Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2025 i CAR UK

Newsflash: yoke steering wheels are weird. Lexus is one of the first to launch a new car with steer-by-wire technology in Europe – some vehicles, like Tesla’s Cybertruck, are already on sale with the system elsewhere. Many car makers think the solution is the future, giving extra flexibility and functionality that may not be possible on a car with a conventional mechanical set-up. It also reduces manufacturing complexity, allowing one system to be manufactured regardless of whether it’s put in left- or right-hand-drive cars. As well as Lexus, Mercedes-Benz is among the major manufacturers developing the tech. For Lexus, steer-by-wire arrives in its updated version of the RZ EV. The system is due to be available only in the F Sport version of the RZ when it hits Europe towards…

Audi design is a mess. After years of Bauhaus inspiration and clean, purposeful looks, cars from Ingolstadt are leaving the factory bereft of the simplicity that – ironically – used to make Audis stand out. The thing is, Audi knows this – which is why it poached Massimo Frascella from JLR in 2024 to serve as chief creative officer. Frascella was responsible for the currentshape Range Rover and Range Rover Sport as well as – crucially – the latest Land Rover Defender; three cars that are clean-cut and purposeful to look at, but recognisably Land Rovers without being too over the top. Audi needs this vision, and knows it needs to make its cars cleaner. At an event celebrating 60 years of modern Audi design, exterior designer Gary Telaak walks…

Not 20 seconds earlier a fully stickered-up VW Golf Mk6 screeched to a halt, flung into an abrupt U-turn and accelerated hard up to my rear bumper. Now he’s shadowing my every move. This is a small town outside Rimini, not Maranello, and the mere sight of a new Ferrari, let alone the brand’s latest €3.5m halo car, is enough to cause a frenzy. And a car accident. There’s no rear window aboard the Ferrari F80 but the rear-view camera shows we’re mere inches from a shunt. Like a labrador with its snout pushed up against a fish-eye lens, the Golf’s front end is filling the entire screen, aftermarket tricolore grille confirming the allegiance to all things Italia. You’d think a quick foray into the F80’s vast reserves of almighty…

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The moment of truth, after following the project for years he V10 engine might be missing from the new Lamborghini Temerario, but it’s ever-present at the customer trackday we’ve gatecrashed at Circuit Vallelunga, near Rome. I’m sheltering from 35ºC heat in the pit garage, waiting to drive the new model, and every 30 seconds or so a Huracan – the Temerario’s predecessor as Lamborghini’s entry-level supercar – picks up the throttle for the flat-out run past the start-finish line. There’s a flash of colour and a mellifluous, brassy, throaty sort of anger that rises to a crescendo like the bees and the honey rolled into one. What a noise! One of the most instantly recognisable exhaust notes of modern times, the 5.2 has soundtracked entry-level Lamborghinis since the Gallardo transformed…

The story so far Dyno shows 740bhp, 23bhp up on what BMW claims. Feels like every single one is accessible + Unbelievable pace; big boot means four-up airport run is possible - Stiff rear suspension; weird hybrid integration Logbook Price £111,515 (£133,670 as tested) Performance 18.6kWh battery, 4395cc 32v twin-turbo V8 petrol plus e-motor, 717bhp, 738lb ft Efficiency 148-176mpg (official), 29.6mpg (tested), 37-39g/km CO2 Energy cost 23.8p per mile Miles this month 1987 Total miles 5483 Driving into Litchfield Motors in our BMW M5 feels like that moment in a Western when a complete stranger walks into a saloon and the entire room goes silent. Nissan GT-Rs are stacked as far as the eye can see in various states of undress – in the car park outside, on ramps inside,…

The story so far Forget weekend fun – we’ve put the Grenadier to work + So big and solid, it feels like you’re driving a tank - It drinks fuel like a tank too Logbook Price £78,885 (£83,058 as tested) Performance 2993cc turbodiesel six-cylinder, 246bhp, 406lb ft, 9.9sec 0-62mph, 99mph Efficiency 23.1-26.9mpg (official), 21.7mpg (tested), 276-319g/km CO2 Energy cost 29.1p per mile Miles this month 998 Total miles 1925 I reckon everyone’s got the Ineos Grenadier all wrong. It’s not a universally loved car, and within the CAR team there are some who dismiss it for its vague steering, choppy ride and high price. I think they’re all missing the point. Because every time I see a review of the Grenadier it seems to be doing the wrong things. Journalists…

Bentley’s bosses don’t like their new EXP 15 concept car being compared to ‘that’ Jaguar. When I ask the question, CEO Frank-Steffen Walliser remarks, part-jokingly, part-rattled ‘Jaguar who?’ The Bentley EXP 15 and Jaguar Type 00 are ultimately both the result of a need to adapt to suit the younger customers now buying luxury cars, and especially those in growing Asian markets. The EXP 15 has been created by a team led by Bentley’s new design director Robin Page, who returned to Crewe in September 2023 after a 10-year stint at Volvo, where he was instrumental in transforming the Swedish brand’s image with cars including the XC40. The challenge for Bentley has got tougher since Page was last there. The Bentayga still sells well, and though the latest fourth-generation Continental…

