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NEW 508 PIONEERING PERFORMANCE AGAIN 360 hp – CO₂ From 42 g/km* – All Wheel Drive

Official Fuel Consumption in MPG (l/100km) and CO₂ emissions (g/km) for the new 508 PEUGEOT SPORT ENGINEERED range are: Combined N/A – 138.9 (0.0 - 2.0) and CO₂ 0 - 42 g/km.

The fuel consumption or electric range achieved, and CO₂ produced, in real world conditions will depend upon a number of factors including, but not limited to: the accessories fitted (pre and post registration); the starting charge of the battery (PHEV only); variations in weather; driving styles and vehicle load. The plug-in hybrid range requires mains electricity for charging. The WLTP (Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicles Test Procedure) is used to measure fuel consumption, electric range and CO₂ figures. Figures shown are for comparison purposes and should only be compared to the fuel consumption, electric range and CO₂ values of other cars tested to the same technical standard. The figures displayed for the plug-in hybrid range were obtained using a combination of battery power and fuel. *Figures shown are for the new 508 PEUGEOT SPORT ENGINEERED. Information correct at time of going to print. Visit peugeot.co.uk for further details.

THIS WEEK

‘This BMW iX5 Hydrogen can withstand a blast from 15kg of TNT at 4m’

13

Issue 6483 | Volume 310 | No 2

NEWS

COMMENT

BMW 3 Series Bold new saloon heralds firm’s new era 4 Rolls-Royce EV Electric Spectre coupé due in 2023 8 Volkswagen ID Life Precursor to £17k ID 2 EV driven 10 Jeep Grand Cherokee Electrified 4x4 is UK bound 12 UK gov’t funds overseas EV firms We find out why 14

TESTED E-Type UK Unleashed Special 400bhp V12 restomod 18 Mercedes-Benz C300e PHEV doubles its EV range 23 Xpeng P5 Chinese electric saloon packed with tech 24 Seat Ibiza Inside story on the revamped supermini 25 Volkswagen Golf R Estate Plenty of pace and space 25 Mercedes-Benz E300 Cabriolet ROAD TEST 26

FUEL CRISIS UNDERLINES HOW VITAL CARS ARE E-TYPE SERIES 3 FIXED: WORTH THE WAIT? 18

FEATURES Bentley Bentayga Hybrid Unpicked in 640-mile day 36 Car crime in 2021 What crooks do; how to stay safe 42 UK seeks iconic EV charger Is our design a winner? 46 Touched by Lotus From Ford Cortina to Isuzu Piazza 50 BTCC’s hybrid era 2022 tech gets 2021 race debut 57

MERCEDES-BENZ E300 CABRIOLET ROAD TEST 26

OUR CARS Volvo XC60 Revealed: why its battery stayed flat 62 Ford Tourneo Custom Six-up trip to the Isle of Arran 63 Audi Q4 E-tron It’s wooing friends – and strangers 65

EVERY WEEK Jesse Crosse Hydrogen BMW iX5 bites the bullet 13 Jim Holder Why Norway is ahead of the EV curve 15 Steve Cropley Fuel rush and Ferrari’s new designers 17 Subscribe Save money and get exclusive benefits 34 Damien Smith Why Martin Whitmarsh is back in F1 54 Motorsport round-up F1, BTCC, F2, Indycars, F3 55 Your Views Epic road trip; EVs; banned L-test cars 60 Matt Prior Lorry drivers deserve better in the UK 82

WE DESIGN AN ‘ICONIC’ PUBLIC E-CHARGER 46

DEALS James Ruppert £3k: C30, Civic, Mito or Roomster?

As good as new Why a Lexus IS is a half-price hero Spied in the classifieds 968 for £13k; £7k Mini JCW Used buying guide VW Lupo GTI from just £1500 New cars A-Z Key car stats, from Abarth to Zenos Road test index Track down that road test here

Autocar, ISSN number 1355-8293 (USPS 25185), is published weekly by Haymarket Media Group, Bridge House, 69 London Road, Twickenham TW1 3SP, United Kingdom. The US annual subscription price is $199.78. Airfreight and mailing in the USA by agent named WN Shipping USA, 156-15, 146th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY 11434, USA. Periodicals postage paid at Jamaica NY 11431. US Postmaster: Send address changes to Autocar, WN Shipping USA, 156-15, 146th Avenue, 2nd Floor, Jamaica, NY 11434, USA. Subscription records are maintained at Haymarket Media Group, Bridge House, 69 London Road, Twickenham TW1 3SP, United Kingdom. Air Business Ltd is acting as our mailing agent.

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WEEKS LATER, THE POLICE DON’T KNOW HOW TOM CRUISE’S CAR WAS STOLEN IN BIRMINGHAMa

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IS KEEPING YOUR CAR SAFE IN 2021 MISSION IMPOSSIBLE? NOT SO, SAYS JOHN EVANS 42

COVER STORY

IMAGE

THAT OUR WEBSITE, among many others, saw big traffic spikes in stories about electric cars and car ownership during the fuel crisis shows a mindset shift may have occurred among the wider public about how to steer clear of such regrettable scenes should they happen again.

Perhaps people are also mindful that the unrelated wider energy crisis has already pushed up diesel prices to a record high, with petrol prices not far behind. Although the doubling of domestic electricity supply costs in one year makes charging an EV more expensive as well.

Whatever the reasons behind it and whatever happens next, the fuel crisis showed most of all just how important personal mobility and car ownership are to people. Whatever powers it, the car itself and the freedom it gives us is what we value the most.

In rural areas, cars are often the only way to get around. To cover big distances, cars are preferable to public transport for many, even before you factor in cost and reliability, or the prospect of sitting so close to others as we emerge from a pandemic.

Cars simply work to your schedule and fit in around your lifestyle. No fuel crisis, legislation around what powers them, or concerns about their costs will diminish their appeal, or relevance and necessity to society.

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Autocar is a member of the organising committee of Car Of The Year caroftheyear.org

Mark Tisshaw Editor NEW BMW 3 SERIES: IS IT A GAME-CHANGER? 4

mark.tisshaw@haymarket.com @mtisshaw 6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 3

N E WS G O T A S T O RY ?

Email our news editor felix.page@haymarket.com

Reborn 3 Series to usher in new electric era First car on BMW’s revolutionary Neue Klasse platform will be saloon with new motors, long-range battery and sustainable materials

B

MW will kick-start the third phase of its electrification strategy in 2025 with an all-new executive saloon that will serve as the vanguard for a reinvented line-up based on a new EV architecture.

It will feature Munich’s sixthgeneration electric powertrain, long-range battery technology, rapid-charging capability,

4 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 6 OCTOBER 2021

lightweight construction, a fully customisable digital operating system and a new mix of sustainable construction materials.

Set to be sold alongside other new battery-electric and combustion-engined saloons, the new model, known under the internal working title NK1, will be the first car based on the Neue Klasse EV platform,

paving the way for a whole new generation of EVs, including an extended line-up of SUVs. The NK1 is likely to be initially positioned as an electric alternative to the next-generation 3 Series, in a relationship mirroring that between Porsche’s upcoming Macan EV and today’s similarly styled but unrelated petrol Macan.

The modular Neue Klasse platform, which is currently undergoing development at BMW’s FIZ research and innovation centre in Munich, is planned to serve as the basis for all BMW-badged electric models from 2025 onwards, providing the scope for frontwheel-drive, rear-wheel-drive and four-wheel-drive layouts in combination with a series

of different capacity modular battery packs, wheelbases and track widths as well as varying ride heights and wheel sizes ranging from 18in to 22in.

“The Neue Klasse represents the beginning of a new phase of operations for BMW,” said research and development chief Frank Weber. “It’s scaled to allow us to build electric cars from a

W H AT NEUE K L ASSE ME A NS THE SECOND TIME A ROUND J A M E S AT T W O O D

BMW’s decision to revive the Neue Klasse name for its next generation of cars might suggest a desire to go retro, but it actually serves notice of its radical intent.

The original Neue Klasse models, produced from 1962 until 1977, set many of the design trends that BMW still follows today: Hofmeister kinks, the classic three-box shape and so on. But the real success of the Neue Klasse era was how it repositioned

BMW through a new design and engineering direction.

BMW models became less stodgy and more dynamic, repositioning and reviving the brand and setting the course for everything that has come ever since.

In the 1960s, that brand shift was sparked by BMW’s financial difficulties, but that’s not an issue in 2021.

Instead, BMW is reacting to the dramatic shifts in the car industry that go far beyond

1960s Neue Klasse cars made BMW a dynamic brand

simply electrification.

So new Neue Klasse models will focus on not just electrification but also sustainability and digitisation – topics that will necessitate new types of

cars built on new platforms.

Like the first Neue Klasse cars, they will look different from their predecessors – because they will be different.

And don’t fret, the Hofmeister kink will survive.

IMAGE

R&D boss Frank Weber has many EVs in development

2 Series-sized saloon up to an X7-sized SUV.” Its name, which references the pivotal saloon cars that BMW launched in the 1960s and 1970s, gives a hint at BMW’s ambition to reinvent and redefine the cars it sells.

As well as forming the basis for all of BMW’s new electric models, the aluminium and high-strength steel structure

is being engineered to support plug-in hybrid powertrains with a front-mounted engine and an electrified rear axle in combination.

Weber added that it could also support a hydrogen fuel cell powertrain if the regulatory framework currently being proposed in various markets, including China, calls for such a move.

The Neue Klasse platform is ultimately planned to replace today’s FAAR and CLAR structures, providing a uniform base for greater economies of scale and manufacturing flexibility. This would allow factories to run both ICE and electric models down the same lines across BMW’s worldwide production network, in a move similar ◊

6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 5

New iX shows how innovative Neue Klasse could be

Δ to that undertaken with the CLAR-based new 4 Series Gran Coupé and soon-to-beintroduced electric i4.

Weber claimed the oneplatform-fits-all approach will greatly enhance BMW’s manufacturing efficiency by maximising synergies right across its line-up.

“We won’t be building separate structures. The Neue Klasse will see a big ramp-up in volume potential. We’ve learned a lot in scaling over the past two generations of

i3 began first phase of BMW electrification 6 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 6 OCTOBER 2021

platform development,” he said, referencing the earlier Life module architecture of the i3 and the more recently developed electrified CLAR structure of the iX and i4.

The NK1 that’s earmarked to introduce the Neue Klasse architecture is one of four electric saloons that BMW plans to launch by the end of 2025. It will follow the CLAR-based i4, i5 and i7 with the choice of either rear- or four-wheel drive.

But whereas the i4, i5 and

i7 all borrow heavily from ICE models, the NK1 is set to receive an “electric-centric design”, with new proportions and contemporary styling

elements that are expected to influence the next generation of BMW models.

Among the architectural developments brought by the

new platform is a flat floor structure that does away with the centre tunnel of the electrified CLAR platform as well as a considerably longer

BM W STILL BE T T ING ON SOLID-STAT E BAT T ER IES While the first Neue Klasse models will use battery technology familiar from today’s electric cars, BMW has repeatedly pledged a commitment to introducing solid-state batteries as a means of increasing range and reducing costs.

The brand remains tightlipped on when such batteries could enter the mainstream market, but it has said that it will deploy the technology in a demonstrator vehicle by 2025. That is likely to be in the vein of the new fuel cellpowered iX5 Hydrogen, which will be used for customer trials but isn’t yet planned to go on general sale.

As well as offering enhanced usability by requiring fewer charges,

the solid-state batteries will also be recyclable in line with BMW’s ambitious sustainability pledges and will be produced “in a European value chain”, as confirmed earlier this year by the firm’s R&D boss, Frank Weber.

The introduction of solid-state batteries will

mark another step change in the evolution of BMW’s electric cars and is tipped to be crucial in bringing them much closer in line with their petrol and diesel equivalents in terms of price, thanks to vastly reduced manufacturing costs.

Battery efficiency is continually improving

NEWS `

BMW’s aim is a 20% increase in efficiency, hinting at a range of more than 435 miles for the NK1

OFFICIAL PICTURES

a wheelbase that enables the A-pillars to be pulled forward for improved space and interior packaging.

“People are expecting different aesthetics. That’s why we’ve developed a new styling direction for our electric models,” explained Weber.

The construction of the NK1 saloon is planned to draw heavily on that of the seven-year-old i3 and recently introduced iX with an aluminium and steel platform base; a carbonfibre ‘cage’ body structure that uses carbonfibre-reinforced plastic in areas such as the sills; and a combination of aluminium, steel and composite-plastic body panels.

Power for the NK1 is planned to come from BMW’s new sixthgeneration powertrain using synchronous electric motors.

Unlike the many rival car makers that rely on component suppliers for their powertrain expertise and volume requirements, BMW was quick to bring electric motor development and production competence in-house.

Weber says this enables the firm to react quickly. “We’re developing electric motors that will be even more efficient yet more powerful than those we use today,” he said.

He also revealed that they won’t be restricted to standard versions but can also serve in a hot M variant of the NK1.

Along with the new electric motors, the Neue Klasse will introduce 800V battery technology in combination with 350kW charging capability, as first seen on the Porsche Taycan and Audi E-tron GT. Weber wouldn’t be drawn on specific details of the new

i Vision Circular shows sustainable production means

battery but acknowledged that BMW is testing various chemical processes and cell types for use in future Neue Klasse models.

“We’re working on the recipe,” he said. “We know that solid-state batteries won’t come until the end of the decade. But we will increase the energy density for a greater range.”

The latest generation of nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery cells used by the iX extend to a 105.2kWh pack providing a range of up to 390 miles. BMW’s aim is a 20% increase in efficiency in combination with the sixthgeneration electric motors and new power electrics system, hinting at a range of more than 435 miles for the NK1 saloon.

Inside, many materials are planned to be sourced in line with the ‘circular economy’ strategy showcased by the i Vision Circular concept at last month’s Munich motor show.

Details are scarce, but Weber pointed to upholstery made from recycled plastic as one possibility of hitting new sustainability targets set for BMW’s next generation of electric models.

BMW says the first phase of its electric strategy started with the unveiling of the i3 in 2013 and the second phase with the recent introduction of the iX. The NK1 saloon’s arrival will represent the start of the third phase.

BMW expects electric models based on the Neue Klasse platform to account for at least 50% of its global sales by 2030, by which time it plans to offer at least one electric model in each of its existing 15 model lines.

GREG KABLE

New BMW 2 Active Tourer gets bolder look and roomier cabin THE SECOND-GENERATION BMW 2 Series Active Tourer has been revealed with a bold new look, an overhauled powertrain line-up and a raft of enhanced technology.

It is available to order now in the UK before customer deliveries begin in March 2022, with prices starting from £30,265.

It continues to be related to the 2 Series Coupé – which was recently renewed itself – in name and styling only, retaining the front-driven FAAR architecture also used by the BMW 2 Series Gran Coupé, BMW X1 and Mini Countryman. But an overhaul inside and out brings it into line with its new namesake.

The most obvious differentiator from the outgoing car is the upsized front grille, which houses the radar sensor for some of the new advanced driver assistance functions and an active air flap for improved aerodynamics.

It is further marked out by a new headlight design,

restyled side creases and slimmer rear light clusters.

It is also slightly bigger than before, growing by 32mm in length, 24mm in width and 21mm in height.

The wheelbase remains the same, at 2670mm, but the wheels have been pushed out 25mm across the front axle and 26mm across the rear.

The most extensive modifications, however, are found inside, where the MPV is claimed to take inspiration from BMW’s new flagship electric car, the iX SUV. A new one-piece curved display houses the 10.25in digital gauge cluster and 10.7in touchscreen, which runs BMW’s latest, eighth-generation iDrive infotainment system.

The smartphone-style interface is used for the majority of the in-car controls, replacing many of the old car’s buttons and switches, and can be customised to offer quick access to commonly used functions or to suit different driving situations.

New features enabled by the system include an augmented reality sat-nav assistant, voice control for a raft of new functions, wireless phone mirroring and overthe-air software updates.

There are also extensive chassis revisions, including a re-engineered front setup that’s claimed to offer improved steering response and a new three-link rear suspension that frees up more interior space.

From launch, the new 2 Series Active Tourer will offer 168bhp 1.5-litre threecylinder and 215bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engines, both fitted with 48V mild-hybrid technology, plus a 2.0-litre diesel, all paired with a seven-speed dualclutch automatic gearbox.

Next summer, BMW will also usher in two petrolengined plug-in hybrid powertrains with an electric motor on the rear axle, offering either 242bhp or 322bhp and a claimed electric-only range of 50 miles.

iX-inspired dash is home to a host of new technology

6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 7

Rolls-Royce announces 2023 EV Spectre coupé to have Ghost platform and unique-to-Rolls mechanical make-up

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olls-Royce will launch its first series-production electric car in late 2023 and has pledged to phase out internal combustion across its entire model range by 2030.

The first product to emerge from this rapid-fire electrification strategy will be the all-new Spectre, which has been previewed ahead of the “imminent” start of what will be a highly publicised on-road development programme.

Resembling the retiring Wraith coupé, the development prototype is adorned with one of the best-known quotes from company co-founder Sir Henry Royce: “Strive for perfection in everything you do. Take the best that exists and make it better. When it does not exist, design it.” This is most likely a nod to the Spectre’s bespoke mechanical make-up, which Rolls-Royce claims is “free of any group sharing strategy”.

Rather than using the Cluster Architecture (CLAR) platform that underpins parent company BMW’s new i4 and iX EVs, Goodwood is sticking with the recently introduced Architecture of Luxury, a modular aluminium spaceframe that will eventually underpin every one of its cars.

CEO Torsten Müller-Ötvös explained that the platform is “scalable and flexible”, allowing for its use in various

market segments, and “was created to form the foundation of not just different ICE models, as it now does with the Cullinan and the Ghost, but also models with completely different powertrains”.

He said the platform – which brought significant improvements in terms of weight, refinement and rigidity to the Phantom – was developed from the outset to accommodate a battery-

IMAGE

Electric Spectre will replace retiring Wraith as Rolls’ coupé

MAYBACH PLOTS CENTENARY SPECIALS

INTEGRA WILL RETURN AS FASTBACK

Maybach is marking its centenary with specialedition versions of the S-Class limousine and GLS SUV. Edition 100 cars feature bespoke badging, a unique silver-and-blue paint scheme and two-tone upholstery. The pair will go on sale later this year.

The reborn Integra, due on sale in the US next year, will take the form of a five-door fastback.

A new preview image shows the Acura-badged model’s rakish roofline, but it remains unclear if it will be offered in the UK in Honda guise.

8 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 6 OCTOBER 2021

electric powertrain in addition to the BMW-developed V12 that Rolls-Royce has used in various iterations since 1998.

Details on what exactly will power the Spectre, however, remain under wraps, and when pressed by Autocar, Müller-Ötvös said only: “We would never use an existing car from the BMW Group and convert it into a Rolls-Royce.

That doesn’t work for us.”

However, it stands to reason

NEWS A series of test cars will be built for the two-year testing programme and will cover more than 150 million miles, which equates to 400 years of use, according to Rolls-Royce.

The start of the Spectre’s road test regime comes just over a decade since RollsRoyce showed the Phantombased 102EX experimental concept, with a 384bhp dual-motor powertrain and a 71kWh battery pack providing a claimed 120-mile range.

The far more radical 103EX arrived in 2016 with nearly double that output and clues as to how the company would adapt its traditional design cues to suit electric cars.

FELIX PAGE

that the 600bhp-plus dualmotor set-up in the upcoming iX M60 could find its way into the luxury brand’s models, as it roughly matches the output of the twin-turbocharged 6.6-litre V12.

As for the design of the final product, Müller-Ötvös suggested that prototypes will give further clues when they hit public roads in the coming weeks but “what you basically see is what you will later get”.

Most of the defining features of the pictured test car are camouflaged, but Müller-Ötvös confirmed that it will take its “fastback-oriented” design into production, which means it will initially sit unrivalled as an electric luxury coupé.

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We would never convert an existing car from the BMW Group into a Rolls-Royce.

That doesn’t work for us a

Fastback is clear to see; camouflage is Henry Royce quote

Q&A TORSTEN MULLER-OTVOS, CEO, ROLLS-ROYCE How important are an EV’s range and charging times for Rolls-Royce?

“We’ve experimented with electric Rolls-Royces for quite a while, and one learning was that there needs to be sufficient range and charging time should be, I would say, digestible.

Our clients live in inner parts or outskirts of cities; they don’t commute for long distances and our cars are rarely used for long-distance trips. We’ve spoken to many clients worldwide, many of whom already own an electric car, and learned they have chargers at home and at the office, so that’s not an issue for us. We don’t have the challenges that normal car brands have. One thing is for sure: it will be effortless and a true Rolls-Royce.”

Will you miss petrol engines in the Rolls-Royce line-up?

“I’m glad you said it. It’s not the end for our lovely 12-cylinder engine. We will go completely electric by 2030, so the 12-cylinder will be with us for a long time, and we shouldn’t forget that. We aren’t going electric from one day to the next: it will be a smooth transition, and it will be with us for quite a while – and very much loved by our clients, obviously.”

Why do you need to be free of any platform sharing?

“We know that our clients are very interested in technology and details, particularly younger, highly educated clients. You find people asking: ‘What is in this, for what I’m paying?’

So the time of luxury brands being selected for pure bling factor is completely gone, and I think you need to provide substance.”

Can you still hand-build cars when they’re electric?

“Definitely: it’s in our genes.

We will continue doing so, and we’re currently preparing the plant for the first electric car to go down the line. We will still have a one-line system: all cars we build will go down the same line, including the electric car. Everything you can dream of from a Rolls-Royce, whatever you want to commission, is possible with that electric car as well, so it fits perfectly into our culture of building beautiful cars.”

How do your goals fit in with the BMW Group’s sustainability ambitions?

“We’re committed to the BMW Group’s undertaking to have a carbon-neutral business model by 2050.

The Spectre is the first but very important step. It’s also

PRODUCTION OF 1111BHP LUCID BEGINS

FORD TO BUILD TWO EV PLANTS IN US

American EV start-up Lucid, headed by ex-Tesla engineer Peter Rawlinson, has begun production of its first car. Offered in four trims, the Air saloon offers as much as 1111bhp and a range of up to 520 miles. A UK launch remains on the cards.

Ford will invest £5.1 billion in a new Tennessee plant housing commercial EV production, battery production and several on-site suppliers; and £4.23bn in a new battery factory in Kentucky. The firm predicts these will create some 11,000 jobs.

interesting to understand that we’re already a very sustainable company: 80% of all cars built in the history of Rolls-Royce are still on the road, and the Goodwood headquarters was conceived from day one to be a very sustainable business.”

Are you committed to batteries or could hydrogen fuel cells play a role?

“The BMW Group is committed to hydrogen and just recently released the iX5 Hydrogen. Fuel cells are something the group is experimenting with as an alternative route, so for that reason I’m open. Why not one day? Currently we think that batteries are right for us, but you never know, and for that reason I think it’s wise to have an alternative route on hand.”

6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 9

Concept’s fresh design won’t have to change significantly

VW lets us loose in the ID Life Low-cost electric crossover concept is set to enter production as the ID 2 in 2025

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he ID Life, Volkswagen’s new compact crossover concept, points towards a future of affordable battery-electric mobility in much the same way as the Beetle promised the masses access to internal-combustion motoring in the aftermath of the Second World War. The production version will go on sale in 2025 at a price of around €20,000 (£17,250).

The original plan was to sell it from 2027, but after a faster than expected acceptance of EVs among private buyers, Volkswagen brought forward the launch by two full years.

Moves are already under way to produce the new Volkswagen at Seat’s Martorell factory in Spain, which is being prepared for annual volumes of up to 500,000 electric cars off the back of a generous subsidy from the European Union.

There will be Cupra, Seat and Skoda sibling models, too.

10 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 6 OCTOBER 2021

What’s more, this isn’t the only affordable mass-market electric car that Volkswagen is working on right now. The production version of the ID Life is highly likely to be named the ID 2, positioning it below the existing ID 3 family hatchback as an alternative to the T-Cross crossover and the Polo supermini, while a smaller, lower-riding hatchback called the ID 1 is expected to follow it as a successor to the e-Up. The aim with the styling of the ID Life wasn’t simply to create a smaller ID 3 with some SUV-like flourishes; rather, Volkswagen wanted to establish a more timeless lineage that could progress through to the production version without the need for radical changes. As such, its design shares little with the ID 3 or the ID 4 SUV, taking on a boxier profile to give maximum versatility within relatively compact dimensions.

At 4091mm long, 1845mm wide and 1599mm tall, the concept is 144mm shorter but 46mm wider and 15mm taller than Volkswagen’s smallest crossover today, the T-Cross.

As well as giving clues to the production model, the ID Life concept provides an insight into some of the

sustainable production methods that Volkswagen is considering. For example, woodchips are used as a natural colouring agent in the clear-coat paint and the fabric for the air-chamber roof is made entirely from recycled plastic bottles.

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After buyers’ faster than expected acceptance of EVs, VW brought forward the launch by two years a

Front and rear have benches that fold flat; ‘bonnet’ is a fabric cover

The ID Life sits on an adapted version of Volkswagen’s versatile MEB electric car platform – dubbed the MEB Entry – with a wheelbase 100mm shorter than that of the ID 3, at 2650mm.

A 57kWh battery – one of a number of different capacity packs planned to be offered by the ID 2 and its siblings – is mounted within the floorpan, providing a claimed range of 250 miles. It uses a different chemical process than that of the ID 3, with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells replacing the more cost-intensive nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) cells.

LFP cells do without expensive cathode metals, making them cheaper to produce, but up until now have lacked the overall energy density provided

by NMC cells, plus they tend to be more prone to performance loss in low ambient temperatures.

NEWS AUTONOMOUS TECH NOT A PRIORITY FOR MEB ENTRY CARS The ID 2 is due on sale a year before Volkswagen’s new flagship EV, which is being developed under the codename Project Trinity.

As such, there will be a disparity in the capabilities of the software fitted to the two cars, which will bookend the company’s EV line-up.

The Trinity will ultimately get level-four autonomous functionality, allowing it to drive for extended periods on motorways with no human input, while initially the ID 2 will be technically more closely related to the ID 3 and ID 4 that are already on sale.

Volkswagen CEO Ralf Brandstätter told Autocar: “The customer needs are different in this segment.

A typical Passat or Tiguan client who drives longer

distances will be the first to need level-four [autonomy].”

This means that, although the ID 2 will support overthe-air software updates, its levels of autonomy will be familiar from cars on sale today. Advanced autonomy will be rolled out to entrylevel models in due course.

Brandstätter did say, though, that the ID 2 “will

bring additional experience to our customers, because we think young customers want more connectivity and extraordinary experiences”.

He highlighted the in-car cinema and video-game console as new features that will appeal more to younger buyers, as well as the flat-folding seats and opening roof.

Cabin is a lesson in minimalism; driving screams ‘concept’ In a further departure from the ID 3, the ID Life’s motor is mounted low down within the front axle and drives the front wheels, instead of being sited on the rear axle to drive the rear wheels. It uses the same reduction gearing, however.

The synchronous motor is claimed to develop 231bhp and 214lb ft of torque for a 0-62mph time at 6.9sec. The production version is unlikely to offer such strong reserves as standard, although Volkswagen has confirmed that a warmedup GTX version is planned.

The decision to mount the motor within the front axle was primarily made on cost grounds. Additionally, there are packaging benefits, with the space at the rear set to be available for storage. As with the T-Cross, a four-wheel-drive option isn’t envisaged.

The interior of the ID Life mirrors the minimalist ethos of the exterior. A digital

instrument display is mounted within a yoke-style steering wheel that’s adjustable for both rake and reach, while the mainly wooden dashboard is partly upholstered in a recycled polyester material and trimmed with brushed aluminium.

Instead of an infotainment touchscreen, Volkswagen proposes that you use your smartphone (as is the case in the e-Up) in a move aimed at cutting costs and assembly times. It can be attached to the fascia by a magnet, thereafter providing sat-nav, radio and other functions via near-field communication.

There’s also an in-built projector with a screen that extends from the roof, allowing you to view video content when the car is stationary.

The lounge effect is further enhanced by bench-style seats both front and rear.

This enables a range of different possibilities, from

cinema seating to a double bed around two metres long.

The ID Life is based on an early version of the production car’s platform, rather than an architecture developed from an ICE car. This gives it a good degree of structural rigidity and overall stiffness, with the added benefit of the possibility to share parts with other models, which is crucial to providing valuable economies of scale.

The shortened MEB platform supports MacPherson-strut front and torsion-beam rear suspension – an arrangement that we are told will be carried over to the production model – while the 20in wheels wear 235/45-profile Continental Eco Contact tyres all around.

The ID Life is quite responsive off the line.

However, the subsequent acceleration reveals little of the potential promised by the official performance

claims, because Volkswagen has limited the concept’s top speed to just 18mph.

When we reach it, there’s a strong whine from the motor and a noticeable amount of wind buffeting where the windscreen meets the fabric roof – reminders that the concept is handbuilt and brings little of the production version’s ultimate build quality and refinement.

The steering is light and very direct, although the yoke-style wheel makes manoeuvring in tight spaces a rather unpleasant task, lacking any meaningful weighting or self-centring.

Still, when we got the car tracking straight ahead, it proved more agreeable and amenable to smaller inputs, giving a promising first impression of a model that is not due on sale for another four years.

GREG KABLE

CONFIDENTIAL

HOW WILL CUPRA make its Volkswagen-based electric cars sporty? CEO Wayne Griffiths believes that it’s about more than trick styling. “We adapt the chassis and suspension and add different brakes and steering,” he said, adding that small EVs need to “feel like a go-kart”. The Spanish brand will maintain a focus on driver engagement, which is great news for us – although, Griffiths acknowledged, “not very democratic to passengers”.

THE REPLACEMENT FOR the Lotus Elise being an EV was always going to upset some, but Lotus boss Matt Windle is confident that the Type 135 will deserve the hallowed emblem. He said: “I know some people won’t like it, but we’ve always been innovative and looked for the best solutions. There’s a lot of references to what Colin Chapman would have made of it. He was pretty agnostic to powertrains; he just wanted the one that gave the best performance, and that’s what we will do.

These cars will be fun to drive and will be a premium product which moves Lotus into a different era.”

WHEN CITROEN BEGAN developing the new C5X, diesel accounted for 85% of sales in its market segment, but the firm pushed ahead with a petrol and PHEV offering, betting on diesel becoming unpopular by the time of launch. It was a bold call, but it proved to be a correct one. CEO Vincent Cobée told us: “We won’t win every bet, but so long as we’re addressing future needs and being forwardlooking, not repeating but being innovative, we’re doing the right things.”

6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 11

Grand Cherokee is said to be even more capable off road

OFFICIAL PICTURES

Jeep primes Grand Cherokee UK-bound SUV is rejuvenated with new platform, redesigned interior, PHEV power

T

he all-new Jeep Grand Cherokee, which will go on sale in the UK in the middle of 2022, will gain a plug-in hybrid powertrain for the first time – and a fully electric version is tipped to arrive by 2025.

Due to be launched in the US early next year, the fifth iteration of the large SUV has been extensively redesigned inside and out, and Jeep has placed a renewed focus on balancing on-road dynamics with off-road capability.

The new Grand Cherokee 4xe features a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine mated to two electric motors, delivering a system output of 375bhp and 470lb ft

of torque. The alternator is replaced by a motor-generator connected to the crankshaft, while a larger, transmissionmounted motor-generator replaces the torque converter.

A dual-clutch system manages power and torque from the engine and motors.

Power for the motors is drawn from a 400V 17kWh battery that Jeep claims allows for 25 miles of electriconly running and a claimed 68.4mpg (imperial). Three driving modes will be offered to manage the energy usage.

Notably, the 4xe powertrain will be offered in the off-roadfocused Trailhawk, which gains a two-speed transfer box, an electric limited-slip differential

and Jeep’s Selec-Terrain traction management system.

The Trailhawk 4xe will have 278mm of ground clearance – 90mm lower than standard Trailhawk models – and can be driven through water up to 610mm deep. Jeep says the high-voltage electronics are sealed and waterproof, while the drive battery is protected by underfloor skidplates.

The new Grand Cherokee includes a raft of other off-road systems and a new front-axledisconnect function that makes the car rear-drive on smooth roads to boost efficiency.

The Grand Cherokee is built on a new architecture that Jeep claims was “missionspecific” for the model.

The SUV will be offered with two different wheelbases and lengths: the standard five-seat Grand Cherokee is 4910mm long, compared with 5204mm for the seven-seat Grand Cherokee L that was launched in the US earlier this year.

The styling is an evolution from previous models, including a revised seven-slot front grille, a lower roofline and numerous other design features – including active grille shutters, air curtains and redesigned rear pillars – to boost aerodynamic efficiency.

Inside, the Grand Cherokee gains the fastest version of Stellantis’s Uconnect touchscreen infotainment system with up to three

10.1in displays (including one dedicated to the front passenger), a 10.0in head-up display, a wireless smartphone charging pad and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.

In addition to the 4xe system, the Grand Cherokee will be available in the US with a 293bhp 3.6-litre petrol V6 and a 357bhp 5.7-litre petrol V8, both driven through an eightspeed automatic gearbox.

Jeep hasn’t detailed UK specifications yet, but emissions regulations make it unlikely that the V8 will be offered here. The firm is expected to instead focus on the plug-in hybrid.

JAMES ATTWOOD

Three new Polestar EVs coming in the next three years POLESTAR WILL LAUNCH a new electric car in a different segment every year for the next three years: the 3 flagship SUV in 2022, the 4 crossover in 2023 and the 5 fastback in 2024.

Company boss Thomas Ingenlath gave further details about the expanded line-up following the news last week that Polestar is to list on the New York Stock Exchange at a value of $20 billion (£14.6bn).

Ingenlath explained that the price difference

12 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 6 OCTOBER 2021

between the 3 and newly confirmed 4 will be the crucial differentiator between them.

The 3, he explained, is an “XC90-sized car” (it will use the same SPA2 architecture as its Volvo sibling), which “for European dimensions is a big SUV”. However, it has “nothing to do” with the XC90 shape-wise, because it will have more aerodynamically led styling and “incredible stance and power”.

As a result, the 3 will cost more than €75,000

Polestar has previewed the all-new 5 fastback, 4 crossover and 3 SUV

Aston veteran heads new UK arm of Fisker FISKER, THE AMERICAN EV start-up developing the 300mile Ocean SUV for launch in 2022, has appointed ex-Aston Martin engineer David King to head a new UK-based special vehicles division.

Called Fisker Magic Works, it will “focus on low-volume, rapid-development vehicle programmes and specialised versions of Fisker’s portfolio”, much like the Special Vehicle Operations division that King oversaw at Gaydon.

Fisker plans to expand its line-up to four models by 2025, and CEO Henrik Fisker said the new British division will provide “an opportunity to create sustainable and fantastic vehicles outside the confines of established industry segments”.

Fisker also plans to open a “brand experience centre” in London as it gears up to bring the Ocean to the UK market in 2023.

King, who has already been assigned two Fisker projects that are intended to showcase the use of specialised materials and technologies,

UNDER THE SKIN JESSE CROSSE

THE HYDROGEN-POWERED BMW THAT’S LITERALLY BOMBPROOF

King: “relishing freedom” of EVs called the appointment “incredibly exciting”.

He said: “Having spent my career working on vehicles with high-displacement gasoline engines, I’m relishing working with the design and engineering freedom that electrification provides.”

Before overseeing the Special Vehicle Operations division, King served as president of Aston Martin Racing and had a hand in the development of the DB7, V12 Vantage, Rapide and Valkyrie.

He is one of several high-ranking executives to leave Aston Martin in recent months, along with designer Miles Nürnberger and chassis engineer Matt Becker.

Ocean is claimed to be world’s most sustainable vehicle

(£64,000) and be pitched as an electric equivalent to premium performance SUVs like the Porsche Cayenne.

The 4 will be priced below that point to appeal to a wider market. Ingenlath said: “This car is slightly smaller, yes, but we won’t compromise much on the interior length. It’s slightly more ground-hugging and has a bit more of a coupé type of roofline.”

Polestar suggests it’s likely to eventually be priced from around $55,000 (£41,000).

The two electric SUVs will be “differentiated in silhouette”, Ingenlath confirmed, and will

NEWS

offer different interior environments in line with their contrasting billing.

However, they will share a “Polestar drivetrain” – likely to be the 402bhp dual-motor set-up deployed in the current top-rung 2 – that makes them “very powerful”.

The 5, meanwhile, is being readied as the production version of the striking Precept concept at a new UK-based R&D hub. It will provide the firm with a lowslung grand tourer in the vein of the Porsche Taycan and the Tesla Model S, but its final design and specifications are some way off being revealed.

SECURITY VEHICLES, DESIGNED to withstand even the most determined attack, are rarely shown or even discussed at motor shows. But at the recent IAA show in Munich, BMW revealed details of a latest concept that is not only bomb (and just about everything else) proof, but powered by a hydrogen fuel cell system, too.

It would be easy to assume that protecting a vehicle from attack is as simple as adding some armour steel plate and glass, but the reality is more complex than that. What if the engine or cooling system is damaged (easy to do) and the vehicle rendered a sitting duck? What about hand grenades, or worse? As well as covering all the options, security vehicles have to look like the normal production versions from which they are derived and be quick off the mark, fast and handle well. (Those J-turns are not just the stuff of movies.)

With the iX5 Hydrogen Protection VR6, BMW wanted to show that it’s possible to have a fully certified protection vehicle that’s also zero-emission. VR6 is a ‘vehicle resistance’ class specified by the Association of Test Centres for Attack-Resistant Materials and Structures (also known as VPAM). The existing BMW X5 Protection VR6 is claimed to be the best-selling luxury ‘SAV’ private protection vehicle in the world, but the difference with the iX5 version is that it is powered by a hydrogen fuel cell system, rather than the mighty, 523bhp M Twinpower V8 petrol engine of the conventional Protection VR6.

The iX5 has armoured passenger and luggage cells made from high-strength steel and includes underbody protection. The underside is also anti-magnetic to prevent the attachment of ‘sticky’ explosive devices.

The chassis is heavy duty and further aluminium underbody armour protects against shockwave loads and splintering from grenade attacks. Protection glass is 30mm thick and designed to provide postblast protection. Even after an explosion, all windows remain in position, with no openings between glass and body, and all door, body and luggage compartment gaps are tightly sealed. The passenger

BMW’s hydrogen fuel cell-powered iX5 Protection VR6 can withstand drone attacks with fragmentation charges.

compartment can also withstand a blast from 15kg of TNT from four metres as well as assault by the world’s most commonly used weapon, the 7.62mm-calibre Kalashnikov AK-47.

The standard version has an aviationtype leak-resistant fuel tank, but protecting hydrogen tanks and their valves needed a different approach in the shape of a nonmagnetic, blast-resistant layered structure.

That said, composite hydrogen tanks have been shown to be resistant to gunshots anyway and, as usual, these were subjected to burst and leakage tests.

It may seem that zero emissions might be the last thing on the mind of any customer needing this level of security, but these vehicles still have to conform to local laws, which include zero-emission zones they may need to operate in. The iX5 and the blast tests it has undergone should also help to dispel any lingering doubts about the safety of hydrogen fuel.

NEXT-LEVEL DRIVING SIM BMW’s new driving simulation hub at the Research and Innovation Centre (FIZ) near Munich has a number of high-end simulators. One of these is the High-Fidelity Simulator Sapphire Space, which stands 10 metres high, is 83 tonnes of moving mass, soaks up 6.5MW of power and can simulate acceleration close to that of the 480bhp M3.

6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 13

Israeli company REE is now developing its EV platforms in the UK

Why UK is funding foreign firms Advanced Propulsion Centre boss explains logic behind grants to lure EV innovators

R

EE Automotive is an Israeli start-up with a smart head office in a leafy suburb of Tel Aviv and a listing on the New York stock market that values it at roughly $1.68 billion (£1.24bn). So why did UK taxpayers give it £12.4 million in August to further develop its EV platform?

We put this question to Ian Constance, who heads the government-funded Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) that awarded the grant.

Why does REE need our cash when it’s already awash with money from its stock listing?

“Because a big chunk of that investment money will be spent with the UK economy,” he told

us at the recent Cenex-LCV (low-carbon vehicle) show.

“The work we’ve done with them has brought their research and development here. It was in Israel before.”

Indeed, in February, REE opened a technology centre at the MIRA Technology Park in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, to further develop its REE Corner concept, which incorporates the suspension and electric motor into a tight package that it hopes will enable big-space, small-footprint electric vans.

Since the APC first opened its chequebook in 2013, it has funded projects worth a combined £1.2bn. Each investment comes with caveats, but these aren’t

too arduous. The APC and its parent government body, Innovate UK, ask that firms match their funding by at least half, collaborate with partners including at least one smaller company and promise to “exploit the results” in the UK. Each project also has to show some form of carbon reduction, though given the industry-wide move towards electrification, that’s virtually every automotive project right now.

In APC parlance, the money – UK taxpayers’ money – goes to projects at the end of their Technology Readiness Level, which basically means proven and pretty much ready to go.

Just like in the Dragons’ Den, they want to see some

evidence that it works and there’s commercial interest – but unlike the Dragons, the APC won’t demand a chunk of your company in return.

The catalyst was the shift to electrification, explained Constance: “In a growing market, it’s always easier to gain market share than it is with something already established. If you try to gain market share with instrument panels, say, you’re in a zerosum game. For electric motors, batteries or power electronics, the market is growing, so you’ve got to grab your share.”

Where the UK was failing was in the commercialisation bit of the equation, Constance added: “The UK is great at

coming up with new ideas, but what was happening was those ideas were falling on the floor because no one wanted to fund them or they were getting bought by a company and funded elsewhere.”

Manufacturing jobs are the big prize as the UK looks to rebuild the network of automotive production after its erosion over the past three decades.

Constance said his organisation’s funding has created 50,000 jobs, many of them in manufacturing, although declined to give an example of an APC innovation project that has gone on to create a sizeable number of manufacturing jobs in the UK.

Transit Custom PHEV was developed in UK but is built in Turkey

14 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 6 OCTOBER 2021

NEWS

288

million

402

would naturally follow as production stayed close to the brains that created the product. But that link is weakening, and in view of the disruption surrounding the move to EVs, the APC has now been given access to new funds with a less cajoling, more direct aim: to build manufacturing capacity.

Constance explained: “We’ve said to the government over the past couple of years: ‘This supply chain is coming now, and if we don’t grab our fair share, we’re going to find it very difficult in the future.’”

The resultant £1bn Automotive Transformation fund, launched last year, is run by the APC and expressly there for companies wanting to build factories to produce zeroemissions technology, such as batteries, motors, power electronics and fuel cells.

This is on top of the work to develop and accelerate the UK’s battery industry that is being carried out by the APC’s twin organisation, the Faraday Challenge.

The ultimate goal is to put the UK back on the path to producing 1.8 million vehicles per year – a figure that was nearly achieved in 2016 before slumping down to 1.3 million in 2019 and to 921,000 last year.

Keeping the development of the technology and, crucially, manufacturing is essential to that growth.

And if that means luring technology entrepreneurs from abroad with the promise of cash, the APC considers that money well spent.

NICK GIBBS

Number of organisations the APC has supported

to Ford under Tonnes of CO2 reduced itsknown former name, Roush via APC-funded Technologies.

This might look like poor projects value when you learn that

It’s clear, however, that the money has predominantly been supporting research and development jobs.

That’s not a bad thing, but it’s manufacturing that creates the biggest impact on the economy.

“The turnover from Nissan making 400,000 cars per year in Sunderland is billions, and there’s a big chunk of that that is UK economy value-add,” said Constance.

“A design centre employing maybe a few thousand might have an annual budget of a billion, so the value-add isn’t going to be the same, but the intangible benefits for the industry is hard to quantify.”

He gives the example of Ford. It was handed £4.8 million to help develop the plug-in hybrid Transit Custom van along with partner firms Prodrive (which built early prototypes) and Revolve Technologies, an engineering services provider well

the van is now in production in Turkey, but Constance disagrees: “Before this, Ford hadn’t done an electrified project outside of Dearborn [its global R&D centre in Michigan, US]. Now the Transit development team in Dunton [Essex] knows how to design an electric vehicle, so when the next Ford competition to engineer a new product comes, Dunton can say ‘we’ve done it’.”

It’s “critical” that the UK retains the ability to engineer a complete mainstream vehicle from start to finish, as exists at Ford, Jaguar Land Rover and Nissan, Constance believes.

He said: “Once you lose those full-vehicle design and integration capabilities, you weaken your whole potential as an automotive centre. You become a taker of technology and not an innovator.”

Constance cites the UK’s aircraft industry as one that has lost that capability and suffered as a consequence.

It used to be that if a country excelled in R&D, manufacturing

AN APC SUCCESS Is Yasa an APC success story? Judged from most angles, the innovative electric motor manufacturer is the very definition of one.

The Oxford-based firm was founded in 2009 and received funding from the APC, including a £13m injection in 2019 for a specific project.

By 2018, it had opened a new factory with the capability to make 100,000 of its highperformance motors a year, and now sells its product to some of the most demanding car companies in the world, including Ferrari for its SF90 Stradale plug-in hybrid.

Then in July came the news Yasa had been bought

by Mercedes-Benz and would provide motors for the AMG.EA platform for highperformance electric cars.

Mercedes-AMG’s EV motors will be made

by British firm Yasa

So while the APC’s funds helped push an innovative company to create products coveted by the best, it also made it valuable enough to be bought by a foreign firm.

The APC’s Ian Constance has warned about foreign companies swooping in to buy the intellectual property of state-backed UK innovators and leaving us with very little, but he said that’s not the case here.

“We’ve worked very hard with Yasa over the years,” he reasoned. “Yes, they got bought, but we’ve had lots of discussions with MercedesBenz, and they’ve agreed they want to keep that R&D capability here, with the potential for investment beyond R&D as well. Why? Because they like what they see here: they like that innovation culture.”

Jim Holder I N S I D E I N F O R M AT I O N

Despite its geography and weather, Norway is the leading EV adopter WHILE MUCH OF the world has been plotting routes to EV adoption, Norway – oil-rich enough to incentivise like crazy and awash with clean energy solutions thanks to its geography (renewable sources supply 98% of its energy) – has been cracking on. So much so that some analysts are now running trend graphs that suggest it might sell its final pure-ICE car in the first half of 2022.

While that seems fanciful, given how hard it is to force a figure from very low to zero, 95% of the 110,000 new vehicles registered in Norway in the first half of this year were hybrid, plug-in hybrid or electric.

While hybrids represent a loophole (the electricity being sourced by burning petrol and providing but a thimbleful of assistance), they don’t actually change the status quo too much. Of the 15 best-selling models in Norway, 14 are EVs, and the only interloper is the secondplaced Toyota RAV4 PHEV. The highest-placed hybrid is the Toyota Corolla in 16th and the highest-placed diesel is the Volkswagen Tiguan in 28th – one of just three in the top 50.

Almost 75% of cars sold in Norway in 2020 had a plug socket, and whatever happens between now and the end of this year, that number will soar again.

In a country with famously challenging (and, notably, battery-sapping) weather and where travelling long distances is common, it’s

interesting how readily car buyers have switched to EVs. How so? A holistic approach driven hard by incentives seems to be the answer. Buying or leasing an EV in Norway means paying reduced purchase tax, VAT and VED. Company car drivers get significant subsidies, too. Meanwhile, all road tolls and public parking charges are reduced by law and EV owners can use bus and taxi lanes. And more than 16,000 charging stations have been built – about 10% of Europe’s total, despite Norway having less than 1% of its population.

Norway has challenges to overcome still, most significantly managing all ICE cars off its roads.

For all its success in selling new electrified vehicles, only around 20% of its car parc is plug-in. Globally, the average vehicle life is about 14 years, but of course averages include numbers that are both higher and lower. A 30-year run-down is anticipated in Norway.

But if getting there is hard, getting there first is harder still. Somewhere between six and eight years ago, Norway had a similar share of plug-in cars to the UK’s today – and buyers had far fewer and much less capable cars to choose from.

Will we achieve the same in the same time span? It’s unlikely, considering our government has invested and incentivised less and set an ICE deadline nine years away. But Norway has shown what’s possible.

Autocar Business is our industry-focused brand, delving deeper into the business of the automotive world. Sign up for our regular bulletin at autocar.co.uk/business-signup.

6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 15

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COMMENT

Steve Cropley MY WEEK IN CARS

Before working with Ive on the Apple Watch, Newson penned the Ford 021C

MONDAY It’s always fascinating to hear of new people getting into supercar creation, but it strikes me that Ferrari boss John Elkann has pulled off a design king-hit by attracting superstar creatives Marc Newson and Sir Jony Ive – both Ferrari enthusiasts – to the task of creating a new strain of Maranello products.

