Innholdsfortegnelse for April 19, 2023 i Autocar

THE FIRST ALL-ELECTRIC Mercedes-Maybach ushers in a new era for the ultra-premium sub-brand as the German car maker pushes forward with a profit-focused strategy centred on large, plush cars. A luxurious reimagining of the standard EQS SUV, the range-topping Maybach EV, badged EQS 680, is intended to position Mercedes at the head of the premium EV table by offering a bespoke luxury electric 4x4 before main rivals Bentley and Rolls-Royce. An evolution of the Maybach Concept EQS, the car’s key specs include a 659bhp, 701lb ft twin-motor powertrain (up 123bhp and 68lb ft on the current top-rung EQS 580 4Matic) and a 373-mile range (down five miles from the same 108.4kWh battery). But it is the interior that has received the most attention and where Mercedes hopes it can attract…

Lancia has revealed a bold new electric sports coupé that previews the design, technology and positioning of its future production cars. The Pura HPE is derived from the floating ‘Pu+Ra Zero’ sculpture the firm unveiled last year as a preview of its future design intent. The ‘HPE’ element of its name is taken from the High-Performance Estate variant of the successful Beta that redefined Lancia’s image in the 1970s, but in the Pura’s case it stands for ‘High-Performance Electric’. The stylistic influence of Lancia’s iconic past models is clear: the rear end is a futuristic reinterpretation of the Stratos, the ‘calice’ LED front light bar is derived from the chrome motif on the front of cars such as the original Delta and Aurelia, and there is more than a passing…

NEW LIMITED-EDITION variants of Alfa Romeo’s Giulia and Stelvio Quadrifoglio mark a century of the sporting subbrand and bring with them a slight uplift in power and a host of unique features. Capped at 100 units worldwide per car, the pair, badged Quadrifoglio 100 Anniversario, have their 2.9-litre V6 twin-turbo engines uprated to 513bhp (up from 503bhp) and a mechanical limited-slip differential added. The pair also benefit from cosmetic touches that include commemorative QV badges with gold accents, gold brake calipers and matching gold interior stitching. UK pricing has not been confirmed, but only a few examples of each will come here, expected to command in excess of £80,000.…

Technology that will halve EV charging times, without the need for any battery overhauls, is being primed for a roll-out by the middle of the decade. MagLiB, which uses a magnetic field to charge batteries, could deliver “150-200 miles in under 10 minutes”, said Thomas Heenan, creator and CEO of start-up Gaussion. The charge is deployed via a pad connected to a power source, installed in the ground, in a similar way to a wireless phone charger. Because it can be used with any existing EV or charging system, it could transform the lives of EV drivers and reduce bottlenecks at charging stations if the technology were used across the public networks, he added. The technology works by externally subjecting a lithium ion battery to a specially designed magnetic field…

I suppose it’s not meant for us. The BMW XM was reviewed last month (Autocar, 22 March) by my colleague Richard Lane, who tells me that more than half of these 2710kg, 644bhp plug-in hybrid M cars will find their homes in the US and China, with the Middle East accounting for another sizeable portion of sales. Lane concluded that “M can do better”. Well, I don’t know about better, but they’ve certainly done something. The upcoming Label Red variant of the XM (Red Label being a Bentley thing) will become BMW’s most powerful road car yet, with 738bhp and 738lb ft. Production will be limited to 500 units, with satin black paint and some noticeable red highlights, and it will cost £170,860. I mean, like, y’know, fine, whatever. I…

They were thinking of calling it Atto 2. That would have made sense, right? After all, this small(ish), 4.29m-long pureelectric hatchback sits beneath the BYD Atto 3 family crossover that arrived here only a few weeks ago as the Chinese marque’s first official UK model. But no. At some point, some people sat around a table and decided that the brand adamantly wants to be ‘fun and interesting’, according to one senior executive. So Dolphin it is. Do you know what? I get that. There may even be a generational aspect here, where younger drivers who aren’t rooted in traditional car culture and established brand loyalty could well look at BYD’s apparently random naming policy and think that it has an appealing, fresh eclecticness. Consider all those other weird car…

