Innholdsfortegnelse for July 02, 2025 i Autocar

AS MERCEDES-AMG previews its electric future, it is also readying major updates for its toptier combustion-engined models, centred on an update to its next-gen V8 powertrain and the decision to ditch its fourcylinder PHEV. Speaking to Autocar, Mercedes-AMG CEO Michael Schiebe said the brand has “an incredible amount on our plate”. He added: “We are working on many products; we are continuing to work on combustion engines. We are currently working on our next-generation V8. For our customers who love the V8, and we have a strong reputation and heritage there, in the future we will continue to provide that and other combustion engines. We want to make it stronger, more performant. We also have to ensure that it is more efficient to meet the regulations.” The first model to…

TESTING IS BEGINNING to ramp up for Skoda’s new entry-level EV, ahead of its arrival in the middle of next year. Set to be priced under £25,000, the Epiq will sit below the new Elroq in the Czech firm’s line-up. It will use the Volkswagen Group’s new MEB Entry EV platform and be a sibling to the VW ID 2 and Cupra Raval superminis and the the VW ID 2X crossover. The Epiq will rival the likes of the Fiat Grande Panda and the reborn Renault 4 and has already been revealed as a concept, but this is our first chance to see how Skoda’s new EV will transition to production form. These latest spy pictures suggest that the road-going Epiq will retain the concept’s chunky, rugged proportions as well…

WITH SO MUCH emphasis on developing ADAS and fully autonomous vehicles, it may seem as if the industry has run out of ideas for improving the basics. That isn’t the case. Next year, Volvo’s ultrasophisticated smart safety belt makes its debut in the EX60. It’s 66 years since Volvo invented the threepoint belt and made the patent freely available to all car makers. The latest version is the world’s first multi-adaptive safety belt, which is said to give better protection than existing systems. The belt adapts to traffic conditions and the type of individual wearing it using real-time data from interior and exterior sensors. The belt takes into account the occupant’s height, weight, body shape and seating position. Larger occupants will be restrained by a higher belt load setting, while…

A BLIND BIT OF NOTICE I raised an eyebrow at your comment in the Dacia Bigster road test (11 June) that it had neither a rev counter nor blindspot indication, as I would expect your test car to feature the same kit as the Duster. My 2025 Duster 4x4’s dashboard can easily be configured to include a ribbon-style rev counter. On delivery, my car seemed to have no blindspot feature, contrary to what the handbook PDF claimed. The dealer suggested it only worked if the indicator was in use, which sounded nonsensical. A minute spent fiddling with the settings resulted in engagement of a conventional blindspot indicator. Odd, really, as the blindspot feature is almost the only useful ADAS device. Why have the default setting as ‘off’ when the rest…

“It isn’t intimidating, but the Purespeed doesn’t hand-hold” There are few better ways to test a car’s sense of theatre than by throwing it straight into the Mille Miglia – and we’re part of it. Not in a priceless museum piece, but in the wildest, most extroverted Mercedes-AMG SL 63 yet conceived and built: the Purespeed. To be fair, this is less a first drive verdict and more an event – the kind you dress for. But the luxury speedster, production of which is limited to 250 units, is perhaps as exciting to drive as any road-going Mercedes-AMG has ever been. Visually, it’s striking. There’s no windscreen or side windows, just small licks of glass to channel airflow to the right places. The hollow steel halo that dominates the styling…

“Drive the Electrified G80 and you’ll soon view it as a considerable bargain” For the first five yards of my test of the latest Genesis Electrified G80, the Korean marque’s EV flagship now offered with a bigger battery and a longer wheelbase, I wasn’t even behind the wheel. The car was tightly parked between two others, so we rolled it forwards to an accessible position by controlling it purely on the key. It’s simple; with practice you can even parallel park the G80 into a space it chooses. It’s a big car, and fairly wide, so it’s easy to see this capability working well for some owners, especially those with tight-fitting garages at home. Remote parking is just one of a significant number of comprehensively rethought features in the Electrified…

