Innholdsfortegnelse for April 30, 2025 i Autocar

MG has taken to the Shanghai motor show to reveal a rugged, boxy SUV concept that previews the second model in its fashionfocused Cyber line-up. The Cyber X is a bold, two-box, 4x4-inspired crossover that measures 4.3m long, which makes it roughly the same size as the Land Rover Defender 90. It has been revealed in concept form without an interior, but the design boss of MG parent company SAIC, Jozef Kaban, suggested to Autocar that the speed of development of Chinese companies means it could quickly be made production-ready. One priority of the concept car, said Kaban, is to demonstrate how the more enthusiast-focused Cyber brand could be expanded and bring a new character to the MG family. Kaban said: “One thing we have been talking about is the…

The new Ferrari 296 Speciale is billed as the “most fun to drive, emotionally charged” car the marque has built yet, and its 868bhp is “very close” to the limit of what a rear-wheel-drive car can offer, its maker claims. Priced from €407,000 (£349,000) in Italy and offered in coupé and spider forms, it packs 49bhp more than the 296 GTB courtesy of its V6 engine and gearboxhoused electric motor, has 20% more downforce and is 60kg lighter. However, it is “not just an exercise where we put a few additional horsepower”, said Ferrari commercial chief Enrico Galliera. The Speciale instead represents a more comprehensive engineering effort. For instance, its twinturbo V6 uses aluminium pistons and the titanium conrods from the new F80 hypercar, and the head is secured to…

Subaru is planning to offer performance models in its future fully electric line-up – which could include new sports cars in the vein of the Impreza STI and BRZ. The brand gained a huge cult following for its rally-honed performance machines in the early 1990s, and it enjoyed success with the BRZ sports car that was launched in 2012 as a twin to the Toyota GT86. In recent years the firm has focused its efforts on rugged SUVs, and it has been forced to withdraw all of its performance models from Europe due to emissions regulations. However, speaking to Autocar, Subaru Europe boss David Dello Stritto said: “There are plans to bring back the sportiness in Subaru.” While he declined to elaborate on the specifics, he added: “If you ask…

WITH PRODUCTION SITES in China, the US and Korea all exporting between each other and a brand still trying to establish itself with consumers and investors, Polestar would appear to be exposed to tariffs, trade wars and market instability. But life has gone on for Polestar and CEO Michael Lohscheller, who in the week of the US tariff rollout found time for three runs around Hyde Park. “You can’t just complain” about tariffs, he said. Yes, “it would be better to have more planning security”, but Polestar still has to do business and “get on with things”. For Lohscheller, when out of his trainers, that means executing his turnaround plan for the company he joined six months ago. More models and more dealers “actively selling” cars in person should drive…

I very much enjoyed your ‘best 1990s heroes’ segment (9 April), but I’ve got to say that I think you missed one very significant vehicle: the Subaru Impreza Turbo 2000. In 1995, I was running a Fiat Tipo 2.0 16v, a fairly decent hot hatch. Then someone pulled out of a side road in front of me and it got written off, so I needed a new car quickly. I knew about the Impreza, as I followed rallying at the time and I’d been reading about the road version in magazines. It almost seemed too good to be true, offering four-wheel drive and 50bhp extra over most hot hatches for not much more money. So, largely based on positive reviews, I took out a contract hire on an Impreza Turbo…

Alpine, in its 21st-century incarnation at least, is still a young brand, but it’s quickly growing up. The first step in the masterplan was to make us all take notice with a sports car: the brilliant A110. Then it came up with something more attainable: the A290 hot hatchback. Now it needs a car for all the family to enjoy. That’ll be the new A390. Because it’s 2025, that means it’s electric, and because the batteries need to go in the floor, it’s crossovershaped. But stick with us, because this isn’t one of those slightly limp Esprit Alpine versions of a Renault: it’s a completely stand-alone Alpine model with a special trick up its sleeve – or rather three of them. Like the Tesla Model S Plaid and Maserati Granturismo…

