GENERALMOTORS islikeafamilymember (ortwo):loved,but difficultItsCorvetteand Cadillacbrandshavespearheadedthe archetypalAmericandreamacrossthe globeformanydecadeswhile,closer tohome,itwasthesafekeeper(until itwasn’t)ofVauxhall,whichalways continuedtobeseenasaBritishbrand, despiteGMbuyingitin1925.
Inrecenttimes,ithasn’tbeensuch aprettypictureforGM,notleast demonstratedbyVauxhall’snew owner,Stellantis,rapidlyturning aroundtheflailingbrandinawaythat GMhadsoblatantlyfailedtodo.
NowGMisonanewpath,asJames Attwoodwritesonp40Importantly forus,itmeanstheDetroitbasedgiant iswellunderwaywithaEuropean (includingUK)comebackthatismore crediblethanbefore,itargues,thanks totheadventofelectricvehicles
Despitetheambition,weallknow howharditistosucceedinmainland EuropeandtheUK,wherecustomers’ expectationsarerenownedforbeing muchmoredemandingthanelsewhere
Tradingonthefamousnamesof Corvette,CadillacandHummerwill gosomewaytohelpingGM’sassault butthere’sfarmoretodo.It’sfabulous newsthatGMwillhaveanother chancetowinoverBritishbuyers Let’shopeitcandeliver
youtubecom/autocar facebookcom/autocaroficial twittercom/autocar autocaroficial
BossTorsten MüllerÖtvössays lengthyleadtimesmean prospectiveICEcarowners shouldgettheirordersinwell inadvanceofthefirmgoing allelectricfrom2030:“To beonthesafeside,Iwould recommendclientstoorder atthebeginning of2029.”
ThenewRollsRoyce
Spectrewillbelaunched nextyearastheBritish luxurybrand’sfirst electricproductioncar, promisingrefinementand performanceonaparwith ifnotsuperiortotoday’s combustionpoweredmodels whileintroducingboldnew designcuesandadvanced technicalcapabilities
BasedonRollsRoyce’s aluminiumArchitectureof
Luxuryplatformandthus unrelatedtoparentcompany BMW’srangetoppingEVs theSpectrearrivesaspart ofarapidfireelectrification initiativethatwillresultinthe WestSussexfirmphasingout itsV12engineandsellingonly electriccarsfrom2030 CompanyCEOTorsten MüllerÖtvöstoldAutocar that,inthissense,theSpectre isasimportantasthe1906 SilverGhostRollsRoyce’s
firstproductioneffort,hailed byAutocar’scontemporary roadtestersas“thebestcar intheworld”
Availabletoordernow,itwill be,hesays,“thethirdpillar”of RollsRoyce’slineupinvolume terms,slottinginpricewise betweenthebestselling CullinanSUVandGhosttofill thegapleftbythenowretired DawnandWraithtwodoor duoAbasicstartingpriceof around£275,000isexpected,
butMüllerÖtvösnotedthat theaveragetransactionprice ofoneofhisfirm’scarsisnow morethan£500,000,such isthescopeofhighcalibre personalisationonofferfor eachmodel.
POWERTRAIN
TheSpectrearrives11years aftertheoneoff102EX,an electricprototypebased onthePhantomVIIthat previewedtheattributes
Comparedwiththatconcept’s experimentalunderpinnings, though,theSpectre representsasignificantleapin performanceandusability RollsRoycewillrelease officialhomologatedfigures oncetestingendsinthesecond quarterof2023,butitpredicts arangeof323milesbetween chargesfarhigherthanthat ofthe102EXcourtesyofa 120kWhbattery(oneofthe
largestofanyproductionEV) thatiscapableofchargingat speedsofupto195kW
Meanwhile,with577bhpand 664lbftontap,theSpectreis wellplacedtotakeontoday’s mostpotentroadgoingEVs, withapromised062mphtime intheregionof45sec
AlthoughtheSpectre isdescribedasaspiritual successortothetwodoor PhantomCoupé,whichbowed outin2016,itisotherwise
unrelatedtothatcar,because allRollsRoyceEVswillbe totallynewpropositions, ratherthanelectrified reworkingsofexisting combustioncars.
MüllerÖtvössaid:“Itwould havebeeneasytogowitha convertedGhostorwhatever, butweneverintendedany conversions.Wealways wantedtobuildarealelectric RollsRoyce,designedfrom theverybeginningtobean
electricRollsRoyceandnota compromisedconversioncar”
Hestronglyhintedthatthe CullinanandGhostthefirm’s twomostpopularmodels willreturnin“seriestwo” form(RollsRoyceparlance forfacelifted),keepingthe petrolV12,buttheelectric equivalentstothesetwo cars,dueonsaleby2030, willbefundamentally differentproducts
Despiteitsradicallydifferent underpinningsandits allegedbillingasthefirst “ultraluxurysupercoupé” onthemarkettheSpectreis unmistakablyaRollsRoyce, fromitsexpansive,illuminated chromegrille(thewidestthat thefirmhasyetinstalled)toits rearhingeddoors,slimLED headlightsandimposing, cabbacksilhouette
However,theelectric powertrainhasnecessitated anenhancedfocuson aerodynamicefficiency,
hencetheslightlymore roundedfrontendand boatstylerearRollsRoyce claimsadragcoefficientof 0.25Cd,thesameasaTesla ModelX.TheSpiritofEcstasy mascotforthebrandsince 1911hasevenbeensubtly redesignedtominimiseits impactonairflowoverthe leadingedgeofthebonnet.
RollsRoycealsohighlights thewaytheSpectre’s bodyworkcurvesinwards alongthesills,whichreflects theroadpassingunderneath togive“anuncomplicated senseofmotion”similarto thehullofaracingyacht,and sweepsupwardstowards thefrontendofthecarto givetheimpressionofan acceleratingboat
“Ingoingelectric,we wantedtogowithatruly emotionalcarThat’sthe reasonwedecidedona fastbackcoupé,”Müller ÖtvössaidoftheSpectre’s bodystyle,whichisunlikeany othercarcurrentlyonsale
CHASSIS Tippingthescalesat2975kg, theSpectreiscomfortably RollsRoyce’sheaviestcaryet, butextensivereengineering forelectrificationmeansit isalsothestiffestandhas thefirm’smostadvanced
TheSpectreis claimedtobethe firstproduction twodoorcoupéto wear23inwheels inalmosta century.
RollsRoyceremains ardentlycommittedtoits Sussexbasedstaffand productionoperations, pledgingtostaytruetoits Britishrootsevenasit ushersinradicallydifferent technologiesandcatersto soaringglobaldemand Thefirm’sGoodwood siteemploysmorethan 2000peopleandissetto expandfurtherasitnudges theupperlimitsofits productioncapacity,witha recordbreaking5586cars
leavingthegatesin2021. ButGoodwoodanditsstaff willremaincentraltoany expansionplans,according toCEOTorstenMüllerÖtvös “Iwouldnevergivethis up,”hesaid,referringtothe firm’s‘Britishness’,“andI cantellyouourclientslove thatwearebasedinWest Sussex.”Afterthepandemic, hesaid,therewashuge demandfromclientstovisit Goodwood,reinforcingthe brand’spositionasa“crown jeweloftheBritishindustry”.
“Sothereisnoplanto buildcarsinChinaor somewhereelseinthe world,”saidMüllerÖtvös “RollsRoyceswillbe builtinGoodwood.100%. That’sit.AndwithBritish craftspeopleAndIcantell youI’mveryproudaboutit”
Havingannouncedits electrificationplansafew yearsago,RollsRoyce“had ampletime”to“reengineer theskillbase”ofitsexisting workforce,particularlywith afocusonsoftware,data analyticsandEVpowertrain integrationTrainingupstaff wasimportant,saidMüller Ötvös,becauseRollsRoyce willbeina‘transformative phase’until2030,withadual focusonICEandEVpower Healsosaidthefirmhas astableandsecuresupply chaininplace,feedingits Goodwoodproductionlines
Despitethelackofrear
At5453mmlongandwith
Continuingathemecommon torecentspecialeditionRolls Roycemodels,theSpectre’s interiorisstrikinglydecorated witharaftofintricateand
Butmoresignificantare
TherebornRenault4is aretrostyledelectric crossoverprimedto becometheFrench brand’sbestsellingEV whenitlaunchesin2025
Twinnedwiththe lowerslungandsimilarly nostalgic5supermini,itwill bethesecondcartouse Renault’scompactCMFBEV architectureandwillbebuilt alongsidethe5atRenault’s newElectriCityproduction hubinnorthernFrance
The4hasappearedfor thefirsttimeinconcept formattheParismotor show,wearinganoutlandish offroadthemedbodykitin referencetothemodified Renault4sthattakepartin theyearly4LTrophyrally acrosstheMoroccandesert
Theoriginal4wasahugely importantcarforRenault andsoldmorethaneight millionunitsacrossathree decadeproductionrun Renaultishintingatsimilar volumeaspirationsforits electricsecondcoming.
“Itwasacaryoucould driveinthecountryside, youcoulddriveoffroad, youcoulddriveinthecity,” designerSandeepBhambra toldAutocar“Thatversatility waspartofthebrief”
Sowhiletheproduction spec4willlosethe‘4Ever Trophy’concept’smore ruggedcuesandsitabit closertotheground,the focusonpracticalityand utilitywillremain.
Theconceptisslightly smallerthantheCapturthat itwillultimatelyreplacebut,
giventhelackofacombustion motorupfrontandwithno transmissiontunnelrunning throughthecabin,itshould offeranoverallboostinspace
Renaulthasyettoshowthe interiorofthe4or5,buta revealisexpectednextyear.
TheVauxhallMokkaElectric andMGZSEVrivalwilldraw itspowerfroma42kWh nickelcobaltmanganese
batterymountedunderthe floor,expectedtogivearange ofaround250miles,andbe propelledbyafrontmounted 134bhpmotorBosseswould notbedrawnonthepotential formorepowerfulorfour wheeldrivevariantsat thisearlystage,butsibling performancebrandAlpinewill launcha215bhphotversionof the5in2024,soatechnically
identical4isnotimpossible Butjustasimportantasthe caritselfisthewayRenault willsellit.ProductbossLaure Gregoirereferencedtheroughly 90%ofcarsinFrancethatare leasedandsuggestedthe4has beenconceivedpartlywitha focusonsubscriptionservices. Notably,theRenaultGroup’s newlyhivedoffMobilize brand,whichoperatesona
subscriptionmodel,isexpected toaccountfor30%ofthefirm’s totalrevenuesby2030.
Butaheadlineontheroad priceofaround£25,000for privatecustomerslookslikely, basedonearliersuggestions thatthe4willcommanda premiumoverthe5,which bossesarekeentolaunch atasub£20,000price FELIXPAGE
UnderneaththeDakarflavouredbodykit,Renault’snewelectricSUVisanurbanfocusedproposition,sotheproductioncarwon’thave… Acarbonfibreroofrack,complete withahugesparetyreandan emergencyshovel This100mmthickarchcladdingon eachsideand19inwheelsfitted with30intyres Reinforcedprotectiveplating runningunderneaththefloor mountedbattery Aircompressorsmountedwithinthe rimsofthewheelstoquicklychange thetyrepressuresofawellroundedretro
LamborghiniCountach? ErmBeetle?Some, anyway
TheFiat500isa pertinentexample returningforasecondstab attheaffordablecitycar marketin2007,rackingup twomillionsalesoverthe nextdecadeandrecently spawningoneofthemost compellingurbanEVson themarket.
Perhapsit’snosurprise thatLucadeMeo,who playedacoreroleinthe launchofthemodernera 500,supportssimilarly conceivedrevivalsinhis currentroleasbossof
Renault.Arguably,the 4and5makeevenmore senseinanEVcontext
Choosingthesehugely populartwocarsto revive,inparticular,is acannymovebecause theyembodyRenault’s objectivetoremain accessibledesigner SandeepBhambrasaid “westillwanttodocars foreverybody”while gentlypushingupmarket Andintriguingly,they mightnotevenbethe last“Afterwards,”said Bhambra,“therearesome othercarsfromthebrand whichareverysuccessful, ofcourse”
Solet’shavearear driven,HyundaiIoniq 6rivallingDauphine,shall we?Theoriginalevenhada ‘frunk’Veryavantgarde
THEDRAMATICALLY stylednewAlpineAlpenglow conceptpreviewstheFrench sportingbrand’supcoming roadandracecarsand showcasesapotentialmeans ofsafeguardingthefutureof thecombustionengine.
Inspiredbythemarque’s involvementintopflight motorsport,thesingle seatAlpenglowis,thefirm says,“thestartingpoint forallfutureAlpinecar designs,technologiesand breakthroughs”
TheAlpenglow,likethe similarlyconceivedAlpine A4810conceptdesignedby studentsatTurin’sIstituto EuropeodiDesignearlierthis year,isfuelledbyhydrogen. However,thistimethebrand hasconfirmeditusesan electricallyassistedinternal combustionengine,rather thanafuelcellarrangement.
Alpinehasgivenno technicaldetailsofthis
engine,norhowpartsof theconceptcouldshape futurevehicles,butitsaid: “Ahybridhydrogeninternal combustionengineis environmentallyfriendlyand comeswiththeinimitable drivingpleasurethatthis technologyprovides, includingthesheermight, weightlessnessand enthrallingsoundscape”
Also,notedAlpine,the motor“releasespractically nothingbutsteam”andso presentsavisionofhow sportscarscouldcontinue tousecombustionpower.
Autocarrecentlyreported thatAlpineis“veryactively” exploringtheuseofhydrogen asameansofsafeguarding combustiontechnology.
CEOLaurentRossitold us:“It’sonlynormalwe lookatparallelpathsand Isayparallelonpurpose Theideaiswewanttofind alternativesthatarenot
necessarilyincompatible withelectrification,because electrificationisthefuture ofautomotive.”
Sofar,Alpinehasonly confirmedplansforthree upcomingroadcars:ahot hatchbasedonthe2024 Renault5,arakishcrossover calledtheGTXOveranda followuptoitsA110sports carAllthreeuseRenault’s batteryelectricplatforms andaredueby2027.
ButRossisaid:“Hydrogen hasthegreenmeritof beingverycompatiblewith electrification,becausethe parallelpathtohydrogenasa fuelishydrogenasafuelcell, whichproduceselectricity”
Theconceptmadeits publicdebutattheParis motorshow,alongsidea similarlyfuturelooking ‘Manifesto’conceptfrom siblingmarqueDaciaand parentbrandRenault’s4 inconceptguise(seeleft).
MercedesBenzhas unveiledtheEQESUV andconfirmedthat plansforafivestrong modellineupincludea 677bhpEQE534Matic+ rangetopperfromitsAMG performancecardivision SetforUKsaleinearly2023, theEQESUVisMercedes’ ninthelectricmodelandwill arriveasthesecondmost expensiveofferingintheEQ rangeItwillsitbelowtheEQS SUV,whichisexpectedtocost fromaround£130,000when itarriveslaterthisyear Thissuggestspricingfor theEQESUVcouldstartfrom aroundthe£100,000mark, althoughthishasnotyetbeen confirmedbyMercedes Whenitarrives,itwillbe thefourthcartobebased
onthebrand’ssecond generationEVA(Electric VehicleArchitecture)platform, followingtheEQSsaloon, EQEsaloonandEQSSUV
TheBMWiXrivalwillbe offeredwiththechoiceof rearwheeldriveorfourwheel driveincombinationwiththree standardelectricdrivetrains.
Entrylevelcomesin theformofthesinglemotor, rearwheeldriveEQE350+ SUV(288bhpand416lbft) Thatisfollowedbythedual motor,fourwheeldriveEQE 3504MaticSUVwiththesame 288bhpbutanadded148lbft oftorqueFurtheruptherange istheEQE5004MaticSUV (402bhpand632lbft).
TheywillbejoinedinUK showroomsinmid2023bythe dual-motor,fourwheeldrive
onautonomyandincar entertainment.
Tothatend,bespoke systemonchip(SoC) computerhardwarewill
bedeveloped,targeting processingpowerof800 teraoperationspersecond (TOPS)Thisisaroundeight timesmorepowerfulthan theQualcommSnapdragon 8’sprocessor(usedin smartphonessuchasthe SamsungGalaxyS20)
Thiswillallowforlevelthree autonomy“underlimited conditions”likelytobe motorwaysandlevel
twoplusdriverassistancein urbanenvironments
Preorderswillbeginin thefirsthalfof2025,with deliveriesstartinginspring 2026intheUS,whereit willmakeitsdebutA Europeboundversion hasnotyetbeenconfirmed
PriceswillrivaltheTesla ModelY,whichmeansalikely startingpriceofroughly $60,000(£52,500)
SonyVision-S02 willbethenew car’sblueprint
EQE434MaticSUVandEQE 534Matic+SUVfromAMG.
TheEQE434MaticSUV gets469bhpand623lbft andisclaimedtohit62mph fromrestin4.3sec.
Leadingthelineupwithits AMGdeveloped,sixphase electricmotors,themore
advancedEQE534Matic+SUV produces617bhpand700lbft orupto677bhpand737lbft withanoptionalAMGDynamic Pluspackage Thusequipped,itisclaimed tocrack062mphin3.5secin RaceStartmode,andreacha topspeedof149mphStraight
linepaceisenhancedbyafully variable4Matic+fourwheel drivesystemthatmonitors thedistributionofdriveup to160timespersecond,and stickyMichelinPilotSport EVMO1tyres.
TheEQESUVreceivesthe same906kWhlithiumion
batteryunitusedbytheEQE saloon.Itsupportscharging atupto170kW,providingthe mostefficientmodel,the rearwheeldriveEQE350+ SUV,withaclaimedrangeof between298and367miles ontheWLTPtestcycle Mercedeshasyettoreveala weightfigureforanyofitsnew EQESUVmodels.
Stylistically,thenew EQmodeladherescloselyto thelookestablishedbythe largerEQSSUV,albeitwitha moreheavilyslopedroofline andangledtailgate.AMG
modelsreceive theirownindividualdesign cues,includinganewlook Panamericanastylegrille, restyledfrontandrear bumpersanduniquewheel designs,amongotherchanges. Inside,thenewfiveseat modeloffersthechoiceof twodashboardlayoutsThe flagshipHyperscreen,which supportsuptothreeindividual displaysinasingle1410mm widefasciapanel,issettobe madeavailableasahighcost optionintheUK.
GREGKABLETheDaciaJoggerhybridwillarrivenextyearasthe Romanianfirm’sfirstelectrifiedUKmodelandit’s expectedtobethecheapesthybridMPVonthemarket.
Itwillbepoweredbythesameelectricallyassisted1.6litre petrolengineastheRenaultClioETech,whichmeans likelyoutputsof138bhpand184lbft
TheJoggeriscurrentlypricedfrom£16,645,making ittheUK’scheapestsevenseaterTheelectrifiedmodel isexpectedtobearound£19,500,basedonthe£2800 premiumtheClioETechhasoverthestandardmodel
Nissanhasbecomethelatestcarmakertopull
£620millionloss,itwillselloffitsStPetersburg
Chinesebacked,German basedcompanyApollo hasrevealedanelectric sportscarprototype, previewingtechnologythat willunderpinitsfutureEVs
Thefirm,whichinitsoriginal guisebuilttheGumpertApollo from2005andin2017began sellingtheIntensaEmozione, hasbeendevelopingtheG2J formorethantwoyears
Therollingprototypeis constructedoflightweight compositematerials,including carbonfibre,andtakestheform ofasmall,sleek,aerodynamic coupéwithaspaceagedesign
TheG2Jiscurrently beingusedtotestandrefine Apollo’selectricpowertrain, connectivityanddigital ecosystemtechnology Nopowertrain
performancedetailshavebeen announced,however Whileitdoespreviewfuture Apolloelectriccars,theG2J’s designisn’tdirectlyindicative ’supcoming
SKODAWANTSTO supplementitstraditional passengercarlineupwitha fleetofautonomouscapable vehiclesthatwillbeoffered onasubscriptionbasis.
Thevehicleswillbethe coreofanew‘functionon demand’modelcreatedby parentcompanyVolkswagen Groupandwillfutureproof thecompany,CEOKlaus ZellmertoldAutocar
Theywilloperateunderthe Europcarrentalbrand,which isinthefinalstageofbeing boughtbyaconsortiumledby theVWGroupfor£24billion
Thisisbecausethecars willbetoofarremovedfrom Skoda’scurrententrylevel pricepoint(theFabiacosts £21,125,forexample)tobe marketedtoindividualbuyers
“Thosecarsthatwillbe abletoofferadditionalvalue oradditionalusage[such asautonomousdriving]
willtypicallybeinfleets,” addedZellmer.
Thecarsinthefleetwill beofferedonapayasyou gobasisforafewhoursof use;forcarsharing;forride hailing,whichisexpectedto bethemainaimforSkoda’s autonomouscars;orona monthlysubscriptionbasis
Thefirstselfdriving cartobepartofthe scheme,whichistippedto belaunchedinEuropein 2025,willbeanautonomous VolkswagenIDBuzz.
Zellmerwouldn’tsaywhen Skodamodelswouldjoin Whentheydoarrive,these autonomousSkodaswill jointhreeelectricadditions totheCzechbrand’slineup, includingaproductionversion oftheVision7SSUVconcept eachofwhichcouldalsobe adaptedforuseinthescheme Carsharingisbeingseen bymanyintheindustryasa
profitablebusinessmodel.
Asimilarschemewas announcedearlierthismonth forMobilize,thenewRenault Groupbrandthatisexpectedto beresponsibleforaround30%
NewCEOZellmeris leadingmove;Vision 7Scouldjoinfleet
ofitstotalturnoverby2030. Thisschemeoffersrental ofsingleandtwoseat electriccitycars,aswellas chargingstationsandvehicle servicingprogrammes.
electricsportscarconcept, ithasconfirmed.
Thatwillberevealed laterthisyear,withdesign inspirationdrawnfromtheV8 enginedIntensaEmozioneand itssimilarlypoweredplanned successor,theProjectEvo
“Thebeautifulformofthis testcarisjustahintofthe futuredesignofaseriesof performancecarsthatwill taketheApollohypercar DNAandapplyittocreate
themostexcitingsporting focusedEVsontheplanet,” saidApollochairmanEricHo.
Headdedthatthefirm’s ambitionis“tobecomethe globe’sdefiningperformance EVbrand”.
Apollorevealedtwo electricconceptcarsat theChinaInternational ImportExpolatelastyear: theEvisionSluxurysaloon andtheEvisionXluxurySUV JACKWARRICK
Storedothasclaimeditsnew siliconbasedcellcanget100 miles’worthofenergyfrom justafiveminutecharge Storedot,foundedin2012, planstolicensethistechnology ratherthanmanufacture andsellcompletecellsto automotivepartnersincluding theMercedesBenzGroup,Ola, Polestar,VinfastandVolvo.
Itisnowtargeting100miles fromtwominutesofcharging bytheendofthedecade
Storedotclaimsanenergy densityof300Whperkg greaterthanthe260Wh perkgfigurereportedby CNBCforJapanesegiant Panasonic’stype2170cell, usedintheTeslaModel3.
However,thefirmneedsto overcomesignificanthurdles beforeits2024production target,includingthermal managementissues,and musthopetheinfrastructure canadapttochargingata rateof350kWorfaster
CRATEENGINESAREanAmerican tradition,belovedofracersandhotrod buildersandaccuratelynamed,asthat’s exactlywhattheyare:completeengines deliveredtoyourdoorinawoodencrate.
Inrecentyears,SwindonPowertrainhas takenasimilarapproachtoofftheshelfEV powertrains.Smallercompanieswanting toproducenichevehiclesorjustgetstarted intheEVmarketcanbuySwindon’s‘crate’ edrivetrainsandetransmissionsAndnow therearebatterysolutionstogowiththem Swindon’senergydensepacksare aimedatlightdutyvehiclesofupto3500kg, meaningcars,vansandLCVsTheycome intwosizes,30kWhand60kWh,thelatter ofwhichshouldmakeitpossibletobuild lowvolumeEVswithmeaningfulrange.
Continuouspoweroutputis31kWfor thesmallerpackand61kWforthelarger one,andbothareliquidcooledbya50:50 mixtureofglycol(antifreeze)andwater.
Technically,they’restraightforward, automotivestandard,lithiumionunits measuring1000mmlongand420mm wideandeither375mmor615mmhigh, dependingonthecapacity.Weightisjust 190kgforthesmallerpackand350kg forthelargerone,includingtheintegral batterymanagementsystemandamanual disconnectforservicingoremergencies.
Thepacksaresuppliedintheirown enclosures(cases),whichincorporate thermalmanagementandprevent physicaldamage
Elsewhereinthebatteryindustry, AmericanfirmNextech’slithiumsulphur technologyhasearnedthelatestsafety certificationneededforittobeusedin productionNextechsaysthisisthefirst batteryofitstypetoearnthecertification andexplainstheadvantagesofits“semi solidstate”chemistryisthatitdoesn’thave potentialforthermalrunawayorcontain oxygenproducingcombustiblematerials.
