Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2025 i CAR UK

Billions in R&D. Clean-sheet design. Cutting-edge technology. Powertrain flexibility that’s second to none… BMW has set itself an almighty roster of targets with its Neue Klasse strategy, designed to completely overhaul not just its model line-up but also its way of making cars, to ensure it’s competitive in a fast-changing market. The new iX3 is the first of a wave of new and updated models that’ll benefit from these developments. It sets the tone for BMW’s foreseeable future, so it had better be good. The fact it’s priced from £58,755 – around £7k less than the previous-generation iX3 – is an excellent start. It will be followed by the new i3 – the Neue Klasse electric 3-series – next year. If BMW’s grand strategy sounds a bit familiar, that’s because…

Wants to be an MG Metro 6R4 But it’s a Vauxhall. This is the Corsa GSE Vision Gran Turismo, and it’ll accelerate to 62mph quicker than you can say its name. It’s an all-electric, all-wheel-drive, rally-inspired concept that comes with oodles of power (789bhp) and a low kerbweight (1170kg), and it signals where Vauxhall wants the GSE performance brand to go – hopefully generating more exciting cars than today’s weak plug-in-hybrid ‘performance’ Astra. It’s also a coded preview of how the next Corsa will look, with a cleaner and more aggressive face and almost Nova-like rear three-quarter. Convincing? Hmm. Wants to be an LFA At least it’s a Lexus, so it’s off to a good start. Previewing something low, sleek and super powerful to succeed the LFA, this gorgeous Sports…

Reports of the V12’s death are, it turns out, greatly exaggerated. You’ll have seen our Aston Martin vs Ferrari vs Lamborghini test in the August issue, featuring V12 engines enjoying an unexpectedly extended lease of life, as plans to ditch engines and go all-electric are rapidly revised. And now here’s an entirely new V12. This thing of engineering beauty is Mjølner – a 6.6-litre V12 commissioned by a Danish supercar maker and built in the UK. It will power the Aurora currently being finalised by Zenvo, which is perhaps best known for the TSR-S – a supercar with an active wing that tilts from side to side. Engine partner Mahle Powertrain was formed when German engineering giant Mahle bought the hugely experienced Northampton-based Cosworth Technology in 2005. The new V12,…

The aim is to make the keen amateur feel more comfortable As a £100k add-on to a standard Porsche 911 GT3 RS, the Manthey kit is neither cheap nor subtle. Onlookers will instantly either savour or scorn its very existence while prospective owners will be swayed by headline figures of over a tonne of downforce at 177mph. Without driving the car, it’s hard to cut through the noise. Get behind the wheel, however, and a mere 3.6-mile lap of Monza – around two minutes, depending on how good you are – is enough to make clear exactly why customers spend the money. Manthey-Racing GmbH is a hugely successful German motorsport team with achievements including multiple class wins at the Le Mans and Nürburgring 24-hour races. Since 1999 it’s been fettling…

It’s 38ºC and I’m strapped into a carbonfibre oven that’s hurtling along at 180mph, my double-layer black Nomex overalls soaking up the sweat and sun in equal measure. I’m rattling through a tirade of single-syllable expletives but my cries are a mere whimper next to the howling metallic tornado inches from my head. Blink and I’ll be blind for 30 metres. Sneeze and all bets are off. To some, it sounds like a window into Hell. For others, it’s a bullet train to Heaven and a damn good reason to part with eye-watering sums of money in pursuit of the ultimate trackday experience. The heat, noise and mild terror are all part of the fun in the Pagani Huayra R Evo Roadster. It’s a track-only variant of the Huayra and…

The supremely logical follow-up to the R1, specifically the R1S SUV, the R2 is fundamental to Rivian’s ongoing success – it has to sell, and sell big. Europe-friendly in size, the R2’s also far cheaper to build. But CEO RJ Scaringe insists it retains much of the R1’s style, vibe and capability. It’s the Rivian brand promise for people without the kind of Range Rover-sized budget you need for an R1 – go on adventures, make memories and save the planet while you’re at it. Multiple powertrains will be offered, including single-motor rear-wheel-drive and dual- and tri-motor all-wheel-drive set-ups. The headlines are 340-plus miles of range, 0-62mph in under 3.2sec (far faster than a Tesla Model 3 Long Range All-Wheel Drive), a big front trunk and a simple yet classy…

I’m charging down the closest thing Thruxton has to a straight, with the final chicane – a third-gear right-left-right – hoving into view. I should be fully focused on the reference point – a tall, grey speaker pole just to the left of the grandstand – but I’m desperately trying to stop myself glancing at the instruments. I wouldn’t usually, but this time I’ve got a number in mind: 155mph. That’s the speed at which a British Touring Car Championship-spec BMW 3-series is topping out along here during a qualifying session. I really shouldn’t get anywhere near that. At all. Obviously. I’m in a five-door family estate car on road tyres, not slicks. It weighs over half a tonne extra, and although it has more grunt than a car adhering…