Of course, as soon as I say this, my middle-class doubts kick in: the only previous car the pair has created between them appears to be the neat but modest 021C concept car that Newson penned for Ford a couple of decades ago. And I don’t know whether to be optimistic or scared about the self-confident shot they issued with their news.

It’s certainly a long way from the bloke-in-blackpolo-neck portraits we’re used to. Yet when I look at the same-again profile of every supercar of the past 20 years, I can’t help welcoming any fresh approach. I trust we won’t have to wait many years to see the fruits of their efforts.

TUESDAY

DAVID BAILEY

I’m truly awed by the latest exploits of race driver Mia Flewitt, who recently scored another brace of wins against extremely serious, capable and professional opposition when the high-powered Pure McLaren GT series snapped back into action in Portugal. An engineer at Volvo when she met her husband, Mike (now the boss of McLaren Automotive), she has discovered her aptitude and talent – how do I put this? – a little later in life than most other really good drivers, yet she’s the most natural racer I’ve ever met. My personal hope is to see her race at Le Mans.

WEDNESDAY I was in the Peak District, halfway through a three-day motorbike tour with one of my sons, when the first signs of a run on fuel stocks began.

`

Most of the swirling verbiage has been banal a We stopped for petrol and saw a lady filling a jerrycan on her way home from collecting the kids. Her unfamiliarity with the process and anxious expression made it clear this wasn’t just somebody fiddling their expenses. We had heard no news bulletins, but by the time we reached home, anxiety was everywhere. Politicians were blaming road-haulage bodies, citizens were blaming politicians, self-styled experts were shrilly instructing anyone who would listen not to panic-buy (unhelpful) and drivers were all over social media branding their fellows as morons.

It’s hard to maintain your sense of proportion in times like these, although driving as little as possible seems one obvious remedy. When in strife, I try to fall back on the wisest words my old man ever uttered: do as you would be done by.

AND ANOTHER THING… The British Motor Museum at Gaydon has just launched a new membership scheme, offering numerous levels and some big benefits. It’s all part of a post-pandemic push by the historypacked roundhouse, which goes from strength to strength.

Cropley fancies Zoe R135 as his first EV Most of the swirling verbiage (including official) has been banal, but I admit to being amused by one wry commentator who labelled this the chance for us ICE drivers to discover what range anxiety feels like without needing to own an EV.

THURSDAY Thinking more on the above, my dream car of the moment is the Renault Zoe R135 GT Line, whose promised 240-odd miles of home-replenished range looks enticing. There are longer-term attractions, too: there’s the lightness and small size of superminis that always appeals, the zip of this model’s 134bhp powertrain, my fond memories of other Zoes and my ever-present desire to do more low-key electric motorsport.

It’s a few years now since the late Barrie ‘Whizzo’ Williams and I campaigned a Zoe on Prescott hillclimb, but the memory is as fond as ever.

FRIDAY I opened my Dacia Sandero Stepway longtermer’s bonnet this week for the first time in five months and 10,000 miles. There was no need; I just wanted to clock how small a 999cc triple really is. Very small is the truth – and not very pretty. They’ve not wasted precious funds on decor. But it remains, as I learned as soon as I popped the clutch again, endearingly potent.

GET IN TOUCH

steve.cropley@haymarket.com

@stvcr

6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 17

F I R ST D R I V E S N E W C A R S T E ST E D A N D R AT E D

TESTED 26.8.21, KENT ON SALE NOW PRICE £500,000 (APPROX)

E-TYPE UK UNLEASHED

Series 3 roadster is upgraded for 21st-century life, but not so much that it loses its original appeal. Quite the reverse, in fact

18 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 6 OCTOBER 2021

his is more resto than mod, if you want to disassemble the portmanteau. It’s the Unleashed, a restored and part-modified Series 3 Jaguar E-Type roadster from the descriptively named E-Type UK, a restoration and sales (and now modification) specialist based on a pretty farm in Kent.

In a group of tidy buildings, E-Type UK has a good number of cars in storage, repair and restoration or prepared for sale.

The company says to budget up to £160,000 for a full restoration.

Ten cars passing through its doors, though, will become these Unleashed models, all of them Series 3 roadsters, which will have 4000 hours lavished on them to become like the car you see here.

For this, E-Type UK asks £390,000 (including VAT) plus a donor car, which, going by prices in the classifieds, means this will end up a half-million-pound car, give or take. Three are left unsold. All but one so far is destined to go overseas.

Built between 1971 and 1974, Series 3 models rounded out the E-Type’s life (see separate story, p21) and came with a V12

T

to retain appeal in an American market hungry for cylinders and displacement, but they’re perhaps the least loved of all E-Types. With nerfable bumpers mandated in the US and a big chrome ring around the grille, plus the fact that all the coupés were the bulbously glassed 2+2 versions, they look to my eyes the most clumsy of all E-Types.

That might be what’s behind E-Type UK picking roadsters for this Unleashed series. Even with the removable hard-top fitted here, the clean and elegant profile of the earlier cars has been revived, the more ungainly parts of the bumpers removed and the chrome taken away from around the grille so it ‘floats’ again. Plus, one suspects, quite a lot of working hours have gone into getting the panels to the right shape and fit again. The panel fit and paint finish are absolutely spot on.

You might notice that there are more louvres in the bonnet (necessary, given the mechanical upgrades we will come to), while the wheels are still wire and, at 16in diameter, an inch larger than the originals – but, thankfully, nothing like the dreadful big ◊

6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 19

Δ modern ones fitted to, say, the David Brown Speedback GT. Metalwork extends to lowering crossmembers to gain some head room and strengthening the car’s sills to increase chassis rigidity, which I’m pleased to hear. Torsional rigidity is one of the biggest reasons modern cars drive better than old ones. (And it’s something that Alfaholics nails with its GTA models, to which it fits a subtle cage to bring about race-car levels of rigidity.)

While the Unleashed’s exterior has been modestly restyled, the interior has had a much bigger makeover. The basic dash architecture is similar, but while the industry was getting on board with textured mouldings in the 1970s, E-Type UK has reverted to piano-black wood, aluminium and leather, all beautifully assembled.

The air vents are cute directional aluminium things with an aerospace vibe and there’s a perfectly integrated stereo that looks period-correct but has Bluetooth and DAB radio.

There’s even air conditioning.

The theme is the same under the bonnet: classic styling with a modern edge. The period engine is retained (cars with matching chassis and engine numbers remain more desirable) but capacity is increased from the original 5.3 litres to 6.1, mostly by increasing stroke. There are new cylinder liners but the block isn’t rebored. The engine runs fuel injection and independent throttle bodies (the management system, like the air-con gubbins, is located

Retrimmed cabin is finished beautifully and it’s easy to get comfortable behind that thin-rimmed wheel in discreet boxes on the bulkhead) and it gets a bigger radiator and that increased array of louvres to deal with the increased heat.

Series 3 E-Types originally made 272bhp, and if you pick an unrestored car, it’s a reasonable bet that a few horses will have expired on the way. E-Type UK’s number for the Unleashed is 400bhp, with torque up by less than I expected, given the stroke increase: it’s now 315lb ft, rather than 304lb ft of the originals.

It drives through a five-speed Tremec gearbox, although E-Type UK retains the original four-speed manual (or three-speed auto) and includes it in the sale should you ever want to revert to stock. Knowing what the original shift is like, I wouldn’t.

There are also adjustable dampers alongside refreshed suspension (new springs and bushes and stiffer torsion beams) and larger brake discs with four-pot front calipers and braided hoses – but no driver aids.

TESTER’S NOTE You don’t have to spec an optional removable hard top, but most Unleashed buyers have. The soft top and its mechanism just stow beneath the hard roof. MP

It rides more softly than today’s GTs and exhibits a capable, comfortable, long-distance cruising demeanour 20 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 6 OCTOBER 2021

It is, I found, quite easy to get comfortable. The Series 3 roadster has an 8in-longer wheelbase than early cars, so it’s spacious enough, although not roomy by modern standards. The view out is still letterboxy and there’s a lot of bonnet spearing in front of you. But still, rotate a collar on the steering column and the wheel adjusts, the flat seats are soft and the gearlever pokes so far to the sky that it’s almost level with the steering wheel spokes.

FIRST DRIVES SERIES 3: THE LAST GASP OF AN ICON

` It’s the most intoxicating Jaguar

The Series 3 arrived a full decade into the E-Type’s life, the US was Jaguar’s biggest export market and both things showed. The body variants, a 2+2 coupé and roadster, were given a glitzy chromed grille that they didn’t need but a V12 engine that the American market, fed on large-capacity V8s, demanded. Series 3 cars had flared arches to accommodate a wider track and even the roadster had the longer wheelbase of the 2+2 coupé.

Sales weren’t as strong as those of earlier models (no surprise), although it still notched up 15,000 over three years. But in 1971, Mercedes-Benz launched the R107 SL, and by 1974 cars like the VW Scirocco and Lamborghini Countach were arriving. The E-Type’s shape was out of time.

V12 I’ve driven that wasn’t in a Le Mans or Group 44 racing car

a

V12 is 6.1 litres and wheels are 16in – both larger than original spec

The rim is thin and the wheel large.

It’s not a modern-feeling interior, but nor is it uncomfortably ancient.

With the push of a button, the engine pours to life with plenty of culture but no dramatics. The clutch is a touch heavy and, in this example, the throttle has some stiction (though its makers plan to sort that before the car heads to its customer the day after our drive). Pedal spacing and heights are good, though, and the gearshift is lovely: long but ever so smooth. The steering, power-assisted, is light and three turns between locks but also silkily smooth. The vibe is very much cruiser, which is what I read the Series 3 had become a decade after the E-Type’s sensational launch at the 1961 Geneva motor show.

The Unleashed rides pliantly, too – more softly than most new grand tourers, but over bad surfaces you can feel, despite the strengthening, that there are chassis shimmies because it’s a half-century-old design with a big open area. Even modern cars struggle when all the strength is in the sills. But if you can put that and some wind noise from behind your ear out of your mind, there’s still stacks to enjoy – such as the smooth steering and balanced ride.

And the engine. It’s wonderfully smooth at low revs, but when you push it towards its 6500 limit, it becomes the loudest and most intoxicating Jaguar V12 I’ve driven that wasn’t in a Le Mans or Group

44 racing car. It burbles wickedly on the overrun and, while it is fast (I’m guessing it would do 0-60mph in around 5sec if you nailed the getaway and lengthy shift), it’s not so fast that the fun is all over in a heartbeat.

Come out of a roundabout in second and there’s enjoyment through three gears before you settled in fifth for a cruise sufficiently relaxed that you could happily cross a country in it.

It’s evocative, enjoyable and alluring, while still retaining a lot of feel of the original, which makes it aptly named. Unleashed, although not transformed, is where it is.

MATT PRIOR

@matty_prior

E-TYPE UK UNLEASHED Restorer gets the most out of a Series 3 E-Type, enhancing the allure of the original, at a price

AAABC Price Engine Power Torque Gearbox Kerb weight 0-62mph Top speed Economy CO2, tax band RIVALS

£500,000 (approx) V12, 6100cc, petrol 400bhp at 5200rpm 315lb ft 5-spd manual 1500kg (est) 5.0sec (est) 150mph (est) na na Eagle Spyder GT, Tuthill Porsche 911

6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 21

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FIRST DRIVES

The MBUX 2 infotainment system first introduced in the new S-Class has made its way to the C-Class, whose interior layout in general also mirrors that of the larger car.

It’s an impressive set-up, with plenty of vivid readouts pertaining to energy usage and flows. RL

TESTED 29.9.21, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE ON SALE L ATE 2021

MERCEDES-BENZ C300e The most economical new C-Class variant comes with over 60 miles of EV range erhaps you’ve always liked the plug-in hybrid idea but so far they’ve made little sense for you as an individual. You’re certainly not alone: with any PHEV, it’s possible to save magnificently on fuel costs, but only if your driving habits fit a very specific pattern of behaviour. If they don’t, the meagre electric range of most PHEVs starts to feel pretty nominal and the heavy battery pack becomes an ornament that drags down the efficiency of an engine forced to work harder than necessary. All pretty contradictory.

However, with this new Mercedes C300e, the technology is coming of age. The plug-in C300e has an official electric range of 62 miles, almost double that of the outgoing version. By comparison, the otherwise excellent BMW 330e musters only 37 miles and there will be no PHEV Audi A4 until at least 2023. So if you want a premium saloon that you can use as freely as an EV during the week but has proper ICE legs for longer journeys, the C300e is your most promising option, and the estate version will only

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enhance the breadth of its appeal.

The layout is familiar, with charge for the electric motor supplied by a 25.4kWh battery pack beneath the stepless boot floor. The pack can be replenished fully in half an hour at charging speeds of up to 55kW and the 127bhp motor it drives is integrated into the nine-speed automatic transmission. Four-wheel drive is likely to follow, but at first the C300e will be rear driven, with its motor assisting a 201bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that can propel the car alone. Total system output is 8bhp down on before but still generous at 308bhp. However, the C300e never feels that quick, most likely because it’s quite heavy.

There’s no official kerb weight yet but we expect it to be nudging 1850kg.

This car was never about going fast, though. With its digitised cockpit, sweeping design and plush upholstery, the latest C-Class really wants to be an S-Class impersonator at half the price. The C300e pulls off this trick well, blending material comfort and with fine manners from the powertrain and chassis.

If you’re going straight from all-electric trundling to needing maximum driveline power, it can take a moment for the nasalsounding engine to wake up and the gearbox to find the right ratio, but mostly the C300e glides about with minimal disturbance to its flow, leaning heavily on its healthy electric capability and feeding in combustion power as you need it.

The set-up in the 330e is crisper and the engine happier to rev out, but I’ll be surprised if it’s as silver-tongued as that of the Mercedes when we test them back to back. The C300e has an oleaginous slickness to it.

As for the way the C300e rides, ours had modest 18in wheels and all C-Class PHEVs use rear air suspension as standard, and both elements helped to give it an unusually plush and gentle gait. The springing is soft and there’s generous body roll, but it’s all well controlled.

On the motorway, I could hear my watch ticking. For me, this is a litmus test in terms of rolling refinement, and one usually passed only by cars two classes above the C300e. In this

As well as the appeal of its long electric range, it drives much as its cabin suggests: like a shrunken S-Class

specification – AMG Line, with the small wheels – the C300e is, I suspect, the most relaxing car in the segment.

The trade-off is that there are few thrills. The C-Class grips strongly and is well balanced but you’ll never push it particularly hard because the steering is too numb to make it enjoyable. Its brake feel is also imprecise and the soft suspension catches up with it on the kind of B-roads its BMW rival would devour.

The Mercedes rarely feels much out of its depth but cuts a more detached figure. And that was obviously the intention: as an S-Class-lite, the sumptuous and potentially hugely economical C300e hits its mark.

RICHARD LANE

@_rlane_

MERCEDES-BENZ C300e AMG LINE If priced right, the luxurious C300e will be an excellent counterpoint to the less refined, more engaging 330e

AAAAC Price Engine

£44,500 (est) 4 cyls, 1999cc, turbo, petrol, plus electric motor Power 308bhp Torque 406lb ft Gearbox 9-spd automatic Kerb weight 1850kg (est) 0-62mph 6.1sec Top speed 152mph Battery 25.4kWh Economy 256.8-403.5mpg Electric range 62 miles CO2, tax band 14-24g/km, 7% RIVALS BMW 330e, Volkswagen Golf GTE

6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 23

TESTER’S NOTE I couldn’t help feeling a growing air of maturity and confidence flowing from this model, which is reassuring given that Xpeng has big plans for European expansion. MA

TESTED 2.9.21, BEIJING, CHINA ON SALE EARLY 2022 (NORWAY)

XPENG P5 Nascent Chinese marque primes cut-price yet tech-loaded electric family saloon he P5 is the all-important third model from Chinese EV maker Xpeng and is aimed squarely at young families seeking a highly connected electric saloon. Already present in Norway, Xpeng is poised for major European expansion over the next year, and the P5 will be one of the cars spearheading that push.

As the world’s first production car with built-in lidar, it expands on the autonomous features of the sportier P7 and, when the software is ready, will offer an inner-city selfdriving capability that’s likely to rival Tesla’s so-called Full Self-Driving system. Thankfully, the two lidar units sit well back within the front end, negating the risk of extremely expensive fender-benders.

Sitting on the same platform as Xpeng’s first model, the G3 compact crossover, the P5 has quite a high stance for a saloon.

Perhaps that’s what makes it look awkward in pictures, although it appears more elegant in the metal.

There’s little mistaking that the P5 is electric at heart, though. Xpeng has eked out as much space as possible for occupants, so despite it having a considerably shorter wheelbase than

T

the P7, the P5 actually has more space inside – especially rear leg room.

Unlike its Tesla Model 3 rival, the P5 has a dedicated digital instrument panel behind the steering wheel.

There’s still a giant (15.6in) central infotainment touchscreen, though, with one of the best voice control systems we’ve yet experienced.

The cabin’s perceived material quality and finish are of a high standard, although it could be improved ergonomically.

Both front seats are electrically adjustable, but only the driver’s is adjustable for height, so I couldn’t get comfy on a trip as the passenger.

Equipment levels are generous, at least, and our range-topping test car takes a leaf out of Mercedes-Benz’s book with a fragrance dispenser.

Elsewhere, Xpeng has managed to load the P5 with every bit of optional paraphernalia that it has to hand.

The front seats fold flat to meet the rear bench and create a ‘sleep mode’, and Xpeng can even supply an air mattress, complete with pump.

There’s also the option of film mode, where a projector (mounted on the parcel shelf and powered from the 12V outlet located behind the middle

P5 is shaped so as to maximise space inside; cabin looks and feels of high quality 24 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 6 OCTOBER 2021

headrest) displays a film on a folddown screen that attaches over the front dashboard. All the headrests are also the wide, airline-style type.

Although the P5 isn’t as dynamically capable as the P7, its roadholding proves fine on twisting country roads, the ride on passive suspension is generally soft and the steering is well geared and more precise than that of previous Xpengs.

Regenerative braking force appears to have been increased, too, although true one-pedal driving still isn’t possible, because the P5 won’t come to a complete stop without you calling on the brakes.

Like most Chinese EVs, the P5 doesn’t have Tesla-level performance, mustering a relatively modest 208bhp and 229lb ft for its front axle. Four-wheel drive is technically possible, but given that the G3 on which the P5 is based remains only front driven, there’s no guarantee that a driven rear axle will arrive for this mid-size saloon. As it stands, the sprint from 0-62mph takes 7.5sec, which puts the P5 roughly on par with the petrol-powered BMW 320i.

As for range, the P5 line-up will contain several options, with battery

capacities from 55.9kWh to 71.4kWh. NEDC range spans 286 to 373 miles and all versions can rapid-charge their battery packs from 30-80% in 40 minutes.

The final judgement on the P5 will be weighted by how good the self-driving function is – something that’s unavailable at launch.

However, as it stands, this car offers a spacious interior together with a smart operating system that really supports the driver. On the road, while not class-leading, it provides a reasonably engaging drive coupled with a respectable range and more than adequate performance for the role of a family saloon.

Sales in European markets are likely to begin in 2022, but Xpeng’s arrival in the UK is as yet unconfirmed.

MARK ANDREWS

XPENG P5 600P Practical, not bad to drive, comes with the latest tech and achieves a highly respectable range

AAABC Price

¥230,000 (£26,440) after government incentives Engine Permanent magnet synchronous motor Power 208bhp Torque 229lb ft Gearbox 1-spd Kerb weight 1725kg 0-62mph 7.5sec Top speed 106mph Battery 71.4kWh Range 373 miles (NEDC) CO2, tax band 0g/km, na RIVALS MG 5 SW EV, Tesla Model 3

FIRST DRIVES TESTED 29.9.21, MIDDLESEX ON SALE NOW

SEAT IBIZA Supermini is given a plusher and more inviting interior with some new technology f you don’t like the phrase ‘softtouch plastic’, look away now, because I’m afraid that’s the most important change to the facelifted Seat Ibiza.

The current generation of the Spanish supermini became one of our favourites in the class when it was launched four years ago but stopped short of leading it due to overly light steering and some interior fittings that weren’t quite up to scratch.

Seat has given the interior a remarkably thorough overhaul, replacing the very matter-of-fact angular dashboard that looked like it belonged in the (closely related) Volkswagen Polo with a more playful rounded item; and adding extra soft-touch materials, a new steering wheel, the option of digital gauges and air vents that light up at night.

The touchscreen, which hosts the latest iteration of Seat’s infotainment system as well as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, has been moved up above the centre air vents, where it’s easier to see and reach.

The changes hit the mark, because they lift the Ibiza’s perceived quality

seven-speed dual-clutch automatic.

The Ibiza still undercuts most of its rivals on price, is spacious and is engaging to drive (if no more than before), plus it’s now a nicer place to be and offers up-to-date technology that, by and large, works well. This is a very successful facelift.

ILLYA VERPRAET

SEAT IBIZA 1.0 TSI 95 FR With a comprehensive interior revamp, Seat keeps the Ibiza at the sharp end of its class

AAAAB to the top of the class.

Inside, it’s much improved, then.

But sadly, the Ibiza’s other failing, the overly light steering, remains.

That’s as disappointing as the rest of the chassis is very nicely judged, combining a pointy nose and playful balance with more than acceptable ride comfort, even on 18in wheels.

The facelift also presented Seat with an opportunity to rationalise the engine range. Out go the diesel and the slow-selling 1.5-litre turbo

petrol, in come revised versions of the 1.0-litre turbo petrol, with either 108bhp or 94bhp. There’s also a 79bhp naturally aspirated entry-level unit.

We would stick with the mid-range 94bhp 1.0 TSI, which gives up little in outright speed compared with the more powerful triple but makes up for it in responsiveness and a willingness to rev.

The 108bhp unit feels a bit lazy with the manual but perks up when paired with the smooth-shifting

Price Engine Power Torque Gearbox Kerb weight 0-62mph Top speed Economy CO2, tax band RIVALS

£19,580 3 cyls, 999cc, turbo, petrol 94bhp at 5000-5500rpm 129lb ft at 2000-3500rpm 5-spd manual 1169kg 10.9sec 116mph 47.9-51.4mpg 124g/km, 28% Ford Fiesta, Renault Clio, Volkswagen Polo

TESTED 30.9.21, BILSTER BERG, GERMANY ON SALE EARLY 2022

VOLKSWAGEN GOLF R ESTATE Latest hot wagon is now more expensive but also bigger and cleverer. Fair trade? lmost a year after we first drove the latest Golf R hatchback, the new Golf R Estate has arrived.

Subtle exterior and interior styling changes mark it out as the flagship and it’s 71mm longer than its predecessor, 68mm of which is in the wheelbase to give it more rear-seat room. Boot space rises to 611 litres seats up and 1642 rear seats down.

The new Golf R Estate continues with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo

A

petrol engine, with 316bhp and 310lb ft, mated to a seven-speed dualclutch gearbox. More notable is the heavily reworked 4Motion four-wheel drive system. It now features two electronically controlled clutches on the rear axle to apportion drive more accurately between the front and rear wheels as well as provide individual drive to each of the rear wheels as part of a torque-vectoring function.

Given the wide range of driving

modes (six in all) with the optional Performance Package fitted to our car, there is complexity in configuring the car to suit any given driving situation. But the upshot is a terrific spread of ability between comfort at one end and dynamism at the other.

Real-world pace is strong, with urgent step-off and wonderfully tractable qualities across the midrange, but the overall effortlessness is what defines the performance.

It is all backed up by excellent dynamic qualities. Responsive, accurate steering ensures directional changes are swift and crisp in the more sporting driving modes.

Configured as such, the ride is firm as well, but it relaxes and is impressively unobtrusive in Comfort mode, even on optional 19in tyres.

Overall, the latest Golf R Estate is a very convincing everyday driving proposition. It is quick, enjoyable, engaging and secure on the road. But it’s hardly a bargain: UK buyers can expect to pay upwards of £41,000, plus a little over £2000 for the Performance Package, when UK sales kick off early next year.

Still very quick but now roomier

VOLKSWAGEN GOLF R PERFORMANCE PACKAGE ESTATE Plenty of performance and loads of space, but now with more delicate and engaging handling than ever

AAAAC Price Engine Power Torque Gearbox Kerb weight 0-62mph Top speed Economy CO2, tax band RIVALS

£43,500 (est) 4 cyls, 1984cc, turbo, petrol 316bhp at 5500-6500rpm 310lb ft at 2100-5350rpm 7-spd dual-clutch automatic 1630kg 4.9sec 168mph 38.7-39.2mpg 164-166g/km, 36-37% Focus ST Estate, Skoda Octavia vRS Estate

GREG KABLE

6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 25

ROAD TEST

PHOTOGRAPHY OLGUN KORDAL

No 5544

Mercedes-Benz E-Class Cabriolet Four-seat executive drop-top gets a new engine and design update, but to what effect?

MODEL TESTED E300 AMG LINE NIGHT EDITION PREMIUM PLUS CABRIOLET Price £52,185

Power 255bhp

26 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 6 OCTOBER 2021

Torque 273lb ft

0-60mph 7.0sec

30-70mph in fourth 8.8sec

Fuel economy 33.4mpg

CO2 emissions 190g/km

70-0mph 58.2m

ROAD TEST he current W213generation Mercedes E-Class was, by its maker’s own claims, the most technologically advanced car it had ever built when it came along in 2016. This week, we check in on how it’s ageing, how adaptable its platform is and how wisely that five-year-old trailblazer has been kept up to date both under the bonnet and inside the cabin.

These things matter, especially in Stuttgart, because the E-Class is the best-selling car that Mercedes has ever made and it remains one of its most globally important.

Mercedes led with cutting-edge driver assistance technology and top-level luxury ambience when this car first appeared five years ago. It was one of the first models on the road with a ‘piloted driving’, semi-autonomous lane keeping assist system, and Mercedes imbued it with traditional interior richness and refinement on a tack along which few rivals would dare to follow it.

Last year, the E-Class had a major mid-life facelift, the contents of which we’ll detail shortly.

And now that facelift has had enough time to work its way through to the slightly more obscure corners of the model range, it has brought renewed interest to one of Europe’s few remaining attainable four-seat boulevardier-style luxury cruiser convertibles: the E-Class Cabriolet.

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DESIGN AND ENGINEERING

AAAAC

We like z Four-cylinder engine offers good cruising manners and decent torque and economy z Comfort-first tuning of powertrain and suspension is mostly convincing

We don’t like z Optional 20in alloy wheels spoil the rolling refinement a little z Gearbox is just a shade too lazily unresponsive

Mercedes is a car maker that moves very much with 21st-century times and tastes, and the E-Class has moved with it. Sleeker, flatter LED headlights and more jewel-like taillights arrived with its recent update, as did a new radiator grille, new bumper styling and a double-domed bonnet – all intended to inject the car with extra visual dynamism.

The headline additions to the car’s mechanicals came in the form of new plug-in hybrids, seven derivatives of which are now part of the E-Class model range if you count saloons and estates, petrol-electric and dieselelectric powertrains, and rear- and four-wheel-drive options separately.

None of those plug-in powertrains is offered in the E-Class Coupé or Cabriolet, but one of the facelift’s genuinely new engines is: a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol motor with 48V mild-hybrid assistance that Mercedes has codenamed M254 and that powered our entry-level petrol E300 test car.

The M254 petrol engine features every major powertrain technology that has been pioneered on any of Mercedes’ other recent four- or six-cylinder combustion engines all in the same package, says its maker. Among them is a ‘segment’ turbocharger (a variation on the twin-scroll theme); a smaller secondary electrically driven turbocharger; conical cylinder bores; ‘nanoslide’ cylinder coatings; and

Range at a glance ENGINES

POWER

FROM

E220d E300 E450 4Matic E400d 4Matic E53 4Matic+

191bhp 255bhp 362bhp 325bhp 429bhp

£50,015 £50,845 £63,250 £64,880 £71,250

TRANSMISSION 9-spd automatic Mercedes has reduced the range of trim levels for its latest E-Class Coupé and Cabriolet, but a slightly broadened line-up of engines now includes a six-cylinder petrol 450 model. All six-cylinder models have four-wheel drive as a matter of course and all but the AMG 53 get Night Edition equipment and styling augmentations as standard.

the close coupling of exhaust aftertreatment systems for more efficient running. In the E300, the engine develops 255bhp, and a stout 273lb ft of torque from just 1650rpm, with an extra 111lb ft of transient torque-fill electrical assistance from the hybrid system available on demand.

The current E-Class Coupé and Cabriolet derivatives come to us after Mercedes took the decision to divide its old CLK model line into two new camps a decade ago now. Having been based on a C-Class platform in its first model generation, however, the added-desirability E-Class twins transferred to the same platform as the rest of the E-Class family for these second-generation versions (although they didn’t transfer to the main E-Class production line in Sindelfingen, Germany, at the same time, staying instead on a special line at Mercedes’ Bremen factory). This, therefore, is one of few modern cabriolet models built not under licence out of house but right alongside its showroom siblings.

The UK-market E-Class Cabriolet range now offers both four- and sixcylinder petrol and diesel engines, as well as a mild-hybrid 429bhp, AMG-badged 53 performance rangetopper. Four-wheel drive comes as standard on all six-pot models and as an option on the four-pot diesel E220d, but the car is rear-driven-only in lower-end E300 petrol form.

All mechanical flavours get a ninespeed automatic gearbox and multilink axles for suspension front and rear. Steel coil springs and frequencyselective passive dampers serve on all but the air-sprung AMG 53. ◊

z Extendable Aircap wind break system has extensions that, when activated, protrude above the header rail and out behind the rear headrests. It’s there to keep the passing air from buffeting occupants but looks odd from the kerb.

z All UK-market E-Class Cabriolets come on 19in alloys as standard, or these 20in rims as part of the Night Edition package. (AMG models get a different spoke design.) Our testing suggests that the ride benefits from sticking with the smaller rim.

z Single-louvred, A-shaped grille is different from the one on E-Class saloons and estates, and the chrome spotted texture is new for the facelift. A flying three-pointed star for the bonnet is no longer offered on any UK E-Class.

z Fully motorised folding cloth roof can be had in black, dark blue or dark red.

It takes 20 seconds to cycle at vehicle speeds of up to 31mph, and when it’s down, it leaves rearward visibility unencumbered.

Previous-gen cabrio spanned 2010-2017 6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 27

Weights and measures

ax mm 0m 2 1 1

980m

Kerb weight: 1780kg 2873mm

851mm

1430mm

385 litres

65 0m m

0.28

m

1020m m max

DIMENSIONS

1120mm

4844mm

PA R K I N G Typical garage height

z Driving position isn’t particularly low, but it’s well enough sheltered from the wind and offers good visibility. Seats are comfortable but could have more adjustment.

Typical parking space width (2400mm)

1550mm

Typical leg room 650mm

2060mm (with mirrors) 4250mm

z Second-row seats are tricky to access even with the roof down, and much worse with it up. Backrests are quite upright but space is respectable for smaller adults.

W H E E L A N D P E DA L ALI G N M E NT Pedal positioning is sound, with good-sized pads that are grippy on your soles, and level placement when hopping from one to the other.

45mm 195mm Height 250-380mm Width 860-1360mm Length 830-1800mm

H E AD LI G HTS Full LED headlights and tail-lights with adaptive functionality are standard.

Beam is bright, well directed and quick to dip automatically.

INTERIOR

AAAAC

While many of its rivals have been filing quietly out of the exit door of the cabriolet market over the past decade, Mercedes has persevered with them, selling not one but two medium-sized models, at least until the recent end of production of the last C-Class. Being the bigger of the two, the E-Class Cabriolet ought to have practicality and size on its side and, within reason, so it proves.

The packaging compromises necessary to squeeze a motorised folding cloth roof on top of an E-Class and to fold it away neatly behind the cabin mean this car isn’t as roomy as an E-Class saloon. It still makes room for adults in its back seats, though.

28 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 6 OCTOBER 2021

Centre

If you’re new to convertibles, you might be surprised by the steep seatbacks in row two, and by the tapered cabin sides, which throw the two rear-seat travellers inboard a little. But even allowing for all that, and ignoring the tricky squeeze needed to get into and out of the back, smaller adults can travel comfortably enough over shorter distances here.

You feel particularly enclosed and have scant view of the world outside in the back with the hood up, and you’re often a little blustered and bothered at speed by the passing air with it down, but there’s at least half-decent room for you – and where supposed four-seat cabriolets are concerned, that’s rare.

Up front, the E-Class twin-screen layout, jet-engine-style air vents and

z Boot is usefully about as long as it is wide, offering nearly 400 litres of storage with the roof up, enough for bigger suitcases. Roof down, it’s cut to 300 litres.

covered rotary-style infotainment device are all welcome reminders of an age in cabin design that Mercedes seems all too keen to move beyond at the moment. But the fact is that there really isn’t much wrong with the way the car’s dashboard and driving environment look or feel; the ease with which you can interact with its various systems and technologies; or the upmarket allure that the whole car conjures. The driver’s seat is presented at a convenient height. In a car of greater dynamic ambitions and purposes, you might prefer a lower perch, but in a luxury cruiser of very little sporting pretence, the usefully contoured and comfortable chairs do very nicely. They offer electric heaters but no cooling or massage function, even as an option, which might

have been useful in an indulgently relaxing open-top car.

As for cargo practicality, the boot is usefully long and wide and could carry a couple of good-sized suitcases and a soft bag or two. As in all convertibles of this type, though, its volume is eaten into significantly when the roof is folded back – at which point 250mm is all the loading height it can muster.

PERFORMANCE

AAAAC

The rainy autumnal day when we performance tested the E300 encapsulated the reality of UK convertible ownership very well, but the car dealt with the challenges it brought with good grace.

Against a 6.6sec 0-62mph ◊

ROAD TEST

z Perceived material quality levels are generally high, although this ‘grey open-pore ash wood’ veneer isn’t made to look or feel particularly genuine.

z Facelifted E-Class has new steering wheel designs.

This one’s rim is a little wide for us and these capacitive controls are a touch too easy to brush unintentionally.

z Cabrios get heated seats as standard and Mercedes’ Airscarf neck warmers for no extra cost. They’re reasonably effective if you keep the cabin sheltered.

Multimedia system

AAAAC

The infotainment and instrumentation system in the E-Class, with its two 12.3in screens, has done the rounds in Mercedes’ current models, and there’s a new set-up in the latest S-Class and the EQS, of course. But if you like easy usability, crisp and colourful graphics, and plenty of physical shortcut keys to help you navigate your way around, this set-up shouldn’t feel old-hat; and if you like a rotary input device rather than a touchpad, you might prefer the Cabriolet to the Coupé. (The only way Mercedes can package the hood controls of the convertible is by fitting the old-style rotary device on the transmission tunnel.)

The system offers networked navigation, wireless device charging, mirroring for both Apple and Android smartphones and full voice control for no extra cost. Our test car also had Mercedes’ Burmester surround audio system, fitted as part of the Night Edition pack, which produced music with plenty of power and definition.

Mercedes added augmented reality navigation to the system as part of the latest facelift, although it’s displayed on the central navigation screen rather than on a head-up display so it can be a bit distracting.

6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 29

`

It’s a car for those who like to enjoy a more laid-back sort of progress

a

Δ claim, the rear-driven 1780kg convertible clocked a very respectable 7.0sec to 60mph with some patches of standing water under its wheels. It found grip and traction in a way that suggested four-wheel drive would indeed have been overkill.

The car felt suitably elastic and quite fluid with the engagement of drive as it moved off the line, never seeming hurried or brusque, never grabbing at gears or revs, but avoiding any sense of slowness, too.

There is plenty of torque to move it onwards from lowish revs when you tip into the accelerator pedal for roll-on acceleration, the mildhybrid electric motor chiming in with a useful dose of near-instant transient force before the piston engine wakes up.

That engine’s chief assets are its mechanical refinement and drivability. Despite Mercedes’ best efforts to spice up its audible

character digitally, it’s not the most enticing motor to listen to. It tolerates being worked above 5000rpm but doesn’t quite relish the prospect. It’s quiet, smooth and civil even when hauling moderately hard, though, and it moves the E-Class’s bulk along with just enough assertive authority to allow you to forget that it is one of the range’s lower-order engines.

While the nine-speed gearbox can feel a little slow to respond to a kickdown instruction and doesn’t seem much more interested to shift gears on the wheel-mounted paddles, either, it does a decent job of shuffling ratios smoothly and it times shifts well when you want to leave the car in ‘D’ and put on some speed. Singlecarriageway overtaking is best done with good planning and downshifts in advance, but relaxed, sociable, good-time cruising is executed much more consummately – and, as we’ll get on to, gratifyingly frugally, too.

H A N D L I N G A N D S TA B I L I T Y

AAABC

The E-Class Cabriolet’s chassis, like its powertrain, has a likeably simple, single-speed kind of character about it. It’s a car for those who like to enjoy a more laid-back rate of progress.

Although it can be whisked along apace, it’ll begin running short of vertical body control on rising and falling B-roads taken around the national speed limit; gently lolling on its outside wheels, and punting softly into benign understeer, if you hustle it through a series of tight corners; and clonking over craggy, pitted back roads, which begin to reverberate a little through the underbody as you put pressure on the car’s supporting structure that it isn’t entirely comfortable absorbing.

Which is fine – because a car that clearly communicates its dynamic priorities, and how it ought best

be driven, is a car you can easily understand. Adopt the relaxed style of driving that this car chooses for you and you’ll be rewarded with an easy, gentle, enriching mode of transport.

Light, filtered controls demand very little of the driver and moderately paced steering is mirrored by placid chassis response, yet the car doesn’t heave and sway over complex surfaces like a ship in a storm. There’s just enough underlying Teutonic seriousness and discipline about this car’s body control to keep it reined in at fast motorway speeds and settled and level enough on A-roads.

On a smoothly surfaced series of sweeping bends, you might unearth a little bit of rear-driven handling character if you really probe, but you’ll have to push through plenty of body movement to find it and Mercedes’ electronic stability control system masks it pretty well unless

z There’s little reward in hustling it through a series of tight bends, as is the way with a big four-seat open-top car, but it excels as a refined, well-sorted and relaxed cruiser.

30 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 6 OCTOBER 2021

ROAD TEST Assisted driving notes AAAAC Mercedes remains one of the leading powers for semi-autonomous driving technology. The scope of that tech on the E-Class was expanded during its facelift, with the functionality of its active cruise control, lane keeping assist, speed limit assist and emergency braking systems extended – although you need the optional Driving Assistance Package to get the best of what Merc offers.

The autonomous emergency braking system isn’t easily triggered and, as with most of the car’s other active safety technology, its sensitivity can be adjusted.

The lane keeping assist system now works through a capacitive steering wheel. On a typical UK motorway, you’ll only need to keep a dead hand on the wheel to keep the car within its lane and the system operational.

Meanwhile, the blindspot assist system is clever enough to spot objects approaching from behind even after you’ve parked and will warn you before you open the driver’s door.

you disengage it. Much better to wind back your hurry, wind back the roof and drink in your surroundings at a more sedate, mature pace.

C O M F O R T A N D I S O L AT I O N

AAABC

Our E300 Cabriolet test car’s ride was generally soft and supple at low speeds and absorbent over long-wave inputs. It seemed to struggle with the sharper-edged ones as much because of its wheel and tyre specification as for any other reason. The car is available in the UK in AMG Line trim only; with a 19in alloy wheel as standard; and with 20in rims fitted as part of Mercedes’ Night Edition option pack, which our test car had.

Whichever wheel you plump for, run-flat tyres come as standard.

Although it adds other items of equipment that might pique your interest, our advice is to avoid the Night Edition option if you want a

A U T O N O M O U S E M E R G E N CY BRAKING z Does the system seem prone to false activation? ✗ z Can it be deactivated? ✓ z Does it have pedestrian/cyclist detection? ✓ L A N E K E E P I N G A S S I S TA N C E z Is the system tuned to keep the driver engaged at all times? ✗ z Is it adjustable for sensitivity? ✓ z Does it allow you to drive around a pothole/obstacle within your lane easily and without deactivation? ✓ INTELLIGENT CRUISE CONTROL z Can the system consistently recognise and automatically adopt motorway gantry-signed variable speed limits? ✓ z Does it prevent undertaking? ✓ z Does it have effective audible or visual alerts, or steering intervention, to prevent changing lanes into the path of an overtaking car? ✓

are very creditable. When it’s up, the cloth hood keeps fluttering to a minimum. When it’s down, the Aircap draft-blocking system (an airbrake that rises above the header rail and a second one that extends upwards behind the rear seats) whistles a bit but, in tandem with the side windows, keeps buffeting low even at motorway speeds.

drop-top with really strong cruising credentials. On those 20in alloys (which reduce the rear sidewall to just 30-profile), ‘bump-thump’ ride isolation isn’t quite good enough to suit the car’s wider refined character.

What’s more, when carrying any more unsprung mass than they strictly need to, those disturbed axles undoubtedly do strain the car’s body structure and cause it to shake over rougher roads just a bit more than they might. Scuttle shake itself is never a noticeable problem, but you can hear the seats and fittings being disturbed by the odd tremor from the road surface occasionally and you can feel the chassis twist underneath you a little when you’re turning around tighter radii, when it seems to take a split second for the rear axle to follow where the front is leading. However, such dynamic foibles remain pretty typical of bigger cabrios.

Wind and road noise isolation

BUYING AND OWNING

AAAAB

The E-Class Cabriolet has a dwindling number of direct rivals and a clear positioning against those it does have. Stuttgart has priced the latest version to go up against BMW’s 4 Series Convertible and Audi’s A5 Cabriolet, both of which the Merc’s model nomenclature cleverly makes it seem to notionally outmatch and neither of which can quite equal its size or four-seater space.

Climb the model hierarchy ladder

further still and really usable fourseater cabrio options don’t get much easier to find. Sports cars like the Porsche 911 and Lexus LC drop-tops do offer ‘occasional’ back seats, but they’re nothing like as spacious as the E-Class’s. The BMW 8 Series Convertible does a little better, but it’s much pricier than the Mercedes. For those who do want usable back seats in their open-top tourer, then, the E-Class is in a pretty sweet spot.

And it needn’t blot its copybook on running efficiency. Our test car averaged 33.4mpg over the full scope of a road test and returned 44.8mpg on a UK-motorwaytypical 70mph cruise – not bad for a 255bhp, 1.8-tonne pleasure boat.

Fitted into a sleeker, lighter and more aerodynamic E-Class saloon on smaller rims, this four-cylinder engine might, you can imagine, be a genuine and pleasingly refined 50mpg prospect. ◊

AC C E L E R AT I O N Mercedes-Benz E300 AMG Line Night Edition Premium Plus Cabriolet (17deg C, rain) Standing quarter mile 15.7sec at 93.0mph, standing km 28.4sec at 119.0mph, 30-70mph 6.4sec, 30-70mph in fourth 8.8sec 30mph

2.8s

40mph

50mph

3.9s

5.3s

60mph

7.0s

70mph

80mph

9.1s

0

11.7s

100mph

90mph

110mph

18.5s

14.6s

10s

120mph

23.1s

29.1s

20s

Audi A5 Sportback 2.0 TFSI 252 Quattro S Line (2017, -1 deg C, icy patches) Standing quarter mile 14.4sec at 98.2mph, standing km 26.4sec at 123.3mph, 30-70mph 5.3sec, 30-70mph in fourth 8.3sec 30mph

2.1s

40

3.1s

60mph

50

5.7s

4.3s

0

70mph

80mph

7.4s

9.5s

100mph

90mph

15.1s

11.9s 10s

110mph

120mph

19.1s

24.4s 20s

B R A K I N G 60-0mph: 3.41sec Mercedes-Benz E300 AMG Line Night Edition Premium Plus Cabriolet (17deg C, rain) 30mph-0

50mph-0

10.5m 0

10m

70mph-0

29.2m 20m

58.2m 30m

40m

50m

Audi A5 Sportback 2.0 TFSI 252 Quattro S Line (2017, -1 deg C, icy patches) 30mph-0

50mph-0

8.9m 0

70mph-0

24.0m 10m

20m

46.1m 30m

40m

6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 31

Data log MERCEDES -BENZ E300 AMG LINE NIGHT EDITION PREMIUM PLUS CABRIOLET On-the-road price Price as tested Value after 3yrs/36k miles Contract hire pcm Cost per mile Insurance

£52,185 £54,775 £24,500 na na 42/£1033

66 litres

TYPICAL PCP QUOTE 3 years/30k miles, 17.5% deposit £707 Mercedes’ Agility PCP scheme can get you into an E300 Cabriolet with a few options for a whisker over £700 a month on the above terms.

APR is 5.9%, excess mileage is charged at 19.2 pence per mile and the final balloon payment is a little under £25,000.

EQUIPMENT CHECKLIST 20in alloy wheels Keyless entry and start Aircap wind deflector Airscarf neck heater LED multibeam adaptive headlights Run-flat tyres Memory seats with four-way lumbar support and manual cushion extension 12.3in digital instrument screen 12.3in MBUX infotainment system 64-colour ambient lighting system 360deg parking cameras Front, side, curtain and knee airbags Designo diamond white metallic paint £895 Driving Assistance Package (including active lane keeping assist, active braking assist with cross-traffic function, active speed limit assist and route-based speed adjustment) £1695 Options in bold fitted to test car = Standard na = not available

T E C H N I C A L L AYO U T

C H A S S I S & B O DY

TRANSMISSION

BRAKES

SAFET Y

Construction

Type 9-spd automatic Ratios/mph per 1000rpm 1st 5.35/4.8 2nd 3.24/7.9 3rd 2.25/11.4 4th 1.64/15.7 5th 1.21/21.2 6th 1.00/25.7 7th 0.87/29.5 8th 0.72/35.7 9th 0.60/42.8 Final drive ratio 3.07:1

Front 342mm ventilated discs Rear 300mm ventilated discs Anti-lock Standard, with EBD, brake assist Handbrake type Electronic, via switch Handbrake location Right of steering column

ABS, ESP, Pre-Safe, ABA Euro NCAP crash rating Not tested

Tyres

Spare

ENGINE

ECONOMY

Installation

TEST MPG

Track Touring Average

14.2mpg 44.8mpg 33.4mpg

CLAIMED

Low Mid High Extra high Combined

24.6mpg 33.2mpg 39.2mpg 34.9mpg 34.0mpg

Tank size Test range

66 litres 485 miles

Front, longitudinal, rear-wheel drive Type 4 cyls in line, 1991cc, turbocharged, petrol, plus electric turbocharger and 48V hybrid assist Made of Aluminium block and head Bore/stroke 83.0mm/92.0mm Compression ratio 10.5:1 Valve gear 4 per cyl Power 255bhp at 5500-6100rpm Torque 273lb ft at 1650-4000rpm Redline 6250rpm Power to weight 143bhp per tonne Torque to weight 153lb ft per tonne Specific output 128bhp per litre

SUSPENSION Front Multi-link, coil springs, anti-roll bar Rear Multi-link, coil springs, anti-roll bar

AC C E L E R AT I O N I N G E A R mph 20-40 30-50 40-60 50-70 60-80 70-90 80-100 90-110 100-120 110-130 120-140 130-150 140-160 150-170

2nd 2.3 2.7 – – – – – – – – – – – –

3rd 3.3 3.1 3.2 3.7 – – – – – – – – – –

4th – 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.8 5.5 – – – – – – – –

5th – 6.3 6.0 6.2 6.6 7.1 7.7 8.9 – – – – – –

6th – – 7.5 7.7 8.2 8.8 9.7 10.9 – – – – – –

7th – – 10.0 9.3 10.1 11.0 12.3 – – – – – – –

8th – – – 13.2 13.1 – – – – – – – – –

THE SMALL PRINT Power-to-weight and torque-to-weight figures are calculated using manufacturer’s claimed kerb weight. © 2021, Haymarket Media Group Ltd. Test results may not be reproduced without editor’s written permission. For information on the E300 Cabriolet, contact Mercedes-Benz UK customers services, Delaware Drive, Tongwell, Milton Keynes, MK15 8BA (00800 9777 7777, mercedes-benz.co.uk). Cost-per-mile figures calculated over three years/36,000 miles, including depreciation and maintenance but not insurance; Lex Autolease (0800 389 3690). Insurance quote covers 35-year-old professional male with clean licence and full no-claims bonus living in Swindon; quote from Liverpool Victoria (0800 066 5161, lv.com). Contract hire figure based on a three-year lease/36,000mile contract including maintenance; Wessex Fleet Solutions (01722 322888).