Thermalrunawayisthepotential thatanylithiumionbatteryhastoburn uncontrollablyifcontrolofitislostIn productionEVbatteriestoday,thermal runawayispreventedbythebattery managementsystem,whichcarefully
monitorsthe chargeand dischargestate ofcells,theload beingputonthem andtheinternal temperatures ofthebattery.
EVevolution isbeingslowedby batteriesbeingtoo expensiveandinaccessible fornicheandsmallvolume manufacturers,preventing themfromjoining themarket
ThekindofteststhatEVbatteriesare subjectedtoshouldallaythefearsofanyone stillconcernedabouttheirsafetyThetests passedbytheNextechbattery(whichgoby thecatchymonikerDOTUN38.3.5)include altitudeteststoensureitwon’tswelland failatlowatmosphericpressure;thermal teststocheckitsrobustnessinthefaceof rapidandextremetemperaturechanges; andtestsofvibration,shock,externalshort circuit(whathappensifanythingthatthe batteryisconnectedtoisshortcircuited), crush,impactandforceddischargeThe lastoftheseevaluateshowwellacellcan withstandbeing‘forcedischarged’(which meansdischargedtoomuch)without sufferingseveredamage
Volvohasbeentalkingupthebidirectional chargingabilityofitsforthcomingEX90, explainingitwillbeabletopowerappliances andswapchargewithotherVolvoEVs.Ithas alsohintedatvehicletogridfunctionality, saying“wewillequiptheEX90withthe necessaryhardwaretosupportthegrid” Thatwillbemarketdependent,butwhen thetimecomes,itwillbeagreatfitfor homeownerswithsolarinstallations
R&DofG2Jandfuture sportscarswillbeled byfirm’sGermanarmStoredotclaimscellsdon’tdegradeafter600chargesat350kW
Backin2016,Chinese startupNextEV relauncheditself atapartyheldin Chelsea,LondonThe electriccarcompany wouldnowbecalledNio, saidfounderWilliamLiwhile showcasingitsfirstmodel, the1306bhpEP9hypercar
Fastforwardto2022and NioisregularlybilledasChina’s answertoTeslaforitsfocuson digitalexperience,innovative charging(orratherbattery swaps)andperformance fromitspracticalrange ofSUVsandsaloons.
Nioisnowfairlywell establishedinChina,with totalsalesofjustunder 250,000vehiclesasof30 September,andlastyearit venturedintothecompetitive Europeanpremiummarket, beginningwithNorway EarlierthisOctober, Nioexpandeditsfootprintin Europewithalineupthatvery closelymatchesTesla’s(the Model3,ModelYandModelS)
Nextyear,itwillstart sellingcarsintheUK.
AsidefromLandRover andVolvo,theUKiswedded toitsGermanpremiumcars
ascloselyasGermanyitself, andTeslaistheonlyupmarket brandtohavemadeany significantdentintotheir marketshareinrecentyears
Liisbankingonacustomer shifttofavouringmarques likeTeslathathavemoreof a‘smartphone’mindset.
“Thecurrentgeneration actuallyperceivepremiumness fromsmarttechnologies,” heexplained.
ThefactthatallNioscome withlidarsensorsasstandard,
forexample,potentially unlockingelementsofhands freedriving,couldbemore ofadrawthanmotorsport heritageorbadgerecognition Sixyearsago,thepitchwas “thequalityofaBMWatthe priceofaToyota”,butnowNio isfirmlyinthepremiumbracket asfaraspricingisconcerned
Afterayear’sexperiment ofsellingcarsandleasing batteriesinNorway,Niohas switchedtoanallsubscription/ leasemodelfortherestof
EuropeItdidn’tgiveany detailsoftheUKlaunch,but wewouldexpectittodothe samethinghere(seebelow).
Nio’strumpcardisits batteryswappingBecause allofitsbatterieshavethe samedimensions,nomatter thecapacityorthemodel, theycanbeswappednotjust forafreshlychargedpack butalsoforalongerrange version(withjustasimple subscriptionchangerequired).
Rightnow,Niooffers75kWh
and100kWhbatteries,butitis workingona155kWhunitfor introductioninearly2023in China,givingaclaimedrange ofmorethan600milesto theET5saloon,aswellas acheaper,60kWhunit
Niowillalsobringbattery swappingtotheUK.InChina, ithas1183swapstations,80 oftheminShanghaialone, creatingdesirablecatchment areasforitsapartment dwellingcustomers.
Nioscanalsobecharged intheregularmanner
Movingtoasubscription modelfurtherincreasesNio’s capitalcostsbykeepingall ofitscarspermanentlyonits books,atleastuntilitdisposes ofsecondhandexamples furtherdowntheline.
EL7 £1137permonth,or£1460 fortheflexiblepackage. Volvo’scomparablysized XC90costs£909per month(£1039forflexible)
Niohasalreadyproved inChinathatitcantakeon andinsomesectorsbeatthe premiumincumbentsBut itisgoingtobemuchharder todosoinEurope,despite weakeningloyaltybonds totraditionalbrandsinthe shifttoelectrification.
Itcouldbeagoodwhile yetbeforetheChelsea tractorofchoiceisaNio NICKGIBBS
MiniConvertiblewillbebuilt inOxford,thebrand’sboss hasconfirmed
StefanieWurstsaid productionoftheConvertible willreturntoBritainfrom theNetherlandsinitsnext generationin2024or2025.
ItwillbebuiltatMini’s spiritualhomealongside petrolenginedversions ofthethreedoorand fivedoorMinihatchbacks intheirnextera,due tobelaunchedfrom November2023
“TheConvertibleis cominghome,”saidWurst onthedecision.
Thenextgenerationof Miniswillspansixmodels builtonthreeplatforms inthreefactories
Oxfordwillbuildpetrol versionsofthehatchbacks andConvertible LeipziginGermany willproduceelectricand petrolversionsofanew, biggerCountrymanSUV.
AndZhangjiagangin Chinawillbuildtheelectric hatchbackandAceman electriccrossover.
Wurstconfirmedthe MiniOnewillbenomore, theCooperinsteadfilling theentrylevelrole. Performanceversions
ofbothpetrolandelectric hatchbackswillbeoffered, meaningthepetrolrange willspanCooper,CooperS andCooperJCWmodelsand theelectricrangeCooperE, CooperSEandCooperJCWE
AlthoughOxfordwill fromnextyearloseelectric hatchbackproduction,Wurst confirmedEVswillultimately returntothefactory
Indeed,shehintedthat Oxfordissecureforthelong termaspartofMini’sdesireto staytruetoitsBritishroots Itisthereforeinevitable thattheplantwillgoelectric, asMiniplanstomakeonly EVsfromtheearly2030s
The2024BMWX2willlookradicallydifferent,bringingitclosertotheX4andX6Spiedtesting
dieselandpluginhybridpowertrains,andpossiblyanelectricversiontwinnedwiththeiX1
WELIVEANDlearn, butit’sextraordinaryto reflectonthefactthatit wasamere20yearsago thattheUKgovernment soughttoendthepractice ofofferingcompanycar driverstaxdiscountsif theyusedtheircarsfor morethan2500business miles(earningaonethird discount)ormorethan 18,000miles(twothirds)
Backthen,itwaswell knownthatsomedriverson thecuspofataxbreakwould taketotheroadstoearnit Nevermindtheplanet,afew lapsoftheM25couldsave thembigchunksofcash whichwasprobablyspent onaholidaythatthrewa fewmoretonnesofCO2 intotheatmosphere…
Timeschange,thankfully. Arecentreportrevealedthe numberofdriversclaiming companycarbenefitson ourroadscontinuestofall: 720,000lastyear,down from800,000in2020 From2010to2016,itheld steadyataround900,000 to950,000,highlighting thedropasanotherstep changeacceleratedby thepandemic
Thecarsthatarebeing runarecleaner,too.Just 2%reportedofficialCO2 emissionsofmorethan 165g/kmBackin2002,58% toppedthatthreshold.Last year,around20%(137,000 vehicles)postedemissions oflessthan75g/km,while 7%werefullyelectricThe averagecompanycartoday emits99g/km,or107g/km ifyouexcludeelectriccars
Theprevioustaxyear, itwas111g/km.That’s impressive,giventhat
‘just’49%ofcompany carswereCO2efficient diesels,downfromaround 80%asrecentlyas2017 Likewisefuelbenefit, whichwastakenbya thirdfewerdriversthan theyearbefore(60,000 versus90,000)That’sa shiftfrom11%ofcompany cardriversreceivingthe benefitdownto8%,albeit againaffectedbygreater uptakeofelectriccars Again,thepandemicplayed apart(whypaytaxona benefityoucan’tuse?),soit’s reasonabletoassumethatit mayfluctuatebackupagain, butit’sanotherillustration oftheshiftthatworking fromhomehasfacilitated Fortheplanet,theseare sizeablepercentagejumps intherightdirection,albeit temperedbythefactthat somepeoplewillsimplyhave switchedfromacompany cartoaprivateone.Forthe Exchequer,though?Lessso.
Thetotaltaxablevalue ofcompanycarbenefitwas £462billioninthetaxyear 202122,comparedwith £5.43bntheyearbefore(an £810milliondrop)Andthe taxablevalueoffuelbenefit was£320m,downfrom £470m(anddownfrom £770min201011)
Inthesestraitenedtimes, somethinghastogive, andwecanallguesswhat willfollow:thegenerous discountsforlowand zeroemissionscarswill quicklyerodeandtaxon unelectrifiedcarswillsoar.
Theironymightbethat indrivingthetransitionto lowandzeroemissions, companycarsbecome avictimofit,too.
14.5intouchscreenruns evolutionofPolestar’s Android-basedsystem
TheallnewPolestar3 electricSUVhasbeen launchedwithapotent dualmotorpowertrain, ahostofadvancedsafety featuresandextensiveuseof sustainablematerials,which isclaimedtomakeit“more relevantandresponsible”
TheBMWiXrivalisthe secondseriesproductioncar fromtheVolvospinoffbrand afterthe2electricsaloon.
Basedontheadvancednew SPA2platform,itiseffectively twinnedwiththeforthcoming VolvoEX90,usingmuchofthe sameunderpinningtechnology andsystemsButwhilethe2 andlimitedrun1werestyledon Volvoconcepts,the3isthefirst carconceivedasaPolestar.
Cuestakenfromlastyear’s Preceptconceptincludedual bladeheadlights, arearspoiler witha builtin wing
andafrontaerowing,below whichisaSmartzonepanel containingvarioussensors.
BossThomasIngenlathsaid thesewouldbecome“defining characteristics”ofthebrand
InkeepingwithPolestar’s performancefocus,the3 arriveswitharearbiased dualmotorpowertrain,which instandardformproduces 483bhpand618lbftoftorque.
Thatisenoughtopower the2584kgplusmachine from062mphin50secand ontoatopspeedof130mph
AnoptionalPerformance Pack,pricedat£5600,adds 27bhpand51lbft
ToensurethatalargeSUV canofferwhatchiefchassis engineerJoakimRydholm called“theperformance andprecisionthatdefineall Polestarcars”,the3features dualchamberadaptiveair suspension,whichcanbe electronicallyadjusted everytwomilliseconds
There’salsoatorque vectoringdualclutchfunction ontherearaxle,whiletherear motorcanautomaticallybe decoupledsothatthe3willrun exclusivelyonitsfrontmotor incertaincircumstances, therebysavingenergy.
There’salsoanadjustable onepedaldrivingoption
The3hasbeenlaunchedin LongRangespecification,with a111kWhbatteryforasmany as379milesofrangeItspeak chargingrateis250kW
The3comesequippedwith plentyofnewinfotainment andsafetytechnology.It usesanewNvidiaDrivecore computerthatservesasan ‘AIbrain’toprocessdatafrom theraftofsensorsmounted tothecar,whichuseVolvo’s latestsafetysoftware
Orderbooksforthe3are nowopen,withpricesstarting at£79,900anddeliveries duetobegininlate2023.
JAMESATTWOOD
Whatwilldifferentiatethis carfromtheVolvoEX90?
“Therearevariouspackage choiceswherewepushthe platformandusetechnology todifferentiatefromwhat VolvoiscreatingThesecond yougetbehindthesteering wheelofaPolestar,youwill havethatbrandexperience Aguitarisaguitar,but twomusicianscancreate completelydifferentmusic withthesameinstrument”
Willyoulaunchacarsmaller thanthe2inthefuture?
“Wehavenoplansforthe momenttocaterforacar smallerthanthe2asitis, andinthefutureofcourse wewanttokeepsucha positioninourportfolio. Buttodaywedon’tsee
Cana2500kglargeSUV trulybesustainable?
“It’saboutshowingthata sustainablelifestyledoesn’t meanyoujustreduceA luxuriousproductlikethe SUVcanneverthelesshelp youtobringyourownCO2 footprintclosetozero”
Polestarhasbeenoneofthe mostsuccessfulelectric onlylaunchesofrecent yearsClearly,itsVolvo rootshelp,butthekeyhas beencreatingastrongbrand thatpeopleunderstand
Untilnow,Polestar hasessentiallybeena onecarbrand,sothenew 3ishugelysignificantand abigchallengeCanalarge SUVreallysucceedasa
performancecar?More pointedly,cana2500kg SUVwithamassivebattery reallybesustainable?Those aretwoverydifferentissues.
Polestararguesthatthe 3ismoresustainablethan anequivalentcombustion enginedSUVandisworking onproducingafulllifecycle carbonanalysistoshowcase howButisthatenoughin anerawhenmanybelieve
Toitscredit,Polestar hasn’tduckedsuchcomplex questions,anditsquest forsustainabilityseems genuineStill,afterso muchhasbeendoneto createacoherentbrand withaclearmessageand awelldefinedfutureplan, the3hasalottoprove, onmultiplelevels
You’veseenBMWcars invideogames,buthow aboutvideogamesinBMW cars?Themanufactureris planningtoaddanarrayof themtoitshighendelectric vehicles,tobeplayedwhile occupantsarewaitingfor thebatterytocharge.
Aspartofapartnership withAirConsole,thegames willbeaddedtoanyelectric carequippedwithBMW’s CurvedDisplay,suchas thenear£100,000iX.
Thegames,whichwill bebothsingleandmulti player,willbecontrolled viausers’smartphones.
StephanDurach,senior vicepresidentofconnected companydevelopmentat theBMWGroup,said:“This willmakeeverywaiting situationinsidethevehicle, suchascharging,an enjoyablemoment”
CitroëndesignbossPierre Leclercqmightbringback thebrand’sfamedsingle spokesteeringwheel
Whenaskedifitcould return,hesaid:“Why not?Ifyoulookathistory, theinteriorsofCitroëns wereincredibleThe ’60sand’70swerejust unbeatable,butevenin the’90sThey’vealways beensocreativeAndthat monospokeisveryiconic. Obviouslyyoucanimagine it’smoredifficulttoday withairbagintegrationand thestrengthatthetopOf courseitis.[But]whynot? Iwouldliketoseeitagain.”
ThefirstCitroënwitha singlespokewheelwasthe DSof1955,supposedlyfor safetyreasons.Thedesign enduredintothe1990s, bowingoutintheXMliftback andtheAXsupermini
Iwonderifthenew3isthe bestexampleyetofwhere PolestarisgoingNotjust visuallyalthoughthe Polestars1and2werebothderived fromVolvobadgedconceptcarsand thisshowsadifferentdirectionNo, thenew3seemstodemonstratewhat thecompany’sproductisaboutinsize, spiritand,importantly,price.
GulpThe3startsat£80,000A futuresmaller,morecoupéishSUVwill apparentlycostabitlessandtherefore competewiththePorscheMacan.
SothatseemslikewherePolestar is:fullonpremiumplus,Porsche rivallingterritoryAbovetheVolvos withwhichitscarssharesomuch.The biggestVolvoSUV,theXC90,startsat £60,000,whichinisolationIthought wasalotatitslaunch
I’mstillperenniallysurprisedby howmuchsomepremiumcarscost somuchthatIthinkafrom£25,000 SuzukiSX4SCross(driven,p29)is normalbut,itturnsout,isprettycheap
Likewithmortgages,maybehigh
purchasepricesaren’tsuchabig dealwheninterestratesarelow, asarecompanycartaxrateson lowemissioncars,andwhensupplyis limitedbyasemiconductorshortage Butasthosechangeandrisingenergy costsandgeneralcostoflivinghikes arethrownintoo,Istarttowonder: willpeoplestilllockthemselves intothosefinancedeals?
IwastalkingtoSteveCropleyabout thisinourpodcastrecently(MyWeek InCars,everyWednesdayfromyour favouriteprovider,podfans),becauseI kindofassumethat‘premium’badges willmaintaintheirappealindefinitely. HethoughtperhapsotherwiseAnd whatformakersofsupposedlyposh, expensivecarsifitwanes?
■SomethingIthoughtandhoped waslimitedtoTeslaseemstohave brokenoutintothe‘legacy’car makingworldSigh
Ididn’twantittobetrue.We’ve writtenenoughabouttouchscreens andpooruserinterfacesthatIhopedit wasn’tandthatitwasfromsomekind ofwackyconceptcarinterior.Butno. Thereitisonpage94ofthe424page manualforthenewCadillacLyriq,an electricSUVIshallquoteitverbatim
Controls>GloveBoxRelease.Toclose, pushthegloveboxupuntilitlatches.”
YupThereyouhaveitYouneedthe touchscreentoopentheglovebox,only unlikewiththeTeslaModel3,theicon ishiddenawayinasubmenurather thanonthescreenprettymuchall thetimeAnditonlyworkswhenthe carisstoppedSoifyou’reapassenger andyou’veputsomethingintherethat youcoulddowithaccessing,tough.
It’sreallystupidYouknowit,Iknow it,butifyoulookatitindetail,youcan seetheconversationsthatendup here:ifthere’sariskofinjuryifyou crashwhenthegloveboxisopen,you shouldkeepitclosedwhenthecarisin motionAneasywaytohaveasecure, lockablecompartmentistomateitto therestofthecar’slockingsystem.The touchscreenisoffwhenthecarisshut, soheypresto,withanicononamenu, it’ssecurewhenthecarissecure
Fromthatpositionofpurelogic, youcanunderstandhowithappens. Understand,butnotforgive
Atsomepoint,somebodywouldhave said“butisn’talatcheasier?”andbeen ignored.Theyshouldn’thavebeen. Let’snotmakethisatrend.
You’llneverguess wherethey’veput thegloveboxrelease
“Toopentheglovebox,the vehiclemustbestationary.Gotothe infotainmenthomescreen,tapVirtual
Beginsabittersweetweekcontaining‘seeyou nextyear’editionsoftwoofmyfavouritecar events:BicesterHeritage’sOctoberScramble andtheBritishMotorMuseum’sfinalGaydon GatheringWecan’tcomplain,mindThisyear’s drivingseasonhasbeenjampackedwithso muchinterestingstuffthatattimestherehave beenfivecompeting,enticingeventsonoffer
Bicesterwassuperb:itsScramblersmembers’ clubisreallypercolating,soattendancehadto becappedat5000,andthemixofmembers’and curatedcarswasthemosteclecticI’veeverseen Stuffliketheunmissablehangarmarket,the convivialWrigglyMonkeypub(servingultra lowalcoholbeer)andacardesignworkshop ledbycardesignercumstationchaplainAdam Gompertzgavethewholethingauniqueaura
Happily,thenextfixisn’tfaraway:there’sa midwinterScrambleon8January.
Itseemedthatalongwindedreportingjobin Essexwasgoingtopreventmefrommaking theBMM’sseasonendingGaydonGathering (startingat5pm),butacombinationofcurbing myownnaturalverbosity,lighttrafficacross Englandandefficienttravelinmytrusty VauxhallAstrameantIsneakedthroughthe gatesat5.40pmintimetoseethemuseum’s headofcollections,StephenLaing,fireupone ofthemuseum’sAustinSevenbasedBrooklands singleseatersandsprintitenergeticallyaround thesite,withaccompanyingwhiffsofCastrolR
Theseafterworkfreeforallshavebeenahit thisyear,consistentlyrisinginpopularity.Events likethisandtheScramble,justacoupleofdays apart,reassuremeaboutthesizeandinfluence ofthecollectors’carlobby.Theyshowhowmuch powerwecouldwieldifweeverneededto.
DidAyrtonSennaeverwriteanovel?Is LewisHamiltonlikelyto?Well,Britain’sfirst Formula1worldchampion,MikeHawthorn, apparentlydid.I’vejustboughta1959book calledCarlottiTakesTheWheelthatheis supposedtohavewritten,inwhichheplays himselfThiswasthesecond;therewould evidentlyhavebeenaseriesifHawthorn hadn’tdiedina1959roadaccident.
Carlottiisaracemadkidwhocharmshis wayintoHawthorn’steamandgetstodrivea grandprixcarThestoryisramblingandnot verytechnical,whichmademewonderifitwas ghostwrittenItturnsoutthecopyrightwas heldbyWinifredMaryHawthorn,Mike’smum Itseemssheinventedaformofimageextension thateventoday’schampionshaveyettograb.
MyfavouriteautojumblestandatBicesterwasthis wellstocked,unpretentiousgasketsandkingpins oneIaskedtheproprietorifhecouldreallysellmea DeSotoheadgasketHis emphatic‘yes’camewith thecommentthathe’d soldoneatGoodwood onlyafewweeksago
Thecarworldneeds (andisluckytohave) peoplelikethis.
Iwon’tbebuyinganearlyRangeRoverSport
Hybridanytimesoon,andIwouldn’tadvise youto,either.Areadersayshisfriend’srecently bought,sevenyearoldcarhasbeendiagnosedas needinganewtractionbattery(asopposedtothe 12Vunderbonnetitem)andhisofficialdealersays replacingit,withpartsandVAT,willcost£21,500!
Thissoundedlikeamiscommunicationso Icontactedafavouritemechanicforaview.At firsthereckonedthismightbeasimplecaseof slottinginanew£500batterybut,afterfurther enquiriesthroughtrustedLandRoverinsiders, discoveredthejobwasverycomplex;nonofficial repairerswerewarnedoffbecauseofdangerous voltages;thewholecarneededpoweringdown andrebootingbyspecialstaffonaspecialrig; thereisabigbacklogbecausepartsarepractically unobtainable;andthepricereallyis£20kplus.
JLRacknowledgestheproblemfor“asmall numberofbatteries”andsaysitsengineershave developed“alowlevelrepair”forthosenottoofar gone,butadmitssomecan’tbesaved.Itsuggests (asitwould)thatifthecarhadbeenservicedin itsnetwork,theissuemighthavebeenrecognised earlierButbadcarsareundoubtedlyoutthere, andmoremayemerge.MoreneedstobedoneFor safetyreasonsifnotethics,thistimetheageold ‘it’soutofwarranty’argumentjustwon’tdo.
Formula1returns totheCircuitof theAmericas thisweekendfor whatamountstothefirstof fourdeadrubbers,atleastin termsofthedrivers’title.But anysenseofanticlimaxwill surelybescorchedstraight outofTexasbythefirestorm createdbyRedBull’s2021 costcapbreach.
Theruling,delayed beforetheJapaneseGrand Prixandannouncedtheday after,cameasnosurprise. Itwasanticipatedinaglare ofpublicitymuchtoRed BullteamprincipalChristian Horner’schagrinbyrivals MercedesAMGandFerrari inSingapore.Butthatdoesn’t makeitsconfirmationany lessincendiary
M“Minor”thoughthe breachmightbe,andas vigorouslyasRedBull contestsit(canyoureally be“unpregnant”insuch matters?),thejudgement stillunderminesfairlyor otherwiseeverythingthat theteamhasachievedinthe pasttwoyearsandfurther discoloursMaxVerstappen’s firsttitle,afterthetawdry
eventsofthatnotoriousnight inAbuDhabilastDecember
Moreseriously,thecrisis threatenstounderminethe foundationsofF1itselfThe wholeethosofmoderngrand prixracingisbuiltonthe costcap.Ifateamisfound guiltyofbreakingitand isn’tpunishedseverely, wecouldbelookingata houseofcardsscenario. It’sdevastatingbut sadlyalltoodepressingly predictablethatatleastone teamwouldfinditselfinsuch anuncomfortablespotlight. It’sintheDNAofF1teamsto pushtheboundariesofany ruleWhyshouldthisone beanydifferent?
I’mwritingontheMonday afterSuzuka,inthewakeof theFIA’sstatement.Details ofRedBull’soffenceremain vague,andthesamegoesfor
thepotentialpunishment Transparencyisrequired,for RedBullasmuchasanyone.
