…

Ford may reckon it’s time to kill the family hatchback in Europe, but Toyota, whose UK-made Corolla now outsells the formerly market-leading Focus by nearly 20%, begs to differ. The Japanese giant has just made a wide-ranging series of updates to the Corolla, which currently jousts with Kia’s Ceed for second position behind the Volkswagen Golf in our C-segment hatchback market. The aim, it says, is to keep UK sales steady at their recent annual 18,000-plus level for the next few years while selling the other 85% of the hatchbacks and estates made in the vast, 500-per-day Burnaston plant into 35 export markets, the bulk of them going to the EU. Toyota’s experts are well aware of a decade-long decline in demand in this segment, noting that SUV sales in…

On average, each day five people die on UK roads and 84 are seriously injured. Those are sobering figures, but it’s comforting to know that rushing to provide assistance at the scene are not only the landbased emergency services but also one that arrives from above: the air ambulance service. There are 21 such services around the UK and, remarkably, they are all charities reliant for most of their income on donations. The first to take to the skies was Cornwall Air Ambulance, in 1987. Today, it and its 20 fellow services together fly around 80 missions per day, 32% of those involving medical emergencies while 68% are attending traumatic injuries. Providing emergency cover across a large swathe of the south-east is the Kent, Surrey, Sussex Air Ambulance Charity (KSS).…

Simplicity is key I wonder if someone can enlighten me as to why manufacturers are pushing keyless entry as a desirable feature. What’s the advantage of a less secure entry system? I’ve had a keyless-entry car stolen while parked on my drive, and video of the theft showed how quick and easy it was to steal. I now keep my keys in a Faraday pouch in my pocket when out and about. So to open my car I have to take the pouch out of my pocket and open it before the car will unlock. With my wife’s non-keyless-entry car, I take the keys out of my pocket and press a button. So it’s probably quicker to open her car than mine. There’s a well-known phrase that manufacturers would do…

Nissan continues its hot run of form LIKE TOYOTA NOW, Nissan was enjoying a golden era in the late ’80s and early ’90s and showing off with great performance cars. Having homologated the new Mk7 Sunny for Group A rallying with the scorching GTi-R in 1990, the Japanese firm set to work on a hot hatch for all, rivalling Honda’s Civic VTi and Vauxhall’s Astra GSi. Its look was toned down from the GTi-R, it drove via the front axle only and its 16v 2.0-litre four made 146bhp rather than 227bhp. But that was still strong when the kerb weight was 1111kg. It would spin up to 7500rpm and slug gamely from low revs, this class-leading flexibility meaning overtakes were never any bother (although standing starts could be), and the…

MILEAGE 5777 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To judge how Vauxhall is doing in the big-volume but tough hatchback market It’s odd how long it has taken me to find the correct answer to the essential question that springs from running a plug-in hybrid: what’s the fuel consumption really like? The difficulty results from the fact that, if you want to be literal about it, there are multiple answers – all incorrect. For short hauls, the consumption can be zero. And if you’re talking WLTP, the official figure is also magnificently daft. For this 178bhp 1.6-litre Astra, it’s 256mpg. See what I mean? At last, however, I’ve done enough miles over a big enough variety of journeys to have found the answer. And it’s good news. If you start with the…

A road test in any other magazine might well be a short, subjective summary of a new car produced under almost any circumstances, but the Autocar road test is different. Specific, rigorous and detailed, it’s the closest examination we can give of any new model. It appears over at least eight pages and is close to 50 man-hours in the making every week. Most of what the road test process entails is designed to be strictly repeatable and fair. We benchmark standing-start and in-gear acceleration at a purpose-built test facility every week. We carry out both subjective and objective handling tests on both road and track, on the latter up to and beyond the limit of grip, so as to fully assess stability, drivability and limit handling appeal. And while…

Most of the world’s swiftest machines have only two doors, because that’s generally the thing with sports cars. So driving a car that can hit a huge top speed while looking like it should be ferrying the family about holds a lot of appeal. Whether it’s a subtle Q-car saloon or something a bit more overt, fast four-doors are something to savour. Here’s our pick of the world’s fastest. Brabus Rocket 800 230mph Brabus’s reputation for going that bit further than other tuning firms was cemented with the Rocket 800. Unveiled at Frankfurt in 2011, the Mercedes CLS 63 AMG-based Rocket ditched the V8 for a 788bhp 6.2-litre twin-turbocharged V12. With upgrades to the brakes, suspension and aerodynamics, the Rocket 800 has a maximum speed of 230mph, although it was…