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F E A T U R

O U R C A R S

E V E R Y W E E K

D O W E R E A L LY WA N T E U R O 7 E M I S S I O N S R E G S ?

A H, EU RO 7 reg u lations t he i ncom i ng r u les i ntended to ma ke i nter na l combustion eng i nes a s clea n a s possible They have hugely i mpor ta nt ra m i fications for t he i ndust r y a nd ca r buyers, a s Ju l ia n Rendel l repor ts ( p12)

Stel la ntis boss Ca rlos Tava res recently made h is t houg hts clea r to Autoca r when he told us: “Eu ro 7 w i l l d raw resou rces we shou ld be spend i ng on elect r i fication W hy use sca rce resou rces for somet h i ng for a shor t per iod of ti me? It’s cou nter productive.”

Renau lt boss Luca de Meo echoed t hat: “It’s goi ng to cost [ Renau lt] more t ha n a bi l l ion i n development, it’s goi ng to occupy 80% of t he R &D capacit y of power t ra i ns for a yea r or more a nd it doesn’t ma ke sense, even f rom a n ecolog ica l poi nt of v iew ”

In shor t, t he ca r i ndust r y a rg ues t hat comply i ng w it h Eu ro 7 w i l l red i rect v ita l resou rces f rom its development of new elect r ic tech a nd towa rds t he pu rsu it of complex, expensive, ti me consu m i ng combustion fi xes t hat del iver on ly m i n i ma l, shor t ter m ga i ns

We a l l wa nt clea ner a i r a nd a susta i nable pla net for ma ny more generations, but at what cost? The sug gestion is t hat Eu ro 7 w i l l slow elect r i fication development t he chosen path for ma k ing the car industr y clea ner a nd g reener a nd do not h i ng to ha lt t he r isi ng cost of buy i ng a ca

y o u t u b e c o m / a u t o c a r f a c e b o o k c o m / a u t o c a r o f f i c i a l t w i t t e r c o m / a u t o c a r a u t o c a r o f f i c i a l

C O M M E N T

The Astra Electric can travel 258 miles on a single charge from its 5 4kWh batter y 3 6 miles more than the 52kWh Corsa

T h e n e w A s t r a E Vs a r e p o w e r e d b y a 15 3 b h p s y n c h r o n o u s m o t o r t h a t p r o d u c e s 19 9 l b f t

Vauxhall will launch EV versions of its Astra hatchback and Astra Sports Tourer next summer. Their arrival will bring its batter y electric passenger car range to six models and represent another big step towards its goal of offering only EVs by 2028

The new cars will notably increase the electric choice available to buyers in the UK family hatchback market, with

the Sports Tourer in particular becoming one of only a handful of pure batter y estates on the market Scheduled to be delivered from next June, the new models are built on Stellantis’s EMP2 platform similar to Peugeot’s e 3 0 8 , which is scheduled to hit the UK market at about the same time as the two Vauxhalls .

Their prices are expected to usefully undercut those of the similarly sized but more

powerful Renault Mégane E Tech, which arrived in the UK in a three tier range priced at £37,0 0 0 to £41 ,0 0 0

However, they are unlikely to get close to the bargain priced MG 4 hatchback , another recent arrival, whose prices start at £28 , 50 0 about the same as Vauxhall’s Corsa Electric, which is a size smaller than the Astra.

The arrival of the new EVs means Vauxhall will

offer buyers a choice of four different Astra powertrains petrol, diesel, plug in hybrid and electric The new batter y editions are identical in styling to existing models except for the lack of exhaust pipes and the standard adoption of 1 8in diamond cut alloy wheels (also available optionally in black)

The new Astra Electric models are both powered by a 153 bhp synchronous electric motor that produces maximum

The ‘e’ badge is one of the few telltales that this is the EV

torque of 199lb ft and drives the front wheels through a single speed reduction gearbox

There are three driving modes Sport, Normal and Eco with the non Sport modes delivering slightly less power to improve driving range The Astra Electric’s official WLTP range is quoted at 258 miles , a figure that improves considerably on the Corsa’s official 2 2 2 miles ,

even though the new Astra’s total batter y capacity of 5 4kWh is only marginally ahead of the Corsa’s 50 kWh. Like its sibling, the Astra Electric batter y can handle 1 0 0 kW DC charging and will charge to 8 0% in just 3 0 minutes

The Astra’s batter y is carried in the car’s rear structure but

is cleverly packed to intrude no more into passenger and luggage space than does the Astra PHEV ’s much smaller batter y. Vauxhall quotes the Sports Tourer EV ’s luggage space at 1553 litres with the rear seats folded and 51 6 litres with them in use

The new Astra Electric has

a top speed of 1 05mph, but Vauxhall fails to quote a time for its 0 62mph acceleration However, it can be expected to beat the eight second barrier, given the Corsa’s time is 8 1sec

An official figure for the kerb weight is not forthcoming either, but it is likely to run close to 1750 kg, given the Corsa Electric’s slightly smaller batter y pack weighs 3 45kg and is part of an all up weight gain of around 250 kg

I t s b a t t e r y c a n h a n d l e 10 0 k W

D C c h a r g i n g a n d w i l l c h a r g e t o 8 0 % i n j u s t 3 0 m i n u t e s

design principles , which centre on an overall simplification of displays and driving controls

Vauxhall is not the fleet force it was , as owner Stellantis moves to boost profits by aiming more at private buyers However, not all fleet sales are low margin and Vauxhall really needs this electric Astra to increase its appeal for business users

Almost 70% of electric cars registered in the UK in October went to fleets and businesses , according to Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders The charm of electric for business drivers is , of course, the ver y low benefit in kind tax , now by far the biggest tax incentive for EV buyers

Vauxhall’s decision to also make an EV estate will play well with fleet buyers , who veer more towards estates than private buyers do

Right now, the best selling estate in the UK is the Toyota Corolla hybrid, with the similar sized MG 5 electric number two The Astra sits in the same categor y but is likely to cost more than both.

However, the Astra’s good looks and that enduring tax incentive will ensure sales for both models should run at a decent clip, possibly even overtaking Vauxhall’s best selling electric car, the Mokka Electric small SUV

Inside, the Astra Electric will be identical to existing Astra models , adopting design chief Mark Adams’ ‘bold and pure’

This includes two 1 0 0 in screens one for instruments and one for the central display

Vauxhall will start taking orders for the Astra Electric hatchback early next year

and begin deliveries from June. Similar processes for the EV Sports Tourer will be about six months later, with the UK pricing and detailed specification of both models announced “closer to the start of sales”.

S T E V E C RO PL E Y

F L E E T S A L E S W I L L B E I M P O R T A N T

N I C K G I B B S

Vauxhall now offers the Astra with four different powertrains: petrol, diesel, plug in hybrid and electric.

Astra EV’s battery is mounted in the rear structure of the car

Cabin design follows the company’s latest ‘bold and pure’ ethos

Sports Tourer Electric has luggage space of 516 1553 litres and will arrive six months after the hatch

Vau x hall targets electrified shif t upmarket

VAUXHALL IS MAKING rapid progress towards its ma jor goal of becoming an EV only company by 2028 , according to managing director James Taylor, whose imminent aims are to boost batter y model take up and raise Vauxhall’s position in the market close to but distinct from Peugeot, its Stellantis stablemate

“Astra going electric is a big milestone for both our popular family car as well as for the Vauxhall brand,” he said. “Our move to electrification is already bringing new customers , so we expect strong interest in both the hatchback and estate models when they arrive in the UK .

“Our Mokka Electric already represents just over one in four Mokka registrations , and both it and the Corsa Electric are in the top two of their respective segments . ”

The opportunity to ‘ tune’ Vauxhall’s positioning in the mainstream market comes as a direct result of joining the Stellantis conglomerate, according to group design director Mark Adams , a Brit with responsibility for both Vauxhall and Opel cars

“We want to ensure there’s a correct bandwidth between our various marques , ” said

Has joining Stellantis brought about a repositioning of the Vauxhall brand?

“Definitely No doubt about it We believe we can be a step above the pure mainstream brands , not abandoning our volume customer base but offering them a particular kind of personality and quality We’re already on that path ”

The Corsa is being updated. What are the priorities for that?

“Clearly, the big one is to adopt our new front face, much as you see it on the Mokka and the Astra. When Opel was joining PSA , and later Stellantis , we’d already frozen the Corsa design Don’t get me wrong: we’re proud of what we’ve done with it, and there’s plenty of life in it And the market has backed us

“But the new corporate nose makes the car look ver y new and different. We’ve progressed the interior, too. The whole idea is to ‘detox’ it to make it simpler ”

Vauxhall is doing well with hatchbacks , but an era of ‘ skateboard’ chassis is coming Can the hatchback saloon survive?

“There will be changes But that doesn’t mean ever y thing will need to be tall. It depends where the technology takes us Cars will be generally taller Batteries will be carried underneath But aero will be important, too, and lower cars have an advantage there.”

Electrification is bringing flexibility to mechanical layouts How much will mainstream cars change?

“Depends how far you want to push The opportunities are great: a wheel at each corner, shorter overhangs , more flexibility around the apertures , even changes to where you put the occupants Up to now, that big lump in the nose has controlled almost ever y thing We’re looking beyond 2028 right now, and the opportunities are great But it’s still a matter of designing cars people like ”

Adams “We see Vauxhall Opel, like Peugeot, as being in the upper part of the mainstream segment. We believe the two marques can be quite distinct, and appeal to different buyers , because of their priorities and histories . Vauxhall Opel is uniquely a German British brand, with a quite different appeal from Peugeot, which clearly has strong French roots

“We believe the two sit well at the ‘quality and personality’

end of mainstream and our research is already showing that the Corsa, Mokka and Astra are being perceived that way ”

Taylor cites his other priority as being to build Vauxhall’s already thriving light commercial market.

“All three of our van models have been available with electric power since last year,” said Taylor “Our aim is to be selling only electric vans seven years ahead of the government’s deadline.”

CORSA FACELIFT

Class leading supermini is already on the correct Stellantis platform so all it needs next year is the right ‘Vizor’ corporate nose job and Astra’s new wide screen infotainment.

How far ahead do you look? “For us , a 1 0 year horizon is about right, and the sheer breadth of future opportunities puts a lot of strain on your engineering and your opportunity to invest. You can’t make big decisions too far out because the pace of change might catch you out ”

Hot hatches have been crucial over past decades , both for image building and

selling cars . How will they fare in future?

“They’ll be around, but they’ll change Our GS e line will appear soon to show our view Cars like them will have strong performance, but it won’t be explosive. The opportunities to use huge power are in decline But driving en joyment must and will sur vive We’ll concentrate on driving en joyment, responsiveness , agility stuff like that ”

CROSSLAND

SUV is selling successfully and was , with the Mokka, first to introduce the Vizor nose at its 202 1 facelift. Next model (due 2024) will run beyond Vauxhall’s 2028 all electric cut off

GRANDLAND

Like the Crossland, it had a nose job at the end of 202 1 so a total revision is due in early 2025 A pure batter y version is a certainty, using gadgetr y first seen in the Astra.

MANTA

When the production version of this rakish concept appears in 2026 , it will be an ‘emotional’ four door bearing familiar design features and a great name from the past

INSIGNIA

The conventional executive saloon we know has gone but Vauxhall chiefs insist there will be a full EV replacement because the marque needs a flagship Tipped launch date is 2025

Vauxhall MD James Taylor

M A R K A D A M S , D I R E C T O R O F D E S I G N V A U X H A L L A N D O P E L Q & A

Mokka EV accounts for more than 25% of all Mokka sales

MAGE

Adams: “Driving enjoyment must and will survive”

L a mbo readies of f-road supercar

Lamborghini has revealed the production ready Huracán Sterrato, an off road ready swansong for its V 1 0 supercar, ahead of the arrival of a new plug in hybrid successor in 2024

The final Sterrato has made its debut just two weeks after Porsche’s similarly conceived 9 11 Dakar headlined at the Los Angeles motor show, but it is in effect an evolution of a concept first shown in 20 19 Reaction from potential customers was over whelmingly positive, but company insiders say it took the return of Stephan Winkelmann to the role of Lamborghini CEO in 2020 for the production version to get the green light.