Theteamhasalso committeda“procedural” breach(beinglatetosubmit paperwork),asdidAston Martin.Williamsdidsimilar earlierintheyearandwas fined$25,000(£22,600)
RedBull’smainoffence, suggestedtobeintheregion ofa5%overspendaround $725m(£657m)hasfar greaterconsequencesEven byF1’soldbacchanalian excesses,it’saserious amountthat,asMercedes’ LewisHamiltonpointedout withaglintofmischief,could makeadifferenceontrack.
Amongthethoughts swirling,therehastobemore thanagrainofsympathyfor VerstappenAfterall,heisn’t theteam’saccountant.Justas hewasblamelessintheAbu Dhabitravesty,it’sashame thathisachievementthis
yearmaybeovershadowed bysomethingoutofhis control.Verstappenhasbeen supremein2022andfully deserveshissecondtitleThe troubleis,racingdriversand teamswintogetherandlose togethersoshouldtheybe punishedtogether?
Thereisprecedenttoargue otherwiseWhenMcLaren wasdisqualifiedfromthe championshipin2007and fined$100millionforthe Spygatescandalsurrounding Ferrariintellectualproperty, HamiltonandFernando Alonsokepttheirdrivers’ pointsandvictories
Bythetimeyoureadthis, perhapsyouwillknowthe consequencesalthough judgingbytheprocessthat appearslikelytoplayout,this onecoulddragon(ohjoy) Whatever,itprobablymeans RedBull’sbidtowinitsfirst constructors’titlesince2013 thisweekendwillbecast intoshadow,andthesame canbesaidforVerstappen attemptingtoequalandthen beattherecordformostwins inaseason,13,heldjointlyby SebastianVettel(2013)and MichaelSchumacher(2004).
BudgetbreachesandtroublewiththeFIAleavesportinaspin Verstappenwasnamed championinconfused circumstancesTheCircuitoftheAmericas isafantasticracetrackthat attractedbumpercrowds toitsgrandstandslastyear That’swhatthisweekend shouldbeabout.Yetonce again,we’reinfearthatsport isabouttobeconsumedby groaninducingcontroversy Withinthecorridorsof Porsche,thesighsofrelief thatitsproposedpartnership withRedBulldiedonthe vinemustberesounding
AN‘UNACCEPTABLE’ ERRORBYTHEFIA Meanwhile,theFIA continuestofumblethesport thatit’ssupposedtoregulate andnurtureTheJapanese GPwasplainweird,wasn’t it?Itwouldbepleasingifin timewerememberfirsthow Verstappenwonby27sec afterjust38minutesof racinginthewakeofthelong raindelayamagnificent performancebefittingatwo timechampion.Instead,the governingbodydescended onceagainintoamateurlevel farcebycreatingconfusion overhowmanypointshad beenscored,havingbotched itsrewritingofaruleafter thewetBelgianGPnon eventlastyear.Verstappen hadn’tquitescoredenough tobechampion,hadhe? EvenwithCharlesLeclerc’s chicanecuttingthathanded SergioPérezsecond.Oh no,actually,hehad.Hadn’t he?Forawhile,noonewas entirelysureWhatajoke Yettherewasnothing funnyabouttheclosecall thatF1hadearliernarrowly avoided,inatroublingnear repeatofaprevioustragedy Followingweatherinduced chaosontheopeninglap, driverspeeringthrough thesprayweredismayedto findthemselvespassinga snatchvehicledispatched tocollectCarlosSainzJr’s strickenFerraribeforethe racewasredflaggedAtthis circuit,ofallplaces?Where poorJulesBianchicrashed intoasimilartractoreight yearsago,sustainingwhat turnedouttobefatalhead injuries?Thattriggered
TheAussiebrandsigned offfromitsfinalBathurst 1000beforebeingreplaced byChevroletwithavictory. SupercarschampionShane vanGisbergenclosed onanothertitlewithhis secondwininTheGreat Race,withcodriverGarth Tanderclaiminghisfifth
TheFormula1supporting allfemalesingleseater serieshascancelleditsfinal roundsof2022,becauseit hasrunoutofmoneyNot agoodlook,forF1asmuch asanyoneThedecision meansJamieChadwickis atriplechampion.WSeries insistsitwillreturnin2023
theintroductionofthehalo safetydevice,andwewere solemnlytoldthatsuch incidentswereinthepast, thattheywouldn’tcouldn’t happenagainYetherewe were.“Unacceptable”was theresoundingverdict.
Trustandconfidencein theFIAhavebeeneroded inrecentmonthstolevels thatrecallthedarkestdays ofoldMachiavellihimself, MaxMosleyAtleastduring hislongreign,competence torunraceswasrarelyin doubt.Today,ithasbecome agenuinequestion
There’sagrowingschism betweentheFIAandF1’s promoter,andthat’sanother worry.There’senoughtobe gettingonwithjustifying racing’sexistenceatallin ourtroubledworldwithout wonderingwhetherthebody supposedlyresponsiblefor itswellbeingisactuallyfit forpurposeWeirddoesn’t describethehalfofit.
“IFELTLIKEIneededanadult withme,”said2022British TouringCarChampionship winnerTomIngramafter clinchinghisfirstcrownina typicallynailbitingBrands Hatchfinale“Somebodyto comeinthepassengerseat andsay:‘It’sokay,justchill! Itwillallbefine.’”
Itwas,despitethetension, whenIngramprevailedover rivalsAshSutton,JakeHill andColinTurkingtontodeliver maidenBTCCtitlesforthe Excelr8teamandHyundai.
Thirdinthestandingsand sevenpointsbehindSutton comingintotheweekend, Ingramtooktheinitiativewitha vitalpolepositiononSaturday, thenconvertedthatintohis fifthandsixthwinsoftheyear intheopeningtworaces.
TeammateDanLloydled thereversegridfinalallthe way,withIngramscoringa fraughtfifthplacetosecurethe
biggesttitleinUKmotorsport.
Suttonsufferedalackof turbopowerinthefirstrace inhisNaparunFordFocusST andalwaysseemedontheback foot,whileMBMotorsportBMW manHillcamethirdandsecond behindIngramintheopening
races,thenfoundhimself shuffleddowntoseventhinthe closingstagesofthelastround Ingramendedup12points abovetriplechampionSutton, withHillonepointfurtherback.
AshSuttonmustwaitatleastanotheryear toequalrecordholdersColinTurkingtonand AndyRouseasfourtimeBritishTouringCar ChampionsWhileTurkington,40,willcontinue tobidtoholdtherecordalonewithafifthcrown, RouseisaBTCCicon.Hescored60victories, mostlyintheoldmulticlassera,butremained competitiveintotheearly1990s,whenthe seriesentereditsSuperTouringheyday
RouseclaimedhisfirstBTCCcrownin1975in aTriumphDolomiteSprint,thenwonatriooftitlesin1983,1984and1985,respectivelyinan AlfaRomeoGTV6,aRoverVitesseandaFordSierraXR4TiFourchampionships,fourmakes andfourmodelsHeremainedthebenchmarkthroughthereveredFordSierraCosworth RS500eraandtookhisfinalvictoryinaFordMondeoatBrandsHatchin1994
Renownedforhiscarpreparationasmuchasforhisdriving,Rouseengineeredmuchofhis racingsuccessonhisowntermsandbuiltaformidablereputationthatstretchedaroundthetin topworldNow74,hewasreunitedearlierthisyearwithoneofhisKalibersponsoredSierrason atestdayatSilverstoneandquicklyshowedthathehadlostlittleofhisclassbehindthewheel
Canweagreeonsomething?It’s that,allelsebeingequal,having theabilitytotemporarilylose theroofonasupercarisbetter thannot.No?Comeon,don’tbepious. Ofcoursecoupésarecooler,being morepurebredandmotorsporty, andgenerallynononsenseButI’d arguethatifyouaredrivingany supercar,openornot,youarealready fullypartakinginthenonsenseand mayaswellleanintoitBecausewhile inanymodernsupercaryoucan togglefruityexhaustmodes,lessen thehandofthechassiselectronics, take‘manual’controlofthegearbox andexplorevariousothertricks toyourheart’scontent,noneofit skyrocketsthedramaquotientquite soeffectivelyaspeelingbackthe roofandopeningupthesky Alas,allelseisnotequal,atleast inengineeringtermsLosethepanel aboveyourheadandyoureducethe torsionalstiffnessoftheshell,making thechassissteerlesspreciselyand thesuspensionworklessconsistently Toremedythis,youcanstrengthen thefloorandhalfmoonofthedoor apertures,butthisneverfixesthe issueentirelyandaddsweight,as doesthemechanismthatretracts theroof.Youendupwithatubbier, floppiercar,whichisokayforan AudiA5Cabrioletbutlessdesirable, you’dthink,inan819bhpFerrari
TheFerrariinquestionisthenew £279,000296GTS,whicharrives ontheheelsofitsfixedtop296GTB twinWeknowfromdrivingthe 296GTBthatFerrari’stwinturbo 30litreV6isreallyquitetuneful, itssonicspectrumloadedwith higherfrequencies.It’snatural, tooTherearepipesthatcleverly channelappealingsoundsfrom pickupsaroundtheenginebayinto thecockpitviaaseriesofvalvesand resonatorsbutthereisnothingman madeaboutanyofitRooflessGTS dutiesshouldsuitthisenginewell
Butfirst,thecompromises. Ferrari’sstatedaimwiththe296 GTSistoreplicatethecharacterof thesensationallygood296GTB asfaithfullyaspossibleIt’swhy thedoublewishbonesuspension inbothcarsusesexactlythesame geometry;whytheEPAScalibration isunchanged;andwhythedamping
rateshavebeentweakedonlyon accountoftheSpider’sextra70kg, ratherthantogivethecarany distinctdynamicThat’soneofthe drawbacks:70kg,plentyofitquite highinthecar’sstructure.Rigidity istheotherHowever,whileFerrari wouldn’tsayhowclosetheGTSgets tomatchingtheGTB,itdidclaimat thelauncheventa50%improvement comparedwiththeF8Spider,which soundsprettyremarkableAsfor performance,theGTBandGTS areidentical:062mphin29sec, atleast205mphflatout.
Thereardrive,pluginhybrid powertrainisalsounchangedThat means654bhpcomesfromtheV6 and164bhpfromtheslimmotor betweentheflywheelandtheeight speeddualclutchgearbox,withits versatilelimitedslipdifferential TheGTSalsoemploystheGTB’s fiercelycomplexelectronicchassis commandcentre.Thisusesdata fromthesteering,throttleandediff, plusvariousgyroscopesandsensors, tokeepthehandlingaslockeddown orjoyfullyadjustableasyoulike,all inthecontextofrelativesafety.For civilisedsliversofoversteeronthe exitsofthebends,youmightsetthe powertraintoPerformanceandfor thechassishavetheeManettino(the colourfulrotarydialonthesteering wheel)inCTOffFormaximum attackatSilverstone,you’dgofor RaceontheeManettinoandsetthe powertraintoQualifying,whichis theonlywaytogetall819bhp
Doesultimatespeedmatterinthe 296GTS?Fromthedriver’sseat,I’m notsure.Fullyunleashitandthecar isheadscrambling.Honestly,719bhp wouldbemorethanenoughand even619bhpplentytobegettingon with,but819bhp?Pointless,brilliant andsomethingthatevenawell developedfrontallobewill struggletocontendwith
Thatitdoesn’tfeelespecially riskytoextendthe296GTSspeaks tojusthowsupremelywellthiscar absorbstheroadbeneathitandhow homogeneousthehandlingis,helped bytrulyworldclasstractioncontrol andABStuning.Havingpreviously experiencedthecoupéwithonlythe hardcoreAssettoFioranochassisand aeropackage(alsoavailableonthe
Thefrontofthe296 GTSisasperthe GTB,buttheentire reardeckisnewand especiallyshapely Youstillgetaviewof theenginetoo,ifnot quiteasgenerouslyas withthecoupéRL
Multimaticdampers,Ithoughtthe regularsetupmightfeelclumsily soft,especiallyintheconvertible. Butitdoesn’tTruthisthatonuneven roads,theunyieldingreactivityofthe Assettosuspensioncanunsettlethe car,butinthefirmerofitstwomodes, thefactorystandardhardwareon ourGTSprovesawesomelypolished Onlytheworstcompressions,taken atoutrageousspeeds,threatento bamboozlethecar’sbodycontrol, whichisanuncannyblendof ironfistedandcarefreeIt’s perfectforroadduties
ItlaysthegroundforthisFerrari’s definingcharacteristic,whichis simply‘flow’There’snoquestion thatacarbontubbedMcLarenSpider
model(anyofthem)reactsmore cleanlyonturninandfeelsjusta touchmoreunifiedinthewayboth axlescarvethroughyourchosenline, butthatapproachdoescomewiththe caveatthatthosecarscansometimes feelalittletooracyThe296GTS doesn’ttakeitselfsoseriouslybut stillfeelsdelightfullyagileand composedEverythingissonicely matchedup:steering,pedalweights, springanddamperrates.It’san exceptionallyconfidenceinspiring car,bothuptoandjustbeyondthe limitsoflateralgripMaybethere’s 5%precisionlackingcompared withtheGTB,butthat’saboutit.
Andwhilewe’reonthesubject ofsmallmargins,ofthemany extraordinaryfiguresatplaywith
the296GTS,howaboutthisone: 03secThisisthefragmentof timebywhichthisboulevardier derivativeconceivedtocaterforyour innerposeurtrailsthe488Pista aroundtheFioranocircuitSothe 296GTSisbasicallyasquickasthe 260kglighter488Pista,whichis ananimalofatrackdaysupercar. That’salmostincomprehensible, hybridassistanceornot
Thepowertraininthe296is extraordinarilypotent,ofcourse. Butwhatmattersmorethanthemad scopeofthepowerandtorqueisthe styleofthedelivery,whichispretty sensationalonallcounts.Openthe throttleandyou’retreatedtosharp powertrainresponsecourtesyofthe torquefillprovidedbytheemotor
Ferrarireckonstheresponsivenessof thisheavilyturbochargedV6isonly 15%longerthanasimilarlypowerful atmosphericV8’sandyoucansense thaturgency.Itbuildspressureso quicklytoo,andwhentheboost bubblereachesfullsize,you’renot automaticallytreatedtoafrightening spasmoflosttractionbutstillhave finesseandlinearityonyourside, sustainedallthewaytothe8500rpm redlineTherearenogaps,onlydrive andshapeThecounterpointhere isthatthe296GTScanunstickits MichelinPilotSport4Styresalmost atwill,ifyoureallywantitto.
Asforhavingtheroofoff,well, it’sgreatfunObviouslyIttakesonly 14secondstocompletetheprocess andthiscanbedoneatupto30mph. Onceit’sdown,you’rereasonably wellshieldedfromwindbuffeting solongasyoukeepthewindows up.However,arguablythemost satisfyingarrangementistohave theroofupbuttheimpressivelywide rearscreenretracted,whichyoucan’t dointhecoupéThisbringsyouso muchclosertotheengine,withits pneumaticgaspsandhisseswhen you’recomingoffpartthrottleandits morehistrionictraitswhenyoupush theacceleratorasflattotheflooras youdare.It’salovelyhalfwayhouse, andweirdlypacifyingwhentheGTS isinelectricmodetoo
SoistheGTSthe296tohave?Well, forthosewhodriveonlyontheroad, Idon’tthinkthere’sanymeaningful reasontofavourtheGTBbecauseits droptoptwiniseverybitasquickand preciseasyou’deverneedAsfor296 GTSversustherest,thepricingputs itupagainstnotonlytheupcoming McLarenArturaSpider(alsoPHEV) butalsothatcar’smegastarolder sibling,thesublimelycommunicative 720SSpider.Nowthat’sahardcall. MaybetheprettyFerraristilledges itIt’sjustsofunlovingandcohesive, anditsbreadthisastoundingSounds sweeter,too.Nonsense?Yes,but nonsenseasanartform. RICHARDLANE
@rlaneStunningsupercarforalloccasions
Notthemostsabretoothedoption butcouldhardlybefitterforpurpose
Price£278,893
EngineV6,2992cc,twinturbo, petrol,pluselectricmotor
Power819bhpat8000rpm
Torque546lbftat6250rpm
Gearbox8spddualclutch automatic,RWD Dryweight1540kg 062mph2.9sec
TopspeedMorethan205mph
Battery745kWh
Economy435mpg Electricrange15miles CO2,taxband153g/km,35%
RIVALSMaseratiMC20Cielo, McLaren720SSpider, Porsche911TurboSCabrio
Hybridpowertrain’shugereservesaredispensedwithcompellingimmediacyThebodycontrolisanuncanny blendofiron-istedandcarefree. It’sperfectforroadduties
It’srefreshingtofind somanybuttons Whenyoudiscover howconvoluteditis toturnoffthesatnav announcements, you’regratefulthat moreisn’tonthe touchscreen.MP
Suzuki’sSX4SCrosshasjust becomeavailablewithafull hybridpowertrain,inaddition tothemildhybridoneithas hadsinceitslaunchlatelastyear Thisisacarwelikedinitslaunch formIt’safairlycompactcrossover, 4.3metreslongandnotsotallthat thedrivingexperienceistotterybut withbetterthanhatchbacklevelsof groundclearanceandafourwheel driveoptionthatmakesitendearing tothosewholiveinthesticks.
Thatappealisbolsteredbythefact Suzukihasquiteanumberofrural dealerswithwhomprivatecustomers enjoyafairrelationshipandthatits carsaregenerallyreliable.There’s quitealottobesaidforallofthat
Intoanarenapackedwithsmall crossovers,thenmostlymore glamorousthanthe‘Scross’,as it’scolloquiallyandnotalittle affectionatelyreferredtoaround thesepartscomestheFullHybrid
Thisfeaturesa113bhpnaturally aspirated1.5litreenginealongwith anelectricmotor/generatormaking agentle33bhpA140V,08kWhdrive batterylivesunderthebootfloorand reducesluggagespaceonlybyalittle
(althoughbyenoughtomeanyou can’thaveasparewheel)
It’snotpluggable(Suzuki’splug inhybridistheAcross,arebadged ToyotaRAV4),butinfrontwheel driveformitreturns543mpgon theofficialtestandinAllgripform, astestedhere,48.7mpg.AndSuzuki alwaysscoresverywellinrealworld versuscertifiedMPGtests(Igot 47mpgduringthisdrive)
Weirdthingsareafootinthe hybridtransmissiongamethese days.There’sthatnewHondaCivic whoseengineisonlyeverconnected tothewheelsathighspeedsandthen atonefixedratio,forinstance.Here, alloftheSCross’swheelsareengine driven,thegearleverlookslikethat ofaconventionalautomaticand there’sanoverridemodewithflappy paddles,yetit’sactuallyasixspeed singleclutchautomatedmanual.
TheMildHybridisaconventional manualonly;thisisanautoonly
Such’boxesaren’ttypicallythe smoothestcontraptionsintheworld, buthey,atleastyourcrossovercan havesomethingincommonwiththe LamborghiniAventadorAndhere it’sbetterintegratedintothedriving
experience,pickingupfromrest smoothly,andwhilethereislagand asmallheadnodbetweenshiftsthat makesitoneoftheweakerpartsof thedrivingexperience,it’snotsobad
It’snotlikethere’sloadsofpower tofeedin,afterall,andthemotoris usedtoaidsmoothpullingawayand fillthebetweengeartorquegaps.
Youcanfeelthemotorassistingthe engineatlowrevstosaveitswitching downbetweengearsbut,likeinthe newmildhybridAlfaRomeoTonale, albeittoalesserextenthere,progress ismoreresponsiveandpredictable ifyoutakecontrolviathesteering wheelmountedpaddles.
Thewaitbetweengearsremains, though,andfasttheSCrossisn’tIt wants135sectogofrom062mph considerablyslowerthanitscheaper mildhybridsiblingdespitebeing onlyaround1mpgand1g/kmof CO2moreefficient
Inotherregards,theSCrossis unexcitingbuteasytodriveItrides withablendpitchedmoretowards ridethanhandlingandthesteering islightandquicklyresponsivefrom thestraightaheadposition
Suzukisoftenfeellightandindeed
doesthisoneItskerbweightisonly 1378kg,whichforahybridcrossover withfourwheeldriveisdecentgoing.
ThispriciestSCrosshasthesame interiorasthelesserones,meaning theergonomicsarelargelysoundbut thematerialsareordinaryThere’s alargecentraltouchscreenandthe drivingandclimateinstrumentsare keptseparatefromit,totheircredit
Rearaccommodationisgood, perhapsattheexpenseofboot volume,buttherearseatsfold.
Thiscaralsoretainstherestofthe SCrossrange’spricekeennessThe MildHybridstartsat£24,999and theFullHybridatonly£26,749,as befitswhat’seffectivelyanautomatic optionratherthanavariantwith technologyandefficiencybenefits
Price£31,549
Engine4cyls,1462cc,petrol, pluselectricmotor Power113bhpat6000rpm(total)
Torque101lbftat4000rpm(ICE)
Gearbox6spdautomatedmanual,plus 1spdreductiongear,4WD
Kerbweight1378kg
0-62mph135sec
Topspeed108mph Economy487mpg
CO2,taxband132g/km,31%
RIVALSKiaSportage,Nissan Qashqai,SeatAteca
Chevroletclearlylikesa challengeThelastZ06Corvette usedasuperchargedversion ofGeneralMotors’longlived pushrod‘smallblock’V8,andthere’s noobviousreasontoanoutsiderwhy thetrackfocusedversionoftheC8 generationcouldn’thavetakenthe sameroutetoincreasedperformance. Yetinstead,thenewZ06getsanall newnaturallyaspirated55litreV8 thatusesbothaflatplanecrankand twincamcylinderheadstoproduce averyimpressivepeakof670bhp.
Thereareplentyofchanges,but theV8isthetransformationalone, radicallyalteringthecharacterof thecarWhiletheusualCorvettehas aburblingidleandiscurtailedbya lowly6500rpmredline,theZ06fires uplikearacecarandsnarlsitsway to8500rpmbeforethelimitercalls time,soundingmorelikeaFerrari thanatraditional’Vetteasitdoesso.
Whilelowdowntorqueislimited, thenewV8istractableatlowspeeds, andthesameeightspeeddualclutch gearboxasintheregularcarcanbe bothsmoothandpunchy,according towhichdrivingmodeyou’vechosen Beyond4000rpm,itstartstocome alive,andwellbeforeitgetstothe redpartofthedigitaltachometer,it’s pullingwithavigourthatfeelsmore supercarthansportscarChevrolet claimsa060mphtimeof29sec, yetthisfigureseems,ifanything, pessimisticafteronefullborestart.
Z06buyershavefurtherchoices tomakeThebiggestisbetween
thestandardtargaroof,withone liftoutpanel,ortheclevererbut 45kgheavierpoweredretractable hardtop.Bothroofsaffordthesame torsionalrigidity,buttheconvertible lacksthetarga’sglassenginecover
AhardcoreZ07packbringsstiffer suspensionsettings(theZ06is30% firmerthanthestandardCorvette already),pluscarbonceramicbrakes andMichelinPilotSportCup2tyres
Buyerscanalsochooseanaero package,whichbringsaraisedrear wingandtakespeakdownforceto 330kg,plusthere’sthestandalone optionofcarbonfibrewheelsto saveanother5kgpercorner
TheZ06maybefirmer,butit isn’ttoofirm.Inthegentlestmode, Tour,it’scompliantenoughforroad use,andevenmovinguptoSport doesn’tturnitexcessivelyharsh
Thesteeringishighgearedand verydirect,requiringonlyminimal inputsinallbutthetightestcorners
That’sprobablyjustaswell,given thatthesteering‘wheel’isawkwardly shapedandthetopandbottomofits rimaremadeofslipperycarbonfibre.
AlthoughIdidn’tgettoexperience theZ06onatrack,thesteeringfeels setupforhighloadcircuitwork
Similarlyrealworldloadings gavenochancetopushbeyondthe massiveadhesiongeneratedbythe tyresTheZ06thatIdrovewason theroadfriendlyPilotSport4Styres ratherthantheCupset,butondry asphaltitsgripwashuge.
Afull61%oftheZ06’sstaticmass sitsoveritsrearwheels,andthis imbalanceisobviousintheway thecaraggressivelytightensits corneringlinewhenthethrottleis eased,butthenearimpossibility ofengenderingundersteeratroad speedsmeantthereisn’treallyany needtodothis.Still,withlimitsso high,IsuspectthatwhentheZ06 doesletgo,itdoessosuddenly
Itdoesn’tfeelsnappyorskittish, however,andevenatroadspeeds thechancetolistentotheengine’s zingingsoundtrackistrulyspecial.
Withtheexhaustinitsloudest switchablemode,itseemseffectively unsilenced;itcouldcertainlynever passEurope’sstringentdriveby noiseregulations.
TheZ06benefitsfromthe sameimpressivelyspaciouscabin (certainlybysportscarstandards) asthebasicCorvette.