190g/km £322/£644

CABIN NOISE Type Electromechanical, rack and pinion Turns lock to lock 2.4 Turning circle 11.4m

AC C E L E R AT I O N

32 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 6 OCTOBER 2021

CO2 emissions Tax at 20/40% pcm

STEERING

MPH 0-30 0-40 0-50 0-60 0-70 0-80 0-90 0-100 0-110 0-120 0-130 0-140 0-150 0-160

TIME (sec) 2.8 3.9 5.3 7.0 9.1 11.7 14.6 18.5 23.1 29.1 – – – –

E M I S S I O N S & TA X

MAX SPEEDS IN GEAR

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

30mph 6250rpm 50mph 6250rpm 71mph 6250rpm 98mph 6250rpm 133mph 6250rpm 155mph 6039rpm 155mph 5254rpm 155mph 4348rpm 155mph* 3623rpm * claimed

RPM in 9th at 70/80mph = 1636/1870

Idle 43dBA Max rpm in 4th 80dBA 30mph 59dBA 50mph 63dBA 70mph 67dBA

R E S I D UA L S 60 50

Mercedes E300 AMG Line Night Edition Cabriolet

40 Value (£1000s)

Weight/as tested Drag coefficient Wheels

Aluminium/steel monocoque 1780kg/na 0.28 8.0Jx20in (f), 9.0Jx20in (r) 245/35 R20 95Y (f), 275/30 R20 97Y (r), Michelin Pilot Sport 3 ZP None (run-flats)

Classic luxury car layout puts the four-cylinder engine in longways up front and takes drive to the rear axle via a front-mounted automatic gearbox. Suspension is by steel coils, frequency-selective dampers and multiple links at both axles.

BMW 430i M Sport Convertible

30 20 10 0 New

Audi A5 45 TFSI Quattro S Line Cabriolet 1 year

2 years

3 years

4 years

z CAP expects the E-Class to significantly outperform its nearest German rivals for retained value.

R OA D T E S T N o 5 5 4 4

Read all of our road tests autocar.co.uk

ROAD TEST Testers’ notes MATT SAUNDERS Mercedes has updated the ‘Energizing Coach’ mood management system so it’s better at perking you up, calming you down, or whatever. The E-Class PHEV now has a ‘PowerNap’ function along the same lines – which, presumably, plays you a lullaby. I’m sure it would keep me awake.

ILLYA VERPRAET Exterior colour choices are few.

In fact, there are really only a few shades of red, blue or green – assuming you want a car in an actual colour, rather than monotone. Who’d buy a grey convertible?

VERDICT

AAABC

Relaxing four-seat cruiser still entices but is a little spec-sensitive

Spec advice

he E300 Cabriolet somehow isn’t the kind of luxury car you expect to find on the streets of 2021. There’s a strangely old-fashioned quality to its role as a refined, sophisticated, understated and usable four-seat convertible, but it’s a likeable one.

The E-Class family’s latest four-cylinder engine doesn’t disgrace the E300 at all, proving itself potent and refined enough to serve a laid-back suntrap well, even if it doesn’t inspire you to cherish the driving experience. The car’s chassis is guilty of the occasional moment of structural wobbliness but generally works fine as the basis for a becalmed driving style – although it probably works better if you avoid Mercedes’ 20in alloy wheels and low-profile tyres.

This car’s design isn’t set to stun, and neither is the driving experience. But it is a car that enriches balmy days and enjoyable drives with its mellow charm and its unassuming sense of indulgence, without trying in any way to be exciting or dramatic.

In doing so, it reminds you that any luxury car that fails to create a sense of occasion is probably missing something.

T

R OA D TEST R I VA L S Verdicts on every new car, p74 Price Power, torque 0-62mph, top speed CO2, economy

1

BMW 430i M SPORT CONVERTIBLE A more balanced dynamic persona than the Merc’s.

Newer, too, and lighter on its feet. Just shades it.

AAAAC £49,110 242bhp, 258lb ft 6.4sec, 155mph 160-167g/km, 38.2-40.4mpg

2

MERCEDES E300 AMG LINE NIGHT EDITION CABRIOLET Practical cabin and indulgent luxury feel are both strong selling points. Laid-back and likeable, if a bit one-speed.

AAABC £52,185 255bhp, 273lb ft 6.6sec, 155mph 190g/km, 34.0mpg

3

BMW 840i CONVERTIBLE The 8 Series shows how much you can pay for a usable four-seat drop-drop with a dollop of sporting appeal.

Still big, though.

AAABC £82,115 329bhp, 369lb ft 5.5sec, 155mph 191-194g/km, 33.2-33.6mpg

4

AUDI A5 45 TFSI QUATTRO S LINE CABRIOLET Quicker and leaner than the E-Class, but no more involving to drive. Smart Audi design, but not so roomy.

AAABC £53,105 261bhp, 273lb ft 6.0sec, 155mph 181-185g/km, 34.9-35.3mpg

Stick with AMG Line Premium trim. Go for saddle brown leather, a dark red hood… and the obligatory Mercedesbadged picnic hamper and cool box dealer accessories.

Jobs for the facelift z Broaden the derivative line-up back out for those who don’t like the modern AMG Line styling. z More choice on colour and decor, and some even richer materials, would create a more lavish feel to the cockpit. z Sharpen up the responses of the powertrain, and better isolate the ride.

5

LEXUS LC 500 CONVERTIBLE Back seats are really only suitable for coats and bags.

The Lexus has plenty of luxury appeal, plus a fine V8 engine – for a price.

AAABC £92,425 457bhp, 391lb ft 5.0sec, 168mph 275g/km, 24.1mpg

6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 33

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SO FAR, SO GOOD 36 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 6 OCTOBER 2021

BENTLEY BENTAYGA HYBRID DRIVE hew on this problem for a moment. How do you go about highlighting the special virtues of a vehicle that brings a new level of fuel efficiency and climate-friendliness to the superluxury SUV class (a sector not known for such priorities) when its creators’ main aim is to make it drive exactly like its conventional brethren?

This is the difficulty we faced with Bentley’s first plug-in model, the Bentayga Hybrid. Despite being packed from stem to stern with new equipment – a relatively small (3.0-litre) V6 petrol engine, a 126bhp electric motor sandwiched between engine and gearbox, a lithium ion battery under the boot floor with 13.3kWh of usable power and 25 miles of EV range, plus lots of mysterious black-box gadgetry connected under the skin by thick, brightly coloured high-voltage cables – this electrified edition of the world’s most successful super-luxury SUV had been configured to feel just like all the rest.

The official fuel economy and CO2 figures were no help, either, serving only to advertise the inadequacy of lab figures. A conventional Bentayga V8 returns 21.7mpg on the combined test cycle and pumps out 294g/km of CO2. Corresponding figures for the Hybrid are 81mpg and 79g/km, stats so hopelessly unlike real life that Bentley doesn’t even bother to quote them in its otherwise comprehensive technical presentation on the Hybrid. I mean, nobody’s really going to get 81mpg out of a Bentley hybrid, are they?

The one and only worthwhile comparator is that the electrified Bentayga concedes 0.8sec on 0-62mph acceleration to its V8 sibling, hardly a disaster when the PHEV’s test-track journey takes only 5.2sec. But what about the other stuff? If not 81mpg, what fuel mileage can Bentley hybrid owners expect in real life? How far will their fuel tank truly take them?

Critically, will the hybrid deliver the same magic carpet progress as conventional models after you’ve spent hours behind the wheel? There was only one way to find out: take the Bentayga PHEV to the road on a very long day’s drive, including (safe levels of) journey fatigue in the equation to punctuate the mere statistics.

Where to go? A logical first step was to drive the 129 miles from my Cotswolds base to Bentley’s HQ in Crewe to take a technical refresher course. That way I’d be able to ask questions that had arisen in the first three hours of driving. Over the phone, Bentley’s technical comms chief, Jon Smedley, signified that he was ready and willing, and would bring a clever colleague. Crewe would also be a good place to link up with our photographer, Max Edleston, who has family connections in the area.

As we searched for a second ◊

C

Bentley is a couple of years into its electric journey – but another awaits Steve Cropley: 500 miles across England in a Bentayga Hybrid without refuelling. Is it achievable?

PHOTOGRAPHY MAX EDLESTON

6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 37

Bentley has been making cars in Crewe for 75 years

Bentley’s electrification journey began with the first-gen Bentayga Hybrid in 2019. All models will be electrified by 2024 and the marque’s first pure EV will hit the market in 2026.

Δ destination, the idea of a trip to the welcoming but thoroughly extraordinary emporium of P&A Wood, near Dunmow in Essex, popped obligingly into my head.

Started in 1967 by brothers Paul and Andy Wood on the proceeds of an Austin Seven they had been given, this company is the embodiment of its founders’ love of Bentley and Rolls-Royce cars, especially the old ones. They’ll sell you a new Rolls too, but the soul of the business will always be ‘heritage’ models.

From previous visits, I knew that the automotive scenery at P&A is always changing, and was confident we would be able to make a strong link between our second-generation 2021 Bentayga Hybrid and some great cars on the premises that belonged much further back along the Bentley timeline.

It also happens that P&A is exactly 190 miles from Crewe if you take main roads across the beltline of England. Adding my 129 miles from the Cotswolds to a return trip from Crewe to Essex made just over 500 miles, a journey my intuition reckoned the big Bentley could handle with one electric charge en route and a full tank of fuel. That was at least 100 miles beyond the capability of even the most frugally driven standard V8 and would point to one PHEV advantage. I rang P&A managing director Georgina Wood, daughter of Andy. Though in the middle of preparing for the Goodwood Revival, she was as welcoming as P&A people always are.

It’s the culture they’ve created over

All modern Bentleys are pa

54 years. Come and have a cup of tea, said Georgina, and see our cars.

I love dawn driving so left home at 5.30am, which meant that even after a longish stop for coffee on the M6 (even motorway services are welcoming at that time of the morning), I arrived at Bentley’s CW1 House – the showroom outside the factory gates on the western end of Pyms Lane – about 20 minutes before the appointed 9am. Even so, Smedley was waiting, ready to brief me on the subtleties of the hybrid system.

We were soon joined by Jo Duraj, Bentley’s first specialist high-voltage apprentice to become a fully fledged engineer. Her career had followed our car’s gestation. Duraj was proud but very modest, but I soon got the message that completing this four-year course is no small achievement, requiring deep knowledge and confidence if you’re going to have a career handling machines that pack 313 volts like this Bentayga PHEV, and maybe more.

Over coffee, we delved into the efficiency potential of the hybrid powertrain (expect a cool 50% fuel economy improvement over a V8).

Then we got into the minutiae of the Bentayga’s screen-based gadgetry, such as the way the smart navigation system deploys battery power as economically as possible across a plotted route, instead of just gobbling it at the start. Also, that a Bentayga hybrid concedes just five litres (of 479 litres) of boot space despite all the extra paraphernalia behind its elegant trim.

The bit I liked best was how the nav system helps you feel the road, tapping the sole of your accelerator foot if it suspects you’re about to bust a speed limit or get your braking wrong. Having been a mite irritated on the way up to Crewe, I soon got to like this gizmo, once I understood it was trying to look after me (and that you could turn it off). We investigated all the powertrain modes (Hybrid makes the best compromise) and the more familiar driving modes (just leave it in ‘Bentley’). In an hour, I was confident about the car. Also, that with people like these on the case, Bentley is well prepared to meet its twin targets – a first EV model by 2026 and all of its

Cropley got inside line from Duraj (l) and Smedley (r)

cked with tech

batte Nav system cleverly deploys

ry power

cars to be electric by 2030.

By 10.30am, Edleston and I were on the road, gliding out of the Bentley forecourt on a trip many might reckon more notable for length than beauty or challenge.

But in a luxurious car, with good company, sun and the puffy clouds of England in September, there was very little not to like. I must confess I’d started out thinking this mission to criss-cross the country to see how far one full battery and a tank of fuel would take us might turn into a bit of a chore, but it wasn’t. Not at all.

Maybe it was the day, or the weather, or the fact that the school holidays had just ended, but we cruised across England with consummate ease. Of course, the effortlessness of the Bentayga was ◊

BENTLEY BENTAYGA HYBRID DRIVE

` The powertrain is always quiet, smooth and potent when given its head a

Crewe M6

Leicester Birmingham

A14

Cambridge

M5

Cirencester

M11

Stansted Great Dunmow London

O U R 6 4 0 - M I L E M AG I C CA R P E T R I D E Our 640-mile, one-day journey from the Cotswolds to Bentley’s base in Crewe, then across England to P&A Wood in Essex and back was designed to investigate the Bentayga Hybrid’s

real-world fuel consumption and range. We established that the latest model can exceed 500 miles comfortably without needing to refuel, something a standard V8 would never manage.

6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 39

DARREN JONES

Bentayga’s 13.3kWh battery is good for 25 miles of EV running

M6 Toll

Bentleys were always progressive in shape and capability, as this awesome trio of 1950s R-Type Continentals in a P&A Wood workshop make clear.

` I was confident we would be able to link our 2021 Bentayga to these greats a

R-Type Contis from £600,000: ‘realistic’ value, says Wood

BENTLEY BENTAYGA HYBRID DRIVE BENTLEY BENTAYGA HYBRID

Special performance was in no way diluted

by PHEV powertrain

Efficiency and range have been boosted with minimal change to the Bentley’s celebrated driving quality Rating AAAAB Price £155,000 Engine V6, 2995cc, turbo, petrol, plus electric motor Power 443bhp at 5300-6400rpm Torque 516lb ft at 1340-5300rpm Gearbox 8-spd automatic Kerb weight 2620kg 0-62mph 5.2sec Top speed 158mph Battery 13.3kWh (usable) Economy 81mpg Electric range 25 miles CO2, tax band 79g/km, 19% Rivals Rolls-Royce Cullinan, Lamborghini Urus

It’s never much fun to leave this place (one compensation was I knew I’d be seeing some of these people and cars a couple of days later at the Revival), but we were back on the road to Crewe by around 4pm.

In a Volkswagen, Toyota or Renault, this leg might have been a bit of a bind. In the Bentayga, I can simply label it a continuing joy.

Against all logic, as the ‘miles to go’ counted down to 150, then 100, and then into dozens, I started to regret that this journey would soon be over.

The distance-gathering capability of the car seemed as special as ever; from the PHEV powertrain there was nothing but a kind of creamy, highgeared murmur. It occurred to me that to truly appreciate owning one of these, you’d need to do your share of trips in lesser cars, just to get the sophistication of this performance.

With 490 miles accumulated on the trip meter, 21 miles yet to run, 47 miles of range still offered on the trip computer and 7.45pm approaching, we filled the Bentayga at a convenient station. It had to be like that: Edleston had an early job the following day in another part of the country.

My plan, after the 5.30am start, two destinations, three hours of talk and 511 miles already covered at an average of 31.6mpg (just 0.1mpg below what the super-accurate trip computer calculated), was to find a Premier Inn and get some sleep. But I still felt fresh, there was football on the radio and the Bentayga was continuing to send out its undimmed waves of driver appeal. So I pointed it south, enjoyed the 129 miles home and had my head on the pillow by 11.15pm. It was a long day, for sure, but one of the best. L

6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 41

THE MANY FACES OF MODERN CAR CRIME Familiar old activities have been joined by some scary new ones, reports John Evans

I

42 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 6 OCTOBER 2021

cars are seemingly as easy to steal as their forebears were in the 1990s, when more than 300,000 were pinched each year in England and Wales. In 2020, ‘only’ 89,000 cars were stolen, 24,000 down on 2019 – a fall credited to fewer journeys being undertaken during the lockdowns, as well as to improved vehicle security, heightened public awareness and more effective policing. For example, West Midlands Police says that it has identified and closed down more than 100 chop shops – where stolen cars are broken for parts by organised gangs – in the past 18 months.

That’s the good news, but the bad news is that last year’s figure is still 20,000 higher than that from 2013.

Indeed, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) recently reported a 3.1% year-on-year rise in vehicle crime between May and June.

It’s a confusing picture, but not as confusing as the methods criminals employ to steal, and steal from, cars.

Here, we survey the state of affairs…

Thefts of and from vehicles: the numbers

C

85% of thefts happen during the night

The entry method in 36% of thefts is manipulation of a remote-locking signal

39% of thefts happen on the owner’s home street

39% of items stolen from vehicles are valuables

72% of stolen vehicles are never returned to owner

37% of stolen vehicles are

30% of stolen vehicles

more than one year old but less than five years old

are written off The entry method in 44% of thefts is opening unlocked doors

The most commonly reported emotional impact of vehicle-related theft is annoyance, at 76%

Figures courtesy of the Office for National Statistics, from Crime Survey for England and Wales, April 2019 to March 2020

t’s come to something when not even Ethan Hunt, fictional hero of movie franchise Mission Impossible, can prevent his BMW X7 from being stolen. That’s what happened one night in August when Tom Cruise’s SUV was pinched from outside the Grand Hotel in central Birmingham, where he had been staying. The car, which was equipped with a tracking device, was recovered three miles away a short time later. CCTV footage showed three people leaving it with a bag containing some of its contents.

The actor was reportedly furious about the incident, and we British motorists should be concerned too.

At the time, a relay attack, where the car’s electronic security is fooled into believing the key fob is present, was the favoured explanation. However, weeks later, the police don’t know exactly how it was stolen, only that its electronics were compromised.

The incident appears to show that for all their sophistication, today’s

UK CAR CRIME INVESTIGATION

ELECTRONIC COMPROMISE Electronic compromise is the term for gaining control of a vehicle by hacking into its electronic systems. Relay attack is one of the best-known methods: a criminal holds a device against the door of the car, amplifying the security signal that the vehicle transmits. Another stands near the owner’s home with a device that relays a pairing signal from the vehicle owner’s key to the accomplice, who then opens the car’s door and starts the engine. Relay attacks often take place on a vehicle owner’s driveway.

In a disturbing twist, it appears that some crooks are now disabling home owners’ wi-fi to prevent doorbell video footage being captured as evidence.

The NPCC says that relay attacks accounted for a large share of the increase in vehicle crime during May and June 2021. How large can be gauged by the fact that in 2020, 93% of the vehicles recorded as stolen by Tracker, a vehicle tracking company, were taken as a result of a relay attack.

Thankfully, car makers are fighting back. In 2019, Ford introduced ‘sleeping key fobs’, which become deactivated when not in use, on the Fiesta and Focus, and earlier this S TA Y S A F E year extended the technology to the Kuga Have your car’s windows etched and Puma. These can’t be activated by a relay with its registration and VIN. device. Since their introduction, Fiesta thefts Park in a well-lit place and, have fallen by two-thirds. if on your driveway, facing your Other forms of electronic compromise house so that the thief will have include having an additional key programmed to reverse the car. to the vehicle, manipulating the car’s If your car has keyless entry, electronics via the on-board diagnostics port check if you can disable the and swapping out the vehicle’s engine control system; and if not, if a software unit. Many of the devices that thieves use are update is available enabling you to. available to buy online.

Block the key signal by storing Pleasingly, there’s little honour among it in a Faraday pouch or a tin lined criminals, as a security source explained: “A with metallic foil. contact told us that he broke into a new Range Fit an ECU security cradle.

Rover with a system that he had purchased for Have your car’s security system £12,000. It enabled him to get into the vehicle, updated to accept only two keys. but it didn’t have the promised firmware that Fit a mechanical lock, such as a would allow him to start it. He’s now worried gearstick or steering-wheel lock. that if he returns the device for the update, he might not get it back.”

CATALYTIC CONVERTER THEFT CATA LY T I C CO N V E R T E RS S TO L E N S O FA R I N 2021 3500 3000 2500 2000 Reported thefts

If you think relay attacks on driveways are audacious, catalytic converter thefts are in another league.

Many are done in broad daylight by the roadside and even in supermarket car parks. The thieves are after the precious metals that the converters contain and which, having passed through various hands, fetch astronomical sums on the open market.

According to figures obtained from police forces in England and Wales by the BBC, 13,000 converters were recorded stolen in 2019, compared with 2000 the year before. Last April, Ageas, one of the UK’s biggest car insurers, reported a steep rise in converter thefts during lockdown, stating they accounted for around a third of all theft claims (before lockdown, it was a fifth).

However, good news may be on the horizon. Converter thefts S TA Y S A F E peaked this March, with 3245 recorded. The next month, the Park your car in your garage or British Transport Police co-ordinated a multi-agency operation else in such a way that it’s hard to to tackle the problem. More than 1000 stolen converters were access its converter (for example, recovered and more than 50 people were arrested. Since then, parked tightly between other cars). thefts have declined steadily, with only 1378 recorded in July.

Fit a Thatcham-approved alarm The NPCC credits improved liaison between forces for the with a tilt function that senses reduction, as well as a new national database of stolen converters vehicle movement. marked with an invisible special formula that contains a unique Fit a security device such as a reference code. Developed by Smartwater Group, the highCatloc or Catclamp. temperature-resistant product can be applied to the converter Have your converter when the vehicle is in a workshop for servicing or an MOT test. watermarked and advertise “On its own, marking a converter won’t prevent its theft,” this fact on the car’s window. says Mark Silvester, a West Midlands Police crime prevention Although thieves will operate in manager. “However, when, for example, we find converters in daylight, try to park your car in a chop shops or in the back of a car, the unique codes identify them well-lit area that’s overlooked. as stolen, identify their owners and help us to build a trail that can lead to convictions and discourage further thefts.”

1500 1000 500 0

Jan Source: NPCC

Feb

Mar

Apr May Jun

Jul

6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 43

V I E WS FRO M A V I C T I M

KEY THEFT According to Neil Thomas, director of investigative services at AX Innovation, a fleet management company, you’re unlikely to have your car key stolen from your house. “Many criminals who steal cars to order are reluctant to enter their victim’s home,” he says. “Such crooks call themselves twoccers, which stands for taking without consent, and don’t regard themselves as burglars.” That’s a comfort, then. Even so, it does happen.

Indeed, one of Thomas’s neighbours woke up recently to find a thief standing on his landing, demanding his car keys…

Mark Silvester says that programming a key fob to unlock and start a car is another method of attack: “The equipment is freely available but, generally speaking, S TA Y S A F E most vehicle ECUs won’t Leave your car key downstairs. accept more than three Better it’s seen than the burglar keys being assigned to coming to you to get it. the car. Ask your main Have your car’s ECU updated to dealer to update the car’s recognise only two keys.

ECU such that it won’t recognise a third key.”

Two years ago, David (not his real name) was confronted in his home by a gang demanding the keys to his BMW. “It was one o’clock in the morning,” he says. “As I opened the bedroom door, I was confronted by three people wearing balaclavas.” David handed over the keys and in a few seconds his car and the gang had gone.

“The police arrived in minutes and tracked my X5 hitting the ANPR cameras as it went up the M6 before it vanished. I never got it back.”

David says the experience has had a huge emotional impact on him and made him more risk-averse and security-conscious. “People should check the layers of deterrent they have,” he says. “For example, when I see cars pointing out of a driveway, I think how stealable that is. You have to think like a thief.”

UK CAR CRIME INVESTIGATION

Now you see it, now you don’t – but why ?

This Jaguar E-Pace with just 200 miles on the clock was recently stolen, and experts aren’t sure how. “No key was used and the vehicle wasn’t in close proximity to one, which rules out relay attack,” said Neil Thomas, investigative services director at AX Innovation, which captured the footage.

1

The thieves approach the E-Pace in a Peugeot van.

2

They park next to the E-Pace, blocking the view of any witnesses.

3

With the E-Pace secured, the van is driven away.

4

As the van leaves, so does the E-Pace.

THEFT OF BELONGINGS In the league table of vehicle crime, theft from a car is still number one. In the past, it occurred because cars were easy to break into or windows were left open, but today it can be because the car is simply unlocked. “Check your fob has done its job,” says Mark Silvester. “Not all cars signal that they’re locked or unlocked. It can be hard to check, too, because, depending on the model, it may unlock as you pull the handle. Mirrors that fold in and indicators that flash are a good indication that a car is locked.” Meanwhile, the old advice about not leaving valuables on view remains as valid as ever: “A lot of car crime is opportunistic. Leaving valuables on display is an open invitation.”

S TA Y S A F E When locking your car, make sure by checking that the indicators flash or that the door mirrors have folded in.

Ensure the windows are closed.

Keep valuables including portable sat-navs out of sight.

Park in a well-lit, overlooked or busy area.

READ MORE ONLINE autocar.co.uk/car-news/features/why-are-car-thefts-still-rise autocar.co.uk/car-news/features/cat-burglars-victims-catalytic-converter-theft

6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 45

Britain’s next iconic design The government has asked for an instantly recognisable roadside EV charger. Former product designer Hilton Holloway considers the requirements and sharpens his pencils ILLUSTRATIONS HILTON HOLLOWAY AND BEN SUMMERELL-YOUDE

etting out to design something that will become ‘iconic’ is an extremely risky proposition. The status of ‘icon’ used to take decades to earn or was instantly applied to a new product that had received near-universal acclaim.

For the latter, think of the Audi TT, the original Mini or the iPhone. For the former, think of the Big Ben clock tower or the classic red telephone box.

Indeed, the development of this telephone box was a hard-fought battle after London’s boroughs had refused to accommodate the Post Office’s concrete art deco K1 design. The 1924 competition to design a more acceptable box included the Royal Fine Art Commission, the Royal Academy and the Royal Institute of British Architects.

The final design was executed by architect Sir George Gilbert Scott. He suggested making the box out of steel and painting it silver. It went into production made of cast iron and painted red.

You can’t really write a design brief demanding an ‘iconic’ outcome – but that’s what the UK government has set out to do with the roadside EV charger. “Electric vehicle charge points set to become next great British emblem. Iconic British electric vehicle charge point could be seen on streets across the country from 2022,” declared the press release. “Electric vehicle charge points across the UK could become as recognisable as the red postbox or black cab, following the appointment of the Royal College of Art and PA Consulting to deliver an iconic British charge point design, transport secretary Grant Shapps has announced.”

Of course, prime minister Boris Johnson has form here. During his time as London mayor, he started a competition to replace the ‘iconic’ London black cab (a competition won by Geelyowned London Taxi International, now LEVC, with its range-extender model) and, back in 2007, Autocar helped realise his dream of reinventing the ‘iconic’ Routemaster bus before he was elected mayor. I worked with Capoco, one of the world’s leading bus designers, to develop an engineering concept that revived the open rear deck (using a range-extender drivetrain was the key) and presented the idea to him in his campaign office.

He duly became mayor and held a New Bus for London contest. The Autocar and Capoco

S

46 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 6 OCTOBER 2021

design was the joint winner, along with a styling proposal from Aston Martin and architectural firm Foster and Partners. The bus eventually entered production in 2012 and about 1000 were made by Wrightbus in Northern Ireland.

Whether it becomes an icon remains to be seen.

So, can Autocar help again? Why not? I spent six years training in product design, and it’s an experience that never leaves you (although I practised for only a year or so before fleeing for motoring journalism).

Even better, the Autocar staffers have huge experience of all types of EVs and chargers. So I sent out a plea for complaints and observations.

“I could moan for hours,” said news editor Felix Page. “If it’s raining, you have to drag your own cable through the mud and puddles, getting your hands and boot floor filthy. You also get your phone wet scanning any QR codes to pay online.”

Road test editor Matt Saunders agreed on the subject of vulnerability to weather: “You can’t read the screens when they’re wet and the touchscreens are always glitchy. Proper buttons

Vintage petrol pumps give inspiration for look and ease of use

dirty Current chargers get boot-stored cables

just age better. And the ones that aren’t working don’t make it obvious enough: they need a big coloured light on the top that shows when they’re in use, available or offline and clear labelling that shows their maximum charging rate.”

Saunders also made a plea for two types of charger, installing lots of smaller units for overnight charging and reducing the need to drag a heavy cable across a couple of parking spaces to

Cut-out illuminated

Illuminated

Vent

Mesh

Rear

End

Side

Front

EV CHARGER FOR BRITAIN DESIGN Illuminated design makes charger easier to spot and safer to use

`

We must ensure a usable, beautiful and inclusive design that’s an excellent experience for all

a reach your car. Who has a 20-metre cable, anyway?

“And the little ones should be simple to operate: no apps, just swipe your bank card.”

Editorial director Jim Holder made an interesting point about post-pandemic hygiene: “The biggest issue is the bloody cables. Eighteen months ago, I would have said that chargers all need to have them so I wouldn’t have to fish about in the boot, but now I think that I would always rather use my own, because it would be as clean as I would want it to be. I wonder if Covid-19 might make that a widespread issue – not that it has stopped us all filling up our cars with petrol.”

Holder also wonders about some kind of entertainment option for those who are committed to an hour or so charging. Considering the trouble with ensuring a good 4G data link when operating connected infrastructure, a charger with short-

distance wi-fi might also be essential. Indeed, I’ve experienced this issue when trying to unlock a rental vehicle in a 4G dead zone.

Both Holder and associate editor Piers Ward highlighted that disabled drivers might have trouble manipulating heavy cables.

Which? has also compiled some interesting insights on EV charging, with a big emphasis on making it much easier to pay. It proposed a single payment method, possibly via a universally recognised charging card. It also suggested expressing charging in kWh to make the pricing more transparent. Actual charging speed (which depends on the charging capabilities of individual EVs) was also thought to be a good idea.

What’s my conclusion, then? Well, that ‘iconic’ styling isn’t the most important aspect of a newgeneration national charger’s design. As Clive

Scanning a QR code to pay is a pain in the rain

Grinyer, head of service design at the Royal College of Art, said in that government press release, we must design “the total service experience to ensure a usable, beautiful and inclusive design that’s an excellent experience for all”.

That said, I don’t believe that form follows function (unless perhaps you’re designing a fighter jet). There’s plenty of room for good design and ◊

6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 47

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EV CHARGER FOR BRITAIN DESIGN Δ great detailing while also making the new charger much easier and instinctive to operate.

So, where to start? I think we must break down the requirements into a number of distinct areas.

O Weatherproofing. There’s a serious problem with wet touchscreens, phones getting wet when scanning QR codes and the significant problem of cables dragging around on wet and dirty pavement, gathering mess that they will soon transfer to hands and boot carpets.

O Eliminating touchscreens and specific apps and making payment as simple as using a cashpoint.

O Giving the charger its own wi-fi provision.

O Clearly indicating that the charger is operational.

O Clearly indicating the actual charging rate.

O Finding some way of dealing with heavy cables.

I might also add a couple of my own observations from people who have quizzed me about buying an EV. A number of female drivers have expressed safety concerns about charging in dark areas or deserted car parks, and it would be a good idea to make it easier to spot a charger from a distance, especially at driving speeds. (In fact, this was one of the reasons the classic telephone box gained backlit glass signage around the top and one of the issues with the 1980s replacement for it. The replacement was a lightweight construction in stainless steel that was so hard to pick out from a streetscape that it was later given an illuminated moulded top in the style of its predecessor.)

With the outline requirements covered, the other main issue is the design and how to achieve an ‘iconic’ result. ‘Icon’ status either takes time or is the result of something truly groundbreaking. Picking up on retro design cues is a good way of bridging this gap.

The New Routemaster bus, designed

by Heatherwick Studio, has a curved rear window that follows the staircase, which was inspired by the curved staircase on London’s original horse-drawn double-decker buses.

Likewise, the Mk1 Audi TT was partly inspired by 1930s Auto Union race cars and managed to reflect the Bauhaus furniture and art deco engineering of that era.

Chargers currently have no consistency of design or operation

Main casing

Top cap with twisting extension for charger head

Cash point

End cap with illuminated cut-out and vent

Vent plate End cap with charging points

An exploded view of Holloway’s charger design proposal

Red telephone box and Routemaster are British icons

50 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 6 OCTOBER 2021

KIA ELAN RETROSPECTIVE

HANDLING

BY LOTUS This tagline has appeared on a few cars and been unjustly absent from many more. Andrew Frankel ruminates on the subject with a Kia Elan PHOTOGRAPHY LUC LACEY

he Exige and Evora have been killed off and the Emira has yet to go on sale. I expect you wouldn’t have trouble securing a slot for an Evija, but that comes with a snag in the form of a bill for two million quid.

So while we wait for the brave new world of Lotus to unfurl, we thought it might be fun to revisit some cars from the past that were technically not Lotus (don’t let the firm hear you use Lotuses or worse Loti as a plural) but which simply wouldn’t exist without a considerable amount of help from the heroes of Hethel.

So we start with what, at least in Europe, is the rarest of all. In the UK, there’s just one – and you’re

looking at it – or possibly two at most.

It’s the Kia Elan.

Remember that? My recollection was that once production of the M100 Elan had stopped in 1995, Kia asked Lotus to build a few more and badge them Kias for sale in South Korea.

And not for the first time, how I recall things happening and how they actually happened are at significant variance. What actually happened was that Kia literally bought not only the rights to the car but all the tooling, too. The only snag was that General Motors (which owned Lotus at the time) wouldn’t let Kia use any of its parts – a considerable inconvenience when you consider that one of those parts was an engine from GM-owned Isuzu.

Undeterred, Kia pressed on, replacing 162bhp worth of turbo 1.6-litre engine for a 151bhp atmo 1.8-litre unit of its own. It changed the rear lights and replaced the orange GM dials with some whiteon-black ones. It also raised the revolutionary suspension, mounted on ‘rafts’ to counteract torque steer, apparently to cope with poor road surfaces in the domestic market.

Kia did briefly consider selling its new roadster in Europe, even though GM wouldn’t have allowed the Elan name to be used, but the Kia Sports – as it would have been known – never materialised over here.

But at some stage, this sole Kia Elan did. I was never much of a fan of the M100 Lotus Elan on which it is

based. Dynamically highly capable though it was, I felt it mistook fast for fun, offering rapid, effective but less than involving transport. Ultimately, I just didn’t see why people would buy it when the rear-driven Mazda MX-5 was so much more fun, cheaper and better looking. And, sadly for Lotus, the market saw it the same way.

But as an alternative kind of classic, the Kia Elan is fascinating.

First, it seems suspiciously well built, its fit if not its finish probably some distance beyond what Lotus was capable of achieving. And its engine isn’t bad at all, even if I don’t much care for the gearbox to which it’s attached. It needs revs, but that’s no bad thing, and it even manages a plausible hard-edged howl as it ◊

6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 51

Δ heads for the redline.

I also suspect that it’s considerably lighter than the Isuzu turbo motor, because while I remember nothing but varying shades of understeer from the Lotus Elan, you can neutralise the Kia’s propensity to wander wide of the apex just by shutting down the throttle. Cheap Chinese tyres probably help, too…

What has been preserved, despite its rubber and raised ride height, is the way it combines an astonishingly high cornering limit with frankly bizarre ride quality. You can see how softly sprung it is from outside, but within it feels beautifully controlled and unerringly accurate. Even the steering, despite its ugly airbag wheel, is better than I recall.

Were Kia Elans plentiful and I the owner of an original MX-5, would I now be rushing to swap one for the other? Probably not: like all M100s, it remains for me more a car to admire than with which to fall in love. But I will say this: were it possible to get the Lotus and Kia versions of the Elan side by side, I wouldn’t say it were a given that you would choose the Lotus unless for reasons of image.

And I’m glad to have driven an M100 for the first time in 25 years.

As a brand-new car, it was quite hard to build a case for. But as a usable classic, full of quirks, engineering interest and still capable of providing a memorable driving experience, it’s more tempting today than ever.

THE CARS LOTUS OWNED UP TO…

There have been plenty of cars whose makers have been not just prepared but eager to crow about the role played by Lotus in their creation. Probably the most famous is the Ford Cortina Lotus, a rather ordinary family saloon turned into a giant-slaying road and race car by the addition of the famed Lotus twin-cam engine. Images of the likes of Jim Clark three-wheeling to victory are among the most iconic in the history of tin-top racing.

Even more spectacular was the Talbot Sunbeam Lotus, a car that started life as the Chrysler Sunbeam.

A pure homologation special powered

by Lotus’s 2.2-litre 16-valve motor, it made for a thrilling road car and sensational rally machine so good in the World Rally Championship it won Talbot the 1981 manufacturers’ title.

And then, of course, there was the Vauxhall Lotus Carlton, the world’s fastest four-door car when new and making the E34 BMW M5 look somewhat anaemic by comparison.

Despite Lotus’s involvement in the widening and stiffening of the chassis, not to mention its 3.6-litre twin-turbo engine, it was never quite as satisfying to drive as the M5, but as a hot rod for all the family, there really wasn’t anything like it. …AND THOSE IT DIDN’T

The Lotus involvement in some cars is blindingly obvious, even if they lack the badge to prove it. You didn’t, for instance, need to be a genius to figure out that Lotus had quite a lot to do with the original Tesla Roadster. In fact, it was not only based on the Elise but Lotus built it, too. And the Vauxhall VX220 (today a sorely underrated car), while by no means a badge-engineered Elise, still owed enough to its philosophy and construction method to deserve to be considered as derived from it.

But what about the more underthe-radar cars? Remember the Isuzu Piazza? It was actually quite a good car to drive, not least because Lotus had fine-tuned its suspension, softening the springs but beefing up the roll bars. All the evidence of Hethel’s involvement were ‘Handling

by Lotus’ badges on its flanks.

Lotus did much more than merely tune the handling of the 1990 Corvette ZR-1. At the time, both Chevrolet and Lotus were owned

by GM, so the latter was given the job of engineering a truly highperformance version, leading to the most radical rethink of Chevy’s legendary small-block V8 to date.

` I wouldn’t say it were a given that you would choose the Lotus over the Kia unless for reasons of image a

Chassis is amazingly accurate, engine doesn’t feel out of place and cabin is probably better built than a Lotus’s 52 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 6 OCTOBER 2021

‘Ultra Power’ means Kia’s 151bhp 1.8-litre atm

o engine

KIA ELAN RETROSPECTIVE

Out went the pushrod-operated two-valve heads, replaced by quad camshafts and 32 valves per cylinder, half of which could be switched off if the owner didn’t trust the driver. The result was one of the best ’Vettes ever.

The involvement of Lotus in the DeLorean saga probably deserves a book all by itself, but it’s a story from which no key player, particularly John DeLorean or Colin Chapman, emerge with credit. But in brief, a car intended to be mid-engined and lightweight was so flawed that it had to be re-engineered from scratch – a job handed to Lotus, which rebuilt it around a steel backbone chassis not dissimilar to that used by the Esprit.

Underpowered and undeveloped, the result was a dismal failure.

Unlike the Aston Martin Vanquish.

It’s only in recent years that the role Lotus played in the creation of this car has become well known, but it could scarcely be more important.

I recall thinking when it was new, 20 years ago, how similar in concept its bonded aluminium architecture was to that of the Elise. Now I know why: Aston had lost almost all of its in-house engineering capability (which is why TWR did the DB7), so it simply handed the Vanquish project to Lotus, which developed the simple, lightweight and strong chassis using tech that it by then understood well.

And Aston has used it ever since.

The Vanquish led directly to the DB9 and the vaunted V/H platform, a variation of which was still being used by the Rapide until last year.

Now that Lotus is once again under new ownership, it has a stated aim to rebuild the long-neglected engineering side of its business, so who knows how many cars in future will have Lotus to thank for the way they get down a road – or how long it will take before we find out about its involvement. L

Front-engined, front-driven M100 doesn’t look as graceful as other Lotus roadsters 6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 53

Six pages of news, insight and opinion from the world of motor racing

M OTO R S P O RT

Damien Smith R AC I N G L I N E S

Englishman Whitmarsh worked for McLaren from 1989 to 2014

BACK WHERE HE BELONGS Ex-McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh returns to F1 with Aston Martin e see it all the time in sport: returning to the scene of past glories is always fraught with jeopardy. Can it ever be the same or better for someone who previously enjoyed great success? If the comeback falls flat, could it even sully what might once have been an unimpeachable reputation?

Martin Whitmarsh knows all this, yet he has still taken the bait for another crack at Formula 1. He spent 25 years at McLaren, experiencing the unforgettable highs of working with Ayrton Senna and Mika Häkkinen, playing a formative role in the early career of Sir Lewis Hamilton and rising to the position of team principal, before Ron Dennis manoeuvred him out in 2014. Now he’s coming back – but not at the team he loved and where he gave so much. Whitmarsh back in F1 but not at McLaren will take some getting used to for those who know and respect him as well as for the man himself.

He has been recruited

by Aston Martin chairman Lawrence Stroll as the

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CEO of Aston Martin Performance Technologies, a new company that will manage the brand’s driving F1 ambitions. Team principal Otmar Szafnauer will report to Whitmarsh, who has been tasked with delivering Stroll’s ambitions of wins and titles, from a new 400,000sq ft, £200 million factory that’s currently under construction at Silverstone. If Whitmarsh can lead Aston Martin to success, it might well match or even exceed his personal achievements at McLaren.

But he will know as well as anyone that it’s a tall order – and racing against his old team is bound to twinge.

FA R F R O M A FORGOTTEN MAN

Autocar last spoke to Whitmarsh this time last year, when Hamilton broke

Michael Schumacher’s alltime record of 91 grand prix victories. Conversations with him are rarely short, but after happy reminiscences of his time working closely with a driver he regards in the same bracket as Senna, we couldn’t help but ask: would you ever come back to F1?

Since leaving McLaren, his highest-profile role was CEO of Sir Ben Ainslie’s Ineos America’s Cup sailing team, but the 63-year-old was far from forgotten in F1 circles. Hamilton called on him to join his commission that looked into the lack of representation of ethnic minorities in the British motorsport industry, and previous to that Whitmarsh admitted that he had come close to leading a Maserati return to F1 as the new front for Sauber before Luca di

`

Aston gains a man of high integrity and experience who was always great at seeing the bigger picture a

Montezemolo fell from power as president of Ferrari. More recently, he revealed that he had been sounded out about a team principal role, so his F1 return isn’t exactly out of the blue, especially in the context of the way that he answered our question.

ONE LAST HURRAH

“Do I still love F1? Yes,” he said. “Did I have a great time?

Yes. Someone approached me quite recently, but initially I decided to stay out. I’m quite a strange, loyal person and just didn’t want to race against McLaren. I thought [how I left] was sad and I still do, then I got angry about it.

But I’m very lucky. I’m not enormously wealthy, but I’m wealthy enough to do what I like. You have flashes of it all, the adrenaline.

I did the America’s Cup solely because I missed the adrenaline of race day, and it gave me that, but not quite to the same intensity.

“Never say never. I’m still relatively young and fit. I’ve freed myself up, so I don’t hold any executive positions. So there is a bit

MOTORSPORT

N E WS R O U N D - U P Mercedes strategists’ late pit call stole win from McLaren’s grasp

Mika Häkkinen beat Ferrari to 1998 and 1999 titles under Whitmarsh P R AG A P L A N S S T E P - U P

Pure ambition is also driving another good-news story in UK motorsport. Praga, a Czech company with a rich heritage in the automotive industry and far beyond, is stepping up its expansion on the British racing scene with a one-make series next year.

In the wake of establishing a new UK headquarters in Cheshire, the firm has now confirmed that its series will go ahead in partnership with the Britcar Endurance series.

Nine of Praga’s rapid and attractive R1s have graced Britcar grids this season, and it now feels ready to take the next step, committing to ensure at least 16 will line up for a six-round series starting at Silverstone next March.

Like Whitmarsh, Praga Cars UK managing director Mark Harrison is an ex-McLaren man who now finds himself driven to make a very different contribution to motorsport. He reports “increased interest from drivers, teams and potential sponsors” after a strong Britcar campaign overseen

by VR Motorsport.

Plans are also said to be brewing for a road car based on the R1 for a firm that also has interests in Australia, Belgium, California, Dubai and Poland. It’s a firm on the move, and all in the right direction.

Hamilton scores historic century

Toyota Corolla racer Butcher was on fine form at Silverstone

Sir Lewis Hamilton secured his record-extending 100th Formula 1 win at the Russian Grand Prix, overtaking longtime leader Lando Norris in a late-race downpour. The Mercedes man now has a points lead over Max Verstappen.

Zhou linked to 2022 Alfa Romeo F1 seat China’s Guanyu Zhou has been tipped to race for Alfa Romeo alongside Valtteri Bottas next year. The Formula 2 frontrunner is part of Alpine’s young driver scheme, but the French outfit has said it won’t deny him an F1 opportunity.

Qatar to be F1 fixture The first-ever Qatar Grand Prix has been added to this season’s F1 calendar and the night race will be held at the Losail International Circuit on 21 November. As part of a long-term deal, Qatar will host F1 races for 10 years from 2023.

Butcher scores Silverstone double

finale at Long Beach to wrap up the championship in his second season. The Chip Ganassi racer is the first Spaniard to win the series. Youngster Colton Herta won the street race.

Formula 2 title within grasp for Piastri Alpine Academy member Oscar Piastri moved closer to the Formula 2 title with a dominant win in the feature race in Sochi.

Britain’s Dan Ticktum won the first race, but the third was cancelled due to bad weather.

Hauger lands F3 crown Dennis Hauger took this year’s Formula 3 title with second place behind Logan Sargeant in the opening race in Russia. The 18-year-old Norwegian will step up to Formula 2 next season.

Fellow Red Bull junior Jack Doohan won the second race.

Hauger won only four of 17 races but scored consistently for title

Speedworks Toyota Corolla driver Rory Butcher starred in the recent British Touring Car Championship event at Silverstone, taking pole position and winning two races. Jake Hill (Ford Focus ST) won the third contest.

Praga’s nine-car Britcar campaign has been a success

GETTY IMAGES

of a hankering for one last hurrah. Then again, maybe it would be sad to go back…”

Whitmarsh worked at McLaren during what he considers golden eras for F1.

Aston Martin presumably represents the “something extraordinary” he told us would be needed to lure him back – but whether it can match what he had before remains to be seen.

What Aston Martin gains is a man of high integrity and experience who was always great at seeing the bigger picture. He served a term as president of the now defunct Formula 1 Teams Association, representing collective interests in discussions and negotiations with commercial boss Bernie Ecclestone and the FIA. He has also been credited for encouraging Mercedes to supply engines to Brawn GP, the team that grew out of Honda when it quit F1 after the 2008 season. Brawn dramatically won the 2009 title as McLaren struggled and then morphed into the Mercedes-AMG super-team we know today. Whitmarsh’s part in that story, which helped save a team and hundreds of jobs, infuriated Dennis and turned out to be the beginning of the end of his time at McLaren.

He deserved better. Now at Aston Martin, he might get it.

Palou crowned Indycar champion Álex Palou withstood the pressure in the Indycar Series

6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 55

Menzies piloted his Gould-Cosworth flawlessly all year

NATIONAL SCENE

Hillclimbing’s historic season Wallace Menzies emerges triumphant from tremendous title fight

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here has seldom been a season like it in the British Hillclimb Championship (BHC): fierce competition and records being decimated.

And it all happened with a level of sporting rivalry and paddock camaraderie that’s rare in modern-day motorsport.

Ultimately, it was defending champion Wallace Menzies who retained his title, but the Scotsman had to work every inch of the way in 27 rounds at 12 events across nine venues.

When the season started, it was a wide-open race involving a whole gaggle of contenders.

But as the season developed, it increasingly became a two-way battle between Menzies in his 3.3-litre Cosworth-powered Gould GR59 and Alex Summers in his Indycar-engined DJ

GETTY IMAGES

HOW IT WORKS

Firestorm. Regularly they traded times and points as the circus smashed records at five venues, including the blue riband that is Shelsley Walsh.

Sean Gould finally topped the seemingly unbeatable 13-year-old record of Martin Groves, reducing it from 22.58sec to 22.37sec. And on that famous day in high summer, he was one of four drivers to eclipse the record.

But for record breaking on a grand scale, the season finale at Loton Park topped everything. As the Shropshire parkland venue was bathed in late September sunshine, no fewer than 15 runs were under the record, which Gould had set in June at 43.18sec.

In finally leaving the mark at 41.76sec, Menzies had

Powertrain element limits in Formula 1

Max Verstappen started the Russian Grand Prix at the back after Red Bull chose to fit to his RB16B a new engine, turbo, MGU-H, MGU-K, energy store, control electronic unit and exhaust. On each of these items, teams are restricted to how many they can use per season. Grid penalties are attached to breaking these limits. If you top 15 grid positions in penalties, as Verstappen did, you’re automatically demoted to last.

Each car may use no more than three engines, three MGUHs, three turbos, two energy stores, two control units, three MGU-Ks and eight of each of the four exhaust elements.

The first time an additional element is used, a 10-place grid penalty is incurred, and then it’s five places after that. Sir Lewis Hamilton is expected to need an extra engine at some point before the season is out, so he will cop a big penalty too.

But will he be able to match Verstappen and race from last to second? Such a result could decide the 2021 world title.

56 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 6 OCTOBER 2021

delivered one of the biggest record-beats in the history of the sport, and Summers was less than 0.1sec behind him. The crowd loved it.

Hillclimbing is in remarkably fine form after its 2020 was largely lost to the pandemic.

Bumper entries, tremendous competition, quality driving and a great atmosphere all added up to a fine season for the sport and the BHC. Right across hillclimbing, records are being broken and drivers are loving the competition in a branch of motorsport that rarely comes into the public eye.

The BHC is the longestestablished British motorsport series, having run continuously since 1947. Menzies has now clinched back-to-back titles,

albeit with that 2020 hiatus in between, and plans to chase a hat-trick next season. To date, just six drivers have taken three crowns in a row in 74 seasons of going uphill fast.