Thanks to the glorious wail of a non-hybridised Cosworth V12, the pair of Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH racers sounded utterly glorious as they powered through the French countryside. So while the British firm was never going to win the Le Mans 24 Hours on its return to the endurance classic’s top class for the first time in 14 years, it simply couldn’t be ignored. There are no prizes for fielding the bestsounding cars on the grid but this year wasn’t about trophies. It was about proving that a racing hypercar based on a road-going version could work. Some patience was always going to be required: the performance-balancing measures of Le Mans’ current rules make it nearly impossible for a new team to be a contender straight away. Then again, Aston…

WHY WE RAN IT To see if the 2024 Car of the Year really is the standout family electric SUV on the market From its days as an MPV, to a trendy crossover with big wheels, and now to its current evolution as a large hatchback, there is always more of a story attached to the Renault Scenic and less predictability about it than you would expect from the familiarity of its name. This fifth-generation Scenic outwardly seemed the least remarkable Scenic yet launched. It is now effectively a bigger version of the Megane hatchback, with five seats and a boot and no interior MPV trickery at all. Other than being electric, it was hard to pin down what this new Scenic’s ‘thing’ was. And given the volume of new…

MILEAGE 10,756 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To see if this latest incarnation has maintained that trademark no-frills appeal My time with the Swift really is something of a love story. There are so many things to like, from the practical stuff like the fabulous fuel economy (now approaching 58mpg with gentle pedal use from my feet of lead) and a surprisingly large boot capable of holding far more rubbish than you would think, to elements I’ve mentioned in previous reports such as the impressive turn-in response and one of the greatest manual gearchanges of any car on sale today. That’s not to say it’s all sunshine and roses, mind. A dashboardshaped slug has crept into my rose garden, and a starter-generatorshaped cloud has drifted over it. Regular readers will know…

AN OWNER’S VIEW BEN McCAULDER “I’ve owned my Ferrari 458 for three years now. With its normally aspirated V8 and Pininfarina design, it was the perfect choice for my first supercar. I was encouraged by their known reliability and easier maintenance than earlier cars. Servicing is reasonable, but I’ve had to pay for a few repair bills – a wheel bearing and a wiring issue. Not cheap, but not bad. What has surprised me most is its usability. It will rev to 9000rpm and dance like a true supercar but then be perfectly civil when you drive it normally.” BUYER BEWARE… ■ GEARBOX Run the Getrag dual-clutch auto up through the gears to make sure the shifts are responsive. Damage to the speed sensor wiring can affect early examples, causing…

Mercedes-AMG has previewed its future electric flagship with the Concept GT XX, a 1341bhp technical tour de force showcasing a radical design, an advanced new technical layout and a motorsportinspired cockpit. This fully operational four‑door machine features a new 1341bhp tri‑motor electric drivetrain and an oil‑cooled 114kWh cell‑to‑pack battery capable of charging at up to 850kW. As with the Mercedes‑Benz Vision EQXX, the precursor to the third‑generation CLA that was unveiled in 2022, the GT XX serves as a technology demonstrator for what will become the heavily anticipated successor to the GT 4‑Door Coupé and the most powerful AMG yet. Given its billing, AMG plans to undertake various record attempts with the prototype ahead of a planned launch next year. Mercedes’ chief technical officer, Markus Schäfer, said the upcoming production…

The next wave of Kia EVs is being prepared for launch by the end of the decade, among them an entry-level model as well as a next-generation architecture that will underpin replacements for the likes of the EV6 and EV9. Kia’s rollout of electric cars continues apace, with the current EV3, EV6 and EV9 being joined this year by the EV4 and EV5, followed by the EV2 in 2026. Now the firm’s efforts are focused on what comes next. An entry-level EV that sits below the EV2 and is priced below €25,000 (about £21,000) is the major new addition, but replacements for the EV6 and EV9 will mark step-changes for the brand as it moves to softwaredefined vehicles (SDVs). New range-extender EV technology is also in the works, alongside continued…

