Innholdsfortegnelse for March 29, 2023 i Autocar

A PORSCHE TAYCAN-rivalling large saloon will be launched in 2027 as Alfa Romeo’s new flagship model alongside an all-electric replacement for the Stelvio SUV. The low-slung E-segment model, which will be signed off by the end of the year, will be a crucial step towards bolstering the brand’s popularity in the US and China, CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato said. It will arrive a year after the new Stelvio’s debut and both are expected to use parent Stellantis’s STLA Large platform. While the SUV – a follow-up to Alfa’s best-selling car in Europe, with 16,009 units sold last year – will major on practicality, the saloon will be focused on comfort and range, Imparato told Autocar. “If you speak about range, you speak about a sedan [saloon],” he said, hinting that it…

“Ford is keen to position the Puma as the ‘utility version’ of the Fiesta” The reveal of the new Volkswagen ID 2all concept – a compact and affordable electric hatchback touting Golf levels of practicality – has raised the intriguing prospect of VW providing its underpinnings to Ford for an electric Fiesta successor, but such a car will not immediately become a reality. The ID 2all, which will become the ID 2 when it reaches production, rides on a compact new variation of VW’s ubiquitous MEB architecture, called MEB Entry. Ford last week revealed its new Explorer, the first of two electric SUVs to use the full-sized version of the MEB platform. The company’s Europe boss, Martin Sander, told Autocar that, without Volkswagen’s platform, “we wouldn’t have an electric volume[-selling]…

CITROEN IS READYING a mix of smaller EVs that will be “priced aggressively” to beat rivals in this growing class. Due over the next few years, they will get “kick-ass” designs to attract a wider customer base to the brand, design boss Pierre Leclercq told Autocar. Starting with the upcoming C3 supermini, they are likely to share cues with the Oli concept, he announced. Pricing of around £25,000 is expected, given that Leclercq confirmed these EVs would have a “huge advantage” in their classes. Popular contenders today include the £27k MG 4 EV, £28k Fiat 500 and £32k Vauxhall Corsa Electric. “As premium brands look to become more premium, [there are still] some people who don’t have that kind of money to buy a car,” said Leclercq. “It’s going to…

GENESIS WILL LAUNCH a raft of high-performance electric vehicles, with quicker versions of its cars in development, as the brand bids to establish itself as a rival for Audi, BMW and Mercedes – and potentially further underlining the production potential of its trio of X concepts. Confirming that Genesis will pursue the development of high-powered electric cars, Mark Choi, head of product planning, said: “As a group [Hyundai], we are looking at the most efficient ways of developing electric cars as we approach the new era, but at Genesis it is clear that we want to be differentiated. We can’t just carry over from our sister brands. “We want to separate ourselves on the more high-performance side. We are not keen on a high-performance sub-brand or anything like that but…

Let’s look on the bright side: Fernando Alonso is surfing into this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix on a wave of feelgood optimism as he chases a hat-trick of podium finishes with a buoyant Aston Martin team. The 41-year-old’s chipper start to the season is as good as it gets right now in Formula 1 because, beyond Aston’s refreshing leap in performance, it’s a stretch to put a positive spin on a championship that’s braced for an unprecedented level of one-team domination – despite all the graft put in to level up the playing field. Let’s face it: if it hadn’t been for the driveshaft failure that left Max Verstappen 15th on the grid for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the champion would surely have won on the fast Jeddah Corniche…

TESTED 20.3.23, WORCESTERSHIRE ON SALE NOW FIRST DRIVES “The driving experience starts on the right foot by doing absolutely nothing to annoy you. It’s bliss” The Mk3 Bentley Continental is diversifying as it gets older. Specialising, you might say. Having appeared in simpler W12 and V8 guises, it now comes in V8, Azure, S, Speed and Mulliner forms, each one a car of slightly different priorities. And before you get to all of that, of course, you still need to decide whether you want a GT coupé or a GTC convertible. The S is the joker in the pack: a GT which has a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 that’s sweeter-revving and more demonstrative of character than the long-serving (and retirementbound) 6.0-litre W12 but which also has just the right cabin and…