Demand for ‘electromodded’ classics is growing, and EV conversion specialist Electrogenic is gearing up to meet it. The firm supplies ‘electrification swap kits’, made in Oxfordshire to be shipped out and fitted by any one of a number of partners around the world. The kits are for post-1983 Land Rover Defenders, Jaguar E-Types and both G-Series and 964-generation Porsche 911s. Cars can be specified either to retain the original transmission or replace it; they have battery capacities of 43kWh to 93kWh and include DC rapid charging at up to 50kW. There are two kits for the 911. The less powerful one as tested (215bhp, 229lb ft, 0-62mph in around five seconds) adds about 120kg to the kerb weight, so you can fit it without uprating suspension or braking. The other…

Just a few miles outside the Essex city of Colchester, where the busy A120 condenses into one lane, is an inconspicuous left turn into a sleepy country lane. A farmhouse greets you, with its usual array of outbuildings. Within one sits a 1988 Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen. But this isn’t your usual 280GE: this is Aubrey Automobiles’ second restoration, or Aubrey 002 for short. It’s a “more sympathetic” follow-up to the bold-looking re-envisioned 1973 Land Rover Series 3 109 (Aubrey 001) that put the incipient firm on the map when it was unveiled last year. You might think this is nothing special when many places now do restomodding, but Aubrey is different. According to founder Georgia Peck, “other restoration firms are very macho, and that’s not us. Ours is very understated luxury.”…

MODEL TESTED V8 S • Price £218,355 • Power 542bhp • Torque 568lb ft • 0-60mph 3.6sec • 30-70mph in fourth 6.8sec • Fuel economy 20.9mpg • CO2 emissions 284g/km • 70-0mph 48.6m Convertibles are proving a perennial source of income for the world’s best-known purveyors of top-level luxury cars. To understand why, all you need do is drive one. There is little to match the pure ‘wow’ factor of a desirable drop-top exotic that can so effortlessly make almost any open-air journey feel special. As Bentley has long understood, the most intoxicating luxury convertibles are rarely the most exciting, but rather those that deliver effortless grand touring qualities into a lavish, sheltered, inviting cabin. Cars that give you a motoring experience engaging enough to savour but also preserve your appetite…

MILEAGE 12,911 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To crystallise our opinion of what we’re all going to lose when the Focus retires As is usually the way with current cars, my Focus has a raft of driver assistance and active features. They are the sort of thing that sounds good on paper and are now quite important for cars to get a good score from safety watchdog Euro NCAP but can get mightily annoying if the systems don’t work flawlessly. Frustratingly, you might not even notice any issues with them on a test drive, but they will drive you mad over the months and years of your ownership. The Dacia Jogger I ran last year got a dangerous-sounding one star from NCAP because it doesn’t have lane keeping assist and its…

I’m finding it increasingly difficult to understand which segment cars fit into. Gone are the years when a car was simply VW Golf or VW Polo. With the advent of electric cars, it has become much harder to work out exactly where a car sits in terms of size and interior space. Add to that manufacturers’ rather loose approach to naming, which appears to have more to do with marketing than the actual size or car segment. I recently tried the Hyundai Kona Electric as a potential replacement for our current Ford Focus, only to immediately realise that it provides significantly less space and actually is comparable in size to the Fiesta. On a separate note, I noticed the Subaru Solterra’s performance was described as “adequate for a mid-sized family…

When handling is mentioned, it’s almost always rear-wheel drive that gets thrust beneath the spotlight, due largely to the grip and balance it offers. RWD doesn’t hold a monopoly, though: many excellently handling cars have been built with front-wheel drive, too. These are some of the best FWD cars, then – and yes, we know there are loads more. Ford Puma 1997 The 1990s was the golden era for affordable sports coupés: Mazda had the MX-3, Vauxhall had the Tigra, Fiat had the Barchetta and Ford had the Puma. The Puma was available in 1.4-litre, 1.6-litre and 1.7-litre variants, the 1.7 being the option that enthusiasts favoured, as the 123bhp Yamaha-developed unit would haul all 1039kg from 0-62mph in just over 9sec. Underneath the Puma was the chassis from the…