At first, it’s hard to see a purpose for the new £52k Ford Ranger MS-RT, given that there are already seven models in the Ranger line-up. This starts with the no-frills, four-pot XL at £29k and extends upwards to the Bajainfluenced Ranger Raptor at £51k, complete with 288bhp 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6, locking differentials, racing shocks and four-wheel drive. Scan the specifications, though, and light dawns. For all the racy body bits and the claim of “a motorsport aesthetic” for this pick-up truck’s styling, the components that matter are the ultra-torquey 3.0-litre turbo diesel V6, the standard four-wheel drive, the 21in alloy wheels wearing 275/45 Continental performance rubber, the 3.5-tonne towing capacity and the butch-looking tow hook protruding from the girder-like rear chassis crossbeam. The MS-RT seems destined to become the…

Bus, bike and underground are just three of the ways you cantravel around London – and now there’s another: golf cart. There are currently 10 of the yellow electric buggies, operated by Yo-Go and scurrying around Hammersmith and Fulham, as part of a trial launched in September 2024. The idea sounds bonkers, but once you’ve driven one, it soon makes sense. Each buggy can carry two people plus their luggage. They’re restricted to the prevailing speed limit of 20mph, but because they’re partially open to the elements, they feel faster. They can be driven by anyone aged between 25 and 70 who has held a UK driving licence for more than two years. The hire charge – 10p per minute for subscribers paying a £10 monthly fee, or 20p a…

JEEP RECON Before an EV version of the Wrangler arrives, the firm’s first true go-anywhere electric offering will be the new Recon. Expect 600bhp, a range of close to 400 miles and plenty of video of it crushing the Rubicon Trail. GMC HUMMER It takes some effort to make a zero-emission EV that’s brasher and more outrageous than the original line of military-inspired vehicles, but here we are. This behemoth packs 1000bhp and a battery that weighs more than a Ford Focus. MERCEDES-BENZ G580 EQ TECHNOLOGY At £180k it costs just a bit more than a Scout will, but the G580 will mix retro styling with incredible ability thanks to a 579bhp quad-motor powertrain and a ladder-on-frame chassis. Perfect for Kensington’s speed bumps.…

MILEAGE 5001 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see if the 2024 Car of the Year really is the standout family SUV Recently I got talking to a software engineer whose job it was to pore over the data showing how many features and options customers actually use within their cars. It won’t surprise you to learn that most people don’t use most things and, beyond an early exploration of some key functions and preference settings, a lot of things stay hidden away undiscovered. The life of a motoring journalist involves exploration of all these different menus and features, yet even weeks and months into a test like this, things can come as a surprise. In the Scenic, I went hunting for a creep function for the transmission and came away…

AN OWNER’S VIEW PERDEEP SINGH THIARA “I’ve owned my F31 335d for more than five years. I had it slightly fettled with a stage-two tune, which helped cut the 0-60mph time to 4.2sec and pushed the top speed up to 172mph, and yet it will still do 60mpg-plus if I sit in the slow lane at 58mph. “BMW says the gearbox, differential and transfer box have a lifetime fill of oil, but component supplier ZF advises a service every 60,000 miles. You can feel the gearbox becoming less responsive and slushier over time. Getting these parts serviced at a specialist costs about £700.” BUYER BEWARE… ENGINE The timing chain on early ‘M47’ four-cylinder diesels can stretch and snap. If you hear a rattle or ticking on start-up, walk away. Check…

Aston Martin has launched a faster and lighter flagship S variant of the DBX SUV, cranking the power to 717bhp to make it the most powerful non-electrified SUV on the market. Although the British company has used the S badge for a range of high-performance specials, starting with the Vanquish S in 2004, this is the first time it has been applied to its best-selling SUV. Aston Martin CEO Adrian Hallmark claimed the new model serves as “a powerful statement of intent”, signalling that lighter, more powerful variants will remain a key part of the firm’s future model plan. The new DBX S will sit above the current 697bhp DBX 707 - since April last year, the only variant offered in the UK. It retains the same 4.0-litre twinturbocharged V8…