The DS 7 – favoured wheels of the French president – has been updated for 2023, and the new car arrives in the UK with a range that starts at about £36,000 but tops out at more than £60,000. The most interesting derivatives are found at those extremities. At the top sits the new E-Tense 4x4 360, whose 355bhp, four-wheel-drive, bi-motor plug-in hybrid powertrain is essentially the same one found in the Peugeot 508 PSE, a performance saloon we rate highly. Meanwhile, the entry-level BlueHDi 130 is a front-driven 1.5-litre diesel whose underwhelming 10.7sec 0-62mph time ought to be in part outweighed by fine cruising economy. Given you can still pick mid-ranking but convincingly plush Rivoli trim, it could be a bit of a motorway hero – lavish within, efficient…

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Imagine filming yourself cleaning your car and posting the result on YouTube. How many views do you think you’d get? Half a dozen? A couple of hundred at a push? Five years ago, Gary Scott did exactly that, filming himself on his phone cleaning a Ford S-Max. He edited the video and then asked a mate to help him upload it. A couple of months later, the pair were having a drink in the pub when Scott’s friend revealed the video had notched up one million views. “I was stunned,” he says. “One million views of a bloke cleaning a car! I couldn’t believe it but it was the spur to post more videos of me doing the same thing.” ‘Dirtiest car ever?’, ‘Cleaning a disgusting smoker’s car’, ‘Filthy BMW’,…

The order book is full. Really full. Customers are waiting more than 18 months before we can start restorations of their beloved Minis. We’re routinely turning away minor jobs, servicing and MOTs – which really hurts our finances and customer loyalty. Like many engineering-based firms, we’re finding it impossible to recruit. Two roles have been vacant for a year. Although unemployment is falling, inactivity of those aged 50-64 has risen. For those who understand the value of skilled older workers in this trade, it’s cause for concern. There’s also a dearth of younger workers in the trade. It seems there’s a reluctance to take on apprentices, due to a perceived burden of red tape and a lack of tradesmen to train them. Fortunately, the past few years have seen the…

MILEAGE 2150 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT Ora is one of a number of Chinese EV brands hoping to make it big in Europe. Does its first model land on its feet? I recently shared the above photo on Twitter because I was struck by just how massive the Funky Cat looks when parked next to a pair of (what we used to think of as) big family cars. This is ostensibly a small hatchback, and indeed we consider it a close rival to the likes of the MG 4 and even the much smaller Fiat 500 and Mini Electric. But it’s only next to a Range Rover Evoque that its swollen proportions become obvious, and this made me stop and think: why is such a big car so limited in…

In theory, no one should really still like the Volkswagen T2. It’s underpowered, uneconomical and outdated. But to those for whom chasing the early riptide on that wind-swept Cornish beach can be reached by no other means than this one, that doesn’t seem to matter. To them the T2 is a logical imperative, and it is loved and adored by a coterie of enthusiasts who will accept no substitute for this ancient Vee Dub, despite its many flaws. To say a T2 is ‘slow’ is like saying Bill Gates is ‘comfortable’, or Stalin ‘was not the nicest chap’. A T2 is catastrophically sluggish, no ifs or buts. A typical unmodified one has a 1.6 litre air-cooled flat-four engine that coughs out 50bhp, giving a 0-60mph time of 30sec, depending on…

“Set to evolve to cover multiple segments, the new Giulia will not be sold alongside an ICE sibling” The Alfa Romeo Giulia will be reborn as an EV with up to about 1000bhp and a range of 435 miles as the Italian firm pushes towards a solely electric range by 2027. Set to evolve from its conventional saloon shape to cover multiple segments, the new Giulia is expected to arrive around the middle of the decade and will not be sold alongside a combustion sibling. Power will start at close to 345bhp and the hotter Veloce will offer roughly 790bhp, CEO Jean-Philippe Imparato confirmed to Autocar. The hardcore Giulia Quadrifoglio variant will arrive with “around 1000hp” (986bhp) – almost double the 503bhp of today’s twin-turbo petrol V6 car. This most…