Unlikemanytrackfocused specials,itdoesn’tfeelharshor compromisedontheroad
Andit’saperformancebargainin theAmericanmarket,althoughit’s certainthatdealerswillbescrewing substantial‘marketadjustment’ hikesontotheofficiallistprice
TheZ06startsatjust$109,295 beforetaxesintheUSbarelymore thantheentrylevelPorsche911 andevenputtingafullsetofdynamic optionsontotheConvertibleinthe priciestofthethreetrims,3LZ, won’ttakeitpast$150,000.That’s $75,000beneaththekickofffor thenew911GT3RS
TESTER’SNOTE
Aswellassettingsfor thedampers,engine map,exhaustnote andsteeringfeel,the Z06hasadjustable brakefeel,thisthe pedal’sresistanceand weightIcan’timagine anyonenotwanting thefirmestsettingin acarsopotent.MD
Italmostcertainlywon’tbesuch abargainwheniteventuallyarrives intheUK,butthatit’scominghere atallisworthcelebrating MIKEDUFF
Evenmoreengagingtodrivewithout beingtoocompromisedforroaduse Thenewenginesoundsunreal,too AAAAB
Price$109,295(£98,720)
EngineV8,5463cc,petrol Power670bhpat8400rpm Torque460lbftat6300rpm
Gearbox8spddualclutchauto,RWD Kerbweight1561kg 0-60mph29sec
Topspeed195mph
Economyna CO2,taxbandna
RIVALSAudiR8,FerrariF8Tributo, JaguarFType,Porsche911
NotforLamborghinijustanew paintjobandabitmorepower inthismaxedoutUrusSUV,the PerformanteTheItalianshave reallythrowntheengineeringsinkat it,withwholesalechangesmakingit, intheirwords,a“supersportscar”.
Powerandtorquearenow657bhp and627lbft,thesameasthenew ‘normal’UrusS,butthebignews lieslargelyhidden.Thesuspension nowhasalightersetofsteelsprings, notairsprings,anditrides20mm lower,plusthere’sanewtitanium exhaust;lighteralloywheels;anew centraldifferential(intermsofboth hardwareandconfiguration);anew rearwing(generating38%more downforce);aRallydrivingmode; a16mmwidertrackfrontandrear; quickerdownshifts;acarbonfibre bonnet;theoptionofacarbonfibre roof;andAlcantaratriminside Thishasn’tbeenasmalltask.
Afterallthatweightsaving, thePerformanteis47kglighter thantheSItstillweighs21tonnes, soWeightwatcherswon’tbeissuing itanaward,butstill,it’sheadingin therightdirection.
Thedifferencebetweenthe interiorsoftheSandthePerformante ismarked.Lamborghinitalksof makingthismorefocused,and they’renotwrong:allthedark Alcantaraandcarbonfibregives itamuchmorehunkereddown feeling.Theoddbitofredonthe doorhandles,starterbuttonand steeringwheelonlyemphasisesthe moodinessIlikeit,butquitewhether itwillworkaswellonarainydayin BognorRegisremainstobeseen.
Thesamechangemarksoutthe drivingaswellNotthattheSissoft, butthePerformantetakesthingstoa newlevel.Thecaveatisweonlydrove itontrack,sotheridequalityisreally unknown,buteveryotherdynamic measureissharper,fromtheturnin tothewayitbrakes,bitesandgoes.
Themannerinwhichithides weighttransferisparticularly impressiveEventhroughquite quickleftrightflicks,bodyrollis wellcontainedanditrarelyfeels
Price£209,000
EngineV8,3996cc,twin turbocharged,petrol Power657bhpat6000rpm
Torque627lbftat23004500rpm
Gearbox8spdautomatic,4WD
Kerbweight2150kg 062mph33sec
Topspeed190mph
Economyna CO2,taxbandna
RIVALSAstonMartinDBX707, PorscheCayenneTurboGT
unsettledApparently,ownersdo taketheirUrusesontrack,sointhis regardthePerformanteisasuccess.
Doweneedanothersupercapable superSUV?It’spossiblynotonmost people’sprioritylists,butyouhaveto admiretheengineeringachievement.
Amidthisbarrageofnewmodels fromKia(inthepastyear,ithas broughtustheEV6,Sportage andNiro),theXceedprobably isn’tfrontofmindItisabitofan unusualconcept:it’satallerCeed hatchback,buttheonlybodypanels itshareswithitssiblingareitsdoors. Evenso,it’smuchlessofaSUVthan theNiro,letalonetheSportage
Despiteitsslightlyconfusing positioning,UKbuyershavetaken totheXceed,makingitKia’sthird bestsellingmodel
AndnowKiahasgivenitafacelift: lookoutforthemore‘technical’LED lightsatthefrontandtherear,the revisedfrontgrille,theredesigned bumpersandthemockreardiffuser Atthesametime,KiaUKhastaken
theopportunitytorationalise therange.The1.6litrediesel,the 1.0litrepetrolandthe1.6litrepetrol remainonsaleelsewhere,butover here,therangeisnowlimitedto the16litrepluginhybridand the1.5litrepetrolthatreplaced the1.4litrepetrollastyear.
Thetrimlevelshavealsobeen revampedThehybridalwayscomes inwellequipped3specification, whilethepetrolretainstheusual 2and3optionsbutgainsasportier lookingGTLineStrimthat’smarked outbysomeblackexteriordetailing, morepronouncedventsandsome rathercomfortablesportsseats.
Wereviewedthepluginhybridat theEuropeanlaunchinJuly,giving itthreeandahalfstars,sonowlet’s takeacloserlookatthepetrolXceed.
Forthetimebeing,itcomesonly withamanualgearbox,althougha dualclutchautomaticisontheway Theshiftisanunexpecteddelight, feelinglightbutwelldefined,short andsnappy.That’sanespecially goodthing,sincethefourcylinder engineneedssomerevstofeelits 158bhp.Despiteitsturbocharger,it canfeelalittledeadbelow3000rpm.
Xceed’sstrengthsandweaknesses areunaltered.Engineisamixedbag. Bettervaluethanmostofitsrivals
Price£30,345
Engine4cylsinline,1482cc, turbocharged,petrol Power158bhpat5500rpm
187lbftat15003500rpm
6spdmanual Kerbweight1370kg 0-62mph
129mph Economy44.8mpg
2,taxband143g/km,33%
NissanJuke,ToyotaCHR,
Asidefromthat,theupdated XceedstillfeelslikeaKiafrom afewyearsagoThat’sapositive foritsplainbutwellfinishedand ergonomicinterior,bigbootand generouslevelofequipment,but anegativeforitsstiffleggedride andsoso,polishlackinghandling.
ILLYAVERPRAET
tisnow30yearssince thelaunchoftheseminal McLarenF1;morethan 20sinceyearsWoking builtwhatbecametheMercedes SLRMcLaren;andoveradecade sinceitsetupshopasacarbrand initsownrightwiththeMP412C AndstillMcLarenAutomotive’s struggletoestablishitselfinthe irresistiblyattritionalbusinessof modernsupercarmakinggoeson WhileitskeyrivalsinMaranello, StuttgartandSant’Agatacontinueto reaptherewardsoftheirinvestments inelectrifiedmodels,inSUVsorin both,McLaren’sbiggestsuccessover thepastfiveyearsseemssimplyto havestayedinthefightjust.
Afteraturbulentperiod, though,itmightnowbeonthecusp ofgenuineprogressagainAnew bossisatthehelmAnewbusiness planisonthetable,withmentions madeofpotentiallytransformational newcarsAndanallnewmodel thatmightitselfdrivesomeofthat businessisfinallyreadyformarket
BetweenitsBritishbuilt carbonfibremonocoque,its ethernetelectricalarchitecture,its superformedaluminiumbodywork anditsV6pluginhybridpowerplant, theArturaisthemosttechnically daringprojectthatMcLarenhas undertakensincetheP1hypercar andquitepossiblyever
Itsdevelopmenthasproven bothdeeplychallengingand notablystruckwithmishapBut, saysMcLaren,thecausesofthe gestationalhiccupshavenowbeen dealtwith.TheArturaisatlast finished.Andafterahiatustoaddress thecausesofthetechnicalproblems wereportedonatthecar’spress launchinthesummer,itisfinally beingdeliveredtodepositholders andnowtoAutocar’sroadtesters.
Attheheartofthiscarsitsthenew McLarenCarbonLightweight Architecture(MCLA):thefirst carboncompositemonocoquetub thatMcLarenhasmanufactured itselfforoneofitsownmodels. It’slargerthanitsMonocelland Monocagebrandedpredecessors,as wellasstifferButintheArtura,it’s alsothethinendofthewedgewhen itcomestobrandnewtechnology.
Thecarisaveryambitiousand skilfullyexecutedexampleofmodern supercarpackagingandlightweight design,withsomuchofitslayoutand specificationaboutmitigatingthe sizeandweightpenaltiesthatplugin hybridpowertrainstypicallyimpose
ThiscarisMcLaren’sfirstwith anewgenerationethernetbased electricalarchitectureControlledby fourmainprocessorsandconnecting everypartoftheArturaviathesame centraldata‘gateway’,itreducesthe weightofcablinginthecarby25%, speedsupdatatransmissionand allowsfortheovertheairsoftware updatesofalmostanyelectronically governedsystem.
TheArturaoptionslistisquite extensive.Therearesixnocost paintcolours,butnearly30others youcanpick(beforeyougetinto commissioningyourowncolour); therearethreewheeldesigns;and therearenumerousexteriortrim andequipmentspecchoices
McLarencorralsthecar’s mostimportantoptionalfeatures intosevenpackages:theGloss BlackInteriorFinishPack,the Technology,TechLuxandVision Interiorpacks,andthePerformance andMSOCarbonfibreInterior packs.TheTechnologyPackis thepriciest(£6800)butincludes 360degcameras,Bowers&Wilkins audio,LEDheadlights,intelligent cruise,roadsignrecognitionand lanedeparturewarning.
TheArtura’sprimarysourceof powerisMcLaren’snewM630wide angle,twinturbochargedV6engine, whichis50kglighterthanitsexisting V8,hasaparticularlystiffcrankshaft design(soitcanrevto8500rpm), andisbothshortandflatenough topackagereallyefficientlyinthe enginebayThismakesroomforthe Artura’shybridsystemandfueltank, whilealsoallowingthecartobeless thananinchlongeroverallthanthe oneitreplaces,slightlynarrower acrossthebodyandevenshorterin thewheelbase
Thehybridsystemaddsjust130kg intotal.Itconsistsofafivemodule lithiumionbatterywith74kWh ofusablecapacityandacompact andenergydenseaxialfluxstyle electricmotormountedimmediately downstreamofthepistonengine, whichcanaddupto94bhpand 166lbftintothedriveline,alongside theV6’s577bhpand431lbftfor atotalof671bhpand531lbft.Such powerisabigjumpoverwhatthe 570Sand600LTmade,andwellin advanceofcarsliketheLamborghini Huracán,AudiR8andHondaNSX.
TheArtura’slightestrunning orderweight,asclaimedbyMcLaren, is1498kgEvenwithallofthecar’s electrificationtech,itstillweighs only46kgmorethana570Sareally impressiveachievement
Ourtestcarweighed1552kgfully fuelledandwithplentyofoptional
Theenginecompartmentis designedinitsentiretytoexpel heatefficiently,butthisheatduct nicknamed‘thechimney’bycompany insidersistheretotakeheataway fromthe‘hotvee’oftheengine
SportsSerieslineisreplacedbyArtura
Openworkedrearendletsyoupeer inpastthereardiffusertoseethecar’s neweightspeeddualclutchautomatic gearboxLiketheFerrari296,itdoesn’t haveareversegear:theelectricmotor fillsinwhenmanoeuvring.
Slimheadlightsareintegratedinto aboomerangshapedopeningthat echoesthelinesofMcLaren’sown logo.Expecttoseesimilaronother newmodelintroductions
Wheelsareall19inatthefront,20in attherear,andthesamedimensions whateverdesignyougofor(thisis theDarkStealthwheelfinish)
Noseliftercanbehadaspart ofanocostoptionpack
Brakepedal’sleftsided offsetmightbeaslightly uncomfortablestretchfor somebutisn’tunusualfora midenginedcarSteering columncouldusealittlemore upwardsrakeadjustmentbut ithaslotsoftelescopicreach.
Ourcar’soptionaladaptive LEDheadlightshadgreat rangewithawellsetdip level,althoughtheautodip functionalitywasn’talwaysas quickasyoumightbeyourself
ΔequipmentfittedWeightsaving carbonceramicbrakescomeonthe carasstandard,asdolightweight superformedaluminiumbody panelsSuspensionisviadouble wishbonesatthefrontandanew multilinkaxleattherear,under steelcoils,adaptivedampersand passiveantirollbarsSteeringis viaaconventionalfrontaxlesystem, andelectrohydraulicassistancefor itremainsMcLaren’spreference.
TheArtura’stwoseatcabinis predictablysnug,butit’snotatall tightorrestrictive.Thedesignof ourtestcar’soptionalClubsportseat grantedafineandstraightdriving position,withitscleverelliptical hingeallowingyoutoexploreawide
rangeofvariouslyrecumbentdriving positions,andgrantingusefulroom evenfortallertesterstowearahelmet.
Oncecomfortable,youwillnotice howthoughtfullyMcLarenhas refinedandenhanceditsphilosophy oncabinlayout,andhowcleverly ithascreatedusefulstoragespace. There’snoglovebox,butthereare largedoorpocketsatthefrontofthe doorconsoles,whicharedesigned toretaintheircontentsasthedoors themselvespivotandswingaway upwardsandtheydosovery effectivelyThere’salsorealspace efficiencyaboutthedesignofthe car’ssuperslimcentreconsole. It’sjustwideenoughtomakeroom fortwocupholdersandanarmrest cubbybigenoughforawalletor smallpurse,butitalsohasdeepish storagechannelsoneithersideof
thetransmissioncontrolswherea smartphonewillhappilysitandstay putwhenyou’retouring,iftheother nearbystorageareasareoccupied.
Thecar’sinstrumentscreenisall digitalandallnewIncontrasttothe oneonthe720S,itismounteddirectly ontothesteeringcolumnratherthan thefasciabehind,soitmoveswiththe wheelasyouadjustthelatterforyour idealdrivingpositionandintheory remainsunobstructedbyit.In practice,ourtallertestersfoundthe columnabitshortonupwardsrake adjustmentrange,leavingthetop 10mmofthescreenitselfobscured bytherimofthesteeringwheel.
McLaren’scleveronepiece gearshiftpaddlesurvivesAboveit, newtogglecontrolsforitsadaptive powertrainandchassismodessit ontheupperedgeoftheinstrument
binnacleTheseareeasytospot withouttakingyoureyesfarfrom theroadandprodwithafinger outstretchedfromthesteeringrim.
McLaren’soldSportsSeries supercarswerealwaysintendedfor moreregular‘daily’drivingthan theirSuperSeriescounterparts GiventhattheArturapicksupwhere thosecarsleftoff,itisimportantto acknowledgetherolethatithasbeen designedtofulfilbeforewestartto describeandpasscommentonthe effectivenessofitsexecution.
McLarenclearlyaimedfora certainrefinementanddrivability forthiscar,aswellasoutrightpace andexcitement.Buttheexcitement partflowsprimarilyfromthe
Thefactorynavigationsystemremainsabitunintuitiveto
OurcarhadMcLaren’sBowers&Wilkins12speakerpremium
Δsabresharpwayinwhichthe Artura’shybridpowertrainresponds. Thoseusedtothesoftenedmid rangepickupofthe570Swillbe stunnedathowcrisplythiscarsurges forwardtheinstantyouflexyourtoe Youneedn’tholdontoalowergear andhigherrevsduringfastercross countrydrivingtokeeptheengine inthatpermanentstateofreadiness Eveninhighergears,thetorquejust floodsinthesplitsecondyouaskfor it.Theelectricmotorblendswiththe combustionenginesoseamlessly, beforethelattertakesoverthe ravenousheavyliftingbeyond 5000rpm,andpullsfreelyand forcefullytowellbeyond8000rpm.
Ourtiminggearrecordedatwo wayaverage060mphstandingstart of3.2sec,0100mphin6.3secand astandingquartermilein10.9sec. Porsche’slast911GT2RS,testedin 2018,wasatenthortwofasteracross thesamebenchmarks,butinterms ofrealworld,anygear,accessible
rollonperformance,theArturaslays theGT2RSbyevengreatermargins (3070mphinfourthgear:4.1sec versus5.1sec),whichmakesitfeel energeticandreadytoaccelerateat anymoment
Somemightobservethatthe V6engine,whileslightlysweeter ontheearthanMcLaren’solder V8,stillisn’tthemostbeguilingof motorstolistentoOthers,perhaps, thatbecauseofitsseamlessand instantswelloftorque,theArtura isn’tthemostdramaticsupercarto experienceinfullflightItsrolling furydoesn’tbuildtoanydramatic climax,it’strue.But,howeveryou mightcharacteriseitsflavour,itis certainlyobjectivelyfastandvery easytodrivefast
Except,thatis,whenyouchoose todialupElectriconthepowertrain modecontrollerThegapinthe Artura’sperformancelevelbetween SportorTrackmodeandhereis somethingofachasm,anditmight
beilladvisedtoswitchtozero emissionsrunningwhenwaiting atabusyjunction.
Onceyouhaveacclimatisedtothe Artura’selectriconlyperformance potential,however,youwillfindit aneasycartodriveevenhere:still responsiveiffarfromfastabove about40mph,readytocruiseevenat gentlermotorwayspeedsshouldyou wantitto,andgoodforanelectric rangeof17milesonamixedroute.
Thesupercarofyourwakingdreams wouldprobablysteerlikeaMcLaren. TheArtura’ssteering,aswithmany ofitspredecessors,hasthatperfect marriageofweight,pace,feeland animationoveratypicalUKroadso astofeelutterlyintuitive,superbly tactileandtotallyabsorbing
Thecar’snarrowness(by supercarstandards)anditsexcellent forwardvisibilityplaytheirown
partsinmakingiteasytoplaceand toguide.Butthesteeringisthestar attraction.Everyriseofcamber, everychangeingripleveland everylittleimpactoneitherfront wheelisfelt,butnoneisadmitted toyourfingertipssounfilteredthat itthreatenstodivertthecar,orto makeyoutightenyourgriponthat beautifullytrimmedandsimple threespokesteeringwheel
Andsoyoucanlengthenyourfocal point,relaxyourshouldersandcarry biggerroadspeedsinthiscarintotal confidence,knowingthatitissecure initsgriplevels,consistentinits responsesandperfectlyintune withyourintentions.
Ontrack,youmightlookfor evidenceoftheweightoftheArtura’s hybridsystem,oroftheslickness ofthecar’spowertrainbeginning tobreakdownunderpressureand causingknockonproblemswithits drivabilitybutyouwon’tfindany
TurnedupintoTrackmode,our
TheArtura’strackhandlingisacredit toMcLaren’smotorsportpedigree, anditscommitmenttomakingthe lightest,leanestcarpossiblehere. Itisnotonlyfastandflathandling, butalsopoised,controllableand enjoyable,andithasgreatstamina
Thenewdifferentialaddsthedose oftractionandpredictablehandling adjustabilityoncornerexitthatmany previousMcLarensmissedouton Thefrontaxleissteady,stableand communicative,andyoucandepend onitfullywhenpilinghardintobraking zonesandworkingthecartotheapex Thisismoreaprecisiontoolthanshow ponybutismoresatisfying,andmore adaptabletoyourparticulardriving style,thanitsforebearshavebeen
Afterasetofsevenoreighthard laps,ourtestcarbegantooverheatits PirelliCorsatyresmostlybecauseof theheatsoakfromitscarbonceramic brakes,butitmaintainedgood stability,consistenthandlingbalance andfinestoppingpowerthroughout
testcar’sadaptivedamperskepttotal controlofitsmassevenatanine andahalftenthslappingpace.Its PirelliPZeroCorsatyresdidn’tbite attheapexquiteliketheymightona Longtailmodel,withahintofsteady stateundersteertheretostabilise theArturaunderbrakingandon commitmenttoacornerIfthecar hasdynamicroomforimprovement, andtoexcitethattinybutcrucial degreemore,itwouldbehere.
But,oncerotating,theArtura commandsloadsoflateralgrip, andcornerswithworldclasspoise, theactivelockingdifferential (anothertechnicalfirstamong McLaren’smodernproduction models)creatingtraction,neatness andadjustabilityofattitudeandline forthecar,corneraftercorner.
TheArturaisthefirstMcLarenroad carinalongtimewhoseonroadride
McLarenArtura 1min6.8sec
LamborghiniHuracán Performante 1min53sec
Ahintofstabilisingundersteermeansyouhavetowaitbeforefeedinginpower
McLarenArtura 1min22.8sec
LamborghiniHuracán Performante 1min149sec
Withnofourwheeldrive,youhavetobe carefulwhenfeedinginpowerinthewet Themoreconservativetractioncontrol modeslookafteryouwell,though.
Youcanfeelthemechanicalgripofthe Corsatyrestheinstantthefrontaxlestarts topushonaroundnervejanglingT4.
missesanexceptionalstandardif onlynarrowly.Itmightbebecauseof thatadditionalbitofweightthecaris carrying,orbecauseofthelittleextra lateralandverticalstiffnessthathas beendialledintoitssuspensionto makeupforthatweight.
Whateverthereason,theArtura’s chassisisslightlymoreprescriptive andsurfacesensitivethanyou mightexpectittobeItneedstobe inComfortmodeonitssuspension toridewithtruefluencyoverafaster crosscountryroute,withSport modebestreservedforthesmoothest stretchesAndeveninComfort,the carcanfussandfidgetwiththatlittle snapofaggressionoverdrainsand raisededgesatlowspeed
TheArtura’scutawaysillsmake iteasiertogetinandoutthanmost supercars,andMcLaren’soptional Clubsportseats,thoughfirmin places,areperfectlycomfortable overlongerdistances
Needlesstosay,thisisafairly
LamborghiniHuracánPerformante(2017,16degC,damp)
TheCorsatyresstruggletogripallroundthewetlap Thecar’shandlingisfairlybenignwhenitdoesslide
quietcaratlowspeedwhenin Electricmode;lesssowiththeengine running,orathighspeeds.Ournoise meterrecorded72dBAofcabinnoise ata50mphcruisewiththeengine running,andstill69dBAwithitshut down.Forcontext,atypicalfamily hatchbackcruiseswith6568dBA ofcabinnoiseatthatspeedand thosecarsdon’thavesuperrigid carbonfibrechassistubs,ofcourse
McLaren’spricingfortheArtura positionsitinafamiliarplace betweentopendsupersportscars likethePorsche911TurboS,Aston MartinVantage,MercedesAMGGT andoutgoingAudiR8,butslightly belowtheMaseratiMC20and mostversionsoftheLamborghini Huracán(andwellbelowFerrari’s 296GTBpluginhybrid)
Assuch,thezeroemissions capabilitythatthecaroffers,and
thehybridsupercarstatusitconfers, canalmostbeconsideredtohave beenincludedforfree,giventhata V8enginedreplacementfortheold 570Sprobablywouldn’thavebeen pricedmuchdifferently
Arturaownerswillexpecttheir carstobereliableandstressfree toown,ofcourse,andtoretain theirvalueinthechangingmodern carmarketbetter,perhaps,thana purelypetrolpoweredrival.Given McLaren’strackrecord,noneofthese eventualitiescanbetakenforgranted
Alotofgoodfaithwillberequired ofthoseowners,especiallyinlightof thecar’seventfuldevelopment.Butif McLarenhonoursthatfaithcarefully andupdatesthecarjudiciously ‘overtheair’duringitsearlylife inproduction,don’tbesurprised iftheArturaturnsouttobea transformativeforceforthecompany justasmarkettasteschange,and morebuyersofbothnewandused supercarsfeeltheneedtoelectrify.