VOLKSWAGEN IS PLOTTING to bring range-extender EVs to Europe after previewing its first model with the drivetrain at the Shanghai motor show. Range-extender EVs, also known as RExs or EREVs, are the latest spin on hybrid cars, in which a combustion engine acts as a generator to power the electric motor or top up the battery, rather than driving the wheels. Martin Sander, VW’s global head of sales and marketing, told Autocar: “Range-extenders today are already a very big thing in China. They will be of relevance in North America and we are convinced they will also have relevance in Europe.” At the Shanghai motor show, VW unveiled the ID Era concept, a seven-seat SUV developed jointly with MG parent company SAIC that previews a REx model with a promised…

2003 360 CHALLENGE STRADALE “There’s something about the Stradale we haven’t seen in a Ferrari for a long time. Spirit, fire and soul. We’ll take the noise, the water leaks and the shabby cabin build. Because this is the best Ferrari since the F40 and, right now, the most exciting car on the planet.” 2014 458 SPECIALE “It’s such a pure, uncorrupted driver’s car. Like all great performance cars, it feels over-provisioned for sheer grip and agility, communicates effusively and challenges you to get on its level or find the limit of your own in the process.” 2008 430 SCUDERIA “The 430 Scuderia is a brilliant car that feels every inch as at home on the road as it does on the track. Its engine is a thing of wonder.…

MERCEDES-BENZ IS on track to launch its first car equipped with by-wire steering, allowing it to swap the traditional steering wheel for a yoke. The system, which is expected to be on sale next year, will replace the mechanical connection between the steering and the front wheels with an electronic connection – the ‘wire’ – that is said to provide a quicker response and greater bandwidth of feedback. The set-up quickens at low speeds to reduce the effort required for manoeuvres such as parking. For better control, a flat-bottomed yoke is used, similar to that in the recently revised Lexus RZ, which also offers steer-by-wire tech. The design is said to free up knee room, making it easier to get in and out of the car, and give a better…

Everybody is interested” in working with Horse Powertrain, a company co-created by the Renault Group and Geely with the goal of being the world’s number-one combustion engine maker, its boss has told Autocar. “I would challenge you to think of one name we’re not talking to,” said Matias Giannini, as manufacturers try to balance the need to invest in electric vehicles with the need to sustain production of internalcombustion cars. Horse isn’t even a year old yet is already a near-€15 billion (£13bn) company, because it includes all of Renault’s and Geely’s non-electric powertrain operations, supplying the two groups’ models with combustion engines around the world. Renault and Geely each have a 45% shareholding in the company, with Saudi Arabian state-owned oil giant Aramco holding the remaining 10%. Horse has…

LOTUS HAS WARNED that heavy cost cutting is on the way as it battles “global trade uncertainties”. The news comes despite the brand nearly doubling its sales over the past year from 6970 to 12,134. However, between June 2024 and April 2025, it also recorded just $29 million (£21.7m) in gross profit, down from $102m (£76.3m) in the preceding financial year. As a result, its gross profit margin was just 3%. Chief financial officer Daxue Wang blamed worldwide tariffs and further uncertainties. He also said this would lead to “strategic cost optimisation to improve profitability”, especially as owner Geely merges Lotus’s operations back into a single company. “As we progress with the acquisition of Lotus UK, we are committed to driving cost streamlining and operational enhancements across all markets to…

USED SPECIAL DREAM CARS FOR THE SUMMER We pick 37 cars that are so hot they’re cool, from Fiat 124 Spider to Porsche Boxster to Subaru Outback and everything in between ROAD TEST MERCEDES-BENZ EQS 450+ Is this luxury EV saloon the ultimate limo? Our road testers reveal all FEATURE WHY THE AUDI A2 IS STILL SO GOOD, 25 YEARS ON Matt Prior puts his money where his mouth is and buys one. Why? EVERY WEEK USED GUIDE TOYOTA GT86 This all-time handling hero can be yours for £7500. We explain how to buy wisely LIVING WITH A… VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN Sensible shoes in SUV form, but was it a daily asset or just dull? Our final report has the answer…

