Innholdsfortegnelse for April 5, 2023 i Autocar

“The tub is lighter and stiffer, but the hybrid system makes the car significantly heavier” Lamborghini’s longawaited successor to the Aventador has arrived as the Italian marque’s first proper foray into the electric age – albeit with the bulk of the Revuelto’s 1000bhp being drawn from a new 6.5-litre V12 engine. The Italian firm’s maiden plug-in hybrid, which was codenamed LB744, is the most potent supercar in its history. It can therefore deliver some eye-watering numbers: 0-62mph in 2.5sec, 0-124mph in less than 7.0sec and a top speed beyond 217mph. This is due to the V12 being supplemented by three 147bhp electric motors – one inside the new eight-speed dualclutch automatic gearbox and one on each front wheel. Keeping V12 power was a battle, admitted former chief technical officer Maurizio…

THE FORTHCOMING FISKER Ocean electric SUV can travel from London to Glasgow on one charge, the American start-up has claimed. The Austrian-built BMW iX3 rival has scored an official WLTP range of 440 miles in its top-rung Extreme spec. This is longer than that of any electric SUV currently on the market, far beyond the 348 miles offered by the Tesla Model X and the 365 miles of the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV. Set to go on sale in Europe by the end of April, with deliveries planned to commence shortly after, the Ocean will start at around £35,000 in the UK. Entry-level models will get a smaller battery and therefore offer only 275 miles of range. NISSAN ENGINEER ELECTRIFIES ’80s LEGEND Nissan has previewed a one-off electric reimagining of 1988’s…

VIRITECH, which revealed its 1000bhp FCEV Apricale hypercar at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last year, is focusing just as hard on hydrogen storage solutions for fuel cell vehicles as it is on fuel cell powertrains. Working with Haydale, a specialist in grapheneenhanced nanomaterials, it is developing a new and more efficient hydrogen storage tank. It was Haydale that helped produce the graphene-reinforced tanks for the Apricale. It also collaborated with BAC to produce grapheneenhanced bodywork parts for the BAC Mono. In this latest meeting of minds, Haydale will be working with Viritech to develop new materials and resins. Viritech’s aim is to produce ‘type V’ pressure vessels for FCEVs and, in doing so, the pair expect to ratchet up the viability of FCEVs another notch. The way hydrogen pressure…

“We’ve always been more forward leaning on this stuff than the EU,” said energy secretary Grant Shapps last week as the UK government released more information on its plans for zero-emissions vehicles. More forward leaning on ideas, perhaps – mandating the introduction of zero-emissions cars by 2030 rather than by 2035 and refusing to consider e-fuels for specialist vehicles while the EU has – but no more forward leaning on making concrete plans. Last week, the government released its ‘consultation on a zero emission vehicle mandate and CO2 emissions regulation for new cars and vans in the UK’, which proposed year-on-year industry reduction of average car and van CO2 emissions until new pure-ICE sales are banned in 2030. However, the consultation will run to the end of May, it won’t…

For the petrolhead of realistic means, fresh metal doesn’t get much more enticing than a new M car. Especially one with a manual gearbox. Yes, there are the hardcore lightweights from Caterham et al, but special as they undoubtedly are, you can’t use them daily. A rearwheel-drive, tin-top coupé with a deep genetic predisposition for cornering antics, genuine refinement over distance, all the mod cons and back seats, though? The second-generation BMW M2, successor to an irrefutable superstar, comfortably fits the description, and there’s lots to like about it. For one thing, it’s faster than you would ever need. It’s also a damn sight more attractive in the metal than in those leaked photos from last year, and it will oversteer for Deutschland. But let’s put the champagne on ice…

Never change, Mazda. This is the firm that appropriated the British roadster, saving it from extinction, and that championed the rotary engine so dedicatedly that when it plumbed one into a Group C racer, victory at Le Mans followed. Quite incredible. Yet 2023 might just bring the most iconoclastic move in its long history. While everyone else is rapidly downsizing and fitting transverse, hybrid powertrains, if not electric ones, Mazda has just come up with a new 3.3-litre turbodiesel straight six that natively drives the rear axle. Have we teleported back to 2003? This is a contender for the most unexpected development of recent years, although as we found when we met the CX-60 3.3 e-Skyactiv D in February (in RWD guise, not the more potent 4WD form here), there…