The finished Sterrato, which is due with customers next year, looks ver y similar

to the original concept, with carbonfibre body work extensions , a raised ride height, integrated auxiliar y driving lights and roof bars , but numerous small tweaks have been made to prepare it for production The most obvious is the arrival of a roof mounted air intake for the V 1 0 engine. This is not to enable wading but to find cleaner air in the dusty off road environments for which the car is designed

Lamborghini’s engineers also experimented with keeping the original intakes behind the rear side window, with small protection plates to help deflect flying stones . Ultimately, these were not judged effective enough for the production version, hence the switch to a ‘snorkel’ instead

The revised intake system is the main reason that power from the naturally aspirated 5 2 litre engine has fallen slightly compared with other Huracán models: the Sterrato’s V 1 0 makes 60 1bhp (compared with 632bhp for the new Tecnica), although the 413 lb ft torque peak is unchanged That results in a claimed 0 62mph time of 3 4sec, this while running on the standard Bridgestone Dueller All Terrain 0 02 tyres . The chunkier rubber is also why top speed has been limited to 1 60 mph, which is lowest top speed of any Lamborghini since the

Auxiliary lights had to meet strict US pedestrian impact regulations

Ferrari’s long awaited Purosangue will arrive in UK showrooms next summer with a £3 13 ,120 price tag. The 715bhp V 12 powered SUV is the first four seat, four door model to be graced

Intake system restricts power to 601bhp; sill plates add protection

CTO Rouven Mohr (right) “We started talking about it just after we had both started working at Lamborghini We were talking about the cars we love and we got onto the Lancia Stratos Then I took an old durability development car and created the original concept That’s why it’s wearing something like Alitalia liver y, although we changed the colours before we showed it!”

Lamborghini design boss Mit ja Borkert “I’ve always loved the idea of putting a super sports car into an unexpected environment But the concept is so simple that ever ybody got it immediately, and customers were really enthusiastic But Stephan Winkelmann deser ves the credit for saying ‘yes’ when he came back to the

company, because this is definitely not a traditional Lamborghini.”

RM “The driving experience will be ver y different

The suspension is softer and there is rolling and pitching things we tr y to minimise with a sports car It’s really like a rallycross car It was challenging from a tyre point of view to have a set up that was also stable at speed ”

MB “It was during testing that we discovered we needed the air scoop: the engine was eating too much dust, or rather the filters were getting blocked too quickly It has been designed for real off road use; it needs to be able to take it. And I hope that people will find opportunities to drive it like that It is going to look better when it is dirty, or even when it has some wear on it.”

monstrous LM

0

02 off roader went out of production

The Sterrato uses the same seven speed dual clutch automatic gearbox and all wheel drive system as the Evo AWD, but it does without the powered rear axle steering that it had as standard “On dirt, there isn’t any point,” said Rouven Mohr, Lamborghini’s CTO Mohr also confirmed that the Sterrato has a Rally mode, like that on the new Urus Performante This doesn’t

disengage drive to the front axle but slackens off stability control inter vention to allow both large and sustainable oversteer angles , though it will step in if the car starts to spin

The Sterrato has been designed for sand and gravel rather than hardcore rock scrambling. Ground clearance has been increased by 4 4mm over the regular Huracán, with additional underbody protection and reinforced sill plates Carbonfibre wheel arch

extensions also cover a slightly widened track at each end (up by 3 0 mm at the front and 3 4mm at the rear). Suspension settings are softer, and the 4 0 section tyres have been chosen to help protect the 19in alloys from damage

Two of the most distinctive details were hardest to realise. The front auxiliar y lights have to meet US pedestrian impact requirements , and in order to fit the roof bars , which are rated to a modest 3 0 kg,

strengthening had to be added to a part of the Huracán’s structure that was never designed to carr y loads .

Lamborghini will make 9 0 0 Sterratos , quoting a European market price of €263 ,0 0 0 (£2 28 ,0 0 0) before taxes That’s roughly £55,0 0 0 more than its closest conceivable rival, the 9 11 Dakar, but undercuts the track focused Huracán STO by more than £3 0,0 0 0 M I K E D U FF

Higher profile tyres help protect the wheels but limit top speed to 160mph

C A R O F T H E Y E A R C O N T E N D E R S N A M E D The 202 3 Car of the Year shortlist consists of the Jeep Avenger, Kia Niro, Nissan Ariya, Peugeot 4 0 8 , Renault Austral, Subaru Solterra/ Toyota bZ4X and Volkswagen ID Buzz The winner will be announced on 13 Januar y and succeed Kia’s EV6

G I U G I A R O T O P E N N E W H Y U N D A I P O N Y

Hyundai has recruited famed designer Giorgetto Giugiaro to recreate his 1974 Pony concept after it was inadvertently scrapped 4 0 years ago. The Pony, the first car the firm produced by itself, inspired the hydrogen N Vision 74 concept

H O W T H E S T E R R A T O S T A R T E D

Lamborghini

‘Iconic’ V W names to live on in EV era

CEO confirms desire to retain long running names and badges alongside new ID line

The Volkswagen Golf and the hot GTI variant are tipped to continue into a ninth generation with electric power, in line with the firm’s plan to retain historically significant nameplates

V W CEO Thomas Schäfer said the company would not be retiring the Golf name, and instead the model could become part of the ID line up. The ninth generation V W Golf is due in around 2027 28

Schäfer said the ID naming convention is here to stay, because it is already known by buyers and associated with electric V Ws But long running badges such as Golf and even GTI are in the frame to continue into the EV era.

“There is a connection with V W and ID, and there is no need to cancel [ID],” he told Autocar at the Los Angeles motor show “We have iconic brand names , Golf and GTI . It would be crazy to let them die and slip away. We will stick with the ID logic but iconic models will carr y a name We would not let go of the Golf name, no way ”

Schäfer said that ID models didn’t always need to have a number after them (such as ID 3 and ID 4), pointing to the existing example of the V W ID Buzz To that end, he said, V W “might have ID Golf”.

Schäfer made it clear that the Golf would not be a replacement for the ID 3 and that the two models were considered separate cars in size and positioning. When asked if there was room for both, he said: “Yes The ID 3 has never been a successor to the Golf, it is more a Golf Plus ”

His comments address

a lingering question at Volkswagen: could there be room for both a Golf and an ID 3 in a future line up of electric vehicles , and would they or would they not converge into one model? The Golf would slot in between the ID 2 and the ID 3 in the future Schäfer also hinted that the

GT X badge used for all wheel drive performance versions of the ID cars would not be used by the brand in the long term, and GTI and R would again emerge as the dominant performance badges in the range “GT X as an idea is en route for EVs , ” he added “If in the future we’ll need it, we’ll see We might

not But GTI and R, yes With a strong brand you need to spend less [on marketing, and have better awareness] getting it out there.”

On GTI , Schäfer added: “GTI with Golf was always legendar y We will carr y on We need substance to it, with performance We’re working on

a performance model with EV to carr y GTI for ward ”

Schäfer said the R badge would remain for all wheel drive performance flagship models . This suggests that GTI could be used for two wheel drive performance EVs , and R for four wheel drive ones

M A R K T I SS H AW

De Tomaso revs up w ith

ITALIAN MANUFACTURER

De Tomaso has revealed the P9 0 0, a £2 . 5 million, limited run track only hypercar powered by a bespoke V 12 that spins to 12 , 3 0 0 rpm Delivering 8 8 8bhp and weighing just 9 0 0 kg mainly thanks to its strong but lightweight carbonfibre tub the two seater has been

created to break lap times , the firm has said.

Much of the radical looking, aerodynamically optimised car has been designed in house, including the 6 2 litre powertrain, and it features technologies derived from the motorsport world, including an active drag reduction system (DRS) incorporated into the

Golf

EU7 could make Polo ‘unaffordable’

THE FUTURE IS less certain for the smaller Volkswagen Polo, which faces an early retirement as new Euro 7 rules (see p12) threaten a spike in the cost of small combustion engined cars .

CEO Thomas Schäfer said engineers at the company were currently assessing the regulations , and a decision was expected within the next couple of weeks on whether the development of small ICE

models would continue.

“We planned small electric cars that would come in 2025 between Volkswagen, Skoda and Cupra and would be built in Spain,” said Schäfer. “That basically replaces the combustion engine in small vehicles like the Polo, because cars become so expensive [with Euro 7], there is no point carr ying on.

“It makes no sense to go with ver y small cars beyond

EU7. It will push the price of small cars up by £3 0 0 0, £4 0 0 0, £50 0 0 or more, then all of a sudden small cars become unaffordable

“We need another two weeks . At the moment, we have engineers evaluating what that means But if that is true [the expected impact of Euro 7 on the price of cars], we definitely won’t invest any more and we’ll just keep the plan to electrify as quickly as possible ”

IMAGE

A

P900’s

The Volkswagen Passat and Arteon models will ultimately be replaced by the upcoming ‘Aero B’ electric range, CEO Thomas Schäfer confirmed.

The Aero B is due to go on sale next year and will eventually include both saloon and estate versions

The V W ID 7 name has been rumoured for the range after a recent patent application

“It will all converge, obviously into the ID world,” said Schäfer, speaking about the firm’s plans for the segment “We already decided only to have a station

wagon of the new Passat and not a saloon

“We need the station wagon for a long range, for company cars , fleet cars . ”

The next generation Passat estate will be the last model in that line, and the Arteon won’t be replaced

rear

will begin next summer, with just 1 8 set to be built at the firm’s factor y in

The De Tomaso brand was

A new performance variant of the Audi RS6 Avant will become the sole version sold in the UK when it is launched in December Fitted with a larger turbocharger, the 4 0 litre V8 has been uprated to deliver 621bhp and 627lb ft (up 30bhp and 37lb ft), reducing its 0 62mph time by 0 2sec to 3 4sec Lightweight 22in wheels and a self locking centre differential come as standard It will cost £130,050 in top spec Vorsprung trim.

U D I B O O S T S R S 6 AVA N T T O 6 2 1B H P, 6 2 7 L B F T

A E R O B S I G N A L S E N D O F A R T E O N A N D P A S S A T

Volkswagen’s ID EV naming convention is now well established

VW CEO has cast doubts on the future of the firm’s popular supermini

wing Deliveries

Modena

relaunched only three years ago, with the retro inspired P72 , which was created to pay homage to the Carroll Shelby designed P70

O F F I C I A L P I C T U R E

New emissions rules set to raise costs and reduce choice

Incoming Euro 7 regulations could add a 30 second delay to petrol engine start up

New electrically heated e catalysts , due as standard fitment in petrol and hybrid engines from 2025, are set to delay the starting procedure of new cars by up to 3 0 seconds .

The ‘e cats’ will become standard in most new cars to ensure they comply with the new cold start regulations in the Euro 7 emissions laws , which introduce an ‘emissions budget’ with which a car must comply over a 1 0 km (6 2 mile)

driven route

An electric heater coupled to a small fan, likened to a

hairdr yer, will push hot air into the catalyst core and raise it to operating temperature The procedure will take between 20 and 3 0 seconds

“To mitigate any delay, OEM car makers are exploring new starting procedures for example, linking remote key transponder technology or mobile phone apps to initialise the cat warm up before a driver enters the car,” said Mahle Powertrain, which helped Autocar decode the upcoming Euro 7 regulations

However, even that technology might leave a driver

with a five or 1 0 second delay while the car warms up before it can be started

What is Euro 7?

“The core aim is to make ICE as clean as possible, and to do that, EU7 will bring diesel and petrol engines under identical regulator y emissions limits for the first time,” said Mahle Powertrain.

Legal output of carbon monoxide (CO) will be halved, while particle emissions will be reduced by up to 3 0% , by including the smallest (1 0 nm) size. Limits for oxides of nitrogen (NOx) hydrocarbons (HC) and total particulates remain the same as the latest Euro 6d regs , though, raising questions about the cost effectiveness of Euro 7.

The new rules are disrupting ongoing development programmes

limit of 50 0 0 mg, NOx 60 0 mg, THC (total hydrocarbons) 1 0 0 0 mg and particles 45mg. These weights can be emitted for up to 1 0 km in an RDE test, and Euro 7’s increased boundar y conditions drive the need for pre heated catalysts .

illuminating the engine management light (EML) if emissions go out of limits .

When will it happen?

From

“But one of the newest areas for regulation is the concept of an ‘emissions budget’, intended to clean up cold start emissions of seven pollutants , including CO, NOx , THC , NH3 and particles , ” added Mahle Powertrain CO, for example, has a fixed

Also new is the regulation of brake dust, which will be tested during a replica of the WLTP economy test, with a limit of 7mg/km from 2025 2035, tightening to 3 mg/km in 2035.

But the biggest change is to the on board diagnostic (OBD) strategy, which will live monitor key pollutants ,

Cars built from July 2025 will have to be meet Euro 7 rules , two years earlier than expected an aggressive speeding up of the introduction that has infuriated many in the industr y and so, unusually, will engines operating to Euro 6 standards There is at least a longer lead time for low volume, independent manufacturers with annual EU sales below 1 0,0 0 0 units , such as Aston

2025, petrol engines will need to meet much stricter rules

T h e p r o s p e c t o f h e a v i e r, t a l l e r v e h i c l e s d o m i n a t i n g t h e m a r ke t s e e m s h i g h

y

but expects OEMs to hit the 2025 production target

Meanwhile, OEM development engineers aren’t able to work with production ready sensors for example, with a known accuracy at a range of boundar y conditions or tested for durability for key pollutants such as NOx and ammonia. Hardware is available now from tier one suppliers including Bosch and BorgWarner, but there are fears of insufficient time to go through a lengthy validation process for Euro 7 appropriate measurements to satisfy European legal requirements

What it means for retailers

It is thought there might be new or used car bargains in dealers from late 2024 or early 2025 as manufacturers clear out stock ahead of the July 2025 deadline. Once Euro 7 is in force, however, dealers and garages are likely to be faced with the difficulty of pinpointing EML faults

Time and cost in workshops while issues are investigated and repaired may well increase maintenance costs

What it means for motorists

It’s highly likely that consumer choice will narrow as we close in on 2024/2025, and some models could be pulled early

ke l y

Martin, Ferrari and McLaren, which have been given until July 203 0 to comply.