Anew generation of the Skoda Superb will go on sale next year with plug-in hybrid powertrains that offer an electric-only range of 62 miles. This exceeds the range of every current plug-in hybrid within the Volkswagen Group and beats premium rivals such as the Volvo V90 Recharge (54 miles). It will position Skoda’s PHEVs alongside the Mercedes-Benz C300e Estate, which is also rated at 62 miles. The 62-mile electric-only range is 27 miles up on that offered by the current Superb iV PHEV, which is powered by a 1.4-litre turbocharged petrol engine mated to an electric motor and a 13kWh battery. The news was confirmed by Skoda CEO Klaus Zellmer at the brand’s annual conference, although he did not reveal specific details of the new powertrain’s set-up. The Skoda Kodiaq,…

ALPINE WILL OFFER a distinct line of performance models in addition to a range of more lifestyle-focused cars as it fleshes out its future electric line-up. The car maker is currently preparing a three-model ‘dream garage’ line-up for its transition to becoming the Renault Group’s premium electric brand, and those cars will be used to establish two clear-cut product lines. The inbound electric hot hatch – based on the Renault 5 – and the GT X-Over crossover will form part of the lifestyle branch, while the next-generation, electric A110 will spearhead the firm’s future sporting line-up. Speaking exclusively to Autocar, Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi outlined his vision, citing that even for a sporting manufacturer, models in alternative segments would need to be offered to fortify the brand’s future. Rossi said:…

SINCE THEY HIT the mainstream in the early 2000s, dual-clutch transmissions (DCTs) have travelled along a curious curve of driver acceptance. Initial joy that they were so much more compelling than the torque-converter slushers and automated manuals they replaced eventually gave way to a yearning for manuals as the novelty wore off. However, it’s hard to imagine Lamborghini’s new LB744 plug-in hybrid hypercar being fitted with anything else. Developed at Sant’Agata but doubtless drawing on the wider Volkswagen Group’s huge experience with DCT technology, Lamborghini’s eight-speed “double-clutch” transmission (so many different names for the same thing) is completely new and developed especially for the LB744. Breaking with Lamborghini’s tradition of mainly longitudinal engines and forward-facing gearboxes, the LB744 is powered by what might be described as a T-drive, with a…

The Mini Clubman was maybe the very first car to get my attention. Before supercars, probably even before Thomas Magnum’s Ferrari 308 GTS, the Clubman was in at the very start of my car fandom. Specifically I loved a red one, or a yellow one whose colour contrasted better with its black-chequered roof. It depended on which one my Scalextric controller was in charge of at the time. The Scalextric Minis that I knew as Clubmans were technically 1275 GTs, but I didn’t know the distinction at the time. I thought all flat-fronted Minis were the fast 1275cc ones, GTI variants of the normal Mini, and that was the end of it, because it wouldn’t have made any sense to me then for the maker to stick a different nose…

Take a look around you and it would be easy to assume the SUV has won the battle for on-road supremacy. Yet look at the sales charts and a slightly different picture emerges, with a far greater variety of cars. Sure, there are plenty of high-riders in the top 10, but they’re mingling with small and large hatchbacks, from mainstream and premium brands alike. One of the more surprising showroom successes has been the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, its blend of smart styling, upmarket vibes, cutting-edge tech and the lure of that three-pointed star a combination working like catnip. Some juicy PCP finance deals did it no harm either. The entry-level Mercedes was the fourth-best-selling car in the UK in 2021, having attracted more than 30,000 buyers, ahead of such mass-market luminaries…

Chinese tech start-up Human Horizons has created another head-turner to follow the X that it launched in 2020. Despite being from a hitherto unknown brand, called HiPhi, the X has routinely been the best-selling premium EV in China, beating rivals both foreign (Mercedes-Benz EQC) and domestic (Hongqi E-HS9). Although based on the same platform, the HiPhi Z is a very different proposition: a sporty GT to challenge the Porsche Taycan. Sporting sleek lines, the Z is a large car, at 5036mm long and 2018mm wide. Its most notable external features are its coach doors and tiny rear screen (the rear-view mirror shows you a live video feed). To open the doors, you press buttons mounted on the B-pillar. While many interior elements are theatrical, equally they’re usually functional. In the…