They really did name it after the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, you know. The Audi TT turns 25 this year, and although the car obviously has never competed in the world’s most famous motorcycle race, NSU, which was one of the firms that merged to create Audi in the 1960s, made motorbikes that did – including taking a one-two-three-four in 1953’s 250cc race. So the TT, Audi’s TT, is a tribute, a homage, to the real thing, even if doesn’t itself have the pedigree. Which leads me and a last-of-theline model as the TT bows out of production onto a ferry bound for the Isle of Wight, where something else TT-inspired is afoot. No, dear reader, I’m not above wretched contrivance. Yes, the not-exactly-TT is going to do the…

MODEL TESTED LONG RANGE SE Price £29,495 Power 201bhp Torque 184lb ft 0-60mph 7.1sec 30-70mph 6.1sec Economy 3.0mpkWh Max DC charging speed 139kW 70-0mph 55.1m The MG 4 represents MG Motor switching gears, which is perhaps ironic given that the sub-brand of Chinese giant SAIC has in recent years become known for selling EVs. This is something it has been rather successful at, too, thanks to long ranges and keen prices. So far, though, modern-day MGs have been purely rational purchases, as everything other than range and price tends to be average at best and most praise qualified with ‘for the money’. In these inflationary times, there is lots to be said for value motoring, of course, but all things being equal, you would prefer a car that inspired some…

MILEAGE 7960 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To judge how Vauxhall is doing in the big-volume but tough hatchback market Eureka moment: at last I’ve found the Astra PHEV’s tachometer in the plethora of instrument layout options on its driver’s screen. It’s a modest enough harbinger of information: an anonymous-looking ribbon graph, only identifiable as a tacho because the engine’s crank speed is shown in figures just above it. I went looking for RPM in the Astra’s enigmatic array again after receiving a mild-mannered rap on the fingers from Vauxhall’s man when I recently wrote that the car didn’t have a tacho. I was wrong and am much happier to have one, even if the whole instrument layout lacks the warmth and eye appeal that designers have traditionally used to inspire…

Please stop interfering There have been many interesting articles and comments in recent issues concerning the direction of travel of the motor industry. It’s clear that manufacturers have fully bought into the need to embrace sustainability and fully respect the environment through exploring an array of possibilities. It’s true that they’ve really only moved in this direction because of a long series of regulatory diktats imposed on them, but could it be that those fairly clumsy policies are now becoming a hindrance rather than a help to the cause? As you’ve often noted, they’re forcing cars to become ever larger, heavier, more complex, pricier, pointlessly faster and more consumptive of rare materials, while laden down by an apparently never-ending list of so-called safety features. Have we reached a point where…

Teamwork makes the dream work, as they say. For proof of concept, you need only to look at the Audi RS2 Avant. The story of its creation is remarkable – and so is the car itself. In the early 1990s, Audi wanted to build a performance car that would boost its image and keep BMW’s M division awake at night. It had an estate car, the 80 Avant, to base it on, along with the S2’s five-cylinder turbocharged engine and Quattro four-wheel drive system to work with. However, all of this wasn’t enough to make Audi’s idea into a reality. So it looked for outside help. Porsche answered the call and agreed to co-develop what became known internally as the P1. Audi would get its performance car and, in return,…

MAZDA MX-5 2.0i 2006, £3995, 45,000 miles The Mk3 MX-5 now represents great value with the rev-happy 2.0-litre engine and limited-slip differential, which gives sublime handling balance. Beware engine oil starvation and rust on the sills and subframe. TOYOTA RAV4 2.0 GX 4WD 1994, £2500, 140,000 miles The original soft-roader could be the key to living your outdoor dreams this summer, being capable enough for a green lane or beachfront but not so expensive that you will be afraid of damaging it. FORD S-MAX 2.5T TITANIUM 2008, £4995, 80,000 miles Need to get the kids somewhere in a flash? This apparently ordinary MPV handles surprisingly dynamically and borrows its 2.5-litre turbocharged five-pot from the Focus ST hot hatch of the same era, making it genuinely rapid. MERCEDES-BENZ SL 500 1995, £11,995,…