Leapmotor is growing rapidly both in its home market and abroad, becoming the world’s 11th-most-popular EV maker last year and aiming to surge into the top five by the end of the decade. Key to that ambitious plan is an expanded model line-up that will disrupt a number of core segments. Following the T03 city car and C10 family SUV, Leapmotor is gearing up to enter the bustling compact SUV market with the B10. It’s a close match size-wise for the Ford Explorer and Peugeot e-3008, but a UK starting price of around £30,000 will have it quite substantially undercutting them. That price starts to look especially attractive in the context of a cabin that’s remarkably well appointed and agreeably plush in its highquality fixtures and fittings. The 420-litre boot…

How does one begin to define a vehicle as multifaceted as Land Rover’s Defender P635 Octa? One thing’s for sure: the process can take you down numerous paths. First, is the 626bhp Octa the most ambitious product the company has launched since the original Range Rover? In many ways, from engineering to sales, yes, it absolutely is. No Land Rover has ever been conceived with such scope in respect to its all-terrain ability and drivability. Or price. Could the Octa also be said to have a genetic make-up achievable by blending DNA from the BMW M5 CS with one of McLaren’s supercars and a T1+ Dakar rally-raider, of the sort you’ll have seen competing in the Dakar Rally? Incredible as it sounds, that isn’t far from the truth. More broadly,…

It was a bright, beautiful April Fool’s Day. At 6.30am, a magnificent golden orb lit the eastern horizon with a brilliance we probably won’t see more than a dozen times this year. The breeze was sweet and the air so clear you could practically see blades of grass on the horizon. Despite the beleaguered state of the retail motor industry, the news feeds were already filling with car companies’ traditional April Fool spoofs: a free tattoo for every new Volkswagen owner, BMW to launch an off-road version of the M2 – that sort of thing. And in Manchester, the Volkswagen ID 4 in which I was about to cross the country had turned into a Ford. To be fair, we’ve known for years that Ford was basing its first all-European…

It would be easy to dismiss Scout Motorsas yet another retro revival, a way of trying to attach some emotion to new electric vehicles by sticking a nostalgic logo on the bonnet. Or even as just another new Volkswagen Group sub-brand designed to protect the conglomerate’s share in the tough North American market. Dig beneath the surface, though, and Scout is far more interesting – even if it isn’t a brand too well known to UK readers, and one that, for now, won’t be sold here. For one thing, what’s not to love about a retro-styled Jeep Wrangler rival? For another, the unusual set-up of Scout could have a significant influence on the future development processes of one of the world’s biggest car firms. Scout Motors isn’t technically a Volkswagen…

WHY WE RAN IT To find out if the spirit of the classic Land Rover Defender really does live on here “It’s starting to become a lifestyle vehicle as much as a working one” The Grenadier has returned to its maker, and I’m quite sad about it. It arrived in January with around 10,000 miles and has gone back three months later with almost 18,500 miles to its name, so it has been used thoroughly and extensively in that time. It was a 3.0-litre petrol (there’s a 3.0 diesel too, both BMW engines) in Fieldmaster specification, kind of the more country lifestyle-oriented variant of three Station Wagon flavours – the other two being a base model and the ruggedly optioned Trialmaster, which is the same price as this, at £76,140…

BENTLEY BENTAYGA Mileage 16,100 Last seen 16.4.25 Plenty of people don’t let me out at junctions in this somewhat loud Bentayga, despite my best efforts to be a model driving citizen, but sometimes it goes the other way. Sitting in very slow-moving suburban traffic, there was a beep. I looked up and coming the other way was a man in a yellow Mercedes Sprinter van pointing at the car and giving me a thumbs-up. Isn’t it nice to be nice? RB JEEP WRANGLER Mileage 16,090 Last seen 23.4.25 I’m getting better at saving fuel in the Wrangler. At first I was getting figures south of 25mpg, not least because it has a surprisingly pokey engine that I’m inclined to use. But if I simply ease my cruising speed a bit, going…