After a season-long battle, 2015 champion Summers was the first to congratulate his title rival: “Everything on Wallace’s car is optimised and he drives it beautifully with no mistakes. He’s measured and he’s calm. He’s the yardstick.”

That lack of mistakes was a real key to Menzies’ season. In the 27 run-offs, he won 17, was second in six, third four times and came under the previous hill record at five venues.

“It has been a fantastic team effort,” said Menzies as he toasted a memorable season.

PAUL LAWRENCE

MOTORSPORT

One Toyota Corolla dominated weekend, another did vital work

BTCC hybrid tech on track for 2022 Britain’s top racing series will introduce a mandatory electrical element next season, and it has just made its race debut. Matt Salisbury meets its maker and its test driver hen people look back at the results of the British Touring Car Championship event at Silverstone in September 2021, the headline will be an impressive weekend for Rory Butcher, who put his Toyota on pole position and then backed it up with a pair of wins on race day.

However, arguably the biggest story from the weekend was the appearance on track of another Corolla GR Sport, as the BTCC’s hybrid test car joined the series regulars in the latest stage of the ongoing development programme for the new electrical system that will feature from 2022.

It was back in August 2018 that the BTCC first announced its plan to introduce hybrid technology, before a tender process was opened the following April to determine who would provide a system that would not only spice up the action on track but also ensure that the series remained relevant in the ever-changing wider motorsport landscape.

Later that season, Cosworth was named as the company responsible for producing the system. It

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set to work on the initial design and build and soon programme,” said Neal Bateman, Cosworth’s the first BTCC car fitted with hybrid technology head of support. “Hitting that mileage was the hit the track to ramp up the testing process. first target we had, and we’ve achieved that A 60V gearbox-mounted electric motor without any major problems and things complements the turbocharged 2.0-litre engine have run largely to plan. that has become a fixture of the BTCC and “Developing the system in Covid times has provides drivers with an additional 40bhp made things challenging to an extent, because we power boost that they can use on track over weren’t able to go out and test while in lockdown the course of a race weekend. and we had to learn to work in a different way, but Track running has been carried out by M-Sport, it didn’t have a negative impact on the programme. the World Rally Championship powerhouse “We completed the miles we wanted to complete that will provide the latest incarnation of and had the chance to cycle different drivers the Toca engine that will also come in in the car to gain their feedback, which The hybrid next year, with a number of drivers has been important.” system can be – including experienced GT racer The system has been designed to used when a car is Darren Turner and veteran BTCC be as simple and straightforward to under full traction front-runner Andrew Jordan – use as possible, with the battery pack for up to 15 seconds per taking turns behind the wheel. positioned where success ballast is lap, and there’s no limit “Testing of the hybrid system currently located in the car to make on the number has gone very well, and we’ve been it easily accessible and the electric of uses. able to complete a season of running motor incorporated into the Xtrac with the car as part of the development gearbox that’s used across the grid. ◊

6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 57

Andrew Jordan-driven hybrid set fastest lap of race at Silverstone That allows cars to run on electricity only when replace the existing success ballast system. leaving the pits to start a session and ensures That will add a different element of strategy the system is easily incorporated into any car, into a race weekend, putting the emphasis on regardless of which engine is under the bonnet. the driver behind the wheel rather than on the “As the gearbox is a spec part, it made sense engineering team in the pits. to incorporate the electric motor in that way,” “I’ve really enjoyed the experience of being explained Bateman. “It means that the engine part of the testing programme and the work that isn’t a big factor, and the only real difference has gone in has been hugely important when you there will be for teams is that the installation will consider that there will be a full grid of cars using be slightly different for a front-wheel-drive car this system next year,” said Jordan. “We’re now compared with a rear-wheel-drive car. at the stage where the system is reliable “We now have a BMW 1 Series that and working as it should do, and we The battery we’re working with alongside the know there’s more to come in terms pack on the hybrid Toyota, and the two will continue to of performance, because we’re still car can be replaced in test so we can provide teams with all running safe at the moment. just 10 minutes should of the information they require when “As a driver, the system is very a change be required. it comes to preparing for next year.” simple, as it’s a case of pressing Although high in A button on the steering is used a button when you want to use the power, it is low to deploy the electrical power as and extra power, and I’ve no doubt it will in voltage. when the drivers wish for a maximum spice up the racing. It isn’t like DRS amount of time per lap, and this will [drag reduction system] in Formula 1,

58 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 6 OCTOBER 2021

Jordan has 355 starts and 2013 title to his name

where you can just drive past people, as that isn’t the aim, but more of an exaggerated slipstream where you can get alongside someone to attack.

“If you have a good driver in a good car that’s well engineered, you can work out how to deal with running ballast, but you can’t do anything when it comes to horsepower, so it will be interesting to see how [the hybrid tech] impacts the racing and how drivers decide to use the extra power available.

“For me, I think it’s important that the fans watching don’t see anything different compared with what they see now. There will be something to indicate when the hybrid tech is being used, but as far as fans are concerned, it will still be a touring car and it will sound like it always did.”

MOTORSPORT

Test car suffered no hybrid-related issues in three races

BTCC boss Alan Gow is keen for series to stay road-relevant

` It’s intended as an exaggerated slipstream where you can get alongside someone to attack a A LT E R N AT I V E F U E L S I N T H E B T C C Tech-Speed would then introduce bioethanol The new hybrid system being introduced into the BTCC for 2022 won’t be the first time that the series fuel for 2005 on Fiona Leggate’s Vauxhall Astra, and both Kartworld Racing and WSR would run has moved from a traditional ICE running solely on the fuel in their MG ZS petrol or diesel. Back pairing in 2006. in 2004, Mardi Gras LPG returned in 2010 Motorsport joined the in Arena Motorsport’s grid running a Honda Ford Focus STs, with Civic Type R on liquid Tom Onslow-Cole petroleum gas (LPG). and Tom Chilton both However, it struggled winning races and the to get the car down to a latter claiming the competitive weight so Independents’ Trophy. swapped to a Peugeot A more sustainable 406 Coupé mid-season – fuel will be mandated although driver John alongside the hybrid George would still fail Focus ST pairing proved alternative fuels can win system from next year. to score a point.

“It will hand control back to the drivers a bit more,” adds Bateman. “Whereas now people try to engineer a car around any ballast they’re carrying, with this system it will come down to the drivers to work out where they want to use the extra power and whether they want to use it to defend or attack.

“People will have to take a different approach depending on the circuit, and we believe it will make the racing even more exciting that it is now.”

Arriving at Silverstone with a system that was “85-90% there”, the aim wasn’t to chase a headline-grabbing lap time but to gain more valuable knowledge about the operation of the technology in an environment different to that of the previous tests.

Saturday’s running was focused on set-up work and collected further important data before Jordan took part in all three races on Sunday – albeit starting each from the pit lane so as not to interfere with the ongoing championship fight.

With 15 seconds of hybrid boost available, he set the third-fastest lap of race one and the fastest of all in race two, where he secured a best result of 20th place and was able to run well in the main pack.

Although an exhaust manifold issue (not related to the hybrid system) resulted in retirement from race three, this latest test was another successful step towards the introduction of the new tech ready for the 2022 season opener at Donington Park in late April.

“This weekend wasn’t about performance; it was more of an operational exercise to allow us to run the car across a race meeting and to follow all of the different processes that a team will have to follow,” concludes Bateman.

“It was nice to see the car running with the pack in the second race in particular, and although performance wasn’t our focus, we can go away from this weekend in the nice position of having had one of the fastest cars. Crucially, Andrew has also been happy and enjoyed the extra boost of power he got out of the corners, so it has been a very positive exercise.

“We are really pleased with how the test has gone and have been able to run the car in race conditions without any issues with the hybrid system. There that have been various things we’ve learned from an operational point of view, and that will all go into the installation manual that we will provide to teams when we start to push the system out to them later in the year.” L

6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 59

YO U R V I E WS WRITE TO

autocar@haymarket.com Gaps in the market Reading another article about Porsche’s gearing being so tall that you only need second to hit the speed limit (Our Cars, 15 September) reminds me of a similar problem we used to have with the Yamaha R1 superbike. The easy solution to drop the gearing was to put a smaller sprocket on the front: better acceleration and job done.

Is there no one who alters the rear differential on Porsches to solve this?

It seems there’s a gap in the market – like there is for new non-chipmunk front ends for the BMW M4.

And yes, people, it’s time to buy your ‘keeper’ car now before they stop making them or they get too expensive. Mine is an E46 BMW M3 with a supercharger, coilover suspension and a custom caramel leather interior. As for a new car to keep? An Alpine A110, thanks!

Nigel Byers Auckland, New Zealand

Life got me down The new Volkswagen ID Life concept looks like a crude rendering of the Honda E. Not nearly as charming yet probably more capable. Here’s hoping Volkswagen gives it a serious makeover before production.

‘Mullogutherum’ Via autocar.co.uk

The end is nigh The cover of the 8 September issue (“The week the future arrived”) crystallised my decision. I have no interest in electric cars, so if I’m forced to buy one, I will just buy the cheapest possible. In the meantime, I will keep my petrol daily driver and my classic Porsche on the road as long as possible.

Paul Robinson Via email

Cabin fever Your How to Buy articles are always a fun read, often prompting a furious bout of man-maths at my house. The Mercedes-Benz 190 (8 September) has long been on my third/fourth car wishlist (to go along with the

LETTER OF THE WEEK

Boris and his wife took an epic road trip

Black on black on black

I was so pleased to find that I’m not the only person who hates black car interiors (Your Views, 15 September). I currently run a Volvo S90 with a blonde leather interior, and it’s just such a pleasant place to spend time, either as the driver or as a passenger.

At its last service, the courtesy car I was given was black with an all-black interior (seats, doors, carpets, headliner) and privacy glass. What a truly miserable and depressing driving experience. I couldn’t wait to hand the car back at the end of the day.

I could never own a car with a black interior or darkened windows, which may be a problem next time I change my car. As Christopher Monkhouse found out, many manufacturers are no longer offering light interiors and some cars have privacy glass as standard with no option to delete.

Colin Charlesworth Via email

Citroën CX, Mk1 Renault Twingo and W212 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate), but the one I would really want is the (left-hand-drive-only) Avantgarde Rosso edition of 1991.

Show me a more incongruous interior. I’ll wait.

SM is front-engined, whereas the Vizcaya was based on the mid-engined Porsche 914/6.

Chris Hendrie Via email

I’ve just read your online article ‘Dare to dream: the world’s great adventure car journeys’, which brought back memories to me. Although the article put emphasis on car journeys, I would like to share with you an overland trip that my wife and I took not by car but in our Toyota camper van after my retirement.

We’re Chilean-born and have lived in Australia since 1978.

I organised a very special and successful trip that took us from our home in Melbourne to

Frua familiarity

Special 190 had quite the upholstery 60 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 6 OCTOBER 2021

WIN Letter of the week wins this ValetPRO exterior protection and maintenance kit worth £48

The recent correspondence regarding the Frua-designed Hispano Alemán Vizcaya (1 September) reminded me of Pietro Frua’s 1972 take on the Citroën SM, which I saw on the Citroën Owners Club stand at the 2016 Chantilly Arts & Elegance Concours. Okay, they have the same designer and were created one year apart, so the similarity is possibly expected, but the

Gareth Tarr Chertsey, Surrey

Extraordinary expedition

Puerto Montt in southern Chile – sort of a Pacific Rim land trip, if you like. We started in March 2015 and returned in May 2016, having covered more than 32,000 miles through 22 countries, including Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, China, Russia, Japan, Mexico, Ecuador…

I’m not aware of anybody else who has done this before or since. But considering the current environment, I wonder if anyone will have the opportunity to do it at all in the near future, be it by car or any other means.

Boris Fredes Melbourne, Australia

Wrong Caddy You asked: Is it a Fiat? Is it a Saab?

Is it a Vauxhall? No, the Cadillac shown in the picture wasn’t any of those (Used Cars, 1 September): it was the proper CTS, not the underrated BLS. Andreas Meenken Hamburg, Germany

Barred from the test In Our Cars (15 September), Kris Culmer discussed the poor rear visibility in his Mini Convertible.

It reminded me of years ago reading that, because of this, you weren’t actually allowed to take your driving

LETTERS test in a Mini Convertible. Looking on the government’s website, I discovered that this is still the case, as with three other cars: the Ford Ka Convertible, the Toyota iQ and the Volkswagen Beetle Convertible.

Mike Chaston Via email

Thanks for pointing this out, Mike. I note that the website also recommends you ask the DVLA about the eligibility of any convertible. I suppose it’s fine to show up for your test in a Lamborghini Countach, though? – KC

G R E AT R E A S O N S T O B U Y

NEXT WEEK’S ISSUE O N S A L E 13 O C T O B E R

EDITORIAL Email autocar@haymarket.com Editor Mark Tisshaw Editorial director, Automotive Jim Holder Editor-in-chief Steve Cropley Executive editors James Attwood, Rachel Burgess Associate editor Piers Ward Managing editor Sami Shah Editor-at-large Matt Prior Deputy digital editor Tom Morgan-Freelander Road test editor Matt Saunders Road testers Richard Lane, Illya Verpraet News editor Felix Page Staff writer Jack Warrick Used cars editor Mark Pearson Chief sub-editor Kris Culmer Group art editor Stephen Hopkins Art editor Sarah Özgül Senior designer Rebecca Stevens Prepress manager Darren Jones Senior photographer Luc Lacey Photographer Max Edleston Videographers Tej Bhola, Mina Fakhouri SEO manager Jon Cook Picture editor Ben Summerell-Youde

S P E C I A L F E AT U R E

Russian dolls I can’t tell Mercedes-Benz’s new EQE and EQS apart! Maybe I could in the metal, but is car design so dead that they couldn’t be a little more creative than using the ‘reduce’ option on their photocopier?

Graham Hatch Teesside

Disinterest and dread Peter Windsor was spot on with his views published in the 22 September issue. I would wager he is right that Autocar issues with EVs on the front cover sell fewer copies than those featuring ‘normal’ cars. I hadn’t heard the term ‘distress purchase’ until I read his letter, but I agree with it. And finally, his analogy with stairlifts was a very apt one.

I buy more than one car magazine, and I have to say that while it would be remiss of a publication not to cover EVs and EV news, I can’t honestly say my enthusiasm is the same if the cover story is about EVs. On a much wider point, not a day goes by when I don’t think about an EV-related issue that fills me with dread. From one senior firefighter’s calls to have automatic sprinkler systems in underground car parks when EVs are numerous to minor concerns I have about being caught in a flood while driving an EV, there seem to be many, many reasons not to own an EV. I certainly could imagine a time when I just won’t own a car at all, either investing in a bicycle or finding a job closer to home.

I suspect there are many out there who share the views Peter and I have.

Stephen Parry Erdington, Warwickshire

Mustang Mach-E vs Escort Cosworth Ford’s radical new performance SUV meets a distant cousin. Do the two hot machines have any family resemblance?

I N V E S T I G AT I O N

The original car magazine, published since 1895 ‘in the interests of the mechanically propelled road carriage’

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BMW i4

Will your new car be delivered tomorrow – or sometime next year? We investigate

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USED BUYING GUIDE

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CONTENTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

MANAGEMENT Managing director Rachael Prasher Marketing director Darren Pitt Publishing and events executive Lydia Banton

VOLVO XC60 Our run-down subscription car is now fully recharged after being sent to Coventry MILEAGE 567 WHY WE ’ R E RU N N I N G IT To evaluate Netflix-style subscription services as a way of ‘buying’ a new car

ur Volvo XC60 is back from the dealer and we can finally put some miles under its wheels. At the time of our last report, it had been taken by low-loader to TMS Volvo of Coventry with a mystery electrical problem that had drained the 12V starter battery dead flat. It resisted any attempt I made at a jump start from an external booster battery,

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62 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 6 OCTOBER 2021

and while it was revived briefly by a breakdown technician, the electrical system still wouldn’t produce enough current to charge the battery, so off to the workshop it went.

The car was away for 11 days in all. It was taken on a Saturday and it took until the following Wednesday for TMS to even fully diagnose the problem. It missed a family holiday that it might have been well suited to catering for, but hey-ho. It’s back now and back to normal – mostly.

And the cause of its malaise?

Funnily enough (and perhaps inconveniently for Volvo), it turned out to be the Android-

based infotainment system that has only just been put into the XC60 and is currently being rolled out across all of the manufacturer’s facelifted 2021 models (somebody press the ‘undo’ button on the production line quickly!).

This system has been getting mixed reviews from owners. Daniel Scullion emailed us to report mutterings on Volvo forums from early adopters about the loss of certain functionality compared with the firm’s old Sensus Connect system.

There’s unnecessary complication too, he says, when it comes to enabling and disabling certain

LOVE IT ALL TH E TR I M M I N GS Care By Volvo cars come stocked with extras. The integrated second-row booster seats ought to save me a lot of fetching and carrying with the kids in tow.

LOATHE IT TOO KE E N TO I NTE RVE N E Volvo’s active safety systems have always been hyper-sensitive and too intrusive for my tastes, and the new infotainment system doesn’t make them as easy to switch off.

The infotainment sys`tem is being ro lle across all of Volvo’s facelifted 202 d out 1 models a

FORD TOURNEO CUSTOM Our flexible friend already appears to have one long-term fleet award sewn up

’ve been up to the Isle of Arran. Six of us with all our camping gear for a week of sleeping on beaches and a good serving of rain.

Before setting off, my girlfriend and I removed two of the eight seats in the Tourneo to accommodate the extra luggage. This is definitely a two-person job unless you want a slipped disc, and I didn’t fancy having a bad back before a week on a rollmat.

The rear seats, the passengers were pleased to report, are all just as comfy as the ones in the front and recline slightly. There was no problem fitting everyone’s belongings in the van, but most of it had to be stacked, leading to a pretty disorganised mess towards the end of the trip.

We rotated drivers and everyone seemed to enjoy driving the fun bus and found it easy to get comfortable adjusting the seat and steering wheel to fit a range of body sizes. Many noted the energy regeneration on lifting off the throttle, but this is a quick one to get used to.

Trips like this, where we were constantly in and out of the van, really highlight the benefit of the sliding doors and higher roofline.

No more bending under a low roof and around a tight door opening, like with many hatchbacks. I had sliding doors on a previous long-termer, a Citroën Berlingo, that proved to be very difficult for passengers to close from inside, but there are no such problems with the Ford.

Also useful were the many USB ports dotted around the interior of the van (almost one per passenger), which was great for keeping phones alive. However, we did seem to find the ones in the back were very slow to charge, leaving your device barely better off than when you started.

As we were constantly on the go, visiting waterfalls and camping in remote places, charging the van would have taken some dedication.

The three-to-four-hour charging time just means charging on the go isn’t practicable, unless there happens to be a charger near where you’re intending to stay for a while.

The van is such a great asset on trips like this. Doing the same again in something less spacious and comfortable would be a struggle.

LUC LACEY

LOVE IT

TEST DATA

S LI D E O N I N Side doors make for easy access no matter where you’re parked.

FO R D TOU R N EO CUSTO M 1.0 ECO BOOST PH E V TITAN I U M Price £62,244 Price as tested £63,310 Faults Hybrid system issue Expenses None Economy 28.4mpg Last seen 15.9.21

MILEAGE 21,244 WHY WE ’ R E RU N N I N G IT To find out if PHEV power and eight seats give van greater lifestyle appeal

I

I got that familiar impression of being a slightly second-class customer when I collected the car from the dealership, though, as you often do when you’re introducing yourself with a problem without first having spent a few quid there via one route or another. There was no hospitality or particularly warm welcome offered when I arrived to collect the car (perhaps I should Faulty system had have insisted it be delivered back to be replaced after to my home address) and it hadn’t draining the battery been brought out from the yard in advance or cleaned. You can get that when you’re an unknown driver assistance systems. Even I quantity, I’ve learned, rather than noticed that. With the new system, someone who has already handed it isn’t as easy to switch between over a five-figure cheque, but it’s not Volvo’s regular cruise control and the greatest advert for subscriptionfull Pilot Assist systems and the based car ownership. instrument display appears to have Now that the car is back, it seems lost some of its old configurability. to be working normally for the most I don’t dislike the new set-up; part, although there is still a flicker I suspect it’s just a question of of white noise on the instrument getting used to it. But it’s clearly not screen just as you change display yet bug-free. Editor Mark Tisshaw modes. Leaving it alone for a few days reported having the software crash before running it has at least given completely on him a day or two me confidence that the electrical before lending the car to me and system is cured, and while simply losing the car’s digital instruments punting around in it on errands as well as its infotainment. and short trips, it’s also proving the Few Volvo owners will, I hope, practical and comfortable family have that infotainment system draw holdall that you would hope it to be. so much power from the car’s battery The hidden booster seats that as to flatten it completely, though, simply fold out of the second row in the thrashings of a total system are already a favourite of the kids, failure that could only be remedied who also love the panoramic roof. via brand-new hardware being Let’s hope the XC60 can sent from Sweden. TMS said that now continue to demonstrate its while they had dealt with smaller talents as the refined, economical, problems with the system already, easy-going, do-it-all daily driver our car was the first that had needed without any further hiccups. a replacement system and that MATT SAUNDERS waiting for this whole new system TEST DATA to be shipped from Gothenburg V O LV O X C 6 0 B 4 R - D E S I G N explained the length of time that Price new £45,695 Price as tested £749 per the car was away. month Faults Crashing infotainment/digital Lengthy turnaround apart, the instruments, drained battery Expenses None service was reasonable. TMS Volvo Economy 41.9mpg Last seen 22.9.21 communicated well and the offer of a free hire car came via Care By Volvo (which I declined, because I could live without it and so as not OWN ONE? SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE to add complication or cost to the matt.saunders@haymarket.com whole episode).

LOATHE IT TI M E TO CHARG E A rapid-charging function would greatly improve the number of emissions-free miles.

OWN ONE? SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE luc.lacey@haymarket.com High roofline brings another dimension to carpool karaoke

6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 63

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OUR CARS

Dacia Sandero Stepway MILEAGE 10,340

LAST SEEN 18.8.21

The Sandero keeps accumulating miles at breakneck speed, for two important reasons. First, it always seems to be convenient in conflicting roles, such as easily carrying four adults while fitting down narrow suburban streets. Second, it’s frugal and has a fairly big petrol tank, so it hardly ever seems to need refuelling, which is especially handy in the present circumstances. SC

Mini Convertible MILEAGE 4644

LAST SEEN 15.9.21

“What’s up with the Mini’s indicator stalk?” texted a colleague during our car swap. Ah, so it’s not just me, then. The central ‘stop’ is too easy to push over, so I often end up accidentally indicating left when trying to cancel indicating right and vice versa. I noticed this in the previous BMW 3 Series, too, but I’m told it has since been rectified. KC

Porsche 718 Boxster GTS MILEAGE 4150

LAST SEEN 22.9.21

You might have heard this 4.0-litre likes oil, but I’ve had to feed it just one litre after 4100 miles. And I’ve worked out the Pirelli P Zeros are wearing at about 0.1mm per 1000 miles at the front and roughly double that at the rear, despite some track driving. Modern tyres have amazing longevity, but this is still surprising, especially at the heavier rear axle. RL

6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 65

What to buy, where to buy it and how much to pay

USED CARS W H A T WS TE ALMO T B O U G HE E K THIS W

CH RYS LE R CROSS FI RE Summer may be long gone now, but it’s never too late to get your hands on a convertible sports car. The Mercedes-Benz SLK-based Crossfire brings the heat with its style and is packed with kit including heated leather seats and climate control, so you won’t have to worry about the approaching winter months.

This one is advertised at £4500.

James Ruppert THE HIGH PRIEST OF BANGERNOMICS

Hatchback-cumcoupé Volvo C30 is very appealing

OPTIMA OPTIONS What’s the coolest replacement for a £3500 Kia saloon? he question this week is: how do you replace a great big KoreanAmerican saloon? This is a close-to-home project requiring an automatic gearbox and no more than £3500. It can be smaller than a four-door, too. I have a consultancy role but won’t be getting a fee. Let’s see where we can go with this.

I have a lot of time for the Volvo C30: it’s such a great-looking hatchback, plus it’s solid, sensible and practical. For £3000, it’s possible to get a 2009 2.0D R-Design Sport with a Powershift gearbox. It has had three owners and done 103,000 miles, and as a bonus it has Serapis alloy wheels, which look better than they sound. Leather upholstery and Volvo’s Intelligent Driver System, too. Yet more good news is that it should average more than 45mpg.

Here’s a weird one: what about the Skoda Roomster? Is it a bit too olderperson wagon? I reckon it looks quite cool, but then I’m ancient. In black, though, with alloys or some painted steelies, why not? Just £3000 buys a 2007 1.6V Scout with the Tiptronic ’box. It’s a 91,000-miler with three previous owners, being sold privately.

Otherwise, a dealer-sold 2007 car 87,000 miles but five ex-owners is £2495. There are plenty to pick from.

When in doubt, always tempt a youngster with an Alfa Romeo. If they get cars even a bit, they will understand the appeal, and the odd-looking Mito is a great funster.

There aren’t many at the price point,

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but a 2011 1.4 Multiair Veloce with 104,000 miles and the all-important automatic box is £2999 at a dealer.

Alternatively, a privately advertised 2010 1.4 car with 52,000 miles, just two ex-owners and a full service history is the better buy, I reckon – especially at a little over £3000.

If we wanted to remain on-brand with a Kia, there’s the boxy little Soul crossover and the Rio supermini.

`

I reckon the Skoda Roomster looks cool, but then I’m ancient a

The latter is a bit dull, and I like the Soulsters. For £2495, we can get a 1.6 CRDi example from 2011 with just under 100,000 miles. It’s easy to own and it officially scores 45mpg, so it won’t be too bad on the pocket.

It’s always hard to go wrong with the Honda Civic. Let’s make it interesting with a 1.8i-VTEC Type S that has the all-important i-Shift ’box – a 2009 example with 108,000 miles. This conveniently three-door motor has four previous owners and is up for £3500. It should be possible to bid the dealer down a few hundred.

The Civic Type S is in the lead at the moment, then, and with the lefthand-drive Kia Optima due to find a new home soon, a dealer visit is in the pipeline to see it in the metal.

I will let you know what happens.

Honda Civic Type S 3dr is our current prime candidate

TA L E S F R O M R U P P E R T ’ S GA R AG E

MILE AGE 112,667

PORSCHE CAYENNE You don’t hear much about the Flying Pig, which I would argue is a very good thing – especially for my bank balance. Anyway, its MOT isn’t far off, and as I’ve explained recently, I’ve created an MOTpocalypse by stupidly leaving the majority of garage visits to the end of the year. Apart from the odd random warning light, which always goes out, there seem to be no problems.

That’s not what a Porsche agent said more than two years ago, when there was some recall work. Apparently, it needed also sorts of expensive attention, yet it has been consistently roadworthy and reliable. Long may that continue.

READER’S RIDE

Ford Escort XR3 Thanks again to Matthew, who showed us his lovely Rover 420GSi Tourer a fortnight ago. He owns some amazing cars – and has a word of warning about my enthusiasm for old Mercedes: “The plan is to treat a few tiny spots of rust, then the Rover will join my stable

SEND YOUR USED CAR TALES TO

of a 1981 Ford Escort XR3 – of which I did a bare-shell restoration over six years, including two years of welding – and a 1990 Mercedes 420 SE, which has cost me a bomb. I’ve had to treat it as a project, which I’m about halfway through, again with much welding.”

james@bangernomics.com AND READERS' QUESTIONS TO autocar@haymarket.com 6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 67

USED CARS

AS GOOD AS NEW

LEXUS IS Ultra-reliable, efficient and well equipped, this is a first-rate saloon, says Oliver Young NEED TO KNOW The IS was facelifted for 2017, ushering in updated headlights, tail-lights, front end and bonnet.

Owners of cars registered before April 2017 will pay only £10 per year in road tax. Cars registered after that date will incur the flat fee of £145 a year (for hybrids) or £155 (for petrols).

Lexus was rated the top brand in the latest What Car? Reliability Survey. In the most recent one to feature the IS, it came fourth overall in the electric and hybrid car category, with an outstanding score of more than 97%.

BUYER BEWARE ELECTRICS Although the IS has a very good reliability record, some owners have reported problems relating to E XECUTIVE E D ITI O N the engine electrics The well-equipped Executive and non-engine Edition is our favourite trim. It electrics (satoffers heated front seats, dualnav, air-con and zone climate control, adaptive infotainment). cruise control, traffic sign Most of these recognition and automatic problems were set high beam. right under warranty.

OUR TOP SPEC

he Lexus IS is an underdog, belonging to a class dominated by German rivals to the point that it can easily be overlooked.

Deservedly so? Not at all. The IS is well equipped, efficient and impeccably reliable, so it’s very much worth a look on the used market.

The latest (Mk3) IS arrived on the executive saloon scene in 2013 with a sharp design and an eco-friendly focus. Hence no diesel: just one petrol and one hybrid. The petrol, badged the 250, features a 204bhp 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine that drives the rear wheels via an automatic transmission. Officially, it delivers a combined 32mpg.

However, this variant isn’t widely available on used car sites. Much more common is the hybrid, badged the 300h. It gets that same 2.5-litre engine with less power (181bhp, to be exact) but a better 48.7mpg, thanks to the presence of an electric motor.

For the 2016 model year, Lexus replaced the 250 with the 200t. This has a 245bhp 2.0-litre petrol engine and, like the 250, is rare on the second-hand market.

Opt for an entry-level SE model

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IS 300H The 300h is OUR PICK sprightly enough, with a 0-60mph time of 8.4sec, but it is the hybrid’s impressive fuel economy that makes it our pick. It is also comfortably the most common IS on the used market so there are plenty of cars to choose from.

IS 200T These, conversely, are WILD few and far between CAR D – but if you can get your hands on one, you will have the quickest IS available. It has 245bhp, a 0-60mph time of 7.0sec and range-topping Premier trim exclusively.

and you will get keyless entry, cruise control, dual-zone climate control and a joystick-governed infotainment system (with a 7.0in screen or, postfacelift, a 10.3in one) with DAB radio.

Upgrade to the Executive Edition for satellite navigation and leather seats, while Sport models add bigger alloy wheels, parking sensors and automatic wipers.

Mid-range Luxury models get a more premium look, complete with posh silver wheels, while Advance trim brings electrically adjustable, heated and cooled front seats plus a reversing camera.

F-Sport gains an aggressive bodykit and styling inspired by the LFA supercar, while rangetopping Premier models come with a Mark Levinson stereo and Lexus’s premium sat-nav system, including

a DVD player.

It is worth noting that later cars came in only standard IS and F-Sport trims.

To drive, the IS feels crisp, secure and refined on the move, with the hybrid able to run on electric-only power for short distances. It steers and handles well, with decent acceleration to back it up, while the ride is reasonably comfortable. This allows the IS to impress in town or on the motorway.

The interior is beyond reproach in terms of build quality, and the materials feel premium, too.

The IS has generous levels of standard tech for the class, plus its safety and security features are outstanding.

There are no real issues with space in the front. At the back, there’s as much leg room as in the BMW 3 Series – meaning more than in the Audi A4 or Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

Between £12,000 and £15,000 will get you a 2014 car with an average mileage and a full service history. Increase the budget to £15,000-£18,000 for a 2016 IS, while 2017 and 2018 examples start from £18,000. Spend between £20,000 and £30,000 on cars from 2019 and 2020 (when UK imports ended).

ONES WE FOUND 2014 Lexus IS 250 Luxury, 30,000 miles, £12,480 2016 Lexus IS 200t Premier, 15,000 miles, £18,000 2019 Lexus IS 300h F-Sport, 10,000 miles, £28,290

M I L E AG E Being fuel-efficient and reliable, IS cars can rack up high mileages fairly quickly, especially if they’ve been used as a taxi. With that in mind, ensure nothing has worn out or seems on the verge of breaking.

A test drive is always a good idea.

EXTERIOR CONDITION It is likely that the IS you are interested in will have been used as a motorway tool, so look for stone chips to the lower body and windscreen cracks. Check for dents, scratches or scrapes as well.

BRAKES Some owners suggest looking for corrosion on the brake disc surfaces and listening for a rough braking noise below 5mph, which indicates a sticking caliper.

Another potential issue is that the foot-operated parking brake can seize up through lack of use.

ENGINE Some hybrid owners have reported the engine misfiring and poor idling, caused by a problem with either the throttle body or mass air flow sensor. You can try fixing it yourself by removing the MAF sensor and using special cleaner to remove the dirt. The throttle body can also be cleaned with the right fluid and a toothbrush.

6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 69

BUY THEM BEFORE WE DO

SWEETHANDLING COUPE

Porsche 968 Tiptronic £12,950 ur survey of quick classics for reasonable money begins with the Porsche 968. Launched in 1992 and phased out just three years later, it was destined to be a sort of 944 S3, but in the end Porsche’s engineers replaced so many of the 944’s parts that the company decided to give the model a completely new name. In any case, although it was a two-door coupé like the 944, the 968 looked

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different enough to deserve one.

Like the Cayenne of 2002, the new model also helped keep Porsche afloat, albeit not to quite the same degree. Unfortunately, it didn’t sell as well as the company might have liked – around 12,750 found homes – but today that means survivors are rare and ones in good condition rarer still. Naturally, sellers have woken up to this and prices are rising but you can still pick up a sound one for

FULLY LOADED HOT HATCH

Mini Cooper JCW £6995 Quick classics don’t come much sweeter than a Mini Cooper John Cooper Works. We found a 2007reg, one of the first R56-generation models, with 69,000 miles and a full service history. It’s loaded with what were expensive optional extras, too.

ALL-WHEEL DRIVE AND 276BHP

70 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 6 OCTOBER 2021

decent money – one such as our spot, a 1993-reg with only 67,000 miles. It’s a private-sale car, which is good since the owner can be quizzed directly about its history and maintenance.

On that point, it has, they say, a full service history supported by a wallet bulging with invoices. In addition, it has new brakes (pads, discs and calipers, no less), and a new cambelt, fuel pump and DME relay.

It sits on four new tyres wrapped

True to form, Saab didn’t rely on GM for this 9-3’s four-wheel drive system but designed it itself. So all of the V6’s 276bhp goes to the road. The car sits 10mm lower than a regular 9-3 and all 500 examples were black. Ours is a 2008-reg with 96,000 miles.

JOHN EVANS

Ford Mondeo ST220

FAST FORD FAMILY HOLDALL

£5995 This is the upper end of hot Mondeo prices. Happily, the body seems free of rust. It’s a 2006-reg with 76,000 miles, but there’s little other info. Shame, because we’d want to be assured it’s had the regular oil changes needed for a long chain life.

Saab 9-3 2.8 Turbo V6 X auto £5995

around the original and unmarked (read: refurbished) Cup alloys.

“The Tiptronic gearbox makes for a very relaxing drive or switch to manual for a more spirited drive,” says the owner, invitingly.

Our used car buyer’s guide to the Porsche 968 emphasises the problems with these cars but that’s its job. Don’t let it put you off, because this example looks promising.

Skoda Fabia 1.9 TDI vRS WILD CARD

£5495 To be fair, we can think of other cars here more deserving of our ‘Wild card’ hangar. Truth is the Fabia vRS is a fine car whose performance will surprise you (with 229lb ft at 1900rpm). This example is a 2006-reg with 54,000 miles and a full service history.

USED CARS AU C T I O N WAT C H

CLASH OF THE CLASSIFIEDS U S E D C A R D E S K D O E S B AT T L E BRIEF

Can you find me a really interesting seven-seater for less than £20,000?

RENAULT 4 GTL The Renault 4 was produced as an economy vehicle with a practical edge, arriving to challenge the wildly successful Citroën 2CV. The GTL went on sale in 1978, equipped with a 1.1-litre four-cylinder engine taken from the 6. It was also Renault’s first-ever front-wheel-drive car. Later models gained grey plastic trim, bigger wiper blades and disc brakes up front. This 1984 example has received a full chassis, engine and body restoration by specialist Renault Reborn. It’s one of 91 left on UK roads and probably among the finest, despite having driven 75,000 miles. It eventually sold for £10,750.

FUTURE CLASSIC

Smart Fortwo Brabus £4490 This is a Smart Fortwo with a difference, with more aggressive styling, ramped-up performance and dynamic enhancements. The rear-mounted 1.0-litre turbo engine was uprated by Brabus to produce 30% more power, at 98bhp, so the 0-62mph sprint takes less than 10.0sec, while it produces an exciting, throaty grumble from its twin exhausts.

The dampers, springs and gearbox were also upgraded and the suspension was lowered by 10mm. The draw of small fun cars has never been bigger, so grab one while you can.

Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG Estate £19,995

Subaru Exiga 2.0 GT Turbo 4WD £8499 MARK PEARSON Pity the poor family man buying some slug of an SUV to transport his brood around when he could get behind the leather-clad wheel of this wonderful AMG for peanuts. It’s all 5.5-litre V8 brawn and 476bhp action, 0-62mph in 4.7sec and a limited top speed of 155mph. I’ve run out of words to describe it, really, so good is it. What have you found, Oliver?

OLIVER YOUNG If you’re after interesting, take a look at this: a Subaru Exiga imported from Japan. Essentially a 4WD rally car with enough space to seat seven, this 2.0 GT Turbo version has a flat-four engine producing 223bhp. Sure, that’s not quite 476bhp, but it’s still a healthy amount for a spot of rallying with the family aboard. It offers exceptional value, too, and is arguably the coolest MPV ever made.

MP The coolest MPV ever made? Now that’s not saying much, is it? I admit that it’s an interesting find, but think how my fat-tyred Mercedes would leave it for dead on the twisties.

And which one would cut more of a dash on the school run?

OY One, at least my Subaru is a proper, practical seven-seater and not an estate with a couple of seats jammed in the back; and two, the Exiga is much cheaper, more rugged and more reliable. And remind me, was the brief to find the fastest seven-seater or an interesting one?

MP Details, Oliver, mere details. Now get out of my way: I’m off for a spin and I don’t want the likes of your Exiga holding me up. James?

VERDICT

Oliver, you had me at Scoobaroo. Let’s off-road with the family. JAMES RUPPERT 6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 71

HOW TO BUY A

VOLKSWAGEN LUPO GTI

LET’S GO LOOPY Highly capable, desirable and rare, the hot version of VW’s millennium city car looks a nailed-on future classic. John Evans urges you to get one while you still can ong before the Up, Volkswagen had a city car called, equally bizarrely, the Lupo. Launched in 1998, it was a well-built, practical and inoffensive thing that sat below the larger and more expensive Polo.

Small it may have been, but the Lupo had big ambitions. For example, the 3L version could, thanks to special lightweight body panels, a three-cylinder 1.2-litre diesel engine and an automated manual gearbox, do up to 94mpg. In fact, one was driven around Britain in 2001 and achieved almost 120mpg.

Coincidentally, that same year, the little Lupo once again demonstrated its appetite for world domination with the addition of a GTI version.

This pocket rocket was powered by

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72 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 6 OCTOBER 2021

a 1.6-litre 16-valve engine producing 123bhp. That output may not look so impressive today, but the Lupo made every horse count by going on a weight-reduction programme.

Off came the steel bonnet, front wings and doors to be replaced by lightweight aluminium items, cutting the kerb weight to 978kg.

Yet it was no spartan model: all the GTI appurtenances were there, including bi-xenon headlights, 15in Bathurst alloy wheels, a twinexit central exhaust, colour-coded fittings, chrome-ringed dials and figure-hugging sports seats. It was also fitted with uprated suspension, lowered by 20mm and disc brakes all round.

Build quality was impressive.

Viewed today, the shutlines are

millimetre-perfect and everything remains tough and well anchored.

That said, 20 years have passed since the first Lupo GTIs rolled off the production line, so you can expect the running gear to feel a little tired.

One thing that most owners can agree on is the tendency for the rear spoiler to suffer water ingress and its paint to bubble; another is the door check straps to be noisy and not so secure. Not much, is it?

The first cars had a five-speed manual gearbox, but a year later, in 2002, a sixth gear was added. This improved cruising refinement, but enthusiasts reckon fivers are quicker.

On that point, the little Lupo GTI could do 0-62mph in just 7.7sec. That was quick, but the car felt quicker still in corners, as thanks to its agility,

steering feel and grip, there was little need to back off. So encouraged, many have modified their cars, but an original one is what you want.

One thing: if you’re thinking of driving your Lupo GTI into London’s ULEZ (and why wouldn’t you, since it’s terrific fun around town), only from 2003 did the engine become Euro 4-compliant.

Cheap to insure (group 11) and to run (expect around 40mpg), the Lupo GTI appeared to have it all but for the fact that it was, at £13,000 before options, as expensive as a mid-level Golf and only slightly cheaper than the talk of the town, the Mini Cooper.

This explains why fewer than 1000 found homes and why today they’re so rare. Still, we all know what rarity plus ability plus desirability equals…

USED CARS H O W T O G E T O N E I N YO U R GA R AG E

Interior may not be luxurious but is hard-wearing

Wolf and Fox The Lupo, whose name is Latin for wolf, was replaced by the Fox in 2005.

J OS H UA H O PKI N S “I bought my first Lupo GTI aged 18. I liked that it had a twin-cam engine that wasn’t turbocharged and that it was rare and special. After seven happy years I changed it for a Mini JCW but last year bought my second Lupo GTI. The plan is to refurbish it and pass it on to my newborn son when he’s 18.

Just like the first one, it’s huge fun to drive: agile, nippy and quick through the gears. Its rugged build quality has helped it weather the passing years, too. With some decent tyres (I always found Toyos to be good on my first Lupo GTI) and coilovers fitted to it, I know I’m going to have a lot of fun.”

Buyer beware…

Q E N G I N E If it hasn’t been done recently, renew the timing belt and the water pump (intervals are 40,000 miles; routine service every 10,000). Check the rear bumper for oil spots from the exhaust, indicating problems up front. Misfires may be caused by failing coil packs.

Q G E A R B OX The clutch appears to be a weak point, so check for slipping. The gearbox is tough, but check second and third gears for synchro issues caused by rushed changes. A sloppy lever should be a linkage problem that’s easy to fix.

Twin central tailpipes are unique to the GTI version of the Lupo

Q S U S P E N S I O N A N D B R A K E S Examine the dampers for leaks and springs for excessive rust. Knocks or bangs suggest worn rubbers and joints. It’s discs all round, so check for heavy lipping and the pads’ thickness.

Neither are too expensive to replace.

`

Thanks to its agility, steering feel and grip, there was little need to back off in corners

Q B O DY Check the condition of the door straps, which can become tired and creaky.

Look for signs of corrosion on the aluminium wings and the roof gutters (this last was a warranty issue, long since expired). Examine the rear spoiler, because water ingress can cause the paint to bubble and the high-level brake light to fail.

Refurbishment is expensive and replacement spoilers are hard to find.

Check the weld seams running the length of the underside for damage caused by careless wheel-jacking.

Q I N T E R I O R Ensure the seats can be adjusted and the electric windows work (they can be a problem). If fitted, check that the aircon blows cold and the sunroof seals make a watertight fit (on that point, also feel for dampness in the carpets).

Also worth knowing Much of the appeal of the Lupo GTI lies in its unique construction, not least its aluminium wings, bonnet and doors.

The wings are wider to accommodate the GTI’s larger wheels. We wouldn’t put it past some unscrupulous owners to fit the standard and heavier steel panels if they can get away with it, so take a magnet to any car inspection.

How much to spend £ 1 5 0 0 - £2 9 9 9 Some extreme conversions, including one with a 1.8-litre turbo for £1500. £3 0 0 0 - £3 9 9 9 Runners with a short MOT and wanting work. Includes a tidy 2002 model with 125,000 miles but little service history. £4000 - £4999 Tidier private-sale cars with histories, including a 2002 car with 112,000 miles and sundry modifications for £4500. £5 0 0 0 A N D A B O V E Decent, enthusiast-owned cars, among them a refurbished 2004 example with 123,000 miles for £5500.

One we found VO L K S WAG E N L U P O G T I , 2 0 0 5 , 1 14 , 0 0 0 M I L E S , £5 4 8 9 This well-maintained six-speeder has 14 stamps in its book. Its last service was in February at 110,000 miles, when its timing belt and water pump were changed. It has Bilstein mods with poly bushes at the front so should feel tight.

a 6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 73

Thanks to Joshua Hopkins, Club Lupo (clublupo.co.uk)

An owner’s view

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ECONOMY EXPLAINED

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S TA R R AT I N G S E X P L A I N E D

irredeemably flawed.

BCCCC Appalling. Massively significant failings.

ACCCC Very poor. Fails to meet any accepted

class boundaries.

ABCCC Poor. Within acceptable class AACCC AABCC AAACC AAABC AAAAC AAAAB AAAAA

boundaries in a few areas. Still not recommendable.

Off the pace. Below average in nearly all areas.

Acceptable. About average in key areas, but disappoints.

Competent. Above average in some areas, average in others. Outstanding in none.

Good. Competitive in key areas.

Very good. Very competitive in key areas, competitive in secondary respects.

Excellent. Near class-leading in key areas and in some ways outstanding.

Brilliant, unsurpassed. All but flawless.