£103,250 Contracthirepcm
Costpermile
Insurance
4years/18,000miles,25%deposit£1651
MagnitudeFinanceoffersbothconventionalhire purchaseand‘balloonpayment’HPdealsonthe Artura,thelatterbringingthemonthlyoutlay downtotheabovepriceBuythecaroutrightover fiveyearsandthemonthlybillwouldbe£3312
Carbonceramicbrakes Proactivedampingcontrol
80inMISIItouchscreeninfotainment systemwithfactorynavigation,wired devicemirroringforApple/Android
VisionInteriorPack(includingleather andAlcantaraupholstery,12-colour ambientlighting,brusheddark titaniumcabintrim)£4400
CarbonfibreInteriorPack£4000 Sportsexhaust£4700
‘Stealth’exhaustand hotveefinishers£1000
‘DarkStealth’wheelfinish£1380
TechnologyPack(includingAdaptive LEDHeadlightsPlus,Bowers&Wilkins premiumaudio,adaptivecruise control,360degparkingcameras)£6800
PracticalityPack(includingvehicle lift,powerfoldingheateddoor mirrors,front/rearparkingsensors, reversingcamera,softclosedoors)nco Optionsinboldfittedtotestcar =Standardna=notavailable nco=nocostoption
ConstructionCarbonfibremonocoque, aluminiumbody Weight/astested1498kg/1552kg Dragcoefficientna Wheels9.0Jx19in(f), 110Jx20in(r)
Tyres235/35ZR1991Y(f), 295/35ZR20105Y(r), PirelliPZeroCorsaMCC
None(mobilityfoam)
Installation
Mid,longitudinal, rearwheeldrive
TypeV6,2993cc, twinturbocharged,petrol
Power577bhp
Torque431lbft
Bore/stroke840mm/900mm Compressionratio94:1
HybridassistAxialfluxmotor (94bhp,166lbft)
Totalsystempower671bhpat7500rpm
Totalsystemtorque531lbftat22507000rpm
Powertoweight448bhppertonne Torquetoweight354lbftpertonne
Ratios/mphper1000rpm
495miles
heMcLarenArturamaynothavehadtheidealstartamongthereviewpagesof Autocar,butithasjustpassedthetoughesttestwecanthrowatitwithease.
It’sacarwewouldrecommendhighlytotherightkindofbuyer:onewhowants asupercarsuitedtovariedandregularroadandtrackusethathasadeeprunningsense ofdynamicintegrityaboutit,aswellasuncompromisingperformance,toplevelhandling appealandimpressivelypolisheddrivabilityinmoreeverydaymoments.Itisperhaps lessforsomeonewhowantsthemostsoulful,raworexcitingsupercarthat£200,000 canbuyin2022andmoreforamaturebuyerseekingjusttherightbalanceofthrill andwellmanneredusability
TheArturaisacarthatfeelsenhancedbytheprocessofelectrificationbutnottotally reinventedbyitInsomanyways,it’sjustabetterlowerrungMcLarensupercarIthas justenoughhybridtechnologyaswasnecessarytoachievethat;itwearsitlightly,anduses itwell;and,perhapsmostimportantlyofall,ithasafutureandit’sonethatwecanall lookforwardtowatching
Atechnicalmarvelthatwears itshybridtechlightly,andusesit judiciouslybuteffectivelyCould bemoredramatic,butlittlemore expertlypositionedorexecuted AAAAB £189,200 671bhp,531lbft 30sec,205mph 104g/km,615mpg
Sant’Agata’soldworldjunior supercarhasbecomedeeply convincinginreardriven, fourwheelsteeredformEpic AAAAB £203,693 632bhp,417lbft 32sec,202mph 332g/km,195mpg
Anothernimble,lithefeeling
TheMcLaren Artura’skey performancenumbers areeerilyclosetowhat theF1recordedonour owntiminggearbackin 1994Whichmeansthat, 30yearson,McLaren’s juniorsupercarhas becomeasfastas itsgreatesticon
ILLYA VERPRAET TheArtura’s V6enginemight leavesomeabit coldforaudibleappeal, butitselectricmotor makesquiteanendearing noiseIt’sabitlikesome moviestarfighterif yougiveitfullpower fromlowspeed
TheTechnologyand Practicalitypacksare musthavesAddthe TrackTelemetryapp (£750)ifyou’regoingto beatrackdayregular. Thenjustpickthecolour andtrimyoulikebest
Considerfourwheel steeringifitwillhelpdial outthathintofontrack understeer,butdon’t sacrificethefeelsome hydraulicrackforit.
Liberatethatlastbitof verticalsteeringcolumn rakeadjustmentrange
Offerbuyersaseven pinchargingcablefor noextracostA‘granny cable’ona£200kcar isn’tagoodlook
29sec,202mph 262g/km,244mpg
Artura’snearestrivalnotionally isn’tsocloselymatchedon priceWewillrankithereonly afterafullUKroadtest, whichiscomingsoon
£241,550 819bhp,546lbft 29sec,205mph 149g/km,441mpg
RunoutNSXhasgrownextra powerandtorquebutwon’tbe soldofficiallyintheUKWehave yettotestone,butdon’tbetonit matchingtheArturadynamically $169,500(£153,500) 592bhp,492lbft 30sec,191mph
Thegleamingglasstowersofthe RenaissanceCentrewereerected inthe1970sasakeypartofaplan torejuvenatedowntownDetroit. Thatsimilarurbanrenewalplans remainongoingsome50yearslateroutlinesthe sheerscaleofthechallenge
Since1996,therebrandedGMRencenhas beentheheadquartersofGeneralMotors,andthe Americancarmakinggianthasmuchincommon withtheproudbutfadedcityitcallshomeOnce oneoftheworld’sautomotivepowerhouses,GM hasstruggledinrecentdecades,evengoing bankruptduringtheglobaleconomiccrisis.
Itsmarketsharehasslippedanditsglobal footprinthasshrunk,GMmostnotably withdrawingfromtheUKandEuropewiththe saleofOpelandVauxhallin2017,anignominy heightenedwhennewownerPSAGroup(since mergedintoStellantis)rapidlydeliveredthe siblingbrands’firstprofitindecades
Nevertheless,GMfirmlyremainsoneofthe world’slargestcarcompanies,bothinterms ofsalesandvalueAnd,muchlikeinDetroit itself,there’sstillimmenseprideinsideGM andadeeplyheldbeliefthatitcanonceagain becomeamarketleadingpowerhouse.
Todothat,GMmustchangedramatically.So bossMaryBerrahasgoneallinonelectrification By2035,GMwilllaunchonlyEVsevenintheUS, whereit’sheavilyreliantonbig,hulkingpetrol enginedChevroletandGMCpickuptrucks.
GM’stransformationisn’tjustaboutEVtech, thoughThere’salsoinvestmentinautonomous carsandlastmiledeliveryvehiclesThere’samove tofosterastartupmentality,freeingindividual partsofthebusinesstomakedecisionsfaster. There’safocusonahandfulofkeybrandsa markedchangefromwhenGMhadaphonebook ofthemAndthere’saplannedreturntoEurope, includingtheUK.It’sabold,ambitiousplan,one thatinvolvestransforminghowa113yearold giantoperatesandconvincingtheworlditreally canbeatthelikesofTeslaatEVsButcanitwork?
KeytoGM’spivottoEVsisbuildingasolid platform,inthemostliteralsenseThat’sthe Ultiumarchitecture,whichcomprisesaversatile skateboardchassis,anadaptablepowertrainand alltheunderpinningsoftwareandconnectivity.
It’sacleansheetdesignandintendedforusein ahugelydiverserangeofvehicles,fromthevast GMCHummerEVandBrightdropZevo600van
tothemassmarketChevroletBlazerEVcrossover andplushCadillacLyriqSUV.Itwillalsobeused forarangeofvehiclescodevelopedwithHonda.
ButwhileUltiumisnew,GMexecutivesare keentoremindeveryonethatthefirmisn’tnew toEVsdespitetheperceptionofalumbering, ageingICEcargianttrailinginTesla’swake.
“We’vebeenthroughalearningloop,”says ShilpanAmin,headofGMInternational“We werethefirstonestobringEVstomarketwiththe EV1,thenweevolvedthattotheChevroletBolt.”
ThataGMseniorvicepresidentisprepared, unprompted,tomentiontheEV1isremarkable Launchedin1996,thetwoseatelectriccoupéwas consideredsuchaflopthatwhentheprojectwas controversiallycannedin2002,GMinfamously recalledandscrappedvirtuallyeveryEV1
ElonMuskhascitedtheaxingoftheEV1asan inspirationforTesla’sfoundation,andtherehave evenbeenwildclaimsthatGMwasworkingwith theoilindustrytokillEVsbeforetheytookhold.
Inhindsight,theEV1wassimplyaheadofits time,heldbackbyhighcostsandpoorbatterytech Butsomeoftheideas,suchasasubscription◊
CadillacLyriqSUVis expectedtobeGM flagshipinEuropeWithanamethatstillevokesmassive, extravagant1950ssaloons,Cadillacmight wellbeGM’smostAmericanbrand.Conversely, itsmodernreinventionmightofferthebest chanceofinstantsuccessinEurope
ThenewLyriqSUVisCadillac’sfirstEVand alsointroducesanewdesignlanguageaimed atrestoringthebrandtoitsfullpremiumclass gloryDueoutintheUSnextyearasarivalto theAudiEtronandtheBMWiX,itseemswell designedtofitfirmlyinthatmarket
TheexteriormaintainssomefamiliarCadillac designcuesbutalsohasafreshnessmissing fromthebrand’srecentindifferentsaloons, whiletheinteriorhasaplushfeel,headlined byanenveloping33incurveddigitalscreen
OurbriefoutinginaLyriqatGM’sWarren ProvingGroundrevealedthatwhilenotthemost dynamicofcars,it’ssmoothandcomfortable
todriveThe335bhprearwheeldrivepowertrain (dual-motorversionswillfollow)deploysitspower rapidly,whiletherideissmoothandnotablyquiet. The106kWhbatteryshouldgiveitarangeofmore than300miles,too
TippedtobeGM’sEuropeanflagship,theLyriq isrelatedtoaboldshootingbrake,theCelestiq, thatisduein2024althoughthisisawholly differentpropositionIt’sashowcaseofCadillac’s trueluxurycredentials,alimitedproduction coachbuiltcreationintendedasaBentleyand RollsRoycerival,pricedcloseto£250,000.
Δstylesalesmodelandaerodynamicallyhoned bodywork,aresuddenlyrightinvogue
Thebusinessworldhaschanged,too:techstart upshaveembraceda‘failfast’ethos.Corporations arenolongerashamedtofail,solongastheylearn fromitRatherthanairbrushtheEV1fromhistory, GMnowwantstoshowhowitwasapioneer ConceptsfromthatcarfedintotheChevrolet SparkEVhatchbackthatwaslaunchedin2013 andfollowedin2016bytheChevroletBolt(soldin EuropeastheOpelAmperae)Whileneitherwasa commercialsmashtheSparkinparticularoften deridedasa‘compliancecar’forhittingemissions targetstheyprovethatGMcanproducecredible, competitiveEVsAndtheyleddirectlytotheBolt EUV(aVolkswagenID3rival)andUltiummodels
“Aswewentthroughtheprocess[ofdeveloping EVsaftertheEV1],welearnedtherewasaunique opportunitytoreallyredefinethecustomer experience,totakeagroundupapproachto rethinkhowacustomerandavehicleinterface,” saysAmin.“Becausewerecognisedthat opportunity,wecouldstepbackanddevelop theseplatforms,whicharenowquicklyscalable”
GMwantstosellamillionEVsannuallyby2025 andhassecuredasupplydealwithLGChemthat shouldprovidebatterymaterialforfivemillion.
AminsaystheUltiumplatformreally“shows ourabilitytoleadintechnologyandinnovation”, anditcertainlyshouldbecompetitivewithinits class.It’sdesignedprimarilyformidsizeSUVsand aboveandcanacceptfivedifferentUltiumDrive powertrainsetups,withsingleanddualmotor versionscoveringfront,rearandfourwheeldrive andoutputsrangingfrom235bhpto1000bhp
Essentialtotheplatformareflatbatterycells (GMsaysthatthisallowsgreaterenergydensity thancylindricalcells),arrangedintopacksof12 modulesAcarcouldfeatureasfewassixpacksfor abasemodelandupto24foralongwheelbaseone.
mmerismade bothapick-up uckandanSUV
TotrulygraspthescaleoftheGMCHummerEV, stlookatitsbatterypackIt’sgargantuaninevery nseEffectivelytwo106kWhpacksstackedatop hother,ithasacapacityof212kWhandweighs excessof1300kgsomorethanaFordFocus. Butitneedstobebigtomatchthevehiclethatit abitsAnelectricreinventionoftheoldHummer, derivedfromtheHumveemilitaryvehicle,itisboth bulkyandheavyInfact,at4111kg,itcouldn’teven bedrivenonastandardcarlicenceintheUK. Yetitreallycanshift:thankstoa1000bhptri motorpowertrain,itcansprintfrom062mphin threeseconds,andithasatopspeedof106mph It’sasupercarintankform.It’sutterlyridiculous andcompletelyexcessivebutasashowcase ofwhatEVtechcando,it’shugelycapable WetriedaHummeronanoffroadcourse, andwhileitcouldn’tdisguisethatweight, itwascapableofastonishinglyrapid
Andithasaneatpartytrickincrabmode,where
Sofar,mostplannedcarshave12,althoughthe Hummerhas24(twounitsof12atopeachother)
Thesystemisnatively400Vbutcanrunat800V inparallel,allowingchargingratesofupto350kW. “UltiumisoptimisedforSUVsandcrossovers, butitcangrowbydemandforpickupsandeven autonomousvehicles,”saysTimGrewe,director ofelectrificationstrategy.“Itgivesusflexibility tomeetcustomerneedsbutremainagile.Butthe mainbenefitisthatwecanlearnaswegothrough overtheairupdatesWecantakedatafromitin thecloud,dooffcarcomputingandthenoffer upgrades.It’sabuildingblockforourfuture.”
GMboughtVauxhallin1925andOpelin1929, sothedecisiontosellthemin2017andthereby effectivelyquittheEuropeanmarket(although itstillimportsasmallnumberofCadillacand ChevroletCorvettemodels)wasaseismicdecision GiventhestrugglesthatGMhadfacedtomakethe brandsprofitable,itappearedlikeahugedefeat butthefirminsistsitwasatacticalwithdrawal.
“Asregulationsfragmentedaroundtheworld, wehadtostartdownscalingourbusiness,”says Amin“Theregulationandfragmentationthat washappeningjustdidn’tallowustobeefficient intermsofcapitalandresourcesinacombustion worldWehadtocreateuniqueenginesand transmissioncombinationstomeet regulationsaroundtheworld.”
Essentially,therewasjusttoomuchdisparity betweenthetrucksandSUVsthatdominateGM’s Americanportfolioandthemoreefficientcars demandedbyEuropeandriversandregulatorsfor thefirmtosharetechnologyoreconomiesofscale.
Inaddition,Opel’sandVauxhall’sEuropean
factoriesweren’tgearedupforEVproduction, anditwouldhavebeencostprohibitivetoconvert them.Indeed,Stellantis’ssuccesswithOpeland Vauxhallislargelybeingdrivenbythemsharing efficiencieswithitsmanyotherEuropeanbrands
Theelectricagewillbedifferentinthisrespect Aminsaysthatthekeyareasthatbuyersarenow focusedonrange,chargingandtechnology areglobalconcerns,andskateboardstyleEV
“That’stheopportunity:wenolongerhaveto purposebuildanentirevehicle[forEurope],”says Amin“Forapplicationsaroundtheworld,wecan scalethedesignanddevelopmentthatwehave, allowingustobringvehiclestomarketquicker” TheopportunityistoobigforGMtoignore. GMEuropebossMahmoudSamaranotesthat theregion“isthesecondlargestautomotive marketintheworldandhasaverymatureyetstill developingEVinfrastructure”.Hecontinues:“The publicpolicyisinplaceandtheEVtrendisbeing drivenbycustomersWithourplantohaveafull electricportfolioby2035,it’samatchmadein heavenThisisauniqueopportunity”
GMisgoingtotakeauniqueapproach,tooAt thetimeofSamara’sappointmentinNovemberlast year,thefirmsaidhewouldleada“nontraditional startupinEurope”.Whatdoesthatmean?
“Wehaveacleansheetapproach,”heexplains “Wedon’thaveanylegacytodealwith,sowehave theopportunitytodowhat’sbestforthecustomer We’refreetoreimaginetheworldofmobilityina keymarket.It’saonceinalifetimeopportunity.
“Wehavechampionsinthebusinessrightup totheCEO,butwehavetheautonomytoact Ultimately,thedirectionistoputthecustomer atthecentreofeverythingwedo.Sowecando what’sbestforthecommunityandplanet,in termsofbothproductsandservices”
Samaraislightonspecificdetailsandisgearing forabigEuropeanlaunchearlynextyear.But ebroadplanisprettyclear,especiallyasGM sgivennosignalofyetinvestinginEuropean oductionfacilitiesItwillbeEVonly,andthe neupwillmostlikelybeliftedfromthefirm’s istingandforthcomingEVs.Thosewillbe lectedbasedonsuitabilityforEurope,soexpect eAudiEtronrivallingCadillacLyriqbutdon’t artsavingupforaChevroletSilveradopickup Intriguingly,sincetheinterviewsforthispiece reconducted,formerJaguardesignerJulian
ThomsonwasnamedheadofanewGMAdvanced DesignEuropestudio,suggestingthecompanyis lookingintowaysofatleastadaptingmodelsfor Europeantastes.Butdon’texpectGMtolauncha newEuropeonlybrand
“Wehavenoplansonrebrandingourproducts,” saysSamara“Chevroletisaglobalbrand,Cadillac isaglobalbrand,Hummerisaglobalbrand.We haveglobalbrandsthatarefitforpurpose.That’s what’ssobeautifulabouttransitioningtoEVs:the flexibilitythatwecandeliverwiththoseplatforms, itwillbefitforpurposeforEurope”
Howglobalthosebrandsareisaninteresting question.BritsmightrelateCadillacmorewith ElvisPresleythanmodernEVs,andChevrolet’s lastspellintheEuropeanmainstream,asarevamp oftheDaewoobudgetbrand,washardlysparkling.
WhetherGMwillbuildupadealernetworkorgo onlineonlylikesomeothernewtoEuropebrands hasalsoyettoberevealed,althoughSamarasays it’s“committedtoanomnichannelapproach”
Importantly,SamaraisclearthatGMdoesn’t viewEuropemerelyasamarkettosellEVsinwhile waitingforelectricadoptiontopickupintheUS NotingthattheEuropeanEVmarketisanticipated togrowsevenfoldinthenextdecade,hesays: “Withthebreadthanddepthofourportfolio,
ChevrolethasrecenthistoryintheUK,having takenoverDaewoo’sbusinessherein2005 ButthelineupofKoreanbudgetcarshadlittle incommonwiththeAmericanChevylineup, anditwassomewhatincongruousthatthey carriedthesamebowtielogoastheCorvette AsitisthemostmainstreamGMbrand, thenewwaveofChevroletEVsarefirmly targetedatthemassmarket
ThisincludestheBoltEUV,acrossover reworkingoftheBolthatchbackusingGM’s olderBEV2platformIt’saVolkswagenID3 rivalwithasimpleinteriorthat’sfunctionalyet pleasant.A201bhpmotorgivesitplentyofzip, butitlacksmuchinthewayofcharacter.Still, atabout£28,000intheUS,itiswellpriced
ItwillbefollowednextyearbytheBlazerEV, anelectricSUVbuiltontheUltiumplatform thatwilltakeontheFordMustangMachE andtheVolkswagenID4.Itwillofferarange ofpowertrains,includingarangetopping 565bhpSSmodel,withUSpricesrunning fromtheequivalentof£43,000to£58,700
BoltEUVcrossover wasdevelopedfrom oldBolthatchback
Samara(left)andAttwoodtalkbynewLeMansCaddywe’reconfidentwewillbeasubstantialplayerin themarket.”
It’saboldplan,andahugelyambitiousone GMhaspinneditsfutureathomeandabroad onahugereinvention,bothinthewaythatit operatesandhowit’sperceived.WiththeUltium platform,itseemstohavethefoundationinplace forareinventionThechallengecomesingetting thepublictobuyintothatvisionButtheEV switchoverpresentsamassiveopportunity, andGMisdeterminedtograspit.L
ThebestexampleofGM’spushtogiveitsdivisions astartupmentalityisBrightdrop,itsnewbrand forelectriclastmiledeliveryvehicles.
BornoutofaGMinnovationincubator,itssenior managersarelargelydrawnfromthetechindustry BossTravisKatz,forinstance,previouslyworked atMyspaceandtrip.com.
Brightdropisdevelopingarangeofdelivery vehicles,startingwiththeZevo600Thishasall thehallmarksofaUPSorFedexvanalargeload baywithadaptablelayouts,apractical,opencabin andasideslidingdriver’sdoorbutisbuiltonGM’s
UltiumEVplatform,givingitarangeof250miles
Notably,theZevo600wasdevelopedinjust24 monthsarecordforaGMvehiclethatthefirmsays wasenabledbothbyBrightdrop’sstartupfreedom andtheresourcesofitsparentfirmIndeed,it’s heavilybasedonthefarlesspracticalHummer Brightdropisn’tjustaboutvehicles,either:itwill offerawhole“deliveryecosystem”.Thatincludes theTracePallet,awheeleddeliverycratethathas anelectricmotorinside,meaningitcanbepushed effortlesslyatspeedsofupto3mph,soBrightdrop candeliverproductsevenwherevanscan’treach.
ContrastbetweenZevo andHummershows Ultium’sflexibility
ExJaguardesignerJulianThomsonleadsUKGMstud
t’s630amandamancalledSimon BrakeandIhavewalkedoutofa hotelinKraków,easternPoland, tomeetSashaforthefirsttime.
SashaclimbsfromablackToyota LandCruiserHe’sUkrainian,around6ft5in tallandheavilybuiltHespeaksbarelyawordof EnglishandneitherofusspeaksanyUkrainian. Butheisatrustedfriendofatrustedfriend,has ahugegrinandisgoingtodrivewithustoLviv, westernUkraine,inoneofthreeambulancesthat Simonandabunchofvolunteershavebrought asfarasKrakówfordonationtocharitiesin thewarstruckcountry.SimonandIwill followintheothertwo
Viaatranslationapponhisphone,Sashatells us:“Afewkilometresbeforetheborder,we’re goingtoturnoffthemotorwayanddrivenorth throughforeststotheborder.Don’tworry.”
Simon’sjourneybeganseveralmonthsand 1050milesawayfromKraków,inTeddington,
MiddlesexInthedaysandweeksafterRussia’s invasionofUkraineinFebruary,Ukrainianexpats inSimon’stownstartedusinglocalsocialmedia pagestotrytoraisefundsandfindvolunteersto driveseveral4x4stothecountryOneofthem, IrinaWebb,helpedtoorganiseajourney;Simon drovetoKrakówandcamebackwithaplantogo again,thistimewithambulances,andsetabout raisingthemoneytodoitHeputinalumpofhis ownmoneyandsetupafundraisingcompany, namingitMightyConvoy.
“It’sanotforprofitcompanyintheprocess
applyingforcharitablestatus,”Simontells “Itwon’temployanyoneandwillbereliant volunteers.”
Betweenthespringandthesummer,Mighty nvoyanditsnewUkrainianfriendsraised oughmoneytobuythreeambulancesBut yingthemisn’taseasyasitsounds
ecialistVehicleSolutions(SVS)ofDudley, rcestershire,specialisesinambulancesand couldsupplythreepatienttransportvehicles, eacharoundeightyearsold,at£6500apiece.
“I’vegottoknowafewcharities[sincethewar started],”saysSVSownerSteveManning“Some havegotmoneybutdon’tknowhowtospendit”
Andsomeindividualsinthemotortrade, hesays,haven’talwaystreatedthemgenerously. Volunteershavebeensoldunreliablevehiclesor, lackingexperience,drivershavegonewithoutV5 registrationdocumentsandtheotherpaperwork that’sneededforvehicleexportofwhichthere’s alot.Onevolunteerhadtoleaveanambulancein◊
ΔPolandforafortnightuntilhecouldcomeba withtherightpaperstogetitoutofthecountr
SinceMarch,though,SVShassold“almost 40vehicles”mostlyambulancesandthe oddboxvanthathavebeendrivenonto UkraineApolloAutoCentrehelpscheck thesethreeover,freeofcharge,forSimon.
Toaidreliabilityintheharshconditions theambulanceswillfaceinUkraine,andso theyarelikeliertomakethetriptroublefree, SVSoftenremovesorbypassesexhaustgas recirculationorparticulatefilterelectronics. “Morethanhalfthetime,that’sthecauseofa vangoingintolimphomemode,”saysSteve Moresoberly,SVScanremovepneumaticrear rampsandairsuspension.Unlikeinslowpaced patienttransportintheUK,Ukrainianusers aresaidtoprefernoisymanualstretcheror wheelchairrampsoverquietpneumatic ones,becausetheycanbedeployedand stowedawaymorequicklyunderfire.
Beforethejourney,theambulancesareloaded withaid.It’sallmedicalandallvaluable,from crutchesandwheelchairstovitaminsupplements,
gloves,wipes,surgicalaccessoriesand highestvalueofallboxesofindividual firstaidkitsmadetotreatbattlefieldtrauma. Eachkitisworth£100,thereare40 toaboxandtherearefourboxesofthem.
KenttoKrakówisastraightforwardjourney, butit’salsoa1000mileone.Theplanistoset offonaSaturdaymorning,withtwodrivers pervan,driveovernightandarriveonSunday, withonerestingwhiletheotherdrivesSimon isjoinedbyhisvolunteerfriendsKieran,Will, DaveandAlexandme.