The Cayenne, consistently Porsche’s best-selling car, has been radically overhauled in a bid to ensure its sustained appeal as it remains on sale until the end of the decade – alongside an allnew and technically unrelated electric Cayenne due in 2025. As the Cayenne returns in straight-backed SUV and rakish-roofed Coupé forms, chief among the mechanical upgrades is a swap from V6 to V8 power for the Cayenne S. The new S model’s twin-turbo 4.0-litre unit – familiar from the Porsche Panamera and Lamborghini Urus – pumps out a healthily increased 468bhp and 443lb ft to both axles for a 0-62mph time of 4.8sec and a top speed of 167mph. The entry-level Cayenne gets a twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 (replacing today’s 2.9-litre unit) and power and torque rise to 351bhp and…

Volkswagen’s answer to the indomitable Tesla Model 3 is finally official: the ID 7 is a large, sleek saloon that goes big on luxury appeal in an attempt to bolster the Wolfsburg firm’s share of the vital executive EV market. Claimed to have been designed “for long distances”, the ID 7 touts a claimed range of up to 435 miles (beating its US rival) in range-topping Pro S guise, which comes with an 82kW battery pack not yet used by any other VW. As well as being VW’s longest-range EV, the ID 7 Pro S will be its fastest-charging, capable of topping up at 200kW. A 77kWh battery – familiar from the ID 3, 4, 5 and Buzz – will be offered in the ID 7 Pro, for a claimed…

The fourth car from Sino-Swedish brand Polestar has been revealed as “the reinvention of the SUV coupé” and will enter the premium crossover segment to take on the Porsche Macan. Arriving, notably, without a rear window, the Polestar 4 joins the recently unveiled Polestar 3 SUV as the firm’s first bespoke offerings, in contrast to the Volvo-based design roots of its first two models, the 1 and 2. Like the £78,900 Polestar 3, the rakish, electricpowered 4 is positioned as a premium model to rival the likes of Porsche, BMW and Genesis. As such, it will command a price of between £50,000 and £65,000, depending on whether a single-or dual-motor powertrain is chosen. A focus on maximum range has shaped the design, according to head of Polestar design Maximilian Missoni.…

Moia, the Volkswagen Group subsidiary developing new mobility services, is aiming to start autonomous ride pooling by 2025 – and the first specially adapted Volkswagen ID Buzz is due to start real-world testing imminently. This test car will be fitted with a raft of advanced sensors and software when it takes to the streets of Hamburg, Germany. Limited passenger testing will begin next year. Although the ultimate goal of Moia is to develop an autonomous service, the firm has been operating in Hanover and Hamburg since 2018. It has a fleet of 565 vehicles and employs 1300 staff – of whom, most surprisingly for an autonomous firm, 1000 are drivers. That’s because, at present, Moia is running a “next-level ride-pooling” service, with a fleet of Pluto electric vehicles being used…

ALTHOUGH EV SALES are on the up, there’s a yawning price chasm in most cases between them and their ICE counterparts. So far, some manufacturers have relied on the power of their brand or slick design appeal. But apart from MG, there’s been little evidence of the industry as a whole trying that hard to reach cost parity with conventional models. Thankfully, that mindset looks to be shifting with news that Renault is physically testing its CMF-B platform with nine mules. It will form the basis of the new Renault 5, which looks fabulous. But, more important, the platform is 30% cheaper than the outgoing Zoe to make. Renault isn’t alone. Nissan announced in March that its new ‘X-in-1’ powertrain packages will reduce driveline costs by 30% by 2026 compared…

Aston Martin has unwrapped the DBS 770 Ultimate Volante, the convertible variant of an enhanced swansong for the brutish V12 grand tourer. Priced from £337,000, the drop-top was unveiled as part of Aston Martin’s 110th birthday celebrations and the 75th anniversary of the DB nameplate. The 770 Ultimate Volante joins the previously revealed coupé version. The supercar pair are “the most powerful production Aston Martins ever”. Each produces 759bhp, which eclipses the standard DBS’s 715bhp output. Although there have been more potent Aston Martin road cars before, such as the fiery 1160bhp Valkyrie hypercar, they were much more expensive and limited than the 770s. With the first deliveries pencilled in for the summer, the drop-top will account for 199 of the 499 Ultimates set to be produced. All are already…