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(g O2

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could ever need. LxWxH 4620x1811x1430 Kerb weight 1865kg 3.0 BiTurbo

462

186-188 3.8-3.9

25.9

the AMG S-Classes. LxWxH 5250x1902x1491 Kerb weight 2060kg 4.4 V8 BiTurbo

599

205

4.2

24.4

264 AAAAC

D5 S 4dr saloon £64,355

The excellent 5 Series receives some Alpina tweaking to make it a brilliant cruiser. LxWxH 4956x1868x1466 Kerb weight 1870kg 3.0 BiTurbo

345

171

4.9

38.2

192 AAAAC

XD3 5dr SUV £57,925

Pleasant BMW SUV impressively enhanced with the usual Alpina toolkit. LxWxH 4732x1897x2015 Kerb weight 2015kg 3.0 BiTurbo

330

158

4.9

31.4

328

ALPINE

AAAAA

A110 2dr coupé £48,990–£59,740

A much, much greater car and achievement than the sum of its parts suggests. LxWxH 4180x1980x1252 Kerb weight 1080kg 1.8 Turbo 1.8 Turbo S

248 288

155 162

4.5 4.4

39.2 38.7

162 163

ARIEL

AAAAB

Atom 0dr open £39,950

Simple, purist concept remains but everything else has changed… for the better. LxWxH 3520x1880x1122 Kerb weight 595kg 2.0 turbo

320

162

2.8

NA

NA AAAAA

Well inside the top 10 list of our favourite cars. A revelation and a riot to drive. LxWxH 3215x1850x1425 Kerb weight 670kg 2.4 K24 i-VTEC

235

125

3.4

NA

NA

197 276 158 187 503

146 149 137 143 191

6.6 5.7 8.2 7.1 3.9

74 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 6 OCTOBER 2021

176-184 195 135 143 230

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CO 2

148 187 242 448 132 148 187 282 342

136 8.9 148 7.5 155 6.0 155 4.1 131 9.8 132 9.2 143-144 7.6-7.9 155 5.3 155 4.9

39.8-44.8 39.8-43.5 33.6-34.4 28.1-28.2 49.6-54.3 49.6-54.3 47.9-52.3 38.2 39.2-39.8

143-162 147-162 187-191 220-226 137-150 137-150 141-154 194 186-189

Quick and classy EV builds on the solid foundations of its more upright sibling. LxWxH 4901x1935x1616 Kerb weight 2480kg

50 quattro 71kWH 55 quattro 95kWh S quattro 95kWh

308 403 503

118 124 130

6.8 5.7 4.5

192 242 224

0 0 0 AAAAC

Q2 5dr SUV £23,640–£45,635

Audi’s smallest SUV is a decent stepping stone from the A3 to the Q range. LxWxH 4191x1794x1508 Kerb weight 1205kg

1.0 30 TFSI 114 122 10.3 44.8-47.1 135-143 1.5 35 TFSI 148 131 8.5 42.2-44.8 142-151 A5 2dr coupé £37,900–£87,725 AAAAC 2.0 40 TFSI quattro 187 141 6.5 34.0-34.9 184-187 Refreshed coupé gets a sharper look and a refreshed interior. Still 2.0 SQ2 TFSI 298 155 4.8 32.8-33.2 192-195 mundane to drive. LxWxH 4673x1846x1371 Kerb weight 1390kg 1.6 30 TDI 114 122 10.5 47.1-49.6 150-158 2.0 35 TFSI 148 140 8.9 41.5-45.6 141-154 2.0 35 TDI quattro 148 131 8.1 45.6-47.9 155-163 2.0 40 TFSI 187 150 7.2 41.5-47.1 141-154 2.0 45 TFSI quattro 242 155 4.8 34.9-38.8 180-184 Q3 5dr SUV £30,310–£61,585 AAABC 2.9 V6 TFSI RS5 quattro 443 155 3.9 29.4-30.4 211-218 Typically refined and competent but feels more like an A3 than an 2.0 35 TDI 163 162 8.2 51.4-55.4 133-144 Audi SUV. LxWxH 4388x1831x1608 Kerb weight 1385kg 2.0 40 TDI quattro 187 146 7.4 50.4-54.3 135-146 1.5 35 TFSI 148 128-131 9.2-9.6 38.7-42.2 153-166 3.0 V6 S4 TDI quattro 345 155 4.8 40.4-40.9 180-184 2.0 40 TFSI quattro 187 136 7.4 31.0-32.5 197-207 2.0 45 TFSI quattro 227 144 6.3 31.0-31.7 201-205 A5 Sportback 5dr coupé £37,900–£87,725 AAAAC 2.5 RS Q3 quattro 396 155 4.5 27.7-28.8 222-230 Refined, good-looking four-door coupé is sadly short on charm and 2.0 35 TDI 148 128 9.2 47.9-49.6 150-154 finesse. LxWxH 4733x1843x1386 Kerb weight 1425kg 2.0 35 TDI quattro 148 131 9.3 39.2-40.9 182-188 2.0 35 TFSI 148 139 9.1 40.9-44.8 144-158 2.0 40 TDI quattro 188 137 8.0 37.7-40.4 84-195 2.0 40 TFSI 187 150 7.5 40.9-44.8 143-158 2.0 45 TFSI quattro 242 155 5.8 34.4-35.3 183-187 Q3 Sportback 5dr SUV £33,035–£62,735 AAABC 2.9 V6 TFSI RS5 Quattro 448 155 3.9 28.8-29.7 215-222 A more sporting take on the compact SUV, with similarly stable 2.0 35 TDI 148 135 9.1 50.4-54.3 135-147 handling. LxWxH 4500x1856x1567 Kerb weight 1460kg 2.0 40 TDI quattro 187 146 7.6 49.6-54.3 137-149 1.5 35 TFSI 148 126 9.6 39.2-41.5 154–163 3.0 S5 TDI quattro 345 155 4.9 39.8-40.4 183-187 2.0 40 TFSI quattro 188 136 7.4 30.7-32.1 199-208 2.0 45 TFSI quattro 227 144 6.5 31.4-32.1 200-208 A5 Cabriolet 2dr open £42,015–£64,055 AAAAC 2.5 RS Q3 quattro 396 155 4.5 27.7-28.5 223-231 More practical than smaller options. Lower-powered, steel-sprung 2.0 35 TDI 148 126 9.3 48.7-51.4 145–152 trim is best. LxWxH 4673x1846x1383 Kerb weight 1600kg 2.0 35 TDI quattro 148 126 9.3 40.4-44.8 166-183 2.0 35 TFSI 150 136 9.8 38.7-40.4 160-165 2.0 40 TDI quattro 188 134 8.3 38.2-39.8 185-195 2.0 40 TFSI 187 150 7.9 38.7-40.4 160-165 2.0 45 TFSI quattro 242 155 6.5 32.8-33.2 192-196 Q5 5dr SUV £43,950–£71,750 AAAAC 2.0 40 TDI quattro 187 145 8.0 47.1-48.7 152-157 Appealing combination of Audi allure, affordable SUV practicality

and attractiveness. LxWxH 4663x1893x1659 Kerb weight 1720kg

AAAAC 2.0 45 TFSI quattro 242 147 6.4 31.0-33.6 191-206 Vantage 2dr coupé/2dr open £122,805–£127,005 AAAAB Supremely well constructed but a bit soulless to drive. A smart 2.0 50 TFSIe quattro 249 148 6.1 128.4 49 office on wheels. LxWxH 4939x1886x1457 Kerb weight 1645kg The faster, cleverer, more hardcore entry-level Aston tops its 2.0 55 TFSIe quattro 363 148 5.3 108.6 56 class. LxWxH 4465x1942x1273 Kerb weight 1630kg 2.0 45 TFSI quattro 242 155 6.0 35.3-37.2 172-182 2.0 40 TDI quattro 187 136 8.1 41.5-44.8 165-179 2.0 50 TFSIe quattro 299 152 5.5 166.0-177.0 36-38 3.0 SQ5 TDI quattro 344 155 5.1 32.8-34.4 216-224 4.0 V8 503 190-195 3.6-3.8 11.6 236 3.0 55 TFSI quattro 335 155 5.1 32.8-34.9 184-196 201 152 8.1 47.9-51.4 145-155 Q5 Sportback 5dr SUV £44,145–£72,180 DB11 2dr coupé/2dr open £152,805–£165,130 AAAAA 2.0 40 TDI AAABC 2.0 40 TDI quattro 201 153 7.6 45.6-47.9 155-163 Reduced accommodation and practicality, but still a refined and The stunning replacement for the already seductive DB9 is tyreshreddingly good. LxWxH 4739x2060x1279 Kerb weight 1875kg solid steer. LxWxH 4689x1893x1660 Kerb weight 2010-2150kg 2.0 45 TDI quattro Allroad 228 155 6.7 38.2 193 3.0 50 TDI quattro 282 155 5.5 38.7-40.4 183-191 2.0 45 TFSI quattro 4.0 V8 503 187 4.0 10.8 230 263 149 6.1 31.7-33.6 192-202 3.0 S6 TDI quattro 344 155 5.0 36.2 203-205 2.0 50 TFSIe quattro 5.2 V12 AMR 630 208 3.7 13.4 265 297 148 6.1 176.6-188.3 36-38 2.0 55 TFSIe quattro 364 148 5.3 156.9-166.2 41-42 DBS Superleggera 2dr coupé/open £231,730–£249,730 AAAAA A6 Avant 5dr estate £40,620–£112,840 AAAAC 2.0 40 TDI quattro 201 137 7.6 42.2-44.8 166-176 Effortlessly fast, intoxicating to drive: the big Aston is better than A capable and high-tech throwback that’s a timely reminder of 3.0 SQ5 TDI quattro 336 155 5.1 33.2-34.4 216-222

ever. LxWxH 4712x2146x1280 Kerb weight 1693kg 5.2 V12

715

211

3.7

what Audi does best. LxWxH 4939x1886x1467 Kerb weight 1710kg

13.5

306

2.0 45 TFSI quattro 3.0 55 TFSI quattro DBX 5dr SUV £160,230 AAAAB 4.0 RS6 quattro Doesn’t try to be the biggest, fastest SUV, and may be all the more 2.0 40 TDI appealing for it. LxWxH 5039x1998x1680 Kerb weight 2245kg 2.0 40 TDI quattro 4.0 V8 550 181 4.5 19.7 269 3.0 50 TDI quattro 3.0 S6 TDI quattro

242 335 596 201 201 282 344

155 155 174 149 150 155 155

6.2 5.3 3.6 8.3 7.8 5.7 5.1

34-36.2 31.7-34.0 22.2-22.8 45.6-49.6 44.1-46.3 38.2-39.8 35.3

177-189 189-201 281-289 150-162 159-167 187-195 209

AU D I

AAABC

A1 Sportback 5dr hatch £18,920–£31,760

A3 Saloon 4dr saloon £25,265–£51,310 AAAAC AAAAB Undercuts the case to own an A4. Upmarket interior and good to

36.2 33.6 53.3 52.3 28.5

mp

A6 4dr saloon £38,520–£79,375

ASTON MARTIN

1.0 25 TFSI 94 118 10.8 48.7-50.4 128-133 AAABC 1.0 30 TFSI 114 126 9.5 46.3-51.4 124-139 The Fiat 500’s Abarth makeover makes it a true pocket rocket.

1.5 35 TFSI 148 137 7.7 44.1-44.8 142-145 LxWxH 3657x1627x1485 Kerb weight 1070kg 2.0 40 TFSI 197 146 6.5 40.4 158 1.4 T-jet 145 143 130 7.8 38.7-39.2 162-164 1.4 T-jet 165 Turismo 162 135 7.3 37.7-38.2 161-166 A3 Sportback 5dr hatch £23,300–£50,310 AAAAC 1.4 T-jet 180 Competizione 177 140 6.9 36.7 171 All the above but with the added convenience of a usefully larger boot. LxWxH 4313x1785x1426 Kerb weight 1180kg 1.4 T-jet 180 Essesse 177 140 6.7 36.7 171 1.0 30 TFSI 114 128 9.9 48.7-52.3 124-132 695 3dr hatch/2dr open £30,650 AAABC 1.5 35 TFSI 148 137 8.2 44.8-48.7 132-142 A convincing track-day 500 with decent dynamic ability, but overly 2.0 TFSI RS3 quattro 394 155 4.1 29.7 214-216 firm ride spoils it. LxWxH 3657x1627x1485 Kerb weight 1045kg 1.6 30 TDI 114 126 10.4 61.4-68.7 111-119 1.4 T-jet 180 Rivale 177 140 6.7 36.2-36.7 171 1.5 35 TDI 148 135 8.1 56.5-61.4 119-131

2.0 Turbo Petrol 200 2.0 Turbo Petrol 280 2.2 Turbo Diesel 160 2.2 Turbo Diesel 190 2.9 BiTurbo Quadrifoglio

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LxWxH 4725x1842x1434 Kerb weight 1370kg

2.0 35 TFSI 2.0 40 TFSI B5 4dr saloon/5dr touring £95,000–£97,500 AAAAC 2.0 45 TFSI quattro Is it the best alternative to an M5? Yes, at least from a practicality 3.0 V6 TFSI RS4 Avant viewpoint. LxWxH 4956x1868x1466 Kerb weight 2015kg 2.0 30 TDI 4.4 V8 BiTurbo 599 200-205 3.5-3.7 23.5 272 2.0 35 TDI 2.0 40 TDI quattro B7 4dr saloon £121,850 AAAAC 3.0 50 TDI Allroad quattro A 7 Series with a power boost gives BMW a worthy challenger to 3.0 S4 TDI quattro

595 3dr hatch/2dr open £17,310–£28,440

Handsome and special dynamically but lacks finesse and comes as an auto only. LxWxH 4643x1860x1436 Kerb weight 1429kg

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ABARTH

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AAAAC 3.0 TFSIe quattro 449 155 4.9 100.9-113.0 57-64 4.0 S8 quattro 571 155 3.8 24.1-24.4 263-265 3.0 50 TDI quattro 282 155 5.9 38.7-40.9 180-192 2.2 Turbo Diesel 190 187 130 7.6 45.6 159 2.0 35 TFSI 148 139 8.6 40.9-46.3 140-157 3.0 50 TDI quattro LWB 282 155 5.9 38.2-40.4 182-193 2.2 Turbo Diesel 190 Q4 AWD 187 130 7.6 43.5 169-170 2.0 40 TFSI 187 155 7.3 40.9-44.8 143-187 2.2 Turbo Diesel 210 Q4 AWD 207 134 6.6 42.8 168 2.0 45 TFSI quattro 242 155 5.6 34.9-35.3 181-184 E-tron 5dr SUV £60,600–£93,500 AAAAB 2.0 Turbo 200 Q4 AWD 197 134 7.2 30.1 206-209 3.0 30 TDI 132 133 9.5 50.4-55.4 133-146 A rounded, uber-luxurious addition to the premium EV niche.

2.0 Turbo 280 Q4 AWD 276 143 5.7 30.4 208 2.0 35 TDI 148 136 8.9 50.4-55.4 133-146 LxWxH 4901x1935x1629 Kerb weight 2490kg 2.9 BiTurbo Quadrifoglio 503 197 3.8 24.6 261 2.0 40 TDI quattro 187 146 7.4 50.4-54.3 137-148 50 quattro 71kWh 308 118 6.8 190 0 3.0 S4 TDI 342 155 4.8 40.4-40.9 181-183 55 quattro 95kWh 403 124 5.4 237 0 ALPINA S quattro 95kWh 503 130 4.5 223 0 B3 4dr saloon/5dr touring £66,665–£68,165 AAAAA A4 Avant 5dr estate £32,235–£83,170 AAAAC Buchloe’s take on 3 Series makes a case for being all the car you Classy and demure estate lacks the dynamic sparkle of rivals.

E-tron Sportback 5dr SUV £69,100–£95,100 AAAAB

Quite pricey, but a rounded car with plenty of rational appeal.

LxWxH 4029x1746x1418 Kerb weight 1105kg

Giulia 4dr saloon £34,995–£67,995

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Alfa’s first SUV is a solid effort. Choosing the petrol version gives it High quality and competent but leaves the dynamic finesse to its charisma. LxWxH 4687x1903x1671 Kerb weight 1604kg rivals. LxWxH 4726x1842x1427 Kerb weight 1320kg

Nomad 0dr open £38,000

CCCCC Inherently dangerous/unsafe. Tragically,

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Stelvio 5dr SUV £41,255–£73,995 Between the various figures produced on the old-style NEDC, transitional NEDC Correlated and new-style WLTP laboratory emissions and fuel economy tests, it has become tricky to compare manufacturers’ claimed efficiency on the latest new cars. When you see a fuel economy and CO2 figure reference elsewhere, it’s often without explanation.

So, to provide as fair and clear a basis for comparison as possible, you’ll only ever read WLTP combined fuel economy and CO2 figures in Autocar’s first drive reviews, features and comparison tests – and on these data pages.

Those are the aggregated results of four lab tests carried out across as many different cruising speed ranges – although they’re sometimes expressed as a range rather than as one specific figure to show the different results recorded by the heaviest and lightest available examples of the car in question (depending on optional equipment).

In road tests, you’ll also see our own independently produced real-world fuel economy test results for comparison with the lab test claims. We produce an average, track and touring figure for each car we test, as often as possible on a brim-to-brim test basis.

While ‘average’ represents the overall economy returned by a new car over a full road test and ‘track’ is relevant only to intensive performance testing (the length and conditions of which can vary slightly), ‘touring’ gives the best guide of the kind of economy you might see from a car at a steady 70mph motorway cruise.

We do real-world efficiency and range testing on electric cars, too, expressing the former in terms of miles per kilowatt hour, as manufacturers do increasingly widely by convention.

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drive. LxWxH 4458x1796x1416 Kerb weight 1240kg 1.0 30 TFSI 1.5 35 TFSI 2.0 TFSI RS3 quattro 1.6 30 TDI 1.5 35 TDI

114 148 394 114 144

131 139 155 131 150

9.9 8.2 4.1 10.4 8.4

50.4-52.3 46.3-48.7 29.7-30.1 64.2-67.3 57.6-61.4

123-128 132-139 213-214 137-143 120-127

A7 Sportback 5dr coupé £48,085–£115,990

AAABC

Easy on the eye and to live with, but let down by stolid dynamics.

LxWxH 4969x1908x1422 Kerb weight 1880kg 2.0 45 TFSI quattro 2.0 50 TFSIe quattro 3.0 55 TFSI quattro 4.0 RS7 quattro 2.0 40 TDI 2.0 40 TDI quattro 3.0 50 TDI quattro 3.0 S7 TDI quattro

242 299 335 596 201 201 282 344

155 155 155 174 152 155 155 155

6.2 6.3 5.3 3.6 8.3 7.0 5.7 5.1

A8 4dr saloon £73,330–£117,310

35.3-36.2 177-183 134.5-141.2 46-47 32.1-34.0 189-199 22.2-23.0 280-287 47.9-49.6 150-156 45.6-47.1 158-163 38.2-39.8 186-193 35.3-35.8 205-208

Unengaging to drive and light on feel, but the cabin is both huge and classy. LxWxH 5052x1968x1740 Kerb weight 2060kg 3.0 V6 55 TFSI quattro 3.0 V6 55 TFSIe quattro 4.0 SQ7 quattro 3.0 V6 45 TDI quattro 3.0 V6 50 TDI quattro

335 335

155 155

5.6 5.7

338 376 435 228 282

155 149 155 142 152

5.9 5.9 4.1 7.3 6.3

25.4-27.4 TBC 29.4-30.1 32.1-34.0 32.1-34.0

233-253 TBC 245-251 217-230 217-230

AAAAC

Q8 5dr SUV £70,800–£123,100

Striking and effective coupé-SUV range-topper leaves us wanting more. LxWxH 4986x1995x1705 Kerb weight 2145kg 3.0 V6 55 TFSI quattro 4.0 SQ8 quattro 4.0 V8 RS Q8 quattro 3.0 V6 50 TDI quattro

335 503 592 282

155 155 155 152

5.9 4.1 3.8 6.3

25.9-26.4 31.0-31.7 20.2-20.5 32.8-33.2

243-248 234-239 314-318 222-226

AAAAC

TT 2dr coupé £34,770–£66,080

Still serves up plenty of pace, style and usability for the money. It’s better to drive, too. LxWxH 4191x1966x1376 Kerb weight 1365kg

AAAAC 2.0 40 TFSI 2.0 45 TFSI 2.0 45 TFSI quattro 28.2-29.4 217-228 2.0 50 TFSI quattro TTS 28.2-29.1 219-228 2.5 TT RS quattro

Technical tour de force benefits from Audi’s knack of making very good limousines. LxWxH 5172x1945x1473 Kerb weight 1920kg 3.0 55 TFSI quattro 3.0 55 TFSI quattro LWB

AAAAC

Q7 5dr SUV £56,935–£96,880

194 242 242 302 395

155 155 155 155 155

6.6 5.8-5.9 5.2 4.5 3.7

40.4-41.5 38.7-39.2 34.9-35.8 34.9-35.3 30.7

154-158 162-167 180-184 180-183 208-210

AAAAC

TT Roadster 2dr open £34,320–£67,830

Plenty of pace and driver reward, along with prestige and designicon style. LxWxH 4191x1966x1355 Kerb weight 1455kg 2.0 40 TFSI 2.0 45 TFSI 2.0 45 TFSI quattro 2.0 50 TFSI quattro TTS 2.5 TT RS quattro

194 242 242 302 395

155 155 155 155 155

6.9 6.0-6.1 5.5 4.8 3.9

39.2-40.4 37.2-38.2 33.6-34.4 34.0-34.4 29.7-30.1

159-163 168-172 185-190 185-188 214-215

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305

170

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NA

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BENTLEY

AAAAC

Continental GT 2dr coupé £160,130–£209,230

Refined and improved in every area, making the Conti a superb grand tourer. LxWxH 4850x1966x1405 Kerb weight 2244kg 4.0 V8 6.0 W12

542 626

198 207

3.9 3.6

23.9 20.8

268 308 AAAAB

Continental GTC 2dr open £175,930–£224,630

Immensely capable and refined open-top cruiser with effortless performance. LxWxH 4850x2187x1399 Kerb weight 2414kg 4.0 V8 6.0 W12

542 626

198 207

4.0 3.7

23.3 20.2

275 336 AAAAB

Flying Spur 4dr saloon £156,130–£215,430

New from the ground up, with the looks and technology of a class winner. LxWxH 5316x1879x1483 Kerb weight 2437kg 6.0 W12

632

207

3.8

19.1

337 AAAAB

Bentayga 5dr SUV £151,830–£183,650

Crewe’s first attempt at an SUV remains ahead of most luxury rivals. LxWxH 5140x1998x1742 Kerb weight 2505kg 4.0 V8

542

171

4.5

21.7

302

0-6

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1.2 PureTech 1.2 PureTech 130 1.2 PureTech 155 1.5 BlueHDi X1 5dr SUV £29,930–£40,580 AAAAC 1.5 BlueHDi 130 Pick of the premium bunch but a tad unrefined and has ordinary ë-C4 50kWh

9.5-9.8 7.8 11.8 9.6 8.2 8.0

42.2-42.8 40.4-40.9 55.4-56.5 53.3-54.3 51.4-52.3 49.6

152 181 181 254 288 288 369 503 148 187 187 263 263 338

138 146 142 155 143 143 155 155 132 146 144 155 155 155

8.4 7.1 7.6 5.8 5.9 5.9 4.4 3.9 8.3-8.4 6.8-7.1 6.9 5.5 5.1 4.6

44.1 145-146 44.1 144-146 41.5-42.2 153-154 40.9-42.8 150-156 188.3-201.8 37-38 TBC TBC 34.9 185 28.2 229 52.6-62.8 117-129 56.5-60.1 124-131 54.3-56.5 130-136 47.1-49.6 150-156 47.1 157-158 46.3 160

420i 181 146 8.2-8.4 34.0-35.8 181-183 AAAAB 430i 248 155 6.3-6.4 32.8-35.3 183 May not drive like a traditional BMW but delivers on upmarket hatch 440i 321 155 5.4 29.7-30.4 194 values. LxWxH 4319x1799x1434 Kerb weight 1365kg M4 Competition 444 155 4.3-4.5 26.9-28.0 229 118i 138 132 8.5 46.3-47.1 130-134 420d 187 146 8.1-8.2 44.1-46.3 160 128ti 261 155 6.1 40.9 157 430d 254 155 5.9 39.2-39.8 180 M135i xDrive 302 155 4.8 36.2 177 435d xDrive 308 155 5.2 37.7-38.2 189 116d 114 TBC 10.1-10.3 60.1-62.8 119-123 118d 148 134 8.4-8.5 58.9-60.1 123-127 4 Series Gran Coupé 4dr coupé £36,660–£49,440 AAAAC 120d 187 144 7.3 55.4-57.6 129-133 Essentially a prettier 3 Series. Good, but not better than the 120d xDrive 187 TBC 7.0 52.3-53.3 139-142 regular saloon. LxWxH 4640x1825x1404 Kerb weight 1520kg 420i 181 146 7.5-7.7 34.9-37.1 172-173 2 Series 2dr coupé £27,105–£75,355 AAAAB 420i xDrive 181 144 7.8-8.1 25.8-33.2 182-183 A proper compact coupé now. Could be better equipped, though.

430i 248 155 5.9 34.4-37.2 174 LxWxH 4432x1774x1418 Kerb weight 1420kg 440i 321 155 5.1 30.7-31.7 188 218i 134 130 8.8-8.9 37.2-38.2 168-172 420d 187 146 7.4-7.6 46.3-51.4 151-152 220i 181 143 7.2 37.2-37.7 170-174 420d xDrive 187 144 7.5 43.5-46.3 160 M240i 335 155 4.6-4.8 32.5 197 430d 254 155 5.6 40.9-41.5 174 430d xDrive 254 155 5.3 38.2-39.2 185 M2 Competition 404 155 4.2-4.4 28.5 225 435d xDrive 308 155 4.8 39.2-39.8 183 M2 CS 448 174 4.0 28.5 226

1 Series 5dr hatch £25,360–£37,685

115 124 109

11.3 10.4 12.8

AAABC

51.5 47.3 62.7

141-143 150 126-128 AAACC

Interesting to look at but soft and unrewarding to drive. Electric ë-C4 is better. LxWxH 4355x1800x1525 Kerb weight 1247kg

handling. LxWxH 4439x1821x1598 Kerb weight 1395kg sDrive18i sDrive20i xDrive20i xDrive25e sDrive18d xDrive18d xDrive20d

138 189 189 218 148 148 187

127 138 TBC 120 126 126 136

9.7 7.4 7.7 6.9 9.3-9.4 9.3-9.4 7.8

42.8 149-150 40.9 156-157 38.2-38.7 166-167 134.5-148.7 50-51 55.4 133-134 50.4-51.4 145-146 49.6 148-149

99 128 153 108 129 134

TBC TBC TBC TBC TBC 93

TBC TBC TBC TBC TBC 9.7

TBC 54.7 TBC TBC 64.9 227

Grand C4 Spacetourer 5dr MPV £26,225–£32,320

122 120 133 114-115 119 0 AAAAC

Alternative MPV offers something fresh, comfy, spacious and quietly upmarket. LxWxH 4602x1826x1638 Kerb weight 1297kg 1.2 PureTech 130 1.5 BlueHDi 130 2.0 BlueHDi 160

126 126 158

125-128 10.8 130 11.3 130 9.2

46.9 60.1 47.0

143-145 136-137 160-161

C5 Aircross 5dr SUV £24,350–£35,850 AAABC AAAAC Smooth-riding SUV has an easy-going nature, but not the most

X2 5dr SUV £30,910–£46,775

dynamic. LxWxH 4500x1859x1670 Kerb weight 1530kg Proves crossovers aren’t always worse than the hatchbacks on which they’re based. LxWxH 4360x1824x1526 Kerb weight 1460kg 1.2 PureTech 130 129 117 10.5 44.2 1.6 PureTech 225 PHEV 1.5 BlueHDI 130 2.0 BlueHDI 180

223 129 174

140 117 131

TBC 10.4 9.4

184.0 57.3 47.3

149-151 50 138-139 163-165

AAAAB

Berlingo 5dr MPV £21,875–£28,880

Boxy, slightly quirky and immensely practical van-based car returns to top form. LxWxH 4403x1921x1849 Kerb weight 1398kg 1.2 PureTech 110 1.5 BlueHDI 100 1.5 BlueHDI 130

108 101 128

109 109 116

11.5 12.3 10.3

42.0-43.5 154-160 55.6 141-148 54.2 144-149

CUPRA

AAABC

Leon 5dr hatch £34,495–£36,225

PHEV powertrain is effective but makes for a confused take on the hot hatch formula. LxWxH 4398x1799x1467 Kerb weight 1596kg 1.4 eHybrid

241

140

6.7

TBC

TBC AAABC

Leon Estate 5dr hatch £34,495–£36,225

More practical version of the most potent Leon blows as hot and cold as the hatch. LxWxH 4657x1799x1463 Kerb weight TBC 1.4 eHybrid

241

140

7

TBC

TBC AAABC

Ateca 5dr hatch £39,050

First model from Seat’s stand-alone performance brand has decent pace and precision. LxWxH 4376x1841x1615 Kerb weight 1615kg 2.0 TSI 300

296

153

5.2

32.5

197 AAAAC

Formentor 5dr SUV £27,395–£43,840

Bespoke SUV delivers a well-rounded, sure-footed and rewarding X5 5dr SUV £60,710–£113,045 AAAAC drive. LxWxH 4450x1839x1511 Kerb weight 1569kg More capable, convenient, refined and classy SUV that’s a more 1.5 TSI 150 148 127 8.9 43.5-44.8 143-148 satisfying drive. LxWxH 4922x2004x1745 Kerb weight 2110kg 2.0 TSI 310 310 155 4.9 32.8-33.2 193-194 xDrive40i xDrive45e M50i X5M Competition xDrive30d xDrive40d

335 282 523 623 261 340

155 155 155 155 130 152

5.5 5.6 4.3 3.8 6.8 5.5

27.7-28.2 227-231 188.3-235.4 31 27.3 276 22.1 304 41.5-42.2 175-179 38.7-39.2 192-196

X6 5dr SUV £62,410–£115,745

The world’s first off-road coupé, but appearances make it difficult to love. LxWxH 4909x1989x1702 Kerb weight 2065kg xDrive40i M50i X6M Competition xDrive30d xDrive40d

338 523 623 254 340

155 155 155 143 154

5.5 4.3 3.8 6.7 5.5

DACIA

28.0-28.5 23.5 22.4 42.2-42.8 38.7-39.8

225-230 272 287 172-176 187-191

AAABC

Sandero 5dr hatch £7995–£11,995

A clever budget prospect but its limitations are unavoidable, even after a facelift. LxWxH 4088x1848x1499 Kerb weight 1009kg

1.0 SCe 75 1.0 TCe AAABC 1.0 TCe Bi-Fuel

66 90 99

98 111 114

16.7 11.7 11.6

TBC TBC TBC

120 120 123 AAABC

Sandero Stepway 5dr hatch £10,995–£13,795

A more expensive and slightly more rugged cheap car – but still limited. LxWxH 4099x1848x1535 Kerb weight 1040kg 1.0 TCe 1.0 TCe 100 Bi-Fuel

88 99

107 109

12 11.9

TBC TBC

127 130-131

Logan MCV 5dr estate £10,745–£12,105 AAACC AAAAC Lacks its stablemates’ charms but retains their cheapness.

X7 5dr SUV £77,670–£95,745

BMW’s largest SUV yet crowns the line-up, but faces strong

AAAAB competition. LxWxH 5151x2000x1805 Kerb weight 2395kg Better than its 1 Series forebear but lacks truly distinguishing The perfect compromise between the comfy E-Class and dynamic xDrive40i 338 155 6.1 28.7 249-250 premium qualities. LxWxH 4432x1774x1413 Kerb weight 1440kg XF, and then some. LxWxH 4936x2126x1479 Kerb weight 1530kg M50i 523 155 4.7 22.1 290 218i 134 130 9.4-9.6 35.3-36.2 177-181 520i 181 146 7.8 44.8-45.6 142-145 xDrive40d 340 152 6.1 36.2 203-204 220i 181 143 7.7 34.9-35.8 180-184 530e 288 146 5.9 117.7-128.4 32-43 M240i 335 155 4.7-4.9 31.4 204 530e xDrive 288 146 5.9 TBC TBC i3 5dr hatch £39,690–£42,220 AAAAB M550i xDrive 528 155 3.8 25.9 247 Our favourite high-end small car happens to be an EV, and it could change motoring. LxWxH 3999x1775x1578 Kerb weight 1245kg 2 Series Gran Coupé 4dr saloon £26,780–£38,525 AAACC M5 Competition 616 155 3.3 25.4 252 Blends 1 Series platform with rakish looks, but lacks the coupé’s 520d 187 147 7.5 57.6-58.9 126-129 120Ah 167 93 7.3 181 0 driver appeal. LxWxH 4526x1800x1420 Kerb weight 1350kg 520d xDrive 187 144 7.6 54.3-55.4 132-135 120Ah S 180 99 6.9 175 0 218i 138 134 8.7 46.3-47.1 136-138 530d xDrive 261 155 5.4 51.4-52.3 143-145 M235i xDrive 302 155 4.9 37.2 172 iX3 5dr SUV £58,850–£61,850 AAAAC 218d 148 138 8.6 58.9-60.1 123-125 5 Series Touring 5dr estate £41,845–£62,455 AAAAB All-electric SUV is brisk, agile, refined and versatile.

LxWxH 4584x1852x1640 Kerb weight 2185kg 220d 188 148 7.5 56.5-57.6 129-131 The excellent 5 Series made in more practical form. The 520d is still the best. LxWxH 4942x2126x1498 Kerb weight 1630kg 80kWh 282 112 6.8 TBC 0 2 Series Active Tourer 5dr hatch £27,040–£38,775 AAAAC 520i 181 139 8.2 40.4-42.2 152-160 BMW’s FWD hatch is a proper contender but not as practical as 540i xDrive 335 155 5.1 34.9-35.8 179-185 Z4 2dr coupé £38,745–£51,270 AAAAC some of its rivals. LxWxH 4342x1800x1555 Kerb weight 1360kg 520d 187 147 7.8 52.3-55.4 134-142 Better to drive than ever but makes a better open-top cruiser than 218i 134 127 9.3 44.1-44.8 143-145 520d xDrive 187 144 7.9 49.6-52.3 140-148 a true sports car. LxWxH 4689x1942x1293 Kerb weight 1485kg 220i 181 142 7.4 42.2 151-153 530d 261 155 5.8 47.9 154 sDrive20i 195 155 6.6 39.8-40.4 160-161 225xe 248 125 6.7 88.3-100.9 44 530d xDrive 261 155 5.6 46.3-47.9 160 sDrive30i 255 155 5.4 39.8 161-162 216d 114 121 11.1 58.9 125-126 sDrive M40i 338 155 4.6 35.8 181 218d 148 129 9.0-9.1 56.5 130-132 7 Series 4dr saloon £71,725–£90,465 AAAAC C AT E R H A M 220d 187 141 7.6 54.3 136-137 Rules on in-car entertainment and diesel sophistication; otherwise 220d xDrive 187 138 7.5 51.4 144-145 too bland. LxWxH 5098x1902x1478 Kerb weight 1755kg Seven 2dr open £26,490–£53,885 AAAAB 740i 338 155 5.5 34-35.8 180-190 The 360 is the sweet spot, giving the Seven just the right hit of 750i xDrive 527 155 4.0 26.4 243-245 performance. LxWxH 3100x1575x1090 Kerb weight 490kg 745e 283 155 5.1-5.2 104.6-141.2 46 1.6 Sigma Ti-VCT 270 135 122 5.0 NA NA 730d 261 155 6.1 49.6-51.4 144-148 1.6 Sigma Ti-VCT 310 152 127 4.9 NA NA 730d xDrive 261 155 5.8 47.1-47.9 155-158 2.0 Duratec 360 180 130 4.8 NA NA 740d xDrive 315 155 5.2 46.3-47.1 158-159 2.0 Duratec 420 210 136 3.8 NA NA 2.0 Supercharged 620S 310 145 3.4 NA NA 8 Series 2dr coupé/2dr open £74,640–£133,380 AAAAC 2.0 Supercharged 620R 310 155 2.8 NA NA

5 Series 4dr saloon £39,270–£102,325

107 127 96

C4 5dr hatchback £20,990–£34,330

AAAAB sDrive18i 138 127 9.6 42.8-43.5 148-150 Towering everyday appeal. Arguably the best all-rounder sensible sDrive20i 189 141 7.7 40.9-41.5 154-156 money can buy. LxWxH 4620x1811x1430 Kerb weight 1565kg xDrive20i 189 TBC 7.6 38.7-39.2 164-166 318i 152 137 8.7 42.2 152-153 xDrive25e 220 121 6.8 156.9 40-41 320i 181 143 7.5 42.2 152-153 M35i 302 155 4.9 34.4 187 330i 254 155 5.9 39.2-40.9 156-163 sDrive18d 148 129 9.3-9.8 55.4 132-134 330e 292 143 5.9 176.6-201.8 32-37 xDrive18d 148 128 9.2 50.4-51.4 144-146 330e xDrive 292 140 5.9 156.9-176.6 37-42 xDrive20d 185 137 7.7 49.6-50.4 147-149 M340i xDrive 371 155 4.5 33.6 191 318d 148 133 8.8 57.6-58.9 126-127 X3 5dr SUV £42,115–£80,225 AAAAC Continues where the last one left off. Dynamically good and more 320d 188 142 7.1-7.9 54.3-57.6 115-121 320d xDrive 188 142 7.4 51.4-54.3 136-143 luxurious inside. LxWxH 4708x1891x1676 Kerb weight 1750kg 181 134 8.3 35.3-35.8 179-181 330d 263 140 5.6 45.6-47.1 158-163 xDrive20i 288 130 6.1 134.5 51-54 330d xDrive 261 155 5.4 43.5-44.8 166-171 xDrive30e xDrive M40i 355 155 4.8 31.4 204 M340d xDrive 340 155 4.8 44.8 165 X3M Competition 503 155 4.1 24.8 261 4 Series 2dr coupé £40,060–£76,055 AAAAC xDrive20d 187 132 8.0 47.1-47.9 154-156 A talented GT and brilliant B-road steer that’s very well equipped. xDrive30d 261 149 5.8 45.6 161-163 LxWxH 4768x1852x1383 Kerb weight 1475kg xDrive M40d 321 155 4.9 43.5 171 420i 181 149 7.5 42.2-44.1 146-151 430i 254 155 5.8 40.4-42.2 153-159 X4 5dr SUV £45,775–£83,145 AAABC M440i xDrive 369 155 4.5 36.7 175 Downsized X6 is respectable enough if not lovable, but the X3 is a better option. LxWxH 4671x1881x1624 Kerb weight 1735kg M4 Competition 503 155 3.9 28.2 228 420d 187 143 7.1 58.9-61.4 121-126 xDrive M40i 336 155 4.9 31.7 203 420d xDrive 187 148 7.4 55.4-57.6 129-135 X4M Competiton 503 155 4.1 24.8 259 xDrive20d 187 131 8.0 47.1-47.9 161-165 4 Series Convertible 2dr open £45,785–£54,005 AAAAC xDrive30d 254 145 5.8 45.6-46.3 159-163 Previous-gen grand tourer with the ability to remove the roof has xDrive M40d 322 155 4.9 43.5 169

3 Series Touring 5dr estate £33,415–£52,375

) y e) km o m ang (g/ o n MPG/r CO 2 (

C3 Aircross 5dr hatchback £17,015–£22,145

AAAAA

127 137 119 127 138 135

real talent. LxWxH 4640x1825x1384 Kerb weight 1700kg

2 Series Convertible 2dr open £30,675–£45,385

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134 181 114 148 187 187

BMW

AAABC

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150-152 157-158 132-133 137-138 143-144 150

318i AAAAC 320i Usable but no less involving or dramatic for it. V10 is deliciously 320i xDrive brutal. LxWxH 4426x1940x1240 Kerb weight 1590kg 330i 5.2 V10 RWD 538 201 3.7 22.2 288 330e 5.2 V10 FSI quattro 567 201 3.4 21.9 294 330e xDrive 5.2 V10 Performance q’tro 610 205 3.1 21.7 295-296 M340i xDrive M3 Competition R8 Spyder 2dr open £126,015–£165,720 AAAAC 318d Taking the roof off the R8 enhances the drama tenfold.

320d LxWxH 4426x1940x1245 Kerb weight 1680kg 320d xDrive 5.2 V10 RWD 538 200 3.8 20.9 307 330d 5.2 V10 quattro 567 200 3.5 20.5 313 330d xDrive 5.2 V10 Performance q’tro 610 204 3.2 20.3 315 M340d xDrive

2.5 VVT

ph

218i 220i 216d 218d 220d 220d xDrive

R8 2dr coupé £117,325–£157,030

AAAAB

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Funky-looking C3 gets a jacked-up, rugged SUV look.

LxWxH 4155x1765x1637 Kerb weight 1088kg

Latest 3 Series has a growth spurt, but size is no obstacle for an engaging drive. LxWxH 4709x1827x1442 Kerb weight 1450kg

An F-22 Raptor for the road, only significantly better built.

LxWxH 3952x1836x1110 Kerb weight 580kg

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Brings a proper premium MPV to the table. Third-row seats aren’t adult-sized, though. LxWxH 4556x1800x1608 Kerb weight 1475kg

3 Series 4dr saloon £31,590–£74,755

Mono 0dr open £165,125

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AAAAB

2 Series Gran Tourer 5dr MPV £28,955–£39,475

BAC

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LxWxH 4501x1733x15212 Kerb weight 980kg 0.9 TCe 90 1.0 TCe 100 Bi-Fuel

89 99

109 114

11.1 11.6

47.1-47.9 131 46.2 116

Logan MCV Stepway 5dr estate £12,945–£13,745

AAABC

Given a rugged makeover but still lacks charm. Extremely practical, though. LxWxH 4528x1761x1559 Kerb weight 1090kg 0.9 TCe 90 1.0 TCe 100 Bi-Fuel

89 99

104 108

12.4 TBC

44.3 TBC

138-139 134 AAABC

Duster 5dr SUV £11,245–£20,145

A value champion. If cheap family transport is what you require, the Duster delivers. LxWxH 4341x1804x1633 Kerb weight 1147kg 1.0 TCe 90 1.3 TCe 130 1.3 TCe 150 1.0 TCe 100 Bi-Fuel 1.5 dCi 115 1.5 dCi 115 4x4

89 128 148 99 113 113

103 120 125 106 113 108

13.5 10.6 9.7 14.4 10.3 12.1

46.3 45.6 44.8 TBC 57.7 51.4

139 141 143 146 128 143

DS

AAABC

3 Crossback 5dr SUV £22,955–£38,600

First foray into compact SUVs comfortably competes with more established rivals. LxWxH 4118x1802x1534 Kerb weight 1205kg 1.2 PureTech 100 1.2 PureTech 130 1.2 PureTech 155 1.5 BlueHDI 100 50kWh E-Tense

98 128 153 98 132

112 124 129 112 93

10.9 9.2 8.2 11.4 8.7

80.4 47.1 46.6-52.0 62.7 191-206

127 141 127-143 123 0

AAABC

7 Crossback 5dr SUV £32,370–£46,550

DS’s first premium SUV certainly has the right price tag, equipment and appeal. LxWxH 4570x1895x1620 Kerb weight 1420kg

1.2 PureTech 130 129 122 10.2 42.2-46.0 143-152 1.6 PureTech 180 178 137 8.9 42.2 152 CITROEN 1.6 E-Tense 295 149 5.9 176.6-201.8 32-40 840i 335 155 5.0 33.2-33.6 193-194 C1 3dr hatch/5dr hatch £10,330–£14,300 AAABC 1.5 BlueHDi 130 TBC 121 11.7 54.1-55.3 143 M850i xDrive 523 155 3.7 24.8-25.2 255-260 Slightly cheaper than its Toyota sibling but less visually charming. 2.0 BlueHDi 180 EAT8 171 134 9.9 48.2 162-69 M8 Competition 623 155 3.2-3.3 25.2-25.4 252-254 LxWxH 3455x1615x1460 Kerb weight 855kg FERRARI 840d xDrive 316 155 4.9 40.4 183-184 1.0 VTI 72 71 99 12.6 58.9 109-110 Portofino 2dr open £166,295 AAAAC 8 Series Gran Coupé 4dr saloon £72,575–£123,880 AAAAC C3 5dr hatchback £13,995–£20,590 AAABC The entry-level Ferrari has the power, the looks and the touring

Has dynamism to spare but not quite the breadth of ability of the best sporting GTs. LxWxH 4843x1902x1341 Kerb weight 1830kg

Four-door grand tourer offers greater practicality than its two-door Funky, fresh look gives a lease of life, shame that underneath isn’t siblings. LxWxH 5072x1932x1397 Kerb weight 1800kg the same. LxWxH 3996x1749x1474 Kerb weight 976kg 840i M850i xDrive M8 Competition 840d xDrive

335 523 623 316

155 155 155 155

5.2 3.9 3.2 5.1

33.2 24.6 25.4 39.8

194 260 254 187

1.2 PureTech 82 1.2 PureTech 110 1.5 BlueHDi 100

79 107 96

107 117 115

12.8 9.3 10.6

51.3 52.3 67.0

ability. LxWxH 4586x1938x1318 Kerb weight 1664kg 3.9T V8

591

199

3.5

14.7-28.0 230-436

130-131 129-131 117-118

6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 75

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S-Max 5dr MPV £31,320–£42,985

199

3.4

The last hurrah for the pure internal combustion V8-powered mid-engined Ferrari. LxWxH 4611x1979x1206 Kerb weight 1435kg 3.9T V8 Tributo

710

211

2.9

21.9

292 AAAAB

GTC4 Lusso 2dr coupé £200,300–£240,537

Another four-wheel-drive grand tourer Ferrari that is more usable than the FF. LxWxH 4922x1980x1383 Kerb weight 1865kg 3.9T V8 6.3 V12

592 670

198 208

3.5 3.4

13.5-25.2 253-477 9.9-21.0 308-648 AAAAA

812 Superfast 2dr open £263,098

More powerful than the F12, but with better road manners making it the star of the range. LxWxH 4657x1971x1276 Kerb weight 1630kg 6.5 V12

777

211

2.9

11.2-20.0 320-572 AAAAA

SF90 Stradale 2dr coupé £400,000

Plug-in hybrid doesn’t do things conventionally. A 986bhp technical masterpiece. LxWxH 4710x1972x1186 Kerb weight 1570kg 4.0T V8

986

211

2.5

TBC

TBC

F I AT

AAABC

500 3dr hatch/2dr open £13,260–£32,995

Super-desirable, super-cute city car. Pleasant, if not involving to drive. LxWxH 3571x1627x1488 Kerb weight 865kg 1.2 69hp 1.0 Mild Hybrid Electric 21.3kWh Electric 37.8kWh

68 69 TBC 116

99 104 TBC 116

12.9 13.8 TBC 9.0

500L 5dr MPV £18,030–£21,330

123 129 128

10.3 9.5 9.8

47.1 43.5 40.9

159-160 170-171 181 AAABC

148 188 188

122-123 10.9 129-131 9.6-9.8 128 10.6

46.3 43.5 40.4

Ecosport 5dr SUV £20,845–£22,045

160 171 184

93

103-111 13.4

500X 5dr hatch £19,460–£26,060

47.1 53.3 TBC 199

136-141 119-121 0 0

118 148

117 124

10.9 9.1

0

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(g O2

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98 118 74 83

42.2-45.6 142-153 40.9-42.2 152-153

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113-117 118 99 106

10.8-11.4 10.2 13.6 12.8

47.9-49.6 47.1 47.9 45.6-47.9

129-134 137 134 134-141

AAABC

i30 5dr hatch £20,705–£25,545

As good as we’ve come to expect from Hyundai, but not one inch better. LxWxH 4340x1795x1455 Kerb weight 1194kg 118 130 155 118

11.1 8.6 6.1 11.0-11.2

45.6 42.2-46.3 34.0 58.9-60.1

121-122 142 188 121-122

AAAAC

E-Pace 5dr SUV £30,490–£49,965

Jaguar’s second SUV looks enticing, but can it make an impact like the F-Pace’s? LxWxH 4411x1984x1649 Kerb weight 1775kg

2.0 P200 AWD 198 134 7.7 30.1 213 2.0 P250 AWD 245 143 6.6 29.8 215 1.0T Ecoboost 140 138 115 10.2 47.1 136 1.5 T-GDI 157 130 8.6 49.6-52.3 141-151 2.0 P300 AWD 295 151 5.9 28.3 226 1.5 TDCi EcoBlue 100 99 105 13.6 56.5 128 2.0 T-GDI 275 N Performance 272 155 6.1 34.0 188 1.5 P300e 305 134 6.5 TBC TBC 1.5 TDCi EcoBlue 125 123 113 10.7 53.3 139 2.0 D150 148 124 9.5 42.7 174 i30 Tourer 5dr estate £21,455–£26,295 AAABC 2.0 D150 AWD 148 120 9.9-10.1 36.5-41.8 177-188 Puma 5dr SUV £23,640–£30,415 AAAAC Another solid car. Good value and practical but lacks excitement.

2.0 D180 AWD 177 127-128 8.7-9.4 39.5-41.2 180-188 Compact crossover finally has a class leader capable of appealing LxWxH 4585x1795x1465 Kerb weight 1245kg 2.0 D240 AWD 236 139 7.0 37.1 200 to petrolheads. LxWxH 4186x1805x1554 Kerb weight 1280kg 1.0 T-GDi 120 118 117 11.4 47.9-49.6 130-139 1.0T Ecoboost 125 123 119 10.0 46.3 138 1.6 CRDi 136 134 123 10.9 56.5-57.6 126-127 F-Pace 5dr SUV £40,860–£77,595 AAAAC 1.0T Ecoboost MHEV 125 123 119 9.8 50.4 127 Credible first SUV effort is as refined and dynamic as a Jaguar 1.0T Ecoboost MHEV 155 153 124 8.9 50.4 127 Ioniq 5dr hatch £23,840–£35,950 AAABC should be. LxWxH 4731x2071x1666 Kerb weight 1690kg First attempt at electrification for the masses is a good effort.

2.0 P250 AWD 246 135 7.3 30.4 214-220 Kuga 5dr SUV £26,765–£38,425 AAAAC LxWxH 4470x1820x1450 Kerb weight 1370kg 3.0 P400 AWD 394 155 5.4 28.8 222-230 All-new version of popular SUV mixes dynamism with practicality 1.6 Hybrid 141 139 115 10.8-11.1 61.4-62.8 102 2.0 P400e AWD 398 149 5.3 TBC TBC and refinement. LxWxH 4614x1883x1678 Kerb weight 1698kg 1.6 Plug-in Hybrid 141 139 110 10.8 256.8 26 5.0 V8 SVR 550 AWD 548 178 4.0 23.1 275 1.5T Ecoboost 120 117 115 11.6 42.2 152 Electric 132 110 10.6 194 0 2.0 D165 AWD 163 121 9.9 45.4 165-171 1.5T Ecoboost 150 148 121 9.7 41.5-42.8 151 2.0 D200 AWD 197 130 8.0 45.4 165-171 2.5 Ecoboost PHEV 223 125 9.2 201.8 32 Kona 5dr hatch £21,060–£41,250 AAAAC 3.0 D300 AWD 296 143 6.4 38.1 195-202 1.5T EcoBlue 120 118 112 11.7 55.4 134 Hyundai’s first crossover is the perfect blend of practicality, value and style. LxWxH 4165x1800x1550 Kerb weight 1233kg 2.0T EcoBlue 150 MHEV 148 121 9.6 56.5 132 I-Pace 5dr SUV £64,495–£74,995 AAAAB 1.0 T-GDi 120 2WD 118 112 12.0 44.1-44.8 142-147 Fast, refined and the first of its kind from a European 2.0T EcoBlue 190 188 129 8.7 47.9 159 manufacturer. LxWxH 4682x1895x1558 Kerb weight 2133kg 1.6 T-GDi 177PS 4WD 175 127 7.9 34.0-33.6 189 Mustang Mach-E 4dr crossover £40,350–£58,080 AAAAC 1.6 GDi Hybrid 2WD 134 119 10.2 52.3 114-123 EV400 398 124 4.5 292 0 Likeable, practical high-rise EV has only a badge in common with Electric 39kWh 134 96 9.6 180 0 JEEP its coupé namesake. LxWxH 4712x1881x1597 Kerb weight 1993kg Electric 64kWh 201 104 7.6 280 0 68kWh 265 111 6.1 248 0 Compass 5dr SUV £27,100–£37,755 AAACC 68kWh AWD 265 111 5.6 273 0 Nexo 5dr SUV £69,495 AAABC Wants to be a catch-all crossover but is beaten by more road88kWh 290 111 6.2 379 0 Impressive effort that heads in the right direction for fuel cell cars. focused rivals. LxWxH 4394x2033x1629 Kerb weight 1430kg LxWxH 4670x2060x1640 Kerb weight 1814kg 88kWh AWD 346 111 5.1 235 0 1.4 Multiair II 140 138 119 9.9 37.7 172 95kW fuel cell 161 130 9.6 42.0mpkg 0 1.4 Multiair II 170 4WD 167 124 9.5 32.5 209 Mustang 2dr coupé/open £44,185–£55,185 AAAAC 1.6d MultiJet II 120 118 115 11.0 47.9 157 American muscle built for the UK, in coupé and convertible forms. Tucson 5dr SUV £28,495–£34,455 AAABC 2.0d MultiJet II 170 4WD 167 122 9.5 38.2 191

AAACC What’s not to like? LxWxH 4784x1916x1381 Kerb weight 1653kg 5.0 V8 444 155 4.8 23.5-23.9 268-274 5.0 V8 Bullitt 453 163 4.6 23.9 270 38.7-39.8 166-170 GT 2dr coupé £420,000 AAAAC AAABC The GT is back as a race car for the road. Compelling if not perfect.