Bentley, Lamborghini and Rolls Royce, as part of larger groups with shared engineering resources , are locked into July 2025 compliance.

What it means for OEMs

Powertrain programmes for 2025 are in progress but face being revised with additional work to revalidate hardware and software for the new limits The EU has proposed a 12 month consultation with OEMs while the details are fixed

The prospect of heavier, taller crossover vehicles dominating the market seems highly likely. E cats are about 3 0% bigger and need 4 8V electrics , so retrofitting them to existing models may be impractical especially in city cars , superminis , sports cars and coupés , where under bonnet space is at a premium .

The added cost per vehicle is around £50 0, according to EU estimates , but that doesn’t include increased R&D and manufacturing costs . It is unlikely OEMs will absorb all of that, so expect prices to go up

An unintended consequence may well be tighter supply of EVs . With fewer models to sell and less revenue coming in, Euro 7 may inadvertently reduce investment in EVs

W H

H Y

R A M P I N G U P T H E DA M P I N G

The Fox Live Valve damper tech on Ford’s new Raptor sticks to old school hydraulics but uses a high speed electronically controlled valve to increase or decrease compression damping on the fly The technology has to make the fast changes to damping needed off road while still allowing the movement of relatively high volumes of fluid, given the size of the hefty dampers

Y F U E L S EC U R I T Y M E A N S

D R O G E N W I L L H AV E I T S DAY

California is promising an 8 6% reduction in the use of fossil fuel by 20 45 as part of a global shift towards hydrogen energy

U N D E R T H E S K I N J E S S E C R O S S E

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l i

Mazda prev iews M X-5’s future look

Mazda has previewed a sleek two seat coupé as it gears up for an £8 9 billion investment in future electric vehicles .

The new model, revealed during the Japanese firm’s financial presentation, was shown alongside a series of drop top MX 5s of the past, suggesting the hard top coupé with Lamborghini style scissor doors could be an early look at the next generation of the popular sports car

The model’s chassis was also shown, revealing a large space for a longitudinally mounted engine and a structure most

likely a fuel cell or batter y enclosure behind the driver However, the concept’s lack of exhausts , coupled with Mazda’s ma jor investment in future EVs , suggests it’s an electric vehicle in its current form Mazda’s European head of product development and engineering, Joachim Kunz , hinted in April that the MX 5 will be considered completely separate from the brand’s mainstream models

“It’s our brand icon and it is always treated specially,” said Kunz . “At the moment, it looks like we will have this car forever, with this size and concept and

combustion engine Of course, some day, we will have to electrify it, but we want to keep this pure concept ”

Kunz added that the MX 5 has a longer life span than other Mazda models “having one generation for 1 0 years is not a problem for us , ” he said so the replacement for the current ND generation car is likely to break cover in 2024 .

A company spokesperson said the coupé shown was a ‘vision study’ model similar to the RX Vision concept shown in 20 15 and it is intended to demonstrate the brand’s commitment to driver’s cars

The news came as Mazda announced a $1 0.6bn (£8 .9bn) spending plan aimed at accelerating its electrification efforts with a revised strategy in response to the “dramatically” changing environment for the automotive industr y, with an emphasis on Europe.

approach’ philosophy a pragmatic

and flexible approach to electrification based on customer

demand and regional infrastructure

NEW CARS

Next year, the Japanese firm will release a petrol range extender version of the MX 3 0, resolving the limited 124 mile range of the electric version launched last year This will be followed by a new flagship dubbed ‘CX 8 0’: an extended variant of the recently released CX 60 with three rows of seats

TACKLING EURO 7

Between 2025 and 2027, Mazda will introduce a new hybrid system and additional batter y electric models “as regulations become more stringent, especially in Europe”, said CEO Akira Marumoto, in response to the new and increasingly rigorous Euro 7 emissions regulation proposals (see p12)

ELECTRIFICATION ASSAULT

From 2028 , the firm will begin to electrify all of its cars , with several development and production agreements for electric technologies already signed The company now aims for electric vehicles to account for 25 4 0% of its global sales by 203 0, having previously targeted 25%

This includes the consolidation of its production capacity by strengthening its supply chains and cutting costs under its ‘multi solution

The company also confirmed two new medium term goals: the first for its factories to be CO2 neutral by 2035 (the aim is to be a CO2 neutral company by 2050), and the second for no fatal accidents to be caused by a new Mazda by 20 4 0.

C H A R L I E M A R T I N

T h e c o n c e p t i s i n t e n d e d t o d e m o n s t r a t e M a z d a’s c o m m i t m e n t t o d r i v e r ’s c a r s

M A P P I N G M A Z D A ’ S F U T U R E

Mazda says the iconic MX 5 will always get ‘special treatment’

Sleek ‘vision study’ preview model has scissor doors

No tailpipe is visible, but Mazda has hinted next MX-5 will be ICE-powered

E xclusi ve 3.0 CSL revealed as M di v ision’s present to itself

BMW ’s M DIVISION has revealed the long awaited, ultra limited edition 3 .0 CSL as a finale to the performance arm’s 50 th birthday celebrations

The BMW 3 .0 CSL is based on the current G82 variant of the BMW M4 coupé but features a unique exterior design and uprated power The car pays homage to the legendar y 3 .0 CSL ‘Batmobile’ from 1973 , the firm’s lightened and uniquely styled rally racer that won the European Touring Car Championship four years in a row.

Driven by the most powerful straight six engine ever used in a road legal BMW M car, the 3 0 CSL makes 552bhp and 4 05lb ft Power is sent to the rear wheels only via a six speed

manual transmission.

Much of the body is made from carbonfibre, including the bonnet, roof, bootlid, front and rear aprons , rear diffuser and rear spoiler

Inside, the 3 .0 CSL is fitted with carbonfibre bucket

seats and has storage space for two helmets behind the driver.

No pricing has yet been revealed, but with just 50 3 0 CSL examples scheduled to be built, a six figure price tag is expected.

INTERESTING STATS IN

t he latest financia l repor t from Pendragon, t he UK’s four t h largest dea ler group by turnover ( just under £3 billion, since you’re ask ing), including some intriguing details among t he headlines of yet anot her incredibly strong quar ter of trading.

The firm operates more t han 160 new and used car sites across t he UK under t he auspices of t he Evans Ha lshaw, Stratstone and CarStore brands, covering a broad spread of bot h mainstream and premium car ma kers in its mix

Across t his it revea led t hat t he average price of a new car sa le was £29,036 a headline t hat gives lie to t he fact t hat a ll electric cars are priced beyond t he means of t he t ypica l new car buyer, a lt hough as ever wit h averages it ’s impor tant to remember t he mid ground represents only one view of t he overa ll picture

F I AT B O S S S E E S ‘ O P P O R T U N I T Y ’ I N F I E S TA’S D E M I S E

Fiat is committed to a future line up focused on small cars as it continues with its EV push, despite other manufacturers withdrawing from the market Company boss Olivier François suggested Ford’s axing of the Fiesta presents an “opportunity” for Fiat to take a bigger share of the A, B and C segments The Italian firm is overhauling its European line up as it shifts to electric only and plans to launch five new models in the next five years to join the existing Fiat 500e

Perhaps more interesting was t he snapshot of new and used car profits t hese past mont hs. Throughout t he pandemic, car dea lers (and some car ma kers) have been significant ly insulated by t he performance of each: when doors opened again after t he first lockdown, new and used sa les were turbocharged; when new car supply slumped, used car profits soared; and now t he used car market is wobbling a lit t le, if far from declining, new car margins are on t he up

A ll of t hat is reflected in Pendragon’s figures, wit h new car profits running at an average of £2597 per car, up an impressive £743 compared wit h t he same period last year Used car

profit, in contrast, was down to £1561 per car, from £2052, representing a £491 drop, but t hat ’s still at a historica lly high level if you discount what is regarded as an exceptiona l year in 2021 Pendragon notes t hat t he economic out look “remains cha llenging” but is understanda bly buoyant given it has 20,000 customer orders banked, ready for payment on deliver y as t he semiconductor chip shor tage eases. The recession may be long and deep as predicted, but t hat order bank could see Pendragon t hrough a significant propor tion of it Nota bly, too, few in t he industr y expect used car prices to collapse, even in t he face of t he cost of living crisis Supply is still low, and perhaps lower still as we head into t he per iod t hree years after t he pandemic began, when many new car leases weren’t renewed W hat ’s more, used demand is potentia lly rising as impatient buyers look to sk ip new car waiting lists (or just pay less given current pressures) Pricing has plent y of head room, too, helped by t he rapid inflation of new car prices as a result of rising raw materia l prices and t he (likely) temporar y end of t he haggle in t he face of par ts shor tages

The business of selling cars has never been easy, has rarely been consistent and is usua lly teetering bet ween good times and bad, but Pendragon’s experiences are by no means unique. Despite t he hardships elsewhere, after a few years of varia ble for tunes, a ll car retailers seem to be ma k ing hay

I N S I D E I N F O R M A T I O N

Pendragon Group’s average selling price is a little under £30k

Much of the 3.0 CSL’s bodywork is made from carbonfibre

New electric supermini sibling for 500 is coming

IMAGE

Ora beats Chinese ri vals to UK

UK sales boss sets out plans for nascent brand’s British future after Funky Cat launch

The European new car market is set to enter a period of dramatic upheaval as a wave of competitive new Chinese manufacturers look to establish a foothold in the region. Among them will be Nio, Xpeng, Zeekr, Aiways and first of the non legacy marques to land a car in UK dealerships

Great Wall Motors , with its fashionable new Ora brand Toby Marshall, from UK importer International Motors (IM), is Ora’s UK sales and marketing director At the launch of the £3 1 ,995 Funky Cat hatchback , he told Autocar how Ora will establish itself in the UK with competitive quality standards , a physical digital retail model and an established parts and ser vicing network

Why not go down the more affordable route?

“Once we saw the car and realised how high quality the interior was , and really understood the personality of it, we realised we’ve got something really quite special and therefore we can be quite targeted in the market where

it’s going to be We don’t have to play the volume game. We haven’t got to hit X volume and X market share in the UK We can grow the share and the volume organically ”

What are your ambitions for the dealer network?

“We are hoping to take on around one retailer per month So by the end of next year, we could have around 1 6 retailers

“We are never going to have a network of 150, because I don’t think you need to in this day and age I think people will travel to come and look and buy a car as long as they can have it ser viced relatively locally, so having a hub and spoke approach is key where our retailers have a sales and ser vice outlet, but also ser vice outlets elsewhere within their territories . ”

Would it have been easier to just sell digitally?

“We’ve got Ora Online, which will be going live at the ver y beginning, so customers can choose how they want to buy a car, whether it’s through our online system or by going to one of our retailers . But we do value retailers We know they have a part to play in this and we know that they can give expert care both advice when people are buying a car and also aftersales care.

“That’s really key, particularly for a new brand: that they can go and touch, feel, sit in a car and speak to an expert about it to understand how they’re going to look after them going for ward ”

What do you think persuaded retailers to take on a new brand now?

“I think they can see the potential. They know that we’re not just launching one car into the UK There will be a number of different models Over time, they can see the potential They can see where the brand is going. They like the look , feel, personality and quality of the cars So they can see the long term future in this ”

How does Ora sit with the other International Motors brands , such as Subaru and Isuzu?

“The way things work here is really healthy, because the sales and marketing teams are independent So each brand has its own identity, its own stakeholders , its own look and feel And that’s really important, but what we obviously can benefit from is being able to plug into the IM infrastructure. The parts warehouse is 250,0 0 0 sq ft, which is enormous , and it’s in the middle of the countr y, with logistics already set up to deliver parts out to dealers . So that’s where it works really well: we slot into a well oiled machine ”

Funky Cat GT Hot range topper brings 170 bhp and sporty styling

Funky Cat Ultra Long range version gets a 63 kWh batter y for 261 miles

Next Cat AWD Model 3 rival claims up to 435 miles of range

Ora UK’s Marshall: “Retailers see a long-term future in it”

We r e a l i s e d w e’ v e g o t s o m e t h i n g r e a l l y q u i t e s p e c i a l . We d o n’ t h a v e t o p l a y t h e v o l u m e g a m e

Ora will launch a compact electric SUV, designed for Europe, in 2024

R I N G I N G T H E C H A N G E S

Talk about phoning it in

When Audi developed the S1 Hoonitron

Ken Block , the sideways maestro gave detailed spec requirements but then, because of tight timescales , had to leave Audi to it Engineers

Roland Waschkau and Meic Diessner ended up phoning Block to check he was happy with the car Audi

Sport R&D boss Steffen Bamberger said Block’s first reaction after driving it was entirely positive.