TUESDAY Since when was a deluge life-affirming? Since last Tuesday, I’d say, at this year’s first monthly Gaydon Gathering of interesting cars at the British Motor Museum. It’s an open-to-anyone event that starts after work and runs to about 8pm. For this season-opener it bucketed, but we didn’t mind. Of course, fewer people turned up than had registered, but there were still a couple of hundred cars on hand by 6.30pm. I took the family Alpine A110, which proved surprisingly decent in the conditions: for one thing, it had a fixed roof. Such was the rain that on my homeward trip, the Fosse Way was often entirely covered by sheets of water. Experience with Lotus Elises has taught me caution in the wet when you have lightly loaded front wheels,…

All of BYD’s new models are key to establishing the brand in Europe, but the Seal is a direct rival to the Tesla Model 3 and, in EV terms, that is a Guy Fawkeslevel of ambition. The Seal instantly looks and feels like the best model from BYD so far. This 4.8m-long saloon’s styling has unmissable hints of Porsche Taycan, while the interior is smart, tactile and cosseting in a way that the more sparse-feeling Model 3 isn’t. The Seal has the aura of a car that’s been designed from the off to be a European big-hitter. Arriving here towards the end of this year, the Seal sits on BYD’s e-Platform 3.0 and will come in 308bhp single-motor, rear-drive and 523bhp dual-motor, all-wheel-drive forms. Both have an 82kWh battery that’s…

Second gear, third gear, it doesn’t really matter. Sometimes I’m wringing every last rev out of the Toyota GR86 on the way out of Anglesey Circuit’s imaginatively named The Hairpin. Other times I’m dispensing with the time-consuming and chassis-unsettling third-to-second-to-third gearshifts on the way in and out of the 180deg right-hander to see if that makes a difference. It doesn’t. The result is the same: ahead of me, my colleague Richard Lane in the Ford Focus ST with Track Pack (hence the race track we’re at) comes out of things further along the track than when we went in. Some of that is the inevitable result of a specific time gap between two objects being a larger distance when they’re travelling faster, as gives the concertina effect when you’re watching…

Entries remain open for Autocar’s Great Women Rising Stars initiative, recognising the motoring industry’s best up-and-coming talents. Run by Autocar in association with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, Great Women is a celebration of the incredible talent and skills within the automotive industry. The Rising Stars awards celebrate the achievements of women across the motoring industry who are on the fast track in their careers. Autocar’s initiative, now in its eighth year, involves 12 categories. These include the newly introduced Diversity, Equality and Inclusion category, which recognises those who demonstrate exemplary performance in making the motoring industry a more appealing prospect to people from wider sections of society. Nominations for this year’s Rising Stars awards must be registered by Friday 21 April at surveys.haymarket.com/s3/AGWnominations-2023. Winners will be named…

MILEAGE 2244 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see if Ssangyong’s first EV can stand out among a slew of reputable rivals – and show that the firm has a future My first week of living in London has been full of ups and downs. Quite literally, in fact, as I’ve moved to one of the capital’s most hilly areas, which is testing for my Korando E-Motion in several ways. I find the Ssangyong EV really rather pleasant to drive in the city. The ride isn’t the plushest in the class, but it’s quiet, driving at slow speeds is an effortless task and, despite its size, it never feels too big to squeeze past an oncoming bus or during a quick parallel park. The most comfortable method of driving the Korando…

Car enthusiasts of a certain age will remember with much affection the great writer LJK Setright, a frequent Autocar contributor who was much admired for his unparalleled erudition and immense technical knowledge. This Bristol-fancying tour de force once owned a Suzuki SC100, bought to see him through a brief hiatus but owned for long enough to influence those for whom his every motoring utterance was gospel. One such person was me, and because Setright had one, I bought one too. When it was subsequently written off, I bought his. I bought it when it was 10 years old and kept it for another seven years. Alas, I then gave it away, and when I see how highly prized surviving examples of this charismatic little car have become since, I weep…