Lamborghinis and the like are catwalk stars that don’t go out when it rains and sip E5 once in a while, right? No, not if Bav Majithia owns them. “Every car I own, I drive,” he says. “For me, it’s use it and enjoy it.” For proof, look no further than Bav’s Aventador S. He bought it new in 2018 and has so far clocked up 15,000 miles running around the country for work (he’s an entrepreneur and co-owner of Yiannimize, a vehicle customisation and motoring events company). “It’s my daily driver as well as the car I take on our Yiannimize grand tour road trips,” he says. “Last year I did London to Marbella in it, and this year I’m doing Rome to Dubrovnik. Older Lambos were a bit…

The Range Rover Velar will undergo a radical makeover next year, with electric power and a genre-bending new body shape that will depart from its traditional SUV roots. It is slated to be launched just a few months after the electric versions of the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. But while those models will be virtually identical to their combustion siblings, the Velar will adopt a rakish new profile that fuses elements of saloons and shooting brakes with the more upright silhouette of an SUV. The Velar’s international testing programme is now well under way and spy shots of prototypes suggest the upcoming car will be bigger than the current model, particularly in its length. That is no doubt in a bid to more obviously differentiate it from its…

THE ELECTRIC VERSION of the next-generation BMW 3 Series will resurrect the i3 name and be offered in Touring estate form. Due on sale next year as the second of BMW’s Neue Klasse generation of cars, the new 3 Series will be offered with ICE and EV power and it will be completely restyled as it moves to an all-new, EV-first architecture. Its design and technology have been previewed by a succession of concept cars: i Vision Dee, Neue Klasse and Vision Driving Experience. But these have all been saloons, raising questions about whether the estatebodied Touring would return. But now, BMW Group design boss Adrian van Hooydonk has told Autocar that estates remain a highly important part of the brand’s market share and reputation, and he strongly hinted that…

CHINESE ELECTRIC CAR maker Leapmotor will expand its global line-up in the next two years with a pair of hatchbacks and a small SUV. The firm, which is partnered with Stellantis, currently sells the T03 supermini and C10 SUV in Europe and it will add the B10 crossover (driven, p30) by the year’s end. Not long after that, it will reveal a new Volkswagen Golf-sized hatchback called the B05 and a Renault 4 rival named the A10. That car will then spawn its own lowriding hatchback sibling, which will be called the A05 and could be priced below £20,000. The B01 (right) isn’t expected to be sold in the UK.…

EV DRIVETRAINS AND particularly batteries are developing at a remarkable pace compared with the combustion engine. As a result, range has increased but probably even more marked is the desire to bring charging times in line with ICE refuelling. BYD recently announced its Super e-Platform along with the latest ‘flashcharge’ version of its lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) Blade battery, which is promised to get close to ICE refuelling times by recharging in six minutes. The new platform is claimed to support charging at up to 1000kW, which seems incredible given the typical rapid-charge rate was 50kW just a few years ago. The name Blade describes the unusual design of the battery, where long, slim cells almost a metre in length make up the pack, rather than modules packed full of smaller pouch,…

ROUND LOGIC I used to ride a Kawasaki W800, best described, perhaps, as a Japanese take on the classic British twin, Bonneville, BSA etc (without the oil leaks). It was a wonderful bike for a Sunday morning spin, but one thing I never understood was why Kawasaki had fitted this piece of Japanese engineering with wobbly Dunlop TT tyres. It got me thinking about the old saying in the culinary world that ‘what grows together goes together’, meaning that a dish from, say, Tuscany is typically well served with a wine from the same region, since they are created by the same culture, land and tradition. In the end, I got Bridgestones for my W800 – great tyres that looked perfect on the bike, and just the knowledge that my…

Shall we talk about youknow-who? Actually, let’s not. Whatever you think of the company’s figurehead, the Tesla Model Y is an influential car that has topped a number of best-seller lists over the past few years. When such a significant car gets a major update, we’re curious what it’s like, and we assume you are too. The Model Y has been around since 2020 (or 2021 in Europe). It getting facelifted after five years could almost make you believe that Tesla is a normal car company. The car has had various updates to its battery and specification in smaller model-year updates, but this is one that you can actually see. The headline news of the Model Y ‘Juniper’ is the styling changes and some comfort upgrades. At the front, there’s…