M R B R I G H T S I D E

Times are tough all right, but Fiat boss Olivier François is determined to do his bit by seriously considering “killing the grey” as a paint colour option for the brand.

He said: “We are a colourful brand simple, colourful, joyful We have a recession coming, so it’s not a good time for any of us as individuals , or as companies but it makes me think that the biggest strengths of Fiat is to be this anti cynical, anti crisis brand ”

hen I wrote t hat t he new Toyota Prius looks like it was drawn by a video game design team (Tester ’s Notes, 23 November), I have since worried you may have t hought I meant it as an insult. W hich isn’t t he case at a ll. Some contex t, t hen. I don’t know if you’ve come across Grand Theft Auto, but it ’s a long standing video game franchise t hat a llows one to play t he role of gangsters as t hey (now you) stea l and k ill t heir way towards financia l freedom. It ’s violent, it ’s swear y and it ’s ver y bloody Honest ly, people like t his sor t of t hing

The most recent edition ta kes place in fictiona l Los Santos a rough mock up of Los Angeles and t here is a host of cars in it t hat are availa ble to buy, hot wire or carjack As you prefer

T h a t t h e n e w P r i u s c o u l d s i t a l o n g s i d e t h e G r a n d T h e f t A u t o g a m e c a r s i s s o m e t h i n g o f a t r i u m p h

sor t of look like somet hing else. A big overbearing sa loon wit h Audi A6 vibes and a four diamond logo is ca lled t he ‘Obey ’; a bagger motorcycle is from Western Motorcycle Company, not Harley Davidson; and t he Vapid Bullet looks more like a Ford GT t han some actua l replicas do

There is a lso a batch of ordinar y family sa loons and wagons Into t his environment enter t he Prius, I said, because it would fit right in.

roofline does for head room.

S M A L L C A R , B I G P R I C E

A €25,0 0 0 (£2 1 , 50 0)

starting price for a small electric car is likely to become a new normality in the European car industr y, with it almost impossible to offer a car for less than that You are “facing reality” at that point, according to Renault engineering boss Gilles Le Borgne

Given its bloodiness and a bsence of mora ls, t he creators of GTA do not have car ma kers beating on t heir door to feature aut hentic recreations of t heir cars, as racing games might Instead, like an unaut horised foot ba ll computer game fielding a team ca lled ‘Nor t h London W hites’, it has cars t hat

But t hat isn’t to denigrate t he new Prius That it could easily sit a longside t he game cars is somet hing of a triumph, because designing a good look ing car t hat will only ever star on t he digita l screen is much easier t han designing one for rea l

If creating a concept is hard, bringing it to production in t he form you wanted is even harder A designer friend recent ly said t he last person he’d want to repor t to on a project would be t he company ’s head of engineering; which, as an engineer, hur t dearly But okay, I hear you In t he vir tua l world, t here is no need to engineer a front end t hat meets impact regulations. Or find a way to package t he modular dashboard to engine section you a bsolutely must use Or worr y what t hat ra k ish

W hen Jaguar launched t he XF, t hen design boss Ian Ca llum came to Autocar ’s studio to ta lk us around t he car, pointing out places where t hey ’d agonised for hours and had count less arguments over lines and packaging, but he managed to ma ke it look like he wanted These arguments aren’t a lways won The I Pace has a tailgate lip spoiler because wit hout it, it wouldn’t hit Jaguar ’s aerodynamic targets. It wasn’t meant to have one.

There are hurdles like t his on ever y project on which designers and, give t hem credit, engineers are tr ying to put cars on sa le look ing t he same way t hey were drawn in t he first instance.

Now, I imagine I’m simplif ying, but if you’re designing for a game, you just put t he wheels where you want t hem and sketch a nice shape around t hem. And t hen it only ever has to look good in a faux Ca lifornia, wit h its fa ke golden light and mountains

So when I say t he Prius looks not entirely rea l, don’t t hink I’m being insulting. It ’s no lit t le compliment.

New Toyota Prius looks unsullied by compromise Shame it’s not UK bound

T E S T E R ’ S N O T E S

GTA cars are exempt from impact regulations

with

MONDAY

It ’s dull It ’s been dull for days But one element of my life has become much brighter because I’m now driving a Vauxha ll Astra in t he arresting body colour of Electric Yellow. This simple name is a perfect guide to t he brightness of t he car, and t hat ’s unusua l: car colours are usua lly so complex t hat t hey can’t be clearly described A more t ypica l moniker might be Gia llo Sunset Aura or even Ultimate Horse Piddle, but t his Astra is Electric Yellow and wouldn’t work as any t hing else. True, its brightness is ba lanced by a classy black roof, but what you mainly react to are t hose bright expanses of body colour I’m cur rent ly ta k ing such v isua l sat isfact ion from t hem t hat I doubt I’ll ever choose a dull car again

TUESDAY

Wet trip up t he Fosse Way to Coventr y Universit y to chat to t he latest cohor t of postgrad students in what is still t he world’s only specia list course in automotive journa lism. I’ll a lways be proud to have persuaded t he universit y to launch t his 14 years ago: more t han 120 students have since graduated and 70% have found jobs in and around journa lism Course director Andrew Noa kes invites me in ever y year and nods sagely as I give t he same old advice (learn to write well; get to grips wit h t he latest tech; ma ke t he reader your top priorit y) and grins when I’m una ble to answer what students a lways ask: what ’s t he best car you’ve ever driven?

I a lways look for ward to t hese afternoons and find t hem increasingly uplift ing because of what I see as t he growing impor tance of our craft. Car users and ent husiasts face tougher choices now t han ever If you purpor t to be an exper t, now is t he time to step up!

R

WEDNESDAY

As you read t his, our MD Rachael Prasher and editoria l director Jim Holder are somewhere near t he summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, having embarked on an eight day ascent of Africa’s highest mountain to raise money for t he motor industr y charit y, BEN, which cares for automotive people in hard times Their expedition involves climbing to 19,300ft which, for handy reference, is more t han a mile (5000ft) higher t han my Cotswold Aero Club Robin DR400 can climb on full t hrot t le, after which its engine can’t ingest enough ox ygen Rachael and Jim have a lready raised £10,000 to ta ke par t, but t hey ’d like to do more. Fancy helping? Find details at giving.ben.org.uk.

A N D A N O T H E R T H I N G …

I know this picture is a hardy perennial, but it’s always a surprise when you see a sight such as this . Hard to believe cars were ever that small At home, we’ve just moved into that awful ‘ What should I get you for Christmas?’ phase.

Perhaps the Steering Committee will see this and find the answer

THURSDAY

I’ve been hauled over t he coa ls by severa l readers for sounding ver y bullish back in 2020 a bout just depar ted JLR boss Thierr y Bolloré’s ‘Reimagine Jaguar ’ reviva l plan, t hen criticising elements of it more recent ly in a stor y a bout his sudden depar ture It ’s a fair point My excuse is t hat we’ve heard ver y lit t le a bout t he plan’s progress in t wo years ot her t han various worr ying rumbles of disquiet. And in t he car game, no news is often justifia bly ta ken as bad news

Any way, stung by accusations of humbug, I rang a JLR insider who confirmed t hat t here has been much interna l shock at Bolloré’s depar ture. But my man was a lso impressively resolute. “Not hing changes,” he said “We have Reimagine and we’re going to deliver it We still have great leaders in t his place who are determined to build great Jaguars And t hat ’s a fact ”

These are just words, many will say. But t hey come from a well placed person and were delivered wit h aut horit y As you’d expect, I have requested an Autocar meeting wit h JLR’s new top man, Adrian Mardell My hand wasn’t exact ly bit ten off at t he wrist, but I am assured t hat t he request will be passed on.

a c h a e l a n d J i m h a v e r a i s e d £ 10,0 0 0 b u t w a n t t o d o m o r e

M Y W E E K I N C A R S

Astra’s arresting finish has rekindled affection for attention grabbing hues

JLR boss’s departure has shone a light on earlier predictions IMAGE

M A R O E N G E L Fresh from setting a new Nürburgring production car record in the Mercedes AMG One, Engel scored his third victor y in the prestigious Macau GT Cup He beat fellow Mercedes ace Raffaele Marciello

AYUMU IWASA foreshadowed Max Verstappen’s victor y in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix by conquering the final Formula 2 round of the season at Yas Marina in his Red Bull backed DAMS entr y.

He won from pole position but had to be patient for the race to come back to him as Jack Doohan son of 50 0 cc

Doohan finally gave up his lead for soft tyres eight laps from home but was robbed of a chance to slice through the field when his left front wheel detached as he attempted to re join the action

Iwasa

Meanwhile, American Logan Sargeant finished fifth in his Carlin entr y, which secured him fourth in the championship and the F 1 Superlicence points needed to be confirmed as a Williams F 1 driver for 202 3

He cut his teeth in the British Touring Car Championship, but since 20 05, Rob Huff has chosen to take an international outlook on his motor racing and at 42 he remains a world class force in tin top circles This year, he raced once more for the underfunded Hungarian Zengo Motorsport team in the World Touring Car Cup, pulling off wonders in his Cupra Leon. Huff won two races and the independents’ title and rose to a fantastic third overall in the standings until the team’s dire financial situation forced him to withdraw ahead of the final two rounds No matter The Dubai based Brit, who won the World Touring Car Championship in 20 12 , headed to China and ongoing Covid quarantine for the Macau Grand Prix instead There, driving an MG once again, he extended his record as the most successful driver on Macau’s streets by claiming his 11th victor y in the former Portuguese enclave, conquering the qualifying race for the Touring Car Cup and then finishing second in the partially reverse grid feature. Huff’s touring car adventures will surely continue in 202 3 , but what next for one of Britain’s most successful under the radar motorsport stars?

R O B H U F F

M O T O R S P O R T G R E A T S

to prevail around the world’s greatest street track .

M I C K S C H U M A C H E R , N I C H O L A S L A T I F I Sad farewells to F 1 for these two. Schumacher, who will be replaced at Haas by Nico Hülkenberg next year, nerfed Latifi out of his final race for Williams in Abu Dhabi, the pair spinning in unison. Schumacher did at least recover to finish but where next?

Ayumu Iwasa came good to win the F2 finale in Abu Dhabi

Lawson won the sprint race and came third in the main race

motorcycle racing legend Mick led those who ran long on the alternative tyre strategy

fended off champion

Felipe Drugovich for his second win of the year, with sprint race winner Liam Lawson completing the podium

F O R M U L A 1 ’ S N E W A L L - F E M A L E S E R I E S

The previous generation

Honda Civic Type R was, so t he saying goes, t he Porsche 911 GT3 of hot hatchbacks It was t he hardcore choice among family friendly spor ts cars.

Now t here’s a new variant, and such is t he rate of change in t he car business t hat it ’s t he only non electrified Honda in t he UK But even t hough Honda is upping t he number of its hybrid and electric cars, Type R impor ts will be restricted to t he “hundreds, not t housands”, according to Rebecca Adamson, Honda UK’s head of cars And who knows for how long we can have it? By 2024, 22% of a ll Hondas sold here must have zero tailpipe emissions. One of t he reasons, one suspects, t hat Honda has decided it can charge £46,995 for t his new car Zoinks

The new generation Type R is based on t he 11t h generation Civic, whose platform is an ‘optimised’ version of t hat of t he previous car But t he wheelbase is longer by 35mm and t he track widened by 15mm, because

Honda wanted a wider and lower stance. Weight is up nearly 30kg to 1429kg, most ly because it now needs a petrol par ticulate filter

Body modifications increase static torsiona l rigidit y by 15%, but t hat ’s only ha lf t he stor y, says Honda. It has used nearly four times as much adhesive a long t he joints, which ma kes for much greater loca l stiffness, a lt hough it ’s hard to measure in percentage terms. But overa ll it ma kes for a more sta ble platform from which to hang t he mechanica ls

And, for a front wheel drive hatchback, it has quite t he swank y set of mechanica ls. The engine is a 2.0 litre turbocharged unit based most ly on t he previous car ’s, a lt hough w it h a lighter fly wheel, increased air inta ke capacit y and a freer flowing exhaust, among ot her t hings. It now ma kes 325bhp at 6500rpm and 310lb ft at just 2200rpm (previously 316bhp and 295lb ft)

Power drives t hrough a six speed manua l gearbox, as before but wit h a redesigned gate to

reduce t he lever ’s latera l flex when in gear and, in par ticular, to ease t he second to first downshift; to ma ke what was a lready ver y good more precise. There’s a mechanica l limited slip differentia l, too.