Ford of Britain in its heyday MANY HAVE LAMENTED Ford of Europe’s coming transformation. To understand the reasons why, you need to have known the firm at its amazing peak. So let’s revisit our 1968 look into its UK division. Ford of Britain had grown quickly after establishing its Trafford plant in 1911, opening its Dagenham complex 20 years later. In 1968, it covered 8.4 million square feet and employed more than 24,000 people, helping to produce up to 1400 cars per day. Ford also had various sites in Aveley, Basildon, Croydon, Daventry, Doncaster, Dunton, Halewood, Langley, Leamington, Romford, Southampton, Swansea, Thurrock, Warley and Woolwich. Exports were big business: the target was £225m (£3.2bn today), with shipments going to Australia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. This was thanks to a…

The upcoming electric Porsche Cayenne, due on sale in 2025, will benefit from engineering and technological development carried out on today’s petrol version, but it will be a “completely different car”. Porsche’s fourth production EV – after the Taycan, Macan EV and 718 EV – will serve as the fourth-generation Cayenne and will be sold for several years alongside the updated third-gen car. Cayenne spokesperson Ben Weinberger said the EV will adhere to the “same philosophy” as its combustion-engined predecessor, but in making the switch to Porsche’s PPE EV platform, it will become a “completely newly developed car”. It will have its own styling and distinct character and positioning, and it will command a 10-15% premium over the petrol car. Aware that buyers in certain markets will not be ready…

EVER IMAGINED A car that can jump? Chinese giant BYD is looking to make this a reality – of sorts. The car maker has revealed an all-new intelligent suspension system with vertical motion control that’s dubbed “the most advanced vehicle body control system of the industry globally”. Called BYD Disus Intelligent Body Control, the system improves vehicle agility “in most driving scenarios”, greatly “reducing the risk of vehicle rollover”. BYD previewed the system on a modified version of the Yangwang U9 supercar, which was shown to ‘jump’ and drive on three wheels. The system will be fitted to cars from several BYD brands, including Denza, Yangwang and a new marque that will be launched in the summer. It will be fitted first to the Denza N7 coupé-crossover and Yangwang U8…

BMW’S M PERFORMANCE division has lifted the veil on the new i7 M70 xDrive – the company’s most powerful electric model to date. Set to go on sale during the second half of this year, the upmarket saloon arrives with a newly developed dual-motor drivetrain offering a combined 650bhp – some 40bhp more than the system used by the iX M60 xDrive launched last year. Visually, the electric M performance saloon is distinguished from other i7 models by a new-look front bumper and a uniquely styled grille with illumination. At the heart of the latest electric-powered M Performance model is a front electric motor with 255bhp and a heavily revised rear electric motor delivering up to 483bhp. The two electric motors combine to provide the i7 M70 xDrive with 749lb…

THE LONG-AWAITED, production-spec version of the new MG Cyberster has been revealed unofficially ahead of its public debut via filings on the Chinese Ministry of Transport website. The Cyberster, first previewed in 2021 in outlandish, futuristic concept form, is expected to go on sale next year (MG’s centenary year) as the first of a new breed of electric, two-seat roadsters – more than a decade after Tesla’s debut Roadster drop-top was retired. Full details will be given when the car is officially unwrapped in the coming months, but leaked specifications reveal that it measures 4535mm long, 1913mm wide and 1329mm high, making it slightly larger than the Porsche 718 Boxster. The Cyberster will offer a choice of rear- and four-wheel drive, delivering 309bhp or 536bhp and making it a much…

THE RENAULT CLIO will now be sold solely with a hybrid powertrain in the UK as part of a mid-life refresh that lowers the price of the E-Tech model. Arriving with a fresh face, updated interior and simplified range of options, the fifth instalment of the French supermini will start from “sub-£22,000”, Renault has told Autocar, undercutting the current hybrid model’s £22,095 entry point. This is, however, more than the current car’s £19,095 entry price, but that is for an 89bhp 1.0-litre threecylinder petrol model that has been dropped amid the changes to the engine line-up. The hatchback is now sold with only a 143bhp E-Tech powertrain, which combines a 1.6-litre engine with two electric motors, as Renault pushes towards becoming an EV-only brand from 2030. A refreshed design makes…