HELLO BMW M5 TOURING + RENAULT SCENIC vs KIA EV3 + INEOS GRENADIER vs SUMMER The story so far Arguably the finest hot hatch on sale, here to prove a) it’s worth £52k and b) it has an actual repertoire, not simply a USP + Sweet manual ’box; the state of the front-wheel-drive art - More focused than the car that came before Logbook Price £51,905 (£52,605 as tested) Performance 1996cc turbocharged four-cylinder, 325bhp, 310lb ft, 5.5sec 0-62mph, 171mph Efficiency 34.3mpg (official), 33.9mpg (tested), 186g/km CO2 Energy cost 19.5p per mile Miles this month 489 Total miles 2730 If you ride motorcycles, drive cars and come across as passionate about both, you’ll inevitably have faced the question: ‘Which is best?’ It’s not so much a tough ask as an impossible…

The story so far Clubsport returns with more attitude than GTI and less cost than R + Weekday usability and 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), 34.8mpg (tested), 168g/km CO2 Energy cost 17.4p per mile Miles this month 1107 Total miles 2022 The Mk8 VW Golf didn’t enjoy the easiest launch when it debuted a few years back, mostly because of its glitchy, unintuitive infotainment system. That’s largely fixed now, at least as much as it can be within the constraints of the latest Mk8.5 facelift. But there was another issue with the preface-lift GTI and R models – the driving experience was a little vanilla, even if both…

HOW DOES NEW GBU WORK? Our road testers rank the best cars currently available in 12 categories, and highlight the ones to buy TOP 5 HOT HATCHES 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 HONDA CIVIC TYPE R THE GOOD: Feel, feedback, focus: a phenomenal car THE BAD: £51,905 for a front-drive hatch 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: Keep it…

Has Formula 1 gone soft? That was the question being asked around the motorsport world after July’s Belgian GP was delayed by rain for an hour and 20 minutes. Over F1’s 75 years some of the most memorable, careerdefining drives have come in the wet. Lewis Hamilton’s virtuoso wet-weather performance at the 2008 British GP; Ayrton Senna in Portugal 1985; Michael Schumacher in Spain 1996; Max Verstappen rising from 17th on the grid to win in the rain at Interlagos in 2024. Most of the great racing drivers have a signature wet win on their CV. So what’s changed? Is it the tyres, the drivers, the tracks or the cars? Has F1 now become too risk-averse to let drivers off the leash when the weather turns? Current champion Verstappen expressed…

Volkswagen is in a hole – one largely of its own making. China is no longer the money printer it used to be, as local brands capture consumer attention. Costs at its European plants are spiralling, causing drastic re-thinks to keep as many of them – and their employees – working as possible. VW also went hard on EVs and software early, only for some of its ID cars to be met with a lukewarm reception and for the Group to then throw billions at a Rivian joint venture to access better tech years later. And yet, at the reveal of the new T-Roc, Thomas Schäfer cuts a relaxed figure. He talks of the Future Volkswagen plan and its three stages: advance, attack and achieve. The brand has gone through…

Rapidly-reducing contact patch at high speed? You’re most likely about to aquaplane. Reducing contact patch at low speed? You’re probably driving into a soft surface, like snow or mud. Bigger-than-usual contact patches at the rear? There’s a load in the boot, and the relative braking effort needs recalculating. This potentially life-saving information can be sent to your car’s network of safety systems directly from its tyres. Not, of course, any old tyres, but the Bosch/Pirelli Cyber Tyre, currently under development. Depending on your point of view, the tyre is either the dumbest component of your car, or the most evolved. In 130 years of driving on pneumatic tyres we haven’t found a better solution than rubber and air: one that doesn’t puncture, wear out, overheat or need to be topped…

Enjoy the smoothest, glossiest, least scary oversteer you ever met There’s a risk when contemplating cars like this Aston and its 1000bhp peers (Ferrari’s SF90 XX; Lambo’s more affordable V12 Revuelto) of writing them off as too much: too much money, too much power, too much stuff (all three use an engine, a battery and three e-motors). A Mazda MX-5 is all you need, right, or a ’60s Elan? Lightweight, honest, chuckable… That, a vocal majority will tell you, is real driving. But what if you could have everything that the Valhalla brings (the carbon tub and arse-on-the-deck theatre of a Le Mans prototype; endless performance; a fluency with speed that swells confidence and urges experimentation) together with the chuckability of an Elan or an MX-5? What if you could…