MODEL TESTED M60i XDRIVE Price £108,935 Power 523bhp Torque 553lb ft 0-60mph 4.2sec 30-70mph in fourth 5.2sec Fuel economy 20.7mpg CO2 emissions 276g/km 70-0mph 45.2m Nobody could dispute that BMW has got the bit firmly between its teeth concerning the business of fast, brash SUVs. How firmly is something that becomes apparent when you consider that the 523bhp, £109,000 X7 M60i tested here isn’t even the fastest, brashest BMW SUV you can buy, or even the second-most – step forward the new M-bespoke 653bhp XM and the recently upgraded 628bhp X5 M. But, of course, the X7 M60i’s remit is not simply to be as fleet-footed and dynamically able as it’s possible for BMW to achieve. It must also be endlessly practical and lavishly comfortable. There is an overlap with the…

If you want to know how wet it’s been, ask a farmer – or, failing that, the owner of an off-roading centre. I feel like I’ve been cold and damp to the core since October, but no, I’m told it has been so dry that extreme 4x4 drivers – mud-pluggers to the end – have found the quarry that we’ve come to already insufficiently challenging, even though it’s only the start of March. As they’re not wading up to their eyeballs, they now won’t be happy until it’s warm enough to go rock-crawling by day and barbecuing by night. But I don’t know. Two hours later, when I fish a front numberplate out of a water trough that has two feet of gloop the same consistency as a decent leek…

It was The Beatles’ George Harrison who suggested that Ganesha would make a suitable logo for Lanzante. The Hindu deity with an elephant’s head is said to bring luck – not that Lanzante appears to need it, judging by its salubrious Hampshire headquarters. Ganesha is also believed to be the remover of obstacles, which might have more direct relevance to the elite car restoration and preparation business. Nothing seems to be too difficult or beyond the small band of technical wizards and artisan engineers who populate this place. Lanzante is a familiar name, sewn into the rarefied, telephone-numbers-for-budgets end of the British car industry. But beyond its association with McLaren, we don’t know a great deal about it – so we’ve invited ourselves down to Petersfield to set that right.…

DRIVEN BMW M2 With ever-pricier M3s, is the M2 now the cult performance car hero? We get behind the wheel to find out INTERVIEW Adrian Hallmark After another year of record results for Bentley, we hear the CEO’s next ideas FEATURE Audi TT We bid it farewell on that island steeped in motorsport history: the Isle of, er, Wight EVERY WEEK ROAD TEST MG 4 EV How will the well-received cheap EV fare in its toughest test yet? OUR CARS Ssangyong Korando Korean SUV specialist’s new-era e-Motion EV joins our fleet SUBSCRIBE autocar.co.uk/subscribe or see p40…

MILEAGE 3866 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see if Volvo’s smallest batterypowered SUV can be a motorway commuter and weekend companion ange: it’s a word many of us dread. And it is a I’ve been running a Volvo XC40 Recharge EV for a few months now, so I’m in a good place to report on how much zap you get for your tap (yes, I’m coining that phrase). For any prospective EV owner, knowing if you will be able to get to where you need to go on a full charge is key. Gone are the days (for now, at least) of quick fill-ups. Factoring an extra 30 minutes into journeys is the new normal – one that I and many others don’t enjoy. So how is the XC40 faring…

Looks matter. Perhaps they shouldn’t, but they do – and it’s one of the reasons why people are drawn to the Lexus ES. This is one of the sharpest, sleekest and sportiest-looking compact executive saloons around and a welcome alternative to those familiar, same-again designs of its more commonplace German rivals. It’s intriguingly distinctive under the surface, too. Although rival lineups often feature hybrid variants nowadays, the ES is rare in that it’s hybrid-only. It has a 2.5-litre petrol engine that’s assisted by two electric motors fed by a battery pack – and that’s the sole set-up. So fuel economy is also another draw card for ES. It can officially average more than 50mpg and its CO2 emissions are low, at 119-128g/km, depending on the car’s specification. Don’t conflate frugality…

Bentley recently revealed that its W12 engine – which became a symbol of its successful rebirth under Volkswagen – will cease being made next year, after a production run of 100,000 over 20 years. But this is far from the longest-running engine ever made. Time, then, to salute the units whose character and class enabled them to endure across several decades. Volkswagen Type 1 1938-2003 (65 years) The Type 1 was the air-cooled flat-four engine designed for the original Volkswagen (nicknamed the Beetle, although never officially called that) and used for many years in other small VWs. It first appeared in 1938 as a 984cc unit with an output of 24bhp, giving the car a decent cruising speed of 60mph. It was reasonably simple to maintain and economical with it.…