Put ting 325bhp t hrough t he front wheels a lone is ask ing a lot, so t he suspension retains its dua l a xis strut to reduce t he gap bet ween t he wheel centre and k ingpin so t here’s less propensit y to torque steer. At t he rear is a multi link set up and t here are adaptive dampers From t hose points of v iew t his remains an ana logue old school hot hatch, but it ’s a school whose last day of term is

looming Time to bring games

W hat t he increase in body r igidit y means, I t hink, is t hat t he suspension is in t he right place to do its job more often, in turn a llowing Honda to offer a car wit h more compliance The previous car needed to be stiff to return t he precision Honda wanted; here t he inherent rigidit y should provide most of t hat, which should a llow for a softer set up.

A lt hough ‘softness’ is relative: instead of being at t he launch in person, t he Type R’s chief engineer Zoomed in via a press conference from Suzuka circuit where he was

racing a new Civic So, as you can imagine, it ’s still quite hardcore Ot her significant mechanica l changes involve t he steering, an electrica lly assisted system t hat had, Honda t hought, reached t he limit of how stiff its torsion bar could be See t he box (a bove, right) for how t hey ’ve overcome t hat I like t he standard 11t h generation Civic’s ca bin, and t his fast version is merely a gent ly massaged variant of it Materia l qua lit y is sound, if not to t he levels of premium German cars which wouldn’t be a problem if t his wasn’t nearly priced like t hem. But t here

are brilliant ly suppor tive yet comfor ta ble seats, meta l peda ls, t he trademark turned a luminium gearknob and a wholly round steering wheel wit h A lcantara trim.

Honda’s touchscreen infotainment isn’t t he last word in excellence but t here are phone mirroring and separate climate controls, physica l steering wheel but tons and a smat tering of ot her rea l knobs and dia ls. And an actua l rear wiper Nex t to t he gearlever is a switch for t he drive modes

There are Comfor t, Spor t and angr y +R modes, plus for t he first time an Individual set up that a llows t he driver to separately t wea k t hings such as t he engine note, steering weight, damper stiffness and ot her parameters

I drive it on road and track, but bot h are damp. Before I set off, a tame Honda racing driver tells me t hat, whatever mode I’m in, and despite t he fact I’m on an unfamiliar circuit first t hing in t he morning, w it h cold t yres and wet aspha lt, it ’s an easy car to feel comfor ta ble wit h

And he’s right The Type R is par ticularly good at ma k ing its driver feel at ease, and doing so quick ly. First impressions are t hat t his is a more synt het ic experience t han previously, in t he same way t hat t he new Toyota GR86 is compared wit h its GT86

Cabin follows regular Civic’s lead but adds excellent sports seats and trademark Type R aluminium bits

I t ’s a m o r e m a t u r e ex p e r i e n c e, b u t i t ’s s t i l l a t h r i l l i n g a n d e n g a g i n g o n e

Reworked chassis allows for greater compliance without sacrificing responses; steering is nicely communicative

T

The torsion bar that connects the steering wheel to the steering rack has a small amount of flex designed into it. The amount of flex is read by sensors that tell an ECU what the steering force is the more the column flexes , the higher the load and so is central to how much power assistance the motor provides .

The trouble with that approach is the more flex you engineer in, the less precise the steering will be But Honda had reached the limit with the old car. Any stiffer and the sensors wouldn’t have detected the minutiae of the flex

This time, though, flex sensor resolution (or sensitivity) is some six times higher, meaning the shaft can be 60% stiffer, in turn increasing steering precision but without affecting the ECU response Track rod ends are stiffer this time around, too

predecessor Not in t he way it handles, but in, say, t he slickness of its steering, which weights up and responds in such a well refined manner t hat torque steer is largely wiped out, and t he torque feedback t hat does reach t he rim is full of messages you do want, a bout how much traction is availa ble and when it ’s going to run out. I suspect only electric rat her t han hydraulic steering can be tuned to t hat ex tent. Similarly, t he engine plays some of its sound t hrough t he spea kers, a lso synt het ica lly

But beneat h bot h of t hose new facets t here is still a fantastica lly

capa ble car t hat has added rea l breadt h of usa bilit y to how it rolls down t he road, especia lly on poor surfaces. There’s lit t le of t he hardness t hat marked t he previous car out, par ticularly in Comfor t, but even in Spor t or, on bet ter roads, +R

The Type R has to it a compliance t he old car could only dream of Yet it doesn’t inhibit t he immediacy of responses or, t herefore, its appea l as a driver ’s car because, while it ’s a more mature experience, it ’s still a t hrilling and engaging one

The old a bilities are still here, t hey ’re just wrapped in a more approacha ble demeanour.

That ’s not to say it ’s like a Volkswagen Golf R, which is involving but ultimately numb and non adjusta ble. Cars often tend to understeer too readily in poor conditions, so it can be hard to get a feel for what the balance is like

But despite t his, t he Type R bot h tells you exact ly what its front end is up to and, even t hough it lets go earlier t han in t he dr y, it still on a circuit will loosen t he rear if you trail t he bra kes or lift t he t hrot t le, in t he way t hat t he best ‘old’ hot hatchbacks (by which I mean Ford’s or Renault ’s RS models) did. The Type R moves around

communicatively and easily

Bra ke feel is strong The gearshift is excellent A ll of t he t hings t hat made t he outgoing Civic Type R still t he best big hot hatch (t he Toyota GR Yaris being t he best lit t le one) are a ll retained here, enhanced even, just w it h t he less accommodating bits turned up too

And given t hat t he old car was at t he top of t he class right up to t he point it disappeared, and t his one is bet ter, it ’s no surprise to learn t hat it ’s t he best big hot hatchback now Even t hough it has a big price M AT T PR I O R @matty prior

H O N D A C I V I C T Y P E R

Type R increases its breadth of ability while retaining its driver appeal. The best, albeit a £47k best

The driver appeal remains intact but the Type R is now much better on poor surfaces

The Avenger is largely free of quirks , but its indicators sound like the dance remix of a springy slapping noise I’m not sure that the audio signature of indicators needed to be reinvented, or that the result was all that successful MT

We love our crossovers and SUVs in Europe Can’t get enough of ’em So you’d t hink a brand t hat can ma ke a legitimate claim to being t he a bsolute origina l in t his f ield would clean up here, right?

Except you read Autocar, and you’ll know t hat Jeep is barely even an a lso ran here Its cars have never rea lly caught on any where in Europe outside of Ita ly (where its success is largely a by product of its relationship wit h Fiat) and, remarka bly, only a bout one in 100 SUVs sold in Europe is a Jeep

After many fa lse dawns, t hen, here’s t he car Jeep’s new owner Stellantis hopes will change t hat: t he Jeep Avenger It is t he first Jeep designed and engineered for Europe in Europe, and it will a lso be built here. So European centric is t his Jeep, in fact, t hat it won’t even be sold in t he US.

At 4 08 metres in leng t h, t he Avenger is pitched at t he hear t of t he booming supermini SUV segment competing against t he likes of t he Ford Puma and Renault Captur and is electric Ta lk a bout on trend Indeed, Jeep Europe boss Antonella Bruno ca lls t he Avenger “t he right car at t he right time”

Keenly priced it will be, too, wit h a target star ting figure of £34,000 when it is launched in t he UK nex t May, wit h a simplified range of trims and easy to add packs and colour options to ma ke t he buying process as simple as possible.

The Avenger will begin life as a front wheel drive model wit h a 154bhp, 192lb ft electric motor There is a 51kW h (usa ble) bat ter y t hat is good for a 249 mile range, and can charge at up to 100kW, and a heat pump comes as standard to add 10% more to t he range t han would ot her wise have been possible Buyers in Ita ly and Spain will a lso get a petrol version of t he Avenger as t heir markets aren’t yet mature enough to go fully EV wit h such an impor tant launch, but t hat model won’t be coming to t he UK

You might t hink somet hing so sma ll and so front wheel drive would feel like a watering down of Jeep’s go any where mantra, yet t he billing here is t hat t his is t he most capa ble model in its class W hile a

four wheel drive version is to come, for now Jeep says t he Avenger ’s capa bilit y comes from its 20deg approach, 20deg brea kover and 32deg depar ture angles, its 200mm of ground clearance and its pared back front and rear overhangs, which are 30mm shor ter t han t hose on ot her Stellantis models built on t he familiar eCMP2 platform t hat ’s been adapted and improved for Jeep’s off roading needs. Those numbers ma ke it at least t he equa l of t he Renegade off road, says Jeep Ah yes, t he Renegade, t he ot her sma ll Jeep t hat sits in t he B SUV segment. Jeep says t he Avenger doesn’t replace t hat car but rat her complements it, and any way, t he t wo go after ver y different buyers given how broad a segment B SUV is The Renegade is a lso a useful amount bigger, at 4.24 metres long.

Those eCMP2 origins (t hink Peugeot e 2008, Vauxha ll Mok ka Electric et a l) ma ke for a much bet ter star ting point for a model t hat ’s good to drive, rat her t han tr ying to reinvent somet hing off t he Renegade’s platform. As a side note, it ’s t hose eCMP2 based economies of sca le t hat a llow Jeep to build t he Avenger profita bly (t here’s a reason Land Rover has never dropped below t he Evoque in size, because t he sma ller t he car and t he lower t he retail price, t he bigger t he volumes must be to cover t he development costs)

Any way, t he Avenger ’s roots aren’t t he k ind you need to hide, but it does have its own distinct character and touches inside such as lots and lots of storage, 34 litres of which is in t he front ca bin a lone Admit tedly t hat ’s a somewhat meaningless number, even more so Jeep’s tongue in cheek obser vation t hat t his equates to 580 ping pong ba lls (which is not hing compared wit h t he 2443 rubber ducks you can get in t he back of t he car wit h t he rear seats folded). But t he upshot is lots of convenient cubbyholes, t he best of which is a useful tray, running t wo t hirds t he widt h of t he dashboard, t hat ’s great for glasses, keys, phones and t he like.

The Avenger gets a pair of 10.25in screens, one for t he driver display and t he ot her for infotainment t hat suppor ts full Android Auto

Avenger is compact and easy to place but roomy inside

T E S T E R ’ S N O T E

The Avenger is the start of a Jeep EV offensive in Europe, as the brand looks to completely reinvent itself here By 2025, this new model will be joined by three other Jeep EVs : the Wagoneer S big SUV; the Recon, which is in effect an electric Wrangler; and an as yet undisclosed model By 203 0, all Jeeps sold here will be electric Buyers have responded positively to the Avenger to date, with the brand achieving more than 70 0 0 pre orders in its first few weeks on sale More than 8 0% of those people are new to the brand, including plenty more female and younger buyers . In its first full year of production in 2024 , the Avenger should instantly become Jeep’s best seller in Europe if all goes to plan

A

H point a llows for greater leg and head room

passengers over ot her related models, says Jeep. It is claimed t he Avenger can seat five adults, a lt hough it feels tight in t he back It ’s still only a tiddler, after a ll From t he outside, t he Avenger looks like a robust and tough lit t le t hing. There’s lots of hard black cladding around t he bot tom, but leaving t hose surfaces unpainted saves €1000 (£875) in scuff and scrape repair costs over t he car ’s life, says Jeep I don’t reca ll ever seeing a T Cut bill t hat high, but I get t he point, and t he net result is aest hetica lly pleasing.

A ll of which is quite some build up, so it ’s a relief to find t hat t his Jeep is rea lly rat her likea ble to drive. Engaging it is not, yet it is not supposed to be. Instead, it is t he

k ind of car t houghtfully designed and engineered to be useful and usa ble in rea l world driving conditions, yet still wit h enough character not to ma ke it just anot her identik it sma ll SUV.

Its best feature is how compact it feels wit hout being compromised for space inside That box y shape lets you know where a ll four corners are, and t here’s good visibilit y and a sensible widt h t hat ma kes it an easy car to place. It is a lso keen to turn in and holds a line in a corner wit h well controlled body movements and good grip, a lt hough t he steering is overly spring y and ar tificia l on initia l inputs off t he straight a head.

The Avenger rides well, t hough, even on some fairly scarred roads on our test route in t he hills a bove Nice It ’s a lit t le on t he firm side, in par t a by product of t he 18in a lloys of our test car, yet never

uncomfor ta ble and still wit h an overa ll suppleness t hat leads you to t hink t he engineers rea lly took on board t he whole ‘ma ke it work in Europe’ mantra. This car feels like it sits towards t he more sophisticated end of t he class.