Familiar styling works rather well as a crossover. Drives okay, too.

LxWxH 4248x1796x1600 Kerb weight TBC 1.0 Firefly Turbo 120hp 1.3 Firefly Turbo 150hp

0-6

m /62

i20 5dr hatch £18,605–£22,105

1.0 T-GDi 120 118 1.5 T-GDi 157 2.0 T-GDi 275 N Performance 272 AAACC 1.6 CRDi 115 113

A costly option but has some style to fill out some of its missing substance. LxWxH TBC Kerb weight TBC 1.4 95hp

)

Facelifted version of the pumped-up Fiesta is okay, but developingworld roots show. LxWxH 4096x1765x1653 Kerb weight 1280kg i30 Fastback 4dr saloon £20,710–£30,310 AAABC 14.7-28.0 230-436 1.0T Ecoboost 100 98 105 11.9 48.7 133 Combines good looks with sensible practicalities and dynamic charm. LxWxH 4455x1795x1425 Kerb weight 1287kg 1.0T Ecoboost 125 123 111 11.0-11.6 47.1 135 AAAAA

F8 Tributo 2dr coupé/open £203,476

ph

1.0 T-GDI 100 1.0 T-GDI 120 1.2 MPI 75 1.2 MPI 84

148 188 188

Gorgeous coupé is a proper grand tourer with a focus on usability.

LxWxH 4656x1974x1301 Kerb weight 1570kg 612

p

(m

2.0 TDCi EcoBlue 150 2.0 TDCi EcoBlue 190 2.0 TDCi EcoBlue 190 AWD

2.0 TDCi EcoBlue 150 2.0 TDCi EcoBlue 190 2.0 TDCi EcoBlue 190 AWD

3.9T V8

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Combines decent performance with good practicality and running costs. LxWxH 4035x1734x1474 Kerb weight 980kg

Huge seven-seat MPV. Easy to place on the road but not cheap to buy. LxWxH 4848x1916x1747 Kerb weight 1708kg

AAAAB

p)

Better to drive and better looking than most but not quite the class leader it was. LxWxH 4976x1916x1655 Kerb weight 1645kg

Galaxy 5dr MPV £33,720–£42,985

Roma 2dr coupé £175,000

Po

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LxWxH 4808x1928x1692 Kerb weight 1912kg 3.5 V6 Ecoboost

650

216

3.0

TBC

Ranger 4dr pick-up £24,369–£47,889

Classy, roomy cabin and predictable handling. A very competitive SUV. LxWxH 4475x1850x1650 Kerb weight 1379kg

1.6 GDi 132PS 1.6 T-GDi 177PS 1.6 CRDi 115PS 1.6 CRDi 136PS 2.0 CRDi 185PS

130 175 113 134 182

113 125-126 109 114-116 125

11.5 8.9-9.2 13.7 10.6-12.0 9.5

35.3 34.9-36.2 48.7-49.6 45.6-47.1 40.9

178-180 173-185 135-137 146-153 172-180

TBC

Santa Fe 5dr SUV £39,420–£44,465 AAABC AAAAC Another big Korean SUV with lots of space for not a lot of cash.

Slick and comfy. LxWxH 4700x1880x1675 Kerb weight 1939kg Capable pick-up becomes off-road monster in Raptor spec but Panda 5dr hatch £12,025–£18,125 AAABC loses VAT incentives. LxWxH 5277x1977x1703 Kerb weight 1866kg 2.2 CRDi 200 AWD 197 127 9.4-9.5 38.7-40.4 179-191 Hasn’t kept pace with its rivals, but sells robust, practical charm 2.0 EcoBlue 130 128 106 13.5 42.8 173 JAGUAR better than most. LxWxH 3653x1643x1551 Kerb weight 940kg 2.0 EcoBlue 170 158 109 11.8 40.4-43.5 184-207 1.2 69hp 0.9 Twinair 85 1.0 Mild Hybrid

68 83 69

96-102 14.2-14.5 44.1 132 103-110 11.2-12.1 37.2 166-168 96 14.7 50.4-52.3 126-132

2.0 EcoBlue 213 3.2 Duratorq TDCI 200

210 197

106 109

10.5 10.6

30.7 201-233 32.1-36.2 221-231

XE 4dr saloon £29,635–£40,140

1.4 95 1.4 T-Jet 120 1.6 Multijet II 120

93 118 118

115 124 124

1.8 Zetec

135

125

TBC

NA

XF 4dr saloon £33,925–£44,760

AAAAB

AAABC

Renegade 5dr SUV £23,400–£36,500

Middling compact crossover with chunky looks but no obvious charm. LxWxH 4236x1805x1667 Kerb weight 1346kg 1.0 GSE T3 120 1.3 GSE T4 150 1.3 Turbo 4xe 1.3 Turbo 4xe Trailhawk

118 148 188 238

115 122 113 124

11.2 9.4 7.5 7.1

38.2 151 38.2-39.8 151 122.8-134.5 42-49 117.7-128.4 51-53 AAAAC

Wrangler 2dr/4dr SUV £41,525–£51,850

Heavy-duty off-roader goes anywhere but lacks on-road manners.

LxWxH 4223x1873x1840 Kerb weight 1827kg 2.0 GME 2.2d MultiJet II 200 4WD

265 197

110 114

7.3-7.6 9.5

25.4-26.4 248-254 28.8-30.4 243-247

KIA Tops the pile thanks to outstanding driver appeal. Poised and engaging but refined. LxWxH 4678x1850x1416 Kerb weight 1450kg Picanto 5dr hatch £10,995–£15,795 AAACC G I N E T TA 2.0 P250 246 150 6.7 34-35.5 179-187 Nice drive and cabin but now overshadowed by rivals.

Tipo 5dr hatch £17,690–£21,985 AAABC G40 Club Car 2dr coupé £35,000 (+champ pack) AAABC 2.0 P300 AWD 296 155 5.9 30.8-32.4 197-207 LxWxH 3595x1406x1485 Kerb weight 935kg A ’90s reboot that has been on a diet. Decent to drive and ample A balanced, affordable and fine-looking track-day car. Some of the 2.0 D200 198 146 7.3 54.0-57.7 128-137 1.0 MPi 65 100 13.8 49.6-50.4 117-122 interior space. LxWxH 4368x1792x1495 Kerb weight 1195kg finish isn’t quite up to snuff. LxWxH TBC Kerb weight 840kg 1.25 MPi 82 100-107 11.6-13.2 42.2-49.6 128-131

12.1 36.2-36.7 TBC 9.6 39.2 162-167 9.8-10.2 53.3 132

NA

AAAAB 1.0 T-GDi

Outstandingly broad-batted dynamically, plus a pleasant cabin.

LxWxH 4954x1880x1457 Kerb weight 1545kg

H O N DA

AAABC 2.0 P250 246 155 6.9 33.0-34.9 183-193 2.0 P300 AWD 296 155 6.1 31.2-32.8 194-204 Tipo Station Wagon 5dr estate £16,990–£22,945 AAABC Eminently likeable, with good dynamics but a limited range and 2.0 D200 198 146 7.6 52.8-56.5 131-140 Estate version is more practical, which mixes well with its driving ambitious price. LxWxH 3894x1752x1512 Kerb weight 1520kg characteristics. LxWxH 4571x1792x1514 Kerb weight 1205kg 2.0 D200 AWD 198 143 7.8 48.9-51.3 128-137 100kW 136 90 9.0 137 0 1.4 95 93 115 12.3 41.5 158 113kW 154 90 8.3 136 0 1.4 T-Jet 120 118 124 9.8 39.2 162 XF Sportbrake 5dr estate £37,735–£46,610 AAAAB 1.6 Multijet II 120 118 124 10.1-10.4 52.3 134 Jazz 5dr hatch £18,985–£23,385 AAAAC Superb XF is now available in the more practical Sportbrake form.

E 5dr hatch £30,160–£32,160

Not the most compact or vivacious but has decent handling and is cleverly packaged. LxWxH 4044x1694x1526 Kerb weight 1300kg

FO

FORD

AAAAB 1.5 i-MMD

Fiesta 3dr/5dr hatch £16,640–£26,700

109

108

9.4-9.9

62.8

It’s a win-win. LxWxH 4955x1880x1494 Kerb weight 1660kg

2.0 P250 2.0 P300 AWD 2.0 D200 AAAAC 2.0 D200 AWD

246 296 198 198

5.0 P450 AAABC 5.0 P575

444 518

102-110

150 155 143 143

7.1 6.2 7.8 8.0

32-33.7 29.9-31.2 50.7-53.7 47.0-49.1

189-199 204-213 138-146 151-157

99

112

10.1

48.7

128-129 AAABC

Rio 5dr hatch £13,645–£20,145

Looks great and is well priced, but nowhere near its European rivals. LxWxH 4065x1725x1445 Kerb weight 1155kg 1.25 MPi 1.0 T-GDi 99 1.0 T-GDi 118

82 98 116

107 115 118

12.5 10.3 9.8

45.6-46.3 132-139 48.7 132-134 44.8-47.1 139 AAAAC

Ceed 5dr hatch £19,700–£29,020

Third-generation hatchback can now compete for class honours.

LxWxH 4310x1800x1447 Kerb weight 1315kg 1.0 T-GDi 118 1.5 T-GDi 158 1.6 T-GDi 201 1.6 CRDi 134

116 156 198 132

116 128-130 142 122

10.9 8.6-8.9 7.5 10.2

47.9-50.4 43.5-46.3 38.2 57.6

122-126 129-135 153 120

1.0 T-GDi 118 1.5 T-GDi 158 1.6 CRDi 134 AAAAB 1.6 GDi PHEV

116 156 132 137

118 128-130 122 106

10.9 8.6-8.9 10.2 10.5

47.1 43.5-46.3 57.6 118.3-217.2

121-127 131 121 33

Dynamically superb and continues the Fiesta legacy. No longer the class leader, though. LxWxH 4040x1735x1476 Kerb weight 1113kg

Civic 5dr hatch £21,530–£39,995

1.1 75 1.0 Ecoboost 95 1.0 Ecoboost MHEV 125 1.0 Ecoboost MHEV 155 1.5T Ecoboost 200 ST

A fresh look while remaining practical, refined and upmarket. Lacks some dynamism. LxWxH 4518x1799x1434 Kerb weight 1275kg F-Type 2dr coupé £54,510–£97,315 AAAAB 1.0 VTEC Turbo 126 124 125-126 10.2-11.2 47.9 124-141 A full-blooded assault on Porsche’s backyard, with noise, power Ceed Sportswagon 5dr estate £20,400–£30,540 AAAAC and beauty. LxWxH 4482x1923x1311 Kerb weight 1525kg 1.5 VTEC Turbo 182 179 125-136 8.2-8.5 46.3 137 All of the above, but with cavernous, more practical load space.

LxWxH 4600x1800x1465 Kerb weight 1389kg 2.0 VTEC Turbo Type R 315 169 5.8 33.2 191-193 2.0 P300 296 155 5.7 29.9 215

73 93 123 153 197

103 105-113 126 136 144

14.5 10.6-13.8 9.4 8.9 6.5

53.3 55.4 56.5 55.4 42.8

121 116-120 96-121 104-123 149 AAAAB

Focus 5dr hatch £22,210–£33,260

HR-V 5dr SUV £20,735–£28,420

Better to drive and look at than before, and impressively good value. LxWxH 4378x1825x1471 Kerb weight 1369kg

Cleverly packaged and comfortable. Bland performance and forgettable, though. LxWxH 4294x1772x1605 Kerb weight 1241kg

1.0 Ecoboost 125 1.0 Ecoboost MHEV 125 1.0 Ecoboost MHEV 155 2.3T Ecoboost 280 ST 1.5 EcoBlue 120 2.0 EcoBlue 150 2.0 EcoBlue 190 ST

1.5 i-VTEC 130 1.5 i-VTEC Turbo 182 1.6 i-DTEC

123 123 152 276 118 148 188

124 124 129-131 155 117-122 127-130 137

10.0 10.0-10.3 9.2-9.5 5.7 10.0-10.8 8.5-9.1 7.6

55.4 55.4 55.4 34.3 62.8 60.1 50.4

116 116 116 187 119-127 125 148

128 180 120

116-119 10.2-11.4 42.2 148-153 134 7.8 47.1-47.9 151 119 10.0 54.3-56.5 132-136

Tardis-like SUV stalwart has lots of space for five and a big boot.

LxWxH 4605x1820x1685 Kerb weight 1515kg

1.5 i-VTEC 130 128 119 10.2-10.7 TBC 148-153 AAABC 1.5 i-VTEC 182 179 134 7.8 TBC 151 Almost as good to drive as the hatch, but a Skoda Octavia will 1.6 i-VDEC 182 118 134 10.0-10.5 TBC 132-136 carry more. LxWxH 4669x1825x1481 Kerb weight 1485kg 2.0 i-MMD hybrid 181 112 9.2 38.2 162 1.0T Ecoboost 125 123 123 10.3 55.4 116 1.0 Ecoboost MHEV 125 123 120-123 10.3-10.6 55.4 98-116 NSX 2dr coupé £149,975 AAAAB 1.0 Ecoboost MHEV 155 152 127-130 9.4-9.7 55.4 116 Honda’s supercar given a modern reboot, and it’s some piece of engineering. LxWxH 4487x1939x1204 Kerb weight 1725kg 2.3T Ecoboost 280 ST 276 155 5.8-6.0 35.3 183 1.5 EcoBlue 120 118 118-120 10.3-11.1 62.8 119 3.5 V6 hybrid 573 191 2.9 26.4 242 1.5 EcoBlue 150 148 127-129 8.7-9.3 60.1 125 HYU N DAI 2.0 EcoBlue 190 ST 188 137 7.7 50.4 148 i10 5dr hatch £12,820–£15,620 AAAAC Mondeo 5dr hatch/4dr saloon £25,565–£35,720 AAAAC Prioritises maturity over fun, resulting in a car that is practical and

Focus Estate 5dr estate £23,370–£34,660

Does what great Fords do, by over-delivering on practicality, handling and value. LxWxH 4871x1852x1482 Kerb weight 1455kg 2.0 TiVCT hybrid 187 2.0 TDCi EcoBlue 150 2.0 TDCi EcoBlue 190 2.0 TDCi EcoBlue 190 AWD

184 148 188 188

116 131-133 138 137

9.2 10.7-10.9 8.9 9.1

50.4 52.3-56.5 51.4 47.9-48.7

134-142 136-146 145-148 155-158

well-priced. LxWxH 3665x1660x1500 Kerb weight 933kg

1.0 MPi 1.0 T-GDI 1.2 MPi

67 99 84

97 115 106

14.6 10.5 12.6

53.3 52.3 51.4

114-120 123 124

4.6 3.7

F-Type Convertible 2dr open £59,990–£102,405

26.0-26.8 239-246 26.4 243

Costs serious money, but you get a serious car with a likeable wild side. LxWxH 4482x1923x1308 Kerb weight 1545kg

2.0 P300 5.0 P450 AAAAC 5.0 P575

CR-V 5dr SUV £30,810–£39,770

177 186

296 444 518

155 177 186

5.7 4.6 3.7

29.6 217 26.0-26.6 241-247 26.4 243

Alluring and interesting, but not quite as special to drive as it looks.

LxWxH 4605x1800x1422 Kerb weight 1405kg 1.4 T-GDi 138 1.5 T-GDi 158 1.6 T-GDi 201 1.6 CRDi 134

136 156 198 132

127-130 128-130 140 124

8.8-9.1 8.6-8.9 7.2 9.8-10.0

42.8-45.6 43.5-46.3 39.3 54.3-56.5

141-146 131-136 163 131

AAABC

Xceed 5dr hatch £21,050–£34,905

Crossover-styled hatch that drives well, but lacks practicality and polish. LxWxH 4395x1826x1483 Kerb weight 1332kg 1.0 T-GDi 118 1.4 T-GDi 138 1.5 T-GDi 158 1.5 CRDi 134 1.6 GDi PHEV

116 136 156 132 137

115 124 TBC 122 99

10.9 9.1 TBC 10.2 10.6

45.6 42.8 TBC 53.3 TBC

140-146 150-151 142-143 133 TBC AAAAC

Soul EV 5dr hatch £37,545

Electric-only hatch with looks that divide opinion, but competitive range. LxWxH 4220x1825x1605 Kerb weight 1757kg 64kWh

201

104

7.6

280

0 AAABC

Stinger 4dr saloon £41,145

Sleek coupé-shaped saloon has the appeal and dynamics to rival Europe’s best. LxWxH 4830x1870x1400 Kerb weight 1717kg 3.3 V6 T-GDi

76 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 6 OCTOBER 2021

AAABC

Proceed 5dr hatch £24,335–£29,835

360

168

4.7

27.7

233

N E W CAR PR I CES Po

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Niro 5dr SUV £25,150–£39,395

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Refined and dynamically satisfying in a saloon bodystyle.

LxWxH 4460x1795x1440 Kerb weight 1405kg

1.6 GDi Hybrid 1.6 GDi Hybrid PHEV 39kWh e-Niro 64kWh e-Niro

2.0 e-Skyactiv-X 186

101 107 96 104

11.1 10.4 9.5 7.5

TBC TBC TBC 282

110-120 TBC 0 0

Kia’s first crossover is striking and reasonably good considering the value. LxWxH 4140x1760x1520 Kerb weight 1160kg 1.0 T-GDi

116

115

9.9

46.3-47.1 137 AAABC

Sportage 5dr SUV £23,795–£33,680

Good ride, handling and usability. Looks good and is decent value.

LxWxH 4480x1855x1635 Kerb weight 1454kg 1.6 GDi 1.6 T-GDi 1.6 T-GDi AWD 1.6 CRDi 134 48V AWD

128 172 172 132

113 127 125-126 112

11.1 8.9 8.8-9.2 11.6

34.9-35.7 34.4-34.9 31.7-32.5 42.8-43.5

177-184 183-184 192-201 141-161

134

C

(g O2

) /km

8.1

TBC

AAAAC

X-Bow 0dr open £57,345–£70,717

Eccentric looks and sharp handling but expensive.

LxWxH 3738x1915x1202 Kerb weight 847kg 2.0 R 2.0 GT

290 280

143 143

3.9 4.1

NA NA

NA NA

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AAABC

A-Class Saloon 4dr saloon £26,190–£45,420

Larger, more grown-up A-Class adds premium touch to smallest Merc saloon. LxWxH 4549x1796x1446 Kerb weight 1465kg

114-117

Attractively styled but only average to drive.

AAAAB LxWxH 4805x1840x1480 Kerb weight 1465kg The country bumpkin given elocution lessons without losing its 2.0 Skyactiv-G 143 128 10.0 TBC 155 rugged capabilities. LxWxH 4956x2073x1888 Kerb weight 2115kg 2.0 Skyactiv-G 163 133 9.4 TBC 155 2.0 P300 296 125 7.3 24.9-25.1 254-256 2.0 Skyactiv-G GT 191 139 8.1 TBC 172 3.0 P360 355 130 6.5 26.0-26.4 241-245 3.0 D250 246 120 8.1 33.4-33.7 220-222 CX-30 5dr SUV £22,930–£30,490 AAAAC 3.0 D300 296 130 6.8 33.2-33.5 221-223 Dynamic qualities, a classy interior and a handsome look set it

Discovery 5dr SUV £53,090–£68,050

apart from rivals. LxWxH 4395x1795x1540 Kerb weight 1334kg AAAAC LEXUS Kia moves upmarket with a smart, well-priced and nicely appointed 2.0 e-Skyactiv-G 120 116 10.6 TBC 134 seven-seater. LxWxH 4780x1890x1685 Kerb weight 1932kg CT 5dr hatch £26,275–£33,275 AAAAC 2.0 e-Skyactiv-X 186 183 127 8.3 TBC 127 1.6 T-GDi HEV 223 119 8.7 38.2-40.9 158-168 Hybrid-only hatch has a poky cabin and mismatched character traits. LxWxH 4350x1765x1445 Kerb weight 1465kg 2.2 CRDi 197 127 9.1 42.2 176 CX-5 5dr SUV £27,230–£37,185 AAAAC 1.8 VVT-i CT200h 134 112 10.3 53.2-54.3 118-119 Offers powerful diesel engines and strong performance, plus a KTM welcoming interior. LxWxH 4550x1840x1675 Kerb weight 1575kg

Sorento 5dr SUV £38,845–£48,895

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1.3 A180 134 134 8.9 42.8-48.7 133-137 1.3 A200 161 143 8.3 48.7 133-137 6 4dr saloon £24,975–£32,355 AAABC 2.0 A250 221 155 6.3 42.2 154-156 A compelling mix of size, economy and performance. Interior is a 2.0 A250e 215 149 6.7 256.8 25 let-down. LxWxH 4870x1840x1450 Kerb weight 1465kg 2.0 AMG A35 4Matic 302 155 4.8 32.9-36.7 177-187 1.5 A180d 114 128 10.2 56.5-64.2 126-129 2.0 Skyactiv-G 143 129 9.9 TBC 152 2.0 A200d 148 141 8.2 58.9 127-131 2.0 Skyactiv-G 163 134 9.4 TBC 152 2.0 Skyactiv-G GT 191 142 8.1 TBC 167 CLA Coupé 4dr saloon £31,690–£59,110 AAAAC 6 Tourer 5dr estate £25,975–£33,685 AAABC May use A-Class underpinnings, but engineered to be much

AAABC

Stonic 5dr SUV £18,445–£22,505

183

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AAAAC

3 saloon 4dr saloon £24,800–£28,900

Kia’s first full hybrid is a solid attempt but lacks the refinement of better rivals. LxWxH 4355x1805x1545 Kerb weight 1500kg 137 137 132 198

e ng

AAABC 2.0 165

ES 4dr saloon £35,210–£45,690

Gatecrashes the German-controlled saloon market in a way the GS 2.5 194 could never manage. LxWxH 4975x1865x1445 Kerb weight 1680kg 2.2d 150 2.5 VVT-i ES300h

218

112

8.9

53.2

119 AAABC

LS 4dr saloon £76,910–£102,925

2.2d 184

162 191 148 181

125 121 127 129

10.3 9.2 9.9 9.3

TBC TBC TBC TBC

152-154 182 151-154 175 AAAAC

MX-30 5dr SUV £28,545–£32,845

Luxury saloon gets more tech and opulence but is let down by its Classy and affordable all-electric crossover marred only by its limited range. LxWxH 4395x1795x1555 Kerb weight 1645kg Huracán 2dr coupé/open £167,110–£220,847 AAAAC hybrid powertrain. LxWxH 5235x1900x1460 Kerb weight 2270kg Junior Lambo mixes usability and drama skilfully, in both coupé 3.5 V6 VVT-i LS500h 348 155 5.4 30.7-36.6 175-208 35.5kWh 143 87 9.7 124 0 and Spyder forms. LxWxH 4459x1924x1165 Kerb weight 1389kg LAMBORGHINI

sportier to drive. LxWxH 4688x1830x1444 Kerb weight 1490kg 1.3 CLA 180 1.3 CLA 200 1.3 CLA 250e 2.0 CLA 250 2.0 AMG CLA 35 4Matic 2.0 AMG CLA 45 S 4Matic+ 2.0 CLA 220d

133 161 215 222 302 415 185

134 142 149 155 155 168 152

9.0 8.2 6.8 6.3 4.9 4.0 7.1

47.9 42.8-47.9 TBC 38.7-42.2 34.9-37.2 33.2 53.3-57.7

CLA Shooting Brake 5dr estate £32,690–£60,110

138-140 138-140 TBC 154-155 177-187 200-202 132

AAABC

The most practical of the A-Class range, but it suffers for its challenging styling. LxWxH 4688x1830x1447 Kerb weight 1430kg 1.3 CLA 180 1.3 CLA 200 2.0 CLA 250 1.3 CLA 250e 2.0 AMG CLA 35 4Matic 2.0 AMG CLA 45 S 4Matic+ 2.0 CLA 220d

133 161 222 215 302 415 185

130 140 155 146 155 168 147

9.2 8.4 6.4 6.9 4.9 4.0 7.2

35.8-40.9 35.3-40.9 37.7-40.9 TBC 36.2 32.8 43.5-48.7

140-141 141-142 157-159 TBC 183-191 203-205 135-136

AAABC

B-Class 5dr hatch £28,045–£38,245

A slightly odd prospect, but practical and classy nonetheless.

LxWxH 4393x1786x1557 Kerb weight 1395kg

1.3 B180 134 132 9.0 45.6 140-142 1.3 B200 159 139 8.2 46.3 140-142 5.2 V10 Evo RWD 608 202 3.3 20.5 330-335 RC 2dr coupé £40,245–£79,940 AAABC MX-5 2dr open £23,800–£29,995 AAAAA 2.0 B250 161 139 8.2 40.4 159 5.2 V10 Evo 631 201 2.9 20.3 332-338 An also-ran, but the V8 RC F packs plenty of character and handles Brilliantly packaged, priced and perfectly poised but more vibrant 1.3 B250e 215 146 6.8 TBC TBC well enough. LxWxH 4695x1840x1395 Kerb weight 1736kg than the original. LxWxH 3915x1735x1225 Kerb weight 1050kg 1.5 B180d 114 124 9.8 61.4 137-138 Aventador 2dr coupé/open £274,036–£482,412 AAAAC 5.0 V8 RC F 470 168 4.5 23.9 268 1.5 Skyactiv-G 132 129 127 8.3 44.1 142 2.0 B200d 148 136 8.3 57.7 134-144 Big, hairy V12 has astonishing visuals and performance. Handling 2.0 Skyactiv-G 184 181 136 6.5 40.4 153 2.0 B220d 187 145 7.2 56.5 136-137 could be sweeter. LxWxH 4797x2030x1136 Kerb weight 1575kg LC 2dr coupé/open £80,100–£90,950 AAAAC 6.5 V12 S 730 217 2.9 15.4 499 Superb-looking coupé shows flickers of what made the LFA great. MX-5 RF 2dr open £24,050–£30,155 AAAAA C-Class 4dr saloon £34,670–£80,017 AAAAC LxWxH 4770x1920x1345 Kerb weight 1935kg 6.5 V12 SVJ 759 217 2.8 15.8 486 Remains perfectly poised and vibrant, even with a folding metal Merc ramps up the richness, but the engines and dynamics aren’t roof. LxWxH 3915x1735x1230 Kerb weight 1090kg refined enough. LxWxH 4686x1810x1442 Kerb weight 1450kg 5.0 V8 LC500 457 168 4.7 34.8 184 Urus 5dr SUV £174,641 AAAAC 3.5 V6 LC500h 354 155 5.0 24.3 262 1.5 Skyactiv-G 132 129 126 8.6 44.1 142 1.5 C200 181 149 7.7 37.7-43.5 153-171 Lambo’s second SUV is more alluring and aims to use the V8’s 2.0 Skyactiv-G 184 181 124-126 7.9-8.7 37.7-40.4 155 2.0 C300 254 155 6.0 35.3-39.8 162-171 power better. LxWxH 5112x2016x1638 Kerb weight 2200kg NX 5dr SUV £36,070–£47,820 AAACC 2.0 C300e 315 155 5.4 TBC TBC McLAREN 4.0 V8 631 189 3.6 22.2 325 Some good ideas, but dramatically off the pace to drive.

3.0 V6 AMG C43 4Matic 385 155 4.7 28.0-29.4 221-225 LxWxH 4630x1845x1645 Kerb weight 1905kg 540C 2dr coupé £137,230 AAAAC 4.0 V8 AMG C63 S 503 180 4.0 25.5-25.9 245-247 L AN D ROVE R 2.5 VVT-i NX300h 4WD 194 112 9.2 37.1-39.7 161-173 The affordable end of McLaren’s spectrum isn’t any less enthralling 2.0 C220d 191 149 6.9 45.6-53.3 131-145 to drive. LxWxH 4530x2095x1202 Kerb weight 1449kg Defender 90 5dr SUV £43,625–£98,505 AAAAB 2.0 C300d 241 155 5.9 43.5-49.6 145-157 Breadth of capability matches that of the five-door, with even RX 5dr SUV £51,575–£63,275 AAABC 3.8 V8 533 199 3.5 23.2 276 2.0 C300de 302 155 5.6 235.4 32

more kerb appeal. LxWxH 4583x2008x1974 Kerb weight 2190kg

2.0 P300 3.0 P400 5.0 P525 3.0 D200 3.0 D250 3.0 D300

298 398 518 198 246 296

119 119 119 109 117 119

7.1 6.0 5.2 9.8 8.0 6.7

24.6 25.6 TBC 32.8 32.8 32.7

259-260 256 TBC 226 226-227 226

Low flexibility, but hybrid option makes a degree of economic sense. LxWxH 4890x1895x1690 Kerb weight 2100kg

570S 2dr coupé/open £150,905–£166,665

3.5 V6 RX450h

Blisteringly fast and exciting supercar slayer with hugely appealing Decent practicality and fantastic interior. It’s a shame that it’s only handling. LxWxH 4530x2095x1202 Kerb weight 1440kg ordinary to drive. LxWxH 4702x1810x1457 Kerb weight 1495kg

308

124

7.7

34.4

185

AAABC 3.8 V8

UX 5dr SUV £35,635–£43,900

Refreshingly different premium SUV is a credible, if not classleading, alternative. LxWxH 4495x1840x1520 Kerb weight 1620kg

2.0 250h AAAAB 2.0 250h E4 Promises, and delivers, unrivalled off-road performance with 300e 150kWh

Defender 110 5dr SUV £45,315–£101,150

181 181 201

110 110 100

8.5 8.7 7.5

50.4 47.0 TBC

126 136 TBC

on-road niceties. LxWxH 5018x2008x1967 Kerb weight 2209kg 2.0 P300 2.0 P400e 5.0 P525 3.0 D200 3.0 D250 3.0 D300

298 398 518 198 246 296

119 119 119 109 117 119

8.1 5.6 5.2 10.3 8.3 7.0

24.2 TBC TBC 32.2 32.2 32.2

263 TBC TBC 230 230 230

LOTUS

A delicate, vivid and unfettered drive; if you want a daily driver, shop elsewhere. LxWxH 3824x1719x1117 Kerb weight 830kg 217 242

204

3.1

23.2

145 151

4.2 3.8

36.7 36.2

179 177

C-Class Estate 5dr estate £37,520–£81,217

276

1.5 C200 2.0 C300 600LT 2dr coupé/open £187,730–£203,730 AAAAA 2.0 C300e Lighter, faster and more athletic than the 570S. McLaren at its very 3.0 V6 AMG C43 4Matic best. LxWxH 4604x2095x1191 Kerb weight 1356kg 4.0 V8 AMG C63 S 3.8 V8 592 204 2.9 23.2 276-277 2.0 C220d 2.0 C300d 720S 2dr coupé/open £216,905–£249,220 AAAAA 2.0 C300de

AAAAC The start of an era for McLaren and what a way to begin it is.

Elise 2dr open £41,245–£49,145 1.8 VVT-i 220 1.8 VVT-i 246

562

AAAAA

LxWxH 4543x2059x1196 Kerb weight 1419kg 4.0 V8

GT 2dr coupé £165,230

710

212

2.9

23.2

276

198 248 298 298 201

134 143 150 132 120

8.0 7.0 6.3 6.4 8.5

Range Rover Velar 5dr SUV £46,110–£71,020

31.7 201 31.6 201 31.3 203 166.2-193.5 33-38 43.8 169 AAAAC

The most car-like Landie ever doesn’t disappoint. Expensive, though. LxWxH 4804x1930x1685 Kerb weight 1829kg 2.0 P250 3.0 P400 2.0 P400e 2.0 D200 3.0 D300 MHEV

248 394 398 201 296

135 155 149 130 143

7.5 5.5 5.4 8.2 6.5

Range Rover Sport 5dr SUV £65,295–£114,915

27.8-29.2 27.3-28.0 TBC 41.6 36.1-37.2

217-229 227-230 TBC 168-178 199-205

AAAAB

Bigger and better; a cut-price Range Rover rather than a jumped-up Discovery. LxWxH 4850x2073x1780 Kerb weight 2111kg 2.0 P300 2.0 P400e PHEV 3.0 P400 5.0 V8 P525 5.0 V8 P575 SVR 3.0 D300

298 401 398 522 572 298

125 137 140 155 176 130

7.3 6.7 6.2 5.3 4.5 7.3

26.1 75.3-86.9 27.4 18.9-20.2 19.6 34.1

245 69 234 315 331 220-247

AAAAB

Range Rover 5dr SUV £83,465–£179,715

Wherever you are, the Rangie envelops you in a lavish, invincible sense of occasion. LxWxH 4999x2220x1835 Kerb weight 2249kg 3.0 P400 2.0 P400e 5.0 V8 P525 5.0 V8 P565 SVAD 3.0 D300 3.0 D350

398 399 522 562 298 348

140 137 155 155 130 140

6.3 6.8 5.4 5.4 7.4 7.1

Discovery Sport 5dr SUV £36,765–£51,630

26.1-26.7 75.7-85.1 19.7-20.0 18.9 33.0 30.5-30.9

240 75 318-322 342 228-238 240-256

2.0 P200 2.0 P250 2.0 P290 1.5 P300e 2.0 D165 2.0 D200

198 247 288 298 162 201

129 140 144 130 112 117

9.2 8.1 7.5 6.6 10.6 8.9

30.1 211 30.1 211 29.7 214 143.4-158.6 40-44 41.5 179 41.5 179

7.9 6.0 5.7 4.8 4.1 7.0 6.0 5.7

36.7-40.9 34.5-38.7 176.6 27.4-28.8 24.8-25.5 44.8-51.4 42.8-47.9 217.3

164-176 166-181 35 226-230 251-253 147-149 149-168 34

AAAAC

Outgoing two-door keeps a nice balance of style, usability and driver reward. LxWxH 4696x1810x1405 Kerb weight 1505kg

AAAAB 1.5 C200 2.0 C300 3.0 V6 AMG C43 4Matic 4.0 V8 AMG C63 S 2.0 C220d AAAAB 2.0 C300d 4Matic

181 258 385 503 192 241

149 155 155 180 149 155

7.9 6.1 4.7 3.9 7.0 6.0

37.7-42.2 35.8-39.8 28.0-29.4 25.0-25.5 46.3-52.3 42.8-48.7

155-156 161-175 221-225 250 133-145 151-164

225-230 765LT 2dr coupé £252,230 230 Longtail treatment puts a deliciously sharp edge on the 720S. LxWxH 4600x2161x1159 Kerb weight 1419kg 230 C-Class Cabriolet 2dr open £43,680–£87,430 AAAAC 4.0 V8 755 205 2.8 23.0 280 Take all the good bits about the coupé and add the ability to take the roof off. Bingo. LxWxH 4686x1810x1409 Kerb weight 1645kg Evora 2dr coupé £88,225–£95,725 AAAAC Dynamically it puts nearly everything else in the shade. Shame Senna 2dr coupé £750,000 AAAAA 1.5 C200 181 146 7.9 36.2-40.4 167-168 about the interior. LxWxH 4084x1802x1129 Kerb weight 1395kg Astounding circuit performance made superbly accessible.

2.0 C300 258 155 6.3 34.0-37.7 173-184 LxWxH 4744x2155x1229 Kerb weight 1309kg 3.5 V6 VVT-i 410 404 174-190 4.1-4.2 25.7-26.7 248 3.0 V6 AMG C43 4Matic 385 155 4.8 27.4-28.5 229-231 4.0 V8 789 208 2.8 22.7 280 4.0 V8 AMG C63 S 503 174 4.1 24.4-24.8 258 M A S E R AT I 2.0 C220d 191 145 7.5 44.8-49.6 141-153 MERCEDES-BENZ Ghibli 4dr saloon £58,220–£103,590 AAACC 2.0 C300d 242 155 6.3 42.2-47.1 153-167 Maser’s compact exec has the allure but lacks power and is poorly A-Class 5dr hatch £24,095–£57,195 AAAAC finished in places. LxWxH 4971x1945x1461 Kerb weight 1810kg A little bit of luxury in a desirable, hatchback-sized package.

CLS Coupé 4dr saloon £58,935–£78,700 AAAAC LxWxH 4419x1992x1440 Kerb weight 1445kg 2.0 Hybrid 325 158 5.7 33.2 192 Retains the sleek coupé style and has more tech – without losing 3.0 V6 345 166 5.5 25.2 254 1.3 A180 134 134 9.2 47.9 134-138 its allure. LxWxH 4996x1896x1436 Kerb weight 1935kg 3.0 V6 S 424 178 4.9 25.0 254 1.3 A200 161 140 8.2 47.9 135-145 3.0 V6 AMG CLS 53 4Matic+ 429 155 4.5 TBC 216 3.8 V8 572 203 4.3 23.0 279 2.0 A250 221 155 6.2 41.5 155-165 3.0 CLS 300d 4Matic 261 155 6.4 TBC 168 2.0 A250e 215 146 6.6 256.8 25 3.0 CLS 400d 4Matic 325 155 5.0 TBC 191 Quattroporte 4dr saloon £81,285–£126,890 AAACC 2.0 AMG A35 4Matic 302 155 4.7 33.6-35.8 184-193 Now a full-sized executive limo, with some added flair. Off the pace 2.0 AMG A45 S 4Matic+ 415 168 3.9 33.6 204-207 E-Class 4dr saloon £39,745–£99,495 AAAAC in several key areas. LxWxH 5262x1948x1481 Kerb weight 1860kg 1.5 A180d 114 126 10.0 62.8 127-130 A wee bit pricey, and less sporting than its rivals, but still comfy 3.0 V6 345 168 5.5 25.0 257 2.0 A200d 148 137 8.1 58.9 129-139 and luxurious. LxWxH 4940x1852x1452 Kerb weight 1680kg 3.0 V6 S 424 179 5.0 24.8 257 2.0 A220d 187 146 7.0 57.6 141 2.0 E200 194 149 7.4 38.2 165-166 3.8 V8 572 203 4.5 23.2 277 3.0 E450 363 155 5.0 31.7 204 2.0 E300e 315 155 5.8 188.3 41 Levante 4dr SUV £64,635–£124,940 AAACC 3.0 AMG E53 4Matic+ 429 155 4.5 30.4 212-215 Italian flair and good looks in abundance, but diesel not as 4.0 V8 AMG E63 S 4Matic+ 603 155 3.4 22.8-23.7 277 sonorous as petrols. LxWxH 5003x1968x1679 Kerb weight 2109kg 2.0 E220d 191 146 7.4 53.3 139-157 3.0 V6 339 156 6.0 22.6 283 2.0 E300d 261 155 6.3 47.9 153-167 3.0 V6 S 424 164 5.2 22.4 286 3.0 V6 E400d 325 155 5.1 42.2 176-188 3.8 V8 GTS 526 180 4.3 17.9 357 2.0 E300de 302 149 5.9 217.3 39 3.8 V8 Trofeo 572 186 4.1 17.8 359 E-Class Estate 5dr estate £41,680–£101,495 AAAAC 3.5 V6 VVT-i 350 3.5 V6 VVT-i 410 3.5 V6 VVT-i 430

345 407 428

162-170 3.8-3.9 180 3.4 180 3.2

28.2 28.7 27.7

MAZDA

AAAAC

2 5dr hatch £15,940–£20,995

AAAAB Grown up, well made and drives with charm and vigour; engines

Seven seats, at home on road and off road, plus new-found desirability. LxWxH 4599x2069x1724 Kerb weight 1732kg

146 155 155 155 174 145 155 155

C-Class Coupé 2dr coupé £40,105–£84,600

Woking’s most user-friendly car to date is still a McLaren first and Range Rover Evoque 5dr SUV £36,850–£55,580 AAAAC Exige 2dr coupé/open £61,925–£102,925 AAAAB foremost. LxWxH 4683x2095x1213 Kerb weight 1339kg Refined, luxurious baby Range Rover has matured for its second Sharp, uncompromising track car. Unforgiving on the road.

4.0 V8 612 204 3.2 23.7 270 generation. LxWxH 4371x1996x1649 Kerb weight 1891kg LxWxH 4084x1802x1129 Kerb weight 1125kg 2.0 P200 2.0 P250 2.0 P300 1.5 P300e 2.0 D200

181 258 316 385 503 192 241 302

AAAAC

aren’t brilliant. LxWxH 4060x1695x1515 Kerb weight 1141kg 1.5 Skyactiv-G 75 1.5 Skyactiv-G 90

74 88

106 12.1 49.6 110-114 9.4-12.0 49.6

121 120 AAAAC

3 5dr hatch £21,800–£28,900

Pleasing dynamism teamed with good practicality and punchy diesel engines. LxWxH 4460x1795x1435 Kerb weight 1411kg 2.0 e-Skyactiv-G 2.0 e-Skyactiv-X 186

120 183

122 134

10.4 8.1

TBC TBC

Far more practical than its rivals, but pricier and less sporty than those closest to it. LxWxH 4933x1852x1475 Kerb weight 1780kg 2.0 E200 3.0 V6 AMG E53 4Matic+ 4.0 V8 AMG E63 S 4Matic+ 2.0 E220d 3.0 E300d 3.0 V6 E400d 4Matic 2.0 E300de

197 429 603 191 242 325 302

144 155 180 142 155 155 146

7.7 4.6 3.5 7.8 6.6 5.3 6.0

31.0-35.3 29.7 22.6-23.3 50.4 40.4-46.3 40.9 188.3

173-174 216-219 282 148-161 156-159 181-192 41

124-127 118-121

6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 77

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GLE Coupé 5dr SUV £72,725–£130,250

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Morgan’s four-cylinder lifeblood model gets 21st-century underpinnings. LxWxH 3830x1500x1250 Kerb weight 1013kg

3.0 GLE 400d 4Matic 3.0 AMG GLE 53 4Matic 4.0 AMG GLE 63 S 4Matic

2.0

149 155 174

5.7 5.3 3.8

33.6 25.7 TBC

219 244 280

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AAABC

Plus Four 2dr open £62,995

May not be your idea of a desirable luxury car, but it’s certainly an effective one. LxWxH 4946x2014x1716 Kerb weight 2295kg 327 432 603

(g O2

) /km

255

149

5.1

38.8

165 AAABC

Plus Six 2dr open £82,920–£90,590

Feels like progress in lots of ways, but not yet the driver’s car it G-Class 5dr SUV £101,495–£171,645 AAABC might be. LxWxH 3890x1756x1220 Kerb weight 1075kg Massively expensive and compromised, but with character in 3.0 335 166 4.2 38.2 180 abundance. LxWxH 4866x1984x1969 Kerb weight 2550kg 3.0 GLE 400d 4Matic 4.0 V8 AMG G63 4Matic

325 578

130 137

6.4 4.5

TBC 281-282 18.6-18.8 373

NISSAN

AAAAC

Micra 5dr hatch £13,995–£20,145

Refreshed look and better handling makes it an enticing choice.

GLS 5dr SUV £75,610–£128,285 AAABC Has its flaws, though. LxWxH 3991x1743x1455 Kerb weight 1490kg E-Class Coupé 2dr coupé £45,520–£70,200 AAAAC The replacement for the massive GL can still seat seven in 1.0 IG-T 100 91 111 11.8 50.4 123-129 3008 5dr SUV £27,160–£47,210 AAAAC comfort. LxWxH 5216x2030x1823 Kerb weight 2415kg Big, laid-back four-seat tourer. Borrows looks from the ravishing 1.0 IG-T 100 98 114 10.9 50.4 126 Cleverly packaged Peugeot offers just enough SUV DNA to make S-Class Coupé. LxWxH 4846x1860x1431 Kerb weight 1685kg the difference. LxWxH 4447x2098x1624 Kerb weight 1250kg 3.0 GLS 400d 4Matic 327 148 6.3 32.8 227 1.0 DiG-T 117 115 121 9.9 47.9 133 2.0 E300 3.0 E450 4Matic 3.0 AMG E53 4Matic+ 2.0 E220d 3.0 E300d 4Matic 3.0 V6 E400d 4Matic

237 362 429 189 242 325

155 155 155 145 155 155

6.4 5.0 4.4 7.6 6.4 5.3

31.0 29.1-31.4 30.1-31.4 43.5-50.4 42.2-47.9 TBC

1.2 PureTech 130 126 117 10.5-10.8 37.2 146-149 AAAAC 1.6 PureTech 180 178 136 8.0 39.6 165-167 3 5dr hatch £12,195–£13,495 AAABC Better looks, better value and better range from this second-gen 1.6 Hybrid 223 146 5.9 157.2-222.3 29 Neatly tuned and nice sporty styling. Breaks the mould for budget electric hatch. LxWxH 4387x1768x1520 Kerb weight 1245kg 1.6 Hybrid4 298 149 5.9 166.2-235.1 36 superminis. LxWxH 4018x1729x1507 Kerb weight 1125kg 40kWh 147 90 7.9 168 0 1.5 BlueHDi 130 126 119 9.5 55.1 137-139 1.5 VTi-Tech 104 108 10.9 42.3 152 62kWh 214 98 6.9-7.3 239 0 5008 5dr SUV £29,585–£40,905 AAAAC AAAAC 5 SW EV 5dr estate £27,495–£29,995 AAABC Juke 5dr hatch £18,595–£25,095 AAABC Less MPV, more SUV, and shares its siblings’ good looks. Competent

E-Class Cabriolet 2dr open £50,485–£73,750

180-182 201 212-215 154-155 166-167 189

Leaf 5dr hatch £29,845–£37,710

MG

Refined and sophisticated four-seater in the same mould as the S-Class Cabriolet. LxWxH 4846x1860x1429 Kerb weight 1780kg

Segment-first electric estate could be all the real-world EV you need. LxWxH 4544x1729x1509 Kerb weight 1532kg

High-riding, funky hatch is a compelling package. High CO 2 figures, though. LxWxH 4135x1765x1565 Kerb weight 1605kg

2.0 E300 3.0 E450 4Matic 3.0 AMG E53 4Matic 2.0 E220d 3.0 E300d 3.0 V6 E400d 4Matic

53kWh

1.0 DiG-T 117

237 362 429 189 242 325

155 155 155 147 155 155

6.6 5.8 4.5 7.8 6.6 5.4

30.0 28.8-30.7 29.7-30.7 42.8-48.7 40.9-46.3 TBC

189-190 208 217-219 162-163 172 193

AAAAA

S-Class 4dr saloon £78,705–£104,245

Mercedes has given the S-Class a refresh and an added boost of tech. LxWxH 5141x1905x1498 Kerb weight 1970kg 3.0 V6 S500 L 2.9 S350d 2.9 S400d

429 282 325

155 155 155

4.9 6.4 5.4

154

115

7.7

214

0 AAACC

HS 5dr SUV £20,995–£32,495

AAABC

SLC 2dr open £37,130–£54,101

112

10.4

46.3

Qashqai 5dr SUV £23,550–£30,070

1.2 PureTech 130 1.6 PureTech 180 1.5 BlueHDi 130 AAAAB 2.0 BlueHDi 180 135-142

Goes big on metal for the money but covers its budget roots with mixed success. LxWxH 4574x1876x1664 Kerb weight 1489kg

The defining modern crossover. The Mk2 is better in all areas, hence its popularity. LxWxH 4394x1806x1590 Kerb weight 1331kg

1.5 T-GDI 1.5 T-GDI PHEV

1.3 DiG-T 140 1.3 DiG-T 160

162 254

118 118

9.9 7.1

36.2-37.2 168 TBC TBC AAACC

ZS 5dr SUV £15,495–£30,995

Much improved on previous MGs, but still lacks the sophistication 32.5-34.9 184-202 of its closest rivals. LxWxH 4314x1809x1611 Kerb weight 1190kg

39.8-42.8 173-190 38.2-38.7 192-196

113

1.5 VTi-Tech 1.0T GDi 44.5kWh EV

104 109 141

109 112 87

10.9 12.4 8.5

41.5 38.6 163

155 166 0

138 156

120 10.5 123-124 8.9-9.9

42.1-45.0 143-153 42.9-43.9 146-152

155

4.7

AAAAC

GT-R 2dr coupé £86,095–£102,095

31.7-32.5 199

AMG GT 4-Door Coupé 4dr saloon £141,785–£146,785 AAAAB Four-door, four-wheel-drive GT is confusing to contemplate but impressive to drive. LxWxH 5054x1953x1447 Kerb weight 2100kg 4.0 V8 GT63 S 4Matic+

630

196

3.2

21.4-22.1 294-298

Compact SUV marks the entry point to Mercedes’ all-electric EQ range. LxWxH 4463x1834x1624 Kerb weight 2040kg 187

1.5 One 1.5 Cooper 2.0 Cooper S

101 134 175

119 129 146

10.6 8.4 6.9

49.6 130 48.7-49.6 131-132 44.1-45.6 141-146

99

8.9

TBC

0

LxWxH 3821x1727x1415 Kerb weight 1280kg 1.5 Cooper 2.0 Cooper S 2.0 John Cooper Works

134 175 227

128 143 150

8.8 7.2 6.6

46.3 42.2 39.2

138-139 151 165

10.4-10.9 8.3 10.7 9.1

46.0 39.6 57.3 47.3

150-153 168-170 139-142 164-166

P O L E S TA R

AAAAC

Limited-run sports GT delivers petrol-electric performance and Swedish styling. LxWxH 4586x2023x1352 Kerb weight 2345kg

78kWh

596

155

4.2

353.1

1.0 72

71

100

13.0

29

1.2 PureTech 75 1.2 PureTech 100 1.2 PureTech 130 50kWh e-208 1.5 BlueHDi 100

72 98 128 136 99

106 117 129 93 117

14.9 9.9 8.7 8.1 10.2

58.9 53.0 51.9 194-217 70

124 124-126 128 0 109-110

127

4.2

292

0

PORSCHE

AAAAB

Our idea of drop-top heaven. Exceptional to drive, whether cruising or hurrying. LxWxH 4379x1801x1280 Kerb weight 1335kg 2.0 2.0 T 2.5 S 4.0 GTS

290 296 339 396

170 170 177 182

4.9-5.1 4.7-5.3 4.4-4.6 4.5

32.5 32.5 29.1 25.9

198 199 229 247 AAAAA

718 Cayman 2dr coupé £46,150–£77,685

Scalpel-blade incisiveness, supreme balance and outstanding driver involvement. LxWxH 4379x1801x1295 Kerb weight 1335kg

2.0 2.0 T 58.9 110 2.5 S 4.0 GTS AAABC 4.0 GT4

LxWxH 3475x1615x1460 Kerb weight 1065kg

402

718 Boxster 2dr open £48,010–£68,245

Sibling car to the Aygo – and a distant second to most city car rivals. LxWxH 3475x1615x1460 Kerb weight 840kg

208 3dr/5dr hatch £17,575–£33,975 AAABC A big improvement for Peugeot, if not for the supermini class.