ALFA ROMEO’S FIRST electric car will be launched next year as a Jeep Avenger-twinned compact crossover that aims to give the Italian brand a foothold in one of the most fiercely contested emerging segments of the market. Originally tipped to be called the Brennero, the new car will spearhead Alfa’s goal of attracting new buyers to the marque, especially families and females, as it looks to move away from being seen as just a “sporty brand” favoured by middle-aged men. It will be the smallest Alfa launched since the Mito supermini bowed out in 2018, and given that its Avenger sibling starts at £34,000 compared with the Alfa Tonale’s £38,000, it is also likely to be the cheapest. The compact crossover will arrive in June next year. It is expected…

CUPRA IS READYING a mix of larger vehicles to target North America as it looks to grow its global presence following a record year of sales. CEO Wayne Griffiths has confirmed that the new cars will ride on the Volkswagen Group’s SSP platform – effectively a fusion of VW’s current MEB and PPE architectures. This means the cars will arrive towards the end of the decade, given that the platform isn’t due until 2028 at the earliest. They will be electrically powered (Cupra’s last combustion car will be the 2024-bound Terramar SUV) because the Spanish firm “will not be looking to go to America with combustion cars”, said Griffiths. Cupra’s North American push remains on course for around 2030, confirmed Griffiths, who added that its entry into the market “will…

Just a week after unveiling its new electric flagship, the seven-seat EV9, Kia has previewed its third bespoke EV with a similarly styled SUV concept. The new EV5 follows the larger car in adopting the ‘Opposites United’ design ethos that will define all future models from the Korean brand. Referred to officially as the Concept EV5 for now, the electric SUV will be launched in China later this year, and Kia’s confirmation that plans will soon be announced for “other global markets” suggests that a European entry is likely. Technical details also remain largely under wraps, but the production version of the EV5 is likely to ride on a variation of the E-GMP platform that underpins Kia’s two existing bespoke EVs and another four that will follow before 2026. In…

Genesis is evaluating launching a small, Europe-focused luxury electric car, potentially beating Tesla’s mooted entry-level model to market. The car would take inspiration from the Mint concept of 2019, which received positive feedback but hasn’t yet yielded a production model. It was revealed at the New York motor show, before Genesis had launched in Europe. A production model would be likely to have a European focus, given the car’s compact dimensions. Mark Choi, head of product planning for Genesis, said: “We are looking at expanding our model line-up, and especially in Europe a smaller model is being considered. “But it is not a simple case of adding new models. We need to factor in the growth of sales anticipated for our current cars, weigh that against our manufacturing capacity, and…

The outrageous MG Metro 6R4 rally car is being revived by British specialist Motorsport Tools (MST) for 2024 with a supercharged Audi V6. Loosely based on the humble Austin Metro, the 6R4 is one of the most notorious – if not successful – Group B rally monsters of the 1980s. It came third in the 1985 RAC Rally, but its unreliable V6 engine kept it off the podium during the 1986 WRC season, during which Group B cars were banned, being deemed too dangerous. It was, however, one of the defining cars of the Group B era, and original examples are highly sought after today, commanding well over £200,000 in good condition. MST will build just five new examples at its Bangor base next year, each priced from £295,000 before…

“The Explorer strikes me as a real Ford, for real Ford people” MONDAY Goodwood to the rescue! For decades I’ve looked to the Geneva motor show to kick-start the Driving Fun season, but now there’s no longer one of those to rely on and who knows when it will be back? Luckily the Duke of Richmond’s famous Sussex estate, with the help of more than a dozen UK-based car sales companies, stepped forward with a superb Goodwood Media Drive Day that not only flagged some important Goodwood landmarks (75th anniversary of Goodwood circuit racing, 30th Festival of Speed) but allowed hacks to play – on road and circuit. I sampled a Lotus Emira, a Maserati Ghibli, a Ford Mustang (V8) and an Aston DBX 707 – all excellent – but…