The new 631bhp Ferrari Amalfi has been unveiled as the firm’s new entry-level model, with more power, overhauled styling and revamped aerodynamics compared with its Roma predecessor. Its underpinnings are shared with the Roma, but Ferrari says it is an all-new model, with nearly every panel changed and the front-mounted 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 extensively reworked. That reworking means the Amalfi is a more powerful proposition than the car it replaces, with an output of 631bhp – an increase of 19bhp. Torque remains at 561lb ft, and power is delivered via the same eight-speed dual-clutch transmission for a 0-62mph time of 3.3sec, 0.1sec quicker than the Roma. While those increases in power and speed seem modest, Ferrari has instead concentrated on making the engine more responsive when operating in higher gears,…

Hyundai’s N performance brand will not restrict itself exclusively to electric sports cars in the future, and is evaluating hot new combustion models to sit alongside the Ioniq 5 N and upcoming Ioniq 6 N. The Korean firm’s sporting division – its answer to the likes of BMW M and Volkswagen R – was launched with the i30 N in 2017. It followed that up with the smaller i20 N in 2021, before revealing the Ioniq 5 N as its first EV in 2023 and removing the two petrol hot hatchbacks from sale shortly afterwards. Following the unveiling of the Ioniq 6 N at Goodwood next month, the performance brand will have a two-car, exclusively electric line-up, but N division boss Joon Park has suggested more models will follow –…

AT THE FINAL Car of the Year 2023 test event in Belgium, where the Nissan Ariya was shortlisted, Nissan Europe R&D boss David Moss took great interest in my 400-mile drive home in a BMW iX and how many charging stops were planned. “One” was my target, yet Moss highlighted how it was also important for that stop to be as short as possible and that the car should take on as little charge as possible to avoid motorway charging prices compared with cheaper home rates. “My sense is that bigger is seen as better when it comes to battery size,” said Moss before that journey. “If you buy with range in mind, you pay a lot more and add weight to the car. If 75% of your miles are…

With two vintage Rolls-Royces, four Land Rovers, a Jeep, a Mercedes G-Wagen and several decades of Sahara exploration trips behind me, it was time to stow the jerry cans and hang up the shovels. A sensible little car beckoned with sensible MPG and no sand on the seat sliders. Toyota’s reputation for rock-solid engineering loomed large on my logic landscape and just over a year ago my rushed selection criteria clicked on an Aygo X. I was startled by the plethora of auto this and auto that in the cockpit, but the sweet automatic transmission, the engine stop-start system and the sweetness of operation won the day. A wide-eyed look at the immaculate assembly of hardware under the bonnet clinched the deal. As delivered, the sepulchral all-black interior was a…

Forbidden fruit in the car industry comes in all shapes and sizes. The latest is the Kia Tasman, the brand’s first-ever pick-up truck. While it would be easy to ignore such a development, given that the Tasman is denied not only to Brits but also Europeans and Americans, it is significant in showing how Kia is continuing to develop and enter new markets and model segments. In short, Kia is a brand willing and able to try new things and the Tasman is a fantastic bit of design. If you look around at the Tasman’s rivals (Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux, Nissan Navara), you would think there wasn’t much one could do to make a pick-up visually interesting before you start getting to performance versions like the Ranger Raptor. Yet the…

It was probably fate for the current version of the Volvo XC90, the vehicular embodiment of pragmatism and rationality, to steadfastly refuse to die. Why would it, after all, if it could still be useful? The car originally planned as the XC90’s all-electric successor, the EX90, is already in production yet this Swedish-made seven-seater – with us in its current generation since 2015 – has been given an indefinite stay of execution. It will provide mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid alternatives to the electriconly EX90, says Volvo, “for as long as there is demand for them”. But what kind of alternatives might those be and can an ostensibly large premium-brand SUV 10 years old and counting really compete with so many much younger rivals? That’s what we’re about to find out…