We didn’t go off road but did drive on one stretch of road t hat was missing ha lf of its aspha lt and had craters t hat looked like t hey ’d been dug wit h an excavator. The Avenger swa llowed it a ll up, ma k ing t he point t hat it ’s as robust as it needs to be on any t hing you’re ever likely to encounter in t he rea l world

More rea l world ticks come from t he performance, which is plent y good enough and smoot hly and brisk ly delivered, and t he range, which looked to ex tend to around 217 miles based on our drive on a mixed roads test route. More regen in t he ‘B’ mode would be nice, and

you’re a lso likely to avoid t he Eco driving mode as it saps much of t he power (and caps it at 81bhp, unless you k ick down) Norma l (which caps power at 107bhp) and Spor t (for t he full 154bhp) modes are a lso offered, a longside Snow, Sand and Mud, each of which tailors t he electronic controls for t hose conditions You get Hill Descent Control, too

Never before has Jeep had such a competitive and on trend product to sell in Europe, and you can see it doing ver y well indeed should t he dea ler net work be a ble to sca le up to t he right size and qua lit y needed to help deliver t he car. The Avenger won’t change t he world, but it ’ll surely change Jeep’s world.

M A R K T I SS H AW

J E E P AV E N G E R

has

Ride is on the firm side but not jarring, and the 154bhp motor gives brisk performance

and Apple CarPlay wireless connectivit y

modified

for rear

@mtisshaw

Tech is good and cabin

an individual look with lots of room for plastic toys

C A N A V E N G E R M A K E

Boot space is less than you got in the old SL , although there are the new rear seats to factor in. Only young children will ever be able to sit in them , but they will easily ser ve as storage space for a couple of bags RL

M E R C E D E S-A M G S L 5 5

For an idea of just how different t he new R323 SL is from its predecessor, consider t hat its press pack runs to nearly 20,000 words. The disser tation leng t h tome contains an overload of information, including t hat relating to t he model’s repositioning from t wo seat tourer wit h spor ting under tones to somet hing more muscular and aggressive and wit h t he ingredients to tempt people out of t heir 911 Ca briolets and Targas

There’s an a ll new platform, made from a luminium as before but t his time dramatica lly more rigid, wit h development under ta ken not at Sindelfingen but by AMG in Affa lterbach That a lone is quite t he statement of intent The long snouted roadster a lso now comes wit h front driveshafts and rear a x le steering and returns to a fa bric (rat her t han folding meta l) roof Fina lly, and for t he first time, t here are back seats In shor t, t he SL has a new game plan.

We t hought t he 577bhp, £176,000 SL 63 was pret t y good when we

drove it in t he US, where its a bilit y to engage one moment and coddle t he nex t was outstanding, even if at t hat price, in t hat weat her and on t hose roads, you’d expect as much.

The less rarefied SL 55 driven here on wintr y UK roads has a tougher task At £148,000, it ’s no bargain t he same amount buys a Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS wit h enough change for a V W Up GTI. You might a lso expect t he power output figure to star t wit h a ‘5’ if not a ‘6’, but t he SL 55 ma kes do wit h 469bhp, a lt hough t he easy going sledgehammer nature of AMG’s 4.0 litre t win turbo V8 means t he 516lb ft delivered from just 2000rpm is t he number t hat rea lly mat ters

So while t he SL 55 lacks truly jaw dropping performance, it is ready to shift itself at a lmost any speed and in any gear. Such effor t less pace plays nicely into t he car ’s GT credentia ls, which are in genera l excellent but for t he ever so slight brit t leness t hat creeps into t he ride qua lit y on poor surfaces. Perhaps t he SL 63, wit h its McLaren like,

anti roll bar less, cross linked hydraulic damping system, will do bet ter in t his respect, a lt hough t he SL 55, on traditiona l semi active suspension, is hardly what you’d ca ll rustic Wit h a comfor ta ble, plush, cosseting ca bin and free breat hing ver tica l body control, it eats up big miles wit hout t hought.

It eats up B roads wit h less natura l ease but plent y of ent husiasm nonet heless Tract ion is superb, to t he ex tent t hat t his chassis will ta ke full power and torque in second gear on a greasy surface. The agilit y enhancing effects of t he rear wheel steering, which works in contrar y motion to t he front wheels at any t hing below 60mph, are a lso apparent and impressively fluent. This is an easy car to place at speed, giving t he confidence to chase t he t hrot t le and revel in t hat monster V8

As a luxur y, cross countr y GT of surprising precision, it works well, but as a 911 riva l? I’m not so sure.

At a lmost 1900kg, t he SL 55 is heav y, and while clever in t he way

it manages its mass, you can never escape its effects and are a lways aware of it. The electromechanica l steering is a lso somewhat soulless compared w it h t he electrohydraulic set up in t he AMG GT, and t he four wheel drive chassis can be a touch neutra l at times a lt hough t his could a lso be a vir tue.

The SL 55 is immensely capa ble, but you do wonder whet her it ’s tr ying to do too much It ’s fast and ver y agreea ble to live wit h, but t he GT leaning driving experience lacks bite and never rea lly gets under your sk in. It ’ll be interesting to see if t he fire breat hing SL 63 does bet ter. R I C H A R D L A N E

Talks a sports car game but never quite delivers Immensely capable, though, and not short of character With

@ rlane

T E S T E D 2 2 1 1 2 2 Y O R K S H R E O N S A L E D E C E M B E R

T E S T E R ’ S N O T E

Drivers can rack up big miles in comfort

Range at a glance

The DBX 707’s standard equipment includes plenty of on board tech: adaptive LED headlights , three zone climate control, 3 60 deg parking cameras , wireless device charging and a 14 speaker audio system But that doesn’t mean you can’t spend extra on optional exterior styling packs and special ‘interior environments’. Aston’s ‘Gloss 2 x 2 Twill’ carbonfibre trim can be added separately to the car’s upper and lower body You can also go for either a comfort or sport themed ‘Inspire’ pack interior if the standard materials don’t quite suit.

DBX’s radiator grille has been enlarged in order to supply the new engine with cooling air Double vanes and split horizontal bars are also unique to the 707.

Rocker panels are deeper on the 707, for a more ground hugging stance although exactly how ground hugging they are depends on the setting of the height ad justable air suspension

The DBX 707 has frameless doors , just like the standard car, although one of the more obscure differences is that the 707’s have automatic soft close functionality as standard

Right side pedal offset is quite pronounced and, despite a wide brake pedal compensating a little, will be noticeable to some drivers Steering column is widely ad justable and well placed.

H E A D L I G H T S

Adaptive ‘Bi LED’ headlights are standard Auto dip function is a little slow to dip for traffic you’re following but outright power is good

The now several generations old, Mercedes

sourced 1 0 3 in infotainment

to

was hardly a selling point for the car two years ago when it was first fitted These days , it’s looking

a

not seem like a problem to those, like us , who prefer tactile input devices in cars But when it comes to navigating an Apple CarPlay set up, or zooming a map using the separate fingertip input pad, it really does feel like old technology. The system is slow and unresponsive, too, often needing a couple of prods of a button to do as instructed It’s also lacking in connected functionality, offering only wired smartphone mirroring for Apple devices and nothing for Android There is voice control, but its scope and effectiveness are a long way short of the latest generation systems from rivals . Aston fits an 8 0 0W, 14 speaker

That the system isn’t touchscreen

Benz

system fitted

the DBX

decidedly like

liability

enabled might

audio system as standard, which does at least produce a punchy and crisp sound

New, more space efficient centre console has a big rotar y drive mode control and useful other switches Lane departure warning stays off when deactivated

Wheel is sensibly proportioned and not too laden with controls you might catch when manoeuvring This is leather; part Alcantara is an option

Instrument modes change with the drive mode; red means Sport+ They’re not the last word in sharpness or graphical ‘ wow’ factor but are easily readable

Multimedia system AACCC

T h e V8 d i s h e s o u t i ts v e n o m w i t h a re a l w a l l o p

T h i s i s o n e h e l l o f a h o t ro d

H

A N D L I N G A N D S T A B I L I T Y AAAAB

Not quite knowing what this big, slightly pup like Aston might do next when you turn off its stability controls and attack a corner may not make it a great handling car in the strictest sense, but it’s all part of the charm

E xpect biggish body movements and fluctuating control weights as you approach the adhesive limits As with any big, heav y car, it’s easy to be over ambitious with your speed into tighter corners and lose the front to steady state understeer But use the weight transfer to your advantage by picking up cornering attitude on a trailing throttle and the drivetrain usually allows you to develop that stance with power

Flirt with too much weight transfer and the point at which you ask too much of the roll control and torque vectoring systems is hard to gauge. Ultimately, physics prevents you from driving it like a high rise BMW M3 But we’ve yet to drive any thing quite this big that’s really any different

B U Y I N G A N D O W N I N G AAAAC

l e s , 25% d e p o s i t £2 13 0 M a g n i t u d e F i na n ce i s of fe r i n g a fo u r ye a r h i re p u r c h a s e d e a l o n a t y p i c a l l y e q u i p p e d £ 2 0 0, 0 0 0 c a r, b u t i t ’s a t a p ret t y eye wa te r i n g m o n t h ly cost a n d a n eye wa te r i n g 1 1 3% A P R S o ma ke su re yo u sh o p a ro u n d fo r t h e b est d e a l

E Q U I P M E N T C H E C K L I S T

T h re e seat rea r b e nch, sp l i t 4 0/20/4 0

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C H A S S I S & B O D Y

C o n s t r u c t i o n A l u m i n i u m m o n o co q u e, a l u m i n i u m /co m p osi te b o d y We i g h t /a s t e s t e d 2 24 5 kg / 2 2 7 8 kg D ra g c o e f f i c i e n t 0 4 0 W h e e l s 1 0 0 Jx 2 3 i n (f ), 1 1 . 5 Jx 2 3 i n (r) Ty r e s 285/35 ZR2 3 1 0 7 Y (f ), 32 5/3 0 ZR2 3 1 0 9Y (r), P i rel l i P Ze ro A8A P N C S S p a r e N o n e (m o b i l i t y fo a m)

E N G I N E

I n s t a l l a t i o n Fro n t , l o n g i t u d i n a l , fo u r w h e e l d r i ve Ty p e V8 , 3 9 82cc, t w i n t u r b o c h a r g e d , p e t r o l M a d e o f A l u m i n i u m b l o c k a n d h e a d B o r e/s t r o k e 8 3 . 0 m m /92 . 0 m m C o m p r e s s i o n ra t i o 8 6: 1 Va l ve g e a r 4 p e r c y l P o w e r 69 7 b h p a t 6 0 0 0 r p m

To r q u e 6 6 4 l b f t a t 2 75 0 45 0 0 r p m

R e d l i n e 7 0 0 0 r p m P o w e r t o w e i g h t 3 1 0 b h p p e r to n n e To r q u e t o w e i g h t 2 9 6 l b f t p e r t o n n e S p e c i f i c o u t p u t 1 75 b h p p e r l i t r e

T R A N S M I S S I O N

Ty p e 9 sp d s e m i a u t o m a t i c w i t h wet c l u t c h R a t i o s /m p h p e r 1 0 0 0 r p m 1s t 5 35/5 2 2

S U S P E N S I O N

Fr o n t D o u b l e w i sh b o n es , a i r sp r i n g s , a c t i ve a n t i ro l l b a r R e a r M u l t i l i n k , a i r sp r i n g s , a c t i ve a n t i r o l l b a r

B R A K E S

Fr o n t 4 2 0 m m ve n t i l a te d c a r b o n ce ra m i c d i s c s R e a r 3 9 0 m m ve n t i l a te d c a r b o n ce ra m i c d i s c s A n t i - l o c k St a n d a r d , w i t h E B A H a n d b ra k e t y p e E l e c t r o n i c , v i a sw i t c h H a n d b ra k e l o c a t i o n Ri g h t of ste e r i n g co l u m n

S T E E R I N G

Ty p e E l e c t r o m e c h a n i c a l , ra c k a n d p i n i o n Tu r n s l o c k t o l o c k 2 5 Tu r n i n g c i r c l e 12 4 m

Tra c k 1 0 .1 m p g To u r i n g 26 2m p g Ave ra g e 19 2m p g

L o w 12 8 m p g M i d 2 0 . 2m p g H i g h 2 3 3 m p g E x t ra h i g h 2 1 2m p g C o m b i n e d 19 9 m p g

Ta n k s i z e 8 7 l i t res Te s t ra n g e 3 67 m i l es

E M I S S I O N S & T A X

C O 2 e m i s s i o n s 32 3 g / k m Ta x a t 20/4 0 % p c m na

S A F E T Y

A B S , E S C , EBA , R S C , H S A , FC W, A EB, L DW E u r o N C A P c ra s h ra t i n g N ot teste d

C A B I N N O I S E

I d l e 43 d BA M a x r p m i n 4 t h g e a r 9 0 d BA 30 m p h 59 d BA 5 0 m p h 6 4 d BA 70 m p h 6 8 d BA

Testers’ notes

MAT T SAUNDERS

The way the 707’s active roll stability control system ‘learns’ how much weight is in the car at any given time is the key to how permissive its limit handling can be, apparently It knows when you have a loaded roof box attached, or not, just by the way the car corners . Clever.