Before we get started, let’s just establish what this new Volkswagen is actually called. We had presumed that ‘Tayron’ would be pronounced like the River Tay in Scotland. But according to the brand’s luminaries, it’s actually ‘Tie-ron’. So there you go. The name originally referred to a compact SUV created in and developed for China, but now it’s also affixed to this larger, sevenseat SUV (a replacement for the previous-generation Tiguan Allspace), which bosses are proud to point out has been engineered in Europe and is built at Wolfsburg. We first met the Tayron in fiveseat plug-in hybrid form a couple of months ago in sunny Spain and came away quietly impressed. Now we have our first chance to sample it on British roads, this time in entrylevel, seven-seat petrol…

Concerned voices continue to debate the influence that Chineseimport electric cars will have on the European market in the longer term. In 2024, concerned European legislators even ruled to impose tariffs on them. But, until now, very few European car makers have actually grasped the nettle and sought to match what we might consider Chinatypical value in a European-made, affordable electric car. That is ostensibly what Stellantis’s new Smart Car model platform has been designed to do – and the fourth-generation Citroën C3 and brand-new ë-C3, the subject of this test, become its first-borne fruit. DESIGN & ENGINEERING PROS Pragmatic platform engineering hits its target on value; fashionable crossover positioning CONS Limited kerbside appeal The Smart Car platform that underpins this car has been derived from Stellantis’s proven Common Modular…

The International Harvester (IH) Scout project began in 1958. The Scout 80 compact pick-up was launched in November 1960 and offered with two- and four-wheel drive, a 93bhp slant four engine and Cab-Top and Travel-Top bodies. There was a front bench for three but no rear seats due to a permanent bulkhead. Early development focused on improving its station wagon credentials, and rear seats were added by 1963. By the following year, IH had sold 100,000 examples. The updated Scout 800 followed in 1966, by which time the machine’s success had inspired rivals such as the Ford Bronco. That model’s V8 prompted development of what became the Scout II, launched in 1971. It offered a range of powertrains, improved ride and an array of new styling and comfort options. It…

MILEAGE 6758 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see if this latest incarnation has maintained that trademark no-frills appeal It’s safe to say the Swift has earned the affections of much of the Autocar office in a way very few cars recently have. I haven’t been so inundated with people wanting a go in my long-termer since I ran a Toyota Corolla Commercial, when it seemed 75% of my colleagues were moving house. The last time you saw my Swift, it was actually a different, Motion-spec car. That was involved in an unfortunate incident with a high kerb, necessitating its replacement by the Ultra model you see here, with its black-painted roof, diamond-cut alloy wheels and – gasp! – automatic climate control. Anyway, the change of spec hasn’t diminished the Swift’s…

BMW’s 3 Series Touring has been a front-runner in the executive estate car class for 40 years now, having been progressively improved across seven generations. You could spend a good chunk of cash on a nearly new ‘G81’ example, but why not save yourself around £10,000 by buying an older ‘F31’ that’s very nearly as talented? Launched in 2012, this particular 3 Series immediately outclassed many desirable alternatives like the Audi A4 Avant and Mercedes-Benz C-Class for comfort, refinement, equipment and space – but what really set it apart was its chassis tuning and suspension, which made the car as rewarding and engaging to drive as the saloon. “The handling is agile and sure-footed,” we said when we first drove it, “and it has just the right amount of roll,…

FERRARI F12 BERLINETTA V12 2013, 38,000 miles, £136,995 It’s a bit older than the Aventador (left), but this 730bhp F12 has performance and curb appeal in spades. The car is loaded with extras, and don’t worry about scuffing the Rosso Berlinetta paint because it has a full protection film. AUDI R8 V10 PERFORMANCE EDITION 2023, 500 miles, £126,990 This R8 V10 Performance Edition has a useful 612bhp and can top 200mph. It’s done only 500 miles and comes with its manufacturer warranty plus carbonfibre, Alcantara and plenty of tech including Audi’s brilliant Virtual Cockpit. McLAREN 720S 2017, 3800 miles, £131,995 This 710bhp V8-powered McLaren missile has blistering performance, stunning pearlescent paint, one former owner and a full McLaren service history. Extras include the all-important front nose lift and a B&W…