Caterham has been at a set of figurative crossroads for sometime, pondering what will replace the Ford Sigma and Duratec engines it has been using for yonks. Neither the Sigma, a 1.6-litre used in Caterham’s Academy racing cars, nor the 2.0-litre Duratec, used in its road and fastest race cars, has been made for several years. Caterham bought a batch of Sigma blocks and has been assembling completed engines using those and spare parts, but they will shortly run out. It still has considerable stock of complete Duratec engines – 1200 of them – but it doesn’t believe Ford has used the unit in over four years. Ultimately, both need replacing, but the Academy race car is a priority, so that’s what’s being addressed first. The Academy series, designed for…

Why is Aston Martin racing at Le Mans? It’s a question CEO Adrian Hallmark has pondered, especially since the project was signed off before he joined the firm. And as he puts it: “The media awareness of Le Mans is pretty niche, and that’s being kind.” But he adds: “It hasn’t got the glamour of F1 but it’s the most challenging, brutal sport with four wheels. It’s 16 F1 races in a day: that’s the scale of the challenge.” Hallmark is in a position to compare the two since Aston also competes in F1 – and this weekend it will be on home ground for the British Grand Prix. In fact, home ground undersells it: the F1 team is based at Silverstone, over the road from the track entrance. It…

WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT To discover if Renault’s retro-infused EV hit is as good to live with as it is to look at We could wait no longer. When we found out the latest addition to our fleet, a new Renault 5, had been built at the firm’s Douai plant in France and was en route to the UK, we had to get our hands on it as soon as humanly possible. So we decided to intercept the ship. Our 5 arrived in the UK, like thousands of cars do every day, at Royal Portbury Dock in Avonmouth near Bristol – and, helpfully for logistics, 15 minutes from my mum’s house. Which made me the ideal collection driver after we learned the ship containing our car would dock very early…

MILEAGE 3890 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT Can a two-seat roadster/GT/sports car be both satisfying to own and electric? I a bad idea to leave the MG Cyberster unplugged in a car park for a week. We’ve received enough letters about (some) EVs and PHEVs conking out when left for extended periods that I nearly took an old diesel to the airport instead. But don’t be so silly, I told myself – it’ll be fine. And if it’s not, that’s the point of trying it. It wasn’t fine. On my return I pressed the key fob and, sure enough, nothing happened. Not a peep of sound, not a flash of lights nor the merest hint that the car knew I was standing next to it, apoplectic, trying to unlock it. I…

FORD FIESTA 1.0T ECOBOOST TITANIUM 2018, 35,000 miles, £8890 This immaculate Fiesta should serve well as a fun and frugal runabout. Titanium trim means it has Apple CarPlay, cruise control and a B&O audio system. It also has low mileage, a long MOT and the promise of 60mpg. VOLKSWAGEN POLO 1.0 EVO SE 2019, 46,500 miles, £9950 Spacious, well equipped and refined, VW’s supermini has plenty of ‘big car’ feel and this one has been well maintained. Like the Fiesta (above), it has all the right kit, including CarPlay and DAB radio. It has just two previous owners and comes with a decent service history. FIAT 500C 1.0 MHEV 2024, 11,500 miles, £13,190 Want your daily driver to come with retro charm and open-air thrills? Then this drop-top 500 should…

“There is enough volume in the market for us to have two cars in parallel” A new Skoda concept car that previews the next-generation Octavia estate will create “a lot of buzz and controversial discussion” around the brand as it moves into a new era of design. Skoda CEO Klaus Zellmer told Autocar that it will be a “further step” for the marque in terms of its design, but the new model will still “clearly be recognisable as a Skoda”. The estate concept will be revealed at the Munich motor show in September. It is likely to be based on the Volkswagen Group’s upcoming SSP platform, which is being designed for the next generation of electric cars and will eventually replace the current MEB architecture. The MEB platform is not…