ILLYA VERPRAET

Perhaps I’m spoiled, but any £20 0,0 0 0 luxur y car that obliges me to plug in my smartphone to connect with it seems way off the pace in 202 2 . Most £50,0 0 0 family cars don’t.

Spec advice

t i s on l y a l it t le over t wo yea rs si nce road test nu m b er 5 497 welcome d t he or ig i n a l A ston Ma r t i n DBX to t he world w it h a fou r a nd a h a l f st a r h a nd sh a ke

A nd yet t he s up er SU V s e g me nt i sn’t slow i n g dow n W he n A ston a n nou nc e d t h i s c a r i n Febr u a r y of t h i s yea r, it ret a i ne d t he r ig ht to c a l l it ‘t he most p ower f u l SU V on t he m a rket’ u nt i l on l y S e pte m b er, w he n Fer ra r i u nvei le d t he P u ros a n g ue Pret t y s o on t here w i l l b e a BM W X M w it h more p ower, to o I n t h at c ontex t , i f you c la i m you r SU V i s t he fa ste st , it h ad d a r ne d wel l b et ter b e Yet , acc ord i n g to ou r t i m i n g gea r, t he DBX 707 i sn’t q u ite O u r s c ore for it h a s to re fle c t t h at fac t a s wel l a s a fe w ot her fi ne det a i l fa i l i n g s t h at it h a s a s a £2 0 0, 0 0 0 lu x u r y c a r But it a l s o re c og n i s e s a more e ff u si ve, e n ig m at ic a nd e nter t a i n i n g DBX t h a n t he st a nd a rd c a r, one t h at i mp o s e s fe w sig n i fic a nt c omprom i s e s for it s heig hte ne d d y n a m ic t a lent s . It c omes at a c o st t h at , relat i ve to ke y r i va l s , lo ok s q u iet l y rea s on a ble a nd it ret a i n s c omp el l i n g ver s at i l it y a nd d a i l y u s a bi l it y.

T he DBX 707 m ig ht not a l way s fit i n but , w here ver

Jobs for the facelift

Fit Corsa performance tyres perhaps as a no cost option

Update the infotainment technology but retain the physical input device

Consider a locked out, rear drive Drift mode to complete the hooligan charm .

The DBX 707 comes well equipped, but we’d add the 2 3 in forged wheels and at least one of the carbonfibre exterior trim packages (to boost resale value). Go for one of the brighter, bolder standout metallic colours , such as Golden Saffron

A N D R E W C O L E Y

When Move Electric got in touch about another race day, I had flashbacks of me tr ying to beat a Tesla around Brands Hatch in a Citroën electric van. I en joyed that, and this time there was a Porsche on offer, so I figured their trust in me must have gone up a bit!

I must be honest, when the rain came, I felt more smug than bad for the others . I had already figured I was in the wrong vehicle to win, but at least I’d be a dr y loser

If we were to do this race again, I really don’t know which vehicle I’d choose. I quite fancy the challenge of an e bike, but I think I might feel too exposed in London, lacking as I do experience of its cycle lanes At the same time of year, though? The Porsche again Mainly for the roof

The Taycan’s got this sewn up, surely?

Was it the sight of Ami or Ward causing a stir?

T H E P R O T A G O N I S T S

R E B E C C A B L A N D

I was quietly confident about my chances on the e bike before we set off, but seeing the motorbike whizz away made me think it might be a bit closer than I had assumed Being from the north east, I was in my element when it started to rain until the motor cut out, which we now know was because the e bike was in demonstration mode and I’d hit its 60 mile limit

It was about this time I began to regret not bringing any sustenance and I was getting antsy waiting for so long at the various traffic lights

I went into full time trial mode to salvage as much time as I could, but I still arrived at the glamorous finish to see the motorbike, the Porsche and the Eskuta already there Still, at least I beat the Ami

T H E P R O T A G O N I S T S

T h e l i t t l e Fre n c h ‘ c a r ’ h i ts a s of t l i m i te r a t 28 m p h

S A M P H I L L I P S

There’s no doubt that tr ying to cross London on an e scooter is an ambitious undertaking, but my experience revealed that the current trial schemes are a solid alternative to public transport, as well as cars . Perhaps attempting a near 1 8 mile journey on one isn’t the best way to use this type of transport, mind Riding from the office to the Tube station is where an e scooter is most at home.

E scooters are just as capable when it comes to urban commuting and can be a cleaner and more cost effective means of transport Next time, though, I’d take the warm , dr y and highly capable Porsche Taycan. Or, if feeling even wilder, a Jetson One eV TOL aircraft Then I’d definitely win

A face of focus or of hurt by pedestrians’ easily heard laughs?

T H E P R O T A G O N I S T S

N E I L W I N N

I thought I’d absolutely breeze it, but ver y early on in the race, I kept getting caught at traffic lights It was then that I knew Rebecca and Atlanta would have an advantage if they could use private cycle lanes .

I also thought I’d save loads of time filtering through traffic, which I did when approaching halts But on the move, the motorbike gave little advantage, as most London drivers do 25mph in 20 mph zones .

I missed having an exhaust, too, as silently filtering felt a bit sketchy

Other than that, though, I’m glad that we proved motorbikes are the best way to get across a city.

A T L A N T A M A R T I N

The race went really well for me on the Eskuta, despite the rain, and I think I could have easily come second had I been more familiar with the bike lanes in central London Still, I was happy with a ver y close third

As luck would have it (or not), it absolutely threw it down almost as soon as we started It was at this point that I saw the Ami go by with an extremely dr y looking Piers while I was completely drenched

Riding across central London on the SX was great, super smooth and comfortable, but I could have done with a bit of blue sky

You don’t need a licence or boxes of pizza to ride this ‘moped’

Runners and riders kept things clean

All racers wanted one of these: a roof

T H E P R O T A G O N I S T S

T H E P R O T A G O N I S T S

T h e re a re s t i l l w a y s to ke e p c o s t s u n d e r c o n t ro l

Ford pioneered PCPs with its Options scheme

A lot has happened since we collected our Citroën C4 Spacetourer in Februar y 20 19.

One of only a handful of five seaters with space for three booster seats , it’s our third PCP funded family car and was always going to be tricky to replace Although the C5 Aircross meets our child carr ying needs , higher living costs , list prices and interest rates mean PCP isn’t the no brainer it was four years ago

On the upside, lockdowns

The trend towards affordable new cars accelerated when Ford Options introduced the UK to personal contract purchase (PCP) in 1992 . Back then, consumers favoured hire purchase (HP), accessing lower interest rates and monthly payments than a personal loan by using the vehicle as collateral The PCP newcomer was unique.

Whereas HP covered the car’s full value, Ford Options financed just the depreciation cost for the duration of the agreement, effectively halving the monthly payments With an often pessimistic predicted residual value, they could then trade it in for a new one (typically with equity for a deposit), buy it outright with a “balloon payment”, or hand it back

Other brands followed suit, and PCP is no longer a novelty: it accounts for 76% of new car finance agreements , according to the Finance & Leasing Association

PCP puts us in a new C5 Aircross Puretech 13 0 petrol or two year old

in hybrid. That’s £85 more than we are paying now, although the PHEV would cut our fuel costs

The alternative is downsizing our financial commitments We can spread the £850 0 balloon over four years at £2 20 per month using a personal loan and eventually own it outright. In an uncertain economic climate, a new car isn’t as appealing as it was AG

PHOTO GR A PH Y LUC L ACE Y

The 747’s wings were designed to move by up to 29ft at the tips to cope with the effects of air turbulence on their surfaces

WE Sturgess was appointed a Rover agent in 19 0 4 , so when the Rover Company launched the Land Rover in 194 8 , it became a dealer for the new off roader automatically and has been for all Land Rover products since Chris Sturgess , managing director at Sturgess Land Rover, knows of no other dealer in the UK that’s had a longer association with the brand Since the Range Rover’s launch

in 1970, Sturgess estimates his family’s business has sold “many thousands” of them and even assisted Land Rover when supplies were tight in the 1970 s by exporting a significant number of cars to far flung destinations Today, Sturgess sells around 20 0 new and used Range Rovers each year from its showcase Leicester site. Has the typical Range Rover buyer changed over the years?

“They used to buy the car because they had a specific purpose for it,” says Sturgess “But nowadays , it’s much more of a general purpose car that combines all aspects of an owner’s motoring needs However, while the Range Rover audience is already quite broad, electrification will enhance the offering still further and bring in new people who may never have considered buying one before ”

Both Range Rovers have V8s but little common tech now

East Midlands airport’s ‘hub and spoke’ network brings big global connectivity to the region, with 1 85 ma jor cities around the world reachable within one stop

Sp or t s c a r le gend D erek B el l t a l k s to Da m ien Sm it h a b out h i s ex t raord i n a r y c a re er, i nc lud i n g For mu la 1 a nd L e Ma n s w it h Fer ra r i i n t he 1970 s a nd a s e c ond w i nd i n t he 198 0 s

Bell won Le Mans in a Rothmans Porsche 962 in 1986 and ’87

Derek Bell won the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1975, ’81 , ’82 , ’8 6 and ’87. He was World Sportscar Champion in ’85 and ’8 6 and also won the Day tona 24 Hours three times

Before sports cars , Bell made nine F 1 starts , two of them for Ferrari At the 196 8 US GP, he subbed for future compadre Jacky Ick x , who’d broken a leg at the previous race in Canada

I l e a r n e d a h e l l of a l ot f ro m p e o p l e l i ke J a c k y I c k x a n d C h r i s A m o n

“He wanted to run a Lancia in world sports cars and asked me to drive with him Wow, great, but it was the wrong car I suggested a BMW M1 It was never going to win, but it was reliable and would give him the experience he needed.”

O’Rourke took Bell’s advice and at the Silverstone 6 Hours , a month before Le Mans , they finished second,

sharing with David Hobbs . “Steve rekindled my racing life,” says Bell. Meanwhile, during a conversation with Porsche’s Valentin Schäffer, it emerged the manufacturer was quietly returning to Le Mans with a pair of 93 6 prototypes to pitch for victor y Was Derek free? “I said I’m driving for Mr O’Rourke But when Steve found out, he said: ‘I’d be honoured if Porsche want you for Le Mans . I think you could win.’ With that amazing generosity, he released me.”

No wonder O’Rourke, who died in 20 03 , became a close friend for life

Bell: “I was lucky to drive such a wonderful machine”

Derek Bell gives credit for his 198 0 s second wind at Porsche to an unlikely figure: the manager of Pink Floyd “Dear old Steve O’Rourke, who I’d never met, called me up ahead of 1981 , ” he says .

H O W A P I N K F L O Y D L I N K P R O V E D P I V O T A L

Bell with another former Le Mans winner, Neel Jani

Bell won 1000km of Hockenheim with Stuck in 962

Coan led a Ford celebration of employees with disabilities

C A T E G O R Y D I G I T A L W I N N E R S C A R L G O V E S , R O B I N N O R T H , D I D A C B U S Q U E T S , E I F I O N J E N K I N S I D E A I M M E N S E S O L U T I O N S

C A T E G O R Y R E T A I L W I N N E R S J A C K A L L M A N A N D J A M E S J A C K S O N I D E A B U M P E R

Payment platform Bumper is growing; this interactive widget is new

A ss o ci a t e e d i t o r P ers Ward

M a n a g i n g e d i t o r Sami Shah

E d i t o r a t l a r g e Mat t Prior Ro a d t est e d i t o r Mat t Saunders

D e p u t y r o a d t est e d i t o r Richard Lane Ro a d t est e r Illya Verpraet

N ews a n d f e a t u r es e d i t o r Fe x Page

D e p u t y n ews e d i t o r Wi l R mell St a f f w r i t e r Jack Warr ck

E d i t o r i a l ass i st a n t Charlie Mar tin

E d i t o r i a l a p p r e n t i c e Jonathan Br yce

Us e d c a r s e d i t o r Mark Pearson

C h i e f s u b e d i t o r Kris Culmer

G r o u p a r t e d i t o r Stephen Hopkins

A r t e d i t o r Sarah Özgü

S e n i o r d es i g n e r Reb e cca Stevens

S e n i o r p h o t o g ra p h e r Luc Lacey Ph o t o g ra p h e r Max Ed eston

Pi c t u r e e d t o r Ben Summere l Youde V d e o g ra p h e r Jack Harrison

S o ci a l m e d i a exe cu t ve Ge org a Patmore

E D I T O R I A L C O N T R I B U T O R S Eu r o p e a n e d i t o r Gre g Kab e

B u s i n ess c o r r es p o n d e n t N ck Gibbs

Us e d c a r c o r r es p o n d e n t James Rupp er t S e n i o r c o n t r i b u t i n g w r i t e r Andrew Frankel S e n i o r c o n t r i b u t i n g e d t o r Richard Bremner C o n t r i b u t i n g e d i t o r Mike Duf f M o t o r s p o r t e d i t o r Damien Smith

S e n i o r c o ns u l t i n g e d t o r Tom Evans S p e ci a l c o r r e s p o n d e n t s James At t wo o d Mauro Calo Jesse Crosse James Disdale John Evans Co in Go o dwin H lton Hol oway Simon Huckna l Julian Rendel R chard Webb er

Rachel Burgess

The World Rally Championship arrived in Britain in 1977 for an RAC Rally that had regained some of its lost stature, with a new route, tighter timing and longer special stages plus ever y kind of weather you could imagine in November Fans were en joying a tightly fought battle at the top between the Ford Escort RS1 8 0 0 and the Fiat 13 1 Abarth, and the leading driver was Ford’s Swedish star.