It’sasoundplan,althoughgiventhatthe onlyaffordableandavailableferrycrossingis at440am(Doverhasseenhourslongqueuesin theprecedingdays),necessitatinga2amstart fromCanterbury,atiringone.Still,thereare noqueuesatpassportcontrol,Francepasses byquicklyandsotoodoBelgiumandthe NetherlandsBySaturdayevening,the convoyisdeepintoGermany.
Thereareregularstopsforrestandfood
(andbecausemiddleagedmenneedtostop morefrequentlythanyoungroadtesters).But comelateSaturdayandearlySunday,whatone reallyneedsissleep
It’snoteasytocomebyAPeugeotBoxer hasthreeseatsinthefrontand,understandably, thedriver’sseatismorecomfortablethanthe twoprovidedforpassengersThat’sjustasit shouldbe,butitmeansthewrongoneisthe mostconducivetonoddingoffin,unhelpfully I’vedoneacoupleof24hourenduranceevents inmytimebuthaveneverfeltthistiredbehind thewheelStoppingforanapistheonlyanswer
OnSundaymorning,theconvoymakesKraków Tootallforcarparks,it’sparkedupsafelyinview ofapolicestation.Wefindahotelandrest.
Mostofthedriverspreparetoheadhome fromhereI’mmeanttoaswell,butthechance tocontinueonwardsisofferedandtheycould dowithanextradriver,soItakeit.Inthe morning,SimonandIwillmeetSasha.
It’sthreehoursfromKrakówtotheUkrainian border,andthere’ssometimesadelayofmore hoursagainwhenyougettotheKorczowa KrakovetscrossingUnlessyou’refollowing someonewhoknowssomeoneataquieterone Furthernorth,atBudomierzHruszów,Sasha, SimonandItakefiveminutestopassthroughthe Polishsectionoftheborder,andnomorethan45 minutesattheUkrainiansidewhilepaperwork forthevansisorganisedfortheirimport
ThisisthehardpartofSimon’ssupport.Not thedriveortheperceivedriskofgoingbutthe paperworkThere’sthefaffofbanking(Simonstill can’topenacharitybankaccount),exportnotices, lettersfromcharitiesinthreedifferentlanguages certifyingwhat’sonboardthevehicles,waivers forvolunteers,insurance,roadtax,congestion charges,emissionscharges,ferrycrossings,hotels, fuelandmoretobuy,logandsortandremember
ThishasbeenSimon’soverridingburden duringwhatisostensiblyasimplecalling:
togiveambulancestopeoplewhoneedthem Asstagesinthejourneyaretickedoff,hisburden notablylessensandreliefbuilds
Hecoulddowithmoresupportfinancial, logistical,vehicleandtechnicaltodoitagain, buthavingnowdoneittwice,he’swondering if,aswellashisownventure,hecouldsupport others.Writetousandwewillputyouintouch.
Lvivisonly50milesinsideUkraine,which makesitfarclosertoPolandthanthefrontlines IftheclosestpointofbattlewereInverness,we wouldbedoingtheequivalentofgoingtoExeter
Ontheway,wepassquietvillagesandthrough unmannedmilitarycheckpoints.Although
thenearestfrontlinesatpresentare600miles awayinMariupol,thereareobvioussignsofwar. Bridgeshavesandbaggedfortificationsandbig signsdecryRussianbrutalityandthanktheUK, EUandUSfortheirsupport
Wepasstwograveyards:bothhavemanynew headstones,andtwomenaredigginggravesinone ofthem.Ukraineisthelargestcountryexclusively inEurope,andsoldierscomefromthisarea,even ifthey’renotfightinginthisarea
Lviv’spopulationhasincreasedfrom700,000 atthestartoftheyeartoatotalthatestimatesput ashighasthreetimesthatnowIt’sthefurthest cityfromthebattlefronttowhichmanyevacuees cantravelwhileremaininginUkraineAndwhile it’sfarfromtheRussianoccupiers,stillthereare nighttimeairraidwarningsasoftenasnot,and it’soccasionallytargetedbyRussianmissilesIn earlyAugust,asurfacetoairmissilebatterynear thecitywasdestroyedSandbagsacrossbasement windowsaside,though,therearefewoutward signsoftheconflictonthecityoutskirts.
Ourescortsleaveusandwemakeourwaytoa warehouseonthesouthwestsideofLviv,where theambulances’arrivalisgreetedwithgratitude andsmilesandimmediatehardwork.
Withinaminuteofparkinguptheambulances andopeningtheirbackdoors,localvolunteers areloadingtheircontentsontopalletsandtaking themforsorting.Tenminuteslater,thevehicles areemptyandwe’reinsideawarehouselearning whatwillhappentoitall
SUPPLYINGTHOSEINNEED RudiMygovichisreceivingmorevisitorsother thanjustmeandSimonAgroupofAmericans areassessingwhetherthecharityofwhichhe’s president,theChristianMedicalAssociationof Ukraine(CMAU),shouldreceivesomeoftheaid thattheirorganisation,ConscienceInternational, istaskedwithdistributing
AcosmeticscompanyallowedMygovichandthe CMAUtohavehalfofitswarehouseonthesouth westofLvivforfreeinMarch.Sincethen,hesays,
“we’vedistributed210tonnesofaid,frombedsto fridgestointravenousandsurgicalequipmentBy theendofJuly,wehadsupplied183hospitals,543 militaryunits,charityfoundationsandchurches”
Some“98%ofeverythingdonatedismedicine andmedicalequipment”,hecontinues“First wehavetounpackeverything,whichneedsto beconvertedtooursystems[foreignkitcanneed differentconnectortypesorsizestoUkrainiankit] andexplained[9095%ofUkrainianhealthcare workerscan’tspeakEnglish]”
Inadditiontotheequipment,theCMAUhelps foreigndoctorsvisittoassistalongsideUkrainian surgeonsandtrainnewdoctors
Corruptionisaconcern;expensivemedical equipmentisattractiveontheblackmarket. Knowingwhereequipmentisgoingandin whosehandsitendsupisthereasonSimon wantedtotraveltoUkrainetovisitMygovich’s headquartersinthefirstplaceBothare pleasedtomakethehandoverinperson.
ConscienceInternational’sVictoriaBaseSmith
tellsmethatwarsbringa“massiveincrease”in crimeNotjustablackmarketforgoods,shesays, butalsoabuseofthevulnerable:peopletrafficking, slaveryandrape.Thosewhohavenojoborhome easilybecomevictimsofexploitation
ForMygovich,timemattersTodayisMonday; theambulanceswillbesenttotheirdestinations onTuesdayandbesavinglivesbyWednesday.
“They’rereallyimportant,”hesays“We’ve alreadybeengiventhree,andIbelieveallare stillworkingButintheKharkivareaalone, sixambulancesaweekaredestroyedby Russianattacks.That’sanumberI’ve heardmorethanonce”
“WefitambulanceswithStarlink,”hesaysof SpaceX’ssatellitebasedcommunicationssystem. Radiosandtelephonescanbeinterceptedbythe Russianmilitaryandareusedtotrackandtarget vehicles,evenambulancesAttackingcivilian targetsisawarcrime,buttheattritionrateof ambulancessuggeststheRussiansaredoing itanyway.Inthedaysafterwevisit,Russiawill
useawidelycondemnedreportbycharity AmnestyInternational,whichsuggeststhat Ukrainiandefensivetacticsputsciviliansatrisk, toexcuseitsattacksonnonmilitarytargets
HEADINGHOME,PLANNINGANEW It’slateafternoon,andmyandSimon’sliftbackto theborderisafewhoursaway.ThecentreofLvivis beautifulandgrand,aUnescoworldheritagesite Onlysandbagsandsignagesignalthatsomething isamissAtabasementbar’sdoor,we’regreetedby ayoungdoormandressedinfullcombatfatigues andtotingafakemachinegun,whoasksfora passwordbeforewecanenterHedemandseither “Slava[gloryto]Ukraini”or“F***Putin”
Twohourslater,we’remetbySashatodriveus backtoKrakówinhisToyota.Howhemanagesto driveintothenightandbeyondwithskillbutnot restisamystery;heseeminglyexistsonadietof hotdogs,RedBull,coffeeandMagnumicecreams Hedrivesat100mphwhilechangingtuneson hisphone(Simon’searlierrisingrelieftakesafew
retrogradestepshere)andtellsusthatduring thefirstthreemonthsofthewar,hetoodrove anambulanceonthefrontline.
Hecamebacktomanagehiscarparts businessbutisalsoafixer,agobetween, drivinghundredsofhoursandthousands ofmilespermonth,accompanyingpeopleand vehiclesandequipmentinandoutofUkraine.
Heslowswhichisarelieftotalkinto histranslationappHewouldliketobuya refrigeratedtruckNotforgoodsbuttomore quicklybringthebodiesofdeadUkrainian soldiershomefromtemporarymorguesnear thefrontline,atorturouslyslowprocessatthe moment,sothattheirfamiliescanburythem
“Parentsarewaitingtwo,three,fourmonthsto bringthemhome,”hesays.“Untiltheirmotherand fatherarewithhim,theyneverrest,neversleepI sawalotIjustunderstandwhatneedstobedone It’snecessaryIthastobeperformedbysomeone”
Simonmakesanote:nexttime,more ambulancesbut,ifpossible,morebesides.L
unriseAlarm OneeyeTwoeyes Curtains.Blueskies. That’sonepotential problemoutoftheway Justamillionmoretocontendwith Shower,change,getready, gettothepits.Greettheteam.Wait. Somuchtodo,butsolittleIcando Mypotentialdatewithdestinyis still12hoursawayifeverything goestoplan.
Thinkpositive.Sofar,sogood. PolepositionButnotjustanypole position:adazzlinglaprecord Championshiprivalsthird,fifth and10thonthegrid.Afourtenths advantageoversecondplacean ageinmotorsportButjust15metres whenIlineuponthegridThisisthe BritishTouringCarChampionship; itwillneverbeeasy.
Meet,greet,chatJustanother day,ItellmyselfExceptitisn’t
It’sthechampionshipfinaleThe culminationofaseason’seffort. Mine.Myteam’s.Myfamily’s.So muchhardwork,somanysacrifices UpanddownthecountryHighs LowsAddingupover27racesto today.Thebiggestdayofmy29years.
Ijustwanttogetonwithit,but stillImustwaitRoutineCarsetup talk,sponsortalk,meetthefans,sign autographsEnjoythemoment,they keeptellingme.I’mtrying,Ithink. Canwepleasejustgetonwithit? Notyet
It’s10amThecircuitTannoy cracklesintolife.Enginesfireup. Nearlythere.Thepaddockcrowds easeofftowatchtheracingFocus CalmYoudoyourjobandIwill domine
Thesupportracesgetgoing.The angrybuzzoftheirenginesfillsthe airButwhat’sthat?AFormula4 singleseaterinthegraveltrap
ontheformationlapThesun isshining,butit’sstilldamp onthosekerbsintheshade ofthetreesRookiedrivers makerookieerrorsBankthe informationandmoveonI’m notarookiedriver.Breathe.
Ticktock,ticktock.Timetoget readyUpbeatStayupbeatSetthe moodFocusSmileHelmeton, beltson.MyteamandIhavedone thehardwork.Nowit’sdownto metogetthejobdoneNoroom forhesitation,noroomfornerves Justanotherdayattheraces
Boom!Aseasyaracewinas Iwilleverenjoy.Pressure,sure, fromsafetycarsbunchingthe fielduptoachasingrivaldarting leftandrightinmymirrorsfor lapafterlap,butinBTCCterms that’sassimpleasitgets.Job doneIstodaymyday?
Thatsmallpointsdisadvantage
BMW’sColinTurkington andJakeHillwererivals, plusFord’sAshSutton
OntopofaHyundai i30NFastbackand ontopoftheworldthatIarrivedwithisnowasmall pointsadvantageSoslenderbutso significantVictoryearnspolefor thenextrace.Momentumiswith me.Thehunternowthehunted, thechampionshipdistillingIs todaymyday?Idon’tdaretothink aboutit.Mytitlerivalsarejustacar lengthbehind.ThisistheBritish TouringCarChampionship;it willneverbeeasy
CalmStaycalmMustdomyjob Debrief,reset,beready.Upbeat.Stay upbeat.Setthemood.Focus.Smile. Helmeton,beltsonI’mbackinthe zoneTimeforracetwo
Cleanstart.Headdown.Brake, apex,turnandaccelerate.Clear roadahead.
Tap,bump,slideWho’sthat?Oh, helloThatdidn’ttakelongIt’soneof mytitlerivals,hiscardialledin,his tyreswarmandracingonhishome
trackThecrowdisbehindhim, thecarwithhimFlash,flash,flash Hisheadlightsflickerinmymirrors. Hecantrythatoldtrickallhelikes. Nottoday,thankyouI’mhereto winachampionship
Tap,bumpHe’snotgoingaway Thesearethemomentsthatwill makeorbreakme.HoldonandI willgointothefinalraceasclear favouriteLoseoutandit’sgame on,aknucklefighttothefinish Iknowit,heknowsit.Hetakes theoutsideline,Iblocktheinside. Oneeyeontheroadahead,oneeye onmymirrorsAllat140mph
Yes!Chequeredflag.Glory.Is todaymyday?Whoops,cheersand hugsIbelieveTheteambelieves Butbeliefdoesn’twintitlesOnerace togo,onehandonthechampionship trophy.Shut.That.Thought.Out. It’sminetolose.
ReversegridI’mstarting10th SurroundedOneremainingrival ninth,theothersixth.It’sokay:I canaffordtofinishbehindthem. Onpaper,atleastButoutthereon track,youcan’tjustwatchdestiny unfoldStayupbeatSetthemood Focus.Smile.Helmeton,beltson. ThisistheBritishTouringCar Championship;itwillneverbeeasy
SeizethemomentJustasyouhave allyear.Go,go,go.Faststart.Gap ahead.It’smytitlerival.Pauseorgo? NotimetothinkBrake,apex,turn, accelerateSlidebyThatwillmake hisjobharder
But…who’sthatahead?Myother titlerival’steammate.Thiscouldget interestingTheyneedmedownthe orderOroffthetrackWasthatpass braveorfoolish?Toolatenow
Argh.He’sby.Bothtitlerivals ahead.Butthat’sokay.It’sclean.
Thepointsstilladdupin myfavourWatchoutfor thatspinner.Slideby.Keep themomentum.Holdon.Just holdonIfollowonetitlerival, whofollowstheothertitlerival Achampionshiptrain.Icanwatch itunfoldfromhere.Muchbetter.
Butthey’refightingToothand nailEaseofforstayonit?Titles aren’twonbyeasingoff Tap,bump,slide.Hehaslost momentum,I’veslidbyandhe hashitmeNotnowNotsoclose Footdown,eyesforwardNotnow Notthisclose
Thechequeredflag.Alifetimeof dreamsunleashed.Cheers.Tears. Elationhemmedinbyahelmetand seatbeltsFistpumpsAndfrailty Somuchhardwork,somany sacrifices.Somanyemotions. IamthechampionL
ou’llseethemon thetellyPictures fromaboveNight vision.Somefancy heatsensingcamera onahelicopteraimedatanAudi tearingitupamotorway
ThenumptiesUpthesliproad theygo,ontotheroundabout,big whitehotmarksbroadcastingexactly wheretheyare,andbang:straight intotheOldBillStingeracrossthe road,fourflattyres,gameover,you muppets.YoumightoutrunaVolvo, pal,butyou’llneveroutrunplodif he’sgotahelicopterandaradio
You’vegottarememberthat.So methename’sMcGrawIprefer somethingabitmorediscreetHide inplainsight.Oldschool.Nonicked RSmodelsorsuperchargedRange RoversThinksmarter,notfaster Backinthe’70s,theFordTransit wasusedin95%ofbankjobs,they reckoned.Myoldmancertainlyhad ’em.Loved’emasheheadedinto town,blendingintothebackground ParkupatnightGetin,getoutHe’d bebackatthefarmforbreakfast Simplerules.Doitproperly,do itquietlyanddon’tknockanyone aroundunlessyouhavetoThey
thinktolookinseptictanksthese daysandkeepingpigsisadead giveawayAvoid
Anyway,hetaughtmeeverything heknew,theoldman,sonowIrun thefamilybusinessAndI’vegot anewFordTransitAnelectricone Yeah,allright,“notveryoldschool, Fingers”,butgetwiththeprogramme. We’reafterjewels,largely.Precious metal,certainlyCashifit’sthere,but it’shardertogetridofAndmostly thegoodstuffiskeptinbasements, soyou’llneedsometools,andyou’ll needsometime.Whichiswherethe
Chargeitatthefarmsonobody’s seenoncamerafillingitupatsome petrolstationofftheA1Howmany timeshaveyouseenCCTVfootage frominsideashop?“Haveyouseen thisbloke?”Notmeyouhaven’t, becauseIstayinsidethevan,rightto thedoorWe‘borrow’theplatesoff anotherone,too,alreadyregistered exemptfromtheULEZ,sothesystem basicallyignoresit.Allbutinvisible.
Don’tdrivelikeapratThat’seasy withthisnewwagonThewindows aremassive,thedoormirrorstoo, andthere’sacameraforseeingout theback.It’sbigsixmetreslong butyoucanhaveonehalfametre shorter,andlowertoo,ifyouwant, oronenearlysevenmetreslong.
Butthisistheoneforus. Intotown,then.Park up,hivisonnothing’s asinvisibleasbeing obviouslyvisibleand trailapowercable
acrossthepavement.Seeavanparked outsideashopandyou’reexpectingit tobemakingaquickdeliveryButif there’sacablehangingoutofit,you canleaveitaslongasyoulike.
Meantime,we’vegotpower. Itmightnotgetyouthrougha basementwall,buttheTransit’s 23kWsupplyisgoodenoughfor drillsandcutterstogetusinto thebuilding,andquietly.
Thevan’sgota68kWhbattery, whichtheyreckonisgoodforover 150miles,ormoreinthecityIdon’t getthatmuchoutofit,butitdoesn’t matter.It’sonly30mileseachway fromthefarmtoHolborn,which leavesenoughjuicetopowerthedrill
Oncewe’reinside,wemightleave someoneinthevan.Youcanbuya Transitwithseatsinthebackand blackenedwindowsandstillhave plentyofcargoroomWeusually stickTerry’shopelessboyinthere. Completewasteofskinmostly,that
lad,thickasmince,buthecanusea radio.Orabat.Depends.
Anyway,giveusafewhours undergroundandwe’reback,bags filledwithstuff.Beautiful,lovely, shinystuff.Sidedoors,reardoors, whatever’smoreconvenient,lobit inThevanwilltake861kgofficially, whichismorebagsthanwecan carry,soifTerry’sladhasknocked oversomenosysap,he’llfittoo.
Thenit’seasytoslideacrossthe frontseatsItstartswithoutakey,so there’snofiddlingIthas265bhpand theysayfulltorquefromstandstill,so it’sbriskfromthelights.Themotor’s attheback,too,sotheturningcircle’s tight,andyoucanflickbetweendrive andreversemuchquickerthanina diesel.It’sevenproperquiet,soyou couldhearasirenamileoff
NotthatweeverdoBythetime we’rebackontheA1,Terry’splugged hisphoneinforthetunesandwe’re homefree.L
Instanttorque allowsaswiftescape totherendezvous
Everybodythinkspolicevehicles arespeciallymodifiedwith reinforcedwheelsandbigengines, orwhateveryouneedforthe ‘tactical’phaseofapursuit
TheonlytacticalphaseI’vegot toworryaboutiswhentotakealeak. ThisTransitisn’tapursuitvehicle Ourguidelineswouldn’tallowitifwe wantedittobeone,mostlybecause I’msittinginanofficechairinthe backofitNoI’mwatching,waiting AroundHolbornwithmyeyeon thefrontofthejewelleryshop,as ithappens.Forwhatwethinkwill happentonight.Holdup,there’s anothervanpullingup
Andforwatchingitlikethis, thisnewETransitisperfectYou canmostlythankthebigbattery underneathit.Usuallywe’dhave tohaveasecondaryaftermarket powerarrayfittedoragenerator, whichisn’tveryquietHere,thedrive batterycanpowerthesurveillance equipment,andthefridge,andthe kettlebecausethereareonlyso manyCornettosyoucaneat
Cableacrossthepavement, lookinglikeyoubelong.Andthatway, thegentlehumofftheelectricsplus
ifit’scold,thefactthatitdoesn’t frostormistuplikeanormalvan wouldgoesunnoticedWhichisas welikeitIt’sthatorwetakeover aflatacrosstheroad,andnobody reallylikesdoingthat.Thisisourown spaceandourownkitandwithan ‘L3H2’shapelikethis(therearealot ofcodestospeclengthsandheights), theloadheightis18mtall,soyou’re nothunchedrightover.
Thatsaid,thisnewTransitisgreat atmobilesurveillance,tooIt’sless than21mwidewithoutmirrorsand morethan247mwidewiththemso yougetanideaofhowbroadaview theygive.Keepingupwithtraffic, maintainingtheperfectdistanceand keepingahandonthetwowayradio ismucheasierthaninamanualvan alwaysintherightgearattheright time.Andwhenwedohavetocharge it,itcancopewith115kWoffaDCfast chargerandhasan113kWonboard onesowiththerightinput,itwill chargefasterthanelectriccars.
Iftherehasbeenaproblem,it’s convincingthesuitstosignoffthe costHowmuchforthiselectric FordTransit,doyouthink?
Didyouthink£63,822?Iknow.But worthitifitworksbecausedon’t etthatsomeproceedsofcrime bereinvestedinpolicingSowe’ll handrecordwhat’shappening tonightandgentlytailthislot ktowardswhatwethinkisafarm rtfordshirewithahelicopter aradiowheretheyshouldmeet colleaguesandhavemorestock joyyournightout,MrMcGraw hopingit’llbeyourlastforawhile
Irefertotheletterof21September regardingtheMetropolitanPolice orderingarmouredAudiA8sfor primeministerialduties
ItoowassurprisedthataBritish carwasn’tchosenandexpected publicscrutinybuthaveseennone. Frommakingenquirieswithsome peopleintheknow,Iascertainedthat theJaguarXJwasoutofproduction andprotectedRangeRoversweren’t regardedasreliableenough,having beensubjecttovariousproblemsin service,especiallyelectrical Iwastoldthatcostsfeaturedin thedecisiontoo.
Apparently,AudiandBMW protectedcarsalsocomewithafull manufacturerwarrantyandbackup
Fromthisinformation,itappears thatthedecisiontobuyA8sdoes standuptoscrutiny
Formertrafficofficer,ManchesterPolice
Whileitwasgreattoseeapictureofa DeTomasoPanterainyour‘Upwardly mobile’featureof21September,it’s ashamethatyoustatedtheengine issituated“underthatsleekbonnet” andthatthegearboxis“attheback” Whileit’struethatthegearboxis situatedbehindthewonderfulFord V8,itisinfactbolteddirectlytoit! They’reboth“attheback”,andthe sleekbonnetmerelyhousesasmall luggagearea,plusthebattery, brakeservoandmastercylinders.
Onabrighternote,Iwashappyto seeinyourNewCarPricespagesthat Mercedeshasmanagedtomakethe electricEQB50kglighterthanthe fossilfuelledGLB.Veryimpressive whenallotherEVsarehundredsof kilosheavierthanICEequivalents Ormaybethisiswrongtoo?
Formanyyears,I’veespoused themantra‘don’tbelieveeverything youreadinthepapers’IhopethatI don’thavetoincludeAutocarinthis
JamesMcAlpine
Bledlow,Buckinghamshire
Apologies.Weerroneouslyquotedthe GLB’sgrossweightItskerbweightis 1555kg,550kgbelowtheEQB’sKC
AsanavidAutocarfanandaloverofMercedes AMGproducts,Iwaskeentoreadyourpiece onthenewC63Sinthe28Septemberissue (aftertitteringatyour‘zeroCO2’comment aboutelectriccarsasweheadintowinter).
It’sasaddemisefortheC63inmy opinion,havingownedboththeW204 andtheW205variantsTome,thebest wastheW204Themadnessofa62litre V8inasmallsaloonwasintoxicating.
ThiswastheheightofAMG’s influencewithinMercedesBenz; sincethen,themarketingboyshavedumbeddown onAMGLinevariantsofalltheMercedesmodels.
IrealisethatmanypeoplethinkEVsarethefuture,butlet’snot kidourselves:allcarshaveanenvironmentalimpactEventheEVs driftinginyourEVHandlingDaypiece(28September)werepolluting theenvironmentwithmicroplastics,nottomentionwhicheverpower sourceswereusedtochargetheirbatteries.