Ferrari says it made a mistake by replacing physical buttons with haptic controls on its steering wheels, and it will reverse the decision across its range. The move begins with the Amalfi, which is also fitted with the traditional start/stop button that owners wanted to return. The haptic tech was first introduced in the SF90 hypercar. Commercial boss Enrico Galliera said the tech was introduced when trying to recreate the speed of interaction experienced while using a phone. He said: “When we decided to create the SF90, the brief was to have the most performing Ferrari ever. We wanted to establish a distance versus our competitor. To achieve that, we put all the most advanced available technologies. “We pushed our team to redesign the digital interaction. When we interact with…

THE UK IS aiming to regain its place as a top global vehicle production location, following the unveiling of a new 10-year industrial strategy. The government’s new plan provides the foundation for major reductions in commercial energy costs, more favourable investment conditions, enhanced skills development and improved trading terms for UK-based car makers. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders welcomed the announcement with a new 10-point plan that aims to “build on the foundation” of the industrial strategy and which, combined, can be used as a “springboard” for growth. The SMMT believes the country can become one of the world’s top 15 vehicle manufacturing sites by 2030 and deliver a £50 billion boost to the economy. One of the key points in the 10-step plan – which includes EV…

Five Lexus models were among the top 10 cars most likely to be stolen in 2024, according to government data – and the Range Rover, previously a high-profile target for car thieves, is now among the most protected. Last year, more than 61,000 cars were stolen across the UK. The Ford Fiesta – the country’s most popular second-hand car, with 306,207 sales in 2024 – topped the table for overall number of thefts, at 4719. However, new analysis of the latest DVLA data, which ranks stolen cars as a proportion of the total number registered, paints an alternative picture. It reveals the Lexus ES 300 as the model most likely to be stolen in 2024, with one in 30 taken. It is followed by the Lexus RX 450 and Mercedes…

FEATURE MOOR, MOOR, MOOR We go thrill-seeking in the latest Mini John Cooper Works hot hatch over some of the best moorland roads that Yorkshire has to offer INSIGHT THE OTHER CARS IN FORMULA 1 The story of Aston Martin’s safety and medical cars and their vital roles ROAD TEST AUDI RS3 SPORTBACK Updated hot hatch gives 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine its last hurrah EVERY WEEK USED GUIDE JAGUAR XF Yes, you can still get a likeable Jag – and this one could cost you as little as £4000 LIVING WITH A… VOLVO EX30 We’ve previously criticised this electric crossover’s tech, so how will it fare on our fleet?…

The Fiat Panda 4x4 is an unlikely cult hero. A small hatchback is never going to have the ground clearance for hardcore off-roading, nor the torque to be a capable tow vehicle. And yet its pluckiness makes it really quite endearing. The most intrepid of Pandas is currently on hiatus while a four-wheel-drive version of the new hybrid Grande Panda is being readied, but for decades there has been a lesser-known alternative: the four-wheel-drive Suzuki Swift, which these days is called ‘Allgrip’. Every Swift has the same mildhybrid, naturally aspirated 1.2-litre three-cylinder petrol engine with 81bhp, and a five-speed manual gearbox is standard. A CVT is available, but only on the frontwheel-drive version. The Allgrip has a relatively simple four-wheel drive system, with a viscous coupling that closes up when…

As the fortunes of their opposite numbers from the Fast East have risen, European volume car makers have had it tough. While consolidation of ownership has given some a lifeline, others have simply found new ways to work together to adapt and survive. The joint venture on commercial vehicles between Ford and Volkswagen, announced in 2019, is an example. Ford engineered the current VW Amarok and manufactures it alongside its own Ranger pick-up in South Africa. In return (as well as giving Ford access to its MEB electric car platform for the Explorer and Capri), VW engineered and produces Ford’s mid-sized ‘multi-activity vehicle’, the Tourneo Connect, alongside its own Caddy in Poznan, Poland. But does the customer end up with the car they expect? That’s a question this road test…