Convertible 2dr open £20,830–£29,960

AAAAC A fun open-top car but compromised on practicality and dynamics.

EQA 5dr SUV £43,495–£44,995 67kWh 190

rivals. LxWxH 3982x1727x1425 Kerb weight 1240kg

117 135 119 131

There aren’t many cheaper ways of owning an SUV. Has a better range of engines, too. LxWxH 4640x1820x1710 Kerb weight 1505kg 2 5dr hatch £49,900 AAAAC 1.3 DiG-T 160 158 123 11.5 37.8-38.5 166-173 High-rise saloon takes the EV off in a development direction all of 1.7 dCi 150 148 121 10.7 44.5-47.5 155-171 its own. LxWxH 4607x1859x1478 Kerb weight 2048kg

NOBLE 1.5 One 101 121 10.1-10.2 49.6 130 1.5 Cooper 134 130 7.8-7.9 48.7-49.6 130-132 M600 2dr coupé £248,000–£287,600 AAABC AMG GT 2dr coupé/open £108,320–£377,050 AAAAC 2.0 Cooper S 189 145-146 6.7-6.8 44.1 145 Deliciously natural and involving; a bit ergonomically flawed.

LxWxH TBC Kerb weight 1198kg Million-dollar looks and a railgun V8, but extremely firm chassis 2.0 John Cooper Works 227 152 6.1-6.3 39.8 160 affects its usability. LxWxH 4544x1939x1287 Kerb weight 1615kg 2.0 John Cooper Works GP 302 164 5.2 34 189 4.4 V8 662 225 3.0 NA NA 4.0 V8 GT 522 193-194 3.7-3.8 21.9-22.1 289-290 P E U G E O T 4.0 V8 GT R 577 198 3.6 22.1 289 5dr Hatch 5dr hatch £17,140–£24,850 AAAAB 4.0 V8 GT Black Series 718 202 3.2 TBC 292 Mini charm in a more usable package, but still not as practical as 108 3dr/5dr hatch £12,785–£15,790 AAABC

356

126 178 129 175

1 2dr coupé £140,000

AAABC 2.0 plug-in hybrid

X-Trail 5dr SUV £26,835–£34,745

MINI Another small convertible exhibiting all the charm that a Mercedes Monstrously fast Nissan has been tweaked and sharpened. Still a should. LxWxH 4143x1810x1301 Kerb weight 1435kg 3dr Hatch 3dr hatch £16,400–£35,215 AAAAB blunt object, though. LxWxH 4710x1895x1370 Kerb weight 1725kg 2.0 SLC 200 178 147-149 6.9-7.0 40.4 167 Three-pot engines and cleverly designed interior make the Mini a 3.8 V6 562 196 2.9 20.2 316 superb choice. LxWxH 3821x1727x1414 Kerb weight 1190kg 2.0 SLC 300 237 155 5.8 35.3-37.2 178

3.0 V6 AMG SLC 43

to drive, too. LxWxH 4641x1844x1640 Kerb weight 1511kg

290 296 339 396 414

170 170 177 182 188

4.9-5.1 4.9-5.3 4.4-4.6 4.5 4.4

32.8 35.5 29.1 25.9 25.7

197 198 228 247 251 AAAAB

911 2dr coupé £84,700–£158,200

Wider, eighth-generation 911 is still eminently fast, and capable at all speeds. LxWxH 4519x1852x1300 Kerb weight 1565kg

3.0 Carrera 380 182 4.0 27.4 233 3.0 Carrera 4 380 180 4.0 26.9 238 EQC 5dr SUV £65,720–£74,610 AAAAB 3.0 Carrera S 444 191 3.5 27.4 234 Brisk, tidy-handling electric SUV has everything needed to do well Clubman 5dr hatch £22,395–£36,100 AAAAC 3.0 Carrera 4S 444 190 3.4 26.9 239 on UK roads. LxWxH 4762x1884x1624 Kerb weight 2495kg Cheery and alternative Mini ‘six-door’ takes the brand into new 308 5dr hatch £21,310–£31,985 AAAAB 3.0 Targa 380 179 4.4 26.9 239 territory. LxWxH 4253x1800x1441 Kerb weight 1375kg 80kWh 400 4Matic 402 112 5.1 232-259 0 Classy all-round appeal makes it a serious contender, but rear 3.0 Targa S 444 189 3.8 26.4 244 1.5 Cooper 134 128 9.2 47.1 136-137 space is a little tight. LxWxH 4253x1804x1457 Kerb weight 1190kg 4.0 GT3 503 199 3.4 21.7-21.9 283-304 GLA 5dr SUV £31,785–£65,350 AAABC 2.0 Cooper S 175 142 7.3 42.2 152-153 1.2 PureTech 110 107 117 11.1 51.5 132 3.7 Turbo 572 199 2.8 23.5 271 Not the most practical crossover but good looking and very decent 2.0 John Cooper Works All4 302 155 4.9 38.2 169 1.2 PureTech 130 126 128-129 9.1-9.6 48.5-51.9 132-135 3.7 Turbo S 641 205 2.7 23.5 271 to drive. LxWxH 4417x1804x1494 Kerb weight 1395kg 1.6 Puretech 260 GTI 258 155 6.0 37.8 169 1.6 GLA 180 120 124 8.7-9.0 35.3-40.4 151-155 Countryman 5dr hatch £24,495–£37,650 AAABC 1.5 BlueHDi 130 126 127 9.8 62.1-62.7 120-121 911 Cabriolet 2dr open £94,500–£167,357 AAAAC 1.6 GLA 200 152 134 8.1-8.4 34.9-39.8 151-155 Bigger than before, but still more funky than useful. Still not all that Fewer compromises than ever, if rewarding only at full attack. pretty, either. LxWxH 4299x2005x1557 Kerb weight 1440kg 1.3 GLA 250e 135 137 7.1 TBC TBC 308 SW 5dr estate £22,260–£29,530 AAAAC LxWxH 4519x1852x1297 Kerb weight 1585kg 2.0 GLA 250 4Matic 204 143 6.6 32.5-35.8 172-174 1.5 Cooper 136 124 9.7 44.8 143 Estate bodystyle enjoys the classy appeal of the hatchback.

3.0 Carrera 380 180 4.2 27.2 236 2.0 GLA 200d 150 127 8.6-8.9 TBC 140-150 1.5 Cooper All4 136 122 10.3 40.9 157-158 LxWxH 4585x1563x1472 Kerb weight 1190kg 3.0 Carrera 4S 444 188 3.6 26.6 241 2.0 GLA 220d 188 136 7.3 TBC 141-149 1.5 Cooper S E All4 PHEV 217 122 6.8 156.9 41 1.2 PureTech 110 107 117 11.6 51.5 134 3.7 Turbo 572 199 2.9 23.3 275 2.0 AMG GLA 35 4Matic 302 155 5.2 TBC 186-198 2.0 Cooper S 192 140 7.5-7.6 42.2-42.8 151-152 1.2 PureTech 130 126 127 9.5-10.0 48.5-51.9 134-140 3.7 Turbo S 641 205 2.8 23.3 275 2.0 AMG GLA 45 S 4Matic+ 415 155 4.3 TBC 215-224 2.0 Cooper S All4 192 138 7.6 40.4 158-159 1.5 BlueHDi 100 99 111 12.3 54.9-63.8 115 2.0 John Cooper Works All4 302 155 5.1 37.2 174 1.5 BlueHDi 130 126 126 10.0 62.1-62.7 122-125 Panamera 4dr saloon £71,765–£140,200 AAAAA GLB 5dr SUV £36,905–£51,635 AAABC 2.0 Cooper D 150 129 9.1 56.5-57.6 129-130 Revamped big saloon is an absolute belter, making it almost the Boxy SUV mixes rough-and-tumble styling cues and seven-seat 2.0 Cooper D All4 150 127 9.0 52.3 142-143 508 4dr saloon £27,460–£40,910 AAAAC perfect grand tourer. LxWxH 5049x1937x1423 Kerb weight 1815kg versatility. LxWxH 4634x1834x1659 Kerb weight 2085kg Stylish and likeable but lacking the polish of more premium rivals. 2.9 V6 325 168 5.6 27.7 232 1.3 GLB 200 160 129 9.1 40.4 160-165 Electric 3dr hatch £28,100–£37,000 AAAAC LxWxH 4750x1859x1430 Kerb weight 1535kg 2.9 V6 4 325 167 5.3 27.2 235 2.0 AMG GLB 35 302 155 5.2 32.5 198 Won’t break records on range or usability, but has plenty of zip and 1.2 PureTech 130 126 127 8.1 49.1 129 2.9 V6 4S 434 183 4.3 27.4 234 2.0 GLB 200d 148 127 9.0 47.9 149-156 driver appeal. LxWxH 3850x1727x1414 Kerb weight 1440kg 1.6 PureTech 180 178 143 7.9 44.0 146-147 2.9 V6 4 E-Hybrid 456 174 4.4 78.5-85.6 60 2.0 GLB 220d 188 135 7.6 47.9 156-158 33kWh 180 93 7.3 144 0 1.6 PureTech 225 223 155 7.1 42.2 156 2.9 V6 4S E-Hybrid 552 185 3.7 78.5-85.6 60 1.6 Hybrid 223 155 8.3 166.0-235.0 27-38 4.0 V8 GTS 473 186 3.9 23.3 275 MITSUBISHI GLC 5dr SUV £44,530–£93,330 AAAAC 1.5 BlueHDi 130 126 126 10.0 62.0 124 4.0 V8 Turbo S 621 196 3.1 22.1 289 Not exactly exciting to drive, but does luxury and refinement Mirage 5dr hatch £10,575–£14,060 AAACC 4.0 V8 Turbo S E-Hybrid 690 196 3.2 TBC TBC better than most. LxWxH 4656x1890x1639 Kerb weight 1735kg A straightforward hatchback – but not for the likes of us.

508 SW 5dr estate £29,060–£42,760 AAACC 2.0 GLC 300 4Matic 255 149 6.2 34.4 187-198 LxWxH 3795x1665x1505 Kerb weight 845kg Bodystyle takes the edge off the 508’s style yet doesn’t fully Panamera Sport Turismo 5dr estate £76,942–£142,444 AAAAA address practicality. LxWxH 4778x1859x1420 Kerb weight 1430kg The Panamera in a more practical form, and now it’s a good-looking 3.0 V6 AMG GLC 43 4Matic 388 155 4.9 27.4 233-245 1.2 Mi-VEC 79 107 11.7-12.8 47.9-55.4 113-121 beast. LxWxH 5049x1937x1428 Kerb weight 1880kg 4.0 V8 AMG GLC 63 4Matic+ 462 155 4.0 22.2 289-291 1.2 PureTech 130 126 127 8.3 49.1 129 4.0 V8 AMG GLC 63 S 4Matic+ 502 155 3.8 22.7 294-296 ASX 5dr SUV £21,035–£26,805 AAACC 1.6 PureTech 180 178 140 8.0 44.0 149-150 2.9 V6 4 325 163 5.3 26.4 242 2.0 GLC 220d 4Matic 191 134 7.9 47.9 154-167 Decent engines, but otherwise an unexceptional crossover.

1.6 PureTech 225 223 153 7.4 42.2 158 2.9 V6 4S 434 180 4.3 26.4 242 2.0 GLC 300d 4Matic 242 144 6.5 42.8 178-179 LxWxH 4355x1770x1640 Kerb weight 1260kg 1.6 Hybrid 223 155 8.3 166.0-235.0 27-38 2.9 V6 4 E-Hybrid 456 174 4.4 78.5-85.6 60 2.0 GLC 300de 4Matic 302 143 6.2 TBC TBC 2.0 MI-VEC 2WD 148 118 10.2 37.7 171 1.5 BlueHDi 130 126 129 10.1 62.0 127 2.9 V6 4S E-Hybrid 552 182 3.7 78.5-85.6 60 2.0 MI-VEC 4WD 148 118 12.5 34.4 185 4.0 V8 GTS 473 181 3.9 22.8 280 GLC Coupé 5dr SUV £47,405–£95,155 AAAAC 2008 5dr SUV £21,030–£39,630 AAAAC 4.0 V8 Turbo S 621 196 3.1 21.7 295 A coupé-shaped SUV destined to be outrun by the X4 – unless Eclipse Cross 5dr SUV £22,545–£27,055 AAACC Compact crossover has most rivals licked, but class is still waiting 4.0 V8 Turbo S E-Hybrid 690 196 3.2 TBC TBC

you’re in an AMG. LxWxH 4732x1890x1602 Kerb weight 1785kg 2.0 GLC 300 4Matic 255 3.0 V6 AMG GLC 43 4Matic 388 4.0 V8 AMG GLC 63 4Matic+ 472 4.0 V8 AMG GLC 63 S 4Matic+ 502 2.0 GLC 220d 4Matic 191 2.0 GLC 300d 4Matic 242 2.0 GLC 300de 4Matic 302

149 155 155 155 135 145 143

6.3 4.9 4.0 3.8 7.9 6.6 6.2

32.8 27.7 22.4-23.5 22.1 44.1 40.9 TBC

195-202 232-242 285 290-291 167-173 182-184 TBC

AAAAC

GLE 5dr SUV £62,210–£120,773

The ML replacement isn’t inspiring to drive but does come with a classy interior. LxWxH 4819x2141x1796 Kerb weight 2165kg 2.9 GLE 450 4Matic 362 2.0 GLE 300d 4Matic 242 2.9 GLE 350d 4Matic 268 2.9 GLE 400d 4Matic 328 2.0 GLE 350de 4Matic 317 3.0 V6 AMG GLE 53 4Matic+ 432 4.0 V8 AMG GLE 63 S 4Matic+ 603

155 140 143 152 130 155 155

5.7 7.2 6.6 5.7 6.8 5.3 3.8

32.5 39.2 36.2 35.3 256.8 26.7 TBC

229 198-207 206-214 220 29 246-248 281

Stylish, future-looking mid-sized SUV shows where Mitsubishi’s destiny lies. LxWxH 4695x1810x1710 Kerb weight 1425kg

1.2 PureTech 100 1.2 PureTech 130 1.2 PureTech 155 Outlander 5dr SUV £29,410–£44,225 AAABC 50kWh e-2008 Creditable effort, but still cheap in places: PHEV a boon for fleet 1.5 BlueHDi 1.5 Mi-VEC 2WD

160

127

9.7

36.2-37.7 170-177

users. LxWxH 4695x1810x1710 Kerb weight 1565kg 2.0 Mi-VEC 4WD 2.0 Mi-VEC PHEV

148 200

118 106

13.3 11.0

32.5 139.7

196 46 AAACC

Shogun Sport 5dr SUV £31,880–£33,880

Has a fitness for purpose that could appeal to those who tow or haul big loads. LxWxH 4785x1815x1805 Kerb weight 2100kg 2.4 DI-DC 4WD

179

112

11.0

32.8

227

MORGAN

AAAAA

3 Wheeler 0dr open £40,846–£40,999

The eccentric, characterful and brilliant Morgan is a testament to English creativity. LxWxH 3225x1720x1000 Kerb weight 525kg 2.0 V-twin 82

78 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 6 OCTOBER 2021

for a game-changer. LxWxH 4300x1770x1550 Kerb weight 1205kg

82

115

6.0

NA

NA

98 128 153 136 98

115 122 129 93 115

10.9 8.9 8.2 8.5 11.4

52.0 50.6 46.6 TBC 62.7

125-127 132 141 0 118-120

AAAAB

Taycan 4dr saloon £83,635–£138,885

First all-electric Porsche shows the rest of the world how it should be done. LxWxH 4963x1966x1381 Kerb weight 2305kg 79kWh 4S 93kWh 4S 93kWh Turbo 93kWh Turbo S

527 563 670 751

155 155 161 161

4.0 4.0 3.2 2.8

252 287 280 256

0 0 0 0

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Macan 5dr SUV £48,965–£71,140

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Superb Estate 5dr estate £26,385–£42,780

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Swift 5dr hatch £14,999–£22,070

Spookily good handling makes this a sports utility vehicle in the purest sense. LxWxH 4692x1923x1624 Kerb weight 1770kg

Even more commendable than above, primarily thanks to its enormous boot. LxWxH 4856x1864x1477 Kerb weight 1365kg

Given mature looks, more equipment and a hybrid powertrain, but it’s no class leader. LxWxH 3840x1735x1495 Kerb weight 890kg

2.0 3.0 V6 S 3.0 GTS 3.0 V6 Turbo

1.5 TSI 150 2.0 TSI 190 2.0 TSI 280 4x4 1.4 iV PHEV 2.0 TDI 122 2.0 TDI 150 2.0 TDI 150 2.0 TDI 200 2.0 TDI 200 4x4

1.2 Dualjet 83 1.2 Dualjet 83 Allgrip 1.4 Boosterjet Sport

242 349 375 434

139 157 162 167

6.7 5.3 4.9 4.3

27.7 26.4 25.0 24.8

232 243 255 259 AAAAB

Cayenne 5dr SUV £61,380–£126,845

Refreshed look, improved engines and interior, and a better SUV overall. LxWxH 4918x1983x1696 Kerb weight 1985kg 3.0 V6 3.0 V6 E-Hybrid 2.9 V6 S 3.0 V6 GTS 4.0 V8 Turbo 4.0 V8 S E-Hybrid

335 456 428 453 533 671

152 157 164 168 177 183

6.2 5.0 5.2 4.8 3.9 3.8

24.6 60.1-72.4 23.9 21.2 20.9 52.3-58.9

259 74 268 301 305 90

132 143 155 140 124 132-135 133 145 142

9.2 7.7 5.3 7.8 11.1 8.6-8.8 9.2 7.9 7.3

40.9-45.6 141-157 39.8-40.9 162-168 33.2-34.0 188-194 148.7-188.3 33-42 56.5 131-132 54.3-56.5 132-135 53.3-57.7 129-140 49.6-51.4 140-144 47.9 157

AAAAB Skoda’s supermini platform has birthed a practical but predictable

Reinvigorated Ibiza is more mature and takes the class honours from the Fiesta. LxWxH 4059x1780x1444 Kerb weight 1091kg

1.0 MPI 80 AAAAC 1.0 TSI 95 Little different to drive than the standard car but certainly has an 1.0 TSI 115

79 93 113

106 113 121

14.6 10.9 9.3

50.4-52.3 122-128 51.4 124-125 49.6 129-130

3.0 V6 GTS 4.0 V8 Turbo 4.0 V8 S E-Hybrid

108 108 128 148 148 201 113

122 119 129 135 135 137 124

10.9 10.8 9.4 8.7 8.5 7.5 10.2

51.4-52.3 50.4-51.4 49.6-51.4 48.7 47.9 TBC 64.2-65.7

compact crossover. LxWxH 4241x1793x1553 Kerb weight 1251kg 1.0 TSI 95 1.0 TSI 115 1.5 TSI 150

93 112 148

112 120 132

11.1 9.9 8.3

82 82 138

112 106 130

13.1 13.8 9.1

TBC TBC 47.0

111 123 127 AAABC

Swace 5dr estate £27,499–£29,299

Rebadged Toyota Corolla Touring Sports serves as a useful addition to Suzuki’s line-up. LxWxH 4655x1790x1460 Kerb weight 1420kg 1.8 Hybrid

120

112

11.1

TBC

99

Vitara 5dr SUV £22,249–£27,049 AAABC AAABC Utterly worthy addition to the class drives better than most.

Kamiq 5dr SUV £18,370–£25,350

Ibiza 5dr hatch £16,445–£20,535

Cayenne Coupé 5dr SUV £66,320–£129,445

148 188 276 215 120 148 148 197 197

49.6 129 47.1-49.6 130-136 46.3-47.9 133-139

LxWxH 4175x1775x1610 Kerb weight 1075kg

1.4 Boosterjet 1.4 Boosterjet Allgrip

127 127

118 118

9.5 10.2

TBC TBC

128 140 AAABC

SX4 S-Cross 5dr SUV £21,249–£28,049

A worthy crossover if not a class leader. Refreshed looks give a appeal all of its own. LxWxH 4931x1983x1676 Kerb weight 2030kg Karoq 5dr SUV £23,200–£35,195 AAAAC lease of life. LxWxH 4300x1785x1585 Kerb weight 1160kg 3.0 V6 335 150 6.0 24.4 263 Leon 5dr hatch £20,400–£37,980 AAAAC Yeti replacement may not have its forebear’s quirkiness, but it’s 1.4 Boosterjet 127 118 9.5 TBC 127 3.0 V6 E-Hybrid 456 157 5.1 60.1-72.4 74 A creditable effort and a notable improvement in form, with plenty brilliant otherwise. LxWxH 4382x1841x1603 Kerb weight 1265kg 1.4 Boosterjet Allgrip 127 118 10.2 TBC 139 of niche appeal. LxWxH 4282x1816x1459 Kerb weight 1202kg 2.9 V6 S 428 163 5.0 23.5 271 1.0 TSI 115 113 118 10.6 43.5-45.6 141-147 453 533 671

168 178 183

4.5 3.9 3.8

21.2 302 20.9 307 52.3-58.9 90

1.0 TSI 110 1.0 eTSI 110 1.5 TSI EVO 130 1.5 TSI EVO 150 RADICAL 1.5 eTSI 150 Rapture 0dr open £110,000 AAABC 1.4 eHybrid PHEV Not as well mannered as some lightweights but spectacular in its 2.0 TDI 150

track-day element. LxWxH 4100x1790x1130 Kerb weight 765kg 2.2 Turbo

360

165

3.1

NA

NA

Leon ST 5dr estate £23,065–£37,470

123-126 124-129 124-128 133 130-132 TBC 113-115

1.5 TSI 150 20 TSI 190 4x4 2.0 TDI 150 2.0 TDI 150 4x4

148 188 148 148

126 132 127 121

8.1-8.3 7.3 9.0 8.8

42.8-44.8 33.2 50.4-52.3 42.8

143-149 191 142-148 172-174

AAAAC

Kodiaq 5dr SUV £26,630–£42,175

Skoda’s first seven-seat SUV is a viable alternative to a traditional MPV. LxWxH 4697x1882x1676 Kerb weight 1430kg

AAAAC 1.5 TSI 150 148 123 9.3 37.2-39.2 164-172 2.0 TSI 190 4x4 188 TBC TBC 32.1-32.5 196-200 2.0 TDI 150 148 123 9.8 46.3-47.9 154-161 2.0 TDI 150 4x4 148 120 9.6 44.8-47.9 155-165 2.0 TDI 200 4x4 197 131 7.8 41.5-42.5 175-178 48.7 131-132 SMART TBC TBC EQ Fortwo 3dr hatch/open £21,700–£25,270 AAACC AAAAC Pricey, EV-only two-seater has urban appeal but is short on

AAABC

Across 5dr SUV £45,599

Rebadged Toyota PHEV plunges Suzuki convincingly into several new segments. LxWxH 4635x1855x1690 Kerb weight 1915kg 2.5 PHEV

182

112

6.0

282.4

22

TESLA

AAAAB

Model S 5dr hatch £79,980–£94,980

Large range makes it not only a standout EV but also the future of luxury motoring. LxWxH 4978x1963x1445 Kerb weight 2108kg

Good-looking and responsive hatchback-turned-estate.

RXC GT 2dr open £145,000 AAABC LxWxH 4549x1816x1454 Kerb weight 1236kg Designed for pounding around a track; out of its element on the 1.5 TSI EVO 130 128 130 9.7 49.6-51.4 125-128 road. LxWxH 4300x1960x1127 Kerb weight 1125kg 1.5 TSI EVO 150 148 135 8.9 47.9-48.7 132-133

Long Range Performance

3.5 V6 400 3.5 V6 650

Lowest-price, biggest-volume Tesla yet arrives in the UK after wooing the US. LxWxH 4694x1849x1443 Kerb weight 1726kg

400 650

179 180

2.8 2.7

NA NA

NA NA

Zany solution to personal mobility is suitably irreverent and impractical. LxWxH 2338x1381x1454 Kerb weight 474kg 50

NA

62

0 AAABC

Zoe 5dr hatch £29,995–£31,495

A far more practical zero-emission solution. Attractive price, too.

LxWxH 4084x1730x1562 Kerb weight 1470kg 50kWh R110 50kWh R135

107 132

135 137

8.7 7.5

AAABC Seat’s second SUV doesn’t disappoint, with it taking charge of the

Twizy 2dr hatch £11,695–£12,395 17

148 201

Arona 5dr SUV £18,605–£24,770

R E N A U LT

MB L7e

1.5 eTSI 150 1.4 eHybrid PHEV

84 87

11.4 9.5

233 232

0 0

Electric Drive

1.0 TSI 95 1.0 TSI 115 1.5 TSI EVO 150

EQ Forfour 5dr hatch £22,295–£23,445

93 113 148

107 113 127

11.2 51.4 124 9.8-10.0 47.9-53.3 121-134 8.3 44.8-45.6 140-143

Seat’s first SUV is very good. So good, in fact, it’s a Qashqai beater.

LxWxH 4363x1841x1601 Kerb weight 1280kg

Comfortable, affordable, easy to drive and attractive, but no more Mégane Sport Tourer 5dr estate £22,995–£32,995 AAABC so than its rivals. LxWxH 3997x1732x1467 Kerb weight 1151kg Stylish and refined estate car is still bland like the hatch. Smaller 1.0 MPI 60 58 98 16.6 51.4-52.3 124-127 than its predecessor. LxWxH 4626x1814x1457 Kerb weight 1409kg 1.0 TSI 95 94 114 10.8 50.4-52.3 122-127 138 153 113

127 111 129

9.8 TBC 11.4

47.9 TBC 64.2

132-133 TBC 121

Jacked-up Clio is among the better downsized options. Stylish and fluent-riding. LxWxH 4122x1778x1566 Kerb weight 1184kg 89 138 156

104 122 107

8.7 9.2 10.1

TBC TBC TBC

Kadjar 5dr SUV £24,695–£27,695

133-134 134-135 TBC

1.3 TCe 140

138

124

9.8

45.6

143-147

155

4.6

18.5-18.6 347-348

94 108 148

118 123 137

11.0 10.1 8.2

563

53.3 119-120 51.4-53.3 120-124 50.4-51.4 125-128

113 148 201 242 242 114 148 197 197

129 143 136 139 155 131 143 154 150

10.5-10.8 8.5 7.7 7.3 6.8 10.3 8.7 7.4 6.8

Octavia Estate 5dr estate £22,210–£34,975

155

54.3-56.5 52.3-53.3 TBC TBC 40.9 68.9 64.2-67.3 56.5 51.4

115-117 121-123 TBC TBC 157 109 109-115 130 145

AAAAC

Class-leading amount of space and practicality. Comfortable, too.

LxWxH 5762x2018x1646 Kerb weight 2560kg 5.1-5.2

81

12.7

53.3-54.3 50.4-52.3 TBC TBC 40.4 67.3 62.8-65.7 55.4 50.4

118-119 123-126 TBC TBC 159 111 112-118 132 147

AAAAC

Another great Czech value option that’s big on quality and space if 18.6-18.8 341-344 not on price. LxWxH 4869x1864x1469 Kerb weight 1340kg

1.5 TSI 150 Cullinan 4dr SUV £268,230–£309,030 AAAAC 2.0 TSI 190 Big, bold new 4x4 begins the next era for the brand, with a model 2.0 TSI 280 4x4 that convinces. LxWxH 5341x2164x1835 Kerb weight 2730kg 1.4 iV PHEV 6.75 TV12 563 155 5.2 17.3-18.1 355-370 2.0 TDI 122 2.0 TDI 150 S E AT 2.0 TDI 200 Mii Electric 5dr hatch £22,800 AAABC 2.0 TDI 200 4x4

148 188 276 215 120 148 197 197

137 148 155 138 129 138 151 148

9.0-9.2 7.7 5.5 7.7 11.0 9.1 7.9 7.2

40.4-44.8 142-157 38.2-39.2 162-168 32.2-34.0 188-193 148.7-188.3 33-42 57.7-58.9 127 54.3-58.9 125-136 51.4-53.3 140-145 47.9 154

3.7 2.3

405 396

Standard Plus Long Range Performance

235 346 449

140 145 162

0 0 AAAAC

5.3 4.2 3.1

267 360 352

0 0 0

0

Model X 5dr SUV £87,890–£102,980 AAAAB AAACC A genuine luxury seven-seat electric SUV that also has a large

84

0

range. LxWxH 5036x2070x1684 Kerb weight 2459kg Long Range Performance

411 596

155 163

4.4 2.6

348 340

0 0

T OYO TA

AAABC

AAACC

Aygo 3dr hatch £12,690–£14,750

Trails the Duster as the best-value small crossover – but not by much. LxWxH 4195x1795x1590 Kerb weight 1270kg

Impactful styling does a lot to recommend it, but not as refined nor as practical as some. LxWxH 3455x1615x1460 Kerb weight 840kg

1.2 128 1.5 163

1.0 VVT-i

126 160

112 112

TBC TBC

TBC TBC

Korando 5dr SUV £20,395–£32,445

158 161-164

1.5 GDI-Turbo 1.6 D 2WD 1.6 D 4WD

160 133 133

119 112 112

12.0 12.0 12.0

71

TBC TBC TBC

13.8

56.5

114

172 159-164 178

Toyotas. LxWxH 3495x1695x1510 Kerb weight 1310kg 1.5 VVT-i Hybrid

114

109

9.7

65.7-68.9 92-98 AAAAA

GR Yaris 5dr hatch £29,995–£33,495

Focused, exhilarating all-wheel-drive hot hatch is the most exciting Toyota in ages. LxWxH 3995x1805x1455 Kerb weight 975kg

AAACC 1.6 AWD

Musso 5dr SUV £25,131–£35,031

99

Yaris 5dr hatch £19,910–£24,005 AAABC AAACC Stylish interior but ultimately a scaled-down version of bigger

Competitive towing capabilities and generous kit, but still lacks dynamics. LxWxH 4450x1870x1629 Kerb weight 1610kg

253

143

5.5

TBC

186

Practical pick-up has a refined engine and direct steering, but ride needs refinement. LxWxH 5095x1950x1840 Kerb weight 2155kg

C-HR 5dr SUV £26,885–£33,155

2.2d 181

Coupé-shaped crossover certainly turns heads and impresses on the road. LxWxH 4360x1795x1565 Kerb weight 1320kg

178

115-121 12.2

TBC

TBC

AAABC 1.8 Hybrid 2.0 Hybrid

Rexton 5dr SUV £29,995–£39,895

A vast improvement. Better on the road but without ditching its argicultural roots. LxWxH 4850x1960x1825 Kerb weight 2102kg 178

115

11.3-11.9 34.0

205-227

119 181

SUBARU

215

11.0 8.2

57.7-58.9 109-110 53.3-54.3 119 AAAAC

No-nonsense crossover doesn’t quite make enough sense.

LxWxH 4450x1780x1615 Kerb weight 1355kg 13.9 10.4 10.4

TBC 35.7 35.7

180 180 180

8.3

53.3

120-126 AAAAC

Rebranded hatch has rolling refinement, interior ambience and affable handling. LxWxH 4370x1790x1435 Kerb weight 1340kg 122 180

111 111

10.9 7.9

57.6-62.8 102-112 53.3-57.6 111-120

Corolla Touring Sports 5dr estate £25,750–£31,955

AAAAC

More practical estate bodystyle proves just as capable with hybrid power. LxWxH 4650x1790x1435 Kerb weight 1440kg

1.8 VVT-i Hybrid AAACC 2.0 VVT-i Hybrid

Forester 5dr estate £36,345–£39,335

112

Corolla 5dr hatch £24,480–£30,020

AAACC 1.8 VVT-i Hybrid 2.0 VVT-i Hybrid

XV 5dr SUV £28,335–£33,665

109 120 120

105 112

Camry 4dr saloon £31,635–£32,605

AAACC 2.5 VVT-i Hybrid

112 154 148

AAAAC

Toyota’s biggest global seller returns to UK with ULEZ-friendly hybrid power. LxWxH 4885x1840x1445 Kerb weight 1595kg

Levorg 5dr estate £34,770

1.6i AAAAC 2.0i Does comfort and practicality like no other. Good, frugal engines 2.0i e-Boxer

AAAAB LxWxH 4667x1814x1465 Kerb weight 1247kg Essentially as above, except with a detuned engine and in elegant 1.0 TSI 110 113 125 10.6-10.9 convertible form. LxWxH 5295x1947x1502 Kerb weight 2560kg 1.5 TSI 150 148 139 8.4 6.6 V12 563 155 5.0 16.8-17.4 367-380 1.4 TSI iV PHEV 201 136 7.8 1.4 TSI iV vRS PHEV 242 139 7.3 Ghost 4dr saloon £253,830–£286,230 AAAAC 2.0 TSI vRS 242 155 6.8 ‘A ffordable’ Rolls is a more driver-focused car than the Phantom.

2.0 TDI 116 114 128 10.4 Still hugely special. LxWxH 5399x1948x1550 Kerb weight 2360kg 2.0 TDI 150 148 139 8.8 6.6 V12 563 155 4.9-5.0 18.5-18.6 347-348 2.0 TDI 200 vRS 197 152 7.4 2.0 TDI 200 vRS 4x4 197 147 6.8 Phantom 4dr saloon £367,830–£439,830 AAAAA Phantom takes opulent luxury to a whole new level.

Superb 5dr hatch £25,105–£41,500

Dawn 2dr open £286,230–£345,630

6.75 TV12

50.4-52.3 121-126

too. LxWxH 4689x1829x1470 Kerb weight 1225kg

traits make it great. LxWxH 5285x1947x1507 Kerb weight 2360kg 624

10.9

79

155 162

Model 3 4dr saloon £43,490–£56,490

S S A N G YO N G

Octavia 5dr hatch £21,230–£33,745

AAABC 1.0 TSI 110 Koleos name returns and is a vast improvement on before, but no 1.5 TSI 150 class leader. LxWxH 4672x2063x1678 Kerb weight 1540kg 1.4 TSI iV PHEV 1.7 Blue dCi 150 148 118 11.8 45.6 161-162 1.4 TSI iV vRS PHEV 2.0 Blue dCi 190 188 123 10.1 40.9 181-183 2.0 TSI vRS 2.0 TDI 116 R O L L S - R OYC E 2.0 TDI 150 Wraith 2dr coupé £262,230–£301,710 AAAAB 2.0 TDI 200 vRS An intimate and involving Rolls. Not as grand as some, but other 2.0 TDI 200 vRS 4x4

Koleos 5dr SUV £28,895–£34,295

6.6 V12

115

11.6-11.9 81-84

Impressively practical but only offered with an automatic gearbox Scala 5dr hatch £17,265–£24,410 AAAAC and one trim. LxWxH 4690x1780x1490 Kerb weight 1568kg Undercuts rivals on price and ushers in a sharp new design 2.0i 148 121 11.7 32.6 196 language for Skoda. LxWxH 4362x1793x1471 Kerb weight 1381kg

1.0 TSI 95 1.0 TSI 110 AAAAC 1.5 TSI 150

Fine value, practical, decent to drive and good-looking, but the Qashqai is classier. LxWxH 4449x1836x1607 Kerb weight 1306kg

94

81

Tivoli 5dr SUV £14,345–£20,345

AAAAC 2.2d 181

Far more practical, majoring on boot space while doing what a good Skoda should. LxWxH 4262x1732x1467 Kerb weight 1182kg

AAAAC 1.0 TSI 95

Captur 5dr SUV £19,095–£31,495 1.0 TCe 90 1.3 TCe 130 1.6 E-Tech PHEV

Fabia Estate 5dr estate £15,625–£18,825

79

Four doors give the Smart more mainstream practicality. Still expensive, though. LxWxH 3495x1665x1554 Kerb weight 1200kg

AAAAB Electric Drive

Ateca 5dr SUV £23,670–£35,355

1.0 TSI 110 108 112 11.4 44.1-46.3 139-146 1.5 TSI EVO 150 148 124 8.5 42.2-43.5 149-152 Clio 5dr hatch £15,895–£22,495 AAAAC 2.0 TDI 116 114 115 10.9 54.3-55.4 135-137 Plusher, smoother and much more mature. A car of substance as 2.0 TDI 150 148 126 9.3 55.4-58.9 141-166 well as style. LxWxH 4047x1728x1440 Kerb weight 1148kg 2.0 TDI 150 4Drive 148 122 8.7 47.1-48.7 141-166 1.0 SCe 65 64 TBC TBC TBC 117 1.0 TCe 90 88 TBC TBC TBC 117 Tarraco 5dr SUV £29,140–£40,620 AAAAC 1.0 TCe 100 98 116 11.8 47.9-54.3 119 Seat’s largest SUV brings a hint of youthful exuberance to a practical category. LxWxH 4735x1839x1674 Kerb weight 1845kg 1.6 E-Tech Hybrid 138 112 9.9 65.7 96 1.5 TSI EVO 150 148 124 9.9 38.7-41.5 155-166 Mégane 5dr hatch £21,455–£36,995 AAABC 2.0 TSI 4Drive 190 188 130 8.0 31.0-31.7 201-207 Stylish and refined but bland. Trophy-R hot hatch an altogether 2.0 TDI 150 148 124 10.2 49.6-52.3 144-150 different prospect. LxWxH 4359x1814x1447 Kerb weight 1340kg 2.0 TDI 200 4Drive 197 130 7.8 41.5-42.8 172-178 1.3 TCe 140 138 127 9.5 46.3 133-136 S KO DA 1.8 RS 300 298 162-163 5.4-5.7 34.9 184 1.5 Blue dCi 115 113 118 11.1 62.8 117 Fabia 5dr hatch £14,365–£17,935 AAABC

1.3 TCe 140 1.6 E-Tech PHEV 1.5 Blue dCi 115

performance. LxWxH 2695x1663x1555 Kerb weight 1085kg

class dynamically. LxWxH 4138x1780x1543 Kerb weight 1165kg

411 596

122 180

111 111

11.1 8.1

56.5-62.8 103-113 53.3-56.5 112-121

Solid, spacious and wilfully unsexy. A capable 4x4 nonetheless.

LxWxH 4610x1795x1735 Kerb weight 1488kg

RAV4 5dr SUV £30,090–£50,895

2.0i e-Boxer

A solid option but ultimately outgunned by Korean competition.

LxWxH 4605x1845x1675 Kerb weight 1605kg

148

117

11.8

Outback 5dr estate £33,770–£36,770 Acceptable in isolation but no class leader.

LxWxH 4815x1840x1605 Kerb weight 1612kg 2.5i

172

130

10.2

34.7

185

AABCC 2.5 Hybrid 2.5 Hybrid AWD 2.5 PHEV 33.0 193

The GT86’s half-brother looks great in Subaru blue. Cheaper, too.

LxWxH 4240x1775x1320 Kerb weight 1242kg 197

140

7.6

112 112 112

8.4 8.1 6.0

50.4-51.3 126-131 47.9-48.7 131-134 TBC TBC

Land Cruiser 5dr SUV £42,345–£57,490 AAABC AAAAA A real go-anywhere vehicle. Totally rugged and available with

BRZ 2dr coupé £32,020 2.0i

194 194 302

AAACC

33.3

191

seven seats. LxWxH 4335x1885x1875 Kerb weight 2010kg 2.8 D-4D 177

201

109

12.7

29.1-31.0 239-250 AAAAC

GR Supra 2dr coupé £47,395–£54,340

Brings welcome muscle, fun and variety to the affordable sports Ignis 5dr hatch £13,289–£16,769 AAAAC car class. LxWxH 4379x1292x1854 Kerb weight 1541kg Cute and rugged-looking 4x4 city car capable of tackling roads 2.0i 250 155 5.2 TBC 167 bereft of asphalt. LxWxH 3700x1660x1595 Kerb weight 855kg 3.0i 335 155 4.3 34.5 188 SUZUKI

1.2 Dualjet 1.2 Dualjet SHVS 1.2 Dualjet SHVS 4x4

87 87 87

106 106 103

11.8 11.4 11.1

52.9 54.1 48.6

126 117 127

AAAAC

Prius 5dr hatch £24,875–£28,975

Better all round compared with its predecessors. Challenging looks, though. LxWxH 4540x1760x1470 Kerb weight 1375kg 1.8 VVT-i Hybrid

120

112

10.6

58.9-67.3 94-109

Prius Plug-in Hybrid 5dr hatch £32,645–£34,745

AAAAC

Plug-in version is clever and appealing. Seems more comfortable in its skin. LxWxH 4645x1760x1470 Kerb weight 1530kg 1.8 VVT-i Hybrid

120

101

11.1

188.3-217.3 29-35 AAAAC

Mirai 4dr saloon £66,000

Europe’s first ‘ownable’ hydrogen car, even if infrastructure isn’t quite mainstream. LxWxH 4890x1815x1535 Kerb weight 1850kg Hydrogen FCV

152

111

9.6

66.1mpkg 0

Not as desirable or plush as the e-Up but nearly as good to drive.

LxWxH 3557x1643x1474 Kerb weight 1160kg 37kWh electric

81

81

12.3

162

0

6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 79

N E W CAR PR I CES W H AT ’ S C O M I N G W H E N

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AAAAC

Passat 4dr saloon £27,085–£39,480

Lands blows on rivals with its smart looks, civilised refinement, quality and usability. LxWxH 4767x2083x1476 Kerb weight 1367kg 1.5 TSI EVO 150 1.4 TSI GTE PHEV 2.0 TDI 122 2.0 TDI 150 2.0 TDI 200

148 215 120 148 197

137 138 127 139 147

8.7 7.4 11.3 8.9 7.4

46.3-47.9 217.3 58.91 58.9-60.1 53.3

139-146 30 125 124-127 138

AAAAC

Passat Estate 5dr estate £29,340–£41,450

All the Passat’s redeeming features in spacious, practical estate form. LxWxH 4767x2083x1516 Kerb weight 1395kg 1.5 TSI EVO 150 1.4 TSI GTE PHEV 2.0 TDI 122 Corsa 5dr hatch £16,440–£33,045 AAABC 2.0 TDI 150 Refined, stylish and practical, but its engines aren’t so good.

2.0 TDI 200 VA U X H A L L

Maserati Grecale On sale early 2022, price £47,000 (est) Due to be fully detailed on 16 November, the Grecale is Maserati’s second SUV. Smaller than the Levante, it will use underpinnings from the Alfa Romeo Stelvio to take on the Porsche Macan. It is expected to offer the mild-hybridised 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo engine from its bigger brother as well as a downtuned version of the Nettuno V6 that Maserati created from scratch for the MC20 supercar. An electric version is also planned. Maserati has promised “bestin-class performance and handling” and claims that it will be “the most practical in its class, but it will also be luxurious”.

OCTOBER

Abarth 695 Esseesse, Bentley Flying Spur PHEV, BMW X3 update, X3 M update, X4 update, X4 M update, Dacia Duster update, Ferrari Portofino M, Fiat 500X Dolcevita, Genesis G70, G80, GV70, GV80, Hyundai Kona N, Lotus Evija, Mercedes-Benz EQB, EQS, Mercedes-Maybach GLS, S-Class, Morgan Plus 8 GTR, Nissan Ariya, Pininfarina Battista, Porsche 911 GT3 Touring, 911 GTS, Cayenne Turbo GT, Macan update, Rimac Nevera, Seat Arona update, Ibiza update, Tarraco PHEV, Skoda Enyaq iV 80x Sportline, Tesla Model S Plaid, Volkswagen Golf R Estate, Tiguan Allspace update

CX-T is limited-run sporty rally raider N OV E M B E R

Audi RS3 Saloon, RS3 Sportback, BMW 4 Series Gran Coupé, i4, iX xDrive50, M4 Cabriolet, Chevrolet Corvette, Citroën ë-Berlingo, DS 4, 4 Cross, 9, 9 PHEV, Ferrari 812 Competizione, 812 Competizione Aperta, 812 GTO, Ford Mustang Mach-E GT, Ranger Raptor Special Edition, Jeep Compass PHEV, Maserati Levante update, Levante Hybrid, Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S 4dr Coupé PHEV, S63, SL, Morgan Plus Four CX-T, Peugeot 308, 308 SW, Rifter EV, Porsche 911 Carrera T, Rolls-Royce Ghost Black Badge, Skoda Kodiaq update, Ssangyong Korando e-Motion, Toyota GR 86, Vauxhall Combo-e Life, Grandland update, Volkswagen ID 4 GTX, Polo update, Polo GTI update DECEMBER

Alfa Romeo Giulia update, Stelvio update, Honda HR-V, Jeep Wrangler PHEV, Kia Sportage, Lexus NX, NX PHEV, McLaren Artura, Mercedes-AMG One, S63e PHEV, MG E-Motion, supermini EV, Nissan X-Trail, Porsche Taycan GTS, Renault Kadjar, Skoda Fabia, Vauxhall Astra, Astra PHEV, Astra Sports Tourer

All dates are approximate and subject to change

E A R LY 2 022

Alfa Romeo Tonale, Audi Q6 E-tron, Q9, BMW 2 Series Coupé, iX1, M2 Coupé, X1, Citroën Ami, C5X, Cupra Born, Dacia Jogger, Ferrari 296 GTB, 296 GTS, Ford Fiesta update, Focus update, Genesis G70 EV, G70 Shooting Brake, G80 EV, G90, GV60, GMA T50, Honda Civic Type R, Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, Ineos Grenadier, Kia EV6, Lamborghini Countach, Urus update, Urus PHEV, Land Rover Defender 130, Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, Lexus EV, Lotus Emira, Maserati Granturismo, Grecale, Mazda CX-5 update, Mercedes-AMG C53, C63e, EQS 53, Mercedes-Benz EQE, EQT, T-Class, Ora Cat, Renault Mégane E-Tech Electric, Subaru Solterra, Tesla Model Y, Toyota Aygo X, bZ4x, Vauxhall Astra-e, Volkswagen Golf R Estate, ID 5, ID 5 GTX, Taigo, Wells Vertige, Wey Coffee 01

LxWxH 4060x1765x1433 Kerb weight 1141kg 1.2 75 1.2 100 1.5 Turbo D 102 50kWh E

72 97 98 132

108 121 117 93

13.2 9.9 10.2 8.1

53.3 48.7-52.3 70.0 209

Astra 5dr hatch £18,890–£26,430

125 126-134 109-110 0

8.9 7.6 11.5 9.1 7.6

44.8-45.6 201.8 57.6 56.5-57.6 52.3

144-151 33 129 128-132 143

1.2 Turbo 110 1.2 Turbo 130 1.2 Turbo 145 1.4 Turbo 145 1.5 Turbo D 105 1.5 Turbo D 122

108 128 143 143 102 118

124 134 137 130 124 127-130

10.2 9.9 9.7 9.3 10.2 9.7-10.2

54.3 54.3 54.3 50.4 65.7 64.2

Astra Sports Tourer 5dr estate £20,340–£25,125 More composed and practical than the hatchback.