“The electric Tiguan has a more traditional and upright exterior design than the ID 4 and ID 5” Volkswagen is preparing to launch a trio of crucial new electric SUVs under a revised ID model strategy recently implemented by its CEO, Thomas Schäfer. The three new SUVs have been conceived to provide the German car maker with a broader spread of electric models in each of Europe’s key market segments. They will build on the foundations laid by the ID 4 and ID 5 – both of which are set to be upgraded with more powerful electric drivetrain options later this year, prior to receiving a facelift and more contemporary digital interior functions in early 2024. Included in Volkswagen’s electric SUV plans are a pair of big-selling new crossovers –…

The Aston Martin DB11 is expected to be renamed the DB12 after an extensive mechanical and technological overhaul, a new trademark filing has suggested. The British company applied to register ‘DB12’ with the US Patent and Trademark Office – although it told Autocar that it “regularly files” such applications to “protect names for possible future use”. New images captured by Autocar’s spy photographers show a revised front fascia that appears to be inspired by last year’s DBR22 speedster. Company chairman Lawrence Stroll previously said the evolved DB11 will be an “all-new” car, bringing upgraded engines, gearboxes and suspension and, most importantly, an overhauled interior.…

It’s nearly time for the wraps to come off BMW’s long-awaited electric 5 Series, which has completed the final stages of endurance testing in harsh environments in readiness to go on sale later this year. The new BMW i5 will join the iX1, i4 and i7 in Munich’s swiftly expanding range of EVs. The model was confirmed for a 2023 launch in January, but only now has the firm released images of the Mercedes-Benz EQE rival undergoing a hardcore testing programme on ice, snow and rough roads in northern Sweden. In a year-long test phase, the i5 “repeatedly demonstrated both the stability of its electric powertrain and its dynamic performance qualities”, and performed “at least as proficiently as any conventionally powered model on ice and snow”, said BMW. A debut…

The next-generation Maserati Quattroporte is about to be signed off ahead of its launch in 2024, when it will go on sale as a smaller, more luxurious and electric-only replacement for both the current V8 car and its Ghibli sibling. Based on the STLA architecture that will underpin all future EVs from Maserati (and most models from its 13 Stellantis sibling brands), the Quattroporte Folgore will be the brand’s third electric car but its first to be offered without a combustion option. As a result, it will play a key role in shaping the brand’s future as it pushes to ditch combustion power by 2030. Giving Autocar the first details of Maserati’s hotly anticipated Porsche Taycan rival, CEO Davide Grasso said it is “unmistakably a Maserati” but also “such a…

A British start-up has announced plans to produce a range of four quadricycles aimed at developing nations in Asia. The quartet, produced by Oxford-based Helixx, use a shared platform engineered to L7e regulations – legally limited to 20bhp and a maximum kerb weight of 450kg (rising to 600kg for cargo vehicles). Two commercial variants are planned: a van with 2100 litres of cargo space and a pick-up with a 1.64-square-metre bed. They will be joined by two passenger models: a minivan and an open-sided tuk-tuk. Top speed across the range is 50mph. Arriving in May, they can accommodate up to six swappable 2kWh LFP battery modules for a combined 12kWh and a range of 124 miles. Support for additional packs, to further boost range, is currently being tested. None of…

“Does Sunak care about cars, transport or the jobs-rich UK industries that create them?” MONDAY As history rolls on, I can’t help noticing how the automotive industry makes life tougher for us scribblers by doing even its bad cars better and better. Time was when you could sort cars easily into those that would succeed and those that wouldn’t, but not now. I struck an extreme example today when I delivered the Steering Committee’s 28,000-mile Mini Cooper S to the local dealer for servicing and they kindly loaned me a Mini Countryman PHEV to replace it. Truth time: I’ve always viewed the Countryman (aka The Fat Mini) as a dog. The styling is so grim that it makes the average knobbly supermarket potato look like it was designed by Marcello…