Hands-off driving is now legal in the UK as Ford becomes the first car maker to offer semiautonomous cruising on 2300 miles of British motorways – the first country in Europe to allow such a move. Offered as a £17.99 monthly subscription for 2023-modelyear Mustang Mach-Es, BlueCruise is level two-plus autonomous technology (a new, semi-official classification). The system allows drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel while the car drives itself in designated, premapped ‘Blue Zones’ (which include the M25 and the M40), following approval from the Department for Transport. The new BlueCruise technology – launched in parts of the US and Canada last year – works as an add-on to Ford’s current Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control (IACC) and will take over when entering these zones with IACC…

THE VAUXHALL ASTRA is no longer available with a diesel engine due to declining demand for the fuel in the UK, Vauxhall has confirmed. In addition to decreasing sales (diesel represented just 6% of the C-segment hatch market in 2022), the move also reflects a streamlining of powertrain offerings as Vauxhall pushes to become an EV-only brand by 2028. Existing orders for the Astra diesel will still be fulfilled, said Vauxhall. Following this change to the Astra line-up, the only C-segment family hatchbacks that can still be ordered with a diesel engine are the Audi A3, BMW 1 Series, Fiat Tipo, Mercedes-Benz A-Class, Seat Leon, Skoda Octavia and Volkswagen Golf. It also means that the sole passenger car available with a diesel engine in the Vauxhall line-up is the Grandland…

The rally world is reeling from the death of Craig Breen, Hyundai’s Irish star who lost his life last week in a testing accident ahead of Rally Croatia. Such awful tragedy is so rare in the modern era that when it happens – as is still sadly inevitable, despite motorsport’s huge strides on safety – it’s almost impossible to take in. Breen was 33, an extremely likeable and popular figure and had so much more to give his sport. This year, following a disappointing season with M-Sport, he had returned to Hyundai for a part-season in the World Rally Championship and was lining up for his second appearance of the season in the i20 N, having scored a brilliant second place in the snow of Sweden. But during a test…

The facelifted GLE, which continues in SUV and coupé bodystyles, is at first hardly distinguishable from the old version – and that’s just as Mercedes intended. Sales are holding up five years after the fourth-generation GLE appeared, and its maker doesn’t want to mess with the formula. Exterior changes include a new-look bumper and revised grille, new LED graphics for the headlights and tail-lights and new designs for the wheels, which range up to 22in. The model is sold here in AMG Line, AMG Line Premium and AMG Premium Plus styling trims, although the coupé is only available in AMG Premium Plus. Inside, the GLE adopts Mercedes’ latest multi-function steering wheel and an MBUX operating system with new software and menus. In combination with a standard 360deg camera, there are…

The British Touring Car Championship is back! It has been more than six months since Tom Ingram wrapped up his first title in style at Brands Hatch, but finally the long winter break is over. The 10-round 2023 campaign begins this weekend at Donington Park, so we called on ITV’s ace commentary duo, David Addison and Tim Harvey, to give us the lowdown on what promises to be another frenetic season of tin-top action. Rules shake-up to add racing spice THE BTCC BROKE new ground last year by introducing hybrid technology to the series, using a power boost system in place of the old weight ballast as a means of levelling the playing field. The transition proved remarkably smooth in the face of such a major change, although inevitably there…

Priced out of driving I’ve read with particular interest about the rising cost of new cars, the industry-wide push towards luxury, the lifespan of electric cars and Ford’s decision to stop making the Fiesta and other affordable cars. It goes against Ford’s everyman ethos, from the Model T onwards, and doesn’t bode well for us second-, third-or fourth-hand buyers, who have very little budget and buy a car knowing we will be its last owner. If the industry keeps going the way it is, many people may well be priced off the road. There are of course many aspects to this, but it seems to me very wrong that car ownership is heading towards being out of reach for those of us with less money who desperately need one. The…

An owner’s view ALASTAIR CLEMENTS “I first saw a Whizzkid when I was 13, and desperately wanted to buy it to do up, but my dad was having none of it. So when I was looking for an economical runabout a decade later, I got one. I loved that car and only sold it to buy an engagement ring. I missed it terribly but realised I had made the right decision when my new wife gave me another as a wedding present. I’ve still got it, 18 years later. It’s like a back-to-front Mini Cooper with even better steering. I’ve hillclimbed and rallied it, but since stopping the usual rampant rot, I’ve retired it to gentler duties. I’ve had four now and can’t see myself ever being without one.” Buyer…