1 PORSCHE’S NEW ELECTRIC FLAGSHIP IS A VERY BIG DEAL I drop a clanger just five minutes into my first taste of the new Cayenne. I’m behind the wheel, Cayenne vice president Michael Schätzle is in the passenger seat, and a couple of minutes into our conversation, as part of a long and rambling question, I mention that of course the platform is PPE, shared with the Macan and Audi Q6 e-Tron… Schätzle grimaces like he just took a swig of warm beer. ‘No. We have a new platform, PPE41C, owned by Porsche. It’s our platform and if someone else in the [VW] Group wants to use it they have to buy it from Porsche. We started with the joint platform but the changes are so big that this is…

Pagani launched its Arte in Pista programme in 2021, but it wasn’t the first to spy the opportunity. It wasn’t even the first in Modena… Never ones to miss an opportunity, Ferrari’s Corse Clienti programme can be traced back to the early 2000s and now acts as an umbrella for various track-based Ferrari activities. Got an old Ferrari F1 car and need help running it? They’ve got you covered with F1 Clienti. Fancy driving your 499P Modificata at Spa? Well of course, sir, that’s what our Sport Prototipi Clienti service is for. Want to go racing? Welcome to the Ferrari Challenge series using identical 296 Challenge cars – perfect for the pathway to GT racing. The schemes most directly comparable to Arte in Pista are the XX Programme and Club…

For many of us, the excitement around Rivian went up a big notch the first time we saw Jeff Hammoud’s R3, the Group B-inspired masterpiece that will be Rivian’s third model line. Due on sale in a couple of years, R3 details are scant but it’ll be the most affordable Rivian when it lands (under $45k in the US). And appropriately, given it’s so clearly inspired by European rallying and hot hatches, the R3 will back up the R2 in Europe when Rivian begins selling cars here. ‘We plan to go to Europe, and initially we’ll export, to establish the brand,’ affirms CEO RJ Scaringe, dodging precise timings. ‘Very soon after that we’ll launch a production facility [in Europe]. But the nature of that, where that plant’s going to be,…

These are interesting times in the world of small Renaults. Although the world of small Renaults is always interesting Some unnecessarily intricate things: making tea with loose leaves, shaving with a cut-throat razor, cricket, pipe organs and Renault interiors. All these things have simpler, more automated, synthesised alternatives. But why would you? Here we have five Renaults spanning more than 50 years, and even the simplest, most conventional interior here is a treat for the eyes, ears and fingers. The retro electric 5 project clearly started with the exterior, and a great job they did of it. But the new electric 4 is a subtler affair, a car that only really makes sense when you’re inside it. Here you can appreciate the extra space and versatility – the sensible advances…

The story so far Saloon morphs into the more practical estate and the M5’s cool rating immediately notches up to 11 + Incredible blend of practicality and pace, Touring looks better than saloon - UK parking spaces aren’t made for it, orange trim not to all tastes Logbook Price £113,605 (£133,858 as tested) Performance 18.6kWh battery, PHEV, 4395cc 32v twin-turbo V8 plus e-motor, 717bhp, 738lb ft Efficiency 148-176mpg (official), 30.8mpg (tested), 37-39g/km CO2 Range 449 miles Energy cost 23p per mile Miles this month 1032 Total miles 3003 Do not adjust your set – our M5 saloon has indeed turned into an M5 Touring. Why? Well, the saloon is brilliant in so many ways but an estate is always better. Near-as-damnit the same performance (the Touring is 0.1 seconds slower…

The story so far Kia EV3 is here to give our enthusiasm a reality check + Scenic’s sharper to drive than the EV3, with a larger boot too - EV3 is far quieter and has a pillowy secondary ride quality Logbook Price £45,495 (£46,745 as tested) Performance 87kWh battery, e-motor, 215bhp, 7.9sec 0-62mph, 105mph Efficiency 4.2 miles per kWh (official), 3.8 miles per kWh (tested) Range 369 miles (official), 330 miles (tested) Energy cost 3.3p per mile Miles this month 721 Total miles 5518 It’s hard to believe just how quickly the choice of aggressively priced and intelligently configured family EVs has grown – with the Renault Scenic and Kia EV3 as vanguards of this new wave. We’ve really enjoyed these last few months with the Scenic, but to stop…

Without Ian Fraser, who has died aged 89, CAR would not have become arguably the world’s most influential motoring title. Born in Melbourne, Australia, he was car-mad and encyclopaedic. By 20 he was so good a Sydney publisher nabbed him to be launch editor of Sports Car World. Two years later they gave him Wheels, too, the pace-setting magazine he would help on its way to decades at the top. At 22, he was its youngest-ever editor. Ian edited both magazines – which meant doing all the planning, editing and much of the writing himself; an ‘impossible’ workload, he said – for six months before spotting young Tasmanian newspaperman Douglas Blain’s talent and handing SCW over to him. Blain shone. He moved to London in 1961, landed a job on…