The ID 3, ID 4, ID 5 and ID Buzz have now firmly established Volkswagen within the EV ranks. Between them, they accounted for nearly 10% of the German giant’s global sales in the final quarter of last year. Now Volkswagen is looking to build on this success with the ID 7, a new liftback-style saloon that is planned to head into UK showrooms by the end of 2023 – with the promise of an even more practical estate sibling set for arrival in early 2024. This latest ID model is aimed squarely at the Hyundai Ioniq 6 and Tesla Model 3, with Volkswagen wanting you to think of it as an upmarket electric alternative to the traditional combustionengined Passat. Pricing has yet to be announced, but Volkswagen suggests it…

Dimples may be the easiest way to spot the Suzuki Swace from the Toyota Corolla Touring Sports with which it shares a Derbyshire production line. It has cut-outs at the lateral extremes of its front bumper that look like they route cooling air to the brakes but are actually just styling affectations. The Corolla doesn’t. There are other ways. Suzuki is pitching its car, which has just been updated for the 2023 model year, at the lower end of the Corolla range, as a value offering, so you can have it with only wee-looking 16in alloys and the 1.8-litre hybrid powertrain. Still, if you really want winningat-life fuel economy out of your car and don’t mind looking like an Uber driver, those things probably won’t bother you. Actual Uber drivers…

Autonomous cars were once the hottest topic in the automotive industry, developed at vast expense by everyone from existing manufacturers to ambitious interlopers and set to revolutionise everything from personal mobility to the fundamentals of car design. And now? Maybe not so much. While the concept is far from abandoned, the vigour with which it is being pursued is dampened. Ford and Volkswagen have dumped their joint venture, Renault describes the technology as a “moonshot” and Tesla is still a long way from putting anything on sale that lives up to its Full Self-Driving nomenclature. Yet in a corner of Coventry, on the very foundations of the Humber car company (maker of the Hawk, Snipe, Sceptre and more until 1967), is a thriving British firm that apparently didn’t get the…

MILEAGE 5565 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see why people are scrambling for this latest hybrid crossover offering Last month, I told you that I had got a mere 39mpg on the previous tank of petrol in my Toyota Yaris Cross. Honestly, I expected far more from the little hybrid crossover, and indeed its trip computer had said 53mpg – but a calculator never lies. I therefore wasn’t at all surprised when I got an email from reader Richard Lofthouse saying: “I’m wondering how you managed to average 39.0mpg. That tells me that probably you went out in it in a fairly blithe, ‘my inner Purosangue will show the way’ [attitude], pinned it down the motorway at 85mph or repeatedly floored it to prove that of course the rolling acceleration…

After reading Matt Prior’s review of the new Ferrari Purosangue (8 March), I had a delicious and comforting thought that has taken hold of my imagination and ensured decent sleep and a calm demeanour ever since. Could the philosophy of this Ferrari be an inadvertent insight into the forthcoming trio of new Jaguars? Ferrari insists the Purosangue isn’t an SUV; Jaguar has said SUVs will be handled by Land Rover; and we know saloons and sports cars aren’t the future fare for car makers. So what if Jaguar’s new trio are high-riding, four-wheel-drive, four-wheel-steered, highly luxurious, high-performance, four-seat, four-door sports cars? The Purosangue is an extraordinary car, and I think Ferrari could sell more than it will offer, but what excites me more about it is that it does bring…