What happens when a budget brand goes for luxury? You get this, the Omoda 9, a five-seat D-segment hybrid SUV that promises ‘premium affordability’. A rival of the Skoda Kodiaq and Kia EV9, among others, it sits above the Omoda 5 and electric E5 as the flagship of the Omoda range, and is priced very keenly next to those rivals. The SHS system at the heart of the Omoda 9 is a 1.5-litre petrol engine combined with a couple of electric motors and a 34.46kWh lithium-ion battery. It’s a confusing quartet that has nine driving modes, and what those components are doing really depends on how you’re driving: in traffic jams you’ll get a single EV motor, while long-distance driving will have the engine powering the wheels directly. Other times…

I wasn’t especially interested when Ferrari unveiled the F80. Whether that was part of a wider disinterest in the so-called ‘hypercar’ sector I cannot say. Possibly. I mean the whole super/hypercar thing has become so crass and silly, hasn’t it? Like most of these 1000-horsepower lumps, it left me wondering what you’re supposed to do with it. How does the most extreme Ferrari road car assert itself when the baby Berlinetta 296 has 819bhp? The awful-looking SF90 XX offers scarily close on-paper performance to this £3m-plus newcomer. At Misano it was time to eat some humble pie within a few laps. Clearly Ferrari is using the F80 to make a statement. It is the fastest, most effective, most finished car of its type. Acceleration, braking, stability on corner entry, mid-corner and…

Once upon a time, all car makers thought the future of EVs – if they had one at all – was as small city runabouts. Small city cars don’t need a long battery range, thus obviating the EV’s biggest bugbear. Charging, too, is easier: it’s more likely to be done at home. And, surely, reasoned the car makers, the biggest eco advantage of an EV is their zero tailpipe emissions? That’s far more important for a car operating in Marylebone or Manchester than on the M4 or in Monmouthshire. Armed with such prejudice but still sticking to their combustion cars, the oily car makers got a shock when tech geek and industry outsider Elon Musk launched the Tesla Model S, the world’s first successful modern EV. They got an even…

The story so far Polestar steps well out of Volvo’s shadow with its own fastback, a Macan electric rival + Fantastic design; supercar speed; seemingly cutting-edge tech - Software niggles; ADAS issues Logbook Price £66,990 (£75,290 as tested) Performance 94kWh battery,536bhp, 506lb ft, 3.7sec 0-62mph, 124mph Efficiency 2.9-3.3 miles per kWh (official), 3.5 miles per kWh (tested) Range 367 miles (official), 280 (tested) Energy cost 14.1p per mile Miles this month 504 Total miles 1240 Is there a car that encompasses the automotive zeitgeist more than the Polestar 4? The product of a sustainabilityminded start-up of sorts with premium aspirations, it’s an electric SUV fastback with an almost entirely touchscreen interior, full-width rear light and an unnecessarily quick 0-62mph sprint time. It’s the most 2020s vehicle I can think of…

The story so far More attitude than GTI; cheaper and fleeter than R – Clubsport returns + Daily usability, weekend fun - No power bump for facelift Logbook Price £43,215 (£47,830 as tested) Performance 1984cc turbocharged four-cylinder, 296bhp, 295lb ft, 5.6sec 0-62mph, 168mph Efficiency 37.4mpg (official), 32.0mpg (tested), 168g/km CO2 Energy cost 18.7p per mile Miles this month 601 Total miles 915 Almost 12 months ago, CAR decamped to Goodyear’s Mireval test facility with the year’s best performance cars. A couple of days in, we’d just decided which cars should progress to the next stage of our annual Sports Car Giant Test showdown, and which should be dismissed. Then Henry Siebert-Saunders – who was in attendance with his company’s Ariel Nomad – chipped in that he knew which of the…

It’s tough being a petrolhead in 2025. It seems everything we love about cars is gradually being legislated off the road. Low-emission zones are taxing cheap, interesting modern classics into scrapyards. Driver-assistance technology is steadily pushing us out of the driving seat. Tighter CO2 targets are making it more difficult to develop fast petrol cars, while increasingly strict noise regulations are smothering the life from the few that slip through the net. Electrification isn’t quite there yet, either. Manufacturers are still figuring out how to build fun electric cars. As comfortable and convenient as they are, they’re generally too sterile and heavy to become a credible alternative for those who want to enjoy the most visceral, mechanical sensations of driving. But one brand has got it figured out: Hyundai. Specifically,…

Extremely glamorous Ripe for the Amalfi coast. Convenient then, that this new Ferrari is named just that. It’s meant to replace the Roma, an already glamorous two-door grand tourer. Pretty? We’re divided about what Ferrari design boss Flavio Manzoni calls his ‘minimalist, technical and pure’ design approach. Like the Roma, the Amalfi has its 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8 pushed so far behind the front wheels it’s basically mid-engined, and it does without any electrified engine assistance. Ferrari has also brought back physical switchgear on it steering wheel – a win for interior tactility… on your £200k supercar. Extremely stealthy Until the engine turns on, anyway. General Motors has confirmed that its Corvette E-Ray – the first electrified version of its perennial sports car – has escaped the Mountain Dew and Cheeto-littered…