We think of the Porsche 911 as being the stalwart of the junior supercar world, but after 28 years and more than 10,000 sales, the Lotus Esprit in all its guises was probably the closest contender. And this year marks half a century since it broke cover at the 1975 Paris motor show, where its radical Giorgetto Giugiaro-designed shape was revealed in production form for the first time. Overseen by Colin Chapman and a small team from Hethel, the Esprit went on to be Lotus’s first proper Ferrari challenger. Its four-cylinder engine and initially meagre output were mitigated by a sublime chassis, a sub-900kg kerb weight and bar-raising mid-engined dynamics. So it is only right that Lotus – or rather Classic Team Lotus – has seen fit to celebrate the…

According to my phone, Taxi House, headquarters of the Licensed Taxi Drivers’ Association (LTDA) on Great Suffolk Street, London, E1, is just a 15-minute walk from Waterloo station, where I’m located. I’m due to meet Steve McNamara, the association’s general secretary, there and although shanks’s pony is more appealing, I ought to take one of his member’s black cabs. It will be a chance to find out what a taxi ride costs these days and to grill the driver about life as a cabbie. He won’t be cracking jokes… There’s a big debate going on about the future of London’s cabs. In March, a report by the Centre for London warned that on current trends, the trade could disappear from the capital’s streets within as little as 20 years. The…

MILEAGE 17,994 WHY WE’RE RUNNING IT In facelifted form, is this SUV still the pinnacle of British luxury motoring? This Bentayga V8 S exists because customers demanded even more dynamic performance from their SUV. The S receives active anti-roll control and an enhanced Sports chassis mode, including a 15% increase in damping rates to stiffen the chassis. There’s also a different sports exhaust to give “a more sporting soundtrack” and some visual details such as unique 22in wheels and plenty of black detailing. I’ll admit I have mostly enjoyed driving our Bentayga long-termer in Comfort mode. But feeling like I hadn’t been staying true to this car’s ethos, I found a spare weekend to see its other side. The outing took me to Oxfordshire to visit a friend, but I…

With a Pininfarina-designed body, a naturally aspirated V8 mounted directly behind your back and a truly exhilarating driving experience, the Ferrari 458 Italia remains the definitive supercar of the early 2010s. So good is the F430’s successor that residual values remain strong, which is why the 458 is best snapped up now before modern classic status takes hold and renders it a near-unaffordable collector’s item. Given the fact that list prices for newer 296 GTBs and Purosangues are falling by the week, the 458 should make for a solid investment too. Sure, those cars are more powerful and much faster on paper, but the 458 will certainly nip at their heels – and because it predates the hybrid era, it delivers a sensory experience that its modern equivalents can only…

Unfortunately, on seeing a McLaren MP4-12C the first thing you want to ask its owner is how its software, door locks, airbags and headlights are behaving. “Faults with these were blown out of proportion by some journalists,” counters Peter Hogan. “For example, it turned out that the door latches were easily fixed. Then some people whinged about the gearboxes failing but probably only one in 300 was a problem. My car has experienced none of the infotainment glitches reported by the press. The radio works. The satnav is a bit old-school but I love it.” Peter might sound just a tad defensive except that his faith in the model is such that he has not one but two MP4s. The one I’m looking at is a 2012-reg with just 2000…

Caravans and camper vans feature only rarely in Autocar these days – but half a century ago they were a regular and prominent topic, reflecting the popularity of such vehicles among the British public. Before the advent of cheap flights abroad, hauling a very small, very basic hotel room into a field somewhere was how the average family could ‘get away from it all’. Caravans were nothing new: the UK’s Caravan Club is 118 years old. But the austerity of post-war Britain led to a ‘golden age’ for them in the 1960s and 1970s, as car ownership had become a realistic prospect for the middle and working classes and people were starting to have more money to spare on pleasure. In the 1950s, around 3000 caravans were being made in…