An expert’s view ALEX GREEN, FONTAIN MOTORS “Cosworth a bit gauche? Integrale too fragile? With a pleasingly alliterative blend of performance, personality and practicality, an RS2 is what you need. It’ll win any game of Top Trumps against its workaday four-cylinder peers, and because it was a sensible estate car when new, it still works as one today. They’re not cheap any more and parts can be difficult, but the wait-wait-whoosh power delivery is properly addictive, depreciation is non-existent and the classic Audi community is active and enthusiastic if you need a hand. Kids in the back, dog in the boot, aim for the horizon and the whole family can enjoy your investment as its maker intended. The ultimate usable classic?” Buyer beware… ENGINE The RS2-specific cambelt needs changing every…

An open-top variant of the T33 coupé will be the fourth car from Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA), due out in 2025. It commands a near-£500,000 premium over its sibling, at £1.8 million, yet around half of the 100 examples planned have already been sold. With a targa-style roof and new design from the A-pillar backwards, the T33 Spider is more than just a rebodied T33 coupé, pressed company founder Gordon Murray. It is just 18kg heavier than its 1090kg sibling, due mostly to “single grams from every component” being shaved. The carbonfibre roof, which splits into two panels for storage in the ‘frunk’, also plays a role. With the same 607bhp Cosworth-made 3.9-litre V12 mid-mounted and driving the rear wheels, the T33 Spider – which is about the size of…

FAST-MOVING CHINESE premium EV brand HiPhi will shortly give details of a crucial third car to sit underneath its luxurious X SUV and Z grand tourer – and it will announce plans to enter the European market by the end of 2023. The HiPhi Y – as it is expected to be called – will open new doors for the fouryear-old Shanghai-based marque created by tech startup Human Horizons. The brand hopes targeting a lower price point and higher sales volumes will give it a foothold as it expands worldwide. Speaking exclusively to Autocar, HiPhi chief technology officer Mark Stanton (previously head of Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations) hinted that the third car, based on the same architecture as its range-mates, will be revealed at the Shanghai motor show…

JEEP HAS REVEALED a fresh collection of off-road concept cars as a showcase of what the American SUV specialist could offer in years to come. Demonstrated at the 57th annual Easter Jeep Safari event in Moab, Utah, the seven one-of-a-kind 4x4s range from restomods to unique creations. Here are the highlights… MAGNETO 3.0 The most striking and technically advanced of the group is a two-seat EV that “points to the direction of the future of Jeep”, according to designer Mark Allen. It gets 641bhp and 900lb ft from a custom-built compact axialflux electric motor. Power is drawn from a 70kWh battery and sent through a six-speed manual gearbox – but sadly neither will make production. 1978 CHEROKEE 4xe Classic SUV now sits on a modern Wrangler Rubicon 4xe chassis. Modern…

THE NEXT STAGE OF Smart’s electric evolution will take the form of a coupé-SUV, which will be officially unveiled at the Shanghai motor show later this month. The new Smart #3 will rival the upcoming Ford Explorer, Peugeot e-2008 and Kia Niro EV. It has been designed to bring new customers to Smart – which is owned 50:50 by Mercedes-Benz and Geely – and give the brand a foothold in the increasingly popular electric SUV market. Taking design cues from the smaller Smart #1 – itself arriving this summer – the #3 will be similar in size to the VW ID 4, according to leaked information from China. A choice of two motor set-ups, like the #1, are expected, with power starting from 268bhp. A Brabus performance variant is likely…

Jaguar has a rocky record in motorsport, beyond its storied sports car legacy, built at Le Mans in the 1950s and then enhanced so sensationally in Group C during the 1980s. Elsewhere, it has been patchy – at best. Let’s not linger on the Formula 1 humiliation at the start of this millennium, an ill-starred campaign mangled by spectacular mismanagement from its then parent company, Ford. No wonder the British brand stayed away from the grids for so long. Yet for the past seven years, Jaguar has been back on track – although you can be forgiven if you haven’t noticed. Jaguar Land Rover’s compulsion to electrify the leaping cat led it to Formula E, a curate’s egg of a series that has attracted major manufacturer investment but only a…