THE WORLD’S BEST WRITERS IN THE NEW CARS THAT MATTER The 300-mile test NEW CAR MEETS REAL WORLD Much like the deflated, frustrated feeling you get when you have to explain a joke that’s fallen flat, so I’m struggling to get my head around the idea behind the new MG IM6. On the surface, it’s easy – it’s a Tesla Model Y rival from MG. But if you take it round to your neighbour, they might wonder why you’re calling it an MG when there’s no recognisable MG badging on it. ‘Ah,’ you’ll explain, ‘it’s being sold in MG’s dealers. Look, here it is on their website. And it’s got the same warranty as the MG 4.’ Your friend across the fence will continue to look perplexed. If it’s an…

MG is one of the sales success stories of the EV era. But it’s not resting on its laurels, and has now introduced its own EV ‘grants’ – price cuts, in reality – as the UK government sorts out the details of its own reintroduced grant scheme. It means, at the time of writing, this Nissan Qashqai-sized e-SUV starts at less than £26k, and the spiffiest trim is £31k. It’s also a modest £1000 more than the similarly discounted MG 4, a hatchback we’re quite fond of here at CAR. Encouragingly, it sits on the same platform as the 4, with the S5 growing by around 200mm in length and 100mm in height. An extra 25bhp from the electric motor certainly makes up for the modest weight disadvantage; a mere…

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Cruising sun-dappled suburban Los Angeles, all is well with the world. Sitting comfortably with a view to die for through the Rivian EDV’s vast windscreen, the scene is one of rhythmically ticking sprinklers and manicured lawns. Retired gentlemen with their socks pulled up to their knees give me the thumbs-up. Folks out walking their cockapoos smile shyly. And with my huge window rolled down and the ‘curbside’ door wide open, the afternoon breeze in the cab is perfumed with summer smells. Very big and very tall, this electric van might seem like an intimidating machine in which to negotiate the cut and thrust of LA traffic. But I’m relaxed and happy, darting away from each stop sign and traffic light on a rolling wave of instant electric drive, revelling in…

The story so far Our Superb’s interior under the microscope + Supremely well-built, quiet and comfy in here - Phone and infotainment don’t always get on; it’s so damn grey Logbook Price £44,820 (£46,110 as tested) Performance 1968cc four-cylinder turbodiesel, 190bhp, 7.5sec 0-62mph, 148mph Efficiency 46.7mpg (official), 43.5mpg (tested) Energy cost 15.9p per mile Miles this month 1601 Total miles 6118 You’d be forgiven for thinking this really is a very sobering place to spend time. A sea of grey, an overly neat design layout, seemingly little in the way of surprise and/or delight… Just like the exterior, the interior shouts ‘taxi!’ louder than someone in a film who actually needs a taxi. But in the details that you’ll find a rich vein of plushness, comfort and smart design. May…

The story so far After a few weeks, several of our Grenadier’s flaws and foibles have revealed themselves + Driving it is always an occasion - A sweaty summer hasn’t always been fun Logbook Price £69,995 (£73,943 as tested) Performance 2993cc turbodiesel six-cylinder, eight-speed automatic, all-wheel drive, 246bhp, 406lb ft, 9.9sec 0-62mph, 99mph Efficiency 23.1-26.9mpg (official), 22.6mpg (tested), 276-319g/km CO2 Energy cost 27.4p per mile Miles this month 1043 Total miles 2968 Hauling, lifting, pulling, shifting – our Ineos Grenadier continues to work, whether it’s transporting muddy dogs or trips to the allotment. Hot summer days do show up some of the car’s flaws, however. Given the car’s utilitarian schtick, the rear load space is badly compromised with the rear seats down. The rear bench tilts up and forward, allowing…

Right now, enjoy *£5 off using code METIME SCAN HERE GREATMAGAZINES Terms and Conditions: *£5 off applies to selected annual magazine subscriptions of £30* or over, available in print or digital formats. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Valid for single use only. See website for our complete range of magazine subscriptions and prices. Offers close 23:59 BST 5th October 2025. Offer applies to UK and overseas. Your subscription will start with the next available issue. Cost from landlines for 01 numbers per minute are (approximate) 2p to 10p. Cost from mobiles per minute (approximate) 10p to 40p. Costs vary depending on the location. You may get free calls to some numbers as part of your call package – please check with your phone provider. Order lines…