“An immaculate and professional drive took Björn Waldegard to victor y,” we reported, “ahead of a similarly polished drive from Hannu Mikkola in his Toyota Celica The pristine cars of these two were a marked contrast to the battered machines that some of the other top 1 0 finishers brought home “Waldegard took the lead as the rally hit the Welsh forests and never looked like losing it. Mikkola hung on but gradually fell back and only really put the pressure on again on the final day in an effort to narrow the gap and force an error.

“Even six punctures could not handicap Waldegard enough to be caught It was a rally that rewarded the traditional virtues of speed, consistency and professionalism of driver and team . ”

Unfortunately for Ford, it wasn’t quite enough for the title, despite their Italian rivals’ poor showing

Chr ysler and Simca

Europe While they got a 1 7 litre Volkswagen engine, we got the 1 .1 and 1 . 3 units from the decade old Simca 11 0 0. The gearbox was also carried over While the suspension was familiar too, Chr ysler clearly had gone to pains to improve on the 11 0 0 through a wider track and roll bars

It may have been proven, but all this carr yover hardware soon made the Horizon feel outdated, and it being prone to rust didn’t help the cause

Car adverts from the ’70 s often look socially unacceptable in a modern context How about this one for the MGB roadster? “Someday you’ll settle down with a nice, sensible girl, a nice, sensible house and a nice, sensible family saloon Some day ”

After its publication, Labour MP John Cartwright complained that “it was an appeal to reckless , fast driving” and “had male chauvinist and sexual overtones” We thought, on the other hand, that “ this and the subsequent copy were all good, clean, appealing stuff that summed up the aspirations of many a young man or woman”

The Horizon compact hatchback was the only ‘ world car’ ever developed by the Chr ysler Corporation, being sold in different forms by Dodge and Plymouth in America,

in

4WD estate began a Subaru tradition that continues to this day

p u m p £ 1 0 5 0 , G l a c i e r W h i t e m e t a l l i c p a i n t £ 69 0

E C O N O M Y A N D R A N G E

O f f i c i a l r a n g e 2 9 9 m i l e s

B a t t e r y 8 2 / 7 7 k W h (t o t a l /u s a b l e)

Te s t b e s t 2 8 2 m i l e s (3 7m p k W h)

Te s t w o r s t 2 2 9 m i l e s (3 0 m p k W h)

Te s t a v e r a g e 2 6 0 m i l e s (3 4 m p k W h)

T E C H H I G H L I G H T S

0 62 m p h 6 2 s e c

To p s p e e d 1 1 2 m p h

E n g i n e A s y n c h r o n o u s m o t o r (f ), p e r m a n e n t l y exc i t e d s y n c h r o n o u s m o t o r (r)

M a x p o w e r 2 9 4 b h p

M a x t o r q u e 3 4 8 l b f t

G e a r b ox 1 s p d a u t o m a t i c , 4 W D

B o o t 5 4 3 l i t r e s

W h e e l s 8 J x 2 0 i n (f ), 9 J x 2 0 i n (r)

Ty r e s 2 3 5 / 5 0 R 2 0 (f ), 2 5 5 /4 5 R 2 0 (r)

Ke r b w e i g h t 2 2 24 kg

S

C o n t r a c t h i r e ra t e £ 8 8 0 p c m

C O 2 0 g / k m S e r v i c e c o s t s N o n e O t h e r c o s t s N o n e E l e c t r i c i t y c o s t s £ 5 0 2 R u n n i n g c o s t s i n c f u e l £ 5 0 2 C o s t p e r m i l e 4 p e n c e Fa u l t s S h e a r e d w h e e l a r c h t r i m c l i p s

one’s a bit too big and tall and heav y to do it Or maybe driving one ever y day will prove me wrong. M S

E R V I C E A N D R U N N I N G C O S T S

Instructions on the laptop made a complex process easy to execute

B M W i X

No word yet on the electrical fault that’s keeping our iX 50 off the road, so we’re still in the more potent M60. One thing they both have in common is a 50 0 litre boot, rising to 1750 litres with the seats folded flat Which is what I did to help with a garden clear out. You won’t see many M60s performing such roles , but it’s more than capable of doing so, and I fitted in more than I expected MT

I picked up a puncture on the motor way recently often a stressful experience so it was a huge relief that the Jogger actually has a full sized spare wheel. I changed it on the hard shoulder, and although it made me late for a job, at least I got there and I didn’t even have to drive slowly like you need to with a spacesaver wheel. LL

was far too early for Guy Fawkes Night, so why was a series of little orange rockets shooting sky ward before my eyes? After a few more nights doubting my sanity, I realised that these annoying ‘rockets’ were the street lights reflecting off the gloss plastic sides of the steering wheel housing Did nobody at Skoda think to test this Fabia at night? KC

Manuals tend to cost a few thousand more than automatics A manual Competition starts around £70 0 0 more than an auto

Four average height adults fit inside an M2 with ease.

You’ll see more than 3 0 mpg if you’re sensible, but that drops to around 15mpg if you’re not Road tax for M2s registered after April 20 17 will be £ 1 65 per year, as opposed to the £3 3 0 per year of those registered before then

James Ruppert

An early Smart Fortwo remains a brilliant city car

BA N G E R N O M I C S

O U R P I C K

This is the Competition’s engine It sounds more distinctive than the original and has more power It’s more eager to rev and has a redline raised from 70 0 0 rpm to 750 0 rpm .

If you can afford it, the M2 CS is one of the best driver’s cars in recent years . Because of this as well as low production numbers it should hold its value exceptionally well

‘Full ser vice histor y’ is open to considerable misinterpretation. Main dealer, is it? Some specialists , or two? A gap of five years between the last ma jor ser vices? Quite honestly I have seen them all in the past few weeks and searched in vain for ser vice books that just weren’t there.

It’s

is good

E I N

HOW TO GET ON

A n ex

p

e r t ’s v i e w

S I M O N C L A R K E , M I D L A N D

H O N D A S E R V I C E S

“It’s a fantastic car to drive. At the time it was made, it was way ahead of any thing else And they’re incredibly reliable, just like the rest of the Honda range Keep changing the oil and they’ll last forever tyres and brake pads , too, but that’s about all you need to do. If you can find a nice one and you’ve got some cash in your pocket, it would be a good investment An investment that you wouldn’t have to lock away. You could use it ever y day if you wanted to, and I know a couple of customers who do ”

B u y e r b e wa r e…

E N G I N E

It uses little oil but check the correct level has been maintained It’s recommended that you carr y out oil changes ever y 60 0 0 miles , cambelt changes ever y 60,0 0 0 and coolant changes ever y three years . Look out for amateur aftermarket modifications A rattle or buzz when you blip the throttle could be a loose exhaust shield

G E A R B O X

If the clutch is worn, the gearbox will struggle to cope at high revs Check for oil leaks from the slave cylinder Feel for any drag and listen for worn second and third gear synchros

B R A K E S A N D

S U S P E N S I O N

High mileage brings noticeable wear That said, large discs mean the brakes withstand punishment well

B O D Y

Check signs of cheap repairs and the fit and finish of the panels Tin worm around the rear wheel arches and the underside is common; a fresh MOT indicates it’s not structural (yet…). Check the boot floor isn’t swimming with water due to perished seals around the tail lights Ensure the thin windscreen glass isn’t chipped

bolsters to have lost their embrace Ensure the car has the red master key as a replacement won’t be cheap

A ls o w o r t h k n o w i n g

While it never officially came to the UK , the Integra Type Rx is worth a mention This Japan only car arrived in 20 0 0 and acted as a final edition for the model, gaining electrically folding mirrors , a dashboard clock and blue hue carbonfibre cabin trim , among other additions Any imported examples you see will be expensive

H o w m u c h t o s p e n d

£ 1 1 , 0 0 0 – £ 1 2 , 9 9 9

Privately sold cars with mileages north of 13 0,0 0 0

£ 1 3 , 0 0 0 - £ 1 4 , 9 9 9

Mileages near 1 0 0,0 0 0, with one example listed as being modified for the track yet still road legal

£ 1 5 , 0 0 0 – £ 1 7 , 9 9 9

Conditions are decent, with cars being offered by independent dealers Mileages remain high

£ 1 8 , 0 0 0 – £ 2 0 , 0 0 0

sold

A road test in any other magazine might well be a short, subjective summar y 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 ever y 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 ever y week We carr y 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 ever y car we test.

Just as ever y 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 from the most recent road tests 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 re judged 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 you can order a back issue by phoning 03 4 4 8 4 8 8 81 6 Matt Saunders, road test editor

S L I D E S H O W

Forgotten Eastern European cars

S ko d a 10 0 0 M B 19 6 4

Ta t r a 6 0 3 195 6

In 193 4

Rear engined cars are rare today but were all the rage in the ’60 s and Skoda struck a modern note with the first in a series of cars with that layout. Driving the rear wheels , the 1 0 0 0 MB featured a 4 4bhp 1 0 litre and some fairly sophisticated kit such as an all synchro ’box , independent suspension all round, a heater and reclining front seats . It also sported quite a pleasing modern design, which helped its export potential. Nearly 450,0 0 0 were produced by its 1969 demise

Wa r t b u r g 35 3 19 6 6

The 353’s box y body was perfectly in tune with the styling trends prevalent in the second half of the 1960 s . Under the bonnet revealed a different stor y: tr ying to keep it cheap, engineers fitted a smoke belching two stroke, three cylinder engine initially rated at 45bhp This made the 353 hard to export, although around 20,0 0 0 right hand drive examples made it to the UK . The saloon was also popular as a taxi in the Benelux countries Wartburg closed in 199 1

Z a z 9 6 6 19 6 6

The 966 was the replacement for the apparently appalling 965. The new Ukraine built car was much more comfortable and spacious and had a better cooling system It arrived as a rear engined, two door saloon with a look that channelled the NSU Prinz , Hillman Imp and Chev y Cor vair It morphed into the 96 8 in 1971 , which remained in production with only minor changes until 1994 . It was the last car mass produced with a V4 , good for 50 bhp at the end

Z a s t a va S k a l a 19 7 1

Fiat and Serbia’s Zastava collaborated to start production of the four door 128 saloon The range grew in late 1971 with the launch of a brand specific hatchback variant loosely inspired by the Simca 11 0 0 The model was called 1 0 1 , although it wore many different names , including Skala. The 128 offshoots remained in production until 20 0 8 , when Zastava heroically displayed an updated model at the 20 0 8 Belgrade motor show

O l t c i t C l u b 1981

When the Romanian government requested Citroën’s help in developing a small car, the French firm dusted off a stillborn project named Y, which Peugeot had axed on its takeover Base models came with a 3 4bhp 652cc flat twin but the Oltcit shared no other parts with the visually similar Visa. Pricier variants had the GSA’s flat four engine. Citroën even sold it in some European markets under the name A xel Production ended in 1995

D a c i a M D 8 7 1987

Dacia briefly flirted with the idea of turning up the performance dial with a budget friendly sports car in the vein of the Fiat X1/9 It developed a mid engined, Renault 12 derived prototype named MD87 in 1987 An evolution of the MD87, called MD87 Evo, ran in a more aerodynamic direction by adopting a streamlined front end with pop up headlights Dacia made a single example of each car Neither has been seen since the late 198 0 s

, Czechoslovakia’s Tatra adopted aerodynamic designs before anyone else and greatly influenced Ferdinand Porsche and his Beetle Introduced in 1956 , the 603 was the latest in a line of slipper y cars and featured an air cooled 99bhp 2 5 litre V8 engine mounted at the back In Eastern Europe, the Tatra 603 was a prestige vehicle reser ved for those more equal than others and Tatra exported a fair amount, which is how Fidel Castro ended up with a white example retro fitted with air conditioning. Just over 20,0 0 0 603s were produced up until 1975. Tatra stopped making cars in 1999 but it continues to produce heav y trucks and is the third oldest automotive company in the world, having started in 1 897.

TO M E VA N S