“There’s 2580kg of mass at play, but it’s nevertheless quite agile” There’s something reassuringly, quintessentially Mercedes-Benz about the name of the company’s latest electric car. It’s an SUV version of the EQE saloon, so it has been called the EQE SUV – natürlich. Its mechanical specification is equally rational. Like the EQE and the EQS duo, it’s based on Mercedes’ Electric Vehicle Architecture, and it offers familiar motive machinery. A trio of dual-motor, four-wheel-drive models have been confirmed for the UK, making 288bhp (EQE 350 4Matic), 402bhp (EQE 500 4Matic) and 469bhp (AMG EQE 43 4Matic). Nothing is unusual about its smooth, rounded design, either. In fact, with a drag coefficient of 0.25, it’s Mercedes’ most aerodynamically efficient SUV to date. New windcheating developments include patented elements within the front…

SAVE UP TO 62% Subscribe today and enjoy extra benefits First13issuesfor£34.99 Visit autocar.co.uk/subscribe, scan the QR code or call 0344 848 8816 and quote promotional code ‘BAU23PA’ TERMS AND CONDITIONS This is a UK-only offer; for overseas offers, please visit themagazineshop.com/aca/BAU23PA or call +44 (0) 1604 251 450. All savings are based on the UK cover price and are correct as of January 2023. Please allow up to 35 days for delivery of your first issue. Direct Debit rates are valid for one year, after which they are subject to change; should prices change, we will inform you in writing. Should you wish to cancel your subscription, it will be cancelled on expiry of the current term, which will not be refundable, other than in exceptional circumstances. Details of the…

MILEAGE 3320 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT Has going electric broadened the appeal of Renault’s family hatch? Considering what a popular little be among my friends, many of whom have commented on what a stylish design it is, the Renault has been surprisingly antisocial. For a start, it doesn’t seem to like shaking hands – or, more properly, the allimportant electrical ‘handshake’ that prefaces a successful charge – to the extent that it’s fast becoming the Arsène Wenger to the wall charger’s Alex Ferguson. This first happened at the office, when I left the car plugged in for the day and returned to find a red light flashing on the charge port and the battery level unchanged from when I’d parked it in the morning. I then had the same issue…

FEATURE BMW 3 Series It has never been more successful, so what’s the secret behind its long run at the top? We dig into the cult of 3 DRIVEN Aiways U6 Chinese rival to VW ID 5 arrives in Europe with a promising ploy: handling by Prodrive CASE STUDY Solar panels and EVs Is this energy ‘loop’ the key to domestic bliss in a cost of living crisis? EVERY WEEK ROAD TEST Polestar 2 BST Edition 270 We run the rule over the Polestar 2 with motorsport-inspired handling USED GUIDE Bentley Brooklands Coupé was badly timed but brilliant. Here’s what to look out for SUBSCRIBE autocar.co.uk/subscribe or see p36…

Alfa Romeo GTA inspires THE GTA VERSION of the Alfa Romeo Giulia is one of the very best performance cars of today – just as the original was in 1965. Two years later, we were able to test a rally-prepared one. The GTA received the shorter wheelbase, myriad weight-saving measures (to about 760kg), closer gears and a new head, Weber carbs and a new distributor for the atmo 1.6-litre four (160bhp). Race engineers had also fitted a limited-slip diff, heavy-duty clutch, special exhaust and more. All this meant 0-60mph could be covered in a swift 8.8sec and a quarter mile came in 16.7sec. “The grip in the wet was quite astonishing, and even on muddy patches we were able to turn on the power very early in the bends without…

Volkswagen runs two museums in its home town of Wolfsburg. The first, called ZeitHaus, is like a book of the 100 most emblematic cars brought to life and some, of course, are VWs. The second, dubbed Stiftung, is like walking through the minds of the brightest, most daring engineers VW has ever employed. Obscure one-offs, crucial production cars, prototypes never shown to the public and once-popular concept cars all retire under the same roof. Join us as we explore the shady, forgotten side of the firm’s history. EA 48 1955 Although it never reached production, VW’s 1955 EA 48 prototype was shockingly similar to the Mini that Austin released in 1959. It stemmed from VW’s effort to develop a car positioned below the Beetle in terms of size, performance and…