You will, I’m sure, be shocked and amazed to learn that the Mercedes-Benz B-Class has received basically the same updates as its A-Class sibling. The mini-MPV has never been one of the brand’s bigger sellers, particularly now there are plenty of SUV alternatives, but the roomy hatchback aims to combine some of the practical elements of a peoplecarrying van and an estate. If anything, the changes to the B-Class are even harder to spot than on the A-Class. There are now LED lights front and rear, reprofiled bumpers and some new wheel designs, but otherwise the exterior is the same as before. Inside, the dashboard is pretty much copied from the A-Class, distinctive eyeball-style air vents and high-grade materials and all. It therefore also gains the frustrating MBUX upgrades, new…

When BMW replaced the 6 Series with the 8 Series in 2018, it aimed to raise the profile of its coupé, cabriolet and four-door coupé trio. But while it proved a strong sporting coupé, it has always felt more like a 5 Series derivative than its name suggests. Just over four years on, the 8 Series has had an update that doesn’t look like it will markedly change that. The interior was always the issue, being impeccable in its quality but too plain and businesslike next to that of the Lexus LC or Porsche 911. That’s just as true today, although you might prefer it to the tech-fest that is the new Mercedes-AMG SL. The lack of major change inside is also a blessing in disguise. The screen is up…

This might come as a shock, and we should probably whisper this, but there are only so many cars that you can actually own and drive in a lifetime. The harsh reality is you won’t be able to afford or insure that supercar until you’re at the other end of your life, ironically when something with easy ingress and egress is probably more appropriate. So for each of life’s stages there’s a used car to fit the bill, here divided into sensible, fun and wildcard choices. YOUNG AND FREE VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 2016 1.6 TDI Bluemotion Tech Match, 60,000 miles, £11,000 The no-brainer used buy, especially in Mk7 format. Easy to drive, dependable and with super-frugal petrol and diesel engines. Suspension bushes will go eventually. Always premium priced but absolutely worth…

Loyalty test Any car enthusiast welcomes the reawakening of the Lotus brand, with great products and, on the face of it, a fresh approach to customer experience. We want it to thrive. So for the first time in my life, I put down a deposit for a new sports car: an Emira. I could see myself becoming a loyal Lotus follower. When rebuilding its brand, Lotus presumably wants to hear just that. I ordered a car within two days of the online order books opening, with a promise of a sub-£60k price. I recognise that the pandemic and inflation have impacted the price of the car I ordered and the price I will pay. I knew the First Edition would be more expensive, too. But when, only a few months…

Coal and wood to replace petrol AS THE WAR machine grew ever hungrier and merchant shipping ever harder, petrol became an extremely important yet very scarce commodity in Britain. Fortunately, the government had foreseen such a dire scenario as early as 1937 and thus initiated trials of an alternative method of vehicle propulsion: producer gas. This fuel was made by burning natural substances, mostly coal, derivatives thereof and wood. Flammable gases would be sent through to the carburettors of the engine as temperatures rose in the fire zone: methane (300-450deg C), hydrogen (700-800) and carbon monoxide (1000). Tests on a truck showed that, on anthracite (hard coal), its sixcylinder engine produced only 40-56% of its best power, because the gas and air mixture had just 60% the calorific value of…

MILEAGE 7311 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see if one of the world’s best driver’s cars can also prove sufficiently easy to live with for it to still make sense I know. Of all the pictures I could have taken in all the locations to which it’s been, I choose one of me filling up the A110’s washer bottle at some motorway services on the M4. Could I really not have thought of anything more interesting to illustrate this story? Or, indeed, to spend the next 600 words writing about? Well, no, as it happens. I won’t spend all the space below talking about the car’s on-board windscreen-clearing strategy, but there is a very specific reason why I am doing so now – and it has very little to do…

An owner’s view JON CONSTABLE “Mechanically, T2s are pretty sound. Bodywork is often expensive to repair and it’s worth checking for signs of excess filler. These are old cars so if you notice a body panel that looks dead straight, there’s a good chance it’s been filled. Original panels were often slightly rippled due to the manufacturing process. If you’re looking to buy, do your research and look at as many examples as you can. It’s worth taking a fridge magnet with you and running it along the side of the bus to check for excess filler.” Buyer beware GEARBOX Check for any sign of oil leaks around the gearbox, which can point to work being carried out on a worn rear crankshaft seal. The bearings in the gearbox can…