IonlyhopethatPorsche’spushintoefuelsworksanditcanbedone inacosteffectivewaysothatIcanstillenjoymyICEinyearstocomeIn themeantime,IwouldlikemanufacturerstolisttheCO2emittedandthe environmentalimpactinmakingeachcarsoIcanmakeaninformed choiceonwhethertobuyanewEVorpreserveanageingC63. StephenTiley Viaemail
SothenextAMGC63Sgets469bhp froma20litreengineDecadesago, itwasunderstoodthatabove100bhp perlitreyouriskedreliabilityissues. Ihavenodoubtthatimprovements intechnologyandmaterialsinthe interveningyearshaveuppedthat figure,buttomyeyesthiswillstill beaveryhighlystressedengine.The Americansusedtolovetheirbiglazy engines,whichwouldgoonforever WeinEuropeseemtobetheopposite MikeDodman
Bromsgrove,Worcestershire
Ireadwithinterestyourdriveofthe revisedBMWM340i(21September), asIhavea22plateM340iTourer
Itdoesn’tappearthatyoudroveit aroundtown,oryouwouldn’thave givensucharingingendorsement
Forstarters,UKcarsaresupplied onrunflattyres(itappearsMichelin PilotSport4Srubberisn’tavailable onUKcars),henceminehasavery poorride,especiallyatslowspeeds
There’slittlesteeringfeelandthe mechanicalgriplevelismuchlower thanIwasexpecting,Isuggestpartly
duetomiserly225sectionfronttyres.
Thebrakesarealsodifficultto modulateasyou’recomingtoastop
Mybiggestgripeisthelackof switchablestop/start.Thesystem isslowtoengageandthere’softena veryunpremiumjoltastheengine firesupwhendrivingaroundtown
MyBMWdid,however,havethe misfortunetoreplaceaHondaCivic TypeRSportLineIboughtthisasa stopgap,whenmyVolkswagenGolf GTIwentoffleaseandIknewthe M340iwouldhavealongleadtime.
WhereasIexpectedtheTypeRto beaonetrickponyandmaybetoo uncompromising,infactitprovedto beanutterlybrilliant,fivestarall rounder.Bycomparison,Iwouldgive theM340ithreeandahalfstars.
Oh,andtheBMWhasalready hadtwodaysofftheroadwithan emissionsfault,soit’salsobehind theHondainthereliabilitystakes.
DominicCoomber
Viaemail Wediddrivethecarintownbut,as yousay,UKspecsaredifferentKC
JimHolder’sthoughtsonthesocial responsibilityofelectricSUVsand theirowners(InsideInformation,28 September)openabarrelofworms.
Socialresponsibilityisonething, butthelawhasfordecadesturneda blindeyetowidespreadmodification ofpowerunits.Nowthisfraudulence hasgrownoutofallproportionwith
Noregulatorseemspreparedto eventakeashotatevaluatingthetrue carboncountoftoday’scars,withthe manufacturingcontentfactoredinby amortisingitoverarealisticcarlife Mindyou,theyaren’taverseto spendingthousandsofmanhours creatingnewemissionslimitsfor Euro7,seeminglycreatedtoallbut ensuretotaleradicationofICEcars
Howlongwillwewaitbeforethe fraudofpluginhybridsiseliminated? Suchsemielectriccarscan’tbefairly taxedbyanyfixedformula,since thetrueutilisationfactorinvolvedis individualtoeverycaranditsdriver
Howissocialresponsibilityrelated tothis?Withregardtothefactthat manycompanycarusers,whilevery happytoenjoythefulsometaxbreaks forPHEVs,neverevenbothertoplug theminwhentheiremployerpaysfor thefossilfueltheyuse.That’ssocial irresponsibilityparexcellence
IenjoywatchinginvestigativeTV programmesandwasinterestedina recentone(DispatchesonChannel4) aboutEVsandthepollutionthey emitintoourair.Itwasquitean eyeopener,asthey’reapparently fardirtierthantoday’sICEvehicles
Iwasastoundedtolearnthat EVsemitethane,isopentane, propane,ethylene,propylene, 2,3dimethylbutane,toluene and,mostseriouslyofall, PM2.5,whichcausescancers andbreathingproblemsandis thereforethemostworryingform ofairpollutantsforhumans
I’veknownforalongwhilethat miningforthemineralsinbatteries isdestroyingforests,farmlandand ecosystems,butI’mamazedathow badEVsareatpollutingtheair
I’mstillnotinterestedinEVs,andI feelthatcarmakersandgovernments shouldbechampioningresearchinto syntheticfuelsthatcanreduceICE vehiclestovirtuallyzeroemissions
Governmentsseemtotallyblind tothispoliticalissueandaresending everyonedownthewrongrouteLet’s hopesomethingisdonebeforeit’stoo lateandwronginvestmentsaremade IainGregory Viaemail
Theoriginalcarmagazine,published
Emalautocar@haymarketcom
EditorMarkTsshaw
Editorialdirector,AutomotiveJimHolder
EditorinchefSteveCropley
MagazineeditorRacheBurgess
AssociateeditorPiersWard
ManagingeditorSamiShah
EditoratlargeMattPrior
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DeputyroadtesteditorRichardLane RoadtesterIlyaVerpraet
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MartinSaarinen(martin@performancecommscom)
WEOFTENTALKlovinglyabout ‘diminutive’sportscars,butthe earlyeffortsofAbarthtooksmall dimensionstoabsoluteextremes.
JustlookattheZagatobodied 750GTof1958:it’s614mmshorter, 452mmslimmerand58mmlower thanevenanAlpineA110oftoday
The750wasbasedontheFiat 600,usingthelittleeconomycar’s platformtypeframe,suspension
(withchangedrates)andsteering
Theenginewaswheremostof Abarth’seffortwent,thestraight fourboredoutfrom633ccto747cc andgivenmanydetailupgrades, takingpowerfrom23bhpto44bhp
“Itthrivesonplentyofrevs, butthroughoutitsrangeitremains smoothandtractable,”wesaid.
“Onmainroadhillsthecarisa veritableweaseliffulluseismade
ofintermediategears,andyetat timesithasthemannersofalamb
“Theperformancefiguresreally areoutstanding,fortherearenot manycarswhichreach60mph fromastandingstartin158sec
“Steeringisalwayswonderfully lightandprecise,andthecarcan beplacedtoaninchonbadroads.
“Thesuspensionissurprisingly softandcomfortable”
Astoundingly, withtheteenytinycabinwaspoor visibilityPerhapstherewerefewer tallerpeopleinthosedays…
“Inbrief,thisisagemwhichnot onlygivesthedriveranenormous amountoffunandpleasurebutis extremelysafeandcomfortable andhasaperformancethatbelies itssizethoughnotitsshape”
KRISCULMERFrom1905untilacenturylater,theBritishmotorshowwasanimportantannual fixtureonthecarindustrycalendar,despiteusuallyclashingwithitsParisrival.
MorethanhalfamillionpeopleattendedEarl’sCourtinLondonforthe1958 edition,beingtreatedtoapleasantvarietyofnewmetalfromhomeandabroad Microcarsstillhadasignificantpresence,theMinistillbeingayearaway, andthemostinterestingwerethefirsteverSubaruandafourwheeledVespa Germany’sNSUbroughtalongawinsomelittlecoupécalledthePrinzSport, butwewereunderstandablymoretakenbythe45bhpAustinHealeySprite EvenmoresignificantfromAustinwasanallneweveryman’scar,theA40, matchingtheMorrisMinor’sprovenenginewithstylingbyItaly’sPininfarina RivalstothiswerepresentfromothermajorBritishfirms:thelatest(Mk3) HillmanMinxfromRootesGroupandtheRileyOnePointFive,alsofromBMC.
Meanwhile,Vauxhallpresentedits firsteverestate,aVictorvariation Volvowasalsoappealingtothe massmarketwithitsnewPV544.
AndCitroënshowedtheUKbuilt ID(acheaperDS)forthefirsttime Elsewhere,richeyeswerelitup bytheAlfaRomeo2000,Porsche CarreraGT,ArmstrongSiddeley StarSapphire,JaguarXK150and, mostbrightlyofall,AstonMartin DB4andFerrari250TestaRossa
Theworld’stopcarmakingnations aftersixmonthsof1958werethe US(2.2m),WestGermany(589k), UK(551k),France(479k),Italy(193k) andCanada(183k)ChinaandIndia weren’tyetmotorised,Japanwasn’t readytoexportinnotablevolumes andSouthKoreawasundeveloped, strugglingafteritscivilwarThings couldhardlybemoredifferentnow, theleadingcountriesin2021being China(21.41m),Japan(6.62m),India (3.63m),SouthKorea(3.16m)and Germany(309m),theUKdownin 18th(932k),justaboveItaly(786k)
By1955,France,ItalyandGermany
hadnoyoungtalentontherise,but Englanddid,thankstoitsFormula3 HenceracerandengineerGiovanni LuraniproposedFormulaJunior,and threeyearslateritwasapprovedby theFIA.Eachcarhadtobeasingle seater,withatleast110cmoftrack and200cmofwheelbase,a1000cc or1100ccenginealreadyapproved fortouringcars(likewisethegearbox andbrakes)andweightofnomore than360kgor400kgItprovedan immediatesuccess,servingasthe mainjuniorformulaupuntil1964
B O N H A M S / G E T T Y M A G E SEarlierthisyear,anAudi Q4EtronSportback wasmytransportfora shortbreakinBruges, BelgiumThedistancesinvolved weren’tmassive,butIstillstarted outfeelingslightlyanxiousabout takinganelectriccaronalonger journeyontotheContinent,with itsunknowninfrastructure
Intheend,therewasnothing toworryabout.Icouldcharge attheChannelTunnel,enroute atfastchargingstations,and atchargingpostsinBruges andwhenwedippedbriefly intotheNetherlands.If anything,Iovercharged Therewasnojeopardy Butallthisgotmethinking:
whataboutgoingfartherafield? CouldthegreatEuropeanroad tripbeachievablebyEV?Cuethe BMWiXandanothertripdown totheChannelTunnelterminalat FolkestoneinearlySeptembertosee
FrommyhometoFolkestone is100milesonthenose,andwe setoffwith100%chargeandan indicatedrangenudging380miles Theofficialrangeis371miles, butthedisplayedfigureseemsto bebasedoncurrentandrecent performance:driveonthemotorway anditwilldrop;conversely,itwill creepupinstopstarturbandriving
Ourmidmorningdeparture meantavoidingrushhourand
aleisurelytripdowntoKent’ssouth coastpleasinglydevoidoftraffic
Therearetwowaystochargewhile youwaitforyourtrain:usingoneof thefreefastchargersprovidedby theChannelTunnel,oroneofthe dozenorsoTeslaSuperchargersthat haverecentlyandconvenientlybeen openeduptononTeslaEVdrivers
Ididabitofbothforconsumer testingpurposeswiththebestpart ofanhourtokillbeforeboarding, getting18kWhfromTeslain20 minutesatacostof£1054andthe remaining13kWhfromthefree chargertogetmebackupto99% ThosetwoDCchargerswerequick toconnectandthentocharge,so thwerepositiveexperiences
ThesizeoftheiX’sbattery
andournearcapacitychargemeant nomoretoppingupwouldbeneeded tocoverthe170milesdowntoReims, ourovernightstop,sothetimewe tooktoreplenishthebatteryahead ofourboardingcallforthetrain provedtobeverywellspentindeed.
WearrivedinReimsnearlythree hoursafterdepartingCalais,quietly inaweofhowquickandeasyitis tomakeprogressonFrenchtoll motorways.Ihadintendedtodrive abitunderthe130kph(81mph) speedlimittotrytoconservebattery, butthenthementalmathskicked inabouthowmuchearlierIwould arriveandIadjustedthespeedofthe adaptivecruisecontrolaccordingly Therangetookahit,buta 230milecruisingrangeatsuch aspeed(so2.2mpkWh efficiency,comparedwiththe 35mpkWhplusItypicallyget pootlingaround)didn’tseem catastrophicTheiXisabigand heavytool,afterall,withahuge
frontalareaIfIhadbeenpayingthe priceofdieselinsteadofelectricity, itwouldhavebeenadifferentstory… Chargersarenotyetabundantin Reims,soit’sthekindofcitywhere somepriorresearchcomesinhandy IhadmadeplansA,BandCincaseI struggledtofindanavailablecharger orencounteredanyunforeseen issuesPlanAcameoff,though: achargingpostinanoffstreetcar parkrightnearourhotel.Itcost¤5 (£440)toparkforthebestpartof 24hours,andthe78kWhACcharge overnightcostareasonable¤2210 (£19.45)togetusbackto100%.
Ournextstopandbaseforthe restoftheweekwasanother80miles southinTroyesAftersomeshortday tripsandlocalpottering,weneeded another71kWhofenergytobeable tosetoffwith100%onthewayhome. TroyesisabiggercitythanReimsand hasmanymorechargingoptions, amongthemachargingpostinafree leisurecentrecarparkjustacouple ofminutes’walkfromthequiet residentialareawherewestayed
Again,itwaseasyenoughto connect,althoughnotaseasyasit wasonmywallet:just¤12(£10.55), whichwaslessthan7pperkWhThe energypricecrisishadyettoreach thispartoftheTroyessuburbs.
Nowbeingabletopredictthe rangesopreciselyataround230 mileswithmy130kphcruising speedmeantIcouldplotaonestop chargingstrategyonthe355mile returndrive.Theperfectplace seemedtobeSaintQuentin,just overhalfwaytoCalaisbywhich pointIwouldbelikelytoneeda bathroombreak,anyway,
TheiXhasamongthebetterones I’veexperienced,backingofffrom troubleaheadinplentyoftimeand leavingitsfootinwhenneeded.
BMW’sgreycableblendsintothe pavingnexttochargers,makingit atriphazardIusedmyhi-visjacket tobeagoodcitizenandhighlightit
plusmysecondcoffeeoftheday
ATeslaSuperchargerstationis openforallheretoo,anditcharged theiXatclosetoits195kWmaximum rateBMWandTeslabothhavephone appsthatletyoucheckthecharging rateandbatterystatusinrealtime. TheTeslaunithadaddednearly5% beforewehadevensetfootinthe largeshoppingcentreoutsidewhich itresidedanddoublethatagainin thetimeittookmetomurderthe Frenchlanguageonefinaltime whenorderingacappuccino
Ihadworkedoutthatweneededto getto85%togetusallthewayhome andhavesomechargeinhandjust incase,andittookunder30minutes todosoTherapidchargewasthe priciestyet,at¤39.44(£34.69)for 58kWh,butapriceIhappilypaid forthespeedandconvenience
Myhotchocolateconsumed, itwasontoCalais,wherewe arrivedingoodtimeandfoundthe ChannelTunnelrunningsowell thatwegotonanearliertrain
Backontheothersideandwith justover100milesleft,thanksto asmalldetourenroute,mymaths thankfullyprovedcorrectand wearrivedhomewith8%charge, neverhavingexperiencedany rangeanxiety.
Duringthewholetrip,wenever
experiencedanycharging anxiety,either.Sure,notevery EVtripwillbeassuccessfulas thisoneorhaveasmanychargers immediatelyavailablein‘plan A’locations.Butaseverwith electriccars,prepinadvance andhaveabackupplanready, andtheyreallycanconquer eventhelongestjourneys.
Thetotalcostofcharging, includinga100%charge(£2310)at homebeforehand,was£9833,and efficiency248mpkWhABMWX5 coveringthesame850mileswould costabout£188indieselat40mpg forcomparisonThat’ssomesaving
Justasintriguingwastheamount oftimewespentchargingOneof thesticksusedtobeatelectriccarsis howyouwillhavetoconstantlystop andchargeandaddloadsoftime toyourjourneyAsthistripproved, that’snottrue.Icouldchargeinthe deadtimewaitingformyChannel TunneltraintoleaveFolkestone,then Icouldchargeovernightandthen,on myreturntoCalais,Iwouldwanta 30minutebreakina250mile,four andahalfhourjourneyanyway, whichiswherefastchargingcomes inLet’scallthata10minuterefuel stopifyoureallydowanttoget amoveoninanonEVandyou wouldsaveonly20minutesover
thewhole350milereturnleg.
Asuccessfultrip,then,andatthe heartofitallwasanelectriccarthat I’mappreciatingmoreandmoreby thedayItwasquiet,comfortable andspaciousallessentialqualities forsuchajourney.Idon’teverrecall feelingsofreshaftersuchlongstints atthewheel,eitherFurthertestament totheiX’ssoothingpowers
Aswithallthebesttrips,Ireturned homewantingmore.Thankfully,a largepartofwhatmadethejourney enjoyableisgoingnowheresoon MARKTISSHAW
Toseeifthishumblebutcapableseven seaterisslickenoughindaytodayuse
TheJoggerhaditssecond touringtriprecently whenmygirlfriendandI tookitforabusyweekend inPembrokeshireItwasn’tquiteas longatripastheoneIwroteabout lasttime,totheVerdoninFrance.But itdidinvolveabootloadofcamping gear,climbingkitandsurfboards anditgavemoreproofofthiscar’s excellentsuitabilityforthosewith activelifestyles,wholiketogetout andaboutinbeautifulopenspaces
Mydreamvehicleforthesekindsof tripswillalwaysbeavan:something youcanjustthrowgearintoandthen convertforsleepinginsidewiththe minimumofhassleButIwouldsay that,consideringwhatitisandhow littleitcosts,theJoggerdidagreat jobofaccommodatingourneeds
It’sactuallybigenoughintheboot thatIhaven’tyethadtoexplorethe capabilitiesoftheconvertibleroof
Aswe’redrivingmoreandmore electriccars,adecentmanualshift andakeenrevvingpetrolengine isarealinvitationtoenjoymyself.
Theloadbaycoverisstillpinging offinmyhands,toooftenpulling bitsofboottrimlooseasitdoesso Anatypicallypoorbitofdesign
storagesystemOurtents,boardsand bagswentinwithspacetospare,and whentheweatheriswarmandthe starsareout,fewofusreallyobject tosleepingundercanvas,dowe?We foundanidyllicspottocampclose tothesea(thiswasafewweeksago, beforetheweatherturnedcold,I hastentoadd)andhadagreattime.
Theareawevisitedisprettyeasy toreachfromhomeinBristol,sono longdaysatthewheelwererequired thistime.Thatwasabitofarelief, becauseIdon’tfindtheJogger idealforextendeddrivingstints
I’mstillfindingthedriving positionwantingforthatlastbitof adjustmentinthesteeringcolumn andheadrestInordertobeclose enoughtothewheel,Ineedmyseat backrestinclinedquitesteeply,and thattendstopushmyheadfurther forwardsthanIfindcomfortable
I’mtall,soIwould’veappreciated aseatcushionextensiontosupport mylegsonlongertripstoo,although somethingsaren’texpectedon
£18,000budgetcarsButIdon’tsee whyevenaprettybasicdriver’sseat designcouldn’tbemoreadjustable thanthis.Tobeginwith,itdidn’t bothermesomuch,butastimegoes on,I’mfindingithardertoforgive
Afterwegotback,normallife resumedformeandthecarwhich consistsofalotofmotorwaymiles backandforthtojobsandnotvery muchtransportationofpeople inbetween,whichIexpectmost Joggerswouldbemorelikelytodo.
Ontheonehand,Iguessthat’s allowingpartsofthecarafairly easytime,withnokidstoscuffthe mouldingswiththeirfeet,towearout thebackseatcushionsortofillthe rearstorageareaswithemptydrinks containers,applecoresandcrisp dust.Butmycamerabagsaren’tsuch abadsubstituteforpassengersin someways,beltedintheback,where IcanmoreeasilyaccessthemthanI wouldiftheywereburiedintheboot
Theoneexceptioncametheother day,whenwepickeduponeofmy
girlfriend’sfriendsShe’snotacar loverbyanymeans,butpeoplelike ataresooftenthebestjudgeof rs,becausetheycomewithso wpreconceptions
TheJoggermadeagoodfirst impressiononher,sufficetosay. Shewouldn’thaverecognisedit, theDaciabadgeonthebonnet, whichprobablywouldn’thavemeant muchtoherevenifshehad.Butshe sthoppedinthefrontandwaskind oughtosaywhatanice,neatcar wehad,withallthefeaturesyou wouldwantonone
TheJoggerisaprettyordinary rwhenyoureallygettoknowit: versatile,ofcourse,andsurprisingly likeableandengagingtodrive,too but,withafewexceptions,it’snot thekindofcarthattendstowin complimentsfromtoomanyof themotoringjournaliststhatmy workinglifekeepsmeintouchwith Onthatday,though,itwasn’tso ordinarythatitfailedtomakean impressiononanordinaryperson whohadjustgotinfromthestreet OurJoggerwasapleasantsurprise, notsomeinstantlycheaplooking austerityspecialandIthinkthat saysgoodthingsaboutit LUCLACEY
fnothingelseshows wheretheneedlehas movedinthecarworld recently,it’sthefactthat we’reabouttodedicate450words tohowahybriddrivesand,what’s more,beenthusiasticaboutit.
Sorryforthespoilerrightatthe start,butthewaythenewCivic handlesisgenuinelyareasontoget excitedaboutitThere’salittletoggle switchbythegearselectorbuttons thatallowsyoutoflickbetween Eco,Normal,IndividualandSport drivingmodesIknowwhatyou’re thinking,butdon’tscoffat‘Sport’ quiteyet,becausethisisahybrid that’senjoyabletodrive
Griplevelsareimpressiveandthe steeringisaccurate,ifnumb,butthe thingthatimpressesmemostisthe wayitcombinesalittlebitofbodyroll withcrackingsuspensioncontrol
AfteradayspentinaCitroënAmi
Therearquarterviewlooksabit
Thereboundistheheadlineforme Therearesomenastybumpsonmy dailyroute,buttheCivictacklesthem reallywell,withnosuddenweight droppingoutofthetyreorspring asitcreststhemThereareplenty ofothersocalledsportycarsthat don’tgetthatbalanceright,sothe kidsarejustbeingtossedaboutlike ragdollsintheirseatsHereitfeels reallywellcontrolled,tothepoint thatthechildrenactivelyaskme tokeeppushingon.
WithSportengaged,allthedials turntored,thethrottlegetsmore responsiveandtheenginenotetakes onanextradoseofaggression.I’ve enjoyedtryingtoconvincemyself I’mGordonSheddeninhisBTCC racecar,andthereisaslighthintof theroadgoingHondascreamersof old.Themanicrevrangeisobviously missing,butthere’sahardedgetothe enginenotethatdoesn’tgetboomyas therevsclimbThisisnoCVTdrone, that’sforsure.
SportalsoturnsonWindingRoad
Detection(anexcellentJapanese pression),whichkeepsthe gineengagedtoreducelag dincreasesdeceleration. Despiteallthis,thenewCivic heavierthantheoldoneIt’s illonly1517kg(or1533kgin istopspec),butit’snevertheless noyingthattheweightcurve goingup,notdownTobefair, ndahastried,givingthiscar aluminiumbonnetthat’s43% terthantheoldoneandaresin ilgatethatshavessomeweight, butexcesskiloswillalwaysbean enemyofenthusiasts
Overall,though,thingsarelooking encouraging,astheCivicisalready makingastrongimpressionIthink it’sthegeneraleaseofuse:nothing flustersitandtherearefewannoying flaws.It’sthelittlethingsthatcount, liketheseatheaterthatremembers howyourlastjourneyendedand comesonagainautomatically thefollowingcoldmorning
Acarthatfunctionsasnature intended:whowould’vethoughtthat wouldbesucharevelationin2022?
MILEAGE15837LASTSEEN121022
Iwasabitworriedaboutthe MachE’sstealthlookatfirst, butithasgrownonme,andInow ratherlikeit.So,moreimportantly, domykids,whocanhidebehind theblackedoutrearwindows unbotheredbythestreaming sun,and(despitewarningsnot to)getawaywithleavingstuffon thebackseatswithoutitbeing ondisplaytopryingeyesJH
MILEAGE16,395LASTSEEN121022
ThebigthingnonDiscopeoplenever seemabletostoptalkingaboutis thevisuallyunsatisfyingnature(to them)oftheoffsetrearplate.Inmy earlierassociationwiththeD300,I wasabitbotheredaboutittoo,but nowI’vegotusedtoitInfact,it’s oneofthecar’srelativelyfewquirks, andIfinditquiteendearing.Well done,GerryMcGovern.SC
MILEAGE1881LASTSEEN121022
Ialwaysusedtoseethelittleticket holderthatSkodafitsoveritscars’ windscreensassuperfluousWhy wouldn’tyoujustputticketsonthe dashboard?ButnowI’mhavingto parkathomeundertheevileyeof parkingofficers,whohavealready triedtofinemetwice,theholder isprovinganidealfailsafeformy occasionalforgetfulnessKC
Whiletherearesome vivaciouselectriccars outthere,wearen’tgoing totrytofoolyouinto thinkingKia’seNiroisoneofthem. Itdoesn’thavetheathleticismofthe PorscheTaycan,thesharpdesignof theHyundaiIoniq5orthecutting edgetechoftheTeslaModel3.But thenacardoesn’trequireamazing dynamics,otherworldlyaesthetics orfuturisticfeaturestobegreat
Whenitarrivedbackin2019,the eNirowasagamechangingEVthe firstreasonablypricedonetoeasily fitintopeople’slivesItcouldtruly stickittotheconventionalfamilycar, anditstillcanwhenboughtused. Andthereareagoodmanytobrowse, becauseitranuntiltheNiroEV
arrivedthisyear tocontinue thelegacy
Theentry levelbattery isa39kWh unitItcomes witha134bhp electricmotor, deliveringrespectable performance,andithas anofficialrangeof180 milesalthoughthiswillbemore like140milesinrealworlddriving.