On one of the back roads that run through the lush Danish farming country outside of Copenhagen, a road littered with blind crests and thumping compressions, with a sharp corner or two thrown into the mix for good measure, I find myself thinking about the Mercedes-Benz 190E. It isn’t just the quiet aplomb with which the Mercedes-Benz CLA 250+ handles the heaving, twisting tarmac that so reminds me of the 190E. It’s the sudden realisation that this new EV is the most significant compact saloon from Mercedes since the launch of the 190E more than 40 years ago. As with the 190E, which debuted a complex multi-link rear suspension that would eventually find its way onto bigger, more expensive Benzes, this CLA inverts the technology trickle-down process we normally see…

The V12 tucked between bulkhead and axle makes it ridiculously fast It’s the warmest day in Yorkshire so far this year and – despite the ventilated seats – I’m a hot mess in an Aston Martin convertible. Luckily anyone with any sense only has eyes for the car. Nearly five metres of matte silver and carbonfibre, draped over a bonded aluminium structure that suffers precious few compromises due to being developed in parallel with the coupe, the Vanquish Volante looks delicious in real life. Riva speedboat vibes, somehow, and unignorably vast, cocooning me deeply enough inside to make my appearance comfortably irrelevant. But it’s not just for posing in – it’s an Aston, so you expect it to be pretty special to drive. And at first, pushing the accelerator pedal…

Former CAR editor Steve Cropley’s 1984 review of the 288 GTO was my aeroplane reading on the way to this F80 drive. The sense of excitement and privilege to be a part of events when Ferrari does a ‘special’ car transcends generations. The 288 began the modern era of ultra-Ferraris, and remains the most beautiful and the hardest to handle. A healthy example tried to lob me into the shrubbery on a damp moorland road a few years ago and I’ve approached them like stray dogs ever since. I think it was mainly developed to see how much turbo lag could be fitted into a road car. The F40? For me probably still the greatest ever roadgoing Ferrari, as approachable as its predecessor was spiteful. I’ll always remember trying to…

Keys to some pretty special machines have been flung my way before; La-Ferrari Aperta, 250cc Honda GP bike, my mate Andy’s self-restored Triumph Herald when he was too hungover for the McDonald’s breakfast run… But this is right up there. Without fanfare Singer Vehicle Design’s Maz Fawaz hands me the key to the ‘Fuji’ Classic Turbo commission and we walk to the car – a car which, it should be noted, is beautiful like a desert dawn. Oddly, as we get closer to the car the Porsche refuses to get bigger, steadfastly remaining 964-era petite. I’ve driven a ‘re-imagined by Singer Vehicle Design’ 911 before, a naturally-aspirated Classic restoration that redefined my understanding of what an ‘old’ car can feel like, mostly because everything that matters – and with Singer…

There is a case to be made for each of our protagonists. The Dacia is the most polarising. Its chief virtues – apart from that bargain basement price – are that it can be fun to drive, and it has character. But as we know, one person’s charming is another’s compromised. It is mechanically the crudest, feels the flimsiest, and has the smallest bandwidth of capability. It’s far from a clean-sheet new car, and I’m quite sure Renault and Dacia could make a better small city car if starting from scratch. On the other hand, I like its roly-poly demeanour and the soft and absorbent low-speed urban ride. It reminds me of old French cars, including the Renault 4 of fond memory. Such comparisons gain legitimacy when you note that…

The story so far VW’s electric family car turns out to be quietly impressive + Crushingly competent in every area; long range; makes going electric so easy - Character bypass; a few ergonomic flaws in the interior Logbook: Price £51,550 (£55,270 as tested) Performance 77kWh battery, e-motor, 282bhp, 6.5sec 0-62mph, 112mph Efficiency 4.7 miles per kWh (official), 3.2 miles per kWh (tested), 0g/km CO2 Range 393 miles (official), 301 miles (tested) Energy cost 8.0p per mile Miles this month 2689 Total miles 10,809 You can’t beat living with one, day-in, day-out, to really get under the skin of a new car. That’s been the case with the large family electric Volkswagen, which has truly wormed its way into our affections over the course of the past seven months, revealing a…

TOP 5 HOT HATCHES 1 TOYOTA GR YARIS THE GOOD: A modern-day rally homologation special that’s thrilling to drive THE BAD: Road noise like a death-metal gig; joke rear seats THE UGLY: Long waiting list, even with some versions now over £60k, although it starts at £46,045 THE ONE TO BUY: Now has optional auto but go for the manual 2 HONDA CIVIC TYPE R THE GOOD: Feel, feedback, focus: a phenomenal car THE BAD: Now £51,905 for a front-drive hatchback with barely any more power than before THE UGLY: Honda says it’s the last of its kind; good job it’s one of the best THE ONE TO BUY: Just one Type R; £459 a month is worth it 3 VW GOLF R THE GOOD: Superb Mk8.5 update makes this a…