LxWxH 4702x1809x1510 Kerb weight 1273kg 1.2 Turbo 110 1.2 Turbo 130 1.2 Turbo 145 1.4 Turbo 145 1.5 Turbo D 105 1.5 Turbo D 122

108 128 142 142 102 118

124 134 137 130 124 130

10.0 9.5 9.0 9.2 10.2 9.8

54.3 53.3 54.3 49.6 65.7 55.4-64.2

Insignia Grand Sport 5dr hatch £23,765–£40,925

119 119 119 129 113 116-113

2.0 Turbo 200 1.5 Turbo D 122 2.0 Turbo D 170

197 120 167

146 127 142

7.2 10.7 8.2

37.7 61.4 61.4

171 121 121

AAAAC

Brings extra ride height, all-wheel drive and off-road body cladding.

LxWxH 4784x1916x1499 Kerb weight 1792kg 248 187

140 130

6.8 8.2

35.8 47.9

180 155

VW’s flagship saloon is well made and luxurious but rather bland to drive. LxWxH 4862x1871x1450 Kerb weight 1505kg S90 4dr saloon £56,025–£56,875 AAAAC 1.5 TSI 150 148 137 8.9 42.8-44.8 144-151 Volvo’s mid-sized exec majors on comfort, style and cruising 2.0 TSI 190 187 149 7.9 36.2-38.2 168-178 ability. LxWxH 4963x2019x1443 Kerb weight 1665kg

Dull overall, but it’s a capable MPV, well made and hugely refined.

LxWxH 4527x1829x1659 Kerb weight 1436kg 1.5 TSI EVO 150 2.0 TDI 150

148 148

118 11.4 128-129 9.3

39.8-40.9 154-162 50.4-52.3 142-147

and tidy handling. LxWxH 4854x1904x1720 Kerb weight 1703kg 1.4 TSI 150

148

2.0 T8 Recharge PHEV

384

112

5.1

TBC

TBC AAAAC

V90 5dr estate £39,835–£60,405

Luxury estate takes on the 5 Series and the E-Class. Comfy and a good cruiser. LxWxH 4936x2019x1475 Kerb weight 1679kg 2.0 B4 2.0 B5 2.0 B6 2.0 T6 Recharge PHEV 2.0 B4D 2.0 B5D

197 246 297 335 197 232

112 112 112 112 112 112

7.9 6.9 6.2 5.9 8.8 7.1

40.9 36.6-40.4 34.4-36.2 TBC 44.8-49.5 44.8-47.0

158 159-175 178-184 TBC 149-164 156-164

V90 Cross Country 5dr estate £46,985–£53,160 AAAAC AAAAC Volvo’s large comfy estate given a jacked-up, rugged makeover.

Touran 5dr MPV £28,580–£35,495

Sharan 5dr MPV £34,230–£35,595 AAAAB AAAAC Full-sized seven-seater offers versatility, space, VW desirability

The good-looking and tech-filled Insignia makes an attractive proposition. LxWxH 4897x1863x1455 Kerb weight 1714kg

V60 Cross Country 5dr estate £40,600–£40,775

2.0 T5 AAABC 2.0 D4

Arteon 4dr saloon £31,965–£41,980

AAAAC 2.0 TDI 150 148 137 9.5 55.4-58.9 126-134 2.0 TDI 200 197 147 7.9 51.4-54.3 137-145 2.0 TDI 200 4Motion 197 145 7.4 46.3 159 119 119 Arteon Shooting Brake 5dr estate £32,765–£42,780 AAABC 121-124 Hybrid option and estate bodystyle’s extra versatility enhance the Arteon’s appeal. LxWxH 4866x1871x1450 Kerb weight 1529kg 129 113 1.5 TSI 150 148 135 8.9 42.2-43.5 145-153 115 2.0 TSI 190 187 145 7.9 35.8-37.2 171-179 2.0 TDI 150 148 135 9.4 54.3-57.6 128-136 AAAAC 2.0 TDI 200 197 145 7.9 50.4-53.3 139-147 2.0 TDI 200 4Motion 197 143 7.4 46.3 161

122

10.7

37.2

180-189

LxWxH 4936x2019x1543 Kerb weight 1826kg 2.0 T5 AWD 2.0 T6 AWD 2.0 D4 AWD 2.0 D5 AWD

250 310 185 228

140 140 130 140

7.4 6.3 8.8 7.5

32.5 32.5 43.5 40.9

196 196 171 181 AAAAC

XC40 5dr SUV £25,275–£60,005

Volvo’s take on the crossover aims to rival BMW, Mercedes and Audi. LxWxH 4425x1910x1658 Kerb weight 1626kg

1.5 T2 126 112 10.9 40.4 158 AAAAB 1.5 T3 160 112 9.3-9.6 38.7-40.4 158-166 Compact crossover delivers a classy, substantial feel on UK roads. 2.0 B4 197 112 8.4 36.7-39.2 162-176 LxWxH 4108x1760x1584 Kerb weight 1270kg 2.0 B5 246 112 6.9 36.7 174-176 Crossland X 5dr SUV £19,330–£25,235 AAABC 1.0 TSI 95 93 112 11.5 47.9 132-133 1.5 T5 Recharge PHEV 258 112 7.3 117.7-141.1 45-55 Vauxhall’s small SUV is competent enough but lacks any real 1.0 TSI 110 108 117 9.9-10.4 42.8-48.7 132-149 P8 Recharge 78kWh 402 112 4.9 249 0 character. LxWxH 4212x1765x1605 Kerb weight 1245kg 1.5 TSI EVO 150 147 124 8.5 46.3-47.1 136-138 1.2i 83 81 105 14.0 47.1 142 XC60 5dr SUV £40,980–£64,090 AAABC 1.2i Turbo 110 108 117 10.6 47.1 140 T-Roc 5dr SUV/open £21,440–£40,735 AAAAC Looks like a small XC90 and carries on where the old one left off. A 1.2i Turbo 130 128 128 9.1 44.1-48.0 136-146 VW’s junior SUV is beguiling and sophisticated. It drives rather well, good, capable cruiser. LxWxH 4688x1999x1658 Kerb weight 1781kg too. LxWxH 4234x1992x1573 Kerb weight 1270kg 1.5 Turbo D 102 101 111 9.9 61.4 120 2.0 B5D 246 112 6.9 36.7-38.1 168-176 1.5 Turbo D 120 116 114 10.8 55.4 137 1.0 TSI 110 108 115 10.8 43.5-46.3 133-146 2.0 B6D 296 112 6.2 34.0 190 1.5 TSI EVO 150 148 127 8.3-9.6 40.9-47.9 144-158 2.0 T6 Recharge PHEV 335 112 5.9 TBC TBC Mokka 5dr SUV £20,735–£37,970 AAABC 2.0 TSI R 300 4Motion 298 155 4.9 31.7 201 2.0 T8 Recharge PHEV 384 112 5.5 TBC TBC Radically overhauled crossover now comes with the option of 2.0 TDI 115 113 116 10.4 56.5-60.1 137-146 2.0 T8 R’ge Polestar PHEV 399 112 5.4 TBC TBC battery-electric power. LxWxH 4151x1791x1531 Kerb weight 1750kg 2.0 TDI 150 148 124 8.8-10.8 50.4-53.3 140-146 2.0 B4D 194 112 8.3 44.8-45.5 161-166 1.2 100 99 115 10.6 51.4 124 2.0 B5D 232 112 7.1 44.1 167 1.2 130 128 125 9.1 47.1-50.4 126-137 ID 4 5dr SUV £40,800 AAAAC 1.5 Turbo D 110 108 118 10.8 64.2-65.7 114 Impressively refined and versatile SUV marks VW out as a maker of XC90 5dr SUV £55,095–£75,090 AAAAC fine electric cars. LxWxH 4584x1852x1640 Kerb weight 2124kg 50kWh e 134 93 8.7 201 0 Clever packaging, smart styling, good to drive: Volvo’s closest thing to a class leader. LxWxH 4950x2008x1776 Kerb weight 1961kg 82kWh 201 99 8.5 TBC 0 Grandland X 5dr SUV £24,800–£44,370 AAACC 2.0 B5D 246 112 7.7 32.4 198 Does well to disguise its 3008 roots but too bland to stand out in a Tiguan 5dr SUV £24,915–£39,010 AAAAC 2.0 B6D 296 112 6.7 90.7 210 congested segment. LxWxH 4477x1811x1630 Kerb weight 1350kg An improvement on the previous model and will continue to sell by 2.0 T8 Recharge PHEV 384 112 5.8 TBC TBC 1.2 Turbo 130 128 117 10.9-11.1 45.6 141-147 the bucketload. LxWxH 4486x1839x1654 Kerb weight 1490kg 2.0 B5D 232 112 7.6 41.5 178 1.6 Hybrid 223 140 8.6 192.0-210.0 34 1.5 TSI EVO 130 128 119 10.2 44.1-44.8 143-146 VUHL 1.6 Hybrid4 298 146 5.9 204.0-225.0 32 1.5 TSI EVO 150 148 126 9.2-9.3 38.2-42.2 143-168 1.5 Turbo D 130 128 119 10.2 54.3 136 2.0 TDI 150 148 125-127 9.3 47.1-50.4 146-157 05 0dr open £59,995–£89,995 AAAAC 2.0 TDI 150 4Motion 148 124-125 9.3 43.5-45.6 163-171 Mexican track-day special has a pleasingly pragmatic and forgiving 197 134 7.5 42.8 172-177 chassis. LxWxH 3718x1876x1120 Kerb weight 725kg Combo Life 5dr MPV £23,010–£25,545 AAABC 2.0 TDI 200 4Motion Van-based people carrier is usable, spacious and practical, if not 2.0 DOHC Turbo 285 152 3.7 NA NA very pretty to look at. LxWxH 4403x1841x1921 Kerb weight 1430kg Tiguan Allspace 5dr SUV £32,195–£44,385 AAAAC 2.3 DOHC Turbo RR 385 158 2.7 NA NA 1.2 Turbo 110 108 109 11.9 40.9 156 Has all the Tiguan’s sensibility and refinement, now with the bonus WESTFIELD of seven seats. LxWxH 4486x1839x1654 Kerb weight 1490kg 1.2 Turbo 130 128 TBC TBC 40.3 157 1.5 Turbo D 100 99 107 12.7 52.3 142-145 1.5 TSI EVO 150 148 123 9.5-10.0 37.2-39.2 164-176 Sport 2dr coupé £19,950–£35,800 AAAAC 1.5 Turbo D 130 128 115 10.6 51.3 144 2.0 TDI 150 148 126 9.7 44.8-47.1 164-165 Sport Turbo is very quick and fun but not a patch on the 2.0 TDI 150 4Motion 148 123-124 9.8 41.5 177-179 Caterhams. LxWxH TBC Kerb weight TBC V O L K S WA G E N 2.0 TDI 200 4Motion 197 132 TBC 40.4-41.5 176-184 1.6 Sigma 135 TBC TBC NA NA Up 3dr/5dr hatch £12,705–£23,555 AAAAC 1.6 Sigma 155 TBC TBC NA NA It’s no revolution, but VW’s hallmarks are in abundance.

Touareg 5dr SUV £45,960–£63,415 AAAAC 2.0 Duratec 200 TBC TBC NA NA LxWxH 3600x1428x1504 Kerb weight 926kg Hints of ritziness and sportiness don’t impinge on this functional 2.0 Ecoboost 252 TBC TBC NA NA luxury SUV’s appeal. LxWxH 4878x2193x1717 Kerb weight 1995kg 1.0 65 64 100 15.6 54.3 119 1.0 115 GTI 113 119 8.8 51.4 125-126 3.0 V6 TSI 340 335 155 5.9 25.2-25.7 249-252 Mega 2dr coupé £16,950 AAABC e-Up 81 80 12.4 159 0 3.0 V6 TDI 231 228 135 7.5 33.6-34.4 214-219 Mega engine makes it rapid, but isn’t as fun as Caterham’s R range.

3.0 V6 TDI 286 282 148 6.1 33.6-34.9 213-219 And you have to build it yourself. LxWxH TBC Kerb weight TBC Polo 5dr hatch £17,125–£20,605 AAAAC 2.0 VTEC S2000 240 TBC TBC NA NA

A thorough going-over makes it more mature, but the Polo is still a bit boring. LxWxH 4053x1946x1461 Kerb weight 1105kg 1.0 80 1.0 TSI 95 1.0 TSI 110

78 93 108

106 116 121

15.4 10.8 9.9

51.4 125 48.7-53.3 120-127 53.3-54.3 118-119

Golf 5dr hatch £23,355–£39,270

Does exactly what everyone expects. Still the king of the family car. LxWxH 4284x1789x1492 Kerb weight 1206kg 1.0 TSI 110 1.5 TSI EVO 130 1.5 TSI EVO 150 1.5 eTSI EVO 150 1.4 TSI PHEV 2.0 TSI GTI 2.0 TSI 300 GTI 2.0 TSI 320 R 4Motion 2.0 TDI 115 2.0 TDI 150 2.0 TDI 200 GTD

108 128 148 148 242 242 296 296 113 148 197

126 130 139 135 140 155 155 155 126 139 152

10.2 9.1 8.9 8.9 6.7 6.4 5.6 4.7 10.2 8.8 7.1

150kW 62kWh 150kW 82kWh

201 201

53.3 51.4-53.3 50.4-51.4 47.9-49.6 TBC 38.2 38.2 36.2 67.3-68.9 64.2 54.3

121 121-124 124-128 129-133 TBC 169 167 177 107-110 116-117 137

AAAAC

99 99

7.3 7.9

T-Cross 5dr SUV £18,360–£27,785

V O LV O

261 336

0 0

AAAAC

S60 4dr saloon £39,680–£51,100

Fresh-faced saloon now sits comfortably among the ranks of its German peers. LxWxH 4761x1916x1437 Kerb weight 1616kg

2.0 B5 2.0 T8 Recharge PHEV AAAAB 2.0 T8 R’ge PHEV Polestar

A very mature electric car whose substance of engineering is central to its appeal. LxWxH 4261x1809x1568 Kerb weight 1730kg

80 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 6 OCTOBER 2021

133 138 123 130-132 145

Good handling and nice engines, but its working-class roots still show through. LxWxH 4370x1809x1485 Kerb weight 1244kg

ID 3 5dr hatch £32,990–£42,290

Cat is retro-styled small EV from China

148 215 120 148 197

246 384 399

112 112 112

6.7 4.6 4.4

41.5 153 122.8-176.5 42 104.5 61 AAAAB

V60 5dr estate £34,855–£52,200

Spacious and comfortable, with a characterful, Scandi-cool design.

LxWxH 4761x1916x1427 Kerb weight 1729kg 2.0 B3 2.0 B4 2.0 B5 2.0 B6 2.0 T8 R’ge PHEV Polestar 2.0 T6 Recharge PHEV 2.0 B4D

161 197 246 297 399 335 197

112 112 112 112 112 112 112

9.1 8.0 6.8-6.9 6.0 4.9 4.6 7.6

40.9 41.5 37.7-40.4 36.2 TBC TBC 47.0-50.4

155 152 157-170 175 TBC TBC 146-156

ZENOS

AAAAB

E10 0dr coupé £26,995–£39,995

The latest in a long line of mid-engined British marvels. Expect a dedicated following. LxWxH 3800x1870x1130 Kerb weight 700kg 2.0 Ecoboost S 2.3 Ecoboost R

250 350

145 155

4.0 3.0

NA NA

NA NA

ROAD TEST ROAD TEST ed

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The best new cars rated as only Autocar knows how A road test in any other magazine might well be a short, subjective summary of a new car produced under almost any circumstances, but the Autocar road test is different. Specific, rigorous and detailed, it’s the closest examination we can give of any new model.

It appears over at least eight pages and is close to 50 man-hours in the making every week.

Most of what the road test process entails is designed to be strictly repeatable and fair. We benchmark standing-start and in-gear acceleration at a purpose-built test facility every week. We carry out both subjective and objective handling tests on both road and track, on the latter up to and beyond the limit of grip, so as to fully assess stability, drivability and limit handling appeal. And while benchmark lap times are sometimes taken, they’re never an end in themselves.

We record and publish stopping distances, too, as well as taking cabin noise measurements at various cruising speeds and benchmarking either indicated or brim-to-brim fuel economy. We independently measure leg room, head room, boot space and certain key exterior vehicle dimensions, and we also weigh every car we test.

Just as every new car is different, however, the road test has developed to be versatile enough, week by week, so as to best assess and reflect the suitability of each test subject to its intended purpose. It now includes modular sections describing in detail the limit handling of a new car, or its semi-autonomous assisted driving technologies or its off-road capability.

All of this goes to bringing you the most thorough, relevant and fair test of a new car we can produce. The scores reproduced here are the ones we gave the cars at the time so they don’t necessarily represent what those same cars might score today were they rejudged using current class standards. But you can dig deeper into their attributes by using the magazine publication dates listed here to look up an old test in your own collection or on digital platforms such as Readly and Exact Editions, or you can order a back issue by phoning 0344 848 8816.

In that vein, it only remains to wish you many happy hours lost in the many numbers of our road test archive and to thank you for reading.

Matt Saunders, road test editor ABARTH 124 Spider AAAAC

AUDI

22.3.17 A1 Sportback 35 TFSI S line AAABC 2.10.19 18.11.20 A3 Sportback S3 AAABC A L FA R O M E O 18.9.19 A4 S4 TDI AAAAC Giulia Quadrifoglio AAAAB 29.3.17 RS4 Avant AAAAC 14.2.18 3.1.18 A5 S5 AAABC 11.1.17 Stelvio 2.2D 210 Milano AAABC 9.1.19 A5 Sportback 2.0 TFSI S line AAABC 8.3.17 Quadrifoglio AAAAC 27.1.16 A6 40 TDI S line Avant AAAAC 14.11.18 4C Spider AAACC RS6 Avant Carbon Black AAAAC 11.3.20 ALPINA A7 Sportback 50 TDI Sport AAABC 11.7.18 B3 Touring AAAAA 4.11.20 A8 L 60 TFSIe Sport quattro AAABC 17.6.20 22.9.21 TT RS AAAAC 7.12.16 B8 Gran Coupé AAAAC 26.6.19 E-tron 55 quattro AAAAB ALPINE 2.6.21 S quattro AAABC A110 Premiere Edition AAAAA 16.5.18 Q2 1.4 TFSI Sport AAAAC 9.11.16 20.3.19 SQ2 quattro AAAAC ARIEL 7.7.21 Q4 E-tron 40 Sport AAABC Atom 4 AAAAA 9.10.19 Q5 2.0 TDI S line AAAAC 15.3.17 21.6.17 Nomad AAAAA 24.6.15 SQ5 quattro AAABC 26.10.16 Q7 SQ7 4.0 TDI AAAAC ASTON MARTIN 26.9.18 Q8 50 TDI S Line AAAAC Vantage V8 AAAAB 23.5.18 R8 V10 Plus AAAAC 30.12.15 1.9.21 F1 Edition Coupé AAAAC DBS Superleggera AAAAA 21.11.18 B E N T L E Y 28.10.20 Continental GT W12 First Edition AAAAB DBX AAAAB 2.5.18 15.7.20 Flying Spur W12 AAAAB

Bentayga W12 AAAAB

18.5.16

BMW 1 Series 118i M Sport AAAAC 30.10.19 2 Series 220d Convertible AAAAC 1.4.15 15.6.16 M2 AAAAB 19.8.20 M2 CS M-DCT AAAAB 218d Active Tourer Luxury AAAAC 24.12.14 218i Gran Coupé M Sport AAACC 8.4.20 15.5.19 3 Series 320d M Sport AAAAA 15.1.20 330d xDrive M Sport AAAAB 1.7.20 330e M Sport AAAAB 6.1.21 4 Series M440i xDrive AAAAC 21.4.21 M4 Competition AAAAB 31.5.17 5 Series 520d M Sport AAAAB 18.4.18 M5 AAAAB M5 CS AAAAA 14.7.21 6 Series GT 630d xDrv M Spt AAABC18.11.17 11.11.15 7 Series 730Ld AAAAC 16.1.19 8 Series 840d xDrive AAABC M8 Competition Convertible AAABC5.2.20 3.6.20 M8 Competition Coupé AAABC 21.2.18 i3 1.3S Range Extender AAAAC 17.9.14 i8 AAAAB 25.9.19 X2 M35i AAABC 17.1.18 X3 xDrive20d M Sport AAAAC 13.11.19 X4 M Competition AAACC 2.1.19 X5 xDrive30d M Sport AAAAC X7 xDrive M50i M Perf’nce AAAAC 9.9.20

C AT E R H A M Seven 620S AAAAC

CITROEN

KIA Stinger 2.0 T-GDI GT-L S AAABC Rio 1.0 T-GDI 3 Eco AAABC Ceed 1.6 CRDi 115 2 AAABC Proceed 1.4 T-GDi AAABC Xceed 1.4 T-GDi AAABC Niro 1.6 GDI DCT 2 AAABC e-Niro First Edition AAAAB Sportage 1.7 CRDi ISG 2 AAABC Sorento 1.6 HEV G-TDi 2 AAABC

PEUGEOT 25.4.18 1.3.17 29.8.18 27.2.19 20.11.19 31.8.16 1.5.19 2.3.16 20.1.21

LAMBORGHINI Huracán Performante AAAAB Evo RWD Coupé AAAAB Aventador SVJ AAAAC Urus AAAAC

11.10.17 20.5.20 19.6.19 3.7.19

LAND ROVER Defender 110 P400 X AAAAB 13.5.20 Discovery Sport D180 AWD AAAAC 8.1.20 Range Rover Evoque P300e AAAAB 10.2.21 12.12.12 Range Rover 4.4 SDV8 AAAAB Range Rover Velar D240 AAABC 30.8.17 Range Rover Sport 3.0 TDV6 AAAAB 2.10.13 SVR AAAAA 15.4.15

LEXUS

LC 500 Sport+ AAAAC NX 300h AAACC RC F AAACC 9.3.16 ES 300h Takumi AAABC LS 500h Premier AWD AAACC

18.10.17 1.10.14 18.2.15 6.2.19 6.6.18

C3 Puretech 110 Flair AAABC 28.12.16 L O T U S 29.6.16 C3 Aircross Puretech 110 AAABC 7.3.18 Elise Cup 250 AAABC 26.5.21 Evora S 2+0 AAAAC 30.3.11 C4 Puretech 130 Auto AAACC C5 Aircross BlueHDi 180 AAABC 13.2.19 Exige Sport 390 Final Edit’n AAAAB 21.7.21

CUPRA Leon 310 VZ3 Estate AAAAC Ateca 2.0 TSI 4Drive AAABC Formentor 2.0 TSI VZ2 AAAAB

DACIA

M A S E R AT I 8.9.21 Ghibli Diesel AAABC 23.1.19 Quattroporte Trofeo AACCC 3.2.21 Levante Diesel AAACC S Granlusso AAABC

12.3.14 4.8.21 30.11.16 8.5.19

Sandero Stepway TCe 90 AAAAC 28.4.21 M A Z D A 22.4.15 Duster SCe 115 Comfort AAAAC 22.8.18 2 1.5 Skyactiv-G SE AAAAC 6.11.19 3 2.0 Skyactiv-X AAAAC DALLARA 2.9.15 MX-5 1.5 SE-L Nav AAAAB Stradale AAAAB 16.10.19 MX-30 145PS AAABC 10.3.21 22.7.15 CX-3 1.5D SE-L Nav AAABC DS 28.6.17 CX-5 2.2D Sport Nav AAAAC 3 Crossback Puretech 155 AAACC 10.7.19 7 Crossback Puretech 225 AAABC 19.9.18 M c L A R E N 570S 3.8 V8 AAAAA 30.3.16 FERRARI 22.5.19 600LT Spider 3.8 V8 AAAAB 488 GTB AAAAA 25.5.16 620R 3.8 V8 AAAAC 23.12.20 7.8.19 GT 4.0 V8 AAABC 27.1.21 488 Pista AAAAB 25.7.18 720S 4.0 V8 AAAAA 812 Superfast AAAAC 24.5.17 10.10.18 Senna 4.0 V8 AAAAA F I AT 7.5.14 P1 AAAAA Panda 4x4 Twinair AAAAB 17.4.13 26.2.14 M E R C E D E S - A M G 500 Abarth 595 AAAAC A-Class A45 S 4Matic+ Plus AAAAB 4.3.20 FORD 3.6.15 C-Class C63 AAAAB Fiesta 1.0T Ecoboost AAAAC 9.8.17 C63 S Coupé AAAAB 24.4.19 15.8.18 CLS 53 4Matic+ AAAAC 17.10.18 ST-3 1.5 T Ecoboost AAAAB 20.2.19 GT S AAAAC 29.7.15 Focus 1.5 Ecoboost 182 AAAAB 11.9.19 R AAAAB 10.5.17 ST AAAAC RS AAAAA 4.5.16 GT 4-Door Coupé 63 4Matic+ AAAAB 13.3.19 S-Max 2.0 TDCi Titanium AAAAC 26.8.15 14.1.15 SLC 43 AAABC 6.7.16 Mondeo 2.0 TDCi AAAAC 13.6.18 Mustang 5.0 V8 GT F’back AAAAC 24.2.16 GLC 63 S 4Matic+ AAABC 5.12.18 GLE 53 4Matic+ AAABC 14.10.20 Bullitt AAAAC Mustang Mach-E Extended Range RWD M E R C E D E S B E N Z AAAAC 23.6.21 3.9.14 A-Class A200 Sport AAAAC 4.7.18 Ecosport 1.5 TDCi AABCC 25.3.20 A250e AMG Line Premium AAACC 5.8.20 Puma 1.0T 125 MHEV AAAAB 24.3.21 B-Class B180 Sport AAAAC 3.4.19 ST AAAAC 21.8.19 Kuga 2.5 PHEV ST-Line AAABC 24.6.20 CLA 250 AAACC 28.8.19 C-Class C220 Bluetec AAAAC 23.7.14 Ranger Raptor AAAAC 14.6.17 E-Class E400 Coupé AAAAC GENESIS 6.10.21 E300 Cabriolet AAABC GV80 3.0D Luxury 5-Seater AAABC15.9.21 S-Class S350 Bluetec AAAAA 16.10.13 16.9.20 GLB 220d 4Matic AAABC HONDA 10.2.16 GLC 250d AAAAC E Advance AAABC 26.8.20 G-Class G350d AMG Line AAAAC 17.7.19 12.2.20 Jazz 1.5 i-MMD Hybrid EX AAABC 7.10.20 GLS 400d AAABC 19.4.17 X-Class X250d 4Matic AAABC 20.6.18 Civic 1.5 i-VTEC Turbo AAAAC 25.10.17 2.0 Type R GT AAAAB M G 12.7.17 Clarity FCV AAAAC 7.11.18 3 1.5 3Form Sport AAABC 25.12.13 CR-V 1.5T EX CVT AWD AAABC 5.10.16 5 SW EV Exclusive AAABC 25.11.20 NSX AAAAB 4.12.19 ZS EV Exclusive AAACC

HYUNDAI

i10 1.2 MPi Premium AAAAC 15.4.20 24.2.21 i20 1.0 T-GDI 100 48V AAABC 25.8.21 N AAAAB 27.12.17 i30 N AAABC 13.9.17 1.4 Premium SE AAABC Kona Electric 64kWh Premium SE AAAAC 31.10.18 Santa Fe 2.2 CRDi P’m SE AAABC 6.3.19 Tucson 1.6 T-GDi Hybrid P’m AAAAC 17.3.21 12.6.19 Nexo AAABC

MINI Mini Cooper S AAAAB Cooper S Works 210 AAAAB Clubman Cooper D AAABC Convertible Cooper S Sport Automatic AAAAC Countryman Cooper D AAABC Plug-in Hybrid AAABC

2.4.14 6.12.17 25.11.15 19.5.21 22.2.17 26.7.17

MITSUBISHI

Eclipse Cross 1.5 First Edition 2WD AAACC JAGUAR 14.3.18 F-Type V8 S Convertible AAAAC 12.6.13 Outlander PHEV GX4hs AAABC 16.4.14 11.6.14 V6 S Coupé AAAAB 22.11.17 M O R G A N 2.0 R-Dynamic Coupé AAAAC 29.4.20 Plus Four AAABC 12.8.20 P575 R AWD Coupé AAAAC 2.12.15 3 Wheeler AAAAA XF 2.0 R-Sport AAAAB 6.6.12 17.4.19 300 R-S Sportbrake AAABC N I S S A N 1.7.15 XE 2.0 R-Sport AAAAB 11.4.18 Micra 0.9 N-Connecta AAAAC 26.4.17 E-Pace D180 AWD SE AAABC 11.5.16 DIG-T 117 N-Sport AAACC 27.3.19 F-Pace 2.0d AWD AAAAC 24.7.19 Juke 1.0 DIG-T 117 AAABC 29.1.20 SVR AAAAB 12.9.18 Qashqai 1.3 DIG-T 158 AAAAC 28.7.21 I-Pace EV400 S AAAAB 13.8.14 X-Trail 1.6 dCi 2WD AAABC JEEP 16.11.16 GT-R Recaro AAAAB Compass 2.0 M’jet 4x4 L’d AAACC 3.10.18 Renegade 4xe Trailhawk AAACC 30.6.21 N O B L E 14.10.09 Wrangler 2.2 M’Jet-II Ov’d AAAAC 10.4.19 M600 AAAAB

SUZUKI

208 e-208 Allure Premium AAAAC 6.5.20 24.10.18 508 GT BlueHDi 180 AAAAC 8.7.20 Hybrid 225 Allure SW AAAAC 5.5.21 PSE Hybrid4 SW AAAAC 30.9.20 2008 e-2008 GT Line AAABC 3008 1.6 BlueHDi GT Line AAABC 18.1.17 5008 2.0 BlueHDi GT Line AAABC 1.11.17

P O L E S TA R 1 AAAAC

PORSCHE 718 Boxster AAAAB Spyder AAAAB Cayman S AAAAB Cayman GTS AAAAB 911 GT2 RS AAAAC Carrera S AAAAB GT3 PDK AAAAB 918 Spyder 4.6 V8 AAAAA Cayenne Turbo AAAAC Turbo S E-Hybrid AAABC Taycan Turbo S AAAAA

R E N A U LT Zoe Dynamique AAABC Clio TCe 100 Iconic AAAAB Mégane 1.5 dCi Dyn. S Nav AAACC E-Tech Plug-in Hybrid 160 AAACC RS Trophy-R AAAAC Grand Scénic dCi 130 Nav AAABC Kadjar dCi 115 Dyn. S Nav AAAAC Captur 1.3 TCe 130 EDC AAABC

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T OYO TA Yaris 1.5 Hybrid Design AAAAC GR Yaris Circuit Pack AAAAA Corolla 2.0 Hybrid ST AAAAC GT86 2.0 manual AAAAA Prius Business Edition AAAAC Mirai Design Premium AAAAC C-HR Excel 1.8 Hybrid AAAAC GR Supra Pro AAAAC

23.9.20 8.6.16 3.3.21 1.4.20 5.6.19 10.8.16 4.7.12 9.5.18 16.3.16 18.7.18 16.6.21 29.5.19 4.1.17 11.8.21 14.8.19 22.10.14 5.9.18 VA U X H A L L 27.5.20 Corsa 1.2T 100 auto AAABC 22.1.20 29.7.20 Crossland X 1.2T 130 Elite AAACC 7.6.17 30.9.15 Astra 1.6 CDTi 136 SRi AAAAC 13.4.16 ST CDTi Biturbo SRi 137 AAAAC 31.7.13 Combo Life 1.5 TD 100 Energy AAABC27.12.18 27.11.19 Insignia Grand Sport 2.0D SRi VX-Line 17.8.16 AAAAC 3.5.17 29.9.21 Insignia Sports Tourer 2.0 Biturbo D GSI 23.10.19 AAACC 30.5.18 25.1.17 Mokka 1.2 Turbo 130 auto AAABC 12.5.21 21.10.15 Grandland X Hybrid4 AAACC 22.4.20 18.3.20 VXR8 GTS-R AAAAC 10.1.18

R O L L S - R OYC E Phantom AAAAA Ghost AAAAB Wraith AAAAB Dawn AAAAC Cullinan Black Badge AAAAC

Swift 1.0 SZ5 AAABC 17.5.17 SX4 S-Cross 1.6 DDiS SZ4 AAABC 30.10.13 29.4.15 Vitara 1.6 SZ5 AAABC Across 2.5 PHEV E-Four CVT AAAAB 7.4.21

VOLKSWAG EN 4.4.18 13.1.21 21.5.14 1.6.16 19.2.20

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SKODA

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7.10.15

GREATEST ROAD TESTS OF ALL TIME

AUDI R8 4.2 V8 QUATTRO TESTED 23.5.07

With the power of Lamborghini expertise on its side, Audi set about creating its first supercar, taking aim directly at the benchmark Porsche 911.

Fashioned largely from aluminium, the mid-engined four-wheel-drive R8 was slightly lighter than the RS4 with which it shared a direct-injection V8, albeit using a dry sump and new exhaust. Styling closely matched 2003’s ‘Le Mans’ concept.

Visually and ergonomically, the cabin was a triumph, but there were two niggles: a cornylooking open-gate gearshift and an oddly placed brake pedal.

Otherwise, it was a masterclass of interior design and quality.

Performance matched that of the 911 Carrera S. The engine thrived towards the redline, aided by the slick gearbox, but was also usefully muted when cruising on part throttle. The brakes were hard to modulate and shown up for bite by the formidable 911, though.

Steering, grip and traction

were all strong suits and the R8 was progressive at the limit, usually tending towards understeer, while the ride was similarly impressive.

FOR Looks, performance, very civilised for a supercar AGAINST Brake pedal feel, thirst, poor range, availability FACTFILE

Price £76,825 Engine V8, 4163cc, petrol Power 414bhp at 7800rpm Torque 317lb ft at 4500rpm 0-60mph 4.4sec 0-100mph 10.5sec Standing quarter 13.2sec, 110mph Top speed 187mph Economy 15.5mpg WHAT HAPPENED NEXT…

The 517bhp 5.2-litre R8 arrived in 2009, sharing its V10 with the Lamborghini LP560-4. Spyder versions followed before a 2013 facelift introduced a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic and the edgier V10 Plus. The Mk2 R8 took up the reins in 2015 and was offered in V10 and, briefly, E-tron all-electric guises. The Spyder arrived in 2016, a year before the rear-drive R8 RWS (now badged RWD). A 2018 facelift ushered in performance upgrades.

6 OCTOBER 2021 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 81

Matt Prior TESTER’S NOTES

Several factors contributed to the fuel panic

t’s a wonder it took this long for us to really feel the lorry driver shortage.

Last week’s fuel supply crisis came from a perfect storm of contributing factors, some easier and cheaper to take a pop at than others.

Take away any single reason and the outage probably would’ve been averted. You would’ve found the odd pump dry, shrugged and moved to another one or a different forecourt.

But, ultimately, the crisis exposes the truth that we’ve taken the mickey out of lorry drivers for too long.

The immediate problem was sparked by BP when it complained to a Cabinet Office meeting in midSeptember about its driver shortage.

When ITV News headlined those comments “BP prepares to ration fuel deliveries”, the resulting panic buying was probably inevitable.

It’s ironic that this time last year, BP’s contracted tanker firm, Hoyer Petrolog, was facing the prospect of industrial action because it wanted to lay off more than 20% of its drivers at its Cheshire refinery and depots.

GETTY IMAGES

I

Fancy a working life on the road?

Not many would 82 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 6 OCTOBER 2021

`

They face long hours and poor conditions and pay for what is a skilled, difficult and tiring job a “It’s clear that we will not return to ‘normal’ [levels of fuel demand] for at least the next 12 months, if at all,” Hoyer predicted, while trying to lay off drivers that the industry now thinks rather more valuable.

If it miscalled things then, others had an even worse pandemic. Lorry drivers are key workers, so surely the body that supports them is too?

You wouldn’t know it: the DVLA reportedly has a backlog of 54,000 HGV licences to process (although it had strike action through August).

Meanwhile, the Road Haulage Association says that at least 30,000 HGV driver training tests were cancelled last year.

The company Driver Hire Training last week found that more than 60% of HGV test centres still have waiting lists of at least 11 weeks for tests.

Small wonder the government is now writing to all of the UK’s HGV licence holders to ask them, if they’ve left the industry, whether they would pretty please consider coming back.

To what? To long hours where the pay and conditions are poor for what is a skilled, difficult and tiring job? To where distributors have outsourced driver employment to agencies that win those contracts on cost?

Drivers report being asked to be self-employed, even when working

predominantly for one distributor – something that the new IR35 tax regulations (for off-payroll working) seek to stop. The RHA thinks IR35 changes are the reason behind half of all driver exits from the industry.

There are other good reasons, too.

The UK has terrible provision of rest areas, catering, toilets and showers compared with Europe. Drivers here face paying £25 per night out of their own pocket to park in a service area and eat unhealthy, expensive food.

Previously, the slack was taken up

by Eastern Europeans prepared to take lower pay and live out of their cabs. It’s no wonder that distributors would like that tap turned back on.

The factors, then, are myriad. The pandemic, licensing, Brexit, the way the shortage was reported and the resulting panic buying all have a role.

It will suit corporations and organisations if we mock matey queuing for fuel he doesn’t need because he’s an idiot. Fine, he deserves it. But mocking individuals takes the focus away from the root causes. For years, those who keep us fed and fuelled have deserved better.

GET IN TOUCH

matt.prior@haymarket.com @matty_prior

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OPEN: MON-FRI 9AM-7PM, SAT 9AM-5PM, SUN I0AM-5PM

Tel: 01380 818181 elitereg.co.uk All registrations are offered on a first come, first served basis. All are subject to VAT and the £80 Dept. for Transport transfer fee. Prices may fluctuate. See website for full terms. We have been trading for over 45 years. THOUSANDS MORE AVAILABLE. Write: P.O.Box 100, Devizes, SN10 4TE FIL III3 £750 FIL 2737 £650 TI8 FLY £650 K2I FLY £750 5229 FM £I500 K2I FOX £I400 P26 FOX £I400 AI2 FRY £950 R26 FRY £650 J888 FRY £750 FSU 605 £850 L2I FUN £650 K23 GAB £650 L2I GAR £850 V60 GAS £850 GAZ 772 £I400 694 GBM £950 I964 GD £2800 K23 GED £650 B2 GEF £950 E5 GEF £950 A6 GEF £I300 T9 GEF £850 HI0 GEF £750 GI2 GEF £650 GEF 807 £2600 M2I GEL £650 K27 GEM £II00 KI2I GEM £950 B6 GEN £750 K24 GEO £650 D5 GER £950 MII GER £750

F3 HAL £I500 W5 HAL £I500 DI2 HAL £850 I39 HAL £2I00 E4 HAM £I700 K24 HAM £650 JO04 HAN £650 P2I HAT £650 HAZ 557 £I500 HEC I36 £I200 HES 76I £I200 J50 HEV £650 HEW 265 £I600 HIL 445 £I300 HIL 5I82 £650 F7 HOB £850 L2I HOB £650 R99 HOB £650 R3I HOG £750 K25 HOL £750 HSK 606 £850 X22 HUD £650 P70 HUD £650 HUG 2H £4500 HUG 88H £I500 544 HUL £I200 K2I JAB £750 K27 JAC £I300 J700 JAD £650 N30 JAG £I300 K2I JAK £I500 P27 JAK £I400 JAK 4I2N £I400

S50 JAY £I700 JAZ 882 £I500 JAZ 4769 £650 P7 JBH £950 JBZ 224 £650 KI JCA £950 K26 JCS £650 K24 JED £650 R2I JEF £850 K24 JEF £750 Y2 JEL £750 KII JEL £650 CI5 JEL £750 K24 JEM £850 KI23 JEM £650 KI5 JEN £2400 K24 JEN £I600 SI60 JEN £750 R20 JES £I200 R77 JET £850 AII JGH £750 N9 JGW £850 JIB 735 £850 JIL 442 £950 X2I JJW £750 D3 JKE £750 AI0 JLG £650 N2 JMA £850 K32I JMC £650 K26 JME £650 K26 JMG £650 E8 JML £II00 PI0 JMW £650

W3I KAR £650 KI23 KAR £650 N2I KAS £950 P23 KAS £650 S40 KAS £850 E5 KAW £650 P2I KAY £I500 K23 KAY £I600 2398 KB £I600 564 KC £5500 FI KEE £2500 K2I KEE £750 P4 KEG £850 K23 KEL £I400 T32I KEN £950 K2I KER £750 N2I KER £650 K26 KEV £I400 WI23 KEV £I300 KHD 924 £750 HII KJW £650 AI5 KMC £750 D2 KMP £750 A3 KSB £II00 CI KSW £650 K23 LAM £650 K28 LAN £650 LAR 3Y £2700 C8 LAS £2I00 N2I LAS £650 M3I LAS £750 VI3 LAW £850 K24 LAW £950

DI8 LEN £II00 L2I LEN £II00 N24 LEN £850 V29 LEN £650 LEN 457 £I900 N500 LEN £650 RII LEO £850 K24 LEO £650 R30 LEO £650 L2I LES £2300 LES 82X £I600 X300 LES £I200 M32I LES £I200 K23 LET £650 G8 LEV £850 LEZ II5 £850 269I LG £I400 LIL 662 £850 CI6 LLS £650 JI LOS £2200 M2I LOS £750 K23 LUC £650 T29 LUC £650 A27 LUK £650 PI LUM £3I00 K3I LUM £650 700 LXG £950 HI4 LYD £II00 L22 LYD £II00 L2I LYN £I500 K26 LYN £I300 B767 LYN £750 324 LZ £2300

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REGISTRATIONS URGENTLY WANTED FOR IMMEDIATE PURCHASE L43 GER £650 RI00 GER £2200 M28 GGS £750 GIL 339 £I300 GIL 7647 £650 E4 GJD £I500 R2 GLH £650 GM 5979 £3I00 M24 GOR £750 K24 GUS £650 K24 GUY £950

HI6 JAN K28 JAN E427 JAN CI6 JAR M28 JAR EI9 JAS K27 JAS N27 JAS E399 JAS K27 JAW K24 JAX

£I600 £I500 £650 £650 £650 £I400 £I300 £I200 £850 £650 £650

2947 JN JN 2957 K23 JOE K23 JON K27 JOS V66 JOY X77 JOY X300 JOY L26 JSB 85 JYD N23 KAR

£I600 £I900 £I500 £I500 £650 £950 £II00 £650 £650 £I600 £650

L3I LAW £950 R700 LAW £750 LAZ 887 £750 K32I LEA £750 AI0 LEC £I500 K25 LEE £I700 KI23 LEE £I600 B2 LEG £950 YI LEN £I800 LEN 6P £I700 BI2 LEN £II00

J200 MAB £650 N23 MAC £I600 K28 MAD £950 P777 MAD £850 NI8 MAG £950 K24 MAK £650 MAL IW £3900 MAL 5W £2700 L2I MAL £I500 N23 MAL £850 K28 MAL £I400

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selling!!!

£495

I4I9 PG £I400 B4 PGM £750 G2 PGW £850 PJI 88I £650 7235 PL £I900 D4 PML £II00 F8 PMS £950 3036 PP £I900 3382 PP £I800 PPR 2I9 £950 K2I PPS £750 8236 PZ £950 CI RAD £2I00 L2I RAD £750 E3 RAF £I400 P23 RAJ £850 RAO 223 £I600 AI7 RAS £750 BI4 RAV £750 VI4 RAY £I200 K24 RAY £I400 T26 RAY £I500 RAY 40W £I700 RAY 209W £950 RBC 228 £I300 K8 RBY £I800 RCT 85 £2I00 W3 RCW £950 CI RDW £750 RE I896 £I800 N2 REG £I300 C4 REG £I400 LIII REG £850 G9 REM £I300 D7 REX £750 8I79 RH £2300 RKK 408 £950 G7 RKS £950 RL 4807 £I800 748 RME £I800 K2I ROB £I600 KI23 ROB £I500 V700 ROB £I400 ROB 829Y £I200 G5 ROD £I600 SI5 ROD £I200 K55 ROD £II00 JI ROG £3200 ROG 9N £2200 V2I ROG £I400 ROG 22Y £I400 W28 ROG £I300 X88 ROG £I500 X2 RON £2700 H9 RON £2300 DI2 RON £I400 R2I RON £I500 W23 RON £I300 S33 RON £I400 RON 47A £I600 J66 RON £I400 E78 RON £950 S333 RON £850 X400 RON £950

£599

RON 509M £850 RON 948 £3200 K24 ROS £850 J900 ROS £750 MI0 ROY £I600 SI5 ROY £I700 ROY 60W £I300 S900 ROY £II00 G322 RRY £I500 KI2I RSH £II00 L2 RSM £I300 M29 RUS £850 3497 RW £2200 K29 SAL £I600 L3I SAL £I700 K25 SAM £2300 LI7 SAN £I300 K25 SAN £750 R45 SAN £II00 M55 SAN £I400 J900 SAN £I200 K24 SAW £750 J9 SAX £950 L4 SDB £I200 660 SDV £650 L3I SEL £I400 SI6 SEY £I200 N24 SHE £750 SHZ 755 £650 M92 SJH £750 SJI 933 £750 E7 SLK £I300 I86 SMA £I600 F6 SMM £950 T5 SOL £I200 C3 SON £I500 K28 SON £750 L3I SON £850 E3 SRG £850 K3I SSO £I300 L2I SSS £750 M2 SSW £750 YI3 STU £I500 K24 STU £I700 KI23 STU £I300 D486 STU £750 SUE IC £5500 EI4 SUE £I600 MI00 SUE £I500 SUE 232W£I300 L4 SUM £I200 CI SUS £I200 R6 SUS £950 BI8 TAG £750 W8 TAL £750 K24 TAM £750 PI00 TAM £750 K24 TAN £750 JI TAP £I600 J7 TAP £850 TAZ I66 £750 266I TD £I500 J3 TEB £850 K333 TED £850

TED 879 £2700 W900 TED £850 TEL IY £3300 C9 TEL £I400 LII TEL £I700 TER 643 £2800 E5 TEV £I500 TEZ I66 £850 TEZ 944 £850 9390 TF £I300 B20 THE £750 F4I THE £3400 TIL 244 £750 TJI 977 £850 TJI 997 £750 G7 TMB £950 K28 TOM £I500 M60 TOM £I600 N77 TOM £I700 KI23 TOM £I400 J800 TOM £I500 L27 TON £850 TOT 348 £II00 46I5 TR £I500 TRO 2Y £2800 TSD IS £I400 K28 TTH £850 K28 TTY £I400 TVS II7 £650 K28 TYS £2I00 K3I TYS £750 K3I TYY £750 LI7 ULU £950 577 UTN £750 UZ 3974 £750 KI0 VAL £I400 CI4 VAL £I600 Y33 VAL £II00 T50 VAL £I200 VAL I49 £3300 KI55 VAL £3I00 M666 VAL £750 6648 VB £I300 K32I VEN £750 7432 VF £I200 VGV 904 £750 K3I VOS £750 VSU 734 £750 WI6 WAL £850 WAZ 477 £750 M9 WEB £I900 K2I WEB £750 WIL 557 £I500 WIL 2888 £650 DII WST £II00 7483 WY £950 N9 WYN £850 4956 XJ £II00 XXI 244 £650 YAZ 977 £650 YHM I7I £750 YJY I47 £650 944 YPH £750 K3I YYS £850

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