Whileentrylevel2trim getstheessentialsandsome usefulextras,3addsluxuries includingelectricallyadjustable seatsandaheatedsteering wheelThatsaid,wewould chooseitforthelarger
Car?’sRealRange tests,itwent253 miles.Thatis fartherthansome muchpricier EVs,suchasthe AudiEtronand MercedesBenz EQC,cango. Thereareafewtrim levelstochoosefrom, butallarewellequipped
The64kWhalternative,mindyou, comeswithconsiderablymorepoke at201bhp.Itishothatchfast:you canexpect060mphin6.5sec.Its rangeisexceptional,too:officially 282miles,butinoursistertitleWhat
Interiorissturdy andeasytouse, ifdulllooking
TheentryleveleNiro2hassingle zoneclimatecontrol,privacyglass, automaticlights,automaticwipers, adaptivecruisecontrol,16inalloys, anautodimmingrearviewmirror andkeylessentry.Thedownsideof choosingthistrimisthat,until2021, itcameonlywiththesmallerbattery
FIXED-PRICESERVICING
Kiaoffersfixedpriceserviceplans
Fora2020eNiro,wewerequoted £409forservicestwoandthree
Theformerwouldbeat24months or20,000milesandthelatterat 36monthsor30,000miles
InWhatCar’s2021Reliability Survey,theeNirocamefourth outof14intheelectriccarclass, thankstoaratingof946%
Thebiggerbatterywasstandard on3trimfromnew,butthat’snotall Yougetmorekit,too,includingan upgradedinfotainmentsystemand fullleatherseats,heatedinthefront.
Asforstartingprices,youcanpick upa2019or2020examplewiththe smallerbatteryforaround£30,000, and2021carsforabout£32,000 considerablylessthanwhatthose EVswementionedearliergofor
Thebiggerbatterybumpstheprice to£34,000,butthatseemsamodest uptickgiventheextrakityouget.
Therearelavish4and4+trims aswell,buttheycomeinataround £35,000,andatthatpointyou’re enteringusedModel3territory.
Ontheroad,theeNiro’ssteeringis crispandresponsiveenoughtogive youconfidencethroughbends,while bodyleaniswellcontrolled.Theride isn’tquitesilkysmootharoundtown, butit’smoresoatmotorwayspeeds, makingitanaptgrandtourer
Inside,youwillfindlotsofspace inboththefrontandrear.Compared withotherNiros,theEVdoeshaveto makedowithashallowerboot,but thisatleastgivesitalipthat’sflush withthefloor,makingloadingeasier.
Onefinalthingtoconsideristhe existenceoftheKonaElectric,the eNiro’sHyundairelation,which, whilelesspracticalandnotquiteas comfortable,offersaverysimilar rangeandcostslesstobuyused.
A0100%chargetakesaround sixhoursforthe39kWhor10hours forthe64kWh.Froma50kWpublic charger,a1080%chargetakes aboutanhourforbothbatteries
TheeNirohasn’tbeenappraised forsafetybyEuroNCAP,butthe regularNirogotitsmaximumfive starratingYougetareasonable numberofactivesafetyaids,too TheeNirocomeswithaclass leadingandtransferableseven yearwarrantyasstandardfrom
ell,thisisinteresting
Oneofthosewebsites thatletspeopleingeneral anddealersinparticular bidonmotors,calledmotorwaycouk, hasrevealedthe10mostindemand usedmodelsandsignificantly,ithas toldusthenumberofbidsreceived andthetoppricepaidforeach
Thistop10hasthrownupsome interestingmodelsthatIwouldn’t usuallychoosetocover,mainlythe electricityones.However,onethatI don’thaveaproblemwithandwhich makestwoappearancesinthelistis theBMWi3RangeExtender,bidup to£17,827and£18,669.Imustpoint outtherearenoyearsormileagesfor anyofthese,butlet’sseewhatwecan findWell,a2014i3RExwith70,000 milesandthreepreviousowners is£13,695.Itseemsverytidyand overallwasatleastagrandcheaper thansimilarofferingsItwouldbe alovelywaytosignaltotheworld thatyouliketodothingsdifferently.
Banginthemiddleofallthisgood tasteandecofriendlinessissome properredmeatsupercarinthe familiarshapeofthePorsche911 TurboS,whichreachedawhopping £201,946.Ifyouhavejust£90,000 tospend,though,let’ssaveyoua fiverbychoosinga2013carwith fivepreviousownersbutjust23,000 milesandafullPorschehistory.
Theseareinterestingtimes,what withthosepeskychipshortagesand othersupplychaindifficulties,soit paysmorethanevertoshoparound
Specificationsareveryimportant
OUR PICK
64KWH Isitworththeextra overthe39kWh? Absolutely.By choosingit,powerandrangego fromacceptabletothoroughly impressive,makingtheeNiro mucheasiertolivewith
Thenthere’sBMW’sdedicated smallcarbrand,MiniTheElectric CooperSLevel3isthetopspec batterybabycar,anditprovedto bethesecondmostdesirablemodel andwasbidupto£30,300Certainly pricesaren’tgoingdownwardsatthe moment,butIcameacrossa2019 examplewithjustover11,000miles andtwopreviousowners.Being soldprivately,itcouldbeyours for£28,750,whichinthecurrent climateissomethingofabargain
Readingtheclassifiedadvert outloudmightnotbeconclusive. Thereusedtobeprintedtomes thatweredefinitive(whichI stillhave),butnowyouneedto repeatedlyaskforclarification fromthesellerwhetherthey’re tradeorprivateandthenconfirm itinpersonObviously
WILD CARD
Withpricesnearing Teslaterritory,this rangetoppingvariant won’tbeforeveryone.However, itgetsyoutonsofkit,including ventilatedfrontseats,heated rearseatsandasunroof
Atthetopofthe10isaFiat500 Vintage’57,causingthemostbidding kerfuffleandrunningoutat£5605 It’shardnottolikethese,whichdo lookstylishandfun.Well,thereare afewtochoosefrom,startingwith a2015carfor£5000with73,000 miles,twopreviousowners,afresh MOTandrecentserviceOtherwise, a2015carwithjust23,500milesand againtwopreviousownersis£6750.
hebesteverydaysports carPorschemakesisnot the911buttheCayman: discussYou’llfind compellingargumentsonbothsides ofthatdebate,butthemerefactthat there’sanydiscussionatallspeaks volumesabouttheCaymanIt’sa worldclass,enthusiast’ssportscar builtfordailydrivingwiththesame attentiontodetailandengineering integritythathashelpedtomakeits bigger,rearenginedsiblingPorsche’s talismanfordecadesOnlyitalso hasmidenginedathleticism,the agilityofalighter,smallerfootprint andthedrawofafarlowerprice Andnone,arguably,offersbetter valuerightnowthantheMk2, 981generationversion.
The981genCaymanarrivedin 2012onthebackofawellreceived firstgeneration(987)model,which hadbeenaroundsince2005As before,itwasessentiallythecoupé twinoftheconvertibleBoxster.
Thebase981Caymanhada relativelymodestsounding271bhp and214lbft,butthepoiseofthe earliermodelwasverymuchintact andtherewasplentytorewarda keendriver,eventhoughtherewas nowelectromechanicalsteering
Its2.7litreflatsixwaspairedwith eitherasevenspeedPDKorsixspeed manualgearbox,andbothhavetheir strengthsThePDKletsyoutapthe fullpotentialofthecar’sperformance withlightningfastshifts,whilethe precisemanualbringsallthedelights ofananaloguedrivingexperience, togowiththewellweightedpedals andacharacterful,naturally aspiratedengine.
TherewasalsoaCaymanS,which camewitha34litreenginefromthe
911Carrerafor321bhpand273lbft. Ifthebasemodelisagoodbuy,this isagreatoneHowever,itwouldn’t beaPorscheifyouweren’tdrowning inoptionsandinitialisms.PASM (activesuspension)meansitwill ridebetter,butdon’tgetconfused withPSM(bodycontrol),whichhad PTV(torquevectoring)forstability OrhowaboutSportChronofor betterthrottlemappingandgearbox enhancements?
TheGTSwassimplerinthisrespect becauseitbundledoptionsSome subtlestylingchangesaccompanied thestandardfitmentofSport Chronoandeitheractivesuspension managementor20mmlowersports suspension.Thisevenmoredriver focusedvariantalsohaddeeper
WHATWESAIDTHEN 24APRIL2013
“It’senoughtoexpectitsrivalsto measureuptosuchstellarperformance andhandling,butonlywhenyouconsider theCayman’sstaticvirtuessuchas competitivelistprice,distinguishing residualvalue,creditableeconomy, comfycabinandGTpracticality fortwodoyougetthefullest senseofwhatthiscar represents”
309lbft.Therearsuspensionwas newandthefrontwastakenfromthe GT3Therewerealsonewdampers, threewayadjustableantirollbars andMichelinPilotSportCup2tyres.
Today,usedCaymansofthis vintagelookgreatvalueYoucan grabyourselfagoodexamplefor just£25,000,andthatmakesitvery desirableindeed.It’sanexcellent allrounder:anengagingsteerona challengingroadorundemanding transporttotheshops,andanything inbetween.There’sexcellentstorage foramidenginedtwoseaterand aluxuriousyetrobustinterior. Depreciation,suchasitexists,will beloworevennonexistentifyou decideyou’llneversellit.Andno onecouldblameyouforthat.
IANPHILLIPS
“Iboughtmy2014PorscheCayman 981fouryearsagomainlytouse forpleasureMyfirstchoicewould havebeena911,butafterdrivinga Cayman,IwashookedThesecars areprettytoughsoIboughtone privatelywithafullPorschehistory
“It’soneofthebestdriver’scars outthere,withfantastichandling andasublimeenginenoteabove 5000rpm.Icanevenget40mpgona longjourneyI’vekeptupthePorsche servicing,whichformycarworksout at£400peryearIt’sworthnoting thatoverallmaintenancecostsare high.I’verecentlyhadalargebillto fixtheairconditioning
“Despitesomerunningcosts, theCayman981iswellengineered, reasonablypracticalandbrilliant funtoownanddrive.”
■MAINTENANCE
Porschehasatwoyear/20,000 mileserviceschedule,butexperts recommendanannualcheckupboth tokeepthefluidsfreshandtogeta morefrequentprofessionallookat thecar,justtoruleoutanylurking problemsIt’sbest(andcheaper)to catchanyissuesearly
■DAMPERS TherearerarecasesofPASM dampersleakingbutit’saneasyfix whentakentoaspecialist
■DIAGNOSTICSCHECK Getadiagnosticoftheengine managementsystemtocheckthat thedashboardclockmileageis legitimateandtocheckforanyfault codesorcasesofoverrevving
■CORROSION
Ifnotmonitoredproperly,corrosion cansetinoncertainpartssuchas aircondensers,damagedradiators, exhaustfixingsandbrakeparts
■SWITCHGEAR
Thestandardsteeringwheelcame withhatefulshiftbuttonsforthe PDKgearboxinsteadofpaddleson thesportswheelThesepartscan beprofessionallyretrofitted.
■BODYWORK
Muchofitismadefrombonded aluminium,socorrosionthereisnot aproblem.However,checkforstone chipsandgravelrash,especiallyon thefrontbumper,wheelarches,front andrearwings,sillsandwindscreen
■CLUTCH Aheavyclutchpedalisasignthatit maybeabouttogo,sogetitchecked
■TYRES ThecarcameasstandardonNrated PirelliPZeros,buttheyhavea reputationforcracking,sosome ownersfavourMichelinPilotSport4S orCup2tyresinstead
■BRAKES
Brakepedalbushesareknownto bind,whichmeansthepedaldoes notfullyreturnThiscanleadto eventualoverheatingandshould becaughtquickly
It’sworthcheckingthefrontradiator foranydamagepickedupfrom roaddebristhatcanmakeitsway throughthefrontgrilles
The981’scoolingsystemwasnew tothemodelandwouldautomatically shutthecoolingdownwhilethe enginewaswarmingupThismeant theenginecouldwarmupmore quickly,potentiallylessening anywearissues
£25,000-£34,999
BaseCaymansofvaryingmileagebut usuallyingoodconditionandwitha fairnumberoffactoryoptionsAlso someSmodelswithhighermileage.
£35,000-£44,999
LowmileagebaseCaymansand sparinglyusedScars,usually withdesirableoptions.
£45,000-£59,999
MostlyGTScarsbutsomechoiceS examplesatthelowerendandthe occasionalGT4atthetop.
£60,000-£85,000 GT4s,allwithlessthan20,000miles Bechoosy.
PORSCHECAYMAN27 PDK,2014,69,000MILES, £27,995
FourownercarwasservicedinMay byaPorschedealerandhas“service history”butnodetailsofhowmuch, soask.TheMOTrunsoutthismonth, too:insistonafreshonebefore purchaseIthasplentyofdesirable optionstosweetenthedeal,though
PI2IALP£350
RI2IALP£250
P25ALR£250
JI23ALS£350
N32IAMP£350
KI23AMR£350 P24AMT£250
N32IAMW£250
SLI4AND£I50
AO5IAND£250
L28ANK£350
HB53ANS£250
L22APL£350
T29APP£350
P23APS£350
P32IAPS£250
S27APT£350
L2IARE£350
W90ARH£350
K24ARK£350
HE03ARN£250
L300ARN£350
N27ARY£350
P90ASA£350
ASZ2068£I00
RI2IATH£350
T600ATH£250
K2IAYY£350 AYZ4473£I50
XO02BAB£I50
N28BAB£250
PI2IBAB£350 WI6BAC£250 P222BAM£350 KI23BAR£350 N900BAS£250 P222BAT£350 K32IBAX£350 K27BAY£350
R400BAY£350
P999BAY£350
R24BBB£250
K6BCR£250 K23BED£350
RI2IBED£350
R29BER£350 RI2IBER£250
P27BES£350 N29BET£350
S300BET£350
L700BET£350
BEZ2604£250 BFZ424£250
BIG7284£350
T777BJH£350 K3IBJS£250 K25BJW£350
PI2IBJW£250 K27BOD£250 KI2IBOD£I50
Y600BOW£350 SI5BRA£350 K28BRN£350 P29BRN£350 P29BRO£350
PI2IBRO£I50
N400BRO£250
BSZ434£250
BSZI046£I50 BSZI047£I50
BSZI059£75
K23BUC£350
K26BUK£250
J29BUK£350
K52BUL£350 P32IBUL£250 K27BUN£350
BXZ223£250
CFZ353£250
LI2ICJH£350 P700CJR£350 KI2ICLB£350 KI23CLH£250 P26CML£250 W20CMP£250 CNZ3426£I50 K23COB£350 N32ICOB£250
T26COE£350 MI2ICOM£350 PA05COS£250 T32ICOT£350
JI0CPD£I50
K28CRA£350 K32ICRA£250 T23CRO£350
T7CSA£350 K698CSL£I00 P24CUT£350 R3ICUT£350 K27DAG£350 R28DAG£350 LX06DAV£250 PD02DAY£350
XO02DAY£350 PI56DAY£250 P24DCB£250 P24DCS£350
M90DDC£250 L28DDS£350 KI2IDDS£350 N28DDY£350
K24DEK£350
P26DEK£250 MO07DEL£350 MO55DEL£350 DI6DET£250 R24DEW£350
T222DEW£350 M32IDEW£350 N27DEX£350 DEZI5I0£350 DEZ4482£250
N9DFR£250
E7DGD£250 DGZ2444£250
DHZ77I£350 DIG7554£350
L28DJF£350
OX53DJS£250 NI2IDJT£350 DJZ787£350
PI2IDMB£350
L27DMM£250
N32IDMS£350
DNZ944£350
Y24DOD£250 L25DOL£350 M26DOL£350 R24DOR£350
P29DOR£250 P24DOW£350 PIIDPK£I50 DSZII4£350 DSZI2I3£I50 DSZ2093£50 DSZ2I08£I00 YI23DUC£350 K24DUD£250 C577DUG£250 K777DUG£350 K24DVE£250
J700DXN£350
R28EAM£350
P29EAM£250 L2IEAU£I50 EAZ882£350 TIIIECB£I50 K26EDS£350 R3IEEE£I50 K24EEL£350
P24EGG£250
R3IEGG£350
K28EJH£250
EJZ778£350
NI2IELA£350
N27ELE£350 LI2IELE£350
R333ELE£350 T888ELE£250 P24ELF£350
K26ELW£250
P27ELY£350
L32IELY£250
L28EMB£350
N2IENN£350
K24ENY£250 K3IEOS£250 DI0IERN£350
T800ERS£350 J200ERY£350
R26ESH£350
K26EVN£250
K25EXE£250 P3IFAR£250 T40FAR£350 P23FAT£250 N28FAT£350
K29FAT£350
PI2IFAT£I50 RI2FCS£I50 VI5FEB£350 JI9FEL£250 K24FEN£250 N27FEN£350 N700FEN£I50 RIIIFJB£I50
FJZ449£I50
PIIFMB£I50
K23GAM£250
M28GEF£350
PIIIRDA£I50 L29RDS£250
K25SMA£350 KI2ISMD£350 K2ISME£350
K3ISMY£250 K26SOL£350 R28SOO£250 K26SOP£350 K23SPA£350 K24SPS£350 K27SRW£350 SRZI262£I00 SRZI263£I00 K3ISSA£350 L25SSS£350 P25SSY£350 K25STS£350 PI23STV£250 L26SUN£350 N28SUN£350 RI2ISUS£350 K600SUS£350 P800SUS£250 K28SXY£I50 R23TAB£350 KI2ITAB£250 S900TAB£350 P23TAC£350 P700TAF£350 L28TAG£350 P25TAL£250 K27TAL£350 K27TAR£350 Y32ITAR£250 J93TBP£I50 K28TCH£350 N333TCH£250 S300TES£350
L2ISEE£350 P23SEL£350 K27SEL£350 K25SEP£350
TGZI583£I00 TGZI586£I50 TGZI587£I50 THZI829£I50 TIGI339£I50 KI2ITJB£350 TJZ252£350 TJZI922£250 K3ITLC£250 K27TMB£350 N653TOD£250 RI23TON£350 RI2ITOP£250 AS05TOR£350
TRZI034£I25 TRZI346£75
Aroadtestinanyother magazinemightwell beashort,subjective summaryofanewcar producedunderalmost anycircumstances, buttheAutocarroad testisdifferentSpecific,rigorousanddetailed,it’s theclosestexaminationwecangiveofanynewmodel Itappearsoveratleasteightpagesandiscloseto50 manhoursinthemakingeveryweek.
Mostofwhattheroadtestprocessentailsis designedtobestrictlyrepeatableandfairWe benchmarkstandingstartandingearacceleration atapurposebuilttestfacilityeveryweekWecarry outbothsubjectiveandobjectivehandlingtestson bothroadandtrack,onthelatteruptoandbeyond thelimitofgrip,soastofullyassessstability, drivabilityandlimithandlingappealAndwhile benchmarklaptimesaresometimestaken,they’re neveranendinthemselves.
Werecordandpublishstoppingdistances,too,as wellastakingcabinnoisemeasurementsatvarious cruisingspeedsandbenchmarkingeitherindicated orbrimtobrimfueleconomyWeindependently measurelegroom,headroom,bootspaceandcertain keyexteriorvehicledimensions,andwealsoweigh everycarwetest
Justaseverynewcarisdifferent,however,theroad testhasdevelopedtobeversatileenough,weekby week,soastobestassessandreflectthesuitability ofeachtestsubjecttoitsintendedpurposeItnow includesmodularsectionsdescribingindetailthe limithandlingofanewcar,oritssemiautonomous assisteddrivingtechnologiesoritsoffroadcapability.
Allofthisgoestobringingyouthemostthorough, relevantandfairtestofanewcarwecanproduceThe scoresfromthemostrecentroadtestsreproduced herearetheoneswegavethecarsatthetimesothey don’tnecessarilyrepresentwhatthosesamecars mightscoretodayweretheyrejudgedusingcurrent classstandardsButyoucandigdeeperintotheir attributesbyusingthemagazinepublicationdates listedheretolookupanoldtestinyourowncollectionor youcanorderabackissuebyphoning03448488816.
MattSaunders,roadtesteditorDespiteseveralcomposite
1614kg,soperformancewas
thetorquebandwideThefour
Therearesome1.4billion carsinusearoundthe worldandabout80 millionbuiltayearModel livesareshorteningandchoiceis gettingmuchwider,withcompetition hotterthaneverButitusedtobevery different:carsstayedinproduction fordecades,notchinguphugesales
Here,wecelebratesomeofthe carsthatgaveusallindependence, puttingentirecountriesonwheels RICHARDDREDGE
FirstunveiledbeforetheSecondWorldWarastheKdFWagen(‘thestrengththroughjoycar’)toputNaziGermanyon wheels,onlyafewhundredexampleswerebuiltbeforeAdolfHitler’smilitaryambitionsputanendtocivilianproduction in1939TheBritishArmyrannorthernGermanyaftertheendofthewarandengineerMajorIvanHirstrealisedthatthe car’sfactoryatWolfsburgcouldberevivedtomakebadlyneedednewtransportfortheoccupyingforcesItwasgiventhe friendliernameofVolkswagenType1,andtherestishistory.Morethan21millionexamplesoftherearengined,aircooled ‘Beetle’rolledofftheproductionlinesovermorethanhalfacentury,untilitfinallyleftproductioninMexicoin2003
NicknamedtheTinLizzie,thiswasthecarthat putAmericaonwheels.Morethan15million examplesweremade,andatonepointhalfofall thecarsintheUSwereModelTs,thankstoFord’s efficiencyinmassproductionItwasbuiltallthe waythroughto1927,bywhichtimethemodel wasbeingoutpacedbynewercompetitors butnotbeforeithadmadeHenryFordone oftherichestmenintheworld
Namedinrecognitionofthecityinwhichit wasmade,the‘Bullnose’featureda1.0litre sidevalveengineBy1925,almosthalfofthecars soldintheUKwereBullnoses,helpingtomake WilliamMorristheBritishversionofHenryFordin termsofhisimpactandwealth.Intotal,154,244 wereproducedover13years,avastnumberfor theperiodMorris’sarchrivalAustinresponded adroitlywiththeSeven,launchedin1923
Theoriginal500(nicknamed‘Topolino’,the ItalianforMickeyMouse)couldseatjusttwo andwaspowered(ifthat’stherightword)bya 569ccsidevalveenginegoodfor13bhpButit wascheapandhelpedputItalyonwheelsItwas alsosoldasaSimcainFrance.Acool520,000 weremadeuntil1955,whenanallnew500 appearedthatwouldserveasasymbolof Italy’spostwarrevivalandindustrialisation
Whilethe4CVwasbeingcovertlydeveloped,so Renault’scrosstownrivalCitroënwasdoingthe samewiththe2CVBossPierreJulesBoulanger hadrequestedacarthat“replacesthebicycle, themotorcycleandthehorsedrawncarriage”, andthiswasdelivered.Atruepeople’scar,itwas strippedtothemaxinabidtocutcostsandwas extremelysimpletomaintainProductionended in1990,aroundfourmillionhavingbeenbuilt
RegulationsmeanwewillneverseetheMini’slike again,inthat80%ofitsvolumewashabitableIt wasalsoatrulyclasslesscardrivenbyeveryone, anditslowcosthadfinishedoffthemicrocar classthatbrieflyburgeonedintheausterityof thepostwaryears.Some5.3millionMinisfound homesintheUKandfarbeyondwhenproduction endedin2000,beforeBMWrevivedthemarque thefollowingyearwithanallnewdesign
WhenHenryFordIIwasaskedtofundanewsmall carforEurope,heapparentlyreplied:“Smallcars, smallprofits”Buthesigneditoff,andFord’sfirst superminiwasasmashhit,offeringlithehandling andstrongreliabilityItwouldbecomeBritain’s bestsellingcareveryyearbetween2009and 2020beforethechipshortagetoppleditin2021 Morethan16millionFiestashavebeenbuiltand acool15millionremainontheUK’sroadstoday
